Bryce is Nice

Bryce Canyon National Park was fantastic! It was my first time to this National Park and really enjoyed my visit. This was my 3rd National Park along my journey and by far the best.

Great video of me hiking Bryce Canyon National Park!

Of course Bryce was extremely photogenic. Not only did I get a early start and beat the crowds I had really nice weather. Enjoy the pictures! I would suggest clicking on them to enlarge.

Here is a shot of my free campground in the Dixie National Forest about 15 miles outside of Bryce.  I loved this campsite. I had this huge meadow all to my self and not a bad view.

Grilled Pork Chop, Cooked Red Beets, Cucumber Salad

Chicken Italian Sausage, Fermented Red Cabbage, Fried Sweet Potatoes, Cucumber Salad.

Thunder Mountain

One thing that became very evident while I was on the road was weather. Yeah, weather happens! And when you’re living in a small space you become more vulnerable and aware to the elements outside. In this case I ended up waiting out 2 days of snow, sleet, and rain. I was feeling a bit stir-crazy being cooped up in the van that long but I found ways to entertain myself. Usually on these inclimate days where I’m stuck in the van I edit videos or practice yoga.


Check out my video of my time in this area!

So before I left Hurricane Utah one of our neighbors at the RV park mentioned to visit Casto Canyon on your way to Bryce Canyon. I decided to check it out. Right next to Casto Canyon I found a really cool free camping spot in the Dixie National Forest with hoodoos and this great hiking trail right next to it called the Arches Trail.

In between the crappy weather I was able to get out and do a hike this neat little area. Here’s a stone house that’s probably the tourists put together. I didn’t get the felling it was ancient ruins.

The Arches Trail meander’s up the ridge and passes by several cool hoodoo formations.

Great views but the weather was still lingering.

The Arches Trail was well-maintained and there was even a little staircase to help you get to the higher sections.

As I near the top I could look over the ridge and see my van camped in its spot far away. It always feels good to see your van / home in near view. In case you did not know I have named my van ODY-ONE.

Nature’s picture window.

 

Very neat looking Hoodoos!

 The Arches Trail name lived up to the hype. As you made your way across the loop there was this really cool Arch!

So after the two days of waiting out the weather I was chomping at the bit for some exercise. I was camping right at the trailhead of the a loop that consisted of Casto Canyon to Cassidy Trail returning down Loosee Canyon. After doing some research on my mountain biking trail apps on my phone it looks like a great option to ride and had some good reviews.

As I started up the canyon there was a little runoff from the snow melt further up the valley in the higher elevations.

Not bad so far. I mainly followed ATV track up to this point then it turned a single track.

As the day warmed up the water in the wash increased.

After leaving the ATV track I got on the Cassidy Trail. I was literally stopped dead in my tracks by this nasty nasty mud! I couldn’t even push my bike. The mud was so bad it would chock up my wheels to a complete halt. So I turned around and made my way back down to wash where I came from. At least the water in the wash would clean the mud off of my bike a bit.

Back at camp I was a little discouraged about the ride…. I didn’t get to do the full loop and should have waited out the day to let the trails dry more. Here I am airing out all my gear and getting ready to wash the mud off my bike. I was able to use my shower set up to spray the mud off and get my bike back in order.

Ah! This is the following day and I’m finally at the Thunder Mountain Trailhead. The sun has been out for over a day and I am greeted with nice tacky riding conditions.

Really really good views from the top of the Thunder Mountain Trail

The Thunder Mountain Trail was a blast and I really didn’t take much time to photograph it. I did get video but my camera wasn’t positioned properly during the ride and was only able to use about a quarter of the footage. Luckily what I got was okay and showed off some of the hoodoos and riding highlights the trail offers. I was expecting a 7 1/2 mile down hill on the Thunder Mountain Trail but really it was a bunch of ups and downs and short steep climbs for about half of the ride. About 2/3 of the way down you hit the large hoodoo area and finish with a fast descent to the trail head.

Time for some food! Grilling up a couple bison burgers and chicken italian sausage. This little propane grill is been working out great from Coleman.

Bison burger topped with California kimchi, 1 Italian chicken sausage, fresh avocado, and fresh cut cantaloupe! My kind of meal!

Hurricane UT and Gooseberry Mesa

After my time in Little Creek Mesa, I made my way into the town of Hurricane Utah to spend some time with my dad. I was able to pull into his RV slip at the Willow Winds RV park and take advantage of the facilities. It was great to have laundry and showers right there and be able to hang out with my dad for a week.
Video with some great slickrock riding segments. 

When I first got to St George I did a resupply and me and my dad checked out the temple in Downtown St George. It was impressive and certainly looked holy.

We also did a bike ride in Zion National Park. It was great to ride through the Zion Valley as they only allow bikes and shuttle buses up and down the main road. As we cruise through the valley we felt like we had the whole place to our self except for an occasional shuttle bus we had to pull over for.

The Virgin River.

All the way up the canyon there were stunning views of the red rock cliffs that make Zion so popular.

The views seem endless as we make our way up the canyon.

Impressive rock everywhere! I will have to make another trip to Zion and hike Angels Landing and the Zion Narrows. There are some great hikes in this National Park.

Here we are getting a father and son picture by the entrance of Zion. What a great ride this was. I left my cross bike at home and didn’t mind riding pavement on my MTB for this one.

Later on that week we made our way to the JEM Trail. It was fantastic and my dad rode great on very technical singletrack.

The JEM Trail was really flowy and fast coming down. Lots of fun little jumps and drops.

Back at the camp my dad purchased a hummingbird feeder it was fun to watch the antics of hummingbirds as they took advantage of the sweet nectar.

It was late April and roses were blooming everywhere in the St George area. It was nice to get an early jump on summer as everyday was about 85 degrees and sunny.

I love this picture of me, my dad, my Aunt Nola, and Uncle John. I got to spend some quality time with all of them and this night we had a delicious barbecue at my dad’s campground.

Whiskey’s by the fire pit in the Willow Wind RV Park.

So after a few days of taking advantage of the camping at my dad’s RV park I wanted to get out for some more adventure. I made my way to Gooseberry Mesa and found this amazing camp spot right on the  North ridge of the Mesa. I was one of the best camping spots I had so far. Amazing views, seclusion, and amazing trails just yards from my camp. Click on this panorama and check it out full size!

Here is a sample of the massive slick rock area on Gooseberry Mesa. This day I rode the Windmill Trail to South Mesa. South Mesa was rated double black. 

One morning I managed to get up and enjoy the spectacular sunrise.. My spirit was high and every day was a blast!

My campsite was overlooking the Red Bull Rampage riding area. It was really neat to look down and see this infamous free riding area. This picture was taken during my ride on the Gander Trail.

I was able to take advantage of all the amazing riding on Gooseberry Mesa and there is still a good bit of single track that I missed. The sunshine, warm weather, and scenic location made this one of the best destinations so far. I can not recommend this area enough.

This night I had a full moon to rock me to sleep.

Little Creek Mesa

During my journey so far the Sun sets have been my most favorite part. Here I am enjoying one at my free camp right next to Little Creek Mesa trailhead just outside of Hurricane Utah.

Enjoy this video with some great riding segments. 

On my way from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Hurricane UT area I got the privilege of driving through Colorado City. If you don’t know much about Colorado City it’s a controversial polygamist town. This is one of the scenes on my way through it.

Arriving at camp late I made a quick dinner of leftovers. A salad, bacon, and some hot dogs.

 And it ended up raining with a little bit of snow that night. I woke up to some crappy weather and ended up waiting out some rain for the day. A little bit of water leaked into my van that cause me some stress. I decided I would troubleshoot the leak when I got to hurricane at the RV park with my dad. Later on I was able to pinpoint the problem coming from my rear vent window not being closed properly.  So for now it was time to just wait out the weather and go ride.

That evening the weather did clear up and I was able to get out for a quick hike and check out the trail system briefly. What I found was a huge expanse of slickrock and neat little carins stacked everywhere taunting me to follow.

One of the carins up close and personal.

I thought this tree was unique and took some time to take a picture of it.

Here’s my first glimpse of the amazing mesas that surround the St George and Hurricane Utah area. I was already impressed.

With the weather improving I was able to get my van fully set up and really start to enjoy camp. The camp site I had was really neat, secluded, and super clean.

A panoramic of the views of the valley below.

Here I am out on my bike checking out one of the exposed sections of trail. These are always fun to come across and you got to snap a picture if you can. I did this shot with my self timer. Not that easy of a shot to set up. 

And now I’m really starting to feel it! I am having a great ride and soaking in all the views

Dinner tonight is a free-range grass-fed beef patty with curry mayo,  fermented red cabbage, avocado with bean sprouts, and cantaloupe. So delicious! So I stayed at this camp for 3 nights and 2 full days. From here I will be meeting my dad at the Willow Wind Rv park and do some bike rides with him. 

North Kaibab National Forest and the Arizona Trail

After leaving the  Zuni Mountains I had my sights set on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. While I was riding in the Zuni Mountains a couple that I had met on the trail recommended the Rainbow Ridge Trail that skirts along the edge of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Doing some research on the trail it looks spectacular. So I called the ranger station and they said that they had no reports of getting out there this early in the season but could be possible. When I arrived in the area the highway was closed that gives access to the dirt road out to the trail system so I was unable to ride the Rainbow Ridge trail but still made do. The picture above is outside at Marble Canyon Crossing the Colorado River just before the Grand Canyon starts. It was a spectacular drive from Flagstaff to the North Rim.

AZT trail markers! I ended up camping just outside of Jacob Lake Arizona at this beautiful free Campsite in the Kaibab National Forest. I was able to still get some riding in and found I was situated right next to the Arizona Trail and spent two days exploring two different segments of the trail. I really wish I would have brought my bike packing gear because I could have made a two-day trip out to the north rim of the canyon and really wanted to see see it. Oh well next time.

Here I am cruising along the section of the Arizona Trail that is 50 miles north of the Grand Canyon there was a lot of double track and some raw single track. .

Remnants of an old ranch that made for a good photo spot.

And here’s my lovely camp situated in the ponderosa forest. I stayed here for 4 days and truthfully it was fairly cold it never got above 45 degrees. The lows in the morning we’re down to 20. It made for some chilly nights but I was able to stay comfortable and warm with my van setup. There was plenty of fire wood and conditions were  safe to have a good camp fire to keep me company. 

Zuni Mountains

I had a lovely time camping in the Cibola National Forest outside of Gallup New Mexico. I had a good feeling about this area when I was planning my travels and knew about a 12 hour mountain bike race called the 12 hours of Enchanted Forest that was held each August. That always seemed intriguing to me. Upon exploring the area there’s a mountain trail system called the Zuni Mountain trail system, and then a lower desert trail system. I ended up camping right next to the mountain system and rode three different 20 mile rides within the week I stayed here.

Starting the day with a power omelette.

Here I am climbing up Quaking Aspen Trail. It’s one of the original trails in the area and follows it drainage with lots of black slickrock and neat little rock features and cow gates.

Eventually made my way to this overlook that looks like a crew spent a good time building. There’s even an area where you can pitch a tent if you wanted to backpack out here.

One of a handful of cow ponds that came across. In the southwest they seem to want to call these tanks.

I also came across this alcove that on the map was called Bear Den. Don’t worry I never saw any bears.

Cruisin along I had great weather for the most part 70 degrees and sunny. Not bad for early April.

On my ride I came across this rock structure that from a distance look like a lean-to or maybe an ancient dwelling. Upon further investigation it was just a rock that look like roof slats.

I ended up randomly coming across this Forest Service lookout tower. A wind storm was coming and they were on high alert.

The forest service man was kind and let me up into the tower and I was able to enjoy the 360 degree views. I met his dog Zack and we chatted about 45 minutes about my travels and his job with the forest service. It was great to meet both of them.

Coming across some hoodoos in the desert trail system.  I didn’t get to ride the entire trail system but this will leave me something to come back to.

Fun little slick Rock bits. The trail builders did an excellent job taking advantage of the natural terrain.

Great views and there was even a sundial. You can’t see it very well but it’s just beyond my bike mounted on top of a log.

They even had Roadrunner figures. They weren’t real but they were cut out of steel and I thought they added a little class to the trail.

One thing I learned while my stay in the New Mexico is that they love their carins. This one was extra tall and stacked with care. 
From here I will be making my way into Arizona and will plan a few stops along the way 

Free camping on the rim of Mills Canyon, NM

Mills Canyon Vlog – Vanife

I really enjoyed this campground. It is located in the Kiowa National Grasslands just an hour east of Raton NM. For a free campsite its pretty fancy. This one had level slips, pit toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and a grill. Also the site was very easy to get to. There is a lower National Forest campground in the bottom of the canyon but the drive was rough, narrow, and to steep for my 2wd minivan. I would recommend a 4wd if you want to camp at the one in the bottom. I did ride my bike down there and truthfully I liked the one on the rim better and that one’s a piece of cake to access.

I went for an off trail hike and explored the rim of the canyon near the campground after getting camp set up. The canyon rim twisted and turned until I finally got some good views. I love hiking canyon rims.

 Views of the Mills Canyon.

So it turns out this place is a rock climbers destination. Here is a layback bouldering wall that clearly had chalk marks. You can see the criss cross of logs to allow them to put down a bouldering mat. The thought of bringing my climbing shoes did go through my mind but didn’t bring them. Who would have thought my second destination had some amazing bouldering?

 Another one of the bouldering rocks I found. The rock was very high quality wil lots of pockets and crimp holds.

 So It turns out there is some history in this area. In 1881 there was a thriving fruit orchard in the bottom of the canyon that was built by Melvin Mills. The Canadian river flows below and supplied water for apple, plum, apricot, cherry, and walnut trees. There was a massive flood in 1904 and destroyed the orchard for good. I could see some fruit trees remaining but its early April so no leaves or fruit on the trees yet.

 I took my bike to the bottom of the canyon and explored the remnants of the Mills Ranch. Knock.. Knock. Anybody home?

 Ruins of an old bunk house.

A couple of bedrooms at one point.

 I thought this old brick was cool. I wonder if they are still in business?

This old ranch for the orchard was at the bottom of the canyon. I did a bike ride down to the bottom of the canyon on my mountain bike to check it out. Definitely worth it.

 Panoramic of the rocks behind the ranch. There was an alcove back there.

So this is what I’m talking about! Ever since I started living in my van the sunsets have been my favorite part! The further south I go the longer the sunsets are. Mills Canyon campground you did not disappoint!! 

Here I am taking another stroll down to the rim of the canyon in the morning. There was a little bit of wind but other than that I had great weather.

Better shot of the campground where you can see the picnic table, and fire pit. There was firewood all over the place but th a stage 2 fire ban was in effect and I was unable to take advantage. 

I got up early and made my way to Albuquerque NM, to meet my friend Paul Chen. I got to see this gorgeous sunrise on my way out of the grasslands. 

Time to hit the Road!

For at least 10 years now I have been dreming about a new lifestyle and ways live more freely and minimally. I needed to wait for my son to graduate college and free up my final responsibilities. I had my son when I was 21 and that made my timeline in life very different than most people I know my age. My son Seth who is an amazing person graduated debt free and landed a lucrative Software Engineering job immediately after graduating. Now its time for me to make a change. A BIG CHANGE! The picture above is me in my driveway of my old house before I left for good and started Vanlife!

I wanted to live a life that was less about buying things and spending money and instead live my life more deliberately, more in the moment, more in tune with nature, and my well being.. I got rid of almost everything I owned and ended up storing just a few things at my dads house.. Everything else  is in my Van.  I have no debt, barely any bills, and my biggest expense now is food and gas. I am hoping by living a simple, minimal lifestyle I can elevate my spirit and wellbeing and do more of my favorite activity…. Exploring!

Ok don’t laugh at my first real attempt at making a YouTube Video. Please watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. I plan on adding more videos as my adventure progresses.  

I only planned my first 2 campsites and this abandoned ranch home was an interesting site along the way to my first free camp on the rim of Cucharras Canyon outside of Walsenburg Colorado. I have been using Freecampsites.net to find free dispersed camping on BLM or National Forest land.
 
Here is the campsite and my van set up and ready for living. If you are interested in my van build you can read about that HERE. I had this place all to myself and it was great to try out my setup. Everything worked great!

This is the view 30 yards from my campsite. I have backpacked this canyon before. You can read about that adventure here.

Cucumber Salad, Salmon over Jasmine rice. I plan on keeping my cooking game strong on the road.

I went for a little hike along the canyon rim and had a great time hiking off trail.

And found this old dilapidated outhouse.

And a lonely tree…..

More randon off trail hiking.

My mountain bike is along for the adventure and is a great tool for exploring deeper into the areas around my campsite.

This time I took a ride to the bottom of the Canyon.

Turkey burger with salsa, sweet potato hash browns, fermented carrots, and an avocado! Bring on the power of Paleo!

Another trip to the canyon bottom on my bike. 

Ahhh the sunsets! I love them and get to be part of almost everyone now.

Thanks for reading along. And more posts to come!

I bought a minivan and converted it into a camper!

My magical minivan!
Beautiful free campsite outside of Buena Vista Colorado and the interior of my converted 2003 Honda Odyssey.
Here is a picture of the van when I first got it. I am not sure when I exactly got the idea that I would convert a van but by the time February of 2017 rolled around I sold my trusty Subaru Impreza RS.2.5 and bought a mini van with the intention to convert it to a camper. My friend Pdubs just did a conversion on his Toyota Sienna and got me thinking that a minivan could make a great camper. I considered a full size van or even a mid sized but decided to go with a minivan to get better gas mileage and reliability. Also I backpack quite a bit and learned that I do well in small spaces with the time spent in my tiny ultralight backpacking shelters.
I came across this 2003 Honda Odyssey that was from a single owner with about 145k miles and was purchased for only $2900. The van came from a very nice Canadian family and was very well taken care of and extremely clean.
Here is the view of the back after I first purchased the van with the mid section seats removed and the rear seats folded down.
Quickly the demolition process started. Everything was ripped out from the front seats back. Here is my friends son Steele. Steele loved helping out an was a joy to have around during this project.

One of my very first projects was installing LED lighting that will run off the second battery system. I was planning on removing the rear heater/AC core (that you will see later on) to make extra space in the back. This meant that the vents for the rear climate system were going to be useless and could make a great place to recess some lighting.

So what I did in place was install LED lights into the fixtures to make a really cool recessed light with blinds!

LED lights strips were installed where seat belts used to mount on the pillar between the rear quarter and the sliding door.

This picture does not do a good job showing the final result but I cut a piece of light diffusing material and glued it to the inside of the trim that covers the pillar.

Here is a good shot showing the lights installed and working! Its really cool that you can open and close the vents to adjust and direct the light. The lights on the headliner and the lights on the pillars are on separate circuits so I can turn them on and off independently.

So this was a big surprise in the demo process. After removing all the rear trim I was left with this huge heater core tucked away in the back quarter panel. I consulted with my mechanic and we were able to remove it and cap off the lines.

Here is the core removed.

Lines Capped. I had to have the lines by the front AC core capped off by a tig welder.  Sorry I did not get a picture of that. These are the lines running to the back that my mechanic closed off that were no longer being used.

My next project was to cover the rear metal with sound deadening material called RattleTrap. Once this was put down we could start the floor.

The floor was a HUGE project! After everything was removed from the back  there was an endless sea of uneven bumps, curves, nooks, and crannies. It took hours and hours of cutting, trimming, and sanding to get these large pieces to fit snugly and create a flat surface. Many nights at my friends Nick house were spent crafting this floor. Thanks again for your help Nick!

Here is a shot of the first stages of wiring the second battery system. I went with a CTEK Charge controller, and my friend Keith gave me a very nice AGM 12v battery. Next to the charge controller is a cut off switch to the front battery and then a fuse block. This system uses both the alternator and solar panel to keep the auxiliary battery charged. I had to run a 0 gauge wire all the way from the front battery to the rear of the vehicle. Let me tell you that was fun!

I insulated the crap out of the van using a combination of Reflectix, denim style insulation,  and foam board.

Renogy 100 watt Renogy Solar Panel installed on the roof rack and my Thule Cargo Carrier I got off Craigslist.

Nick and I are anchoring the braces and setting them at the right elevation for the wood floor to be secured. It is always nerve racking drilling screws into the sheet metal of your vehicle not knowing if there is a gas or brake line on the other side!

The next step was to fill the spaces between the braces with foam-board insulation.

Here is the completed wiring. Many hours were spent getting this right. Truthfully I knew nothing about Solar setups but thanks to YouTube University and a little trial and error I quickly came up to speed.

Another shot of the Renogy 100w Solar Panel installed on my roof rack.

Access panels cut into the floor.

Adding a nice dark stain to the floor. Out of all my projects staining the floor was the most stressful due to me not really knowing what I was doing.

Alright! Making some serious progress here. The floor is finished and installed for good.
 
 
 

Even though I did a nice stain on the floor I covered it with a coin grip vinyl floor covering. The grey flooring is not glued down so you can lift up the vinyl mat and have access to the compartments below. Also you can see the blue futon I purchased in the back. I am glad I decided not to build a permanent bed in the van and instead go with this futon mattress on the floor. It allows me to configure a sitting area or sleeping area with this nice and comfortable twin xl foam mattress I got off Amazon. The futon cover also comes off so it can be washed.

Taking the Van out for its maiden voyage to go mountain biking in Fruita CO.  The van was purchased in February and now it’s late April. It only took a couple of months to get a functioning camper van but still there is lots of work to do.

Enjoying a lovely spot that I discovered in the San Luis Valley over Memorial day weekend.

I took 3 months off from working on the van to focus on other things and camp in it a bit before making the finishing touches. Here is my friend Nick helping with the small cabinet on the driver side.

Small cabinet done now time to work on the large cabinet. These pieces were even more difficult to cut and shape into the sides of the van than the floor was.

Large cabinet done! I decided to make these cabinets as simple as possible and went away with cabinet doors and drawers and instead made simple storage cubbies!

Switch panel complete and a 600w pure sine wave power inverter installed.


Rear cabinets stained.

Ventline 12v roof vent installed.

Dometic 12v refrigerator and water jug with pump.

Mr Buddy Heater and 1lb refillable propane tank.

 Coleman single burner stove and GSI cookware.

Another shot of the switch panel, USB socket, 12v socket, and 600w pure sine wave power inverter.

Bed Mode with my down quilt.

Living space mode. Looks cozy huh!  Check out the cool Hike, Bike, Ride, Live sign my friend Jeremy made on his 3D router.

So this year is going to be a big year filled with a lot of this!!! In addition to the conversion I had the  suspension completely replaced and beefy springs installed in the rear to keep it from sagging with all the extra weight. I also installed an ARB awning that mounts to the passenger side of the roof rack. Stay tuned to this blog for more adventures in this van to come.

#VANLIFE