Utah, Colorado, and lots of photos!!!

Our first few days in Indian Creek, we chased the sun and avoided the snowy cliffs. It did not take long for the weather to warm up and we were nice and toasty as we climbed up the amazing cracks. Each morning, we enjoyed spending time with our neighbors, Taylor and Kaitlyn. Breakfast, coffee, and sleeping in were a part of our daily routine and I loved it:)

Site 13 crew! Zach, Sarah, Becca, Kaitlyn, Taylor, and Frenzie

Just hanging eating breakfast:)

Frenzie!!

Home Sweet Home!

Our friend Becca, who we had met at the Lily Pad in Tennessee, came to climb with us and happily we were able to all camp together in campsites 12 and 13! One of my favorite nights was spent playing Settlers of Catan. I have yet to win this game, but I felt that under the stars of Utah, I had a chance! I was no match for Kaityn, who beat us all. It was a fun night though and a fun group to play with.

Climbing is very unique at Indian Creek. We tried all sorts of different sizes of cracks. Ones only our fingers fit in all the way up to ones our legs fit into! My favorite large crack was Big Guy. Zach was able to put the rope up on lead and both Becca and I made it to top. In order to climb the giant crack, I had to use every part of my body! At the beginning of the crack, it is small enough to use just one hand, but eventually, it widens up enough to need both hands and my leg to make progress up the climb. It was tough, but one of my favorite climbs at the creek!

Sarah climbing

Becca on lead!

So ready to trad climb!!!

Big Guy!

Zach leading Big Guy!

Ready to lead!

The every awesome belayer:)

Zach leading "Fuel Injected Hard Body"

Becca liebacking like a boss!

Sarah stuck in a corner:)

Becca leading "Drain Pipe"

Becca is a very strong climber and I was really inspired climbing with her and trying hard! I even lead a few climbs at Indian Creek and really, really enjoyed them! It was a fun place to spend a few weeks. As spring breaks started for different schools, it turned into a very busy area. It was time for us to move on and go bouldering with Becca at the Big Bend boulders.

Becca's brush melted and looked kinda sad:(

Our siesta headquarters:)

A beautiful Big Bend campsite near the Colorado River.

Spring breakers had also taken residence in Moab, therefore leaving us looking for a campsite. Luckily, there was an overflow camping area that was not well marked. We happened to see someone setting up a tent and stopped to read the tiny, tiny sign which talked about overflow camping. It was a good spot and the next day we were able to move to the actual campground.

The bouldering was really fun and a short walk away from our campsite. The location allowed us to take a siesta in the middle of the day and go back to the campground to take naps, write books, or play guitar:) These were some of my favorite moments on the vanventure! Becca and I even braved the cold water of the Colorado River that ran through the back of our campsite. It was chilly, yet refreshing to dip in the snow melt running through the river. 

Zach working a crimpy problem near our campsite.

Becca checking out her project. Zach being...Zach:)

Go for it, Becca!

An arete dyno for Zach:)

Sarah trying to make the crux move!

It was finally time to say goodbye to our dear friend, Becca. We really enjoyed hiking, climbing, and taking siestas with you and can't wait to come visit you wherever you end up!!

Our next stop was Littleton, CO to visit a few of my favorite people and meet a new one! My sister, Samantha, and her husband, John, along with their kiddos (Kaylee, who is 5, Olivia, who is 1 1/2, and Henry Edwin, who is 2 months). Lucky for me, my sister, Megan, was also visiting and I got to hang out with all them!! It was so fun and such a great time to catch up with my sisters. We did some bridesmaid dress shopping along with some family hiking and just hanging out at home. 

Megan, Kaylee, Samantha, and Henry on the Castle Trail at Mount Falcon Park.

John, Zach, and Olivia hiking.

Kaylee was always on the lookout for a "pretty rock."

Kaylee crossing the bridge over a little stream.

Samantha and Henry rocking it across the bridge!!

Megan and little Olivia:)

Kaylee and I also got to have a special day together and went shopping for her flower girl dress. I let her pick it out with a few guidelines. She was such a great shopper and even picked out one that was on sale!! My aunt Nancy taught me about sale shopping and it was fun to pass the tradition on to my niece:) Kaylee also makes shopping fun just by being a kid and making up fun games to play. We raced to most of the stores we went to and danced in the dressing rooms (to test out the twirliness of the dresses:). It was such a fun day! 

One happy flower girl:)

We shopped til we dropped!

Meeting my new nephew, Henry, was so exciting. He is a beautiful baby and he fits into the family perfectly! It is so fun to have a baby boy in the family!! I loved snuggling with him. Can't wait to see him again soon!

Henry Edwin!

Uncle Zach getting to know his nephew:)

Sleeping baby Henry.

Everybody needs to talk to mommy.

Henry snuggles!

Olivia is a child after my own heart! Her adventurous spirit and fun personality shine through as she explores everything and laughs as much as possible. She even gives me hugs!!! I loved playing with her and helping her navigate around the playground or backyard. She is learning new words and also animal sounds. Her tiger growl is very impressive:) She also loves to dance and play with her brother and sister. It was so awesome to get to spend time with my little buddy!

Ready for some food!

Happy girl getting to swing outside:)

Walking around on different surfaces.

Making funny faces:) Love that cute belly!

Zach was so great with the kiddos and we had a blast being their aunt and uncle! We went for bike rides and had adventures at the park. It was so fun to visit and play with the kids. Samantha and John are such awesome parents as fun people to hang out with!

Back seat fun!

Wagon ride!

Kaylee got the camera and took photos of her dad, John:)

Fun with Uncle Zach!

Kaylee trying to convince Zach to do something crazy:)

We also got a quick visit in with my friends Meg and Lori as well as their families. Meg's son, Kingston, was in the NICU in Wichita when I worked their. We have stayed friends ever since and they now live in Colorado. Lori is a nurse I worked with at Wesley in Wichita and her family is travel nursing in Colorado right now. It was so fun catching up! Zach and I took Kaylee with us to meet all the boys, Kingston, Layton, Pierce, and Collison. It was a lot of boys to hang out with, but Kaylee was a trooper and managed to catch the boys in Duck, Duck, Goose! I was one proud aunt:) 

Lori, Kingston, Pierce, Kaylee and I hanging out:)

After lots of beautiful weather, we woke up Wednesday morning to snow that was sticking! We headed out into the whiteness and made it to Zach's aunt and uncle's house in Palmer Lake. Fran and Mike have been so supportive and are kindly collecting our mail for us while we are vanventuring. It was so nice to get to see them and spend the evening catching up. 

Today, March 26th, we are going through all of our mail, doing taxes, making phone calls, and doing regular life stuff... It really adds up after six months! Its is nice to get it all taken care of and then we can head on without worry:) Our next stop is Colorado Springs where we get to see our friends!! We have missed everyone so much and can't wait to catch up!!! Happy adventures!!

Vanventurers Venture to Vegas:)

It has been a little while since I had time to sit down and write! Our February ended in Las Vegas with my parents coming to hang out with us! We got to stay in the hotel with them in Henderson, NV and enjoy breakfast each morning made and eaten inside. It was pretty epic:) Our first night together, we enjoyed a pizza at a pizzaria. When my dad ordered two large pizzas, the waiter wasn't sure we would be able to eat that much. We proved him wrong when Zach and I polished off the last slices... I think we eat a lot.

My new favorite picture!

The next morning, we packed up and headed to Red Rock's Park to take my parents on a hike and rock climb.  We passed all the tourists picnicking and trotted upwards towards the climbing. It was a beautiful canyon to hike in, but the approach to the climbing was in the moderate-strenuous range according to the hiking guide. They were rock stars, making it up a pretty steep hike!

Dad enjoying the scenery.

Zach did the first climb and set up the rope for my parents. With a little pre-coaching, my mom set out first! She did amazing and climbed up to a sit down rest on a shelf. It proved to be easier to get into the rest spot then it was getting out, but she worked her way out and on to complete the climb! I was so impressed and so excited she liked it! My dad was next and he took off up the climb like a pro! He had the technique to making the moves down pat! It was so fun watching him climb:) He made it to the shelf, but decided not to sit down and posed for a picture instead. Mom wanted to climb again so we got another climb set up for her. She was making some impressive moves. Zach and I agreed we would have to find something a little more challenging for them next time;)

After a PB&J lunch by the climbing, we set about heading back to the car. We were all pretty beat when we got back to the car, but still managed to find energy to go out to eat. It was a fun night at an Italian restaurant near our hotel. In the morning, we did a quick tour of the strip. Mom and I were excited to see the Bellagio since our previous Vegas experience had only been through Ocean's Eleven. We got to stay for the fountain show and pretend to walk away with millions of dollars:) A quick walk through Cesar's Palace and a few dollars spent on slots, we headed back to the parking garage. My parents had to head out to the airport. It was sad to see them go, but we really enjoyed having them there for a little while! I really enjoy being on the road, but I get homesick sometimes and seeing them made me feel a lot better!

Inside the Bellagio

Ocean's Eleven pose;)

The fountains!

Zach and I decided to try and find lunch off the strip because there would be less people and hopefully cost a little less. We had done our laundry a few days before in an area with a lot of Asian restaurants and thought that sounded pretty good. Unfortunately, that area of town was celebrating Chinese New Year and every parking spot was taken! So much for losing the crowd:) We kept going a little further and saw a tiny Chinese place with parking in front of it! It was amazing and we were the only customers! Zach tried a new spicy dish recommended by our waitress and I got my normal sweet and sour chicken. It was the best sweet and sour chicken I have ever had! I still crave it! Zach really liked his too and we celebrated the New Year a little off the beaten path.
We worked on addressing wedding invitations for the rest of the afternoon in the van. I decided it was best not to try and take them into a restaurant where I would inevitably spill something on them! It was then time to head back to our campsite. On our way back, it started raining. We looked at the weather and realized we were not going to have good climbing weather for the next few days, but it didn't seem too bad. Then a weather alert came through saying higher elevations in Nevada should expect snow overnight. We figured we were low enough and headed to our campsite.

The next morning, we found out we were at a higher elevation then we thought! We were in side a snowball:) It was beautiful and not even very cold. The snow packed so well, we built the biggest snowman in no time flat! That would have taken me hours as a kid. We then dug our van out of the snow and moved back to sunny California!
Based on the weather forecasts, we picked a little climbing area near Barstow, CA. It had sport routes and free camping! The camp hosts who live at the campground were very nice and we enjoyed chatting with them when they were out and about. They were trying to cover up some graffiti that had been done on some rocks higher up. They armed Zach and I with the proper tools and we climbed up and covered some up on the rocks above our campsite. I'm glad we got to help out:) We also met some of the other campers including our awesome neighbors, Jackson and Sanja. They were from Australia and were touring the country just like us. It was fun swapping stories and road tripping tips. Safe travels to you two!!
The climbing was really fun! Zach and I both pushed ourselves on climbs and were able to both send our projects by the time we left! Zach climbed "Lost in the Middle" 5.12b and I took on "She Packed Her Bags for Outer Space" 5.11b. We were both able to climb to the top with no falls! It was a really fun place for us to spend the week. It was a productive stop as well and we even got our wedding invitations sent out!!
The weather finally started to improve in other areas of the country and we set out towards Utah to climb near Moab. We took our time and stopped in St. George. Unfortunately, it had rained and all the rock we wanted to climb was wet. We moved on to Moab and finally arrived in Indian Creek.
As drove through the camping, we ran into our friends Taylor and Kaitlyn. We have seen them in Arizona, California, and now here! They are living on the road and climbing as well. It was so exciting to see them and they showed us the open campsite next to them! We had a great time climbing with them the first day and can't wait to hang out more. The vanventure is so much fun:)

"Who even named these?"

Good weather sent us to Bishop and we were only planning to spend a few days waiting for the rain to go away in Las Vegas. Three weeks later, we rolled out of the Pit campground sad to leave friends and good climbing behind, but excited to explore a new area.

Climbing around Bishop allowed us to stay at a climber campground and get to know our "neighbors" with the luxury of a toilet AND trashcan:) We were living large! Every morning, the neighbors dog, Julie, would come by for a visit and scratch behind the ears. I may have encouraged this by dropping a few treats now and again... She was a sweet old dog who went around and quietly checked on the campground. Her owner was a climber who also worked in Bishop. We got in the habit of waving and chatting briefly, but I never learned his name. It was nice to have a neighbor to wave at though:)

Zach and I explored the bouldering areas and climbing of Bishop for a few days before we broke down and bought the climbing guide book and decided to stay a bit longer. Our friends Sheri and Charlie Dorst and their dog Riley came to Bishop and knew the area well. The Lily Pad way back in Tennessee, was where we had first met our fellow travelers and it was so fun to meet up with them again. They are traveling in style and have a 5th wheel. It was fun to play games and also have "dinner party's" at our friend's house:)

During the day, we all piled into the Dorst's Dodge truck and headed out to the bouldering areas. Zach and I took turns riding in the back with Riley. I loved getting her snuggles when we were both worn out at the end of the day. We all worked on projects (or climbs we had to try a lot to get) or cheering each other on. It was so fun to support each other and to climb hard with a lot of crash pads protecting our fall. My big project was "Solarium" (V4) and I tried five different days to get it without falling off. While working on the moves, we met an adorable couple from Sweden who were on their vacation. They worked on the problem with me and were successful and really cheering me on. They had rented an RV and were traveling with their baby boy, Jon. He was 6 months old and adorable. He was laughing and playing with Riley and super cute. They had mentioned their biggest issue having a kid on the trip was that he cried every time started driving. They had tried everything and finally just gotten ear plugs. We witnessed his antics later on when they drove by in their RV. Hopefully, he gave them a break!

Chillin' in the back with Riley!

On my final day working "Solarium," I walked up to it and climbed it on my first try! I was pretty excited and we were all happy to move on to other climbs:) Charlie projected a climb in the Sad boulders multiple days as well. It was called "Pow Pow" (V8) and was the perfect place to spectate and relax in the sun:) The Sad boulders also drew less of a crowd making it one of our favorite places to go.

Sitting in the sun on a rest day!

Charlie working on his project "Pow Pow" V8.

The Buttermilks is a world famous area with lots of impressive boulders. I really enjoyed climbing in this area, but it was usually very busy.  Zach worked on and got "Devoted Traverse" (V6) in the Buttermilks. It was fun seeing him get all the moves and cheering him on.

Zach on his send go of "Devoted Traverse."

Taking on the finishing moves of "Devoted Traverse."

Zach on top of "Devoted Traverse" V6.

Bishop was a great stop for us. Not only did we have world class climbing, but we had great friends to do stuff with in the evenings. We went to the local bar, Rusty's, and watched the Super Bowl. We also went back to Rusty's and used their WiFi to watch the national boundering championship. Another evening, we went to the local brewery and saw "Hootin' Hollar," a blue grass duo we had met while climbing. Amy and Nick were touring around the southwest from Boston and put on an awesome show! It was also pretty cool when they came up and talked to us during their break:) We were in with the band!

Charlie and Sheri have been coming to Bishop for the past 9-10 years and they had info on a free hot spring in the area. We piled in a drove to it a few nights. The first night was the best. The moon had not yet risen and we could see so many stars! The other people in the hot springs were a group of high school boys who were getting stoned and saying the funniest things! Our favorite quote was in reference to the names of the constellations. Zach was pointing out the Pliates constellation and one of them announced "Who even named these?!" Sheri informed them the Greeks had named them. It was pretty funny. They were just excited about life and we had fun chatting with them. There was also a naked hippy guy who was sitting in the middle of everyone. I didn't realize he was in his birthday suit, but apparently Charlie had been in the right spot to notice. It was not a large hot springs, but we had fun. Everybody else eventually left and we waited around a little longer because the full moon was supposed to rise soon. It was a beautiful valley between the mountains and when the moon rose over the horizon, it lit everything up with moonlight and we were in awe. The walk back to the car wasn't even that chilly.

Charlie heading up the tube!

Zach getting his leg stretch on!

Brushing buddies!

Sheri stretching her legs!

Our other night at the hot springs involved being squished in the small hot springs with more naked people who were drunk and not as pleasant to be around as the hippy and high school boys. I ended up with a naked butt on my foot and that was the last straw for me... We all bailed a little earlier that night.

To end our time in Bishop and celebrate Valentine's Day, we did a couples date to the Burger Barn with Charlie and Sheri. They had amazing burgers and good shakes too! The next morning, we said our goodbyes to the Dorst's and headed out towards Las Vegas. We took the scenic route through Death Valley and then found free camping near Las Vegas. Zach made friends with some dirt bikers and we got all the local info on places to go.

Getting ready for a day of bouldering.

Searching for a good rest spot.

Riley relaxing:)

Beautiful Riley Girl

Our time in red rocks has been fun. We have spent two days doing long routes up big faces (multi-pitch trad climbing) and two days sport climbing, We even spent one day bouldering. The multi-pitch climbs were our favorite. We did "Diet Delight" (5.9) and took turns leading. The hardest part about that day was finding the trail to the base of the cliff and then also finding our way off the top of Windy Peak when we got up there. There were tons of big horn sheep dropping everywhere and we did not find the easy way down. So, I decided we were mountain goats that day and we spend much more time hopping down rocks then actually climbing. It was still a fun day and we made it down safely.

"Triassic Sands" (5.10c) was our other big day. It was the best route Zach or I have done! It was so fun and such a great day of climbing. It also helped that we easily found the trail to and from the climb.

My parents are on there way here today and we are excited to spend the weekend with them! We are hoping to take them climbing or hiking around Red Rocks. February has proved to be a fun month with lots of climbing! Zach keeps track of our climbs on a website and February is going to be our biggest month yet!

Being a Vanventure Couple:)

Lots of people have commented on the fact that its impressive for Zach and I to live in a van together and not kill each other. I won't say that we don't have our moments, because it impossible not to, but overall, I feel this has been a very unique way to iron out problems we have and also highlight our strengths. Zach is so great at getting up and going in the morning. I tend to enjoy a more leisurely pace (surprise, surprise:). While getting coffee and breakfast started is Zach's job, I get lunch together most days. Zach is not a big fan of making sandwiches and I have fun doing different lunches based on what we have. 

Dinner is a co-opt project, but it did not start that way. Initially, we had to take turns because we couldn't work in such a small space without bumping into one another and getting in the way. Now, we seem to move seamlessly and its funny how easily we occupy that same space that used to seem so small. 

Creating a budget and sticking to a budget, are two very different tasks, I have found. We try to spend as little as possible, with the idea that we can stay on the road longer if we spend less now. That being said, I believe in quality over quantity and we have found some cheaper ways to have a higher quality of life on the road. These ideas are a combination of Zach and I's notions and it has turned out to be a good mix. We try not to eat out much and cook our own meals, but on special occasions or if we are just too tired to cook, we splurge a bit. One rule of thumb is to say yes to eating out or extras every other time we want to. In the beginning, it was hard and we ate out more. Now, we have gotten used to doing our own thing and it is easier to resist. Our spending has continued to decrease since the start of the trip and we are getting much more efficient with our money. If it was just up to me, I would have spent way too much and not gotten to go to all these cool places. Following only Zach's way and we might have missed some of the cool extras we have done on this trip. Our combination has worked out really well!

Most of our trip has been spent climbing. It has taken time to learn each others likes and dislikes as well as when to encourage each other and when to just let each other be. Overall, we have been super successful at being a climbing team and I love our climbing days together. I trust Zach with my safety when we are climbing and he trusts me. It took us time and practice to become a strong team, but I am very proud of my climbing partner and trust him completely!

Being together 24/7 has been a good way to learn about each other. Its hard to hide much of anything when you spend so much time together. We have learned when to take breaks and do our own thing. Even if it is just reading different things in the van or playing a game on the computer while the other person does what they want. It gives us time to just be and not bug the other person. I enjoy my alone time, but I also love being with Zach. He always has an interesting point of view and listens to my thoughts on things as well. If we do have an argument, its usually just a misunderstanding or hunger thing. We pretty much always have time to talk it through and before long we are back to adventuring. I think we may have even learned how to argue better because we figured out what things make it worse and what ways we can help solve problems. I have learned to relax about arguments, that they happen and can strengthen our relationship. It gives us a chance to share how we feel and figure things out. 

Overall, I can't imagine my life without Zach. He is my adventuring partner, my best friend and my future husband! I know life will have many different challenges and excitements, but I do feel that living on the road in a mini van has helped to prepare us to take on those together. The vanventures of Zach and Sarah continue! 

We have picked a date for our wedding and plan to have the ceremony back at my parents house on May 9th. It is coming up fast, but we have been planning from the road and I think it will be a fun day:) It won't be a large event, pretty simple and relaxed, but we are excited to share our day with family and friends. With the airplane hanger as a backdrop, we are planning a vintage adventure wedding! I am wearing my Grandmother's dress and using the 1940-1950's era as a guide for dresses and decorations. It's been a lot of fun working on this with Zach. He is an excellent planning partner. I am also getting lots of help from friends and family back home, which I very much appreciate!