Inaugural Moab VanLyf Adventure
Yo.
Welcome to the first of (hopefully) many blogs covering our adventures, travels, and lyf in Santiago - our beautifully renovated and converted tiny house Dodge 3500 Sprinter Van.
I’ll cover more of the behind the scenes about the journey in another blog(s); from when we first began tossing around the idea of moving into and living in a tiny house/van, through the actual process of getting her and everything in between.
For now, I just wanted to tell you about our first experience living in Shasta!
To make a long story short, we actually purchased the van back in January, knowing full well it would be a few months before we would have the opportunity for our schedules to allow us to take a trip in the van. We also still currently have a lease at a home in Denver, Colorado.
But we decided to block off a few days early in March( right before Covid-19 was officially a pandemic) to travel to Moab, Utah and experience what life would be like in it with our dogs.
To listen to our experiences and thoughts on our Moab Trip, you can check out and subscribe to our Podcast here:
Why Moab?
We didn’t discover, nor had even heard of Moab, Utah before we moved out to Colorado from Nashville in 2018, but quickly came to hear tales of this “other-planetary” place existing on our globe within an arm’s reach of Colorado. Since moving to Denver, we have now traversed our way to visit the desert mesas of Moab four times. Each trip has held special moments and memories that have helped shaped who we are to this day. So when deciding to take our first trip, Moab - a reasonable 5.5 hour drive west from Denver on 1-70 - was the first choice.
After a morning spent lightly moving-in to the van, - a process we had yet to begin with still having our lease at our current residence through June, and some errands - like a Whole Foods run - we were on our way to Moab early evening on a Sunday.
While a five and a half hour drive might have seemed intimidating in the past, say like when we used to live in Nashville(we moved to CO in 2018) and a drive that size would take you out-of-state, I’ve come to embrace that driving distances that length is a normal part of exploring and traversing the Colorado terrain- if your desire is to do so.
Also, Colorado boasts some of the most amazing road tip views you will ever see - towering mountain peaks and ranges, vast lakes in the valleys, sheer canyon walls, and lots of snow.
Just a tip- if you plan to drive west through Colorado at any point during the winter seasons know that you will be driving through snow. And just so you’re aware-winter typically lasts until May in CO. Another helpful tip is to make sure you have a vehicle with 4-wheel drive, or make sure you have tire chains to fit your vehicle. Causing a blockage of the road during the winter because your vehicle is not properly prepared can result in a ridiculous fine of over 1K. So be prepared. Get yo chainz. Tauheed Epps already has 2 a pair of them. He’s ahead of The Game.
Do you like my rapper puns?
Anyways, we ventured into Moab this time as we always have- in the dead of night driving down dirt roads looking for a spot to park Shasta for our first night sleeping in her. We drove to a spot on BLM land that was right off the highway. We had stayed on this land before on our very first trip to Moab and settled in for our first night of sleeping in van.
So how was the experience sleeping in the van for the first time?
It was cozy, to say the least.
An aspect of this particular van build that really stuck out to us was the cabin-like feel of the interior design, with everything made of wood, book-shelves lining the wall, a propane heater to keep it warm, and some v nice dimmable mood lights - the builder (@travvywild on instagram) wanted to give it those exact vibes. And uh, he nailed it.
It’s cozy as fuck. Just to add more on top of all of that, we had our dogs - Jet all buried up in his new Pendleton Bed on the floor, and Kona curled up between our feet in our bed to add to the coziness.
Ohh yeahhh, and it just so happened the days we planned to spend in Moab were the days the full moon was going to be at her peak.
Sometimes the universe nudges you and reminds you that everything transpired for a connection you’re a part of that is much bigger than yourself - and accessing that connection brings completeness and contentment. As Amy and I cuddled together that first night a soft lunar spotlight from the (almost) full moon above seeped its gentle glow through the vent fan above our bed, and I felt the universe’s touch. It was soft - full of gentleness, peace, and stillness.
And I closed my eyes the first night, and slept as a child - to peace and contentment.
The feeling of first seeing the out of focus light outside my closed eyes was the same as it ever was . Standing up, opening the door and waking up in the middle of the desert of Moab, was completely different.
We took our time getting up, letting the world awaken before us. We took our dogs on a walk around the lands, taking in the world we decided to live in the next few days. Picturesque snow-capped peaks sat on the horizon appearing equal parts within touch and as far away as the sky.
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to play frisbee with Kona - our 5 year old Aussie-Collie mix who is a low-key incredible athlete, albeit a bit reckless at times too. It only took a few throws before both the frisbee and Kona were covered in the dusty red sands.
Ah, Van lyf in Moab can be dirty. Especially with dogs. Kona had a spot of the red dust settle on the top of his nose for the duration of the trip. It was the cutest thing, but I don’t have to tell you that. You can see it right here.
We had a slow morning cooking breakfast on the propane stove top of our van and doing some internal designing and arranging of items in the van. We took the rest of the day and headed into the actual town of Moab to explore, walk around and get to know more about the actual town. The majority of our time from previous trips was spent in the nature of Moab, not seeing the actual town - so we wanted to do that this time. And also possibly find some new interior decorations or memorabilia for our first trip.
After wandering about we picked out to Moab-inspired hand-made ceramic mugs to use in the van. We are pretty big connoisseurs of hot beverages such as teas and coffee and were in the market for some very sturdy mugs.
SIDENOTE: A challenge we were aware of going into van life, and probably the question we were asked most frequently leading up to the this was about what we were going to do with the dogs when we needed to be else where besides in the van with them. What was another nudge from the universe, the designer and builder of the van was a dog-lover and owner himself and the aforementioned vent fans, 2 of which were built into the roof, were designed to keep great airflow going through the van, maintaining good internal temperatures and making it very dog friendly. However, we do always leave a note with our phone number in the side window in case anyone is overly curious or skeptical.
We picked up some firewood on the way back out of town and decided to find a new spot to camp that night. We turned down 313 south west headed towards Canyon Lands National Park, and pulled off down a dirt and gravel road for the Lone Mesa before we got to Dead Horse State Park.
The dogs do not like driving on the dirt roads in the van. With the size, and the scope of everything Santiago is holding, even the most minor bumps and dips feel and sound much larger. They were not fans.
We pulled off down another dirt road from the original dirt road. We arrived shortly to some rocky and uneven surfaces of the road, in which we saw another driver of a Jeep think he didn’t have the clearance to make it over. Well, we decided we did. And sure enough Shasta dominated those rocky rapids as the trail descended further into the rocky landscape below the Lone Mesa.
We found a secluded spot with a fire ring amongst a massive stone floor and we knew this would be the spot.
We started a fire together, cracked a cold beer open, made some dinner on our van stove and then sat out by the fire and watched the full moon rise. While the night sky was partially cloudy, the moon glowed through the thin veil of clouds that spotted the night sky.
When our fire died out, and the moon had finished her transformation from the golden beauty of her rising, to the soft lunar white of her ascended form, we gathered up the dogs and went and slept under her light in the coziness of the van.
This was life. And that was Day 2 in the van.
Day 3 began much the same way, slowly arising as the world around us awakened with the rotation of the earth.
I climbed out of bed early to start brewing some coffee and put on some light music as Amy dozed peacefully in the bed with Kona there to keep her warm. Travis (the builder) equipped the van with a sick surround sound bluetooth speaker system that reaches to 2 speakers above the bed in the back, so the music quality is 👌
I made coffee. We sat and had breakfast at the pull-out table under the bed, listened to Sigur Rós, and reminisced on the sight and experience of the full moon rise the night before.
As the cloudy morning gave way to day, Amy decided to get a workout in on the rock mesa outside. I stayed in, pulled out my laptop 👨💻 and got some work done. After all, once we officially move in full time - this would be my office as well. And being able to get work done, even with the pull of the vast nature and experiences that lay just outside was imperative.
After the work sessions were completed, we did some yoga together in the rocky outcrop with the towering Mesa in the back ground.
You can find our Moab flow we did together and join in with us here:
As the early afternoon rolled in, I pulled out my new toy- a DJI Mavik Pro II drone that I had yet to use, but was eagerly awaiting the opportunity. This was the opportunity. I flew it around our van site, and the mesa as Amy threw the frizbee for Kona, and Jet did as Jet does, wondering off and sticking his nose in all the places it probably doesn’t belong.
We packed up and decided to head back in to Moab for a quick provision run for the evening. The van has two 7 gallon water reserve tanks- which we were going through a tad quicker than expected. We do live in Colorado, and people in Colorado are obsessed with hydration after-all. We drink a lot of water. and coffee. and tea.
So we made the roughly half-hour drive back in to town before the evening was to arrive.
Another adjustment when it comes to living in the van, is the process of preparing and prepping her from a docked stationary mode, to voyage. While I’ve never actually been on a ship that required such prepping, fitting the van together, putting away any loose items, and locking up all the shelves and drawers just to be able to drive her felt like prepping for voyage out to sea.
Gearheads, - a local adventuring, and outdoor gear retail store in Moab offered free filtered water for anyone stopping through.
If you’re ever in the area and need anything- climbing, camping, biking, water, etc. The people there were very friendly and the place was awesome. A smaller embodiment of what the town and people of Moab hold as a whole.
So we went there, and refilled our 14 gallons of tanks for the next day and return home.
As we meandered our way through the canyons, cracked rocks, and monuments of the landscape, I had an idea to try out some drone shots of the van down a dirt road off the highway we had passed coming in.
Our only plan for the evening were to go to Dead Horse State Park, watch the sunset, and possibly do a photo shoot together. However, it was still only mid afternoon, and I wanted to try some and get some awesome drone footage as well.
Everything worked out smoothly… at least for the first 20 minutes. Amy adventured down the dirt road as the captain of the van, as I tested out my newly acquired drone flying skillz from behind.
and the view were epic:
The creative juices kept flowing, and as we slowly made our way down this rarely trodden dirt path, the views and ideas kept getting more epic.
Then we hit a snag. Or rather, my drone hit a tree/bush - they’re kinda both the same in Moab - and crashed into the sand.
Luckily, all is perfectly ok. It was my first time, after all.
And then the van hit the dunes, and sank - to the point where we could not get her unstuck from the sinking sands around the tires.
I had been flying the drone and saw Amy get out of the van and wave me down to come look, and sure enough, the road had given way to deep dunes, and we were stranded.
We checked our phones and had no service. We took out the remaining firewood we had and dug out around the tires, to no avail.
And we even tried out our new tire cables we purchased for this trip - with no luck there either.
We were gonna need some help.
The good thing about the van is we were probably okay to live in this area for the next few days if we so desired waiting for help. There was no urge from us to receive help in a certain time frame.
We really had no where to be and no where to go.
But Moab comes well prepared for times like these. And after we left the dogs all nice and air conditioned in the van, we walked down the path to the main road where service was available and called for backup help.
Within the hour a tow company(Eternal Thanks to Tic Tac Towing!) had come and pulled our mighty beast of a van out of the sinking sands of the dune, and our adventure continued. But now, it was well into evening, and blue hour was having its moment with the desert landscape.
So we decided to just head back to the Lone Mesa- the place we stayed the night before - and do it all again.
We got back to the same area, traversed the rocky terrain, made dinner, cracked a beer or two, and sat around the fire waiting for the next moon rise.
But she didn’t rise.
In fact, she was no where to be seen, period. The desert night was continually creeping into full existence and yet no sign of the moon peaked out over the horizon. Instead, the night air was filled to the brim with stars.
We sat amazed at the vast galaxies we saw before our eyes, and traced the trails of the planes flying the same routes there and back again through the night sky.
And then she came. Late into the night, the light on the far horizon began to increase, and she lifted her weight above the mesa and into the sky.
The stars slowly faded their way back into the blackness of space, as the reflecting glow of the moon over powered their existence.
I had my camera out and ready to capture what events may transpire in the night sky, and oh did they transpire.
With the longest possible exposures, and crazy magical light from the campfire, the moon, the stars, and the headlamps, we all collaborated to create some amazing images.
Take a look below:
Moab truly can resemble an other - worldly place especially in certain lights. Under the full moon in the shadow of the mesa was one of those times
While our fire that night turned to coals letting the coolness of the desert night in and with our energy levels and heart beats still reverberating from the our adventurous time of getting the van stuck in the dunes to the incredible stars and moon rise - we went back into the van and did what anyone would.
Have a dance party to Alt-J’s full discography with your dogs late into the night.
I remember moments in-between songs, when the world would pause for a breath and I would remember what lay just outside the van door - the connection to the vastness of nature at the foot of my door.
And then the next song would kick in. dance🕺💃🏻
We then made some tea. Amy cuddled up in bed with Kona and pulled out her journal. I sat on the floor and did some meditation and then took to journaling. And slowly we faded into the night.
We awoke the next day to the sound of rain drops cascading on the van roof - and yes, it was as peaceful and incredible as it sounds. We woke up slowly, as we had done every morning, made breakfast, cuddled and cozied together while we drank our hot beverages, and just existed in the space we were in.
We needed to head back to Denver at some point that day. So we made the decision to stay inside and work, create, edit, write for the morning, then just like a ship preparing for voyage - we made Santiago “road-worthy” and journeyed back East through the mountain pass.
You never really forget the towering mesas and rocky red castles of Moab as you drive out. It’s a magical place that begs you not to leave, and also makes it quite difficult to leave at times.
Driving East through the Rockies, is not preferred at any point during the winter months. And once again, we encountered snow on the route through. While it wasn’t as much as we had been through in times past, this snow did break off the driver side wind shield wiper mid-way through which added some intensity to the night trip.
But we made it back to our little home we’ve been renting in Denver the past few years and saw the moon - now 2 days removed from her full girth - still shining golden and large over on the horizon us as we made our way home.
and the first voyage was completed.
