Hi Friends.
I can’t believe it’s been a week since we packed up most of our belongings and hit the road to partake in van life. If you haven’t already, check out the blog post for why we decided to buy a camper van and travel to begin with.
Like all new things, there has been a little bit of an adjustment period. We had to suddenly learn how to cook, sleep, and work in a super small space. Luckily, it’s been working well so far. Our expectations didn’t always line up with reality, which, to be honest, wasn’t a bad thing.
One question I often get about the van is, “How are you two going to feel always being so close to each other in a small space?”
Honestly, we made a pact with each other to always be honest with ourselves and each other if we need some space. Also, we don’t take it personally if someone wants to do something without the other person. We are still two very independent people. While we love to travel and do things together, we also very much love doing our own things. We also plan things around each other.
For example, Travis wanted to go mountain biking in Pisgah National Forest. While he did that – I spent some time writing this blog post and reading in my book. If I want to go to a certain museum or something, Travis would hang back with PepperJack and we would meet up later. We make it work to both have our time together, as well as have our space where we can do our own things.
Things I’m sure are going to change the more we get into doing things. However, I feel as if we are close to getting into a routine. During the week I have been doing a majority of the driving, especially if we travel during working hours. Travis is able to work while I drive to the next location. On the weekends or in National Parks – Travis is doing most of the driving.
This week, we drove from Northern Virginia, down Skyline drive – visiting Shenandoah National Park, through some smaller towns in North Carolina before making it to Asheville, NC.
While we have been to Shenandoah before – we have never done the full drive down Skyline drive. Getting to see a bunch of the park, as well as go on a hike, was the perfect start to our trip. It’s one of our goals on this journey to hit as many national parks as possible.
We made a stop in Roanoke, which was way prettier than I expected it to be. I’ve stopped in Roanoke before while passing through – but this time it wasn’t just to sleep. We went to one of the taller points in the city that had a park at the top & were able to get internet from the top. It’s been awesome getting to work outside with some incredible views.
We then stopped overnight at our first Harvest Host experience. Peaks of Otter Winery which turned out to be a lot of fun. An adorable baby goat was born less than a week before we got there, so of course we had to hold him. We also spent some time enjoying some of their wine and playing games.
We stopped in a few smaller towns on the way to Asheville, which is a real gem. Everyone mentions they love Asheville and it’s clear to see why. It’s not only surrounded by beautiful mountains where you can hike, mountain bike, and camp – the city itself has a ton of awesome places to eat and definitely has a chill vibe to it. There are a ton of breweries to hop between and check out as well. We loved getting to explore and experience it. Asheville, NC is one of the places we are considering moving after van life is over. That’s why we spent the weekend here to really get a feel for the kind of place it is.
On Saturday, we were at the Biltmore Estate – a place that Asheville is known for. We didn’t go in the house, as we have PepperJack with us – but we did go explore the grounds and do a wine tasting at the winery. I never realized just how many trails there were on the grounds. I checked at my Fitbit later that night and saw we walked over seven miles. Not bad for a day of exploring.
Let’s Discuss! Comment Below:
- Have you ever been to Asheville/Shenandoah? What’s was your experience like?
- Which food item looks the best to you?
- Are you more of a wine, beer, or brew (non alcoholic beverage) type of person?
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