Red jagged rock. Dry desert land. Snow-capped magical mountains. Every picture was as if we stood in front of a green screen and I’m so fortunate to have the agility to feel the shale rock crumble at my toes or the curiosity to learn history far before my time.
Hop in the car as I outline 6 days of living in a camper van with my better half.
Day 1: Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Where to stay: $28 The Hideout (Private Campground in Glenwood Springs)
What to see: Vail Ski Town, Hanging Lake Trail, Loveland Pass, Eisenhower Tunnel
To begin our adventure, we flew into Denver with only 1 checked bag and our backpacks. We had to be strategic about what to pack and what must stay home due to the weight requirement of our checked bag. We both took 3 outfits with a set or 2 of thermal gear along with hats, gloves, and the highest necessity, hiking boots. Other items in our bag included a headlamp, Double A batteries, fairy lights ( I promise, they are a must!), rope, microfiber towels, books, and a first aid kit (honorable mention for Andy). Once we arrived at the airport, we collected our bags and caught a ride to Escape Camper Vans, a rental company that offers multiple styles of live-in vans. The “Doll House” A.K.A Mystery Machine was tricked out with a propane stove, solar refrigerator, sink, table, and bed. With a swift checkout (because we are “from South Dakota and can handle the snow”), we were on our way in a Ford cargo van with 389,000 miles to boot. We headed west, cuing up the aux cord to John Denver with a mission to reach Glenwood Springs. We were warned about the 6% grade of Loveland Pass but we were a bit naive of the weather and the capabilities of our mode of transit. Andy, a true road warrior, sledded down i70 as we passed through the Rocky Mountains in blizzard conditions, saddling up next to the 18 wheelers. As we white knuckled to the finish line, we passed through the Hollywood-ecentric, ski town of Vail and Hanging Lake trail which was unfortunately closed for the season. Kissing the ground in a Glenwood Springs Walmart parking lot, we collected our thoughts, grabbed our groceries for the week and investigated a place to stay for the night. As I looked up to the stars above, a cross illuminated on a hill appeared to be floating in the night sky. Note: crosses became a symbol throughout this trip. For $28, we found a private campground in town that offered a shower, laundry, and coffee. I’m a sucker for free coffee. We pulled into D7 and became familiar with our new, temporary, living situation. We hung fairy lights for nighttime reading, that wouldn’t pull from the battery of the car and fully embraced the stench of sweaty feet. As the snow continued to fall, we sipped Montuckys and planned for the day ahead.
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Day 2: Glenwood Springs to Moab, UT (Arches National Park)
Where to stay: First Come, First Serve Campground — $20 Goose Island Campground
What to see: Doc Holiday Trail, Glenwood Hot Springs
First night in the van was a total success minus a couple cold noses! We woke up, made egg/sausage sandwiches and laced up the hiking boots to begin a morning hike up to a Boot Hill resting place of the Wild West Cowboy Doc Holiday and Kidd Curry. Of course, not before we could check out the free coffee. A beginner’s hike nestled behind a neighborhood led to a cemetery with neat history that tied lightly into our own South Dakota, gold rush story. After the snow covered hike, we warmed up in the hot springs located at the heart of town. Temps in each pool ranged from 93 to 103 degrees with primal people watching opportunities. After an hour long soak, we showered in the locker rooms and loaded up for the next 2 1/2 hour drive. This trend became a cadence in our trip. Wake up, explore, travel 2 hours, hunker down for the night, then wake up to explore that area and begin the rhythm all over again. Outside of Moab, there are many hotels and campgrounds, however the campgrounds are bare minimum, like park-your-vehicle-in the-middle-of-a-desert minimum. Most, if not all, campgrounds in the area are first come, first serve and complimented with vaulted bathrooms and fire pits. As we worked together to conquer some frustration, we finally found the perfect site that nestled us into a beautiful canyon located beside the Colorado River underneath pillars of massive red rock. With soup on the menu, and a full moon showering the ground, we started to master this “living in a van down by the river” lifestyle.
Day 3: Moab to Mexican Hat, Utah
Where to stay: $15 Sand Island Campground
What to see: Balance Rock, Arches National Park, Delicate Arch Trail, Hole in the Rock Tourist Attraction, Canyonlands, Navajo Nation
Feeling a bit free on the use of garlic salt (oopsie), we had a salty breakfast scramble that found most of it’s remnants set aside in a ziplock bag for later. Arches National Park was the main attraction today. We breezed through the entrance gate (bought America the Beautiful Pass ahead of time), stopped at the Visitors Center, and traveled up the winding road past Balance Rock, Windows Arch, Double Arch and Wolfe Ranch. At the base of Wolfe Ranch, we packed our lunch and began a trek towards Delicate Arch. Do you have a Windows laptop? You know that super sick red arch that floats across your background? This hike hides that land formation until the very end, panting 1.7 miles up a large rock, around a bend of sheer cliffs to surprise a climber with the exposure of the beautiful bowl followed by anxiety-driven footsteps. People lined up to take pictures under the arch and rest before the hike back down. Worth it. 100% worth the sweat and blisters. Ask Andy about the bathrooms up there. After we exited the National Park, we entered the rural, isolated Navajo Nation. Most of this distance was spent in awe of the wide open spaces. Now, remember, we come from South Dakota where prairies run for miles. These landscapes were similar but rather than fields of corn and beans, the desert was packed with cacti and oddly enough, crosses. Some crosses had a purpose of marking a remembrance of a fatal accident, however other crosses were in the oddest places. In a mountain. Beside a lone tree. These crosses started to symbolize a little more for Andy and I. For me, it meant my recently deceased Grandma Mary Ann was traveling along with us while Andy trusted the signs as assurance to know we were on the right path as most of this area had no cell service to track our directions. Outside of Bluff, Utah, the campsite for the evening was surrounded by brush with game trails leading up to the San Juan River, created from run off water from the La Sal Mountains. This location put us 30 miles from Mexican Hat rock, a trail we planned to hike in the morning. As we warmed up by the fire, I happened to look up. The skies were plentiful, painting the night sky like sprinkles on a cupcake. This spot left me with the lesson: “Don’t forget to look up.” Similar to “Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses” where both messages remind a person to stop their busy life and appreciate the small things, like the small humans that live in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Day 4: Mexican Hat to Page, Arizona
Where to stay: $38 Page Lake Powell Campground
What to see: Mexican Hat Rock, Monument Valley, Glen Dam, Upper Antelope Canyon
If sliding down the Rockies didn’t fill our adrenaline junkie attitude, Mexican Hat sure did. Upon arrival, we found an RV that high centered in a wash out the night before. We cautiously parked our van near the expecting trailhead, anticipating to offer help for the stranded campers. No movement. So, we continued to follow the path which inevitably led to the same trail walked by billy goats. Have you seen the agility of a mountain goat? After a scare, I carefully made my way to the bottom, thankful once again for my 9th life. Since we are stubborn, we refused to go home empty handed. We walked to the T in the path, and decided to take a left instead of a right which lined up with my All Trail app map. A nice easy 0.7 mile trek to a beautiful canyon and iconic photo of Mexican Hat rock. Now, that was stunning and much less risky. Seeing the RV free from the channel in the road, we made our way back to the camper van and onto Page, Arizona, home of Antelope Canyon, another well-known background for your Hewlett-Packard computers. Before we reached Page, we had to stop in the middle of the highway near Monument Valley, known for the famous scene in Forest Gump. After snapping a few pictures, it was an onward march from there. Upper Antelope Canyon is a red canyon atop orange sand created by flood waters, with sun beams creating a magical experience. This tour ranges from $72 to $210 dollars and requires a Navajo guide. Most tourists traveled from cool homelands, such as Costa Rica, Italy, England, Germany, Brazil, New Zealand, and then there was us…the token South Dakotans. Taking a slow gander through the canyon, our fingerprints traced the canyon wall feeling the erosion after years of flash floods. Fallen timbers above our heads were not from the skies, but rather from flood waters pushing the dead trees through crevices too small to continue through, showing how dangerous the rain can be. With 4 nights in a cold van, little bathing, and my body in fight or flight, I was worn down. Not seeing many opportunities to set up camp along the way to the Grand Canyon, we stayed in Page. The low temperature of 45 degrees was intriguing and the shower and hot tub was even more tantalizing. Earlier in the day, we explored Glen Dam but decided to skip Horseshoe Bend. We set out our clothesline to air out our suits, towels, and clothes then bedded down for the night with the intention of an early morning drive to GC.
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Day 5: Page to South Rim Grand Canyon
Where to stay: $18 Mather Campground, in the park
What to see: Grand Canyon —Desert View Watchtower, Blue Angel Trail, Shoshone Trail, Geology Museum
Another desolate drive filled with nature’s beauty and little to no wildlife led us to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Again, we slipped through security fairly easy due to the America the Beautiful National Park pass. We stopped at Desert View for our first glimpse of the mile deep canyon. WOW. The layers of rock, with tributaries as far down as the eye could see reveals how deep the world really can be. No metaphor intended. We met with a park ranger, planned a few hikes, met Connie from Montana and her pals for her 60th birthday, and then feasted at the Mather campground. Don’t ask me how to pronounce that. Unfortunately, the showers and laundry rooms were closed for the evening so our final day was going to be spent in every outfit we had already hiked in. Oh well, none of that matters when you love each other, right? We had baked potatoes from the fire, leftover soup, fruit, and orange juice. Back to the crosses. We hiked Blue Angel Trail, a trip with multiple stopping points on the 7 mile decent into the canyon. We reached the 1.5 checkpoint, dropping 1,000 feet in elevation. Beautiful views, but guess what? We had to hike back out. As we rested for fuel entailing trail mix and fruit snacks, we sat on a random rock overlooking the remainder of the trail speckled with mules. As I dramatically stood, unenthused with the physical exercise before me, I looked at the rock that we propped up on. “Jesus Loves You” with a cross was carved into the rock, just another message that our angels were with us. We hustled up the trail in less time than it took us to go down and imploded with excitement at the top. It was our last, big adventure before the flight home. We did it!
Day 6: Grand Canyon to Phoenix, Arizona
Where to stay: $50 AirBNB
What to see: Flagstaff, Montezuma’s Castle (pueblos)
Our final morning was blistering cold. As I attempted to do dishes in boiling water, the rinse water froze to each plate. With the road covered in frost, we decided to pack up and find a warmer location for grub and van cleaning. On the trip to Phoenix, we noticed Humphrey's Peak as we passed through Flagstaff, not warm enough for dishes but beauty comparable to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We ventured on to Montezuma’s Castle, an old pueblo hidden near the interstate. Once again, our National Park pass saved some extra dollars for entry with the short stop lasting less than a half hour. A little further down the road, we found a scenic overlook and rest stop to gander at the wide open spaces, and cacti-filled hills. We filled our bellies, cleaned up our van, packed the suitcase, and eventually, returned the “Doll House” to it’s home. Fortunately, we were able to meet up with some family in Phoenix, enjoy a few brews, and catch a flight back to Sioux Falls the following morning.
Overall, the trip was a testament to our relationship. Personally, I was nervous for the test, but once we arrived home with minimal debates and a strong desire for scolding hot showers, I was confident in our love for one another (and thankfully hygiene). Traveling via roadtrip is a neat way to see the land formations melt into each other, from snow to desert, to open plains and picturesque mountains. This trip will be a reference that I’ll use for ages. To teach our children to trust one another and explore. To acknowledge your fears and run straight at them. To understand other populations that create the United States of America. It’s very easy to stay in the comfort of our own home and state, and enjoy it's own beauty, however “adventure is out there.” Other perspectives and people are out there to expand your knowledge and share lifestyles with. We’re all humankind; let’s act like it. And remember, “Don’t forget to look up.”
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