The Church Hideout

I was awakened abruptly to the sound of the loudest thunder I have ever heard. Since our trailer was so warm, we chose to sleep with the door slightly ajar. The space I could see out revealed the most beautiful and intense sky I had ever witnessed. It was 4 am and I stood on the front step of the trailer, recording the sky in hopes I would capture it’s beauty for others to see. As I stood there, I became overwhelmed with amazement and had to wake Tyler from his slumber so he could see for himself.

Tyler stood on the step alongside me and we watched as the lightning lit up the entire sky and the thunder roared soon after. It was loud and it was INTENSE. At times, I wondered if that were normal and if we were safe, but at that moment I didn’t even care because it was unlike anything I had ever seen. The rain began to come down, sprinkles at first, and then it poured. It was still very warm outside. I noticed the kids start to move so I took the opportunity to wake them as well. After all, we would never know if we would witness something of this nature again.

It stormed for hours and I lied awake, not because I was afraid, but because I was excited. I wish I could have captured every detail, but I would record the sky in one area, and just outside of the frame the lightning would strike again. I decided to become content with what I could see and the excitement it made me feel.

In the morning, the ground was dry. With showers just hours before, I found that strange, but I wasn’t mad about it! I took the dogs for a walk and encountered the Kinkaider cattle. They seemed intrigued by the dogs, and Bentleigh vocalized her excitement a few times. The general manager informed us the cows were their drunken cattle. They are given the slop from the leftover brew. They seemed happy and as we turned to walk the other way, they crowded the corner of the fence.

We loaded our things and started our journey towards Omaha, NE. We knew we would stop and stay somewhere in between to break up the trip and eventually settled on Pawnee City, NE. Tonight we are staying at Schilling Bridge Winery and Microbrewery in Pawnee, NE.

As we traveled through Nebraska, we passed through so many tiny towns. They reminded me a lot of Condon, my hometown. We knew we needed to get somewhere with grocery stores and immediately set our sights on the next big city from Broken Bow, Grand Island, NE. We were told of the best places to go for groceries and Sam’s Club was at the top of the list. Neither Tyler or I had ever been to Sam’s Club so Tyler researched the membership and found that if we signed up for $45, we would get $45 back towards a future purchase. We bit and soon were wandering the aisles of Sam’s Club.

It was basically Costco. We were thrilled because we were out of most proteins so this allowed us to stock up on ALL the good meats. Our refrigerator is small, but we have it now packed to the brim. Before we departed from Oregon, I had a lot of work performed on my pickup, but after we reached South Dakota, I started to get a battery warning. We used this opportunity and the fact that Sam’s Club had a battery center to get a replacement installed.

We continued towards Pawnee, NE. When we finally arrived in the area I noticed a sign symbolizing a horse-drawn carriage for the next 6 miles. I pointed it out to Tyler and we each thought this was a must-see. A few miles down the road, we encountered the carriage and found that this city houses a few Amish families. The kids were excited to witness the walk back in time!

We arrived at our place where we would set up for the night rather early. The weather was 96 degrees, but the sun stayed settled behind the clouds. It is hot and humid, but regardless Tyler and I knew we wanted to work out. We each performed a workout to honor Ms. Breonna Taylor. It was brutal, yet empowering and we both finished. The kids waited a few hours and were able to work out in a slightly cooler climate.

Tyler and I left the kids to tend to the trailer and walked across the lot to the main entrance of the Winery. We met with the owner and learned her story. She gave us a few “must-see” places to add to our list.

It’s been a nice day, with fewer hours in the vehicle. We arrived earlier than normal and have been able to relax at the trailer, powered by our generator. It is cool inside, but the outside is still very warm. Tyler made Traeger Bison burgers and we feasted together at our small trailer table.

Tomorrow we head toward Omaha and hope to see the zoo! Everyone is a little tired tonight, but we are all looking forward to a restful night’s sleep and a short drive to our next campsite tomorrow!

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Let’s start this out by first saying, Tyler LIED. Earlier on in this trip, we agreed we wouldn’t put in anymore 5 hour + days…yet here we are! Easy for him to say as I drove us more than 300 miles Southeast of South Dakota, from Custer to Broken Bow, NE. We were able to break the day up with Tyler’s meetings, so our actual travel time was just over 5.5 hours.

We left Custer, SD around 10 am after I loaded and hooked up the trailer 100% solo! This was a proud moment for me and it allowed Tyler to work without distraction. The kids worked on schooling as we set out towards Nebraska. We stopped for lunch in the trailer and for Tyler to do two client meetings before getting back on the road.

A couple of hours into the trip, we made it to Nebraska where we stopped to get out and take a picture at the state sign. It’s fascinating to me the differences in laws, roadways, and terrain from state to state. Nebraska is full of rolling hills. The landscape is green and there aren’t many trees. There are small channels of water lining both sides of the road and sometimes it seemed the water appeared higher than the actual road.

At one point in our travels today, I noticed what I thought was a scrap of tire in the roadway. I positioned myself in a way that would allow me to pass without hitting the scrap, but as we got closer, Tyler and I realized it was a giant turtle in the road. We wanted to stop, but the conditions of the road would not allow so we proceeded hoping we would come across another opportunity to see one.

We passed through several small towns on our way to Broken Bow. Many of the drivers we passed offered a friendly wave which reminded me of my hometown. At times I would find myself disappointed that I forgot to wave as I drove by and missed out on that opportunity.

Just before 7 pm, we landed in Broken Bow, Nebraska! We are staying at a Harvest Host again. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, these places offer such a unique experience. If you have a travel trailer, I highly recommend the experience. Sign up this month and receive an additional 15% off by using our referral code: http://harvesthosts.refr.cc/angelachurch. The membership is around $70/year but allows you to stay at any Harvest Host across the US for free and all they ask in return is to support their business by buying a beer, glass of wine, meal, or other merchandise they sell.

We are at the Kinkaider Brewing Company! The general manager greeted us immediately and said she LOVED me already as she couldn’t believe I was the one driving the trailer in our travels. She gave Tyler a tour of the facility and we were able to enjoy a meal outside of the trailer.

We are in for the night and it’s safe to say we are tired after a long day of travels. I am unsure where we will head tomorrow, but we never planned on hitting Nebraska in our travels and here we are!

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Our day was relatively uneventful, much of it was spent chasing WiFi to meet the needs of Tyler’s work. Tyler and I were up early preparing the trailer and campsite for our departure, before heading down the road for him to take his morning meeting call. Once his call ended, we returned to eat breakfast, finished loading our items, and loaded up to head towards our next campsite in Custer, SD.

The drive to Custer was much longer than we anticipated. While it was not a long distance, the winding curvature of the roads made it difficult to haul the trailer quickly. We thought we had left with enough time to get to the campsite before Tyler’s next meeting, but ran out of time and ended up pulling off alongside the road for him to take his call. It’s fun to watch him in his work element, pacing around the tall grass with a stick, talking about the stock market. His iPad sat perched on the tonneau cover and every so often he would make his way back over to review his spreadsheets. The internet and cellular service may not always be ideal, but the backdrop of his traveling office has been breathtaking!

We started back on the road towards Custer and arrived just before Tyler’s next call. We were able to get set up quite easily. It’s amazing to me how quickly we can take down and set up camp now. This site has full hook-ups and will likely be the last camp we stay at in South Dakota. Tomorrow we plan to head for Nebraska once Tyler is finished with his day.

Between calls, we all took a short drive through downtown Custer to try out Horatio’s Homemade Ice Cream, a raved about, family-owned ice cream parlor. We each tried a different flavor: Tyler-Coffee, Me- Banana Cream, Ashton-Cookies & Cream, and Addi-Chocolate (boring). We haven’t had ice cream in months due to a nutritional plan we have been on and the kids both took their time to savor every last bite!

We dropped Tyler off back at the trailer and the kids and I set back out to check out the local shops. Custer is such a cute little town like many of the others we have traveled through. After seeing all there was to see, we fueled up and returned to the campsite. Oddly enough, I filled my pickup with Premium gas ($1.79) for a lesser price than Regular ($1.99). I guess you could say I let them twist my arm a little 😉

Since we planned Crazy Horse today, we decided to work out and eat earlier than what we have been to allow for time to see the memorial during daylight and also partake in the laser light show that happens at dark. After dinner, Ashton and Addi broke out the new chessboard we purchased for the trailer while out and about today. Addi is undefeated against Ashton, but her dad issued her a BIG L!

The Crazy Horse Memorial is just 4 miles from our campsite so we left around 7:30 pm. We made it in time for the last bus tour to the base of Crazy Horse’s face. It didn’t get us much closer, but we learned some history from the driver of the bus who also took some pictures for our family…both of which Addi’s eyes were closed. Another family offered to take a few photos for us that ended up working okay. After the tour, we sat through a short film and walked through the museum then returned to our car to await the laser light show. The display was nice, but I couldn’t help but wonder how this memorial has taken more than 70 years to make with still so much more work until completion. I wonder if it will be done before I leave this earth?

We returned to the trailer and the kids quickly became involved in another chess game. Their bickering and trash talk is keeping me entertained as I type this blog. Tonight I will not have to drive down the road to add pictures to my post and that alone thrills me!

We are all a little tired and sad to leave South Dakota behind, but we are looking forward to seeing what Nebraska has to offer. We will be at another Harvest Host tomorrow which always offers a unique experience!

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Just as we have settled into our camp, we prepare to move along to our next site in nearby, Custer, SD. I guess that’s our new normal as we navigate through this traveling adventure, and I’m not complaining!

We chose Kemps Kamp largely due to their promise of GREAT WIFI. For Tyler working remotely and the kids finishing these next two weeks of online learning, this is HUGE…but, unfortunately, we have been let down. The internet is patchy, to say the least.

This morning Tyler logged in to his iPad and began his morning routine, made breakfast, and took his first morning call. It became evident that he needed better service to perform his work duties. A quick internet search recommended a nearby coffee shop and Tyler gathered his work bag and we headed towards Grapes and Grinds. I returned to aide the kids in school and found that their internet was terrible as well, but we worked it out and completed today’s learning goals.

The kids and I decided to head into town to see Tyler and so Addi could play chess on the lifesize chess board outside of the coffee shop. She went head to head with her brother and came out with a big win. She has always enjoyed the game and even took the Chess Queen title in the chess club at school. I watched them with pure amazement that they knew how to play and enjoyed what I would deem as a fairly complex game. It was also at that moment that it clicked what the statement putting someone in check came from…

Tyler was busy so the kids and I headed back to the trailer for lunch and they took a dip at the pool. I used that time to organize and tidy up our space and when they returned we sat in quiet before returning to pick Tyler up at the end of his workday.

Once we picked up Tyler, we headed for Rush Mountain Adventure Park to try our hand at the cave and attractions again. This time it was a go and we were not only able to participate in the cave tour, but we also had 2 hours of access to other fun attractions.

The cave tour was better than anticipated. I debated long and hard on whether we should pay the additional cost to do it, but after reading reviews it seemed that it was a must. Our guide for the 1-hour long tour did a fantastic job walking us through the history of the cave and kept each of us interested the entire time. At one point during the tour, we were able to experience a complete blackout. I do not think in my lifetime I have ever experienced that, but for a period of about 3 minutes, it was impossible for our eyes to adjust to seeing ANYTHING. I overheard her tell another guest she was only 2 weeks into the job, but WOW she was so knowledgeable. Even Ashton left saying just how much he enjoyed that experience and even credited the experience as a better science lesson than he has ever had!

After the cave tour, we went on the long-anticipated Rushmore Mountain Coaster. This coaster featured individually controlled carts that reached speeds of up to 30 MPH. The placement of the attraction provided the perfect backdrop, winding through the trees and over the mountainside through several exhilarating turns. While I was unable to capture the true experience in photos, you can see the ride here: https://youtu.be/dGc4OVENNDI.

Since each of the carts was self-controlled, we were given instruction before the ride began that we could push all the way forward to go or pull back on the handles to slow ourselves. They said we had to slow when we made it through to the end, but otherwise gave us free rein of the experience. When we all finished I took it upon myself to ask Tyler if he had used his brakes or if he went full speed. He exclaimed, he absolutely used his brakes. Ashton agreed, saying he too used his brakes. When I asked Addi she said she did not and went full speed for the duration of the ride which was also my thought process! I found it funny that Addison and I threw caution to the wind and went for it while Tyler and Ashton used a slower more cautious approach. Regardless, we went on the ride several more times and Tyler and Ashton graduated to the full speed ride!

There were very few people at Rush Mountain which gave us plenty of opportunities to go on each attraction multiple times without waiting. We also experienced the zip line and a 7D experience.

Tonight, we enjoyed another Traeger meal and worked out as a family along the riverbank of our campsite. We have done our best to squeeze everything into the time we have with Tyler outside of his typical work hours. He insists that we go ahead without him but I cannot imagine having such an amazing time and only being able to share it with him through words. It’s similar to seeing the most incredible sunset with your eyes, yet photos and descriptive words do it no justice to someone who never witnessed it.

Tomorrow we will stay at another campsite nearby and Friday we will be taking off towards Nebraska where we will have another state to check off on. I can only hope it will be as beautiful as South Dakota!

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Waking up in a trailer is a unique feeling that I haven’t quite gotten used to. Tyler and I were up with the daylight, before the alarm he set to awake for his workday. The tight living quarters of our travel trailer make it very easy to feel cluttered and in disarray. Anyone that knows me knows my distaste for messes. Last night I went to bed with a bigger mess than I was comfortable with.

I immediately went to work on organizing the trailer and folding the load of laundry I did the night before. There is something so satisfying to me having a clean and tidy space! Tyler’s mind went directly to breakfast and after logging in to his iPad to check in on his daily agenda and the stock market, he went to work making a delicious breakfast.

I continually am grateful that Tyler enjoys cooking, or at least he loves to eat, and therefore it requires him to cook. I suppose I am just fortunate that he will always make sure we are fed and he does it so effortlessly and with few complaints. You could say we make a pretty good team!

Online learning was effortless today. I am not sure if it was a fluke, or if we are just adapting to the structure. We woke the kids to eat breakfast and as soon as they finished with their meal, they got on their Chromebooks and started to perform their assigned coursework without being prompted. They were finished within an hour or two and took the free time to head to the pool.

It was a beautiful day in South Dakota. It was mostly sunny and the kids came back from the pool after a couple of hours with a slightly red complexion. Tyler worked between the inside of the trailer, the outside picnic table, and a pavilion closer to the pool. He even took a lunch break and swam with Ashton briefly before returning to his “office!”

As soon as Tyler was finished working, we headed for Rush Mountain Adventure Park. We intended to take a cave tour and spend a few hours on the attractions, however, a storm watch closed many of the offerings which made us change our plans. The beauty in this experience is the flexibility we have. There was little to no thought about what we would do next. After all, I had studied brochures and pamphlets for hours this morning of local attractions. We decided on Bear Country U.S.A!

Bear Country U.S.A is a drive-through wildlife park that some friends recommended as a must see and it did not disappoint. As we drove through the park we saw elk, reindeer, wolves, cougars, mountain lions, buffalo, big horned sheep, and SOOOO many bears. While we were in the confines of our closed up vehicle, the wildlife roamed freely around us. It was incredible to see these beautiful creatures, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but be reminded by Tiger King and the harsh reality of animals in captivity. I snapped a lot of photos as we navigated through the park and at the end we parked and walked through an area that housed some of their smaller species of animals, including baby bear cubs!

We drove a few extra miles in to Rapid City to go to Safeway for some groceries before returning to camp. We have been enjoying all of our meals from the comfort of our trailer, but with little storage, we were running short on supplies and we needed replenishment. Tonight for dinner Tyler made Traeger Hawaiian chicken!

We enjoyed another wonderful meal and then worked out with the kids! I think our neighbors’ are beginning to think we are a little crazy. What they don’t know is how crazy I would be if I wasn’t able to workout! The kids finished the evening off at the pool with the other kids around camp and later enjoyed smores by our neighbors campfire.

I think we are starting to get the hang of this camping thing! We joke about the laundry list of things we will need to make everything a little better and more organized for the next time. Today Tyler exclaimed to the kids we would be doing this for at least the next 3 months…

For now, we will enjoy the moments on a day to day basis and only time will tell how our adventure will unfold!

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Today was a WOW kind of day! There just aren’t too many other words to describe it. I told Tyler, “If I had a dollar for every time I said, this is so cool!” I would be rich. So, while I did not make any financial gain off of that statement, I feel like the wealthiest woman alive!

We started our morning out earlier than normal. The time here sits an hour ahead of PST, and I think Tyler was anxious to make sure he was set up properly to begin working remotely again. We were out of our Harvest Host before 6:30 am and traveling toward the little town of Hill City, SD to find a suitable place to park for a few hours before our intended check-in at Kemps Kamp in Keystone, SD.

The morning heat came blazing down on us in the small parking lot we chose and after getting situated, the kids crawled back into their bunks, and Tyler and I walked to the cutest little coffee shop, Cream, for some fresh air and a little pick me up!

After a little more than an hour of remote work from the trailer, Tyler moved to a little park pavilion across the way where he could cool off. The kids got up and started their morning school routine, but it wasn’t long before we packed up to head for our new campsite where they would all resume work/school responsibilities.

Our set up and take down is getting a little easier every day. Together, Tyler and I are becoming more efficient which helps ease the tension. Sometimes I have to remind Tyler to “sit still, look pretty!” as he begins to micromanage my every move, especially my driving. It’s my friendly reminder that I am confident and have been in the driver’s seat for the entirety of our now more than 1,300 miles, I’ve got this!

Yesterday, I promised a funny story of what eventually swayed Tyler into buying a new travel trailer against his wishes…so here goes! Tyler and the kids love a good bet or bribe. He will bribe the kids to go to the store for a 5 and 5, which basically means a foot massage, 5 minutes on each side. On this particular day, a day or two after looking at the used trailer Ashton asked his dad if we were going to get a trailer and go on a road trip. Tyler told him no and Ashton began talking about our original conversations of going to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore. Tyler took this opportunity to quiz Ashton, banking that his lack of historical knowledge would not set him out anything. He told Ashton that if he could name the 4 presidents’ faces on the monument, we could get the trailer. I sat at the table thinking, there is no way in heck Ashton will pull through with this one. Slowly Ashton begins naming presidents and one by one he is right. HE NAMED ALL FOUR PRESIDENTS! I was extremely proud and equally surprised, as was Tyler.

So now we are the proud owners of a travel trailer, all because of Ashton! At least that is what he likes to think and will remind us often of that victory. Tyler and I are sitting outside of the trailer under the stars at a little picnic table. We can hear the water from the creek that passes through our campsite. As I work on the blog, he is working from his iPad. The kids are asleep after another wonderful day.

We made it to see Mt. Rushmore today. We waited much of the day for Tyler to be finished with work, and it was worth the wait. Never in my life could I have envisioned something this amazing. The details that went into this monument are incredible to say the very least. The park itself is free, however, they charge $10 for parking. When we left, I felt like we had robbed the place. The memories and photographs we will have from there will last a lifetime and now I wonder just how many other places in the US I have never seen that I should.

The 250 stairs leading up to the monument built quite the appetite for us and we were quick to stop and get some ingredients to make mac n cheese-stuffed burgers on the Traeger. After enjoying a family meal, we worked out. As I was completing 4 of the 5 rounds, I noticed two deer on the hillside in front of me. I was breathing heavily and sweating profusely but being surrounded by the most beautiful nature made it quite pleasant.

South Dakota has surpassed my expectations thus far and there is so much more for us to see!

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Nearly 15 years ago, Tyler and I set out on our first road trip together as a newly married couple. For our honeymoon, we chose to go on a water park tour of the NW which led us through Idaho and up into Canada. We hit a few water park/amusement parks along the way and landed in Edmonton. We experienced a lot of firsts together, but ultimately we decided our relationship was better suited outside of the confines of a vehicle!

When Tyler brought up the idea of a road trip, I was rather skeptical. Admittedly, I too had thought about a short road trip just to get away from the quarantine craziness. I was not, however, thinking of being cooped up in the car for what would be the longest trip of our lives.

Tyler began looking up RV rentals through various sites. When we calculated the cost of the rental, after fees, it totaled more than $2000. My mind immediately went to ownership and I began my search. I found someone locally selling a 16 ft Coleman travel trailer. The price was somewhat where Tyler would consider it, but ultimately after touring it, the space was too small for our family. When they wouldn’t negotiate the price, we walked and never looked back.

I continued to search FB Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist for the perfect buying opportunity. Then, I found a brand new 21 ft Keystone Hideout for what I would deem as reasonable. Tyler took a lot more convincing! Tomorrow, I will share with you what eventually swayed him, but for now, we will get back to today’s travels.

We left Ranchester, WY later than the past two days but knew we didn’t have as far to travel today so we were flexible. As we traveled through Wyoming and into South Dakota we concluded a few things:

1. There are more Antelope than Cars on the road…both dead and alive!

2. We passed an RV that was on fire and nearly burnt to the bones. We gathered, with all the emergency personnel and the RV’s condition, the road had been shut down for at least 30 minutes. In Portland that would cause a backup for miles, but the traffic jam for this particular event was only about 10-15 cars! The Midwest offers THE BEST traveling conditions and did I mention the speed limit is 80 MPH?

3. We made a game of pulling up my Realtor.com app and looking at local listings to see what money could buy. We basically found we could build a nice house on major acreage for a fraction of the value of our home in Portland.

We ventured slightly off our path to see what Sturgis was all about. A quick stop at a brewery and gift shop and we were back on the road! Our travels led us to Hill City, SD where we are staying at another Harvest Host tonight. We are at The Naked Winery/Sick and Twisted Brewery. Our space is right along the river bed and the kids dared to take a dip which has turned into an evening swim.

We traveled 291 miles today for a new total of 1,296 miles. Tomorrow we will move to an RV park with full hookups and get settled into staying for more than a night. Tyler will be back in full on work mode and the kids will resume school!

We are all looking forward to a day outside of the pickup and for me, a day outside of the driver’s seat!

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It’s been a beautiful day, even more so as we sit and enjoy a campfire outside of the confines of our pickup where we spent much of the day. I can see an owl perched in a tree and the lush greens of Connor Battlefield State Park ahead of me. I feel free.

Today, we left Missoula, MT and set out east towards Billings, MT and eventually to Ranchester, WY where we will be staying for the night. This state park is beautiful, and vacant. One of the local families we ran into while on an evening stroll informed us of two owls that make their home here. we have already came across one and are keeping our eyes peeled for a second one.

Over the past two days, we have traveled 1006 miles, 465 of those just today. We were in the vehicle less today, not by a lot, but a noticeable difference from the 541 miles traveled yesterday. Tyler has mastered navigation and I assume my position in the driver’s seat. The backseat drivers, Ashton and Addison have been great travel companions. I must say, the best travelers of all have been our two nearly 15-year-old pups (that might be because they can’t speak)!

Tomorrow we will make our way to South Dakota. We plan to stay in Hill City, located just miles away from Mt. Rushmore. The drive will be our shortest yet coming in around 3.5 hours. We will spend the night at another Harvest Host and are looking forward to the ease of hospitality before we set up more permanently in an actual campsite (with hookups) the following morning.

Last night, our family took a sunset run around Missoula before returning for 100 air squats. It felt nice to get our limbs moving (at least for me it did). Tonight, I made the unfortunate mistake of allowing Tyler to program a workout. We ended up with a brutal, long, and sweaty WOD. We went in sets of two and I was grateful when my turn was over. I must admit however, I NEVER regret doing it, sometimes it’s just a mental struggle to get to that point. How cool is it that we are traveling with much of our home gym?

These past two days have been a breeze and better than we could have ever expected for first-timers. The kids were able to enjoy smores, Tyler is watching the UFC fight and I am cleaning up and hanging 3M decorative hooks to organize loose clutter. Tyler continues to build his wish list of stops and at this rate, we may never come home!

Does anyone have any recommendations/must-sees as we navigate through the midwest?

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I was up before the alarm AND Tyler this morning, and for those of you that know Tyler, know that is a tough feat. I suppose you could say the anticipation of this adventure excited me and I wanted to make sure no stones were left unturned as we readied ourselves for departure.

6:37 AM we were loaded and pulling away from our neighborhood. The kids were in good spirits and ready to begin a long day of travels. The dogs were confused, and Tyler was dialed in to his iPad beginning his work day. After a late night of blog preparation and a VERY early wake up call, my four hours of sleep left me feeling slightly fatiqued but ready to hit the road!

Our travels were smooth and aside from underestimating fuel consumption of pulling a travel trailer and our small bladders, all went off without a hitch. Fortunately, these two “issues” worked in our favor and we were able to plan our stops accordingly while allowing the dogs to get out and wander around.

We were on the road for a little more than 10 hours today, traveling through 4 states and landing in Missoula, MT. We fueled up twice, and will need to refuel in the morning before we depart again. We are staying at Big Sky Brewing for the night and feel like all is right thus far in our travels!

Prior to purchasing our trailer, I came across Harvest Hosts and immediately was intrigued. Their platform connects travelers with a directory of hosts that will allow you access to park overnight, for FREE (with membership). All they ask for in return is that you support them for their kindness. The hosts include wineries, farms, breweries, and museums and are conveniently located across the US. When I showed Tyler, he was SOLD. Let’s be honest, I had him at breweries!

Upon arrival, we quickly unloaded and headed to the tap room to do our part in supporting their business. We are now back at the trailer. We set up the generator and Traeger and Tyler grilled us up some chicken burgers. Ashton set up the wi-fi and all is right in his world.

After a long day on the road we are tired, but in good spirits. We are heading outside to workout, stretch our legs and enjoy some fresh air. Tomorrow we will be heading towards Billings, MT and have compromised with the kids to make a shorter trek over these next two days until we reach South Dakota!

Collectively we rate this day a 10/10 and look forward to what tomorrow has in store!

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“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – Sun Tzu

Tyler text me today! He said, “send me the pic of the family by the rv. I’m building a blog site!” I immediately went into a state of panic. My type A personality couldn’t fathom him taking the lead on a blog without my input.

He explained to me the importance of the blog and wanting our children to be able to look back on this experience not only through amazing memories, but also a journal of sorts. He wanted to be able to share our experience more intimately with our family and friends and who could blame him.

How could I argue, his justification was spot on and well, he’s a smart guy (just don’t tell him that)! He laid the ground work and began the page knowing that I would full on take the reins and run with it by tonight!

So here we are, nearing midnight, the night before we set off on our adventure. I lie awake as I document this wonderful journey. I’ve spent the past two weeks trying to ensure we would be ready to depart. I’ve taken our pickup in to ensure mechanically it will, or should, hold up. I decked out the trailer with every cozy little detail, and I have meticulously organized and packed every last item inside our 21 ft travel trailer to hold us over for however long we decide to be away.

That, in part, is the beauty of this journey. We have no deadline, no itinerary, no solid plans. What we do have is an amazing opportunity to turn quarantine into a family adventure. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at all anxious.

Tyler and I have rarely traveled over the course of our 18 year relationship. It’s not because we didn’t want to, but time hasn’t been on our side. Paid vacation through work accommodated a week or two that often meant an extended holiday weekend here or there and/or a trip to somewhere sunny and tropical! We would never use the time to be “trapped” in a car together!

What this quarantine has done for us, in ways has been a blessing. Tyler will work remotely from our travel trailer. I will be chauffeuring the family through several states and our time in the car will mostly be on weekends or after hours. We plan to take in as many sites as we can during the week as we stay at campsites along the way. The kids will continue online learning and we will be taking our gym mobile.

In addition to time, much of my anxiety towards travel has been my inability to be flexible in my daily routine. We workout daily and going to the gym is of utmost importance to me. I will admit, I don’t even like leaving for a weekend if I know I will be missing that Saturday gym session with my people. I coach one day a week, and I tell people the beauty of CrossFit is how it can be done anywhere, yet here I am NEEDING the home box.

Today, we loaded up the trailer and joining us through this adventure is our dumbbells, a kettlebell, our barbell with plates and some accessory/mobility equipment. We plan to continue our fitness through our travels as a family and I can already feel some level of peace! We also plan to drop in to some boxes along the way.

So tomorrow we embark on an incredible journey! We will be rising with the sun and heading East where we will tentatively land in Missoula, MT. Our kids are thrilled, our dogs don’t even know what they’re in for, and we, well we are in AWE!

Thank you for following along! We look forward to sharing this journey with you in some capacity. Keep us in your thoughts and check in if you feel so inclined 🙌🏼