I laid in the grass today. Watched the white cirrus clouds pass overhead. I stared into the abyss until my eyes adjusted to the expanse, until I could see the once invisible sparrows playing in the thermals high above.  Diving. Twisting. Turning. Playing? Or catching lunch? I need to lay in the grass more often, sinking into the blades and waiting for my mind to be ready to embrace the beauty around me. That is one thing I love about travel. It erases so much of the semi-urgent demands of adulting that cloud my vision and allow me to see the world playing around me.

• The interchange of seasons and moods. 

• The mix of color and the sharpness of landscape. 

• The weather coming and going. 

• It is time to hit the road again.

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We’ve been spending the week moochdocking (an adopted word for parking at a friend’s house :) ) in Fort Collins, CO. It has not been an uneventful week in suburbia. If you followed last week’s IG or FB stories, then you know we busted into town riding the pain of kidney stones. This necessitated a week of doctors appointments, laundry, cleaning, working and moving through our to-do list. Add an unexpected hail storm (moderate cosmetic damage to the Airstream) and the week seemed anything but boring. There were also beautiful moments of catching up with friends and enjoying how green the Front Range is in the spring.

All in all, these “adulting” times on the road are necessary when traveling for longer durations. The truth is part-time or full-time travel is not a permanent vacation. And often, the questions we are repeatedly asked by those curious about the lifestyle revolve around these things:

• Showers
• Laundry
• Cooking
• Emptying tanks, refilling tanks
• Driving days
• Work / school

All these things happen weekly. Sometimes we do it at friend’s houses along the way. More often we spend a night or two at an RV park that has everything we need conveniently located within walking distance. It is a part of road life, and honestly, we can do all these things in less time, barring any unexpected issues, then it takes me to clean the kitchen at home. What are your questions for us about the day-to-day tasks on the road? What do you wonder about? We’d love to answer your questions! Keep following long as we head into the Black Hills and then the Badlands of South Dakota. You can keep up via Facebook or Instagram.

Every good journey is an intricate weave of good and bad, hard and amazing. I’d love to write out the “kidney stones” part of my story, but I am thankful for another amazing place to park our home. . It is good to be near my native land again, surrounded by 14ers, afternoon storms rolling through, and a warm place to cozy up for the night. . PS: our truck and trailer are so much dirtier than they look! #tomaineandbackagain … #beauthentic #colorado #colorfulcolorado #airstreamlife #airstream #liveriveted #makingmemories #roadtrip #traveladdicts #fulltimefamilies #roadlife

A post shared by Alyssa | Team Erickson (@alyssakerickson) on May 18, 2018 at 3:56pm PDT

See you on the road,

Alyssa