Camping at Cracker Barrel

First Days of Van Life

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and following our journey across the country in our Camper Van, who we named, "Ito." We started our travels just a few days ago and have been enjoying the drive out West. Watching the terrain change during the drive out west, we have realized how much there is to see in just our country.

Alright, so the first night alone, not in a friends or familys driveway, or even a campsite, we stayed in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. I would have never thought this would be my first van night experience, but hey, there is a first for everything. This location was awesome, the parking lot was well lit and full with other camper vans, RVs, and a Skoolie. Feeling safe was a plus staying at Cracker Barrel. Another great plus, was the Planet Fitness right next door that is open 24hrs. We took advantage of using the bathroom there the night we arrived. I slept good. It was great.

The next morning, of course, we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and jumped back on I-40 to continue our travel out West.

I have been driving while Robby has to work. Our van does have wi-fi as long as the car is running. Pretty cool, huh? While I was driving I noticed a sign that said, "Petrified First National Park, 1 Mile." I pulled off, and we decided to check it out. The National Park is right off I-40 and if you wanted to drive through the park and take a detour, it does connect back to I-40 on the other side of the park. The National Park was beautiful and contained interesting history of all the petrified wood & rocks. I will say, I would not go out of my way to visit, unless I was driving and already passing through. We did take a lot of photos. You can view the photos in my photography album on my website.

Reality of van life. We made it to Sedona. Sedona is absolutely beautiful. The sunsets here are breath taking. So, we make it here, without a plan on where to stay and camp. We are winging it. ALL, I mean ALL campsites are booked. We naturally ended up staying in a hotel.

This is fine and all, but it's not van life. Personally, I am dealing with a few small health issues, that will go away on its own, but..... hasn't. I am not too comfortable yet, staying in random places without a bathroom close by. Yeah yeah..I have a toilet in the van... but... like I said, and I will say again, this is all new to me. I am a nervous person and struggle with anxiety about a lot of things, but especially my stomach. Because of stress and anxiety, I suffer twice. And I am totally aware of it. Staying in a hotel puts me at ease, but this is not apart of the plan of being full time in the van. I am slowly easing myself into Van Life, I guess. It's hard to jump into this lifestyle for me. The photos are fun, but reality IS, this is very uncomfortable for me, BUT I am trying something new and want to give myself a little credit for making it this far! I know everyone struggles with something. The Van Life goal is, to help me overcome this anxiety and stress, see Gods AMAZING creation, and hopefully encourage others to do it too!! Do something that you would not normally do, and hopefully love it and overcome a fear! God is in control.

Okay, I am done preaching and sharing my personal problems. I am fully aware of the opportunity Robby and I have to share our journey and experience the country together, and I am beyond grateful! I just have to get over a few humps! Thanks for following along and reading this blog. Let me know your thoughts and comments.

-Georganna