Aaaaaand We're Back In Colorado!

"Balanced Rock" In Arches National Park. A massive rock formation that's been eroded creating a giant rock seemingly balanced on top.

Well we’ve pretty much come full circle since the last time I wrote… we had just left our friends in Colorado, and were headed west to Utah, and now we are back with friends in Colorado! By the time we hit Utah, the reality of living on the road had hit us, and we were coping with the fact that we had a lot to learn! We spent about 5 days in Moab which was beautiful, but also we were like OMG we’re 2 feet away from each other at all times! Things got worse when we went for a hike in Arches National Park and got lost. We had not practiced our normal hike preparedness, and embarked on our journey without the map of the trail downloaded, no snacks, and just barely enough water. We were trying to get a good hike in after Corey got done with work, but that put us in a window of time before sunset that did not allow for any mistakes, or we would be hiking in the dark. Well, it turns out we did make a mistake, and ended up stuck in an area of the park aptly named “The Devils Playground.” The trail was VERY poorly marked (so not completely our fault) and brought us into an area surrounded by rock formations, with many false trails leading all around this "outdoor room" as we were calling it. It felt like we were in a fun house, and every time we tried to get out we would end up back where we started, as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. At one point we got just enough service and were able to download the map of the trail, but after that was still about an hour and a half of hiking which involved scrambling on rocks in the dark. It was not our finest moment.

The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land we stayed on in Moab, Utah. A flat road leading to plateaus in the distance.

Canyonlands National Park. The other park we visited in Moab. The canyons looks like a hand that was pressed into the flat earth.

The next couple of weeks involved traveling out to California, seeing friends and family along the way, and celebrating the marriage of our good friends Nicole and Devin! It was an exciting and busy time, and between that and the trauma of what happened in Utah, I couldn’t bring myself to sit down and write a blog post. After the wedding, we decided to make our way North along the coast of California, a drive I had always wanted to do. The scenery was breathtaking, but we were starting to realize the toll that all of this traveling was having on us, and also on our car. We attempted to drive to a free campsite that we found on the Free Roam app we use, but we were arriving at night and upon driving to it realized that the road was just too bad to continue. Also, the drive along the coast ruined the brakes on our car. So I’ll sum up some of the lessons we were learning: driving so much is exhausting—especially during the week, winding roads are bad for your car when you’re towing a trailer, and California does not get a lot of cell service.

An alpine lake at Great Basin National Park, NV, a short stop on the way from Utah to California.

In order to stay sane we broke our free campsite rule and stayed at a couple of state park campgrounds. We explored the redwood forests of Humboldt County, danced the night away in wine country, and soaked up the salt air and beauty of Bodega Bay. All of these things restored us, and helped us to look at what we were doing in a critical but positive light. We were able to see that as much as we want to see everything, less moving around is essential. We have to remain flexible, but it’s also really important to plan and know where we are going to be during the work week.

Corey peering out from a giant hollowed out redwood.

Throughout all of this I have been struggling with depression, which I believe is from a mixture of this huge life transition, and also a side effect of a medicine I’m on. Anxiety and I have been tight for a long time, but depression is not something I’m as familiar with. It’s made getting the motivation to make art very difficult and the negative voice in my head very loud. My expectation for this journey was that without the stress of my job, I would have so much mental space and time to create art and do all of the things I had been wanting to do with my free time. What I hadn’t anticipated was how much this mental space would be filled with questions like “What am I doing with my life?” “Was this the right decision?” “I’m not making the most of my time.” While this experience is very different than Corey hiking the Appalachian Trail, I think I am beginning to understand the way he talks about it having been a struggle mentally more than anything. Having free time is a blessing and a privilege, and can also do some weird things to you.

Foamy waves rolling in at sunset on a beach near Bodega Bay, CA.

So, there are new things to learn everyday, and an ever-changing view from the windshield. While I’ve focused on the hard things in this post, the beauty that we’re experiencing everyday is a constant reminder of how lucky we are to be on this adventure together. We are constantly reminded of why we chose each other, and it’s because of our ability to deal with the difficult times respectfully, take away the important lessons, and fully immerse ourselves in the joyful times.

Corey enjoying a drink at a casino in Reno, NV, a stop on the way from CA to CO. 

We left California earlier than planned because of the horrible fires occurring right now. It’s terrifying and our heart goes out to everyone that’s affected. Part of our flexibility in planning means that if we don’t feel safe in an area then we leave, we don’t risk it. This meant sadly having to cancel our fun plans in southern California. We headed east to escape the fires and ended up in a Blizzard! But we are safe with a friend, and taking a week off from driving so we won’t be driving in the snow. After this, we’ll slowly begin our journey home for the Holidays!