Living out of a 2019 Subaru Ascent named Mirja
Multiple people have started asking me whether or not I am beginning to have any regrets about choosing this lifestyle. The truth is, beyond a doubt, I am not having any regrets about this at all.
Disclaimer: This is a long post with almost no pictures. Just me rambling about existential bullshit. There is no “too long; didn’t read” version, because I don’t feel that a short version is truly appropriate for my thoughts. I would love your attention to read this, but that is up to you alone.
After hiking 8.8 miles and doing a little bit of driving around Bryce National park yesterday, I left knowing that I was going to go back today and see more. That’s exactly what I did!
Since I saw most of the stops and such after Bryce Point (going in) yesterday, I decided to start the day off right there. In actuality, I found that I missed Paria View, which was my first stop before then continuing on to Bryce Point.
Camping out in the Cabin Hollow area of Dixie National Forest, I’m very short drive away from Bryce Canyon National Park. I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting this national park before, so today, I decided to drop in and check it out!
Upon entering the area, I drove all the way down to the end of the road, at Rainbow Point. From there, I hung out for a bit and decided to go on a hike. I unintentionally ended up completing the Riggs Spring Loop Trail, an 8.8 mile trail that descends 1675 feet to the valley below the cliffs.
I don’t much like leaving a camp spot early and putting off work onto the weekends, but Willow Springs was just too much for me to stay! Packing up, I headed back up to I-70, where I headed west through the San Rafael Swell and Fishlake National Forest. I absolutely love that drive–one of my favorites. I pulled off onto US-89, which I found to be an absolutely stunning drive as well!
I was really sad to be leaving the Pole Mountain camp, but I had a plan and wanted to try to stick to it to the best of my ability. So, I set off for Willow Springs campground in BLM land just outside of Moab, Utah and Arches National Park.
After heading out from the Badlands, I made a quick stop in Rapid City to fill up on water and buy a few extra bits of food supplies. From there, I headed into Wyoming, towards the Pole Mountain area of Medicine Bow National Forest, between Laramie and Cheyenne.
The drive was largely uneventful, except for passing through a gorgeous area of the Black Hills in South Dakota and more gorgeous area in Wyoming before hooking up onto I-25. I followed that to Cheyenne, where I got off at Wyoming State Route 210, and followed that into Medicine Bow National Forest. There was some really terrible storms blowing through as I drove on 210, making me nervous about getting the camp spot I was hoping for. However, it had passed by the Pole Mountain area without significant effect, and the drive through that area was absolutely stunning.
After spending a week with family around South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, I set out for my first solo adventure. I planned to head to the Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park. Having stayed with family on the Eastern side of South Dakota the night before, the drive wasn’t too terrible, and I arrived at the Badlands with plenty of time!
On Thursday, May 28th, 2015, I turned in my keys to the apartment and began the new life out of the car. After a stop in the dentist office for some last minute work, I traveled to the San Diego harbor to spend the night with my parents, who live on their boat. The following day, the three of us packed up my car and set out on our way towards Minnesota.
