July 2024

Preparing for the Journey

I leave in two days for the adventure of a lifetime—a six-week road trip in a customized, absolutely incredible Vandoit. My mobile home for the trip is currently parked in my driveway, and all day, I’ve been shuttling my essentials into the van, searching for the perfect place to organize each item. Pot and pan in this drawer, Daisy Mae’s food in the Dometic fridge, shoes in the storage tower. In all likelihood, I’ll rearrange everything a million times before I figure out a system, but that’s all part of the fun, right?

I’ve taken road trips before. In fact, last year I went on an almost identical itinerary. Last time, however, I took the trip in my Kia Soul, sleeping in a rooftop tent. While it was quite the adventure, as a solo female traveler, I often felt vulnerable and exposed.

In the rooftop tent, it was clearly obvious that someone was sleeping up there. If I needed to leave quickly, I simply couldn’t. The tent took at least ten minutes to take down, with multiple steps and processes. In my Kia Soul, I was also very limited in terms of creature comforts. The back was filled to the brim with All Bodies on Bikes equipment, requiring a constant shuffling of gear.

The Vandoit, even though it’s clearly branded with All Bodies on Bikes and my sponsors, provides a level of safety and security I did not have last year. Real doors. Real windows. Locks. I’m going into this trip feeling confident that whether I’m sleeping in a designated campground or off-the-grid, I’ll be safe and secure inside.

The Top 5 Things I Am Excited About

To say I’m excited about this adventure in the Vandoit would be a vast understatement—I am over the moon. Here are the top five things I’m excited about:

1. Taking Daisy Mae with Me

Daisy Mae is my 14-year-old pup who is happiest when she is by my side, but with any trip of this nature, there will of course be times I need to venture without her. With the air conditioner, rooftop vent, and remote temperature visibility with Waggle, I can feel confident knowing that she’s safe and happy in the Vandoit.

2. Recording Episodes of the All Bodies on Bikes Podcast

My Vandoit is fully equipped to work from, with a full desk setup including a second monitor. The van also has a swivel passenger seat and a folding desk, making a perfect setup for a podcast guest to sit in and be interviewed! I’ve got five episodes lined up to be recorded as a special “Road Trip Edition” of the All Bodies on Bikes podcast and can’t wait to test the setup.

3. Living Like a Minimalist

I have a lot of stuff—as a sponsored athlete and influencer, I’m constantly being sent new gear and clothing. While an awesome perk of my job, lots of stuff is not the name of the game for van life. For this trip, I’m doing my best to live as minimally as possible. I’ve narrowed my ridiculous wardrobe down to what fits in a small duffle bag, am only taking four pairs of shoes, and two coffee mugs. Time will tell if I made good choices!

4. Showcasing the Vandoit at Stops Along the Way

My road trip is built around a number of gravel bike races, where I’ll get to showcase my custom van for anyone to see. At nearly all of these, there is an expo before the race, where I’ll be setting up the All Bodies on Bikes booth with the Vandoit, welcoming curious attendees to come inside and experience the magic of the Vandoit for themselves! I’m hopeful that this will spark both curiosity and conversation!

5. Returning Home to the Pacific Northwest

I moved from Seattle to Arkansas a little over two years ago, only returning once to the northwest. I cannot wait to breathe in the salty air, crane my neck skywards to take in the towering trees, and dip my toes in the freezing Pacific Ocean. On this trip, I’ll be meeting up with friends along the Washington Coast, one of my all-time favorite places in the world. I absolutely cannot wait to refuel my soul in this magical wonderscape, using the Vandoit as a home base.

Two more sleeps until I hit the road, which reminds me, I should probably decide which pillow I’m taking on my trip.

The first stop on our 6-month road tour was in Steamboat Springs, CO to meet the Hala Crew and pick up two new paddle boards to use as we travel. We’ve been using their paddle boards for our guided tours in Chattanooga for the past 4 years and absolutely love them. Hala offers a wide variety of paddle board options that accommodate a wide variety of paddling styles and body types, which was perfect for our guided tours and a big reason why we chose them over other brands.

It was awesome to finally meet Colleen and the rest of the crew in person. While we were there, we learned that Hala is now a woman-owned business! This made our hearts so happy! Colleen (the new owner) and Peter (former owner) invited us to join them on the local town run on the Yampa River.

The Yampa River flows 250 miles through northwestern Colorado and runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs, CO. It’s a free-flowing river with Class II-III whitewater rapids. Despite my experience as a whitewater rafting guide on the Ocoee River for 17 years, whitewater paddle boarding is a whole different experience. And Michelle doesn’t have much whitewater experience at all, let alone trying to stand through rapids. But, we decided to give it a try because when in Rome and when invited to hang with the cool kids, you say yes! Plus, this road tour is all about pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and trying new things!

Colleen and Peter rolled out the red carpet by providing whitewater boards, dry suits, and a shuttle. We couldn’t turn down their generosity! They also made Michelle and I feel very comfortable by offering whitewater paddling tips and tricks as we paddled the river with them. Enjoy this video of our 5-mile paddle experience on the Yampa.

We only had 24 hours to spend in Steamboat Springs so here’s a breakdown of what we did.

Upon arrival in this quaint mountain town, we enjoyed lunch/brunch at Winona’s Restaurant and Bakery. This woman-owned business has been around for over 25 years and the food was phenomenal!

After filling our bellies, we enjoyed a short walk around town and checked out the river. Then we headed over to Hala to pick up our new boards and meet the crew. They gave us some recommendations on where to camp and play. After leaving the warehouse, we picked up some provisions at the Natural Grocer in town and then enjoyed a casual bike ride on the Yampa River Core Trail. The Yampa River Core Trail is a 7.5-mile paved multi-use trail that runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs and along the Yampa River. The Core Trail ties all aspects of Steamboat together: it’s a straight shot from one side of town to the other, but more importantly, it brings people of all ages onto one path to enjoy the outdoors. We witnessed this firsthand as we passed folks using the trail, fishing, playing on the ball fields, or just relaxing by the river. We especially like riding on the little gravel trail that paralleled the paved trail and cruising around the boardwalk in Rotary Park.

As the sun was setting on our ride, we decided it was time to find a campsite. We tried to camp at Dry Lake Campground, which is located 8 miles northeast of Steamboat Springs on Buffalo Pass, but it was still closed for the season. So we ended up boon-docking in a pull-out nearby and happened to catch a fox catching dinner. It was quite the treat. Another camp option that was recommended was Strawberry Park Hot Springs. They don’t allow vans/RV’s so we didn’t choose this one, although we were tempted by the hot springs.

We cooked dinner and breakfast out of the van. We met up with Colleen and Peter for our paddle adventure the next morning and we ate lunch at Cruiser’s Sub shop after our paddle before rolling out. All and all, it was a really fun 24 hours in Steamboat and we wished we could have stayed longer.

If you’re in the market for a new paddle board, be sure to check out Hala’s lineup! You can even save $100 when you use discount code Sunshine at checkout. 🙂

LINK TO PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJFuGC181Bk2vAxW7