The strong breeze tosses the wisps of hair around my face. All is quiet except for the chatter of my kids as they scour the landscape for sharp bits of rock and thick wood branches to build their own tomahawk. We have been trolling around the Southwest, from the Grand Canyon to Mesa Verde, playing in the outdoors and studying the Ancestral Puebloans that left their remnants scattered about the Four Corners.
It has been a perfect blend of adventure travel and road-schooling.
Successfully Shrinking our space
We have been on the road now for roughly 3 weeks and last night we ticked over the 100th night of sleeping in the Airstream since we purchased her 10 months ago. If you read our last post, Shrinking Pains, then you might be wondering if we’ve successfully adjusted down to our smaller, mobile, tiny house.
Yes, we have.
As predicted it took us roughly two weeks to get through the shrinking pains and settle into a new way of life. All of the sudden our kids stopped complaining about sharing a bed; we are tripping over each other less; we are comfortable in our skin again.
In fact, we are now in that blissful place where we feel like we can do this forever.
Don’t worry, I am sure it won’t be like that everyday 🙂
Outside of Flagstaff, AZ
One interesting observation:
Every time we had “down time” during the first few weeks, the kids complained of being bored. It was as if their home life of friends everyday, karate, school (even though we home school), and extra curricular activities left them in a place where they didn’t know how to entertain themselves. They were used to going from one activity to another, with barely any breathing room.
After a few weeks of “learning to chill,” now they complain of too little time to work on their “projects” in the forest. They are constantly building new things out of materials found outdoors. Or drawing in their smash journals. Or fully immersed in their worlds of imagination and play. It is a beautiful thing to watch. And something I am certain we would have missed had we set about finding ways to always entertain our kids ourselves.
We are learning the boredom isn’t a bad thing.
Playing in the sand with friends, CurrentlyWandering.com, at Lone Rock on Lake Powell.
A Recap:
We had a restful week at Zion National Park biking with my parents and hiking Angels Landing. If you score camping in the park, life becomes quite simple. There is a grocery and shops within walking distance and a shuttle will take you everywhere else you want to go! It was hot while we visited, so every day we walked down to the Virgin River and jumped in.
Next we hit the North Rim of Grand Canyon with some friends. We found, after miles of washboard dirt roads, a trailhead and access to the North Rim, and then barely escaped as a snow storm blew in.
From there we scuttled to Lone Rock for a day of paddling. In 2 hrs of driving we went from winter to beach life. It was crazy! Lone Rock is in the Glen Canyon Recreational Area outside of Page, AZ. Camping is $14/per night but you get to drive down on the beach and camp right on the shores of Lake Powell!
Next, we met good friends in the Grand Canyon. Chris and I took turns hiking/running down to the Colorado River and back with another couple.
We walked all along the Rim Trail and learned a ton about the wild life – including the fact that the elk will do dishes for you, no matter how well you think you cleaned them!
Lastly, we spent a few days in Flagstaff, played at Slide Rocks State park, did school, work and a bit of mountain biking before hitting the road to the Four Corners Monument and Mesa Verde area.
We enjoyed having a mobile neighborhood with the Curren Family during our time in Flagstaff, before parting ways and heading to Mesa Verde National Park.
Family mountain biking in Flagstaff
See you on the road!
Alyssa