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Alvin, Simon and Theodore Just Cost Us $400+

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Stacey has been writing all of the posts up until this point, but since we have just experienced our second fun bout with car issues, I decided it was time to write a post of my own.  I have been contemplating doing a post on the demise of our Eurovan, but haven’t been able to bring myself to do it because I still haven’t totally gotten over it.  But, since we just had a wacky experience with our Audi, it pushed me over the edge and I figured I’d write about the Audi and maybe in doing so I would find the closure I needed to be willing to write about the Eurovan.  So below is my post about the Audi fun we just experienced, and if you are lucky, perhaps I will muster the willpower to write about the Eurovan because I have a hunch a lot of people would like to know the details of what happened to it.

So here goes my first post.

We were enjoying a lovely morning at Antelope Island State Park dipping our toes in the Great Salt Lake when what should occur, but a check engine light decided to rear its ugly head on our car dashboard and remind us for a brief moment of our fun times spent dealing with our dead van in Memphis, TN.  My initial thought, given the trauma of the van death, was this is what I get for buying two German cars after having had a wonderful decade-plus of worry-free life with a Honda.  My second thought was, well, at least this time the car is actually still running unlike the van and, because we have a warranty, if it is anything major it won’t hurt as bad.

Having to deal with car issues is never fun.  Having to deal with car issues when that car is essentially your house is even less fun.  But, the good news is that the light went off in the Salt Lake area and there are three Audi dealerships within about 60 miles of one another.  As we were planning on leaving Utah the next day for Idaho, we decided to scrap the rest of our plans for the day to get to the nearest dealership and hope to get the problem resolved pronto.

We soon learned that notwithstanding the fact that the Salt Lake area has three dealerships, things apparently run a little bit differently in Utah than what we have become accustomed to in DC and other faster paced areas.  I say this because the first dealership we went to (in Layton, UT) explained that they wouldn’t be able to look at our car until Tuesday (the issue happened on a Friday) because they only had one tech working and they don’t work their people long, they actually give them real vacations.  And because this week was the week of Utah’s Pioneer Day holiday, more people were off, and so on.  So, I called another dealership 60 miles south in Provo and pleaded with them to see us given our circumstances.  Luckily they agreed to try to squeeze us in in the afternoon even though I was given significant assurances that they were also swamped.

For background, three days before the check engine issue I actually had the car’s oil changed, which was an ordeal in its own right.  For the oil change I tried to go to the dealership in Salt Lake City and was told they were so booked they and couldn’t schedule a service until August (we were there in late July).  I ended up in the dealership in Layton and had to wring the guy to get him to do the oil change.   This is why we went back to the Layton dealership first to address the check engine light, but then skipped over the Salt Lake dealership to plead with the Provo dealership to see us.  Had the Provo dealership not seen us on that Friday, we would have been essentially stranded in Salt Lake for another 3-4 days because the Provo dealership closes their service department both Saturday and Sunday.  Like I said, things are different in Utah.

As we are driving south on I-15 for about 60 miles to Provo, it becomes obvious that this is not some minor computer glitch or something innocuous, but something real.  The car is definitely down on power.  It is driving, but if I floor it at 60 or so, the needle might go to 61 and that’s it.  The good news is that the car makes it, and the Provo dealership actually does get to see the car.

Flash forward about 2-3 hours: Van is being a great sport given the circumstances, and Stacey and I are enjoying the free A/C and WIFI at the Audi service lounge (it was 100+ degrees each day we were in Salt Lake and since we were camping and hadn’t had a solid WIFI spot for a bit, that did make things a little better) when the inevitable diagnosis came back.  The good news: we know what is wrong with your car and can fix it today.  The bad news: it isn’t covered under warranty.  Why?  Because the problem was a broken wire in a part of the turbocharger in the engine (which explains the loss of power) and that break in the wire didn’t come from a defect but from a small creature gnawing at it.  Sorry folks, but Audi ain’t on the hook for that one.

We both knew it was immediately true without looking at the car because about five days before the light came on we had been camping in Bryce Canyon, UT (which Stacey will fill you in on in the future) where there were an abundance of chipmunks.  I actually witnessed them running underneath the car and jumping into the undercarriage under the bumper.  When I saw them doing this I warned Stacey that we needed to be careful and I actually started the car and drove around to try to get them out.  My fear: they would find a way into the cabin through the air vents and eat food inside the car, etc. (we had actually had this happen to us in Montana several years ago while camping with a very brilliant field mouse).  Oops, apparently we had bigger things to worry about.  Notwithstanding our diligence, they obviously got in the engine bay and had a field day.

Time to refigure that cost of camping at Bryce.  We thought it was $15/night but in actuality we forgot to figure in the chipmunk tax, which actually brought the total to closer to $150/night.  Most expensive campsite we’ve ever stayed in.

Beautiful Views at Bryce, But They Come With a Price

Beautiful Views at Bryce, But They Come With a Price

Notwithstanding the oddity of that revelation, the good news is that we were able to get the car back in perfect working order the same day with assurances the chipmunks had done no other damage.  We were able to head off to Idaho the next morning without any real setbacks besides a bit of a hit to the wallet.

FYI: For those of you that live in Colorado and fly in and out of Denver International Airport, the Audi tech told me there is a serious problem with this type of stuff happening at DIA because there are tons of rabbits there.  So, next time you think about parking in the econo spots outside, you might want to figure the rabbit tax into the equation and it might not look like such a great deal.

FYI 2: We are confident chipmunks did not kill our van.

Mesa Verde

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Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde

Ever since I was a young adult, I’ve wanted to visit ancient cliff dwellings in the southwest.  I’ve seen pictures over the years, but I wanted to walk in and amongst the dwellings and to understand the scale of these homes perched high above the ground.  Because we temporarily skipped visiting New Mexico due to the unforeseen demise of our not-so-trusty traveling companion, our first opportunity to visit these dwellings was at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.  We decided to spring for two nights in their lodge, which turned out to be a great idea given the intense thunderstorms that struck in the evenings during our stay.

In order to visit several of the more popular dwellings, visitors need to attend a ranger-guided tour and must descend, and later ascend, several ladders.  Since none of this sounded appealing with a two-year old, we took him to the more accessible dwellings and took turns taking a tour of Cliff Palace so we could each get up close and personal without worrying about our toddler underfoot.  We weren’t sure how much there would be for Van to see, but there turned out to be so many places for him to explore with us that we shouldn’t have ever been concerned.  And since it seems that most visitors stick to the guided tours, we had much of the park to ourselves.  We visited at least ten sites with Van, and probably saw fewer than ten other visitors at all of those sites, combined.  It was only when we went to see Cliff Palace that we were reminded that we were not lone travelers who just happened upon these sites during our wanderings.

The dwellings, built by the Ancestral Puebloans in the 1100s and 1200s, are built into cliff alcoves.  The cliffs above serve as protection from the elements and the cliffs below serve as a foundation for their homes.  These dwellings are essentially hanging on to the side of cliffs that are almost vertical.  And this pre-dates baby-gates!  The strength and ingenuity of the individuals that built these structures and called them home becomes even more impressive when you spend time climbing down to and walking around the structures.

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde - notice the soot on the rock above the homes

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde – notice the soot on the rock above the homes

We were lucky enough to be able to descend into a kiva during our visit

We were lucky enough to be able to descend into a kiva during our visit

While the cliff dwellings get all the fanfare, there are over 4,000 archaeological sites in the park, many of which are mesa top sites.  Because these sites are less well-known, these were the sites we were able to enjoy in peace and quiet, giving us time to absorb the atmosphere and try to imagine a people much more skilled than ourselves living and working amongst the harsh elements with only sporadic access to everyday needs.

All in all, almost every aspect of our visit was fantastic – from the peacefulness, to the history lessons and unparalleled views.  The only down note was the Navajo Tacos, which were both expensive and terrible.  I love Navajo Tacos.  Anytime I have the chance to order one, which isn’t nearly often enough, I do.  These were probably the worst I’ve ever had, but I had to try – especially since we had a $50 gift card burning a hole in our pocket that was only usable at the Mesa Verde concessions (we received it when booking two nights in the lodge).  We were much happier eating dinner the second night at the swanky (but no dress-code, thank goodness!) Metate Room.

We were originally planning to spend a third night in the park at their campground, but severe thunderstorms rolled in during the afternoon of our third day in the park, and we decided to ditch our idea of relaxing in the campground and doing laundry, and booked it all the way up to Canyonlands National Park in Utah, thus ending our two month stint in Colorado.

The Storm on the Horizon

The Storm on the Horizon

Telluride, Ouray, and the Million Dollar Highway

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Twenty-five dollars a night is pretty steep for a campground that doesn’t provide free showers, but with no other good options available (apparently, the campgrounds in the area fill up fast in the summer months), we stayed at what wound up being a very nice walk-in campsite in Ridgway State Park.  The park is between Telluride and Ouray, which positioned us well to check out the two towns we were interested in exploring in the area.

We spent our first full day in the area checking out Telluride.  We had wanted to hike up to Bridal Veil Falls, but due to a road failure earlier in the season, the road to the trailhead was closed, as was the trail.  We parked our car at the construction zone, proceeded to walk directly through the construction zone (Van was in heaven) and walked as far as we could to glimpse a view of the falls.  Although we disappointingly missed out on hiking to the falls, we did spy the large white house perched on the cliff above.  We wondered to ourselves, and with a couple of folks from New Mexico who had also made their way through the construction site, who was crazy enough to build a home and live in it on that cliff edge.  A little later in the day, we learned that the pretty white house was not a residence, but was instead a power plant.  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a more attractive power plant and I’m not sure I ever will.

Since we were excited to do some hiking, we simply turned around and hiked in the other direction.  Our hike eventually lead us right into the center of town.  Fortuitous, indeed!

Views Along Our Hike in Telluride

Views Along Our Hike in Telluride

We wandered around town for a while, and while looking for a spot for lunch, Alan spotted a small sign pointing down a street that said Free Gondola.  What?  Free and gondola in the same sentence?  Well, actually the sentence was only two words, but still.  As soon as we finished lunch, we headed in the direction the sign pointed and a few short minutes later we were walking right onto the gondola and heading up and over the mountain.  Van was wide-eyed for most of his first gondola ride and was equally excited to ride a second time back to the center of Telluride.  Definitely a must-do if you ever find yourself in this beautiful mountain town.

Van's First Gondola Ride

Van’s First Gondola Ride

Downtown Telluride

Downtown Telluride

After a full day in Telluride, we spent the next day exploring Ouray, which is also known as Little Switzerland.  It’s in a beautiful location and I understand how it received the moniker, though I hate when things are referred to as “little (something more famous)” or things of the like.  I think it cheapens the place and makes it less special.  Ouray is a tourist town with steep, imposing mountains rising on both sides.  The location is great, but we weren’t enthralled by the town.  We spent the morning checking out a nearby waterfall and taking a walk around town, but decided the afternoon would be better spent running errands and getting Van to nap in the tent.  Van normally naps in the car, but we were excited to actually get him down for a nap in the tent with the bright sun shining through.  The nap was short-lived, though, as a thunderstorm rolled in and the lightning was handily breaking the 30/30 rule (less than 30 seconds between lightning and thunder).  We wound up spending a fair amount of the afternoon sitting in the only safe place nearby – our car.  We didn’t realize it at the time, but this was just a harbinger of things to come for us over the next week.

Ouray

Ouray

A Happy Life!

A Happy Life!

Falls in Ouray

Falls in Ouray

Falls in Ouray

Falls in Ouray

Stacey and Van Enjoying the Falls in Ouray

Stacey and Van Enjoying the Falls in Ouray

Falls in Ouray

Falls in Ouray

We awoke on our last morning in Ridgway State Park, excited for our drive down the Million Dollar Highway to Durango.  We were right to be excited – it was beautiful!  Every turn provided exciting new views, completely different from what we had just driven through.  Towards the end of the drive, we drove through the western town of Silverton, also touristy, but a whole lot cooler looking than Ouray (at least according to us).  Enjoy the photos below from our drive over the aptly named highway.

Dear Grandparents,

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While I know that many people read this blog to hear about our travels, there are four individuals reading to make sure we’re taking good care of their dear grandson.  For those four individuals (who happen to be four of Van’s favorite people in the world), here is a series of recent photos that are bound to make you smile.  To everyone else, please enjoy the photos of the little guy that makes every day of this adventure that much more fun and that much more dirty.

Our Taskmaster, Hard at Play

Lessons Learned – v.3

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It’s mid-summer, which makes it the perfect time for another installment of Lessons Learned.  I’ve been thinking that this would be a great habit for me to keep up long after I stop traveling.  It will motivate me to keep living the type of life that allows me to fill pages of a book with interesting, funny, and sometimes hard-earned lessons and give me time to reflect as I navigate my way through life.  I certainly have no shortage of entries as we continue our travels living in 80 square feet of tent each night.

  1. The earth beneath our feet is made up of many colors and shades, not just brown.  I knew this, but it didn’t register completely until we began traveling in Utah.  Utah must have soil that spans every color in the spectrum.  I’ve seen brown, red, orange, pink, white, blue, green, you name it!   Even with all the colors of the rainbow, deep, rich brown is still my favorite.
  2. I am not as dependent on a water spigot as I had thought.  Early on in our travels, we moved along from a campground after one night because it didn’t have any water.  We both felt that access to water from a spigot (even if there were no flush toilets or showers) was indispensable when traveling with a toddler.  Almost every other place we camped, through Nashville, had running water and hot showers.  Since camping in Nashville (oh so long ago), we have not camped in a single place that has had free showers.  Most have had no showers and often no running water except for a spigot to fill water bottles.  The few that did have showers have had pay showers.  We’ve learned to make do quite well by showering (when we feel like it) with our dromedary bag.  It takes some creativity, but it actually works really well.  So well, that we successfully camped for three nights in Canyonlands National Park at a campground with no water at all.  The nearest potable water was a mere ten miles away, but the power for that well actually went out one day, so potable water turned out to be a fifty mile drive away from our site.  And we did just fine.  In fact, that was one of the very best places we’ve camped on this trip.  As long as we make sure to keep all of our water fully stocked when we think we may run into a dry spell, we have absolutely no need to camp with running water.
  3. I acclimate to the heat much more quickly when I live outdoors.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not a hot weather gal.  This, despite the fact that I’ve lived in the DC area for the past eight years.  We just got through with a long day in the sun filled with several hikes and limited shade, and I felt great.  And it was 102 degrees!  Granted, humidity in Utah is just not the concern it was back home, but 102 is 102.  I realize that since I’m not living and working in climate controlled locations, I’m able to adapt much more easily to the weather around me, making my days (and nights) outdoors that much more pleasant.
  4. The only conversation starter better than a toddler is a toddler in a Yankees cap.  I must admit that neither Alan nor I are big into baseball.  The cap was a gift to Van from his Gran, who happens to be the Yankees’ number one fan.  I understand that people might dispute this, but I’m willing to take on that dispute with anyone.  As for the hat, Van gets comments on it wherever we go, and quite a few passionate ones.  There are Yankees fans and Red Sox fans EVERYWHERE!
  5. I’m happier outside.  This isn’t anything new, but it’s never felt more true.
  6. Van is even more flexible than we thought.  We knew that for this adventure to be fun, Van needed to be flexible.  He was already a flexible kid, not too bent out of shape if his nap was a few hours later than usual or even if he had no “usual” nap time as long as he took a nap.  But we had no idea that he’d take so well to living on the road and the irregularity that naturally ensues.  A nap at 11:30 one day and 5 the next?  No problem.  Packing up a campsite every few days for a brand new one?  No problem.  In fact, if we’re not heading out on a hike or a road trip every day or so, we have a little taskmaster on our hands who begs for the next road trip and hike.  And at the end of each, we often get a round of applause and hear our backseat driver/hiker say “good hike” or “good road trip” not too long before requesting more.  This kid cracks me up!
  7.  Busyness does not equal stress.  For most of my life, I was under the impression that when you’re busy, there’s a certain amount of stress that naturally hangs on for the ride.  After the last few months on the road, I now realize that while busyness is sometimes (or maybe even often) accompanied by stress, it is not an automatic passenger.  When we describe to folks that we’re traveling for an indeterminate amount of time, I think that there is the misperception that we’re living a life of leisure with nothing to keep us busy.  While I can’t argue that we are living a certain type of person’s dream life and there is a fair amount of leisure involved, it is also an incredibly busy life.  We’re constantly thinking about where we’re going to sleep that night, where we’re going to buy food, how we’re going to get water, do laundry, get the oil changed, take a shower, get reception to check voicemail and email, calm down a boy who’s had too much sun and too little sleep, and the list goes on and on.  There are many things that become much more complicated when you don’t have a home – especially when you have a two-year old along for the ride.  This is all a long way of saying that I’m busy, not the busiest I’ve ever been (I did work in biglaw), but busy nonetheless.  And it’s not stressful!  It’s a beautiful thing to realize since I thrive on being busy – but now I know that the stress is entirely optional.  Of course, the key is being busy with things you’re in control of, that you enjoy, and that you have enough passion for that you don’t burn out or get bored.
Our Taskmaster, Hard at Play

Our Taskmaster, Hard at Play