Our first two weeks back on the road have been filled with hard goodbyes, sickness, family time, windy mountain roads, and slowly easing back into school, routines, and community.
Saying Goodbye to Summer
We left Duluth, MN on Tuesday, September 8th after a weekend filled with family time. We had family and friends visiting for Labor Day weekend, and Trygg loved getting to spend time with one of his second cousins and a couple of good family friends. We also squeezed in one last playdate with his friend Hunter. In between all of that, we finished winterizing the boat, built the framework for its cover, and got it all covered and tucked in for the winter. It was a busy but fun weekend and the perfect way to close out our summer in Duluth.
I also wanted to share how our new table turned out! think this might be my favorite Brinkley upgrade yet. I wanted our new table to be more than just a table. I wanted it to tell a little bit of our story—from our life on the water, to our life on the road, to all the places we’ve been lucky enough to experience along the way. A little piece of our story right in the middle of our home on wheels.
This was one of those projects that I wasn’t totally sure how it was going to turn out when I started, but I had a lot of fun with it. I burned the wood, added the epoxy, and somehow ended up with a table I’m actually really proud of! I love that it’s something a little different and that I got to make it myself. It’s always fun when one of the projects in the Brinkley turns out even better than you pictured it in your head.
And then, of course came the hardest part of leaving Duluth, saying goodbye to my dad. Thankfully, I didn’t have to say goodbye to my mom quite yet. She traveled with us to Deadwood, SD, where we spent a few days with my brother and sister-in-law. Her brother and his wife live not far away, and as an added bonus, my aunt and uncle from California were visiting as well. My dad’s brother and his wife also happened to be in the area for a side-by-side adventure, so we got to see them, too! We were excited that our timing worked out so we could all overlap for a day.
Our travel days to Deadwood went well for the most part, other than Derek not feeling 100%. That meant I got some good driving practice in. I spent a couple of hours each day behind the wheel so Derek could take a break and rest.
When Plans Change
At first, we thought Derek might just have a cold or maybe coming down with the flu. But after we got to John and Carrie’s on Wednesday afternoon and got set up, Derek laid down to rest—and we didn’t see him for the rest of the day.
The next morning, he was still running a fever and wasn’t feeling well at all. We also noticed that a bite he had on his stomach wasn’t looking right. It had a big red circle around it and was itchy and sore. Along with the fever, Derek was having a headache, body aches, and dizziness.
After a couple of phone calls and sending pictures to our doctor, it was decided that Derek needed to be treated for Lyme disease. We started him on antibiotics right away and decided to push back our departure day to Sunday instead of Saturday.
While Derek rested and started to recover, the rest of us tried to make the most of the extra time in the area. We enjoyed a morning hike with my aunt and uncle—my dad’s brother and his wife—along with John, Carrie, my mom, Trygg, and me. Later that day, Sandy and Richard arrived from California, and we all enjoyed dinner together with them, my mom, and my mom’s brother and his wife. The next day brought more time together, with a few walks and a stop at the fish hatchery in Spearfish, which Trygg especially enjoyed.
As stressful as that whole situation was, the extra day ended up being a little bit of a blessing. It gave Derek some time to rest and recover, and it gave us another day with everyone. Sometimes plans change whether you want them to or not, and this time, the change worked out pretty well for us.
So, with Derek feeling better—not 100%, but well enough to handle a long travel day—we left Deadwood, SD and made our way to Granby, CO.
Finding Our People
Our main reason for choosing Granby was to participate in another Fulltime Families event. We learned last March just how important these events are for us. They give us a chance to build community and, maybe most importantly, give Trygg the time and space to make friends and feel like he belongs somewhere, even when we’re traveling.
The campground we’re staying at was offering a great deal for a 42-day stay, so many of the families attending the event will actually be here for multiple weeks. Shortly after we arrived, we already had kids we had met previously biking over to find Trygg. It was such a great reminder of why these events—and building community on the road—are so important for our family.
We started school on Monday, September 14th, and I have to say, so far it’s going pretty well!
I feel like Trygg and I both know what to expect this year. We have a routine for our school days, and Trygg is getting much better at doing some of his work independently. That’s not to say we don’t still have our moments of frustration with each other, but I feel like we’re able to work through them much better—and much quicker—this year.
One of my favorite things about being here is seeing what life looks like for all these families who are doing this same lifestyle.
The campground is pretty quiet until 11:00 or noon because most families spend their mornings homeschooling. But after lunch, everything comes alive. Derek says it reminds him of growing up in a cul-de-sac in the 80s—kids on bikes, scooters, and skateboards riding around; kids going in and out of each other’s homes; parents calling their kids home for dinner and then sending them back out to play until it gets dark.
And honestly, that’s exactly what it feels like.
It’s such a cool experience that we feel incredibly fortunate Trygg gets to have.
Even if we had stayed in Duluth and never sold our house, Trygg wouldn’t have experienced anything quite like this. Where we lived, we didn’t have neighbors, and we certainly didn’t have a bunch of kids his age nearby who he could just go off with to bike, explore, and slowly develop a little more freedom and independence.
Watching that happen has been really special.
It’s fun to watch him find his place, make friends, and experience a kind of childhood freedom that is hard to create when you’re living a more traditional life.
And it makes me incredibly grateful for this life we’re living.
Trygg is not the only one loving this campground life. I am too!
The campground has a really nice gym that I’ve been taking advantage of for my morning workouts. Most mornings, I have the gym to myself for the first 20–30 minutes, and I am really enjoying being able to get my workout in without being interrupted, or having someone step over me while I’m trying to exercise in our camper. It’s a small thing, but I’m really liking having a little space and quiet to start my mornings.
I’m also enjoying spending time with some of the other moms. Whether it’s morning walks, pool time, game time, or just stopping by each other’s campsites, it’s been so nice to have the opportunity to build community for myself too.
Derek hasn’t gotten to do quite as much socializing since he still has to work during the day, but even he is seeing how important it is for us to continue making friends on the road and spending enough time in campgrounds with other families. It’s easy to think about the places we want to see and the adventures we want to have, but we’re learning more and more that the people we meet along the way are just as important.
More Than the Places We Go
We’ve only been here for a week tomorrow, but it already feels like we’ve packed so much into our first few days! The Fulltime Families event officially begins this evening and we’re excited to meet even more families and see what the next week brings.
And the best part is, we’re not leaving right after the event.
We’re looking forward to having another two weeks here after the event ends so Trygg can continue playing with his new friends, I can continue getting to know the other moms, and all three of us can keep building the little community we’re creating here on the road.
That might be one of the biggest things we’re learning in this second year of traveling: sometimes the best parts of this life aren’t the places we go, but the people and the moments that make a place feel special while we’re there.
We’re only a few days into this next adventure, and already, it feels like we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.
This life we’ve chosen isn’t always easy—but it is ours. And it’s filled with so much more than we ever could have imagined. We’re learning that the places we go are only part of the story. The people we meet, the friendships we build, the challenges we work through, and the little everyday moments in between are what make this life so special.
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.
