On the Road with Adie

Moab

“They are a cancer.” We heard this exact phrase from several of the locals regarding the number of ATVs trolling the roads of what I remembered as a laid back mountain biking town. They are simply everywhere—like super loud bumblebees with far less charm and way more environmental impact. Since I was last here, well over a decade ago, things have changed. It’s amazing how a landscape millions of years old can feel recently renovated. Arches National Park now has timed one-hour entry to control the crowds. It is still being perfected apparently as it took nearly two hours to simply enter the park. Luckily, with the way we travel, we get to meet the locals—and by locals, I mean, people who have lived here long enough to have purchased land.

Podcast: Leslie

Relax, folks, she was only tied to the wheel so she wouldn’t run away during the photo.

Before we even set off on this journey, Leslie Lentz, reached out to us to say that her VW bus shared the same name as our rescue dog and faithful canine companion, Jolene… But could we make it all the way to Ontario, Canada for the interview? We could when Leslie also agreed to be our “quarantine address” in Canada. Hear about Leslie’s bus, Jolene, and how Leslie’s VW bus connects her to the music festival scene, BusFusion, and a larger community.

The concussion

Both Miracle and I have hit our heads whilst living in our bus. It’s a part of life, I suppose. We’ve heard the rumors that the number one injury in the navy is bonking your head on the low doorways and we figured we still have it more comfortable than those making their lives underwater. Still. The sound of Miracle’s crown crunching against the doorframe of the bus, the way the entire vehicle shook or the way her eyes seemed to vibrate afterward—was sickening.

Playlist: Utah

Utah–one of my favorites. I used to come out here to visit my sister when she lived in Salt Lake and I simply fell in love with the only state to have six straight sides and more BLM than any other state. And yet there are so few great songs about this great state. But here’s a few that will do.

Colorado in review

Granted, I have been to Colorado before, but in recent years my forays into the state have been to run Pikes Peak and return home sore and sunburnt. I have neglected the lower part of the state, which is beautiful. Even though we only spent about a week there (it’s insanely expensive on the whole), we loved it. Here are some highlights:

Wolf Creek Pass

Colorado Rocky Mountain High, baby! Thanks to Paul Austin of Austin Automotive in Canon City for giving the bus the once over and preparing us for the climb through the mountains. We tackled Wolf Creek Pass—immortalized by the CW McCall song—with aplomb. Yes, we chugged the last several miles in second gear, but that only gave us more time to take in the majesty of these snow capped peaks and the skiers cutting zigzag down the slopes. More importantly, as we descended, I had full braking power!

Podcast: Ian

Photo credit: Ian McIntyre
Oh, and the guy in the background is Colin Kellogg

After staying several days at McIntyre’s Home for Wayward Buses and Wandering Souls in Miami, Florida, we finally convinced Ian McIntyre—VW bus enthusiast, artist, friend to all, dog whisperer extraordinaire, and all around renaissance man—to sit down with us for an interview. Tune in to hear why Ian created this home-away-from-home in paradise for fellow travelers.

Mornings in the mountains

The past week has been surreal. Each morning we wake up in a different place, which is not at all unusual anymore. But the environment and weather varies wildly in the deserts and the mountains. It’s disorienting and exhilarating.

Playlist: Colorado

One of my favorite and most-visited states–Colorado gives us plenty to sing about. The Mile High State is beautiful and rugged and filled with tons to see. No doubt we will be back again and again. But for now, as we explore the south and west of this gorgeous big box, let’s turn up the sound with these fine Colorado hymns:

Re-tired

Things were going well. Too well. New Mexico was like a dream and we were heading into the last band of that red dirt land I love so much. We left the idyllic and secluded Lake Morphy with its switchback roads and pitch darkness, the crystalline lake with jumping fish and green bristling trees. Following google directions, we jumped on the two lane road north. But it was shut down. We broke out the paper map and plotted a new course. I took the delay to check my email and find another rejection in my inbox. It was one of those mornings. We should have just stayed by the lake. …Or—and this is a very real possibility—I just needed to eat. So at the first town we came to with an eatery—a little tiny hamlet of a place called Mora—we stopped and got a breakfast burrito. When I returned to the bus, I had a problem that food couldn’t fix: a flat tire.