It’s time to pack up and move on today, but to where? In ten days, we need to be in Crested Butte, but between now and then, we have the freedom to roam. Had you asked me a week ago where we would head today, I would have enthusiastically answered something like Lake City or the San Juans. I was excited to explore a corner of Colorado that we don’t know as well as the rest. But this is why we rarely plan anything out further than a few days in advance. The factors at play are always changing, and it’s hard to make an informed decision until all the factors are known.
After considering the crowds that the upcoming holiday weekend would bring, the cold and wet weather in the forecast, and the heaps of work that piled up while we were at Overland Expo, my vote was to instead go back to our property on the Western Slope. We would have ten days to stretch out in our spacious 160-square-foot trailer. Ten days with running water, a shower, a couch, and a dedicated working space. Ten days to sit still. It wasn’t easy letting go of the opportunity to explore unknown parts of Colorado, but the comforts of our larger home-on-wheels lured me back.
This would be our sixth time going back to our property in the last five months. Instead of towing our trailer around with us all summer, like we have in years past, we decided to leave it on our property. We thought the option to come and go would be nice but has proven to be more difficult than I expected. At any given time during the summer months, we’re only a three-hour drive (at best) away from our property. So the option to return is always there. Trying to decide when to go back and for how long is always there, which just adds to the already long list of decisions to be made regularly when living on the road. Further, there’s the work of constantly moving in and out of the truck camper. And lastly, the psychological transition of shifting spaces and readapting to the different routines that come with each. All of that has been more to juggle than I anticipated, and I haven’t handled it as gracefully as I’d like.
Mark asked me a few weeks ago why I think I did so well living in the truck for five straight months over the winter, but this summer I’ve been wrestling with distaste for it. The answer was simple. In Mexico, there wasn’t the option to easily return to our trailer and all the comforts that come with it. We were committed to living in the truck, end of story. People like to think that more options are better, but more options make decision-making more difficult. More options at play can be both mentally and emotionally taxing. When buying a house, would you rather fall in love with and have to choose between three houses or ten? What’s easier to order from, the In-N-Out menu or the Cheesecake Factory menu?
We have learned a lot from not towing our trailer around with us this summer. Trying to constantly choose between our two tiny homes on wheels has caused some heartache and frustration, but it’s also prompted a long list of important questions about what we want our life on the road to look like in the future. We have fresh, new ideas that never would have arisen without this summer’s experiment. Those ideas have us feeling excited for what the future might have in store.
When we returned to our property that afternoon, it felt good to be back. At sundown, we were greeted by the flock of ravens that pass by on their way home from work every evening. Or at least that’s what I tell myself they’re doing. Scat on one of our trails let us know that a bear has been nearby. An engine compartment full of juniper berries told us that chipmunks took refuge in our Subaru. This land goes on living while we’re gone. We’re merely visitors.
In ten days, we’ll pack up and get back on the road. The attempt to better balance having roots and wings this year has been educational. But the core lesson is one I’ve always known to be true, it’s not easy to have both. The desire for roots may be exist, but my wings continue to facilitate the life that I love. If I have to choose between wheels beneath my feet or a foundation, wheels are still the easy choice. The road is home. And after five and half years, it’s hard to imagine any other way.
This is the last post in our “Month in the life” series. Thank you so much for following along!
