Making Lemonade

Eight and a half months was the mount of time we spent living in the RV and we loved every moment. Except when emptying the gray/black tanks and travel days are admit-ably not the best. A strange thing happened while on the road. We saw some of the most amazing places the US has to offer.  From jaw dropping views of tree filled landscapes, granite speckled mountains, unbelievable cascading waterfalls, and crystal clear waters. The places started to blend into one another and it was hard not to compare one beautiful place with another. Which place was the best? Which place was the prettiest? Which place had the best to offer? Each place had qualities that were equally amazing in different ways.

Mint Chip

In late May Jimmy’s division at work shut down, thus eliminating his position. Just before this happened we had decided we should buy a property as an investment and we decided that Prescott, AZ was the perfect place to buy.  House prices are reasonable, the historical town is charming and it also has one of the largest National Forests in its backyard, so outside adventures like, hiking, biking and kayaking are only a 15 minute drive away yet you have all the conveniences of chain stores also in that 15 minute radius. We decided to make the most of the situation and continue with our journey and explore the Northwest for as long as we could and then head back to Prescott, AZ to figure out what we were going to do next. We knew that if we went back to Prescott, AZ immediately we would get wrapped up in getting the house settled and it would be a while until we could get back to our 365Camper lifestyle.

House in Prescott, AZ

We stayed on the road and had a blast! We had no restrictions like we had while Jimmy was working. Previously we had needed to be in places that were close to metropolitan areas where we could do sales and we also had needed access to the web and needed to have mobile phone service for business calls. Also, we now had the freedom to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We weren’t working.

We were in Portland, OR when we found out about Jimmy’s change in employment. Around that same time my brother had a trucking job that would allow for us to go with him on the road back to Montana and spend some time with his four gorgeous daughters and my mom was also going to fly out from California to spend some time with the girls in Montana. We decided to leave our camper in Oregon and go with my brother. Hey, why not?…

We spent close to two weeks spending time with my family in Helena, Montana. We had fun trying to keep my brothers four girls entertained. We made tie-dyed shirts, painted our own plastic mason jars and spent countless hours in the jacuzzi singing and dancing to Disney songs. Because we spent all of our time with family and we didn’t have our camper we didn’t get to explore the great outdoors. Although we didn’t have our camper it was one of the best moments in our adventure. The ability to spend quality time with family with all of us staying under the same roof. Its hard to say when we will have a time like this again.

Family Time in Helena, MT

Once we got back to our camper in Oregon we decided that we would take the next few weeks exploring many of the places that we’ve wanted to see. We would do a big loop and then end in Prescott. We spent several weeks in the Olympic National Forest, then we went to to Port Townsend, WA, to Seattle, then to Cascade National Park, over through Spokane, WA, hung out in Coeur d’Alene National Forest, up to Bonners Ferry, crossing into Montana through the Kootenai National Forest to Glacier Park, to Helena, MT, to Yellowstone National Park, to the Grand Tetons, down through the Sawtooth National Forest, to Lake Tahoe, over to Yosemite and then home to Prescott. Phew!…

It was the trip of a lifetime. We spent 4-5 days at each place and then we would move on. We hiked. We biked. We camped. We were doing this at the height of summer while families were spending their vacation in the National Parks and celebrating the 100th Anniversary. We had no clue what we had in store. There are so many highlights that its impossible to tell them all. As mentioned earlier we saw so much in a short amount of time. The places started to blend into one another and we found our selves trying to determine if any one place was THEE best. We determined that each place had its own beauty and charm to it that made it amazing. We also found that we had a hard time appreciating a place for all that it was because we hated to admit it, but we almost had too much of a good thing.

One thing about visiting the beautiful outdoors is that usually you are taking a break from work/life and you take a moment to breath the fresh air and soak in the sights. Two months into our adventure we kind of craved the normalcy of everyday life. Having a set schedule and not feeling guilty for being in a gorgeous National Forest and not having the energy to go for yet another hike and just hang out in the camper. We decided that it was time that we head back to our newly purchased home and see what life in Prescott, AZ would feel like.

Because of non-stop adventuring we had used any money that we saved up and needed to find work. I ended up finding a job only a few days after landing in Prescott. I worked at the local pie shop in town. It helped with providing immediate income. It was definitely a change of pace from the corporate marketing roles I have previously held. Jimmy sought after a more permanent position and landed a full-time job in Prescott. Life has definitely taken a turn for us. We’ve found ourselves entrenched with fixing up the old 1930’s craftsman bungalow we bought, buying vintage furniture to fill our home, fixing it up and in the process of it all, finding new friends.

Its been a change for us and we are embracing it. We do miss living in our camper and exploring, but equally so, we’re enjoying settling into our new home and seeing all that this place has to offer. We hit the ground running since our arrival here and we are just now able to slow down for a little bit and feel comfortable with our new surroundings, both with living in a home again after living in a camper for several months and getting used to working again.

365Camper isn’t over, its just evolved. Live • Love • Explore