9.4.15 putting some miles behind us.

We woke up still in the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area and had a plan in place to get across the border into Idaho by nightfall.

Leaving our lovely camp spot behind.

We couldn't help but pull over when we saw signs for a kayak park in Green River, Wyoming.

Some lovely scenery near Green River, Wyoming.

Our favorite part of road trips without much of a schedule is being able to stop every time we find something of interest to see. We ended up on a wonderfully winding road through Utah that took us past some beautiful lakes and a spring.

Christian is becoming quite the photographer. He often steals my camera to snap photos and I don't mind one bit...it's nice knowing there's documentation of both of us on the trips we take!

My little shutterbug.

He's so photogenic.

We crossed into Idaho right on schedule and stopped off at a tiny grocery store in Malta for a few food items before seeking out our free campsite for the night.

The dispersed camp sites were about 10 miles down a gravel road. The drive was beautiful in the late afternoon sun.

There were quite a few cows to be found along the way.

Found an ideal spot along a creek and took an evening hike up to check out the view.

Beautiful sunset.

The best dinner seating around.

What a lovely perfect night to be camping.

paddling the green river 9.3.14.

After driving up from Dinosaur National Monument, we aimed at Ashley National Forest and the Flaming Gorge Dam.

We didn't know if we'd just drive through or camp for the night, but when we arrived, we knew immediately that we'd be spending the rest of our afternoon paddling down the river.

After deliberating our self-shuttling technique (a single speed bicycle over four+ miles of hilly windy roads) we opted to pay the $40 fee for a shuttle service to allow us the privilege of paddling at a leisurely pace down the Green River.

We paddled from Flaming Gorge Dam to Little Hole, using a shuttle service out of Dutch John. 

The section we planned to paddle was A-G rapids, maxing out at class IV at best (Christian says, "It was III- at best, maybe at high flows it hits IV. I don't know. If flows matter, find a hydrograph for 9/3/14.")

We were the only ones putting on the river at the later time of day, so we had a beautifully empty river ahead of us. This is the view behind us as we started down from the dam.

The day was a deliciously warm sunny day with no wind, making for a perfect late afternoon paddle.

The water was amazing. So clear that we'd often get distracted by the river bed passing below us.

He opted to swim and soon tried to convince me it was good idea despite the frigid water temps.

This was taken right before I jumped in. I seriously hit the water and flew right out of it as quickly as possible because of the cold temps. As a result of the situation, there is no photographic proof of me swimming this day, though I promise I did.

The beautiful red canyon walls.

We found a spot to surf some waves.

As we took out of the river in late afternoon, we met a fisherman that knew the area fairly well. Our plan to camp included a pay-spot up the road that was fairly depressing because of recent fires having burnt out any and all vegetation. He recommended a free spot down a dirt turn off one of the roads through the area on our way out that would lead us to a perfect place to spend our night. I can't recommend getting local advice enough. As helpful as the free campsite websites are, you can't beat the local's advice when it comes to a safe and free spot to park for the night.

As a result, we spent the night right off the main road underneath a beautiful sunset and some powerlines as we planned our route for the next day.

Loulou loved sitting and watching as Christian or I cooked in the outdoor kitchen space each night.

dinosaur national monument to flaming gorge national recreation area. 9.3.14

After waking up in Dinosaur, we enjoyed some coffee and breakfast while studying our surroundings that we'd precariously driven through in the dark the night before.

Lots of muddy rutted out road.

In daylight, we realized what an iffy trek it'd been to get into our camping spot.

Getting out was a balancing act.

En route to Ashley National Forest.

The drive was winding and gorgeous.

Utah is truly a very colorful area.

And out of nowhere, a mine.

He told me to do something for the photo.

Loulou slacking on the job as navigator.

Ashley National Forest.

First view of the reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Dam.

The Campbulance looks good anywhere she's parked.

A dumpster near the Green River put-in. 

This day was so jam-packed with adventure that we have to split it into two posts so we don't totally inundate you with photos. Next post…paddling the Green River!

finally hitting the road. 9.2.14

Because we'd worked well into the darkness the night before we intended to leave, after arriving back at my apartment to load up all our stuff and Loulou, we decided it'd be a lot smarter to leave a day later than intended to give us more time to prep and not rush.

Loulou wasn't exactly stoked when we first hit the road.

Loulou finally got settled right where she likes it…in the driver's seat.

Main streets don't have to be paved.

Christian consults Loulou the Navigator.

We headed north from Edwards, Colorado to Steamboat Springs and eventually found ourselves driving alongside their local stretch of the Yampah River. Readily equipped with our river gear and a Hyside shredder we'd borrowed from some of our good friends, we scouted the takeout, left our bike chained up to run shuttle and headed up to the put-in to pump up the boat and start paddling.

Our Campbulance quickly attracted a local's interest when we had parked and were prepping to get on the river.

Pumping up the shredder with our hand K-pump. Thankfully, it's a small boat.

The river was barely high enough to get through some spots, but luckily, a shredder handles shallow water extremely well and we were able to enjoy the sunshine and chilly water on the four mile stretch we paddled.

The weather couldn't be more perfect and as we rounded a bend, we noticed some natural hot spring pools so we pulled over to jump in and take our first river dip of the trip.

"This counts as a bath, right?"

My brand spanking new PFD made the hot spring experience even more relaxing.

They had some fun play waves along the way and a friendly sunbather offered take snap some photos of us attempting to surf.

After we dried off and got back on the road, we aimed toward Dinosaur National Monument for the night. We'd read about some BLM campsites just outside the boundaries of the monument on a Free Campsites website so we followed the directions to a beautiful secluded spot under the stars and made our first dinner on the road.

Our outside kitchen space makes cooking around a campfire pretty darn easy. Just pull up, open the hatch and get started!

Our first camp spot couldn't have been a more perfect start to the trip. Next update...onto Utah and another river adventure!

last minute preparations before the fall road trip - 8.31.14

On the day before our intended departure, we worked long and hard to finish a handful of important projects necessary to us before we hit the road.

Below are photos of Christian working on a few framing projects to complete the kitchen (or at least get it a little more completed).

Working in a boat house means there's always someone around to spectate. 

One of our favorite tools we got for the project is a Pocket Hole Jig I found while doing some research on rv conversions. It makes nice clean inlaid screw holes for wood working. Christian bought some prefab wood pins that fill the holes and we're currently undecided on whether or not we'll use them. For now at least the holes look clean and professional.

We'd ripped the door padding off of the interior doors to replace the foam covering. Sadly, the inner part of the door padding that I'd hope to salvage were rotted beyond saving, so I had to cut new pieces using press board. 

Cutting window holes in the new door padding backboard.

Cutting foam-backed vinyl upholstery for the new door pads.

We were literally so elbow-deep in our projects this day that we didn't revisit the camera until we'd finally hit the road, so photos of the projects will come in the form of photos of the Campbulance on the road over the course of the next few days.