Of all the places we visited last year, Moab, Utah was by far one of our favorite. Yes, even with Utah’s watered-down grocery store beer, we still loved it here. We spent more time in Moab than anywhere else—10 full days—and could’ve easily stayed a month or more. The most striking thing about the area is the land, but the city also offers tons of activities and a laid-back creative atmosphere. Imagine a colorful busy little city set in a…
With the end of one year and the beginning of another we think about where we are, where we want to be, and most importantly what we want to do. How will we spend our time this next year? What will we accomplish? Since the new year stimulates reflection and planning we thought it was time to share the back-story of how we came to live this simple roaming existence in Stan the Tan Van. When I sat down to write…
2017 was probably the biggest year of change and travel plans in our lives yet. We got rid of almost everything we owned, moved into a van, and started road tripping around the US. We created this blog and a few of you lovelies actually read it. Tom started working remotely as an eLearning Developer. We met new people, tried new things, and learned so much. Here’s our year by the numbers. 18,545 miles driven 21 national parks explored 29…
Arches National Park may just be the most iconic place in all of Utah. Delicate Arch particularly gets a lot of limelight. It’s even featured on the state’s license plates. This is just one of the astounding formations in this surreal park that boasts the highest concentration of arches in the world. I’ve seen a bunch of 1-day itineraries for Arches. While it’s a small park compared to some of the giants like Glacier or Yellowstone we think that you…
After our sandy and snowy time in Colorado we made our way to the last stop on this leg of the journey—South Dakota. While the comforts of family, friends, and (let’s be honest) showering regularly are inviting, we’re sad to end this travel session. We plan to go out with a bang though and have many grand plans for South Dakota. There’s not one, but two caves close in proximity to one-another—Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. If you haven’t noticed,…
15 Awesome Things for Living in a Van Down by the River (or really anywhere outside) It’s been a few months since we shared our outdoor and van life gear lists. We’ve recently added some awesome items to our rolling home so it’s time for an update. You don’t need to live in a van down by the river to appreciate these things though. Many of them are perfect for any outdoor adventure. We’ve found that outdoor products aren’t always…
Sand and snow are the themes of our next two National Parks. No, I’m not talking about children born out-of-wedlock in Westeros. After spending a warm long weekend in Cortez, CO and Mesa Verde, the next stop on our eastern journey was Great Sand Dunes National Park. Wolf Creek Pass The Great Sand Dunes are located in southern Colorado about smack-dab in the middle of the state. To reach them, we must cross the Great Divide. We get a tad…
The main attraction in Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks are natural rock formations. After visiting Canyonlands and Natural Bridges it was time to start exploring some human created formations. We headed to Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park. These sites (along with many others in the four corners region) contain the ruins of ancient civilizations. Specifically, Ancestral Puebloan communities that built large elaborate villages near canyons and cliffs. Hovenweep National Monument Hovenweep includes six different villages spanning the…
Canyonlands is the last Utah National Park that we visited. It’s Utah’s largest park and has some of the most challenging and remote terrain in the nation. Canyonlands is part of the Colorado Plateau—a large region known for canyons, buttes, mesas, and other dramatic rock formations that have been carved by water and erosion over millions of years. It wins the award for best named park. There’s even a formation called Paul Bunyan’s Potty. How’s that for descriptive? Pin this…
Our last few posts have been informational about Utah’s national parks so we thought it was time for a travel story. This is a tale of a series of bad decisions and what not to do if you find yourself stuck in a thunderstorm. Learn from our mistakes friends. We hope you enjoy this story about our unexpectedly eventful hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. The Iconic Arches Arches NP is one of the most iconic places in Utah….