Tuesday, October 20th – 90 minutes on the stationary bike
Wednesday, October 21st– 13.33 mile run
Thursday, October 22nd – 90 minutes on the stationary bike
Friday, October 23rd – 10.10 mile run
Saturday, October 24th – 15 mile run
58.47 miles this week?! I'll take it! I'm stoked to report that the body is feeling good (I'd say the ankle is at about 95%... there are still moments every once in a while where I can feel a little twinge or that it isn't as completely stable as it once was, but that normally only happens on the trails or uneven terrain, so I will continue to take it slow and steady when I start pounding things other than the smooth pavement). The current game plan is to tackle the 4 x 4 x 48 challenge this upcoming week (running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours), so hopefully the body continues to feel super. Wish me luck!
I know, I know, this post is a long time coming, but I've heard they (whoever "they" are) say “better late than never”, right?!
If you have been around my corner of the InterWebs for a while, you are probably aware that the hubby and I love to adventure outdoors. We've upgraded our AdventureMobile a few times and I thought it was time to share our newest one.
Well, before we get to the present moment, let’s take a look back and talk about the evolution of our AdventureMobiles.
We originally started with "building out" the truck bed of our Ford Ranger truck. And by "building out", I mean we built a platform above the wheel wells in the truck bed that we would be able to throw our camp pads on and could use the space under said platform for storage. Let’s just say it was an AdventureMobile on a budget. It was a step up from tent camping (just barely ;)), and served its purpose when we needed it, but it was bare bones for sure!
Next up, we actually purchased a Volkswagen EuroVan. It was great to have everything contained in one area and have a lot more "luxuries" than we had in the previous AdventureMobile (like an actual bed, storage in cupboards and cabinets, etc). Although it was a step up from what we had previously, it definitely wasn’t what you would call reliable. There was a period of time when the cooling system went out and we would legit have to stop every 30 minutes or so if it was hot out to let it cool down before we could continue venturing on. And don’t get me started on our three week road trip up and down the West Coast, where we had to get it towed multiple times due to an electrical shortage triggered whenever it got wet… Like I said, not reliable... When we got back from our West Coast road trip, we put the EuroVan up for sale. It took a while, but we were able to sell it - even though deep down we were both a little sad to see it go!
I told the hubby I was done going from AdventureMobile to AdventureMobile (especially since I'd have to go to the DMV every time to register the new vehicle - UGH!), so we needed to figure out what we wanted long-term. After researching, the hubby decided getting a truck with off-road capability and putting a pop-up trailer in the bed was more our speed.
After more research we finally decided on the Four Wheel Camper brand. The models are made in the US, have great longevity, awesome resale value and were made for folks who like adventuring a little more off-the-grid. But, don’t get it twisted, just because we had made a decision on what we wanted, it was not easy finding it. Like I mentioned, the resale value stays strong, so it was hard to find what we wanted in a price range that worked for our budget.
Eventually, and by that I mean I think it took us close to six months to find the one we ultimately ended up purchasing, we found what we were looking for. We had to purchase the truck separately from the pop-up trailer, so as you can imagine, lots of moving pieces needed to fit into place for it all to work. Thankfully the timing and everything worked out perfectly!
I can’t believe I am saying this, but almost a year ago we purchased our new-to-us AdventureMobile (again, sorry it took so long for me to get this post up, I legit had grand ideas about having it live MONTHS ago, but then 2020 happened...).
What we ended up with, was a Ford F150 4x4 truck and a Four Wheel Camper Hawk model pop-up trailer in the bed. The Hawk model we purchased did have quite a few extra features we weren't originally in need of or desiring, but the deal was too good to pass up and we believe that if, in the future, we need/ want to sell it, it will help the resale value.
The time has FINALLY come to get to the fun part and share some photos of the AdventureMobile... I mean, that is why you're here, right?! The first batch of photos are what it looked like when we first purchased it. The fabric on the cushions was... um... not our cup of tea... and the cover for the mattress was missing (hence why we covered it with a blanket).
We used our government stimulus check to source a local seamstress to replace the covers on all of the cushions. We also bought new tires with the remainder (due to the additional weight from the trailer, we needed higher grade tires).
Besides the "big" changes we also made a few aesthetic updates. As you may have noticed, we changed the floors (and added a rug). Peel-and-stick flooring definitely wouldn’t be our preferred method if we were to do it again in the future (or we'd want to add extra adhesive under each plank), but it's working for what we need for the time being.
And we can’t forget about our sticker collection! The hubby and I have been collecting stickers, either general outdoors stickers or specific location stickers that we have travel to, and we have started putting them on the trailer fridge.
We also have added a few larger stickers from specific places we've been to on one of the back windows as well.
I'm not sure if you can tell from the photos, but there's a slide out portion for the bed which is located over the cab. We have additional cushions that fit in that space to make the bed closer to a queen size. When not in use, those "extra" cushions can be stored between the back of the fold-down couch/ futon and the window/ wall.
Originally, we had a lot more camping adventures on the schedule between when we purchased the AdventureMobile and now, but as I am sure you know, plans change... especially when a pandemic is involved! Even still, we have been lucky enough to have gone on a handful of adventures and still have a few more planned before the end of the year.
Oh yeah, and the names. A car always needs a name, right?! The Ford Ranger we built out was named Verde (green in Spanish). The VW EuroVan we named Cherry. {The previous owner was a big Dead Head and would travel from festival to festival to see the Grateful Dead. As a little play on Jerry Garcia's name, we named her Cherry.} We've been going back and forth on names for the current AdventureMobile for a while now. We are currently liking Harriet, the Mullet Mobile, and Miles. Harriet because there is a hawk who lives in the Oceanside Harbor who has what appears to be a spy mask over her eyes, which is why I named her Harriet in the first place (Harriet the Spy... the Nickelodeon movie... anyone remember it?!). Since the camper model is a Hawk we thought Harriet the Hawk sounded awesome. As far as the Mullet Mobile, a friend mentioned the truck reminded him of a mullet, business in the front, party in the back. And if you have seen the hubby's quarantine haircut, you know how much he is feeling this name. We also got the suggestion of "Miles" from a follower and love the fact that it sounds like a name as well as describe what we like to do… Run {and adventure and drive} all of the miles! Do you like one over the other?! Or maybe you even have another idea?! What do you think?!
I'm not sure if folks have specific questions about our AdventureMobile (whether about the purchase process, the features we were looking for, how we currently use it, etc.), but at least this will give you an idea of what we currently own. And I’ve got to say, the hubby, pup and I are loving it! That's not to say we will never upgrade or change it in the future, but for now it is just about everything we could want or need (even if we aren't utilizing everything as it's intended to be used).
If you do have specific questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments. PS Now is a good time to remind you, if you are not already following me on Instagram, feel free to do so at @CarleeMcDot. Most of the time I try and unplug when we are in nature (my phone goes on airplane mode), but I also do my best to try and share photos and videos of our journeys (when we return or get service), so if you're looking for more content on our AdventureMobile, you’ll find it there.
Do you enjoy camping? What "comforts" are a must-have when you are outdoors?
Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...
WALT WEDNESDAY!
When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?
A down week - 32.84 miles of running - but we were only home for about 3 days, so I'll take it. The hubby and I went camping in Tahoe last weekend and Mammoth this weekend. While we were home I was trying to do my best to catch up on sleep and listen to my body, so I had an extra rest day in there, but, hey, rest is part of the program, right?!
With all of the wildfires raging on the West Coast, the hubby and I have had a handful of our camping trips cancelled (not to mention the ones that were cancelled before that due to COVID). On our last trip to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, we decided to try and plan a few upcoming trips, hoping the first responders would be able to get the fires under control by the time we left. The first trip we put on the books (obviously in pencil, since we weren't sure it'd actually happen till about a day before we left) was to the Truckee/ Lake Tahoe area (straddling the California/ Nevada border).
The hubby and I had only been to Lake Tahoe once before. We went for a family wedding a couple of summers ago, which meant we didn't have a ton of time to explore the area because we were spending the majority of our time with friends and family. With the hubby working remote through at least the end of the year, I was able to request off Friday and Monday, making the 8.5 hour drive each way a little more "worth it" since we'd be able to stay for the long weekend. We packed up the AdventureMobile and left Thursday night after I got off work for the evening.
Originally we were planning to make it to Sacramento and stay with friends (well, technically we would have been staying in their driveway, still being respectful of the social distance orders in effect, but at least we would be in their vicinity ;)). Well, seeing as we didn't leave Carlsbad until around 7:15pm, by the time 12:30am hit we were pretty tired. Thankfully we were able to find a primitive campground in Gustine to crash at for the evening. It was empty as far as we could tell, but paid our $20 fee and snagged a spot (there didn't appear to be official spots, but there were picnic tables and fire pits every once in a while, so we parked where we thought was a spot) near the water. It was pretty windy, but other than that it seemed fine. We pulled in, popped the top and hit the sack. The wind on the O'Neill Forebay was the perfect soundtrack to fall asleep to. By 7am we were both refreshed and ready to continue on towards our final destination.
Although the hubby has the flexibility to be able to work remote currently, that doesn't mean he is just maxin' and relaxin'. With that said, Friday was still a work day for him, so I did the driving, letting him work from the passenger seat. We were staying in Truckee at a campground, but on the way we wanted to stop at some spots near Donner Lake. The plan was to stop at a few of the pull-offs to check out the views on the drive in, then we'd go to Donner Lake for the afternoon.
The hubby was able to set up a little mobile work station on the coast of the lake (not a rough life, that's for sure) and I decided to get in a few miles. A friend told me the loop around the lake was about 7 miles, so I figured I'd do a lap, check in with the hubby to see how much more work he had to do before deciding whether to head out for longer or not.
After my first loop I checked in with him and he still had a bit more to do (apparently I run too fast, haha). I figured that instead of an entire loop around the lake, I'd run down to the Donner Memorial State Park to check out the monument and little museum. It wasn't a very big park, but still interesting to check out and read about the history. I was able to get in 11 miles, take in the sights and enjoy the beauty that was all around me (all while the hubby got his work done for the day).
Once the hubby was done for the day we decided to head over to get in a quick hike. We tackled the Tahoe Rim Trail to Picnic Rock Viewpoint (the complete Tahoe Rim Trail is 170 miles total around the lake, so obviously we weren't going to be able to make a dent in that, especially with a wiener dog in tow, but we could still check out a small portion of it). It was about a 5K, round trip, with some gorgeous views. The smoke was still noticeable, but wasn't too terrible (seemed more like a light haze than smoke, per say). Because we started the hike later in the afternoon, there weren't many people on the trail - maybe 6 or 7 total that we came across. It was a great way to end the day.
Eventually we made it back to the car (although Walt the Wiener Dog loves coming on adventures with us, he isn't the quickest... so the 3 mile hike took us upwards of an hour and a half ;)) and aimed the AdventureMobile in the direction of Truckee and our campground. I'll be honest (hopefully you know you can expect that from me 100% of the time!), the campgrounds were nothing special... most of them are right along the main road, which makes for a less than natural feel when you hear cars driving by 24/7, but it sufficed for what we needed. Oh yeah, and before I forget, you didn't think I'd let the fire bans restrict my s'more enjoyment, did you?! You better believe we used the stove to make a s'more or two ;)
The game plan for Saturday was originally going to be adventure around Tahoe City (on the west side of the lake) and then Incline Village (on the east side of the lake) on Sunday, but the weather looked like it would be better on Sunday so we swapped our "itinerary" so our beach day would have warmer temps and more sun. #FlexibilityIsKeyInAdventuring
When we woke up on Saturday morning we ate some breakfast, walked the pup and then decided to run the Five Lakes Trail near Olympic Village. The trail wasn't super well marked so we took a few detours along the way (just part of the adventure, right?!) but we enjoyed every step. We started early enough so we didn't see very many people until we were on our way back to the truck. The weather was near perfect (in the high 40s/ low 50s), even if it was overcast and cloudy. With our "bonus distance" we were able to add another five and a half miles or so to our weekend mileage.
{FYI - In case you were curious, the way we trail "run" is by hiking the uphills and running the flats and downhills, while stopping along the route for as many pictures as we'd like. It is important when it comes to trail running (at least for a runner who is normally laser focused on pace, like me) to toss the numbers out the window and just enjoy the journey!}
After getting in our trail run, it was time for a hike with the pup (with the perfect weather, Walt was able to chillax in the AdventureMobile while we were getting our run on). We were able to explore Shirley Trail a bit. There was supposed to be a waterfall, but the riverbed was dry and there wasn't much flowing water. Even still, it was fun to check out the area.
Seeing as we were in the area where the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run takes place I wanted to check it out. Obviously, as the name mentions, the course is 100 miles (with 18,000 feet of elevation gain!), so I wasn't expecting that we'd run the route, but we were able to see the starting "rock". I doubt I'll ever run the race, but I can dream (and only imagine the buzz of all the amazing trail running energy in Olympic Village around the event).
We also walked around Tahoe City. It's a cute little town. It reminded me of Julian, near us. While there we stopped in a few shops to snag some stickers (I will have to snap a picture of our fridge in the AdventureMobile because we are covering it with stickers from places we've visited) and I even met a IG follower - Brittany! The signs around town were pretty awesome too (even if the doggy one has a grammatical error... I might've been tempted to add an apostrophe...).
And I can't forget about the PENNYBEARS! Okay, so I know not everyone is interested in roadside attractions like the "World's Largest Frying Pan", but the hubby and I think they're fun so always try to stop. We saw that in Heritage Plaza there were "penny bears". We didn't know what to expect (other than bears made out of pennies, ha), but we were very impressed with what we saw! I guess I figured the pennies would be laying flat, but they were actually on their side and you couldn't tell the HUGE statues were covered by pennies till you got close. Pretty cool if we do say so ourselves ;)
On the way back to the campground we made a pit-stop at Truckee Brewing Co. I don't like beer, but the hubby does, so we popped in so he could get a flight of beers and try the local brews. In case you are a beer aficionado or care, he got the Brut IPA, Truckee IPA, Oatmeal Stout and Double IPA. He liked the Double and Brut most, but said they all were tasty.
After a day full of adventure we made our way back to the campgrounds to hang out and play some games (we didn't keep score, but we agreed I won ;)). Let's just say the pup was pooped and I was plenty fine enjoying his snuggles!
Since the weather was supposed to be better on Sunday (although, truth be told, it was pretty perfect on Saturday, so we definitely lucked out), we made it our "beach" day. We started the morning by driving over to check out Bonsai Rock in Incline Village. Obviously we took the "less traveled" path (aka we got a little lost and had to do a bit of bushwhacking), but the views were pretty fantastic. We could absolutely see why so many people L-O-V-E Lake Tahoe!
After getting in a little meandering through the rocks and seaside, we decided we'd do a little trail run. We had looked up Flume Trail but apparently when the hubby put it in his phone he selected Incline Flume Trail, which apparently is different - hehe. Not only that, but when we got to the "wrong" trailhead, we went the wrong way on it and ran out of trail within about a mile and found ourselves on a different trail. Oh golly gee... It's all about the adventure, right?!
We still were able to get in a little over 4 miles and enjoyed every step! I'm so lucky that A. the hubby is good at directions (because even if we were on a different trail than originally anticipated he was able to keep us from getting lost... I, on the other hand, would have a hard time finding my way out of a paper bag...) and B. he's always down for an adventure!
After eating a quick lunch at the trailhead (like normal, we kept it super simple with tortilla, nut butter and banana wraps and a side of trail mix/ nuts/ chips/ etc... and some hard booch from Local Roots Kombucha ;)), we drove over to the East Shore Trail to get in our doggy walk. We got in about 2.5 miles round trip, with a quick detour at Hidden Beach {but, in case you were wondering, it is not so hidden since it's obviously on all of the maps and tourist information ;)}.
Somehow the pup "talked" the hubby into letting him hitch a ride for part of the hilly walk back. Thankfully he had already hit his mile (we are currently doing a walk streak for him {and over 750 days!}, where we walk at least one continuous mile at a time every day, so we wouldn't let him "cheat" ;)) when the hubby scooped him up for a bit. #SpoiledPup #DogDad
When we got back to the truck we decided an afternoon at the beach was calling our names, so we put Chimney Beach in the GPS and away we went. (I know, I know, most people recommend Sand Harbor Beach, but they don't allow dogs, plus it costs $10 to get in since it's a state beach, so we opted for the doggy-friendly {and free} alternative and it was great!) We did a bit of hiking down to a little secluded cove and hung out for about an hour or two.
It was a perfectly relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Did you know that Lake Tahoe is actually the second deepest lake in the United States (and tenth in the world)?! With that said, the water is pretty chilly (especially below the surface), so I only got in up to my knees. The hubby did a couple quick dips to cool off and said he's felt colder ;)
Sunday evening brought a quiet night back at the campsite (since fires are not allowed currently, once the sun goes down we pretty much hang out inside the AdventureMobile {it was in the 30s at night} and end up going to bed shortly after the sun sets). We got most of our stuff packed up after dinner so we'd be ready to leave the next morning and hit the hay.
Similar to Friday, Monday was a work day for the hubby, so I did the driving on the way home. We left the campground around 7am and stopped in Truckee one last time so I could snap a final picture. The town was still asleep and was pretty chilly (28*), but the scene was so serene. I know this was the first time we've been to the Truckee/ North Lake Tahoe area, but I have a feeling it won't be the last! We barely scratched the surface of the trails to run/ hike and things to see/ do!
