Getting Settled

It's been 2 weeks since we've been on the road and we are still adjusting.

Except for this guy... He's fully adjusted!

Our first night was spent near the beach in Seagrove, FL, USA, after a really weird day.  Miles was displaying signs of a UTI so we spent a few hours at the animal hospital in Pensacola, FL, to get him some antibiotics so he'd start feeling better. He's made a full recovery and is back to his normal self :). After that and a stop for groceries to make dinner we settled in at Point Washington State Forest, cooked, and nestled into our new bed.  It was really humid and warm that first night so it was hard to get comfortable. But overall, successful first night! Our battery maintained really high levels thanks to the B2B charger from all the driving that day and in the morning the solar panels were fully exposed to the sun- boosting them back up to full charge after using the Instantpot and induction cooktop the night before. Also, we started navigating the cabinets in proximity to our heads by giving ourselves a few decent size bumps- this theme will continue.

Our first day driving!

Our first lunch in the van: chickpea salad sandwiches.

The next day we made a quick stop at a dog beach in Destin, FL, before heading north.  We knew we wanted to head to higher elevation pretty quick for some cooler temperatures and so far every night has been cool and comfortable! And oh so green!! We've essentially followed the Appalachian Trail north through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York, each day getting more and more in a groove of #vanlife and navigating our tiny space and all it's quirks.  But still working on not hitting our heads on the cabinets! We are really loving all of the freedom we are afforded to be able to pick up and go wherever and whenever.

Dog beach.

North Georgia. So green!

Thanks again iOverlander. This site was beautiful!

First overnight parking lot campout in Asheville, NC - such a cool city!

Gammy and Clay's old house in Lake James, NC.  Zach spent summers here as a teenager.

New states for Miles and me!

Great Smoky Mountains selfie.

Blue Ridge Mountains.

Quick break on our 7 mile hike in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range.

We also made our first stop to visit friends, Clarissa & Evan, in Washington, D.C., and had a wonderful time! We had only been in the van for 6 nights before arriving to their house and it was a strange feeling leaving it for a non-mobile home for a few days. Somehow I already missed Fran and even contemplated sleeping in the van just outside... weird, I know.  They surprised us unemployed folks with some tickets to see Moon Hooch. Super talented musicians but also the strangest concert experience in a long time... perhaps ever. If you didn't click on the link, you should so you'd understand just how unique this group is and can imagine what the show must have been like. Also, they're (as in Moon Hooch) really passionate about trees (if you know, you know). We had a wonderful time out in the city and the next day (after the most brutal workout of my life... thanks Clarissa) we headed to Shenandoah National Park for a night of camping so they could experience Van Life for a day. After heading back to the city, we enjoyed a delicious meal in their back yard and attempted to acquaint Miles and Pat (their cat)... Miles is ever curious and Pat is quite content with her distance. After separate guys'/girls' night out, we parted ways and started heading to our next destination... New York!

Pre-poker selfie with Clarissa and Evan.

Our first fan girl! She was so excited to see a self-converted van while she was on her hike and asked for a tour!

Clarissa and Evan on our drive to Shenandoah.

Best friends hanging in a hammock at the camp site.

As soon as we got to New York, I had to take a quick break from #vanlife (I know...a break after a week and a half?!) to go to Phoenix for a Celebration of Life for the beloved Ann Spisak. The Spisak Dance community has surrounded my and my family's lives for the last 20 years and will always hold a special place in my heart. Mrs. Spisak opened the dance studio in 1960 and shaped the lives of so many people through the years. Beyond dance, she taught me to enjoy life, the importance of laughter, patience, and so much more. She was the matriarch of her community and will be so missed. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces turn out to honor her legacy and support the entire family and community impacted by her passing. One consistent theme persisted through the celebration of her life- enjoy each moment, one moment at a time.  And that is what I intend to do. This trip couldn't be more representative of that sentiment. 

Me and Mrs. Spisak, 2005.

Dance friends from Spisak Dance Academy at Mrs. Spisak's Celebration of Life: Laura, me, Anjuli, and Briana.

On my way to Phoenix, AZ, ran into mom at JFK Airport as she had a layover on her way to Spain! So great to see her for a quick airport meetup.

While in AZ, I've been able to spend a lot of 1:1 time with my sister, Allyson! Grateful for her and this time.

Meanwhile, back at the van... Zach and Miles have been enjoying some boys time, swimming, hiking, and relaxing in the Catskill Mountains in New York. When I return, we'll be spending about another week in NY visiting our brothers before continuing on.

Miles and Fran and their album cover.

Beautiful sights in the Catskills.

We've only had a few minor hiccups along the way aside from Miles' vet visit (much less than I anticipated!).  Our third day we decided to top off our water tank and somehow our plug on the fill port didn't get quite as secure of a connection as the first time we filled up.  We found that out by water seeping from the back of the garage all the way to the front living space of the van....oy. Luckily we were only a couple miles away from an ACE and were able to get a temporary solution in place.  We also ordered a better plug and had that delivered to our friends' place in D.C. that we'd be heading to later in the week. And so far, so good!!

Additionally, when we made it to Pennsylvania, Miles was chasing his ball and it unfortunately got nestled into a giant bed of poison ivy... fabulous.  Luckily we were camping right on a creek and were able to give him a bath in the water immediately following that and got to test out our outdoor shower  (so nice!) for Zach to clean himself in case he was exposed (1000% guaranteed he was).  After my experience with poison oak a year ago (will spare the gory details, but it was horrifying), I was understandably paranoid and didn't go near anything that was touched and immediately disinfected the van. Mind you, neither Miles nor Zach even stepped foot in the van until they were clean but you know... better safe than sorry.

And one final hiccup, something we decided to learn the hard way- be aware of how often we need to empty our gray water tank! While camping in Shenandoah, we weren't paying attention to how full it had gotten and when doing dishes it began to overflow... whoops!  Note to self, empty gray water tank every 1.5-2 days :) Good thing we have waterproof flooring!

We've also learned a ton these first two weeks! Somehow our solar charges quicker when it's at 80% versus when it's at 60%... so park in the sun whenever possible. There are a few things we could absolutely not live without: the mosquito net really lets us keep our doors open more when parked, sleeping sideways is amazing thanks to the flares, the B2B charger saved us the first week in rainy/cloudy weather when solar alone wasn't enough, and the pee funnel... enough said. And finally, get in and out bed slowly.....one day we'll learn where all the corners of the cabinets are.... or we'll just have really bumpy heads, one of the two.

And of course... Miles.  He's adjusting so well and was born to be a van pup!  Here are a few more photos of Miles on the road:

Miles keeping a look out in the passenger seat.

Tired pup after a long day of hiking!

Sleeping on the drive, in between us in the cab.

Miles helping me cook.

Happy pup, post swim to get his ball.

Overall, the trip is off to a great start.  We are really practicing patience with ourselves and all that is #vanlife.  We have had moments where we feel really anxious and moments where we feel really at peace. And everything in between, and that's OK. It's OK to feel anxious when you're in new situations.  It's OK not to have a plan (something we are REALLY working on!). Being in the moment and not planning our every move is the entire point of this trip. It is the reason we love traveling and the reason we gave ourselves the freedom we did. Because it's the unexpected, unplanned things that make each day memorable. And the memories we are making are what make all of the times of uncertainty worth it.

Our atlas and my journal: updating these each day with the route we drove and favorite memories made.

TL;DR, here are some takeaways from the first couple weeks:

1. Be aware of cabinet locations and corners.
2. Park in the sun where possible.
3. Our build is solid! Nothing has come tumbling down... yet.
4. Water leaks are bound to happen- keep an eye on the connections.
5. Be present and in the moment- the perks of having little to no plans is to do just that.
6. Leaves of three... let them be... that hike isn't worth 2 months of a Poison Oak/Ivy outbreak- speaking from experience and the PTSD it caused.
7. Mosquito Net = best decision ever.
8. Actually.... Flares = best decision ever.
9. Wait no... B2B charger = best decision ever.
10. Scratch that... Pee Funnel = best decision ever.
11. It's OK to feel anxious during adjustment periods. Leaving our comfort zone is the entire point of this trip.

Favorite memory of the first two weeks: 

Laying on our stomachs looking out the window at the head of our bed watching fireflies as we fell asleep.