Flying Solo 2019

With weeks of preparation it was finally the night before I was to drive off into the sunrise. However, with all the excitement I couldn’t sleep. I ended up getting out of bed at 4:30 in the morning after barely sleeping and decided to finish packing the van and head out.

I pulled out around 6:30 in the morning towards Flagstaff, got gas, a Starbucks for the road and headed towards the Navajo Indian Reservation towards Page, Arizona.

I took the exit to Kanab, Utah and knew I just had to stop and take a rest. I was exhausted, hardly able to keep my eyes open. However the morning temperatures were already in the nineties, moving rapidly towards the triple digits. How was I going to rest in these temperatures?

There was a small Motel with a few shade trees in the parking lot, so I pulled in and crawled into the back of my van. It was like a sauna, but I needed to rest and so I fell into a very deep meditation. I would like to say I slept but it was more like I entered a sweat lodge. I fell so deep into a trance that an hour passed very quickly. Suddenly I was wide awake and ready to get back on the road.

As I traveled up the mountain pass towards the North end of the Grand Canyon, I noticed the temperatures dropping down the eighties. I thought I could take another nap, but was feeling strangely energetic, so decided to keep driving. I drove through to Kanab, Utah, gassed up the van again, grabbed a bag of trail mix from the store, and headed out on the second leg of my journey.

I’ve driven this stretch so many times. The familiar drive between the Southwest and the Northwest and the endless hours behind the wheel, had become an annual event. I enjoyed the red rocks of this area as I passed by the entrance to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. I visited both in the past, but wasn’t going to brave the temperatures this time of year.

Approaching late afternoon my GPS was acting up and not sure how to get me to where I had planned to stop for the night. After getting the run around several times, guided down dirt roads and told to turn “right here” when there was no “right,” I decided to reset my GPS to a more familiar destination. The place I stayed nearly every year when I passed through the area. It was a campsite off the hwy outside of Nephi, Utah. The GPS had no problem getting me there within thirty minutes of breakdown. After ten hours on the road, I had never been so happy to see the old familiar campsite, crawl into the back of my van and close my eyes.

I got an early start the next day, arriving to Provo, Utah within thirty minutes of gassing up the van in Nephi. My GPS helped me to find a Natural Food Store so I could stock my mini fridge with healthy treats for the journey. I came out with coconut wraps, hummus, a favorite raw food sweet treat, a gluten free vegan muffin and coconut water. Grabbed another Starbucks and off to my next destination…Sun Valley, Idaho.

I have had several people ask me if I would be blogging about my travels again this summer. The answer is YES! Why not?

Some of you who have followed my travels last summer told me you were traveling vicariously through me. How awesome is that? I hadn’t realized my mystical minivan ventures would be so inspiring for others.

This summer won’t be as long of an adventure as I have some commitments back home in Arizona that I need to be there for, but I am outfitting the minivan now and setting out on the 11^th of July towards the Northwest.

I learned a lot last year from my minivan camping experiences and am making a few adjustments this year. I work from home or in the case of traveling, I work from the van, and so having what I need to manage my clients and Internet is important.

Last year I had my WiFi unit and an expensive Verizon Data account. I will activate this again. However the primary issue I had with working on the road was power. I didn’t want to stay in expensive RV parks with power. Can you see my little minivan camper wedged in between huge Motor-homes and trailers? Mini ME would get lost in the crowd. I preferred being in more places of solitude. I preferred to be parked between two trees.

Business on the road requires I keep my phone, laptop and WiFi unit charged. There was some stress with my batteries being drained before my work day was over and needing to run to the coffee house between clients to recharge.

This year I have acquired an Aeiusny Portable Power Station. It is a small unit that will charge my phone, laptop and WiFi unit multiple times. I can recharge my Power Station via AC wall outlets or 12V car cigarette lighter or to recharge it under the sun with solar panel. I did not buy the solar panel this year. But it is a great idea for the future.

Now I am powered up and ready to go for the long haul.

Last year I had way too much stuff! I learned about minimalism on the road. I only really needed about half of what I brought with me and some of the things I brought were cumbersome and space consuming.

My portable kitchen was one item I could do without. It was great to have and I loved it, but it took up too much space in my van while traveling. Since I had my cook-stove and Igloo 12V fridge in the back of my van, I only really needed a table to prepare food on. So I found this handy little compact table that I can use both indoors and outdoors. It folds quite small and can be stored under my bed, however I realized it fits inside my van right next to my bed perfectly and a great place to eat, put my tea cup and laptop while working. It has great storage space underneath as well, so no wasted space.

The table has leg adjustments so can be short or tall. What an exciting find and will work perfectly for my needs.

Last year I traveled with a roof rack for all the extras. Near the end of my journey the key busted off in the lock and I had a miserable time dealing with it. This year I decided to forgo the roof rack and all the extras. Who needs them.

I won’t be taking a canopy but have two simple little tarps that fold up really small (about the size of a large pair of socks.) These can be extended from the back hatch of my van for extra shade and used as a floor mat for outdoors.

Another thing I learned last year, was I only needed half the clothes. I had a large bag of clothing I never used, stuff under my bed at the far back. That space is better used for something else. One bag of clothes and a few hanging items will be enough.

My porta-potty is coming. I can’t say enough for that little pot. It will store perfectly under my new table and great for those middle of the night moments where I really don’t want to put on my shoes and trek to the loo, if there is one. Us girls must have our luxuries.

This year will be both simpler, more minimalistic and a shorter journey. I’m getting excited to be back on the road again.

If you would like to come along for the ride, I invite you to join me. If you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter you can do so here….

Happy Trails!

Kaleah

Summer 2019…The Journey Begins

On The Road Again “Flying Solo Season Two”