Week 75: the one with too many timezones!
We crossed the deserts bare...and breathed the mountain air...
Welcome back to our weekly update, and a big hello to all the new subscribers — we’re so glad you’re here! It’s hard to believe that it’s been 75 weeks since we sold our house in Austin, Texas to travel full time in a converted camper van we named Walter — time really does fly when you’re having fun!
Last week we made our way from my aunt’s house in Parkersburg, West Virginia to Smith Creek Recreation Area near Utica, Nebraska as shown on red in the map below:
This week we picked up where we left off on our way to Reno, Nevada, starting with…
The Pony Express Park, Chappell, Nebraska
Sunday night we stayed at The Pony Express Park in Chappell, Nebraska. We could hear traffic from the highway but it was a really pretty spot — especially the sunrise from the van:
I had no idea the Pony Express went through Nebraska — it was cool to learn something new!
If you’re wondering how we find places to camp, it takes a ton of research — kudos to Jason for doing most of the heavy lifting! This trip we really made use of the free version of iOverlander, a free crowdsourced resource. We try to verify the spot to see if anyone has stayed there recently and we also try to get away from the highway without getting too far off our route. All of these sites were free except for the Pony Express Park — woo hoo!
Dispersed Camping in Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming
When we got back on I-80 the next morning it was super windy!
There were flashing signs saying that the interstate was closed to “light, high-profile vehicles” and “extreme blowover risk” — YIKES! So we exited the interstate before Laramie, Wyoming and waited about 3 hours for the wind to die down and the NWS wind alert to expire.
It was still windy but nothing like before, so we continued on our way to Medicine Bow National Forest in Eastern Wyoming.
It was starting to get dark, so we quickly found a spot to call home for the night. Mountain views, snow, and the smell of Christmas greeted us when we went for a quick walk to stretch our legs after the long (and stressful!) drive.
The next morning we woke up to this incredible view of Elk Mountain from the van:
I just had to sketch it in my mountain sketchbook — yes, I have sketchbooks dedicated to specific subjects, LOL! How about you?
We wished we could have stayed longer, but we had to head down the road to…
Dispersed Camping Near Evanston, Wyoming
Our next camp spot was on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land near Evanston, Wyoming. What a different landscape — and lower elevation — from the night before!
We really loved the wide open spaces and the smell of sagebrush — that gray shrub in the foreground.
Dispersed Camping Near Wells, Nevada
Wednesday night found us dispersed camping near Wells, Nevada on BLM land. We got to camp just as the sun was setting — and what a sunset it was! Look at these clouds:
We made such good time getting here and we were feeling pretty exhausted — so we took a driving break and ended up staying here 3 nights. The sunset on the second night was a dud, but look at this one from the third night:
It was so peaceful.
The sunrises weren’t too shabby, either!
It was down in the lower 30s at night and then back up in the 50-60 range during the day, and one day we even had a little rain shower which sounded so nice on the van and made everything smell good. There was even moss that greened up overnight!
Dispersed Camping Near Winnemucca, Nevada
Friday night found us dispersed camping near Winnemucca — rhymes with yucca — Nevada. It was another beautiful BLM area! We were up before the sun came over the ridge near camp it was a glorious treat to see all the light change:
I love the colors in this landscape — it feels like home.
Before we left we just had to hike up the hill near camp — what a view!
Sparks, Nevada
After our hike we headed back on Interstate 80 to Sparks, Nevada. As we were getting on the highway we saw signs for Winnemucca, and we were like — hey, wait a minute — that’s town at the start of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” song!
I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road
When along came a semi with a high an’ canvas-covered load
“If you’re goin’ to Winnemucca, Mack, with me you can ride”
And so I climbed into the cab, and then I settled down inside
He asked me if I’d seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, “Listen, I’ve traveled every road in this here land”
So of course we had to play it! (It’s been on our road trip playlist for years!)
Even funnier is that Parkersburg (West Virginia) is also mentioned in the song — and that’s where we left last week!
Art News: Color Play Palette Collab
Before I wrap up this post I have some art news to share!
I’m excited to share that I have a new watercolor palette collaboration with Kelly Hollstrom of Letter Sparrow. This palette is all about playing with color and most of all having FUN! I chose the colors, and Kelly made the paint! She makes gorgeous, artist quality paints that are loaded with pigment and a true joy to use. Here’s an intro video that I posted over on Instagram if you’d like a quick peek at it:
I’ve been working on this since July and it feels so good to finally share it with the world! Find full details about the collab here on my website.
I’ll be sharing prompts on Instagram (@sideoats) and I invite you to join the fun — tag your post with #lscolorplay so that Kelly (@lettersparrow) and I can see your work.
Shop for this limited edition palette here at Letter Sparrow!
That’s a Wrap!
That’s it for this week. WHEW! That was waaaay too many time zones! Throw in the time change and things really got confusing — we keep waking up at 4 am!
We’ll be staying at a lil rental house for the next few weeks…
Because…
Are you ready for it?
We’re getting a new van!
Walter-the-Van has been the tiny home on wheels — we’re really going to miss him!
He’ll be for sale soon, so please feel free to share this with friends and family who might like to adopt Walter and start their own adVANtures.
We’re picking up the new van tomorrow, and I’m super excited and nervous all at the same time. His name will be Henry and I can’t wait for you to meet him.
Here’s a little backstory: we’ve been on a waiting list to get an AeonRV for over 2 years, and our number finally came up! We’re looking forward to having a passenger seat so we can take friends and family with us.
More next week, so stay tuned! And as always, thank you for following along on the journey. We’re so glad you’re riding along with us! — Lisa, Jason, Walter-and-Soon-to-be-Henry-the-Vans
Hi there, Lisa - Karen here from Maine. I don't know if you're subscribed to Wendy MacNaughton's Substack + i don't know how to PM you via your Substack, so apologies for a personal message delivered publicly. Wendy Mac's weekly mailing opened with this note, and i thought immediately of you : "Quick announcement for anyone interested in exploring a fully-funded residency: Applications are open for North Coast Project, a fully-funded, environmentally-focused residency for artists and writers. Deadline to apply is December 15! Check it out." Link to NCP is [ https://www.northcoastproject.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email ] Best to you both + Happy Thanksgiving, -karen. / Maine
Public land is our land. I love the fact that you can pull over and find dispersed camping or go hiking on BLM and National Forest lands. The talk of government folks transferring ownership of our public lands peeves me no end. It's as if they decided that a developer needs my backyard more than I do.