The Chapdelaines

May 20

May 20 Travel diaries: week one

We packed up our apartment in Pleasanton, California and said our final goodbye to to the place we have called home for almost four years.

Moving on to live in the trailer while we explore the U.S. and figure out “what’s next” is both exciting, and scary. What we have learned in our time together is that the best things come from our ability to step outside of our comfort zones. Even the move to California from Michigan was tough in some ways, but seeing how hard it is to leave now solidifies all of those previous decisions; it was the right thing for us to do. We have a feeling that this decision will be looked back on as the next right thing we did.

Our first stop was on the path of least resistance since many destinations are still shut down. We arrived to Pinnacles national park for a three night stay. We were able to rest, organize our trailer and jeep, and spend time connecting to nature. It was the perfect preview of what this roadtrip will be about. We loved sitting at camp and enjoying the wildlife too, even the two raccoons that made their way into our jeep.

We continued South, spent one night on an organic farm that we found on hipcamp, left with fresh eggs and an excitement for having animals and land of our own someday. We then said our farewell to the Pacific Ocean, unsure of when we will see it next.

Our next stop was Trona Pinnacles, an otherworldly landscape in Southern California. The rock spires made for some really unique views and the desert sunrises were our absolute favorite.

Riley got creative with the jeep footage and made this video:

Our goal was to make to to Henderson, NV where Jenny’s brother lives by the end of the week. We spent one more night at the Silurian dry lake bed and it was such a cool last stop! We didn’t see any other campers, it was so peaceful and beautiful. The wind did pick up to a point that made things a little less than enjoyable but we were still lucky to witness an incredible sunset and a starry night. For the first time since leaving Pleasanton, we opened the door of the camper to a sky full of stars and just laid there, marveling at this whole adventure. This “room with a view” that we get to tow around to incredible places and share all of these experiences together. None of this is lost on us. We could’t be any more grateful for everything that we have together.