7 weeks in Vanda–50 nights in 23 different sleeping sites–2 of which were in the homes of family or friends, with tonight being our last night out for this trip. Each day, each experience, has been sweet with a rare savory moment. (I have embellished the definition of savory here to make a catchy blog title. Thank you for indulging me this!)
We began at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana, about 3 hours from our house and are finishing at Twin Knobs Recreation Area in Kentucky, about 3 hours from our house! I was actually itching to just drive the additional 3 hours this afternoon to get us home this evening, but we’ve got the campsite reserved, and John has already driven 3+ hours today, much of it in rainstorms. So here we are, parked in a fabulous campsite, air conditioner on, with me cozy on the bed, writing, while John sits in the “living room” looking at his most recent photos. As I write, my eyes are getting droopy telling me that there is a nap in my future. I have fully surrendered to the luxury of an occasional afternoon nap, an indulgence I rarely allowed while I was working!
So, what makes a campsite fabulous? Alas, there are numerous criteria: a) a flat and level area on which Vanda can be parked, so we avoid having to use the leveling blocks; b) shade; c) a site of gravel, thick grass, or even pavement as opposed to just dirt or worse yet, mud; d) no generators nearby; e) no barking dogs; and f) limited country music being played!
Seven weeks has been the longest time out in our 19-months of vanlife adventures. We keep a shared document in which I write a review of each campground along with a photo of Vanda parked at our site. As we continue to travel, this document is a terrific reference to decide if we want to return to a campground and if so was that site fabulous or is there another that would better suit us? You’d think we would remember, but I am here to tell you that after a couple of weeks, the campsites, the accommodations, the hikes, the waterfalls, the wildlife … it all blends together. Hence, the shared document.
This trip has been truly marvelous and so varied — we have been looking for moose in the remote meadows of Maine; crammed onto subways in New York City; been soaked with rain on numerous hikes; ridden many miles of rail trails, logging roads, and two-lane byways through charming hamlets; cherished family time with a Mallery family reunion in the Boston area; been annoyed by numerous biting flies and mosquitoes; eaten a goodly number of double-scooped ice cream cones (I eat cones, John always gets a cup. Go figure); sweltered in the heat on Coney Island while we were dazzled by the colorful humanity there; visited numerous farm stands and co-op markets; strolled through botanical gardens; dealt with mud, mud, and more mud; crossed the border into Canada; visited friends and family in the Boston suburbs, Brooklyn, and Kingston Ontario; spread the ashes of my dear friend Leaf into Lake Ontario; hiked through many luscious forests along numerous lakes and streams; and we’ve seen many birds and wildflowers. Here are some contrasting photos!
All the while, we have eaten really well. I definitely have cooking in Vanda down to an art. From shakshuka to mushroom stroganoff to pasta with salmon to pizza to grilled cheese to soups to enchiladas, I have cooked it all! We have a running joke that rates our meals on a 1-10 scale, I’d say that most of my van cooking rates a strong 9 with a few less worthy dinners coming in at a 5. Thankfully John is quite tolerant of experiments and the occasional blunder. That man can eat! For breakfast, I often sauté fresh fruit in a smidge of butter sprinkled with cardamom then mix the fruit into our morning pancakes or oatmeal, and there are many satisfying mornings of just yogurt with granola. We continue to have fresh fruit with cheese and crackers for every lunch, which we still love to this day, and a huge salad with mixed veggies as a side to each dinner. Oh, and a pre-dinner gin cocktail is another shared routine that we have perfected. That was hard work but someone had to do it, yes?!
My routines in Vanda are finely tuned also…not only personal routines but also daily routines to keep Vanda tidy. There is no need for detail here but suffice it to say that those of you who know me well enough to understand my tidiness priority will get it. John has adapted well and while there may be secret eye rolling on his part, he goes along with my quirky requests.
It’s been fun for me to look back at the zillions of photos that John has made over this time and to review my own campground notes. This vanlife, our retirement life, is just what we had hoped for — togetherness, adventure, exploring new and familiar parts of the country, hard hikes, wonderful bike rides, lots of wildlife, meeting some interesting folks in various campgrounds, eating well, sleeping well, and pushing ourselves physically while we still can. We will be home for just eight days before we head out for a NINE-week trip, which will then become our longest time away, in Vanda. Stay tuned for updates during that time! xo
