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Our plans have changed yet again, but not in a bad way. Our original plans for the summer changed, so I decided to head to Montana, but while stopped in Grand Junction, CO for an oil change, a new opportunity came our way and I took it. Good thing too, as we'd have been just west of Yellowstone about this time had we continued our path north to Montana. We'll be spending a month in Colorado pet sitting. Paco is going to be thrilled to have a dog to pal around with, and I'm looking forward to saving a bit of money on gas. This seems like a pretty spectacular place to spend the hot days of summer and I'm looking forward to daily showers. 🤷🏼‍♀️🚿 Proof, yet again, that plans should be held loosely.
We have been moving far more frequently than I prefer lately. Plans I'd been focused on for months suddenly changed. It felt as if the rug had been pulled from beneath me and took a few days to regain my footing.  I found a quiet place to park in total solitude. Didn't see or talk to another person for days, which was exactly what I needed.  With old plans out the window, I've decided to point the van north and return to my happy place: Montana.
We spent 15 days camped without a phone signal, so here is a photo dump of a few of the areas we've been through.   I'm amazed and saddened by how greatly our moves have already been impacted by wildfires, and it's only May. First, the fire in Flagstaff, AZ that was way too close to us. We entered New Mexico and large fires pushed us east at a faster pace than I'd intended to travel. Two days ago we got flushed out of a NM forest as the USFS has now closed all National Forests in New Mexico. I wasn't even upset to learn we had to pack up and leave. The USFS staff who pulled in to inform us of the closure apologized for being the bearer of bad news. Honestly, as someone who lives in the forests and on public lands, I fully support their closure if that means saving them from being consumed by fire. Sure, it meant a really hot stay in a Walmart parking lot, but it's a minor inconvenience I'm happy to deal with.  Now we're in cooler temps, surrounded by mountains, blue skies, tall trees, wildflowers, and a phone signal - basically a 5 star resort by vanlife standards.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you're interested in what I've been up to for the past two years or have wanted to ask all the nitty gritty questions related to how I live in a van, you're in luck. I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by my friend @cakecrushonthetown and it turned into a deep dive into my journey. I hope you have as much fun reading my responses as I had to create them! 👉 Link in story, highlights, and bio 👆 ☆☆☆☆ Reposted from @cakecrushonthetown I had the absolute honor of interviewing one of my dear friends about her awesome experience living in her van and traveling around the United States with her dog, Paco, taking photos and painting beautiful works of art. She is living THE LIFE! 🎉 It's the first long-form post up on my new website: https://www.cakecrush.com/van-life-inspiration/ . . . Direct link in profile. ✌🏻 "Through all this stripping down, digging deep, nudging old buried memories from the dark corners of my psyche, and finally setting them free, I can honestly say I feel much more confident in myself. Free to be who I am, unabashedly me, in all my weird glory. Sure, I’ve still got insecurities, who doesn’t, but now I’m aware enough to recognize knee-jerk childhood responses to situations. I can slow down, step back, have the emotional intelligence to look at it from a broader perspective, and hopefully handle it with more grace." Please enjoy the magic of @lisabussett. ❤️🌈 #roadtrip #adventure #vanlife #vanlifetravel #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifediaries #artist #painter #photographer #gomakefun #vanlifer #vanlifeinspiration #lisabussett #camperlifestyle #vanlifemovement #homeiswhereyouparkit #nomadic #travel #nomadicartist
Every day is different when living in a van. Some days I wake up in a busy Cracker Barrel parking lot. Other days a group of young wild horses gallop up to me in the middle of a forest and nudge all their noses into me for scratches and pets.  It's pretty remarkable, and filled with so many moments I never could have expected. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I don't understand why someone thought it was a good idea to start a fire on a day with 40-60mph winds. I woke with a windy but peaceful solitude of watching elk graze through our campsite as I drank my morning coffee. A few hours later my phone began to sound with emergency alerts to evacuate the area. Even though I couldn't see the smoke where I was, the fire is not far from the start of the road we were camped on, so I quickly threw things onto the bed and hoofed it out of there. Besides, fire is not something I mess around with, especially while camped deep inside a dry forest. Paco is still a little freaked out by my faster than normal driving along the bumpy forest road. I too was a basket of nerves, hoping we could get to the highway unscathed. Thankfully we did that, just as USFS rangers were coming in to clear everyone out. We're safe. It'll be a night in town tonight. Going to treat myself to a truck stop shower to calm my nerves. #tunnelfire #coconinonf #coconinonationalforest #onlyyoucanpreventwildfires
A friendly forest reminder to just be yourself. Celebrate your uniqueness. Don't be afraid to let your weird light shine bright in all its wondrous glory.  As my friend @vanningaintnojoke likes to say, "Why fit in when you can stand out?"
"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." - G.K. Chesterton I saw this quote on a @jedidiahjenkins post yesterday and it resonated. I do my best to be more traveler and less tourist.  When people ask if I saw this or that major destination, or if I visited various big, well-known stops, my answer is usually no. My time is spent in the forests, as often as possible, or wide open spaces far removed from any sort of civilization.  I weave and wander without any real destination in mind. Guided by sun rays, peculiar shapes of trees, the way a rock juts out of the ground, and more often than not, I just follow Paco.  I may not see the big, notable destinations listed in travel books - I see so much more. The same walk reveals a new delight each day. When we stay at a campsite for a long stretch, the animals move nearer. I've witnessed so many moments too marvelous for words. Moments I would have missed if I traveled with expectations of what I'd see or experience.
☆ New blog post! ☆ Building A Mobile Art Studio Read about how I transformed my van's storage space to better fit my needs as an Artist. Link in bio.