Be it Ever so Humble

As many of you may have gathered from photos posted to our Facebook page and Instagram account, Adam and I spent a large portion of our accommodations in a tent. We received our Seedhouse SL2 second hand from a neighbor not long before the trip started; One of many gifts we would receive on this adventure. Whether we were in freezing cold rain just a stone's throw from the base of Mt. Hood, in a Midwestern thunder storm, camped in parking lots, backyards, carnival grounds, or Noseeum infested campgrounds, this light weight backpackers tent somehow managed to keep us warm, dry, and comfortable in any location. We also loved that we could pack it into a small dry bag and tie it to the front of my handlebars. After all, mobility is everything. 

 After a few weeks on the road, we found that our tent was providing more to us than shelter from the elements at night. We quickly came to understand that the tent became a home base and, shortly after, our home. There were many times we felt overwhelmed or had a rough day of riding. It was always soothing as we pulled off and stacked our shoes in the tiny vestibule as we did the intricate dance of those sharing a two person backpackers tent do. Not only did our tent protect us from the elements, it gave us a safe haven where we could rest, collect our thoughts, and strategize for the next day of adventure. At one point we found ourselves with a massive rip in the rain fly (I have a theory that Sasquatch tried to walk through the tent in the middle of the night). Lucky for us we happened to be in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which is the town Big Agnes is based out of. I called them up, told them our story, and before we knew it we were getting a tour of the coolest place chock full of adventure gear geniuses. We got the Sasquatch rip taken care of and even got to sit around with the sewing crew and talk gear for a while. The great times and incredible luck in Steamboat Springs are just one example of how things generally went for us and our tiny home. If we really needed a place to stay, we would always eventually find it. And when we needed a place to find peace and regroup, there was no better place to find it than at home, wherever home happened to be pitched for the night.

The Next Leg

We've already had so much adventure and yet, these days, we find ourselves chuckling as we shake our heads. Now the adventure begins. I feel we're finding ourselves on a new leg of our adventure. How silly of me to think the adventure was over once we got off the plane and into a rusty pickup. The thing with this type of an adventure we've been on is that it's not up to us when it's over. To keep a calm and steady mind these days, we remind ourselves of the days when we didn't quite know where we were going to camp that night. At those points, we rarely knew what state we'd be in by noon the next day, let alone where we'd land in two weeks. And a month? We rarely could wrap our mind around thinking concretely that far ahead.
It's interesting the things I find myself worrying about these days. It used to be storms, engine failure, or running out of drinking water that got me stressed. Lately I've found my abundant collection of shoes, specifically heels get me stressed out. This is the leg of the journey we've been training for. We've lived in a tent and out of a backpack so you'd think we can most certainly manage in a bus or a room in someone else's house.

     We've been home for a little over a month now and are savoring the time with our friends and families these days. For Christmas, we unofficially gave ourselves the gift of time. Time to sink back in to our community, take in everything we've experienced, tell a story or two (or three or four). We'll be spending the coming days combing through our notebooks and watching footage. So have no fear my friends. We're still around. We've just gone into a bit of a social media hibernation and will be back as soon as we can, with pictures, stories, and footage to share.