Travels With My Bride
Think about your perfect day. For me, it involves beautiful landscapes, mountains and forests, a sunrise and/or sunset, and my family enjoying these things with me. We had the good fortune of creating one of these perfect days last Thanksgiving in Moab, Utah. On this trip we had already visited Canyon Lands National Park and watched the sunset at delicate arch in Arches National Park, which was about as special of a moment as you could create. However, the best was yet to come. Our son, Stephen, had been to Moab before and knew of some offroad sites on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) that could only be accessed via four-wheel drive vehicles, of which he had. We made plans to go explore this area with the hopes of doing some hiking and finding an epic place to watch the sunset. Mission accomplished on both fronts. Stephen took us to a huge canyon with probably a 1000’ drop off. At the bottom of the canyon there was a river meandering through the canyon floor that was in the perfect shape of a horseshoe. I know what you’re thinking, “You’re talking about Horseshoe Bend!” Oh, contraire dear reader. Horseshoe Bend is located in Page, Arizona and is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation area. We were in Moab, Utah, in the middle of nowhere and we had the place all to ourselves. After some rigorous scaling of nearby sandstone fixtures, lots of pictures of Sarah doing yoga poses, Stephen staring into the vast horizon, and Rach and Andy sitting on the edge of the canyon wall, we spread out a blanket and settled in to watch the sunset. Stephen played a song called “Innocence (me)” by a group called Descending into Gold. Never has a song been more fitting for the scenario we found ourselves in. No words were exchanged as the sun set over that canyon. There in the stillness you could sense God’s presence. It was one of the most spiritual moments I’ve ever experienced. The only thought going through my mind was that I didn’t want this moment to end.
Was that thought even a possibility? Could we somehow visit more beautiful places and create more of these amazing moments with the people we love? The answer was a resounding yes, but some things had to fall into place first. In June of 2020 we sold our home in Oklahoma and made the decision to buy a 36’ travel trailer and live fulltime until we decided what our next steps were. This decision was bittersweet since this was the home we raised our kids in, we loved our neighbors, and were in a comfortable place in life. However, our kids had been out of the house for quite a while now, we no longer needed that much space, and the housing market was on the rise which meant it was a good time to sell. The house sold quickly, we got more than our asking price, and the sale allowed us to buy our first camper just down the road in Arkansas. About a year later we upgraded to a 41’ fifth wheel and are currently living and traveling full time. Let the good times roll!
With all that in mind here are some of the questions we get when people hear our story, along with our answers.
1) Question: Are we retired?
Answer: No, we both still work. We watch several families on YouTube who travel full time and thought about how/if that would work for us. Some go the route of trying to earn an income through their YouTube channel, others work remotely which allows them to work during the week and explore on the evenings and weekends, and still others may be independently wealthy and can do whatever they want (we do not fall into this category). In the spring of 2022, we decided to pursue the remote work route and so far it has worked out swimmingly.
2.) Question: Where have we traveled?
Answer: Our only trip in the travel trailer was to Colorado. We spent part of the time in Estes Park and part of the time in Silverton. It was an amazing trip. For our first trip in our 5th wheel (we call her the Millennium Falcon) we spent Thanksgiving of 2021 in Moab, then 3 weeks of January down in Florida trying to miss some of the Oklahoma winter (it was kind enough to wait for us to get back). This summer we’ve been on an epic summer road trip. We spent three weeks around Banff, Canada, and we’re currently wrapping up three weeks in Columbia Falls, MT just outside of Glacier National Park.
3.) Question: Where to next?
Answer: From Glacier we are headed to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park area for two weeks before heading back to Colorado which we are calling our home base. We’ve never been to Colorado when the Aspens turn so, we can hardly wait to do some mountain drives and catch the fall colors. We will spend the week of Thanksgiving in Hurricane, Utah exploring Zion National Park and from there head to the Orlando, Florida area for Christmas.
4.) Question: What have been some of our favorite stops?
Answer: Canada surprised us. We weren’t prepared for how beautiful it is. There wasn’t a bad view in any of the areas we explored. Some highlights include the Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise, and the top of the list is Moraine Lake. It is one of those places that is so beautiful words can’t properly describe it. It definitely had a spiritual feel to it. In Glacier NP, we did a hike called the Highline Trail that was epic. Along the hike you could see the Garden Wall and Grinnell Glacier which were both amazing. (We’ll be posting photos of our time in Glacier on the “Where in the World” tab soon). It ended up being a 14-mile hike which is the longest trail Rachel has ever done. Shout out to my lovely bride for taking it on and slaying it!
5.) Question: How do we like living in such a tiny space?
Answer: Surprisingly, we love it so far. It’s just Rachel, Andy (our 14-year-old Golden), and I and our camper is very livable. Rachel compares it to a small New York apartment, to which I concur. When we sold our home we downsized considerably to the tune of, “we sold everything!” We have everything we need in the camper, can pick up and go any time, and we live pretty simply. One of the channels we watch on YouTube is named “Less Junk, More Journey” (they have shirts that read, LJ<MJ which I love for multiple reasons-y’all know!) I love that idea and we are striving to live that way.
I know I speak for Rachel in saying how thankful we are to be able to live this life. Each place we visit we are reminded of how good our God is and how much He loves us. We’ve been able to see places, meet people, and experience things we would have never thought possible a couple years ago and we’re so excited to see what God has in store for us next. What about you? I started out with the challenge to “Think about your perfect day.” What does that day look like for you? Who are you sharing it with? Where are you as you take in this special moment? Now, do everything in your power to make it happen. I know it will be an unforgettable experience!