Saturday 10th December – Hike Before Flight

I swung my legs off the bed to feel soft carpet between my toes and see the sun painting the sky pink out the window. Heaven? Maybe. Marianna was up with me at 6:30, after a quick breakfast we were out the door to Horsetooth Mountain, which is in a state park right in M’s…

Friday 9th December – More Beers!

I had a very lazy, seedy start to the morning. It has been so long that I’ve been out drinking that my throat felt raw and my head was spinning a little. First hangover in the van?! I was happy to doze, my curtains effectively blocking out the bright morning sun. It didn’t feel too…

Thursday 8th December – A Day at the Office with After Work Drinks

I kept my clothes on last night, maybe it had been colder than the previous night?!?! Anyway, camp was perfect, it was nice to have a toilet nearby first thing. I discovered while cooking breakfast that eggs can freeze. Of course, this is completely logical, but I was astounded when I tapped my first egg…

Wednesday 7th December – The Outstanding Kindness of Strangers

This is a long one. Grab a cup of coffee and a comfy chair, I promise it’ll be worth it. I’m starting this entry in retrospect. Last night when I left Strabucks, my car was covered in three hours worth of snow so first step to getting going was wiping the windows and windscreen of…

Tuesday 6th December – Snow Bashing

Despite my whingings about the cold yesterday, I woke up excited to get back out into it. It took me a while to get to sleep last night, but once my feet and the rest of my body had come up to temperature, I was out and I stayed that way till morning. Thankfully once…

Monday 5th December – Back in White

The van rocked me awake. Wind was back. Damn it! Breakfast in the van again, but it wasn’t too cold thankfully, just inhibits the living process. I let myself out of the paddock and continued on towards the Rockies, still visible in the distance, but this time more shrouded in cloud than they had been…

Sunday 4th December – Bloody wind!

After sleeping in, I was woken up because I was too hot! With the van in the full sun, it was actually warming up! Exciting! Halfway through cooking bacon and eggs, I stopped being brave and put my down jacket on, it wasn’t that warm. I was happy with my camp, even used the water…

Saturday 3rd December – Nebraska: Points for Trying

Despite the sting of cold, the rising sun managed to add some warmth to my body while I made breakfast. Even though it quickly faded, I appreciated the morning start. I sat at the picnic table to eat my oats, next to where my fire had been, but I rushed the oats down so I…

Friday 2nd December – Isolated in Badlands

The wind was back. Not as bad as South Dakota, but I dreaded the thought. I stayed inside the van to watch sunrise which was worth setting the alarm for, but unfortunately I’d got the angle of the van wrong by about 45 degrees, so it wasn’t the comfortable “roll over and watch sunset” situation…

Thursday 1st December – Planes and a LOT of Buffalo

My first Walmart camp went as well as could be expected. I strategically went to the bathroom around 9pm to ensure I’d get through the night (don’t I sound like an old lady?) and in doing so, I encountered a drunk/high/stupid man in the female bathroom, taking a shit, stall door wide open. Eyes forward!!…