Finally! It’s taken about 18 months to “finish” building the van. Although I don’t know if we’ll ever be “finished” with the van. We are always thinking of improvements and projects to add to the van. But I’d say we are about 95% done. We still have to finish the blinds, add the rooftop deck and side ladder.
Even though we’ve been taking the van out for day trips ever since it was an empty cargo van, Vanna White is ready for it’s first big trip.
(BTW, I forgot my SLR camera this trip so all the photos are shot on an iPhone 11 Pro)
Highlights
- Rock Mountain National Park
- McDonald’s Observatory
- White Sands National Park
Logistics
- Days – 9
- Total Miles – 3,324 miles
- Gas – $632 (15.5 mpg @ $2.95 ave per gallon)
Wandering lost is how I would describe out travel style. Normally when we travel, we have a general direction to go, list of things we could do and an open itinerary. Post Covid, everything has changed. This trip we had to stick to a strict itinerary. Every campsite, activity and National Park entry had to be pre-booked almost to the hour.
Oh well, it is what it is. Hopefully things will slowly go back to normal soon.
Driving straight to Rocky Mountain National Park would have taken 13 hours. Traveling with a toddler, we tried to keep our daily driving time to less than 6 hours a day. For our own sanity and to fit in some interesting stops along the way.
Day 1 – McKinney to Pedernales Falls State Park
- Distance – 4 Hours, 263mi
- Stops – Magnolia Waco, TX
- Sleep – Pedernales Falls State Park
Our first stop on this trip is to the Magnolia Silos in Waco, TX. This place is like the female version of REI for guys. My wife always gets all giddy with excitement whenever we go. It’s a nice stop to walk around, shop for some home goods and eat at the food trucks there.
Our first night of camping is at Pedernales Falls State Park. Every time we camp here we’ve seen deer! This guy actually bedded down behind our van and slept with us all night.
Austin is just 30 miles east of Pedernales Falls. If you have the time, head into Austin for some of the best BBQ probably in the world.
Day 2 – Pedernales Falls State Park – McDonald Observatory
- Distance – 6 Hours, 391mi
- Stops – Fredericksburg, McDonald’s Observatory
- Sleep – Davis Mountains State Park
Shirley and I both love stargazing. We’ve been to McDonald Observatory twice and both times were awesome. The observatory is located in the Davis Mountains at about 6,500 feet and has some of the darkest skies available in Texas.
In our past visits we did the Sky Party tour where they have different telescopes set up so you can see planets and galaxies. It’s so dark out there you can see the Milky Way Galaxy with your naked eye. The amount of stars and shooting stars you’ll see is breathtaking.
We want to instill this sense of curiosity in Carly also. Her bedroom ceiling is covered in glow in the dark stars but we wanted to show her the real thing. Unfortunately when we were 30 minutes away, we got a text from the observatory saying the Star Party was being cancelled that night due to the weather. Oh well, it’s a good excuse to try again later.
Camp under the stars at Davis Mountains State Park which is only 15 minutes away from the observatory. That night we saw the brightest shooting star we have ever seen. It was so bright I though someone was flying their drone above us.
Day 3 – McDonald’s Observatory – White Sands National Park
- Distance – 4.5 Hours, 298mi
- Stops – Prada store in Marfa, White Sands National Park
- Sleep – Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
A Prada store in the middle of nowhere? Prada Marfa, is actually an art sculpture located 1.4 miles northwest of Valentine, TX. Originally the store was stocked with real Prada merchandise until vandals broke in and stole everything. Now the merchandise is still real but only stocks right shoes and bottomless handbags.
Magical is the one word that comes to mind when I think White Sands National Park. This is our third visit and each time have been differently magical.
We arrived 2pm in June and it was hot! At one point I saw 106 on the thermometer. It’s way too hot for a toddler or an old man (me) to play on the dunes. We ended up just having lunch in the van and decided to headed to Oliver Lee State Park 30 min away and come back at golden hour.
When we left White sands at 3pm it was 95 degrees and sunny. On our way back at 7pm a big storm rolled in with sideways rain. We were afraid we weren’t going to get to go on the dunes due to the lightning. As we drove towards the dunes the rain stopped exactly where we wanted to go. It’s as if the clouds magically parted and opened up just where we wanted to go. We could see rain and lighting in the distance but it was gorgeous where we were at.
Tips for visiting White Sands National Park
- Bring plenty of water. There’s no water on the dunes (unless it rains) but you can buy water at the visitor center.
- Best time to go is 2 hours before sunset. Golden hour on the dunes is gorgeous. After the sun sets the sky turns the most beautiful shades of orange, blue and purple!
Camp at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. We’ve camped here a couple times before and of all the campsites we’ve ever camped at, this is the cleanest and most well maintained park. It sits at the base of the Sacramento Mountains and has views of the Chihuahuan Desert for miles. Mountains, desert views and stars. What more can you ask for in a campsite?
Day 4 – White Sands National Park – Sante Fe, NM
- Distance – 4 Hours, 233mi
- Stops – Canyon Rd, Downtown Santa Fe, NM
- Sleep – Highway Rest Stop
Day 4 was a travel day but we were pleasantly surprised by what Santa Fe had to offer. On our way to Santa Fe, Shirley searched some things to do and found Canyon Rd.
Canyon Rd stretches about a mile long and is packed with over 100 art galleries, restaurants and gift shops. You could easily spend a day here looking at art, eating and checking out the interesting Santa Fe architecture.
Downtown Santa Fe is about a mile away from Canyon Rd. Again, you could easily spend a whole day here. There are tons of places to eat, art and gift shops to visit.
We ate at Plaza Cafe and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant looks super touristy and plain. We were hungry and they had a table available at the outside patio so we gave it a shot. We got the stuffed sopapilla and the New Mexican chopped salad both were really good!
After leaving Santa Fe, we headed towards Estes, CO. We drove until about 10pm and pulled into a rest stop. Cooked dinner, ate and showered without even stepping out of the van!
Day 5 – Sante Fe, NM – Estes, CO
- Distance – 4 Hours, 233mi
- Stops – Downtown Estes
- Sleep – Estes Park Campground at East Portal
Day 5 was a free day and happened to be my birthday. We’ve actually spent my last three birthdays out camping. We spent the day walking around downtown Estes window shopping and eating treats.
Shirley treated me to a dinner birthday at Claire’s Restaurant. It was ok. Not worth the 1.5 hour wait to get a table. I wouldn’t recommend it.
We camped at Estes Park Campground at East Portal. $65 a night for a water/electric site is very expensive. But we had a campfire under the stars for my birthday so I can’t complain.
Day 6 – Rocky Mountain National Park
- Sleep – Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake
On my solo trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in 2019, I knew I wanted to come back with Shirley.
Here’s our suggestion for a 1 day itinerary in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Bear Lake – When you buy your timed entry ticket, the 2 hour time block is valid for the entire park and entry into Bear Lake. After 3pm anyone can go to Bear Lake. This means it gets very busy.
Try to get the earliest entry time you can get for the day and go to Bear Lake first in your time slot.
Bear Lake is so popular for a reason, it’s beautiful! The .8 mile loop around the lake is an easy hike. There are many places around the lake to stop, take photos or just soak in the beauty. We had a couple of elk join us on part of the hike.
Sometimes it’s not the destination but the journey that matters…
Alpine Visitor Center – Although the visitor center is really nothing special, it’s getting there that makes the trip worth it. Sometimes it’s not the destination but the journey that matters.
(BTW, you see that black pad behind my back? Yup! That’s a massage chair pad. That’s how I was able to drive 99% of the 3k miles on this trip.
The Alpine visitor center sits at 11,796′ making it the highest visitor center in all of the National parks. Driving up the mountain, you’ll get to see the seasons and landscape change. The drive itself takes about 1.5 hours to get to the peak. Take your time and enjoy the drive. There are lots of scenic pullouts along the route for photo ops or rest.
Starting in the lower elevation you’ll be treated with views of trees and beautiful valleys below. As you move up the mountain, you’ll eventually drive above the tree line and start seeing snow, even if it’s mid-80’s below. Towards the top of the mountain, the landscape changes drastically to barren rocks and snow fields. The temperature will be 20-30 degrees cooler than at the base of the mountain so make sure you have some cold weather gear.
We stopped at one of the pullouts to cook lunch in the van. It’s easily one of the most beautiful places we’ve eaten a meal!
Carly got to play in the snow and throw snowballs at me.
See Wildlife – At sunset, take the road to the Moraine Park Campground. Before you reach the campground there’s a meadow to the left. We saw a big heard of about 50 elk grazing. As we were watching the elk from the van, Carly yelled “look there’s more”! Four more elk crossed the road right in front of our van. It kinda scared me cause I thought she was yelling about a bear!
As the light dwindled we heard the alpha male elk bugle calling in his harem. I can’t think of a better way to put a cherry on top of our first campervan roadtrip.
Campsites for Rocky Mountain National Park must be made months in advance. We weren’t able to reserve a site so we ended up camping at Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake.
Again, at $65 a night, I wouldn’t recommend it. Only camp here if you can’t secure a site at RMNP.
Tips on visiting RMNP
- Pre-purchase an entry ticket – As of this post (June 30, 2021), you have to pre-purchase a timed entry ticket into the park.
- Wear long sleeves or use bug spray at Bear Lake – There are a lot of mosquitos at Bear Lake in the summer. We didn’t notice any bugs in the rest of the park but they were swarming at the lake.
- Pack a lunch – There are so many beautiful places to stop and have a meal!
Day 7 – Rocky Mountain National Park – Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Distance – 5:30 hours, 327
- Stops – Garden of the Gods
- Sleep – Highway Rest Stop
Garden of the Gods is a free park in Colorado Springs, CO. It’s a popular park where you can hike, rock climb, mountain bike or ride horses. The main hiking trail is a paved 1.5 mile loop thats easy enough for a toddler. Carly even spotted a couple of deer bedded down in the trees.
Our last camp of the trip was at a New Mexico rest stop. We pulled in around 10pm, cooked a quick meal and showered. It turns out we all had the best night of sleep this whole trip here. The weather was cool and crisp so we slept with the window open with the Maxx Air fan. We drifted the night away listening to crickets and sounds of the highway.
Day 8 – Albuquerque, New Mexico – McKinney
- Distance – 8 hours, 530
Today was a travel day and Carly crying. Not because anything was wrong, except that we were going home. She wanted to keep camping…we all did. I felt like crying too knowing our trip has come to an end.
What’s it like traveling in a campervan?
One word, AWESOME!
Take all the amenities of a traditional RV (kitchen, refrigerator, dining room, bed and most importantly a toilet) and put it into a vehicle that can drive and park anywhere a normal car can go. That’s what it’s like traveling in a campervan.
Let’s break down each category:
Meals
On this 8 day trip, we only ate out 3 times, one of them being my birthday. Surprisingly we were able to fit 8 days of food in our Isotherm Curise 65 refrigerator. We love this fridge! It even has a little freezer in there for us to make ice cubes and have frozen ice cream pops for those hot days.
On travel days, we ate a lot of our meals as we filled up on gas. After we got gas, we’d all just hop in the back, cook a quick meal, eat, play, use the toilet and go. Besides getting out to pump gas, we really never have to leave the comfort of the van. This saves a lot of money and time.
I can’t tell you how awesome it is to drive around with a full kitchen and dining area.
Bathroom
For anyone planning to build a campervan, here’s my number 1 tip, build a shower! Our “shower” isn’t even a stand up shower. It’s more of a wet area we can wash off. Although we have the option to turn it into a stand up shower by hooking up the shower curtains we prefer this sit down method. We don’t want to deal with big wet shower curtains.
Our shower is based off this 24×32″ shower pan. It’s plenty big enough for Shirley and Carly to shower together.
We could shower at rest stops or campsite bathrooms but who wants to deal with other people’s funk…and have you seen the insects in some of those bathrooms??? No thanks.
Yes adding a shower is a big pain to build but it’s totally worth it!
As for toilet, we use a portable camp toilet. We only pee in it so cleanup is simple and clean. These drop in packs do a good job of keeping everything smelling clean and fresh. For number 2 we get creative. I’ll give you a hint, it involves Carl’s diapers and a plastic bag. Enough of that.
Sleep
Once again, you don’t know how awesome it is to drive around with a bed in the back. We can literally pull over and sleep anywhere we want using our own sheets, blankets and pillows.
What we learned on this trip
- Don’t overlook the rest stops. We had some of our best nights of sleep at highway rest stops for several reasons.
- Quiet – You don’t have to deal with other noisy campers. Usually the only sounds you’ll hear are idling engines of semi-trucks and crickets.
- 100% Free – Being our first real trip in the campervan with a 3 year old, I didn’t want to risk not having a place to camp for the night. I booked some campsites that were totally unnecessary.
2. Get the American the Beautiful National Park pass. For $80, this pass allows you to enter all National parks for free unlimited within a year. Most national parks cost around $25 – $30 to enter. We used the pass three times on this trip so it’s already paid for itself.
3. Get a park pass for whatever state you live in. Most states have them. In Texas the pass is $70 for a year. A weekend of camping costs around $60 without a pass. We camp at least a couple times a month so we’ve saved a fortune.
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
This was our first long road trip in the van with our daughter. All the research, designing, planning, frustration, building and money that went into building our own campervan was totally worth it. The ultimate seal of approval is our daughter constantly asking when are we camping again!
Until next time…get lost!
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