Relocate

Our trip to relocate from Los Angeles to Chicago began in late summer, when I won an auction for a Ford E250 on eBay. The van came in with only 88,359 miles and zero rust. I tracked the VIM, and it never left Arizona. Came with curbside delivery as well. What a win! I did push my luck, though, by buying it based solely on the photos, without ever seeing it in person.

As the van was modified to include a wheelchair lift in the back, it came equipped with a high-top, extended-ceiling version. The only challenge was getting that thing out and it turned out far harder than expected. No one had a need for it either, not even for free.

Once the wheelchair lift was removed, I was able to tear out both back benches and replace them with a custom-built bed, complete with enough storage to fit all of our crap underneath. Since the goal was to use the van only for relocation and sell it after arrival in Chicago, the bed only needed to survive the trip.

Ultimately, I used a few 2x4s and some leftover planks, spending less than $50. On top of that, I added a 4-inch queen-size foam mattress. I also replaced the battery, brakes, and tires for about $1,500. Neither the brakes nor the tires looked like they’d be able to safely get us through the mountainous terrain of Colorado.

Day 1 - Off we go

Our 3-week-ish trip starts today! Leaving Los Angeles for Chicago with a route packed full of stops across 7 states. Moving east means no more access to In-N-Out, so I made sure to eat as much as I could (4x4, Triple Triple, Double Double, Cheeseburger) and probably ate myself sick. Sadly the Hole-In-The-Wall campground was closed due to the pandemic, but I had some BLM spots written down, and we had them all to ourselves—arriving just in time for sunset.

Day 2 - First time at the Grand Canyon

The first full night of sleep in our van was great. The mattress was super comfortable and spacious enough for two people. We started the day with some leftover burgers fried up in cheesy tortillas and made our way toward the Grand Canyon. I’ve never been there, so of course I’m super excited. We arrived in the late afternoon and damn, this thing is huuuuge. It’s hard to explain without actually standing there and looking far out. Even though we couldn’t get down into the canyon itself (dogs), it was still mindblowing.

We left before sunset and hit our second BLM spot inside Kaibab National Forest, where we had our first self-made dinner of the trip.

Day 3 - Another day at the Canyon

I woke up early and enjoyed the brisk morning in the forest, shooting a sheet of film, though I was dumb enough to double expose it. In the end, it still turned out excellent.

Day 4 - Towards Monument Valley

Time to leave the Grand Canyon for Monument Valley. Sadly, the reservation is closed due to the pandemic, so we couldn’t really make the drive through it. Still, we got a great view from a distance.

We had a solid four-hour drive ahead of us, but we were rewarded with probably the best BLM spot of the entire trip. I woke up around 2 a.m. when someone pulled into camp. When I went outside for a piss, I saw the most spectacular night sky, similar or better to the one I’d seen in Inner Mongolia. I wish I’d taken a photo.

Day 5 - Dip into Lake Powell

Since the loop drive was closed, we just got a quick peek at Monument Valley and headed to our next stop — Lake Powell in Page. Day 5 without a shower had been enough for us, so we pulled into a motel after going for a dip in the lake.

Day 6 - Red Canyon Campground

After getting a good night’s sleep in a real bed, we headed toward our next stop: Red Canyon Campground in Dixie National Forest.

We arrived shortly after lunch and found a great spot under a few large pine trees. After settling in, we started our hike just a minute outside of camp. It was pretty hot that day, so one of our dogs had to be brought back as the hike was too strenuous.

The other one went with me and made the 3-hour hike without issues. Only to wake up the next morning barely able to walk, as she was running up and down the trail looking for chipmunks.

Day 7 - Bryce Canyon covered in Wildfire Smoke

While last night’s skies were crystal clear, today Canadian wildfires sent clouds of smoke our way. The views were still spectacular, but the beautiful contrast between lush blue skies and striking orange was missing.

Day 8 - Next stop Moab

After a quick stop at Kodachrome Basin State Park (which, to be honest, wasn’t too spectacular), we planned to head to Goblin Valley BLM on UT-12/24. However, it was either closed or we couldn’t find access. We decided to go straight to Moab and rented a room at La Quinta, then got some Thai after the long drive.

Day 9 - Exploring Moab and surroundings

Moab was one of the stops where we stayed more than one night, because the surroundings have so much to offer. Our first destination was the Grandstaff Trail, where at the end we saw a spectacular sandstone arch. Super fun and easy hike. We were done fairly late, and since liquor stores close early in Utah, I was rushed and ended up buying a bottle of Steel Reserve (along with regular beer). It messed me up real bad. I usually drink a lot of shitty beer, but this was something else. At least our BLM was top notch. Barely anyone around us and we had a beautiful glowing sunset.

Day 10 - Arches National Park

Thanks to last night’s Steel Reserve binge, we had to start the day with McDonald’s before heading toward Arches National Park, where we hiked the Corona Arch Trail, one of the few hikes that allows dogs. The hike was pretty easy, with few climbs, and we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Bowtie and Corona Arch.

Day 11 - Telluride

After a couple of days in Moab, we continued eastward toward Colorado. Our first stop was Mountain Village, where we took the gondola to Telluride and had pizza for lunch at Brown Dog Pizza. Our overnight spot was a beautiful BLM area outside Ophir, surrounded by pine trees and mountains. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon reading books, and I shot some film.

Day 12 - Early frost got us

I didn't expect it to get that cold, but we woke up to frozen windows and barely functioning gas canisters. It wasn’t a real issue, though, as the sun would soon rise above the mountain ridge and warm us up.

Day 13 - Leaving the San Juan Mountains

Instead of driving back, we took a detour south on our way to Chicago and headed toward Cortez, near Mesa Verde, to check out two super interesting ancestral Puebloan structures of the American Southwest the next day.

We hit the local grocery store to stock up on food and treated ourselves to another night at a motel.

Day 14 - Hovenweep Ruins

All day spent checking out Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and Hovenweep Ruins. No crowds, just dust and dry wind. Tons of dry rock and sun-baked walls, some of the ruins were pretty well preserved, others just crumbling into the dirt.

Day 15 - Saw a Moose

After the stop in Cortez, we headed north again toward a BLM site near Silverton. I saw my first moose that same evening (didn’t try getting a photo).

Day 16 - The creepiest BLM

While Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park wasn't too impressive (guess we were spoilt at this point) the lunch at Jimmers BBQ, Burgers, & Beers made up for it. Double beef patty, pulled pork, Bacon, and onion rings. Solid A. That night, we stayed outside of Montrose at some random BLM, and it was creepy with chopped off cow legs and bones lying around.

Day 17 - Haviland Lake Trail

We hiked the 4 miles long Haviland Lake Trail and treated ourselves to some pizza and a motel.

Day 18 - Crossing the continental divide

Before we left Glenwood Springs we visited Kid Curry's grave and then went for some donuts at Sweet Coloradough. Until then, I didn’t know open carry was legal in Colorado.

Later, we continued on and crossed the continental divide at 11,312 feet.

Day 19 and 20 - Denver

We stopped in Denver to catch up with some friends and spent 1.5 days there. Not too much happened besides.

Day 21 - Leaving Colorado

After hanging out with friends, we planned to head north for a hike in Estes Park, including a night in a campground. As we rolled through Estes Park, we noticed the campground was closed as the season ended. We tried making it to another BLM spot, but ultimately our van couldn’t make the steep hill, and we had to retreat. We decided to visit the Stanley Hotel before making our way to Kansas.

Day 22 - Zooming through Kansas

Woke up at another great BLM spot that was completely empty. We really tried to find something interesting to see in Kansas—but there was nothing. We stopped for some BBQ at Gates and Arthur Bryant's but that was about it. A full day drive of about 500 miles and pulled in late at our BLM spot. The farther you are from the West, the harder it gets to find public land to camp on.