What a crazy week it’s been! One week ago we were blowing up our air mattress for what would be our last night in our “real” house. The movers had moved all of our possessions into storage earlier in the day, and we were busy giving anything and everything away that would not store for at least a few years. The next morning we finished up packing some last minute things that went into storage, packed up the van, and off we went into the hot and smoky wild west of Wyoming. We wanted to make it to Lander, WY before dark, hoping to spend the first night in the mountains in order to avoid the heat. By the time we stopped and had lunch, dropped a few things off at Jack’s house, and made our final run to the storage unit it was a later start than we planned. We made it into Lander right after dark. The first two campgrounds we hit were full but luckily further up the mountain we found a dispersed camping area on a lake (Fyre Lake) and got settled in for the night.
When we got up the next morning, we found the area we were in was a nice, with the lake nearby and plenty of cows grazing close by. I spent the morning reading in my hammock and Lee took off on a bike and hike adventure. When he got back he told me about a prettier lake about 5 miles up the road so we went up to that area with a “real” campsite (Worthen Reservoir). It was another nice area and it was convenient for paddling the lake the next morning. That first day was starting to drive home the reality of what we’d been planning for many months – freedom to explore, roam, and do whatever we wanted to do. Being fortunate enough to have the luxury of such freedom is something few experience while in good health, and is certainly something we savor.
We decided to head east and got to Casper a few hours later. We did some errands with Lee only moderately grumbling about the heat, and then went to explore the mountain area. We found a little ski resort with a double chair lift and the parking at the top of the resort. We then found a nice campground close by and decided to stay the night since it was much cooler at elevation than we thought we would find anywhere else. We went on a little bike ride that evening and found some mountain bike trails close by to ride the next morning.
The next morning we hit the MTB trails. They were a lot of fun and we decided we liked the area enough to stay another evening. The campground we’d discovered was quite empty, especially for hot summer days where the temperatures in Casper were pushing triple digits. Casper is clearly not high on the list for summer vacationers. We met a few nice folks on the bike trails to visit with – something that we’ve experienced quite a bit of in our first days of travel.
The next day we headed to South Dakota, a state I’d never set foot in! It is much prettier than I expected and we found a great campground in Wind Cave National Park. We ended up staying for three nights, it was so nice and convenient for exploring the area. The crowds were light, and fresh water was 25 feet away from the van. The next morning we got up so we could get in line to buy tour tickets for the Wind Cave (or I should say I stood in line for an hour, with Lee’s patience running thin just looking at the line that wound well out of the building and up the sidewalk). He was good enough to make coffee for us while I inched up the line. We got the last two tickets for the tour we wanted that started later in the afternoon. We decided to head to Custer since we had a few hours before the tour started and we needed gas. We got some breakfast that included a cinnamon roll that would have sent lesser people into cardiac arrest, did a little catching up on email, etc, since we had internet and then headed back for our tour.
It was a very interesting tour, and the cave is large and impressive. After the tour we went for a “trail” run, although the trail petered out soon after we started. We had a little misunderstanding, with Lee running ahead of me, heading up the highest ridge, and ultimately looping back to the van. I thought he would be at the ridge line waiting, but after screaming for him louder than the prairie dogs that we’d provoked earlier, I started heading down, stopping multiple times looking for any sign of Lee. I won’t lie – my emotions were laced with a bit of frustration and concern. After a long time I thought I saw something moving down by the van and headed “home”. When I got there (pretty upset by then I might add), I discovered Lee was looking for me, worried something may have happened. We’ve agreed to be more specific about our expectations next time! It would be difficult to get lost in the rolling black hills, but with no cell phone coverage, an abundance of rattle snakes, and absolutely no one out in the remote parts of the hills, there’s always that chance for something to go wrong when you least expect it.
For the next few days we explored Custer Park. We saw a herd of buffalo that blocked traffic for 30 minutes (our morning rush hour!), and hiked to the highest peak east of the Rockies (Black Elk Peak). It had an impressive fire lookout at the top that was built in the 1930’s. The lookout looked more like a medieval stone fortress found in distant countries than anything you’d expect to see in South Dakota. With Indian flags of worship and reverence for the place tied to hundreds of trees, it made for a unique experience. By the time we completed our 8 mile hike, we were exhausted enough to settle for steak at a restaurant in Custer.
The following day we had lunch and paddled at Legion Lake and just had a great time. With warm water from the hot summer days, it was a chance to work on moving on the board, practicing quick turns, and getting that sense of balance back that should served us well in Maui later this summer.
We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do this for the next couple of years. It’s been quite the adjustment to not always feel like we have a schedule and need to be somewhere. No alarm clocks. No conflicting meetings. No rushing to get started on the next project. And it’s been an adjustment to our new way of living. Cooking, doing dishes, even showering takes more coordination when you’re in a tight space. We have in the neighborhood of 100 square feet of living space, and a chunk of that is our “garage” under the bed. Keeping your eye on your water levels, trying to find water and making sure your batteries have enough charge to keep the fridge going is all an adjustment. That said, with some organization and planning you can still enjoy some freshly made coffee and avocado toast in the morning, biking or paddling in the day, and grilling burgers or maybe even tofu at night!
So far we are loving our time and can’t wait for more adventures in the weeks ahead. It’s already going fast, so we’re making a point of savoring what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Hammocking in Lander, WY Biking in Casper, WY Elk Meadow Campground Bike Sculpture in Pringle, SD Box Work in Wind Cave Buffalo in Custer State Park Custer State Park Custer State Park Harney Fire Lookout/Black Elk Peak Harney Peak Lookout Black Elk Peak Legion Lake, Custer State Park
