We are done! With the van trip portion of this crazy experiment, that is.
A Summary, by the Numbers
After we left Colorado, we made a circuitous but speedy course to the Pacific NW, staying with different family after each long day of driving. We emptied and cleaned out the van to prepare it for storage and started to repack for the next leg of our big adventure: Latin America!
After storing the van, seeing a few more friends, a flight, more driving and yet more organizing of our stuff, we are off! And, if we thought it was tough to downsize our lives into the van, limiting ourselves to a single carryon-sized suitcase each, for the next six months, was next level. School books and outdoor gear make up the other baggage. As I write this, we are hours from landing at our first Latin American destination, Costa Rica!
Not surprisingly, these last 16 weeks flew by. We are still too close to it to truly understand what it meant, what we learned, or what will stick in our memory banks through the test of time. There was a lot of laughter and a whole new cache of inside jokes stored up. It was good, very good, in so many ways. Don’t be fooled though: there was plenty of eye rolling, pointless arguing, and tears. In short, in a lot of ways it was not too different from our ‘normal’ lives. Was it better? I suppose it depends on who you ask and on what day. For me, unequivocally YES! It will take us some time to land on our ‘favorite’ place or ‘weirdest’ moment, so in the mean time, here is a summary of the things we do know.
The Numbers
CHEAPEST GAS: $2.79/gallon (Louisiana)
MOST EXPENSIVE GAS: $6.50/gallon (California)
WE SLEPT:
- 49 nights in a campground
- 27 nights with friends/family
- 15 nights in a hotel
- 10 nights in an Airbnb
- 10 nights with Harvest Host
- 3 nights in a Walmart parking lot
We Swam In
WE TRAVELED BY:
- Foot
- Bike
- Scooter
- Kayak
- Standup Paddle Board
- Ferry
- Van
- Bus
- Streetcar
- Car
- Boat
❤️ WE VISITED 84 FRIENDS & FAMILY ❤️
Thank you to everyone storing our stuff and all those who fed us, gave us suggestions on places to visit, and/or supported us from afar on this first leg of our journey!
Such amazing memories and shared experiences. What a gift you all have given each other! Thank you for sharing your journey and including us in a small piece 🙂
Thank you for being such a fun part of it 😘
What a wonderful adventure! Can’t wait to follow along with the next stage! Love you all!
Even more wonderful because of your clan! 😘
Loved reading about all of your adventures. Please keep it going for the next chapter of your lives. xoxo
Thanks Heather!