Oh and what an adventure it has been. The few months before we left Texas were intense and a bit chaotic. Slow and steady we purged our belongings, organized the camper and filled up our 10×10 storage. The process of unearthing all the someday projects and various keepsakes was the most challenging task. Coming face to face with your own hoarding tendencies is very humbling. I made the crazy but necessary decision to attend a womens Catholic retreat the weekend before we were set to leave. My plan was to get everything in order before the three night retreat and return Sunday to a ready-to-go family and camper and set off on the open road. 27 hours after our originally planned departure we left Houston.
God knew I needed that time of reflection, renewal and retreat before embarking on two years of traveling. I am constantly reminded of God’s plans and not relying on my own.
We left at five Monday afternoon and drove all night stopping for a thirty minute power nap to make up time. We drove into Amarillo just before noon and stopped at Wal-Mart for groceries. We decided to get an RV site in Palo-Duro canyon for the day. We took showers, prepped food and napped. Around our camp were amazing views and rocks for the girls to climb. The evening came and we left Palo Duro, opting to travel at night until we got tired.
Palo Duro, located in the Texas panhandle near Amarillo, is the second largest canyon in the United States, stretching 120 miles, an average width of 6 miles and reaching a width of 20 miles in some spots.
After dinner we hit the road determined to cross the Texas border. We crossed the Oklahoma panhandle and made it into Colorado. We exhausted after midnight and spent the night at a lovely truck stop in the middle of nowhere, Colorado. I woke up to see Ryan walking the dogs and Madelyn picking flowers in a field of Black-eyed Susans against the sunrise shining into the RV. The weather was turning cooler, a welcomed respite for these southern Texans. After a little breakfast, we drove through Colorado and stopped at a sweet park where we enjoyed lunch and romp to stretch our legs.
We traveled on and made it through Denver, stopping for some caffeine and a sweet treat for the girls. Our next stop would be an overnight at a rest stop in Wyoming. The weather called for rain jackets and a heater. The mountains started to appear making the drive even more exciting. We booked an RV spot at Solitude RV park in Dubois, Wyoming. The day was gorgeous and used the time parked to purge a few things that would free up some much needed space. We homeschooled outside the RV and the girls climbed the rocky hills while I cleaned and organized our space. We spend the afternoon at the laundry mat and grocery store.
The next morning, with laundry and cleaning done, we cooked pancakes and planned a hike before leaving to pick up our friends from the airport in Jackson Hole. It started to rain after breakfast so we opted to homeschool inside while Ryan worked. Making the RV feel more like home has been such a joy.
We were just an hour and a half outside Jackson Hole airport. We picked up our friends, grabbed groceries and gas for our weekend in Yellowstone. We were so pumped and made it to the oldest National park in America that evening just in time for dinner.
