3 Unexpected Adjustments to Vanlife: From a Few Incredible Days in Grand Teton National Park

I was surprised how much my impression of it changed as I worked my way around the shore and then up the mountain for a bird’s-eye view. Phelps Lake is gorgeous, in a lot of different ways.

What to Expect If You Throw Your Keys Away in a National Park

And what the hey, if I was going to be stuck in the parking lot until Monday, apparently hallucinating trail information, and things literally falling apart around me, I figured I would just pop open a cold one and watch Disney movies.

The Problem with Jumping in the Deep End

I’m not writing this post to complain. I realized that this — everything being a total mess — is part of the whole experience.

I’m not failing at it, I’m doing it.

Trial RunCarson CostaAugust 23, 2019Self-doubt, Self, Self Improvement, Reflections, Problems, Mess, Mishaps, Advice, Crater Lake National Park, Overcoming problems, Solutions, Corvettes, Driving, Nice Drive, Smoke, Seward, Alaska, Learning, Library, Gordon, New Friends, Friends, Fairbanks, State Fair, United States, Experience, Changes, Ways of Doing Things, Writing, Catching Up, Rogue River Gorge, Casey State Recreation Site, Ocean, Travel, A Peek Inside My Weird Brain, Blogging, Cooking, Dirty, Exhaustion, Excitement, Goals, Giving Up in the Best Way, intervention, I'm late again, Inner Thoughts, Sink, Late, Losing my mind, National Parks, Oregon, Panic, Snow, Stress, Trial Run, Time Crunch, Tiny Living, Vanlife, Adventure, Zach, Amazing People, Blockbuster, Dream Come True, Dreams Comments

One Cabinet Down...

Trying to square up a cabinet that’s finished except for the back is completely ridiculous. We ended up having to build outside corner squares to brace our clamps on the two opposite corners of the cabinet and pull it into square.

Pre-TripCarson CostaJuly 9, 2019Vanlife, Van Build, Paint, Painting, Cabinets, Family, Mishaps, Problems, Amazing People, Ceiling, Carpentry, Challenges, DIY, Thanks to, Neighbors, Wood, Boards, Wood Working Comment

I Destroyed Part of My Build

I was dead set on pretending I had no van, and that I’d never been crazy enough to start this insane project, for the rest of the day.

Making Great Headway

For about 60 seconds I felt like I was going to pass out with horror, but the solution is pretty obvious and not that big of a deal, even if it wasn’t going to turn out super pretty.

Construction 101: My Journey From Clueless to Clued-In

I don’t think I’d ever so much as touched a saw of any kind, I had no idea that 2x4 really meant 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches, and the descriptions of some of these screws sounded like gibberish to me (how can a screw be both a Phillip’s and flat? Why is it a #8 but it’s 2 inches long?).

Pre-TripCarson CostaMay 31, 2019Carpentry, Wood Working, Drills, Things Breaking, Progress, Problems, Walls, Flowers, Vanlife, Van Build, Furring, Framing, Learning, Sealant, Subfloor, Self-doubt, Inner Thoughts, Planning, Mishaps, Time Crunch, Tools, Layout, Trial Run Comments

The Open Road is an iconic image.