Hellooo my friends! I just got back from my first ever solo road trip in the camper. And boy, let me tell you, it definitely was not a breeze. From snow/dust/rain storms, to almost loosing a camper door on a highway, to potential intruders in the middle of the night… the trip sure didn’t miss excitement. If there is one thing that van life (I know I know, I’m not on the road full-time yet) has taught me thus far, is that things don’t go as planned. You have to be adaptable. This lifestyle will either make or break you. So, if you can’t learn to breathe and let things go, it’s probably not something you’ll want to pursue. Also, I guess having a tiny home that isn’t 50 years old would make it a little less stressful lol!
With the insane, non stop snow that we have been getting in Tahoe, I decided to take a trip to the south west; most of my content jobs are spring focused right now, so I took it as an excuse to take a trip to the desert. Here’s a lil timeline of how my trip started:
4:30 AM: early departure to avoid the storm that was supposedly hitting Tahoe at 9 AM. Wrong. It hit at 4 AM. I’ve never driven our truck camper during bad weather. I normally let Anthony do the driving in poor conditions. Regardless, I did just fine.
Several hours later in Hawthorne, NV: I see a warning sign about dust. Stop for fuel. Pump takes 10 minutes to pump five gallons of diesel. And of course a dust storm hits as I’m outside… lol.
A little later Tonopah NV: According to my weather app, it was 40 degrees and sunny. I was so stoked for nice weather to drive in. Nope. The app was wrong. Another blizzard lol.
12 hours later: I made it to the Valley of Fire Highway. Found a great free campsite right off of the highway and nearby Valley of Fire State park. This area was so so rad. I’d love to spend more time here. With just in time for sunset, I was able settle in.
Somewhere in between Tonopah and Valley of Fire, my door to the propane tank started to become loose. In the midst of the snow/rain storm, I had to pull over 8 times in storms to try and duct tape the door on.
After figuring out how to fix a few odds and ends, I made it safely to my first campsite. Things were smooth sailing after that for the most part.
VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK
If you find yourself traveling near Southern Nevada, I can not recommend going to the Valley of Fire State Park Enough. Especially around early morning and the evening when the lighting is all glowy–it makes the red rocks even more epic. I drove around the entire park with Stanley.
My most favorite section of the park was the Fire Wave. Little did I know, it would be a slot canyon with a sandy ground to walk in. The contrast between the sandy floor, red rocks, and bright blue sky was like nothing that I have ever seen.
Packing for the state park: plan your trip accordingly. The temperatures can become extreme fast! The best time to visit is spring! The flowers start blooming, and the temperatures stay relatively mild. It was in the high sixties during the day I hiked. And coming from Tahoe, this was HEAVEN! Bring lots of water and snacks. There are tons of great picnic areas. 🙂 And lots of sunscreen! I stashed my favorite Sun Glow sunscreen by Kinfield in my pack everywhere I went. Kinfield makes some of my favorite sunscreen products. I use both the Sun Glow and Daily Dew Moisturizer. If you are in need of some new sun screen products you can use my code: Shelbssays15 for 15% off all regular priced items!
SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS, AZ
After exploring southern Nevada, I made my way to the Pheonix area to camp out in the Superstition Mountains. Again, spring seems like the perfect time to be here as well. I’m starting to realize that I think I want to spend all of my time in the desert next spring. Between the temperatures and blooms, it’s pure magic.
There are endless camping and hiking options. I met up with my friends Zoe and Kelby to spend some time exploring this area. I ended up staying an extra two days because I loved it so much. There were Texas Long Horn cows roaming our sites. Flowers blooming everywhere. Just. Unreal.
If you are traveling through Nevada and Arizona, these are two places that I would 100% add to your list!
