Category: United States

I was itchng to get on the road after being without the car for a few weeks. It was my first time really camping in the mountains near the ski resorts. So I wasn’t sure where I would be able to sleep the night without being bothered. And I wasn’t totally sure how the van was going to deal with the cold. I was a bit apprehensive to be fair.

I left later in the afternoon on the Tuesday and made my way to Frisco. Did some hiking in the area. It was actually the same trail that Alexandra, Luke, Matt, and I hiked in the summer. The one we saw the moose on.

I was excited to break in my snowshoes but it wasn’t necessary. The trail was pretty packed down from all the traffic and the lack of snow recently. It was a good warm up for the legs though.

I chilled out in town after the hike and found an overnight parking lot to park the car and sleep in. I have to believe they would chase people off on the weekends. But during the weekdays they probably don’t care all that much. It was pretty damn cold though. Probably about zero degrees.

I am finding that the insulation, though it slows the heat loss, doesn’t keep the van comfotable throughout the night. By the time I wake up in the morning, it is probably a similar temperature in the can as it is overnight. I have enough blankets so I am not waking up in the middle of the night. But in the morning I have to run the heater for a bit before I can get out of bed comfortably.

The first day at Breck was solid. I am finding that my ski boots are a little too loose and I need something a bit tighter. But I want to wait until the ned of the season to upgrade. I have tried a few workarounds and it’s been fine so far.

The second day there I met these two EMTs from Colorado Springs. Literally within a minute of talking to them on the gondola, they offered me some whiskey and invited me to ski the rest of the day with them. We had a good time. Mostly hitting the groomed black runs on Peak 10.

They were supposed to head back to Colorado Springs that night but they were drinking pretty heavily on the mountain to be honest. It didn’t take much convincing to get them to stay the night. We found a cheaper AirBnB outside of town. Went out in town that night and did a bit of partying. Ollies has some legit BBQ Pork Nachos for anyone that is interested.

The AirBnB we stayed at had this really steep icy driveway and I was fairly surprised that I was able to make it up in the van. I had to back down the driveway the next morning to get out and I just manuevered it all wrong and got stuck against a tree.

At first I asked the hosts to help tow me out but they didn’t have a chain or rope heavy duty enough to pull the van. So I had to call roadside assistance to come rescue me. It didn’ take too long honestly and it’s included with the insurance so it didn’t cost me anything. I was a bit stressed out about the situation but it worked out fine.

At first, I just felt like heading for home but I still wanted to ski. One of my friends was at the mountain and I decided to head over there even though it was close to lunchtime at this point. I had a lot of fun and I was proud that I didn’t let a negative situation stop me from doing what was best for me.

After figuring out what the electrical system was going to look like it was time to build the furniture. I had three pieces to build: the cabinet that would house the electrical system and the stove, the water cabinet that would hold the water tank and sink, and the bed platform which would also double as a storage area for clothes and other personal items.

The first order of business was making measurements. I already had most of the items that would be contained in the furniture (battery and electrical equipment, water tank, propane tank, etc.). So that was helpful in figuring out the dimensions of the different pieces and compartments.

But I also wanted to make sure that I had enough open space in the van. I wanted some extra room so I could sit and move around without it feeling cramped. So I wanted to make sure the pieces weren’t too large.

Once I had a good plan figured out it was time to buy the wood. I will say, it was more expensive than I was expecting. The price of wood has skyrocketed (along with other building materials) over the previous year. A piece of plywood was two or three times more expensive than it had been before the pandemic. But what are you going to do?

I used smaller, thinner wood to build the frames and it was fairly easy to cut the pieces and put them together. I built rectangles to frame the sides and then connected the two ends, building platforms and shelves with more framing wood in between as needed.

The water cabinet frame was a bit easier to put together. No shelves needed in that one. The other cabinet (the one that houses the stove and electrical system ) was more complicated to build. There would be four different compartments and I had to take into account the dimensions of each of them.

There is also protrusion on the floor/wall behind the driver’s seat (which is where the gas tank connects to the wall of the van) that had to be taken into account. So I couldn’t build a rectangular piece of furniture. I had to include some empty space in the back of the cabinet so it would slide up against the wall.

Once the frames were complete I had to cut the plywood to cover the sides. Cutting wood in straight lines was more difficult than I expected. Especially when you have to cut for four or five feet. Sometimes I am a bit of a perfectionist (it comes on in some moments) and I was tested when I cut a piece a bit lopsided. My goal was to cut it a bit larger than needed because I knew I could sand it down into the correct shape once connected to the frame.

Once the pieces were cut it was time to condition the wood, stain it, and then finish it. That took a couple of days because the different pieces needed multiple coats. And it took several hours for each coat to dry. I picked a golden oak color stain and I think it was a good choice.

The wood finish was the most difficult to apply. It came in cans of heavy, glue-like liquid and it had a strong chemical smell to it. One coat and the garage smelt so terrible. And it would linger for days. But I needed to apply it to ensure the wood would be able to stand up to the moisture.

Once the wood was finished I connected the pieces to the frame. I used a combination of wood glue and screws to connect them. Sanding the edges down so they would fit nicely along the edges was tough work. I had a small electrical sander and I really wish I had a larger, stronger one.

The sawdust got all over the place. It was a bit irritating. Especially when it came time to clean up the garage. The dust got into every nook and cranny it seemed.

With the sidings connected I was ready to install the shelving and the doors. I had never installed a door before but I think it came out just fine. I mean they are functional and serve their purpose. Even if they might be a little lop-sided (but only if you look real close).

Now that the two cabinets were finished up it was time to build the bed platform/storage unit. I had to get this done before installing the other units. Or else I would never be able to fit in the van.

This was by far the most difficult part of the furniture build. I couldn’t construct it in a perfect rectangle because the ribs of the van wouldn’t allow me to. They jut out from the sides so I had to compensate for that.

And since the platform would function as a kind of chest I had to connect a large piece of half-inch plywood on hinges. That way I could swing it open and access the inside when needed. This was a bit more difficult than the doors I installed on the cabinets. There were a lot of considerations. This piece would serve as my sleeping platform so I had to ensure it was level and could support all the weight.

I was a bit concerned when I tried to install it because it was very difficult to fit it in through the van door. I was worried that I had not measured correctly and built it too large. I had to try it multiple different ways but eventually, it fit.

Now for the floors. I decided to use laminate flooring because it was lightweight, durable, and for the most part water-resistant. The layer of plywood I had laid over the insulation was not entirely level so I had to put down a soft layer of subflooring.

It’s a kind of plastic mat that helps create a level surface of the subfloor. It is spongy so it can compensate for the imperfections.

The flooring was fairly easy to install. Most of the pieces didn’t need to be cut. They have ridges on the sides and they slide into each other. I had to make more precise cuts for the panels that were laid against the walls of the van and the wheel wells.

They weren’t too hard to make. I had to recut a few pieces because I wanted a very tight fit. I honestly did the entire flooring in about a day and a half. Erin and I were going camping that weekend and I wanted the floor laid before going on the trip. So I stayed up late in the evening to get it done. I thought it was quite nice once finished.

After that, I kind of came to a pause. I had to do more research about the different parts that I wanted to incorporate into the build. I wanted to know the approximate dimensions of all of the things that were essential. The battery and the different electrical components, the water tank, and the different pieces that would be included in the water system.

I wanted to make sure that the pieces of furniture that I was going to build would be the right dimensions for these different things. The last thing I wanted to do was to build the furniture and then realize that they were not the right size and have to rebuild them again.

So I kind of went on a bit of a buying spree. The garage looked like a warehouse with all the different items that I had collected. I returned things that weren’t deemed adequate or efficient. And I used everything else.

My biggest challenge at this point was desi the electrical system. I really wanted to make sure that I got this part of the build right.

For one, once it was installed it was going to be difficult to change anything. All the components were going to be in tight spaces. Space is at a premium in a van.

And two, getting it wrong was going to be potentially dangerous. Picking the wrong type of fuse orwire size could be a huge problem. Don’t want to wake up to a fire in the middle of the night.

I found a good few YouTube channels and that helped guide me in the right direction. But it took me about two weeks until I felt comfortable enough to start buying electrical equipment.

You know I really wish I had documented the entire process of the van build. I wish I took more pictures and I wish that I wrote more things down. But I didn’t. I guess part of me didn’t want to be bothered. To be fair I was working full time and building out the van. Which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

I guess I didn’t want to feel like some sort of poser. I mean search DIY van build and you can find a plethora of videos. I had nothing to add. But just like after a trip, I kind of feel like I cheated myself if I didn’t document anything at all.

But enough of the sulking already. I didn’t write about when I was actually doing it. So the next best thing I can do is write about it now.

So we’ll go step by step and get together any photos that I have.

The first thing that had to be done was a deep clean of the van. I pulled up the plastic floor cover and took apart the partition near the cab of the van. This step was actually pretty difficult because the bolts were in some hard-to-reach places. I was trying to loosen factory set bolts using nothing but pliers and a wrench.

There was some rust on the van floor so I scraped that out using a metal wire brush. After that, it was just a matter of cleaning the van with a hose and some all-purpose cleaner.

I got some white spray paint and painted the entire interior. Gave it a fresh start. The paint is supposed to be rust-resistant so it was sort of a precautionary measure. This part was not fun at all. The space is not very large so it becomes a bit difficult to breathe after a bit with all the fumes. I had glasses and a mask on but still, it got pretty bad in there.

And it just sucks being crouched down in the van spray painting the walls. Pressing the button. It puts your body in some awkward positions. A couple of coats and we were good to go. This took about two days.

From there it was time to start insulating the floor. I got these stiff foam boards and used cardboard beforehand to determine the sizes of all the pieces I needed to cut. For the most part, this portion of the build went smoothly. The foam pieces fit fairly well and we were ready to cut out the plywood floor after that to create a sturdier subfloor.

It was great because I was able to use the cardboard cutouts to cut the plywood as well. The wood was obviously much harder to cut but for the most part, there wasn’t much trouble. The boards fit fairly well. Not as snug as the insulation but the smalls cracks were filled with caulk and it was just fine.

I used some Great Stuff foam to fill in any larger cracks, especially near the wheel wells and one area by the side door. The stuff was awfully messy. I learned to use it over time but the first attempt was kind of chaotic. It was the best material to use to fill up larger gaps in my opinion.

Time to insulate the van walls and ceiling. I cut out cardboard to mirror the shape of the different portions of the wall just like with the floor. Each cutout was a different shape because the ribs of the van created different sized partitions.

I used really good quality insulation from 3M called Thinsulate. Keeping warm in the cold was one of my main goals because I wanted to use the van during the ski season. It was super easy to cut too. I only had to use a fabric cutter and it was easily shaped into whatever I needed. One of the main advantages of spending the money too.

It is almost like a fabric material itself. On one side is a black fiber material and the rest of the insulation is made up of this cotton-like fiber.

To install, I used the same spray adhesive that I used to put the floors down. This stuff is strong. I really had no trouble with installation to be honest. Most people complain that the insulation part of the build is a pain but mine was relatively pleasant. I used duct tape to connect all the different pieces of insulation together.

There are small empty spaces contained inside the ribs of the van so I cut strips of insulation and stuffed them inside. I also opened the side and back door panels and fit pieces of insulation where they would fit. I tried my best to get as much surface area covered as possible.

We got up early but not early enough to get a parking spot at the Bear Lake parking lot. You would think there would be tons of space at 7 AM. But you would be wrong. So we parked a few miles down the road and took the shuttle bus up there. It actually worked out pretty well so it wasn’t too big of a deal.

The hike from Bear Lake will actually take you to four different lakes – Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake being the others. It’s a pretty popular hike but I wouldn’t say it was easy. It’s a pretty steady uphill climb but it’s definitely worth it.

My favorite lake was Dream Lake. It’s a longer, skinnier lake than the rest and there’s a lot of nice large boulders close to the shore. So you can climb on them and it makes a really good place to chill or fish. Emerald Lake was really cool too. The views of the nearby mountains were fantastic. But there were a ton of people up there and it just seemed overcrowded.

We tried fishing at both Emerald and Dream but we had no luck at either. We didn’t see any fish at Emerald Lake, even though the ranger told us there were some up there. There were a ton of fish at Dream Lake but they just weren’t interested in what we had.

We had some bait and a few different lures but it seemed that the fish were eating a lot of flies on the surface of the water. If we had some fly rods I think we would have done very well there.

People would walk past and naturally ask us how many fish we had caught. It got a bit old after the fifth or sixth time. I wanted to tell them that we had caught tons of them but I wasn’t in the mood to lie.

It was funny though because the fish were so easy to see. A lot of people were confused because they could point to the fish in the water as they swam past. How couldn’t we catch them if that were the case?

It started raining pretty heavily when we were getting out of there. But we got back via the bus and then we drove the alpine road back to the visitors center. We had driven it in the dark a day earlier and I wanted to make sure that Matt had an opportunity to see the park from the top. The weather was pretty shit so we only drove along the ridge and saw the views from the road.

From there we just wandered back to Denver. Had some lunch in Estes Park and then drove back. We were thinking of getting another camp spot for the night but the weather was unclear so we just decided to head back.

That next morning we got up at 3 AM and we hit the road almost immediately. We had everything prepared the night before so there wasn’t much of a delay.

Initially, I thought our campsite was much closer to the entrance of the national park. But I was wrong. And the fact that we had to drive through the entire park just to get to the trailhead made the trip even longer. In my head, we had to drive about 45 minutes but in reality, we had a two-hour trip!

The Sky Pond hike, from what I read, is one of those must-do hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park (assuming you are fit enough). The problem is the trailhead parking lot is super small because there are a lot of different hikes that leave out of that spot. So if you want to get a spot you really need to arrive around 5 AM. Hence the whole leaving at 3 AM situation.

I had already driven through the park this way before so I knew what to expect. The trail ridge road goes up and over the mountains and down the other side. Lots of winding roads here. And once you’re at the top the road is a bit scary in spots.

All in all, it’s a slower drive in the night because you want to be extra careful. But when it’s that early in the morning there are no other cars on the road. And you can’t see the steep drop-offs on the side of the road. My parents would probably kill me for driving the road with no light.

We got there and, lo and behold, there were two more parking spots left. We didn’t eat a proper breakfast so we set up the stove and made some breakfast burritos and some coffee before heading out. We met a really nice couple from Iowa in the lot and we made them some coffee too.

The first major checkpoint on the hike was Alberta Falls which is the largest waterfall in the park. A lot of people doing the Bear Lake circuit stop off here as well. The trail to this point was rather easy. Once we got a little ways away from the falls the trail became more rugged.

The trail between the falls and The Loch was steadily uphill but I wouldn’t say overly challenging. The Loch itself is beautiful and really peaceful – we stayed there and had a bit of a snack and I met a fellow New Yorker as well. She grew up in Queens in the 1960s so that was a fun conversation.

There was snow on the trail at this point and Matt got a kick out of that, being from Arizona and all. It was a really cool contrast between the bright greens of the grass and trees and the white of the snow.

It took a while to walk around the lake but once we made it there it was uphill all the way to the Sky Pond. Really just like a staircase leading up to the final ascent.

The last bit was just a small waterfall that you had to climb. Most of it was just basic rock scrambling but there was a part that required some rock-climbing. It was all wet so you had to be careful and take your time. But the waterfall was not very deep or heavy. The water level never really got above the sole of your boots.

The views from the top were absolutely stunning. Looking down into the valley as well as just the views around the lake at the top. The rock formations were quite unique up here and the mountains just towered over the lake. It made me seem a bit small but that’s kind of the point.

The climb up took a pretty good deal of effort so we stayed up there for a while just hanging out. It was a bit cold but still sunny. Some people were fishing in the lake which made us feel that we should have brought our fishing pools. But everything worked out fine.

The rest of the early afternoon was spent climbing down and when we got back to the car it was just about time for us to check into the campsite.

We were pretty beat and I was happy I brought my hammock along. Nothing like a good hammock nap in the shade.

It rained for most of the late afternoon which was kind of crap but we had to van to keep us dry.

Later we had a fire and cooked a few sausages over it. This was the first place we were able to have a fire along the route. It was a bit of a surprise because I wasn’t expecting the national park to allow fires. Especially because there was a large fire last year that affected the western side of the park.

But turns out the area we were camping in was in a totally separate county from most of the park. And there wasn’t any fire restrictions there. So we got to enjoy our last night out there the right way.

Matt got into town on the 26th and we stayed in Arvada for a few days. Luke’s birthday was on the 28th and we went up to the grandparent’s ranch in Wyoming. It was a really good time actually. We weren’t there for very long but I really enjoy his grandparent’s company. They are really good people.

The next day we all drove up to Frisco in the late morning and we did a short hike near town. The hike was pretty solid – we ended up at a small lake and then we had good views of the mountain range in the distance. We had to turn around halfway through because there was a moose in the middle of the trail. You don’t want to mess around with those guys.

It was actually pretty funny. Luke was full steam ahead and he didn’t even realize the moose was there, maybe 25 feet ahead of him. I had to yell out “MOOSE!!” before he noticed. It was the first time I was seeing a moose that up close before. The boys thought it was great but Alexandra wasn’t all too pleased.

We got lunch in town and then we went over to the campsite around 4 o’clock or so. The night turned out really well even though it rained fairly hard for an hour or two. Thankfully we had the van to take shelter in. We played cards and a few other games while waiting out the storm. I even played a song on the ukulele that I wrote. That was pretty cool.

We got a bit of a late start the next day but we had some really good weather that morning and we took our time breaking up camp. I think Alexandra’s first camping experience was a positive one. She said that she would go again. And the fact that it rained and we couldn’t have a fire means that she has a lot more to experience.

I am proud of my sister for pushing herself outside of her comfort zone. I always knew that she could handle it but I was genuinely surprised that she said yes to the suggestion initially. No hesitation either. This is her home now and I think camping will be part of her life occasionally, especially when she starts to have a family.

Anyway, Matt and I had to drive towards Granby to the next campsite but we weren’t in a huge rush. We stopped off to fish in Frisco and then we drove up the road to Cow Creek and fished at the lake there as well. No luck unfortunately.

We camped right on Lake Granby that night and the campsite was really great. I would definitely go again. We did some more fishing (no fish), cooked dinner, and then went to sleep shortly after. We had an early morning.

The next stop on the trip was Steamboat Springs. It’s about a two-hour drive northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a really pretty area. Down in a valley – as you make your way over the mountain pass you can see the whole city from above.

The first few days were really all about playing golf. We found this really nice links-style course and we played it a few times. We had to play in the later afternoon though. It was just too hot to do much of anything before that.

The sun in Colorado is already super strong because of the elevation. But when it gets up to near 100 degrees it’s nearly impossible to stay outside for too long. So that was the deal. Hang out by the pool or somewhere inside and out to the golf course around 4 or 5 o’clock.

Mom and I did a short hike the second day that we were there. Nothing too crazy. Just a two or three-mile loop. There were some decent views of a valley but besides that, not much going on. There were a few streams to hang out around and that helped cool us down.

I did make a mistake though and Mom wasn’t too happy about it.

When we got to the point where the turnaround was supposed to be I chose the wrong path. It was a really hard right to stay on the loop but I picked another path that seemed to go in the direction that I wanted.

Within a few minutes, we got to a small stream, and, still figuring that this was the right way, I asked Mom to cross it. After another 5 minutes or so it became obvious that we were on the wrong path. So we had to turn around and cross the stream again. She was a bit nervous but she did great.

I did another hike the next morning at Fish Creek Falls. Woke up super early, maybe 5 AM, to make it over there so I wouldn’t have to hike in the heat of the day. The popular tourist attraction is the large falls at the base of the mountain. It’s only a five-minute walk from the parking lot and I will admit, it is fairly impressive.

The hike itself was somewhat challenging – a consistent uphill for most of the way. About halfway through I met a woman running the trail with her dog. The dog was an absolute mess because it was super muddy on the trail.

We got to chatting for a bit and she told me there was a mountain lion near the upper falls with a few cubs. I was a bit nervous after that, I’m not going to lie. You never want to have an encounter with an animal like that. But I found out that mountain lion attacks are super rare actually. And I ended up not even seeing the animal.

The views from the top were pretty amazing and the waterfall was a cool spot to hang out too. The one at the bottom was definitely bigger and better but still a solid hike to be fair.

Alexandra and Luke arrived that day or the day afterwards, I can’t really remember as I write this. But it didn’t matter for much. I only stayed around one night with them and then I left back to Denver the next day.

Not too long after Erika left Mom and Dad came out to Alexandra’s. Their plan was to stay in Colorado for a little over a month. Not the whole time in Denver though. They had a few excursions planned too.

That first week we played a lot of golf. Anyone who knows my Dad knows that the man is obsessed. I mean it is a good thing. It gets him out of the house and it’s fairly good exercise. Especially at his age.

We played this course called Arrowhead and it was super unique. It’s basically Red Rocks or Garden of the Gods turned into a golf course. It’s really challenging. You have to hit around these gigantic red boulders at times. And the terrain change can be extreme, depending on the hole. I didn’t shoot all that well but it was a really cool experience.

Mom is a little more active and is happy to go on a hike with me. We went out towards Red Rocks and did the Trading Post Trail. It’s not super long. Maybe two miles at the most. It’s pretty flat too. Just a trail that meanders through the heart of the park.

I think Mom enjoyed it. She is a bit of a science nerd and there was a ton of information about the geological history of the area. It’s a unique place.

The only problem was that we went on a very sunny day. When you’re out there it feels like you’re out in the desert. The sun can be downright irresistible at times out here.

Mom and Dad spent a few more days around Denver and then they took a trip out into the mountains. They spent a few days alone out there and then I met up with them near Keystone. We played another round of golf at another beautiful course. This time at a higher elevation so it was fun to see the ball fly off the club.

We didn’t stay in Keystone for more than the day. Mom and Dad had a timeshare out in Granby and that was actually a nice little unit. The town isn’t all too big. There is a small mountain that you can ski during the winter. But I would imagine most people stay around during the summer because of how close it is to Rocky Mountain National Park.

We did get into the national park while we were staying there. A different part than what I did with Erika. We came into the park from the opposite direction and we did the Alpine Road up and over the mountains. This particular road doesn’t open until Memorial Day and it was closed when Erika was visiting.

The views from the top were fantastic but we didn’t really do all too much except drive the road. We stopped off at a few overlooks and took some pictures. Dad is not too keen to do any type of hiking. Especially at this altitude.

We did run into some wildlife while at the park. We saw a few marmots while at the Forest Canyon overlook. And we ran into some elk and some moose on our way out of the park. It was fun to be out there with them and share a different kind of experience than is usual for us.

The next day we drove for a while towards Estes Park, which was going to be our camping spot for the night. It’s a really cool spot – right outside Rocky Mountain National Park. The camp site was mostly empty and had great views of the snow capped mountains in the distance. Erika was pleased because it had hot showers (I didn’t mind either).

That night we just chilled and made dinner. We cooked some sausages over the fire. It had been a while since I cooked like that. Reminiscent of Australia.

The next day we got an early start and went into the national park. The lines were super long getting in, even though it was officially off-season for the park. The main road, Trail Ridge Road, was closed. It doesn’t open until Memorial Day. But there were still lots of other places to check out.

Mostly Bear Lake Road, which is a corridor with some hiking trails and other points of interest. I wasn’t feeling all that great so we decided to pass on some of the longer hikes. But we still made a stop at Sprague Lake and Bear Lake.

Sprague Lake was a smaller body of water but the picture opportunities here were incredible. Erika and I walked around the lake and only made it about a third of the way before we sat down and took everything in. After some time, we took a look to our right and there was just a bunch of people gathered around this one spot a few hundred feet down the path.

To our suprise there was a moose just hanging out in the water, eating some grass. We made our way over there and took some pictures. Making sure to keep our distance. You have to be careful with the moose. They can be quite tempermental.

After that we took a drive up the mountain towards Bear Lake and did the hike around there. At that altitude there was still alot of snow on the ground. I would say over half the walk around the lake was through snow. But it was still beautiful. I am excited to see this place when I come back in the summer.

From there we headed back to Denver to stay by my sister’s place. Erika still had a few more days before she left to go back to Wisconsin. A successful trip!