We have been in Colorado for just over three weeks now, and it’s crazy how quickly the time has flown by. We have really enjoyed our time here. The scenery has been amazing, Rocky Mountain National Park was so much fun to explore, and being in a campground with so many other full-time families has been wonderful. But the nights are getting very cold, and it’s time for us to start heading toward warmer weather!
Fulltime Families and Rocky Mountain National Park
Our main reason for coming to this part of Colorado was to take part in another Fulltime Families event. Although the event itself wasn’t exactly what we were expecting, I’m still really glad we came. One of the best parts was getting to know some new families while also reconnecting with friends we had met at a previous Fulltime Families events. Trygg made new friends and reconnected with some old ones, and we’ve already made plans to see some of these families again down the road.
Unfortunately, Derek had to work during the week of the event, so he wasn’t able to participate in as much as he would have liked. But he still found ways to enjoy the week, including connecting with some of the other dads and working on some truck projects together—which he of course loved.
One of the things they offered during the event were two National Park Days, where families could head into Rocky Mountain National Park, do some hiking together, eat lunch and spend the day enjoying the park. We weren’t able to participate in the first park day because Trygg wasn’t feeling well, but for the second one, one of our friends offered us space in their vehicle so we could go along since Derek had to work. I’m really glad we did!
We started with the short walk around Bear Lake and then hiked to Emerald Lake. It was so fun for Trygg to have some hiking buddies along, and the kids kept themselves well entertained throughout the entire hike. On our way out of the park, we were also lucky enough to see a bull moose and three smaller moose, which was pretty incredible!
The event officially ended on Saturday, September 26, but most of the families were staying for another week or two. That gave us even more time to enjoy the campground and spend time with friends before we head out on our own again for a little while.
One More Day in the Park
We also wanted Derek to have a chance to experience Rocky Mountain National Park, so we spent another family day back at the park. We did the Bear Lake walk again and then decided to drive into Estes Park because we had been told it was a must-do.
It probably is, but our timing wasn’t exactly great. We happened to go on a day when there was some sort of event happening, so the town was packed. Finding a parking spot for our big truck was basically impossible!
So instead of exploring Estes Park, we found a place with go-karts, an arcade and mini golf and spent some time having fun together as a family. It’s probably not what most people do when they visit Estes Park, but honestly, it worked perfectly for us.
Sometimes you make plans, they don’t work out, and you end up doing something completely different—and still have a great day.
A Few More Projects
Of course, it wouldn’t be one of our stops if we didn’t have a few projects to work on!
We (and by we, I really mean Derek) have spent quite a bit of time doing maintenance on both the truck and the Brinkley. Our truck has had a pretty bad shake since we bought it. We had the tires balanced multiple times, but the shaking was still there. Before we left Duluth, we had the tires and one bent rim replaced, and somehow the truck still shakes!
We even took it to a mechanic before we left Duluth, but he couldn’t find anything wrong that would be causing the shaking other than possibly the tires. So Derek decided to swap the spare tire with each wheel to see if he could figure out which tire or wheel might be causing the problem.
We think we may have improved the shaking after the last tire swap, but it’s still not 100% yet. Derek might try a couple more things before we leave on Friday—so wish him luck! The shaking is driving him absolutely nuts, which is completely understandable after dealing with it for so long.
We also had another Brinkley project to deal with.
While we were still in Minnesota, we discovered a leak in Trygg’s room. We originally thought it was coming from the side door because that’s where the water was pooling. After a lot of inspecting and spraying water all over that side of the rig, Derek finally found the leak…and it wasn’t the door!
I’m not great at explaining exactly where the leak was, but it meant Derek needed to remove the lower panel on the outside of the rig. The glue that was originally holding everything together had let loose for some reason and was allowing water to come inside the rig, so he added new glue and sealant and then put everything back together.
We sprayed down that wall again after everything was resealed, and thankfully, the leak is fixed! We’ll still be sending Brinkley another email to let them know about the issue we found. At least now we know where the water was coming from—and, more importantly, we know it’s fixed!
Heading East…Then Back West
In addition to all of those projects, we’re starting to prep for another travel day, which is just a few days away.
We’ll be traveling east for a bit and hitting some states we haven’t been to before. Then we’ll slowly make our way back west to spend the winter in Arizona.
We’re really excited about what’s ahead. Some of the friends we’ve met along the way might even come find us in the desert so we can do some boondocking together! And later in the winter, we’ll head to Sedona to meet up with some friends for a month.
It’s a pretty fun feeling to have plans with people we’ve met on the road. When we first started traveling, we obviously hoped we would meet people along the way, but I don’t think we realized just how much those friendships would become a part of this life.
Finding Our Community on the Road
I think one of the things I’m most grateful for as we continue this life on the road is that we are starting to build a community around us. And it makes all the difference in the world.
Knowing that there are people we can reach out to if we need something, knowing that we have support and friendship, and watching Trygg make his own connections along the way—it truly makes such a difference.
There’s something really special about knowing that even though we don’t have a traditional home anymore, we are finding friendships that can stretch across the miles and continue wherever the road takes us.
Colorado has given us beautiful scenery, some pretty incredible adventures, a few frustrating projects, and a lot of time with friends. And now it’s time for us to say goodbye and move on to the next adventure.
We’ll point the Brinkley east, explore some new states, enjoy a little more time on our own, and eventually make our way back west toward Arizona and whatever comes next.
This life we’ve chosen isn’t always easy—but it continues to surprise us in ways we never could have imagined. We’re learning that this adventure isn’t really about checking places off a map. It’s about the people who become part of our journey, the friendships that grow along the way, the unexpected challenges, and all the little moments that make this life ours.
Through it all, we’re reminded that every challenge brings growth, every adventure adds another chapter to our story, and in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.
