This was the first national park where we required of each other bear spray as an everyday carry. In fact, when driving into the park, we came across a bottle of it lying on the road, so we opened the door and grabbed it and immediately felt safer, both of us now being equipped with our own.

Joe is behind the wheel of our Sprinter van home and we’re traveling Route 2 in Montana. We’re en route to East Glacier National Park, and it’s Memorial Day now 2:30pm. We spent the morning doing a foot tour of Apgar village, followed by showering, eating eggs on bagels, more self-grooming and then RV maintenance: cleaning dishes, sweeping floors, and moving out of “camp mode” (passenger seat turns forward and hiking books go on sliding door step). We’re hoping to accomplish a short 3 mile hike around Beaver’s Lake Loop before driving south to Helena, our planned stay for the week of work that lies ahead.

On October 16th, 2020 in response to a photo I posted on FB, a friend asked the following question and I wrote a lengthy response for a FB comment — I’m sharing that here! :)

You guys have covered a lot of ground. Do you guys feel safe traveling around the country in your RV?

Hi, friend! Nice to hear from you, and thanks for your question and the opportunity to share (I wrote quite a bit!):) Yes, we do feel safe, though I have to admit, in 2020 we've been intentionally spending more time in each place we arrive for purposes of greater stability, because van life, and especially while working full time, can be really challenging, and especially while during a pandemic! For instance, we spent 2.5 months in Sedona, Arizona at the same campground for half of March and for all of April and May. This was at the beginning of the pandemic, so it was important for us to find a place where we could stay for a while and feel safe and grounded and have access to resources, and to heal, too! ( we both were pretty sick immediately after taking a flight from JFK - RENO at the beginning of March). We had familiarity w/ this particular Sedona campground, and therefore knew we'd feel safe and wouldn't mind staying for a while. This was important, as many of the state campgrounds and parks -- places we prefer to stay for budgetary reasons -- were closing or were closed. Also, during the first 1.5 yrs. of van life we'd work from coffee shops each day, but during the pandemic, that has not been possible or something we wanted to do. Both of us working full time, taking phone calls, attending video meetings, etc. while sharing the small space of the van can be hard.

So we've been lucky to have a short term lease on an apartment here in Boulder, CO where we'll be staying for the next 2 months (Oct. & Nov.’20). This was intentional. Joe and I thought carefully about where we'd want to be during this time of the presidential election and continuing pandemic -- we knew we'd want to be in a place and culture that is more progressive, open-minded, of diverse thought, etc. We also have a couple friends here, too.

Personal Hygiene

Try to keep yourself clean.

You can’t escape the duties of personal hygiene just because you’re living in a van.

Hot showers are glorious.

You don’t need nearly as many showers per week as you might think.

A hot shower is a real luxury.

Our Sprinter Starship

An RV has a life of its own - many admirers. It also makes sounds at night and at all times (e.g. heating systems, refrigerator and water pumps).

RV coach systems, no matter how well designed, will act quirky. The bumps and jangles of the vehicle due to travel tends to upset electronics and whatnot.

It’s okay for your RV bed to double as a dinner table, a movie theater, a work office, a yoga studio, a seat near the campfire, a wildlife viewing station, and the list goes on.

Our Mercedes Benz Sprinter Van home is sexy and we know it. This helps us both stick out and blend in with our surroundings, depending on the locale we’re visiting.