Like we did after the first month, we wanted to follow up on some of our previous questions and answer a few new ones to see how the first 105 days on the road has been:
Q: You’re three plus months in. How are things going?
Scott: It’s been a whirlwind of an adventure. I’m shocked that it’s already been over three months since we left our house to start this trip. Most days are great. Obviously, living in close quarters and always being around each other has caused some friction, but for the most part, we’ve been a great team. We know when to give each other space and when we can lean on one another for help. Living in the small camper is like second nature now and it’s become the normal. Luckily the rainy days of July are behind us and it’s starting to get cold enough that the mosquitoes are dying off!
Jamie: Some days are great and there are others that I’m ready to call this thing over and go home. I’d say most days are better than they are not. It is very hard living in a small space with two people that I have to be responsible for. I feel like, if it weren’t for me, these two boys would be lost in the woods somewhere. I’m exhausted from being the person that has to figure it out all the time. It has been nice over the last couple weeks, now that we’ve been in Edmonton and now in the National Parks, to get out again and get some hiking and sightseeing in. The weeks prior, like Yellowknife and Hay River, there haven’t been a lot of things to go see, so there was less activity and more, just moving from one place to the next, so it’s nice to be getting active again.
William: Good. They’re getting better and I’m not sad about not being at home anymore. I still miss it, but I’m not as sad.
Q: What do you miss most about being at home in Arizona?
Scott: There are three things I miss most of all. One, I miss television. On the trip, we have had Netflix, Prime and Disney Plus, but I do miss regular television. I’ve never been much of a news watcher, but our source of news now is what we read through news websites. Two, I miss our shower. Depending on what campsite we’re at, we have to either deal with paid and timed showers, showers that are less than desirable due to cleanliness, or inconsistent with temperatures. Nothing worse than trying to put on your underwear, in a dirtyish shower room and your wet foot catches and you end up stepping on your skivvies onto a wet, hair covered floor. Three, I miss a reliable, consistent washing machine. As the primary laundry doer on this trip, I’m not liking that each RV park or laundromat has different machines, different settings and run for different amounts of time. I mean, what is a 30lb washer anyway!?
Jamie: I miss having my own personal space and, same as Scott, I miss having a dependable laundry machine that isn’t used by hundreds of other people.
William: I miss my friends. All my stuffies. I miss home …. not sure if I mentioned my stuffies, but I definitely miss them. It’s been weird traveling around every day.
Q: Of all the locations you have visited, which one do you wish you could call home?
Scott: Too many to choose from. I originally thought Vancouver or Vancouver Island, but there have been places like, Valdez in Alaska, Whitehorse in Yukon and as of late, Jasper, in Alberta has been beautiful. Not sure if I could handle the snow or not. Going to school in Prescott, does not qualify as living in a winter residence.
Jamie: I guess I’d still say Vancouver. It has all the big city amenities (Costco), but the suburbs are very quaint and homey feeling. It has great weather, great outdoor activities, great public transit and great access to national parks. It’s just great … really hard to describe.
William: Edmonton. I’d want to go to the mall every day. I’d never leave the mall without doing something, like going to the water park or the amusement park, or buying something. I could live in that mall. And I’d be able to increase my stuffie collection.
Q: What stresses you out the most on this trip?
Scott: Travel days are the most stressful. Trying to get the camper settled back on the truck and centered. Driving around 55mph on two lane highways where the speed limit is 65, and there’s a line of semis and other vehicles behind me stresses me out. I also tend to mirror the emotions and feelings of the rest of the family, so if they are stressed out, I’m stressed trying to unstress them.
Jamie: Being responsible for everything. I understand that Scott does the driving and maintains the camper, but having to set up reservations, figure out what we’re eating, William and his school. There’s always something rolling toward us that needs planned out, from camping sites, to figuring out the sights to see, and the hikes to take. Not to be mean, but it kinda feels like, the boys are just waiting for commands and would lose their ability to function on their own on a daily basis.
William: School for sure. It’s scary. It’s also been weird being in different locations all the time.
Q: How does William’s schooling fit in with all this travel? How is it going?
Scott: So far, school has been going well. Jamie is doing an amazing job at being the teacher and having to put up with the times that I fill in as a substitute. Jamie and William have developed a pretty good schedule. It’s school just about seven days a week but subjects are broken up by days, allowing for us to still do exploration, while keeping up with the syllabus. The one subject we haven’t had to worry about has been P.E. due to the bike rides, long hikes and exploring we’ve been doing.
Jamie: It’s been very stressful. It’s hard with him, because there are some days he’s adamantly against doing school. There are days where he’s super engaged and it’s been great but there are a lot of days that can stress out just about anyone. It’s also been hard to fit school in with travel, sightseeing and everything. He’s doing well and he’s getting good grades, so I don’t think I’m scarring him for life at this point.
William: It’s going ok … after a few weeks. The first couple weeks were tricky, but thanks to mommy making a more manageable schedule, it hasn’t been too bad.
Q: What is coming up that you are looking forward to?
Scott: As we’re driving, I’m most enjoying the changing of the seasons. As a Phoenix native, I’ve typically only experienced Summer and “Not Summer”. Up here, it’s neat to see the trees start changing colors, the nighttime temperatures are dropping, the mosquitoes are dying and here in the mountains, you can watch the snow level start to get closer and closer. Winter is just around the corner. For destinations, I’m looking forward to Banff, Calgary and Montana, which was always a place my dad wanted to move to.
Jamie: As a total hockey fan, I’m excited to have the hockey season start. I’m looking forward to seeing a preseason Calgary game in a week or so. I’m also excited to see family in the next couple months as we get back into the US. Family in Montana, and friends and family in Washington.
William: Mount Rushmore, for sure and Glass Beach in California, but that’s not coming up soon. That is still in forever.
We’re looking forward to about two and a half more months on this trip and can’t wait to get home to start planning round two! If you have any questions you would like us to answer, please leave a comment below!
