First day on the Road

The day was finally here! After six months of work, the van was finished and we were packed up and ready to head out on the open road. We gave final hugs to family and friends, climbed into our Wander Wagon, and waved goodbye as we drove away. First stop- Yellowstone National Park!

It was a strange feeling finally being out on the road. Surreal, really. We had been dreaming of the moment for such a long time, and now we were living it. We had a six hour drive ahead of us, but the miles flew by as Corbin and I sang along to the songs on the radio and enjoyed the views.

We had been behind schedule that day, not leaving Boise, Idaho until well after noon. We also still had to fill up our propane and water and go grocery shopping to be fully ready for camping. So, we didn’t pull into our campsite at Madison Campground until after dark. We were the obnoxious late arrival everyone is annoyed with as they try to sleep, but even still we couldn’t help but celebrate making it to our first destination. So, we opened a bottle of wine and laid on top of our picnic table basking in the glow of the stars above- they were truly breathtaking. There was a warm glowing feeling that night, it bloomed like a promise of all the beautiful places we were going to see during this adventure. It was a reminder of how grateful we should be for this opportunity, and to enjoy each part of the journey.

We slept well that night, our first night in the van on the road. But, we woke up with the sun excited to see all that Yellowstone had to offer. So, we cooked up a fast breakfast, packed away the bed, and got ready to explore this epic national park. We drove down the road with our eyes searching every corner for the wildlife that calls this place home. We turned the corner, and there was a buffalo! Just one lone buffalo grazing in field, and we took probably a dozen photos. Then of course we saw a HERD of buffalo, even with their little calves frolicking and playing.

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We saw a sign for the Fountain Paint Pots and decided to pull off to check it out. There was a boardwalk with a warning sign to stay on the trail, and we followed the walk to gorgeous thermal pools. These pools were crystal clear and the color of turquoise that contrasted with the bright oranges, reds, and yellows of the surrounding mineral ground. Next, we saw the paint pots which were so strange and interesting. It looked like a big mud puddle, or paint puddle, that consistently bubbled and popped. Continuing along the boardwalk we came to see our first geyser, really we smelled it first with sulphur wafting through the air, and the mist from the geyser sprayed us while we took photos together.

Next, we made our way to the famous Old Faithful. When we got there, we realized we had just missed the latest eruption and we would have to wait about an hour. So, we toured the gift shop and got our first bumper sticker to add to the van and enjoyed lunch at a nearby picnic table. We lost track of time a bit, and ended up sprinting back to the geyer. When we got there, we couldn’t believe how packed it was with people. Every possible space was filled with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder trying to get a good view of the eruption. We had just barely found a spot for ourselves when the geyser went off, and water began spraying over 100ft into the air. It was incredible to witness. We could check that off the bucket list.

Our next plan was to continue further down to Yellowstone Lake, so we hopped back in the van and headed on our way. We had barely made it a mile or so driving up a hill when the van suddenly lost power, literally in the worst place possible. There was no shoulder for us to pull off on, the hill came around a corner, and traffic was crazy as everyone from Old Faithful was leaving. We didn’t know what to do, and we were terrified that we were going to cause a collision as cars tried to pass us before oncoming traffic came around the corner. Had we really just broken down on our second day on the road?!

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