TWO HAPPY CAMPERS

It’s another beautiful, crystal-clear morning.  But after being kept up half the night with a piercing headache, I want nothing to do with being outside in the bright light of day.  Reluctantly, I crawl back into bed, hoping that perhaps another hour of sleep will help me feel less crummy.  It’s Friday.  We have a big work weekend ahead.  I really need to be feeling my best, and right now, I’m far from it.

A bit more rest seems to do the trick.  We pack up, say goodbye to this idyllic little spot, and make our way to Keystone, where we check into Airbnb number two for August.  This time, we’re in a well-appointed studio apartment with views of the ski runs at Keystone.  It’s an old building with dozens of units, but not much of the building seems to be occupied.  There must not be an event in Keystone this weekend.  A delightful surprise.  I can only imagine winter being a completely different story since we’re within walking distance of the slopes.

It’s time to get back into work mode.  After moving in, we hunt down all the outlets and get to charging all of our camera gear.  I inspect our wedding clothes to ensure they haven’t gotten too badly wrinkled (there’s nowhere to hang clothing in our camper).  Mark gets all our cameras out and cleans every crevice with an air gun; our gear inevitably becomes covered in dust living the life that we do.  We take showers for the first time since Monday and slowly feel like we’re ready to reintegrate with society for the weekend.

At 6pm Mark drops me off at a restaurant in Breckenridge.  I spend the following three hours photographing the rehearsal dinner and welcome party that is being held for the couple whose wedding we’re photographing on Saturday.  Mark heads to Frisco for a few errands and to search for somewhere to dump our toilet.  

This time of year, I sometimes feel like I’m living a double life.  Weekday me doesn’t shower much, has dirt under her fingernails, lives in the woods, and sees more wild animals than people.  Weekend me wears makeup, dresses up, and commingles with hundreds of people at destination weddings that people have spent a small fortune on.  The more authentically and unconventionally I live my life, the more out of place I feel at my job.  And yet, it’s the job that has afforded us the ability to live our unconventional lifestyle.  It’s a strange contrast but one that works.  

Years ago, while living in our old house and dreaming of living on the road full-time, we ruminated over many hypothetical scenarios of how we might go about running our business from the road.  I wasn’t sure back then how it would work, but I felt optimistic we were creative enough to figure it out.  If past me could see us now.  Five years into life on the road,  I think it’s safe to say we’ve figured it out.