prayash-io-vrlx4z.txt (22759B)
1 [1] 2 3 4 prayash.ioprayash.io 5 6 [2]home[3]journal[4]software[5]music[6]feed[7]about 7 8 A Taste of Vanlife 9 10 May 31, 2024 11 12 Camping has always been one of my favorite hobbies, but I've always wondered 13 what life might be like on four wheels. It's difficult to think about living on 14 the road indefinitely—and understandably so. I'm not really into the idea of 15 getting rid of all of my posessions and living out of a van, constantly on the 16 move. But surely, there's a way to try out that lifestyle without making such a 17 drastic commitment? 18 19 Years ago, my wife and I set a plan in motion: to save enough money to take a 20 year off from work, travel the world, and immerse ourselves in our personal 21 passions. This adventure seemed like the perfect starting point for that dream. 22 I've shared more about that thought process in [8]Reflections from Apple. 23 24 After some research, we decided to rent a fully equipped Sprinter van from a 25 private owner through Outdoorsy. It felt like the ideal middle ground—no 26 permanent commitment, but still a chance to experience van life firsthand. 27 Plus, we've been wanting to spend a lot more time playing outside lately. Our 28 goal was simple: to explore the iconic national parks of the western United 29 States, with a touch of the Canadian Rockies for good measure. Below is an 30 illustration of the route we took. 31 32 Vanlife Expedition Map 33 34 We took a few days to prepare ourselves, picked up our van, loaded it with 35 every supply we could think of, and set off on an epic roadtrip—one which we 36 knew we'll remember for the rest of our lives. 37 38 This post will be a photoset with words interspersed in-between. My hope is 39 that it will inspire you to go on an adventure like this of your own. I'll try 40 to share all the spots we camped at, the hikes we tackled, and some general 41 observations about life in a van. It'll be a fun one. 42 43 Joshua Tree 44 45 Our adventure started 8 hours south of the Bay Area in the desert. We arrived 46 late in the night at [9]Indian Cove Campground, which is just outside of Joshua 47 Tree National Park. The night sky was cluttered with stars, and temperatures 48 were perfect. 49 50 Mercedes Sprinter Van at JoshuaTree 51 Mercedes Sprinter Van at Joshua Tree atNight 52 53 We took our time and leisurely hiked around some popular trails in the park 54 like Arch Rock and Cholla Cactus Garden. 55 56 Pallu CactusPhotoshoot 57 Cholla Cactus Garden at JoshuaTree 58 Prayash next tocactus 59 60 Even in the blistering sun, the views were excellent. Joshua Tree's landscape 61 is so unique. 62 63 Pallavi staring at a JoshuaTree 64 Pallavi admiring a field ofrocks 65 66 Getting to cook lunch right next to these prime spots was such a fun 67 experience. Pallavi got a sneak peek of her dreams of owning her own food truck 68 and letting happy customers pick off food from the countertop. 69 70 Pallavi lunchsession 71 food truckcustomer 72 73 74 75 Alabama Hills 76 77 After a short 4 hour drive, we arrived at [10]Tuttle Creek Campground, an 78 incredible first-come-first-serve campground right along the Eastern Sierra. We 79 typically prefer first come first serve because reservations are always so 80 difficult to grab, but the anxiety of not knowing where exactly you'll spend 81 the night can be daunting. That risk, sometimes, is so worth it because it 82 leads you to some incredible campgrounds that you may not have run into 83 otherwise. We could not believe that our view was this good. It felt like a 84 postcard moment. 85 86 Mercedes Sprinter Van Alabama HillsCampground 87 88 As the sun started to descend behind the mountains, we prepped for dinner and 89 just enjoyed the view in front of us. As per usual, Pallavi cooked up a storm, 90 so we ate like royalty. Pictured is Nepali style stir-fried chicken and veggies 91 with pickled radish and beaten rice. 92 93 Dinner Alabama HillsCampground 94 Chureito Pagoda BlueHour 95 96 The next morning, we got up early to catch the sunrise at [11]Movie Road. There 97 were some road closures which prevented us from being able to drive the van 98 there, so we just stopped on the side of the road to get a good look at Mt. 99 Whitney and friends light up at dawn. 100 101 Chureito Pagoda BlueHour 102 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 103 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 104 105 We headed back to the campsite and decided to spend the afternoon lounging 106 around, playing music, and relaxing. Then, we headed off to our next campsite 107 in Death Valley. 108 109 Death Valley 110 111 Things got real interesting and fun as we drove the van towards one of the most 112 remote campsites within Death Valley: [12]Eureka Dunes. The road to get to camp 113 was a grueling 30 miles of washboard roads. We drove the van at a soul-crushing 114 8 MPH because of how rough the roads were. At times, it felt the van was going 115 to topple because of how bumpy it got. All of the cabinetry and fixtures within 116 the van were rattling – not a good sign, but we were already too far in to turn 117 back. 118 119 It was a vast, desert landscape. Not a single soul in sight. No cell service. 120 No gas station or water source nearby. It is the most remote we've ever been, 121 and quite frankly, we were a little nervous at first. Pallavi patiently drove 122 us through this one while I was busy capturing the moment through my camera, 123 sometimes even running out of the van to get that long telephoto shot from far 124 away – all in an attempt to capture just how vast of a landscape it was, and 125 how little and alone we were. 126 127 Chureito Pagoda Blue Hour 128 Fushimi Inari-taisha Torii 129 Sake barrels at Meiji Jingu 130 131 The silence of the landscape helped us calm our nerves as we eventually made it 132 to the campsite. No one was there, and it was just a patch of dirt with a 133 handful of fire pits. We parked the van right in front of the formidable Eureka 134 Dunes, and I quickly ran out to snap a photo before we set off on the hike up 135 to the top of the dunes. It was peak golden hour time. 136 137 Chureito Pagoda BlueHour 138 139 The deception of the dunes quickly became obvious. The summit was miles farther 140 than we initially estimated with lots of false summits to lead you on. The 141 winds were blistering, and you could feel a billion particles of sand flying 142 into every inch of your body at piercing speeds. It was a rough hike, but there 143 was so much beauty to be taken in there. Perhaps the most aggresive blend of 144 peace and chaos I've experienced. 145 146 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 147 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 148 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 149 Chureito Pagoda BlueHour 150 151 We couldn't climb to the top because it was so windy and painful. Walking along 152 the ridge of the dune was difficult in such harsh winds. The sky dusked and it 153 was no longer to safe to continue hiking through sandbowls. We set back for 154 camp for a nice dinner. Content that we could enjoy the rest of the night in 155 solitude. A couple campers arrived later in the night so we didn't end up being 156 all alone at the end, which was a comforting thought. 157 158 The next morning, we decide to give the dunes another shot. Conditions looked 159 favorable wind-wise, but temperatures were already in the 90s well before the 160 sun reached its zenith. We trekked back up the ridgeline of the dune to get 161 another good look at the dunes that were hiding beyond. We didn't get to see it 162 under golden light like the evening before, but it was still epic. 163 164 Death Valley EurekaDunes 165 Death Valley EurekaDunes 166 Death Valley EurekaDunes 167 168 To get out of Eureka Dunes and onto the rest of the park, it was another 169 soul-crushing 40 miles of washboard. We made it out in tip-top shape many hours 170 later, and the road led us straight to pavement and onto [13]Ubehebe Crater. 171 The mid-day sun was blistering, but we ventured out of the confines of our air 172 conditioned van to get a good glimpse of it anyway. 173 174 Ubehebe Crater Mid-DaySun 175 176 Moving on. [14]Dante's View and [15]Zabriskie Point were straight out of 177 another planet. The polychrome mountains definitely give off Iceland vibes. 178 There's no comparison, of course. But it's cool that the US has some alien-like 179 landscapes too. 180 181 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 182 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 183 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 184 185 We headed back for camp at [16]Mesquite Spring Campground around sunset. The 186 night sky was incredible, and the galactic center was clearly visible to the 187 naked eye. At 2am, we got out of the van to get a good look at the Milky Way. 188 Truly a core memory. 189 190 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 191 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 192 193 The next morning, we did our usual business – emptying out the grey water tank, 194 filling up with fresh water, and emptying the septic tank. All necessary chores 195 for van survival! We made a quick stop at [17]Artist's Palette. Pallavi whipped 196 up a delicious bowl of noodles and eggs. 197 198 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 199 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 200 201 We then headed off to the Utah-Arizona border, ending the evening at [18]White 202 House Campground. 203 204 Antelope Canyon 205 206 The following morning, a Navajo-led tour of Lower Antelope Canyon was on the 207 books. It was a fascinating lesson with geology and history intertwined. 208 Snapping photos in the canyon is a fun exercise for the discerning artist, as 209 you must carefully frame your shot in an ocean of contours. 210 211 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 212 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 213 Fushimi Inari-taishaTorii 214 Sake barrels at MeijiJingu 215 216 It was too windy to kayak through the canyons, so for the rest of the 217 afternoon, we spent lounging at a [19]viewpoint above Lake Powell, where I 218 captured this 5-image panorama of the vista. 219 220 CanyonlandsPanorama 221 222 Pallavi spent time writing on her journal while I lost myself on the little 223 Martin guitar. Nothing is finer than playing music in nature. 224 225 Pallavi lounging in the van at Lake Powell 226 Prayash at Lake Powell 227 Fushimi Inari-taisha Torii 228 Sake barrels at Meiji Jingu 229 230 Once we had recharged our batteries, we decided to catch the sunset at 231 Horseshoe Bend. Being one of the most photographed spots in the world, it was 232 no surprise that this would be a fantastic spot to catch last light. 233 234 CanyonlandsPanorama 235 236 Once the sun dipped over the horizon, we headed out to Zion to camp for the 237 night. 238 239 Zion 240 241 We had a dispersed campsite that we loved camping at years prior, so we were 242 stoked to revisit the same spot right under [20]Smithsonian Butte. 243 Unfortunately, all of the BLM campsites in that area had been taken out of 244 commission due to excessive noise and trash left by visitors. The locals were 245 rightfully annoyed, so BLM decided to break down all the sites. This is why we 246 can't have nice things (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻. 247 248 I was heartbroken, and stressed out that we now had to hunt for another 249 campsite at midnight when we're already tired. One of my favorite sites was no 250 more, but here's how it looked years ago when we camped there for my birthday. 251 I'll share a photo of that instead. 252 253 Prayash at LakePowell 254 255 Anyway, we decided to just grab a vacant lot at a nearby RV park because it was 256 too late to hunt around for a campsite. The next morning, we headed straight 257 for Angel's Landing. 258 259 Canyonlands Hike 260 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 261 Canyonlands Panorama 262 263 It wasn't as scary as the ultra wide-angle videos on YouTube make it seem. The 264 exposure definitely sends chills down your spine, but there were plenty of 265 guardrails and chains to hold onto the entire way. Views of the entire Zion 266 Canyon were fantastic and we enjoyed one of our favorite snacks, Kurkure, at 267 the top. 268 269 Canyonlands Panorama 270 Canyonlands Hike 271 Canyonlands Candlestick Tower 272 Canyonlands Hike 273 Canyonlands Candlestick Tower 274 Canyonlands Panorama 275 276 We hastily rushed over to Bryce Canyon to spend the next couple of nights 277 there. 278 279 Bryce Canyon 280 281 Catching the sunrise at Bryce Canyon is one of the most magical things I've 282 ever experienced. It's a small park, but undeniably unique because of its 283 hoodoos. How magical it would be to see these features in their snowcapped 284 state, but I'll settle for an orange burst this time. And yet again, we're 285 humbled by the beauty of this planet. 286 287 Canyonlands Hike 288 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 289 CanyonlandsPanorama 290 CanyonlandsPanorama 291 292 The serene morning gradually transitioned to a fabulous breakfast and coffee at 293 the van. Pallavi got her morning yoga session in while I brewed coffee. 294 Self-care can be done even during busy periods of travel, folks! We took the 295 day slowly with a couple day hikes. A long day of walking is much more 296 preferable than a long day of driving. 297 298 CanyonlandsHike 299 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 300 CanyonlandsPanorama 301 302 We hiked the Navajo Loop trail and decided to end the night with a little jam 303 session by the campfire — a small cover of Junkeri by Bipul Chettri. A 304 beautifully poignant Nepali folk song. [21]You can watch our cover video here. 305 306 Canyonlands Hike 307 308 309 310 Canyonlands 311 312 The epic Utah excursion continues through Canyonlands, where we stared at the 313 vast abyss of Utah's desert in all directions. Striking rock formations and 314 atmospheric haze above the canyons and ravines. Utah is a place like no other. 315 We parked the van and lounged all day. 316 317 CanyonlandsCanyon 318 Canyonlands VanView 319 320 As a result of lazily lounging around, it was a nice balance to spend the next 321 day hiking. 322 323 CanyonlandsHike 324 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 325 CanyonlandsPanorama 326 327 A visit to Canyonlands must always be accompanied by a visit to Arches. 328 329 Arches 330 331 Arches has some absolutely epic structures, and the shifting light of day 332 really lets you appreciate them. 333 334 CanyonlandsHike 335 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 336 Canyonlands Hike 337 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 338 339 A quick coffee sesh with a view and a short walk, then we were off to Wyoming. 340 341 Grand Teton 342 343 On the way to the Tetons, we stopped by a farm for some Wyoming skyr. [22] 344 Shumway Farms is run by a kind family man who had all of his children helping 345 him run the farm. Unbelievably rich and fatty yogurt. It was unforgettable. 346 347 CanyonlandsHike 348 Canyonlands Hike 349 Canyonlands CandlestickTower 350 351 We made our way through Jackson Hole by the night and landed at our next 352 campsite at [23]Gros Ventre Campground. After a nutritious stir-fry, we hit the 353 hay early that night. 354 355 My alarm went off at 4:50 AM. Sunrise is at 5:05, and we're 20 minutes away 356 from [24]Schwabacher Landing, a classic sunrise spot for watching the Tetons 357 light up. In a delirious haze, we sped down the highway, took the turnout into 358 the small parking lot and hiked towards the river. At 5:10 AM, the Tetons were 359 beautifully highlighted and side-lit from the rising sun. 360 361 Oregon Coast God's Thumb 362 Oregon Coast God's Thumb 363 Canyonlands Hike 364 365 I whipped out the coffee grinder the moment we got back to our van for our 366 morning fix. 367 368 Oregon Coast God'sThumb 369 Oregon Coast God'sThumb 370 371 On our way northbound, the Tetons stared at us relentlessly. So we parked and 372 decided to stare back from the comfort of our van bed while the winds raged 373 outside. 374 375 Oregon Coast God'sThumb 376 377 378 379 Yellowstone 380 381 Upon arriving in Yellowstone, we spent the night at [25]Madison Campground. We 382 visited some of the classics like [26]Old Faithful and [27]Grand Prismatic 383 Spring. There were some truly wonderful textures there to photograph. 384 385 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 386 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 387 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 388 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 389 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 390 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 391 392 393 394 Glacier 395 396 The drive through Montana was stunning. It's easy to see why Montana so often 397 ranks as one of America's most beautiful states. It felt like we were in 398 Switzerland at times. Lush, green, and filled with epic mountains. We arrived 399 at Lake Macdonald right in time for blue hour. It was cold and nippy, a much 400 welcome change after all of those desert excursions. 401 402 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 403 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 404 405 The [28]Avalanche Lake trail was quite nice. Glacier wasn't quite in-season 406 yet, so it was the only accessible trail nearby. 407 408 The mountain pass on Going-to-the-Sun road was closed which meant you couldn't 409 drive to the eastern side without driving back outside of the park and around. 410 So we did exactly that, spending the night at [29]Saint Mary Campground. We 411 cooked and basked under a moonlit mesa. 412 413 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 414 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 415 416 East Glacier is absolutely epic. The Many Glaciers area in particular was 417 awesome. We did the [30]Grinell Glacier hike, but the end of the trail was 418 closed. We ran into a moose and saw a baby bear rustling around the bushes. It 419 was still a lovely hike, and ended with a ton of rain. 420 421 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 422 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 423 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 424 425 426 427 Banff 428 429 Scattered thunderstorms in Banff led to little hiking, but grand views. Most of 430 our time was spent lounging around at different viewpoints, admiring the jagged 431 peaks of the Canadian Rockies. We camped at [31]Lake Louise Campground, 432 spending a full day admiring the peaks from Lake Louise. 433 434 Astoria Town Center 435 Astoria TownCenter 436 Astoria TownCenter 437 Astoria TownCenter 438 439 The next day, we hopped over to [32]Two Jack Lakeside Campground, which put us 440 in close proximity to this excellent lounging [33]viewpoint of Tunnel Mountain 441 Road and a fantastic [34]picnic viewpoint for Lake Minnewanka. 442 443 Astoria Town Center 444 Astoria Town Center 445 Astoria Town Center 446 Astoria Town Center 447 448 A loooong drive southwest through Idaho and Washington, and we ended up on 449 the... 450 451 Oregon Coast 452 453 The ocean, finally! Now we drive straight along the Oregon coastline starting 454 in Astoria. We explored this quaint little coastal town, sampling some seafood 455 and even picked up a cool record at a local vinyl shop called [35]The Lonely 456 Crab. 457 458 Astoria Town Center 459 Astoria Record Shop The LonelyCrab 460 461 We hiked [36]Indian Beach Trail in Ecola State Park, which ended with the 462 perfect lunch with a view of the seastacks, followed by a banger sunset at 463 Cannon Beach. 464 465 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 466 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 467 Oregon Coast God's Thumb Trail 468 Oregon Coast God's Thumb 469 Oregon Coast God's Thumb 470 471 Further south, we hiked to [37]God's Thumb, which ends at a cliff that juts out 472 into the sea. We lucked out with a beautiful, clear sunset at a place which is 473 notoriously gloomy on most days. 474 475 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 476 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 477 478 There, we met a lovely couple who were celebrating their wedding anniversary at 479 their first date spot. They were kind enough to snap a photo of us, too. 480 481 Oregon Coast God'sThumb 482 483 We continued south, heading towards Crater, with plenty of stops to cook and 484 admire the views along the way. [38]Tokeetee Falls was a good one. We stuck 485 through an opening in the boardwalk to get down closer to the waterfall. 486 487 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 488 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 489 Oregon Coast God's ThumbTrail 490 491 492 493 Jedediah Smith Redwoods 494 495 Our final stop, the much revered Redwoods. Some of the oldest growth in the 496 world, so much peace to be found among these titans. [39]Grove of Titans is a 497 highly recommended trail here. 498 499 Astoria TownCenter 500 Astoria TownCenter 501 Astoria TownCenter 502 Astoria TownCenter 503 504 505 506 Fin 507 508 This 1-month long taste of vanlife has been one of the greatest adventures of 509 our lives. We learned so much about ourselves. Many long drives and hikes 510 filled with vibrant conversations—some hard and some easy. It gave us a chance 511 to truly unwind from the stress and responsibilites of daily life. 512 513 Each day followed a simple rhythm: get from point A to point B, cook the best 514 meal we could manage, hike the most rewarding trail, or find the coolest 515 viewpoint. Purpose was easy to find, and that simplicity was liberating. There 516 was no need to think about work, errands, or chores to fill our time. The goal 517 was clear, and it made life feel beautifully uncomplicated. 518 519 It's definitely something we see ourselves doing at another phase of our life, 520 perhaps in 20 years we send off our future children to college. We met many 521 older couples in their 50s and 60s who were doing something similar, and they 522 praised us for taking the leap to do such a thing at a younger phase of our 523 lives. 524 525 The idea of a "mini-retirement" is compelling. Society often pushes the 526 narrative that we must spend all our youth studying, working, and building a 527 career to "save up for the future." But it's worth questioning this assumption. 528 Life isn't just about preparing for what's ahead; it's also about creating joy 529 and meaning in the present. We owe it to ourselves to find a balance—planning 530 wisely for the future while embracing happiness in the here and now. 531 532 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 533 Prayash Thapa 534 535 Hello! Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed your time 536 here. Photosets like these allow me to share my photographs with more context 537 and depth, and I find them rewarding to create. I hope to do more of these in 538 the future. Let's also connect on [40]Instagram or [41]Twitter. 539 540 • [42]← Chomolungma: Into the Heart of Khumbu 541 • [43]Reflections from Apple → 542 543 544 References: 545 546 [1] https://prayash.io/ 547 [2] https://prayash.io/ 548 [3] https://prayash.io/journal 549 [4] https://prayash.io/software 550 [5] https://prayash.io/music 551 [6] https://prayash.io/feed 552 [7] https://prayash.io/about 553 [8] https://prayash.io/journal/reflections-from-apple 554 [9] https://maps.app.goo.gl/imAyTZ27Y6Tekze58 555 [10] https://maps.app.goo.gl/nZX5cTy3ta4t8S3H8 556 [11] https://maps.app.goo.gl/izMZHaGMP3zUdx5B8 557 [12] https://maps.app.goo.gl/J94JXF2eTX1NEgYH9 558 [13] https://maps.app.goo.gl/QRVaDZdh4aEELBVM7 559 [14] https://maps.app.goo.gl/gkctY2faceqoFcns6 560 [15] https://maps.app.goo.gl/5YGiJHC9wYSy5UCq5 561 [16] https://prayash.io/journal/vanlife 562 [17] https://maps.app.goo.gl/AG9tbFaQynFFj1pA6 563 [18] https://prayash.io/journal/vanlife 564 [19] https://maps.app.goo.gl/DqkTbp57gNc4DrSH7 565 [20] https://maps.app.goo.gl/wMBG2RqYgKg5QrpV6 566 [21] https://youtube.com/pallavibhusal/videos 567 [22] https://www.shumwayfarms.com/product-page/icelandic-skyr-jh 568 [23] https://maps.app.goo.gl/YB4iFtMRUCggnoPQ8 569 [24] https://maps.app.goo.gl/cpyRpqe2casQwwN37 570 [25] https://maps.app.goo.gl/NzJ26yfC8N63d9PM9 571 [26] https://maps.app.goo.gl/B6HumotVCqduUGmE8 572 [27] https://maps.app.goo.gl/XoJtLaAL1AUswfmJ7 573 [28] https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/avalanche-lake--6 574 [29] https://maps.app.goo.gl/t7q9XHTLHxZKwu8b7 575 [30] https://prayash.io/journal/vanlife 576 [31] https://maps.app.goo.gl/mJMu1rwecc5Hg98m9 577 [32] https://maps.app.goo.gl/h7tvN7qkUPs5aRei8 578 [33] https://maps.app.goo.gl/yanZqJyQMQ7ikND96 579 [34] https://maps.app.goo.gl/GfWQAPTARiGW5Pkn9 580 [35] https://maps.app.goo.gl/2oJkD95jHh1Bv1AE9 581 [36] https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/ecola-state-park-to-indian-beach-trail 582 [37] https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/gods-thumb-via-the-knoll 583 [38] https://maps.app.goo.gl/mvLYJv3rM3j2sHa47 584 [39] https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/grove-of-titans 585 [40] https://instagram.com/prayash.io 586 [41] https://x.com/prayash_io 587 [42] https://prayash.io/journal/into-the-heart-of-khumbu 588 [43] https://prayash.io/journal/reflections-from-apple