Now that we’re back on the road, it’s very clear that Spenser and I are both happier living life in our little trailer – dubbed Oscar the Grouch (to stay with the Sesame Street theme).
I’ve been thinking about why we’re in such better spirits away from the creature comforts we used readily in Colorado. The most comprehensive answer I have come up with is the more you have…the more you want. If I have a shower across the hall, I apparently will use it every day. If I have a big kitchen, I will eagerly choose to ignore it whenever the opportunity to go out to eat arises. These and other characteristics that I disliked about myself when living in San Francisco came back in full force this summer.
Living in Fort Collins, just like living in San Francisco, had many positive aspects. It was easy-as-pie to do my physical therapy exercises. Heck, I was even able to find an awesome physical therapist in the first place! There was a gym in the garage of Brad’s apartment. There was gluten-free food on every street corner. Spenser was able to do the construction for the truck and trailer with ease since Brad had every necessary tool imaginable. Middle-of-nowhere Utah, or even Bishop, does not offer these amenities. We needed Colorado to be able to regroup after Byron’s departure.
And then we needed to leave. Leaving was difficult because we had created a home for ourselves in our Colorado. We especially didn’t want to leave the friends we had made over the course of the summer. After pushing back our departure multiple times, we finally left for Utah in the middle of October.
A double pie-iron is a Jack-of-All-Trades around a campfire. You can make anything – sandwiches, eggs, steak…the possibilities are endless!
Arriving at Joe’s Valley was a breath of fresh air. Literally. At the lower elevation we were chewing the air up! 
Anyway, life at Joe’s was incredibly relaxing. There’s nothing better than cooking over an open fire: all you need is aluminum foil and a cast-iron sandwich press (see pic above – many thanks to Rachel & Jered for the amazing present!). A different group around the camp fire every night. Most conversations are a broken record of climbing jargon, but there are breakthroughs that can surprise you.
Overall, we immediately noticed we were more relaxed, yet motivated, back on the road. The biggest difference is that we are solution-oriented on the road. Things should be more difficult, so when they are – it’s not a surprise. A quote from Henry Ford comes to mind:
Don’t find fault, find a remedy.
It’s too bad we can’t transfer that positive energy to living in a city. Or is it? Cities don’t need more people anyway, right?!
Now that we are in Bishop, we’re even more at home. There are no nightly campfires like at Joe’s since the wood here is priced like gold. Which is, quite honestly, better for our productivity. Orangeville, Utah was welcoming, but we already know our way around Bishop. There was no need to research or get our bearings, we were able to get into the swing of things right away. We even get to see friendly faces we know from they Bay Area frequently, an extra bonus!
Washing dishes outdoors can be a pain in the arse, but you just need to find what works for you. Our method: gloves (to protect our climbing hands and they just make washing grimy dishes more enjoyable) and a wash basin to minimize water usage.
We just always have to be mindful to not to let our road trip feel feel too much like a vacation! Especially since most people that surround us are on vacation. The freedom we have is a gift that we need to apply to something…something that will hopefully turn out great…
Here’s a quick video tour of our new trailer set-up:
