Weeks on the Road Together - How's That Going?

The longest vacation we've taken while we were working was 3 weeks. We just began week 4 of this vacation, and we have two weeks to go. So how is it going, you ask?

Very well. With this camper van, Elena and I spend almost every hour together - usually just a few feet apart. At home, we can move to separate rooms or even floors for various tasks and chores, so there is natural separation time. Elena is an easy person to get along with, and she recognizes when I'm tired and/or hungry late in the afternoon and is patient with me. I try to help her with things she won't normally ask for help with - from pumping up the SUP to carrying it down a steep embankment to the lake. If anything, this time together is making a great marriage even better.

In a stream at Glacier NP

We've both had an oops or two on the trip. My worst one was when I didn't get the septic tube far enough down into the hole and, when she pulled the black tank valve, out came our waste products onto the tank apron. My bad, though I'm blaming a gravity wave near the Yellowstone caldera for that. Later that same day, we had purchased groceries, and she was going to load them in the fridge while I took Bebop for a quick walk near the parking lot. I was coming back to the van and saw the awning deploying with one end slamming repeatedly into a light pole. The motor was whirring and straining, and the awning was bending. I threw open the door and hit the awning "in" button. She had accidentally bumped it and deployed it. It's OK and working just fine.

And Bebop has adjusted perfectly. She was a little off the first couple of days and wouldn't eat much. Now she knows the routine and has been a pleasure to travel with. She does keep wanting to drive - she loves to jump in the driver's seat.

You two behave back there, or I'll turn this van around right now!

We've only eaten things we cooked in the van for three weeks, so we splurged and ate at a restaurant on Saturday (8/7). It was barbecue, which we haven't had on the trip - and it was delicious. Tomorrow night (8/9) we have another treat planned. I had some hotel points that were about to expire, so we got a free hotel room at the TownPlace Suites in Vernal, UT. Luxurious living!

The worst thing about the trip has been the constant haze the past two weeks. The climate change induced heat and mega drought in the southwest might mean hazy and smoky skies are the normal for many favorite summer destinations. 

- Paul