Let's Go, Jane!

This is a continuation of Part 1: Utah.

After three days of hiking through Utah’s stunningly beautiful national parks, it was time to pick up the pace. I still had over 350 miles to cover, and only two nights left in my tiny home on wheels. On Monday afternoon, I left Arches and drove to Grand Junction, CO. Without any real destination in mind, I found myself at a Walmart parking lot, one of five that I visited on my trip. I arrived in the late afternoon and parked somewhere in the middle of the lot. There were several RVs around, so I figured I was in good company. I thought I might even spend the night there.

Over the course of the evening the RVs all disappeared, one by one. The store was still open, and the parking lot was hopping. I decided to relocate to the far corner, where I spied two vans that looked owner occupied. I parked between them and settled in for the night. Every so often I took a peek outside to see what was going on. A pickup truck with security lights was making its rounds. A little after 10 pm I looked outside and noticed that the other two vans were gone. I thought we were in this together??? I took this as my cue to relocate, as I was not interested in getting woken up by a knock in the middle of the night. So much for Walmart parking lots being overnight friendly.

I pulled up the app and found that there was a Home Depot a few blocks away. I made my way over there and settled in for the night. The Home Depot lot was quiet and I slept great. I woke up around 6 am, and rather than making coffee I rolled out of bed and hopped in the driver’s seat in my pajamas and sock feet, got on the Interstate, and drove for almost an hour until I found a nice rest area in Parachute, CO.

By now I had developed my morning routine: coffee, journaling, read the news, use the bathroom, bathe and get dressed, eat breakfast, do the dishes, wash my hand laundry, sweep the floor, wipe the counter and sink, empty the trash and pee bottle (sorry, TMI), then put everything back together and hit the road (or the trail!). Every day felt like a new day and a new adventure.

Now on day five, my water tank was running low and the gray water tank needed to be emptied. I pulled up the app and found that there was a Love’s Truck Stop just half a mile away. I parked in one of the regular parking spots (I love that the van fits in a regular parking spot) and walked to the back of the store where the trucker supplies were. The manager, Thomas, could not have been more helpful. He walked out and showed me how to empty the gray water and offered for me to use one of the vacant RV camping spots to fill my water tank. 

Unfortunately, the van rental company had neglected to provide me with a water hose. Luckily, Thomas told me there was an ACE Hardware just 3 miles away. I got the hose, and he came back out and showed me how to hook it up. I’ll be honest, I was pretty intimidated at the idea of doing these things for the first time, but Thomas made it easy. I’m really grateful that he took so much time to help me out.

With a full water tank, and an empty gray water tank, I knew I’d be good to go for the rest of my trip. I decided that I would drive all the way to Denver that day, rather than having to feel rushed on my last morning before catching a flight back to New York. I still had 200 miles to go. Looking at the map, I chose two pit stops along the way: Glenwood Springs to see if I could find a natural hot spring to swim in, and a Costco store in Gypsum, CO. I did find a hot spring, along with an interesting encounter, and I finally got a Costco visit to add to my list of stores. I made it the rest of the way to Denver by late afternoon without incident.

After three days of desert and red rock, Colorado was lush and green. Interstate 70 E follows along the Colorado River, where I saw kayakers and white water rafters. I drove up into the mountains, past Vail and Breckenridge ski resorts, as I belted out show tunes to stay awake. Once I reached the peak of the Rockies, where the overnight temperature was predicted to be 39 degrees, a sign announced that the next 44 miles would be downhill. “How are your brakes?” the sign asked, rhetorically.

I spent my final night in the van in a Home Depot parking lot in Denver. On Thursday morning I relocated to Walmart, returned the camping chair and table that I hadn’t used, packed, and drove to the van rental place where I reluctantly parted with the van that had been my home away from home, and made my way to the airport.

Denver’s airport is massive. I was a few hours early for my flight, so I made my way to a Centurion lounge, put my name in the queue for a shower suite, and hit the breakfast buffet. After a hot meal, and a hot shower, I relaxed in the lounge until it was time to board my flight and return home. I swear, when I reached my apartment building that night, I felt like I’d been gone for three weeks.

Given the length of this post, I will have to save my reflections for a third post!

P.S. Big news! My first book Van Life After 50 is officially out in the world. If you’ve ever dreamed of downsizing, traveling more, or hitting the road after 50—this one’s for you. You can check it out here.