Ultimate ONE day guide to Rocky Mountain National Park | Winter Edition
With time to spare before thanksgiving we decided to make a quick trip to one of our favorite winter destinations! ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK! We love this park’s natural beauty and winter hiking is so fun in Colorado’s snow covered mountains that we just couldn’t miss an opportunity to stop in and trek some trails. We took a trip down memory lane by staying at RMNP’s only campground open in the winter, then headed up to hike to stunning lake Haiyaha… Shout out to our pals Cait and Jacob for the recco! This was one of our final destinations before making our way back to Chicago for the holidays and it was such a special stop on our journey.
Ultimate ONE day Zion National Park Itinerary | Angels landing & the Narrows
After YEARS, multiple Zion trips, and countless attempts to get a permit we FINALLY secured a permit to hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park. This stunning hike is as the heart of Zion and includes some risky traverses over narrow cliffs. We started around sunrise and had a wonderful time taking in the beautiful views on our way up the mountain. Ending the hike in the late morning allowed us time to also hike a good chunk of the Narrows (another one of Zion NP’s famous adventures) as well in the afternoon. Wading through (at times) waist deep water in waterproof pants was certainly a memory we won’t forget anytime soon. Thanks for enjoying this journey with us and thanks for watching :)
VANLIFE in Arizona | Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, & Glenn Canyon
The Glenn Canyon area of Arizona is stunning. We had an incredible time learning about antelope canyon and how it was made. Lower Antelope Canyon was made from water washing out the canyon over time. The way the light streams through the canyon is just stunning. The navajo nation doesn’t allow video recording during your visit to the canyon but we think the photos we captured are just as beautiful. Visiting horseshoe bend and marveling at the stunning views below all while having our feet dangle from the edge of a steep cliff was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend. Hope you enjoy checking out these amazing places with us.
VANLIFE in New Mexico | Santa Fe, Santuario de Chimayo, & Taos Ski Valley
We had a great weekend exploring Santa Fe! It was pretty quiet on a Sunday morning in October but the weather was being a bit wonky so we were just glad to be outside exploring! The Santuario de Chimayo was beautiful and we loved feeling the history all around. We had plans to try to summit the highest peak in New Mexico but you know what they say about plans … the first big snow storm of the year rolled in and prevented us from attempting the hike. Instead we found ourselves in the beautiful Taos Ski Valley and got to enjoy a few days working among the stunning snow covered mountains. It was such a highlight of our time in NM. Hope you enjoy!
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad | a USA Bucketlist Must-Do Adventure
Ever since we set foot on this train I have been so amped to share this experience with you all! This was my favorite thing we did in New Mexico and one of my top experiences we’ve had in the US so far! We embarked on our journey October 22nd which meant the leaves were just about perfectly painted with fall colors and the views were out of this world. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America. We started in New Mexico and took the train all the way to Colorado! It was a full day of fresh air, Rocky mountain views, great food, history, and just so much fun. We can’t recommend adding this to your bucket list enough!
VANLIFE in New Mexico | Camping at Nambe Falls & Ojo Caliente Resort
More New Mexico Fun!!! The natural beauty of this state is almost indescribable and even though we filled just about every waking second of our time here, I still feel like there are 1 million more things we could’ve done. Come on a new journey with us to hike “The Narrows” of New Mexico! This hike was so much fun and was the perfect way to end a workday. Getting to spend some time on a reservation was also a real privilege for us on this journey. Speaking of privileges, our time at Ojo Caliente was exactly what we needed after a few weeks of exploring! It was relaxing, refreshing, and we got to take a shower which was much needed! As always thanks for watching and exploring the world with us!
VANLIFE Underground | Carlsbad Caverns, the International UFO Museum, & Billy the Kid’s Grave
Have you Heard of Carlsbad Caverns? it is a National Park at the south eastern corner of New Mexico and is made up of an underground cave system filled with an endless amount of adventure!! We had the best day exploring the caves and learning about how they were created. Following our adventures at the park our day took quite the turn when we decided to stop in Roswell, New Mexico and check out the international UFO museum. A day filled with underground caves, aliens, and even outlaw graveyards is one we would never get to experience without our van. Thanks for watching the video and hope you’re looking forward to many more adventures in the year ahead.
VANLIFE in Las Cruces, New Mexico | The Trinity Site & White Sand National Park
We almost made it to Mexico!! Las Cruces, New Mexico is less than an hour from the border of Mexico and it is packed with awesome food and unbelievable experiences! We got the privilege to visit the Trinity Site (only open to the public 2x a year), see some African wildlife, eat some reallyyy good food, and go sledding at White Sands National Park!! A week here didn’t feel like enough! Hope you all are taking some time off as the year wraps up here and enjoy watching this video with your loved ones :)
Ultimate Weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico | Hot Air Balloons, Hot Springs & National Parks!!
This video is the start to a month in New Mexico! So get ready for some amazing content around what ended up being one of our favorite states so far. We spent the Entire month of October in New Mexico And loved every second of it! In this video we explored Albuquerque - our weekend was chock full of adventure. We began by exploring Wildlife west nature park.
Saturday we got to see Bandelier national Park and then visited the San Antonio Hot Springs which were out of this world. Sunday we finally got to visit the famous Albuquerque international balloon fiesta and then saw some amazing petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. Exploring the Albuquerque area was so much fun and we’re so excited to share it with you!
The Most Epic Week in Glacier National Park | Backpacking Cracker Lake & The Granite Park Chalet
We were beyond lucky to meet up with some of our family in Glacier National Park this September for an epic week of adventures!! Katie’s siblings (Matt & Emma) and they’re awesome significant others (An & Patrick) joined us for a fun packed week including hiking to Avalanche and Hidden Lakes, Swimming in Grinnel Glacier, Backpacking to Cracker Lake, and an incredible overnight at the Granite Park Chalet! A week of camping and hiking and swimming in ice cold glacial lakes and we miss every second of it :) Hope you enjoy some clips from our adventure and hope it gives you some ideas for your next adventure with your family and friends!
VANLIFE in Couer d’Alene, Sandpoint & Lake Koocanusa | dreamy sunsets and epic campsites in Idaho
We love Idaho so much that even after we left the state to visit Spokane Washington we circled right back into Idaho to explore the chimney of the state! Does anyone call it that? I don’t know but it looks like a chimney so we’ll stick with that. The chimney has ALOT to offer! We spent an AMAZING week in Couer d’Alene before heading to Sandpoint. AND THEN! The dreamiest lake we had never heard of (shout out to the parking lot stranger that pointed us in the right direction). This video is dreamy sunset lake views for days and we hope that (like us) - you can’t get enough.
VANLIFE in Boise l Famous Diners, Forest Fires & an Unexpected Trip to Spokane, Washington
We LOVE Idaho! The state has so much to offer and we really think it’s one of the US’s best kept secrets. Boise National Forest is actually one of our favorite places to spend time so we were pretty bummed when our time there got cut short due to some unexpected circumstances. Lucky for us it turned into a new and exciting night stay and a dreamy fruit farm in Washington that I really couldn’t get enough of. Peaches for days!!!
Backpacking Sawtooth Wilderness Loop | 8 days & 70 miles
In August we met up with Bubba again for our annual backpacking adventure! This year we embarked on a loop trek that was nearly double the amount of last years trip. I (Katie) was a bit nervous going into this 8 day 70 mile trek but man did we end up having the time of our lives!! The sawtooth wilderness is just non stop amazing views, beautiful mountains, incredible lakes, and stunning campsites around every corner. This video is a bit long but we had HOURS of footage to sort through to pull this recap together. It was seriously a dream and we were bummed to see the trip end. Hope you enjoy trekking around Idaho with us on this once in a lifetime journey!
VANLIFE in Santa Cruz and Capitola | Electricity Problems & Ice Cream Solutions
Spending some time in California was a big goal for us this summer! Something about the beach and sunshine just makes ya want to wander around outside all day long. After spending a week in San Francisco we decided to head a bit south and checkout some California beach towns. In spite of some electricity troubles, we enjoyed some walks on the beach, a picnic, ice cream, and a concert on the beach!! It ended as an all around beautiful week in CA. Hope you enjoy exploring Santa Cruz and Capitola with us!!
VANLIFE in San Francisco | Favorite Memories from a Week in a Van in San Fran
Still not over this week in dreamy San Francisco. This was truly the first significant amount of time Bryce and I got to spend in this beautiful city and it is truly worth all the hype. Mild yet enjoyable weather, beautiful beaches with sea creatures, stunning running paths along the ocean, great food, and the chance to spend time with family and friends. We had such a fun week exploring San Fran and even got the chance to fit in a hike!! In true Bryce and Katie fashion! Hope you enjoy reliving some of these great memories with us :)
VANLIFE in Tahoe | Camping, Hiking, Running, and a Stunning Wedding
We have wanted to go to Lake Tahoe for quite some time now.. so we were just over the moon to find out that Anna and Julian were planning to tie the knot in this special place! We arrived a week before the wedding and had plenty of time to settle into this beautiful scenery. We camped at a stunning campground up in the mountains to stay out of the heat, we hiked to hidden beach and got to swim in that beautiful Tahoe blue water, and we got to celebrate the love of an amazing couple! We had so much fun and hope you enjoy reliving these memories with us!! Tahoe in July is a big YES from us :)
Mount Whitney | Summiting the Highest Peak in the Contiguous United States
This adventure really felt like a “this is what we train for” experience. It felt like all the big hikes we’ve done over the past 2 years lead us to this moment. We were very lucky to snag a permit to hike this mountain because it turns out that reaching the highest peak in the contiguous US is something a lot of folks aim to do. The hike totals over 6,000 feet of elevation gain and over 20 miles of hiking and the permits are very sought after. So much so that we made the 1,057 mile drive from Denver, Colorado to Lone Pine, California in the mater of a few days in order to use the permit! We started around 2am and had a full day of hiking and then some! Reaching the summit was so meaningful to us and an accomplishment we will forever be proud of. If you’re considering tackling this hike and just interested in what it took physically and emotionally give our video a watch! Hope you enjoy!
VANLIFE Adventures in Denver & Rocky Mountain National Park | Family Reunion Edition
One of the things we were MOST excited about when moving into the van was just getting the chance to meet up with family and friends in amazing places around the country. So meeting up with my (Katie’s) in-laws in Denver for the 4th of July was such a treat!! We explored Rocky Mountain National Park together, kayaked, hiked, and even floated the river through Denver on tubes together!! We also got to eat at Bryce’s dad’s FAVORITE ice cream place of all time! Shout out to Nuggs ❤️ Hope you enjoy spending time with our family as much as we did! Thanks for watching!
VANLIFE Wedding Anniversary | Adventures in Crested Butte & Gunnison
VANLIFE in Ouray | Perimeter Trail, Hot Springs, Box Canyon, & A LOT of good food
Is this just a video of Bryce and I eating a lot of food and pronouncing the name of a town incorrectly?? in some ways yes! But in some ways it’s so much more. Ouray is incredible. We drove past it in the winter of 2020 and just knew we had to come back. There’s hot springs, there’s ice cream, there’s epic canyons, and there’s a trail that wraps the entire town! I mean what more can you ask for… oh I guess free camping would be good… WAIT! They have that too!! Certainly a Colorado mountain town you don’t want to be missing out on. Thanks for joining us on the great Ouray food and hike tour!!
The Colorado 14er Series | Summit #2 | Mt. Sneffles
If you're thinking about hiking Mt. Sneffles you NEED TO WATCH THIS.... unless you want to find yourself hiking endlessly in the wrong direction... is that foreshadowing? maybe. Whew, was this hike killer... but also so soooo rewarding. I mean the views were just unbelievable! We hit some bad weather, some wrong turns, and some moments where we thought we might not make it. Its definitely on the list of one of the scariest hikes I've ever done. I don't think Ill be forgetting that stomach wrenching feeling of looking down at the peaks below me as I slid down the ridge mid hailstorm anytime soon... but it sure is fun to look back at now. Hope you truly enjoy this adventure with us. We loved taking you all along with us in our pocket and are so glad we all made it back safe and sound! 14er #2 for us and it didn't disappoint :)
VANLIFE in Telluride | Epic Camping, Bridal Veil Falls & The Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride is just absolutely unbelievable anytime of year but the summer here just blew us away. We got to spend some time in Telluride a couple winters ago were just awe struck by the beauty of this place. We knew we had to come back... so what a surprise it was to us to find that the wonderful summer week we found ourselves returning happened to be the week of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival! We hiked, we worked, we parties, and we ate a lot of ice cream and we just had the absolute best time celebrating Bryce as he aged another year!! Join us on a fabulous celebration of Bryce's birthday in a truly stunning Colorado town :)
The Colorado 14er Series | Summit #1 | Quandary Peak
Our FIRST 14er!! What an awesome experience! Bryce and I decided to start a new series here documenting us summiting all of colorados 14ers! It’s a lofty goal and it’s one that will take us years to complete but like any goal you need to start somewhere!! So hope you enjoy joining us on our first of many :) we had so much fun and hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed making it!
Breckinridge in June | VANLIFE adventures
We love Colorado Mountain towns and so we essentially dedicated the month of June to swinging by some of our favorites as well as checking off a few new ones on the list! We kicked off the adventure in Breckinridge and we’re amazed at how easy it is to get to from Denver! Perfect spot to enjoy some hikes, great food, Mountain View’s and make plans to check off our first 14er!! (Stay tuned to see how that went)
VANLIFE in South Dakota | Good days in The Badlands
After driving past the badlands in the past we just couldn’t get ourselves to pass it one more time without a stop in early June. Thank goodness we didn’t pass this gem up again! We ended up staying the whole week and we’re mind blown by the beauty. Hope you enjoy adventuring around SD with us as we bring our journey west!
VANLIFE IN CLEVELAND | was not at all what we were expecting!!
As they love to say in Ohio … GO BLUE!! Jk 😊 Being a Michigan grad myself, you could say I had set less than large expectations for Ohio. However, I have to say, we were extremely pleasantly surprised! We had so much fun exploring the Cleveland area and Katie got to visit the headquarters for her workplace. It was awesome to get a chance to see long time coworkers again and meet some newer ones in person for the first time. Not to mention getting the chance to visit a National Park, see some beautiful great lake sunsets, and visit some metro parks with incredible views. Hope you enjoy adventuring the Midwest with us - this is our last stop before we're headed west so hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks for watching :)
VANLIFE in Northern Michigan | Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks, & the Upper Peninsula
A SUPRISE PROPOSAL?? A Wedding!?? Northern Michigan Spring weather?? and the famous Mackinac Island?? What do all of these things have in common...? They ALL were apart of our adventures in Northern Michigan! We had a blast exploring the beautiful state of Michigan and really felt like we made the most of our time there. It was the perfect way for us to get back into Vanlife after dealing with our transmission issues. Hope you enjoy exploring MI with us :) Thanks for watching.
VANLIFE in Michigan| Sleeping bear dunes & the Holland tulip festival
We spent most of May in Michigan this year! Which we absolutely loved. The midwest has a lot to offer and even growing up in Illinois we never much ventured out to explore all the rest of the midwest… until now! We even got to meet up with Katie’s mom in Holland Michigan during the Holland Tulip festival for a tulip 10k run! It was so special to be able to run it together. More Michigan footage to come so stay tuned! Thanks for watching :)
VANLIFE Honeymoon | Staying at a Expertly Refurbished 1904 Mansion
We had too much fun at the Inn at Burklyn in December for the second part of our honeymoon!! Vermont was stunning and we even had the entire inn to ourselves for a few days during the week which made us feel like royalty running the halls of the mansion exploring all the hidden treasures it had to offer. This inn after a week in punta cana was SUCH a treat for us. Nothing like snuggling up by a beautiful fireplace sipping hot cocoa on a snowy Vermont day telling stories, talking about our future, and reminiscing on our wedding day. Crazy to think that we have nearly been married a year now! Perfect timing to share these special memories with you all. As always thanks for sharing in our adventures and allowing us to graciously share our fun with you. We love having the opportunity to :)
Pre-honeymoon hike at the Delaware Water Gap
The Delaware Water Gap was beautiful in mid November! The leaves had changed into all different shades of reds, oranges, and yellows and it made for a truly gorgeous fall hike right before we embarked on our honeymoon to celebrate our new(ish) marriage. Hope you enjoy this fun hike as much as we did.
VANLIFE in NYC | New Transmissions in New Jersey
November in New Jersey came with its struggles. The van needed a new transmission and we are still so incredibly thankful to the sebastian’s for allowing us to stay with them while we waited for the van to be fixed. They are truly such incredibly kind and unbelievably generous people that we feel so lucky to have had our backs in a tricky time. We miss spending time with them and all their sweet animals. In spite of the van troubles we had such a great couple weeks spending time with Bryce’s friends from college and exploring new jersey and NYC!! Truly memories well hold with us for years to come! Hope you enjoy watching.
VANLIFE in Maryland | Cracking Crabs & the Chesapeake Bay
We didn't get to spend too much time in Maryland so we are thinking we will definitely have to go back :) Still catching up on videos from our Fall on the East Coast but it sure is fun to look back at our adventures. Hope you enjoy following along with us on our first time cracking crabs and listening to Bryce sharing some fun facts about estuaries.
VANLIFE in Connecticut | Gillette Castle, Devil’s Hopyard, & Mystic
So we’re catching up on videos and have been for quite a few months, but hopefully we actually catch up soon! We really enjoyed Connecticut in October. We find it fun to explore different universities when we find ourselves near them and Yale was super cool! Sadly it rained almost the whole time in Connecticut and when it rains during vanlife your options are limited, but we tried to make the most of it and had a great time exploring a castle, college, and clam littered beach! Thanks, as always, for watching!!
Katie Takes a TUMBLE in Rhode Island | Newport Mansions, Vanlife, & Block Island
Rhode Island was amazing! We did not know what to expect when heading into it, but it wasn’t this! The amount of insane mansions was…well insane! Newport was also just a beautiful quaint town. The cobblestone roads, small shops, and little eateries made it an enjoyable adventure. If you find yourself in RI you have to check out the mansions, they are unreal. Block Island was also incredible. The turquoise colored water and solitude made for a great weekend hike. Thanks for watching!!
What happened to Bryce’s tooth & Why we were forced to take a break from Vanlife
It’s been a whirlwind of a few months and we just wanted to fill everyone in on what we’ve been up to, why we had to take a break from living in the van, and of course why Bryce no longer has a front tooth. Thanks for joining in on our adventures and we’re looking forward to what lives ahead!! :)
SALEM ON HALLOWEEN | Vanlife in Massachusetts, Salem Witch Trials, & Cape Cod
We finished up Massachusetts with a walking tour of Salem during Halloween time and some beach time. The amount of history out east is pretty incredible, and there was a lot of spooky stuff in Salem. If you ever find yourself in the area, I recommend a walking tour during the spooky season. Neither of us had ever been to Cape Cod before, and it's a beautiful area. There was a decent amount of wildlife and very nice people. It's always a great experience to meet nice people while vanlifing who are willing to help! We have a few other out east videos to post so thanks for catching up on our adventures with us, stay tuned for more!
VANLIFE IN BOSTON | Whale Watching & the Freedom Trail
We spent some time in Boston in the fall and it’s a pretty cool city. So much history at every single corner which was soooo cool to see! We’re not super into history, but this was next level. We were also able to do some whale watching in one of the best places in the world to see whales…we did get a little sea sick towards the end but it was worth it. As always, thanks for tagging along and sorry we are so far behind!
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST FALL COLORS? | Vanlife Out East
Well, to say we are behind on videos is an understatement. This is being posted in February and it's from the fall. However, New Hampshire was incredible. We found an amazing camping spot for a night with the best fall colors we have ever seen. We were also able to visit the mansion called 'Castle in the Clouds.' If you are looking for somewhere to check out some fall foliage (like we were) then New Hampshire is the place to go! Thanks for checking out our newest video, more to come soon as we catch up.
VANLIFE in Acadia | Precipice Trail, West Quoddy Lighthouse, Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond house
We have traveled to 16 national parks now since starting our Vanlife adventure over a year ago and we both agree that Acadia was on of our favorite. This park has such a variety! From ocean views, to ponds, historic restaurants, forests, lighthouses, wildlife, unique climbing adventures and even one of kind sunrise hikes to watch the sun come up over the horizon before anyone else in the US!! We had so much fun exploring this park and hope you all enjoy sharing in our adventure!
VANLIFE in Maine | Portland, Lobstering, and Lighthouses
Things have been crazy busy lately so it’s been a while since we were able to share our adventures … but the good news is we have tons of footage from our Fall on the east coast to share over the next few weeks!! We finally made it out East after almost a year of Vanlife! Our first stop was Portland, Maine…which is now one of our favorite places we have been. Maine is absolutely beautiful, has great food, beaches, forest, and basically anything you could want. Next up in our videos is Acadia, and more of the East Coast so stay tuned!
Grand Canyon RIM TO RIM Hike in ONE VERY SCARY NIGHT
Hiking the Grand Canyon from Rim to Rim is something Katie had wanted to do since first setting her eyes on the Grand Canyon about 4 years ago. Finally we found ourselves not too far from the canyon, with a weekend to kill, and a (maybe undeserving) sense of courage LOL. We dropped our van at the trailhead on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and boarded a shuttle that we had scheduled to take us on the 4+ hour drive around the canyon and to the South Rim of the Canyon. The Shuttle dropped us off at he South Kaibab trailhead at around 6pm in the evening and we suddenly found ourselves alone at the south end of the canyon with the ONLY option of getting home being hiking the 21 miles through the canyon and back to our van at the North Kaibab trailhead.... As the sun set we were soon met with complete darkness aside from the light from our headlamps. This ended up being wayyy scarier of a hike than we were expecting - from snakes, to bats, to scorpions, to tarantulas this quickly became an extremely physically and mentally challenging endeavor. We pushed ourselves, we pushed each other... and we concurred this - our longest hike yet. Hope you all enjoy watching this adventure as much as we enjoy looking back on it. Let us know what you think - is the Rim to Rim to Rim up next for us??
From VAN to BOAT | The Ultimate Wedding Shower Gift
We were gifted an incredible wedding shower gift. Our friends and family pooled some money together to send us on a 2 night rafting trip on the Salmon River. This was the most luxurious rafting trip one could imagine. They pitched all of our tents for us, cooked us every meal, woke up to coffee, had steak for dinner, had ice cream for dessert. We got to sleep under the stars at night, meet and visit with incredible people during the day and in the evening, and spend almost the entire day floating down the river. Thank you for everyone who pitched in on this gift and those that watched the video!
BEST PLACES FOR VANLIFE | One week in THIS state was not nearly enough!!!
This spot was absolutely incredible. It was out in Boise National Forest. We stumbled upon this place because we had come up here to do a hike and when we got up there, we realized we had amazing signal and there were plenty of places for us to park. We stayed for the week, showered in the lake, did a few hikes, had a picnic, and burned this place into our minds as one of the best places we have been to date. Being so secluded up in the mountains with a lake view and some of the best signal we have had while on the road...it's hard to beat.
Vanlife in Oregon | Exploring Bend and Portland
We got to spend a few weeks exploring Oregon and it was a blast! We got to see family, we spent time in a city, and spent time in nature, so what more can you ask for? Both Bend and Portland have been added to some of our favorite destinations as you really don't run out of things to do! We floated a river, camped in the forest, went bouldering, ate some great food, went to a festival, and met a random dog lol.
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK Has it ALL | Best National Parks for VANLIFE
Well Olympic National Park literally has anything you could ask for...Beach? Check. Sunset? Check. Hiking? Check. Wildlife? Check. Whales? Check. Rainforest? Check.
This park was so cool and it was the most amazing sunset we have ever seen!! We made a stop at ruby beach, and now we know it is well named. We really enjoyed Washington as a whole and if you are looking for a little bit of everything, make this park a priority!
Our water tank is all good and fixed up. We are still loving our travels, and hope you all are as well! Thank you for watching and don't forget to hit that sub and the reminder...because we have some good stuff on the horizon
33 GALLONS OF WATER FLOODED OUR VAN | Other Washington Vanlife adventures
Well we accidentally bumped into a parked car and it did not turn out well! Our 33 gallon water tank ended up spilling all over our van. Luckily, there was no damage done to anything, it was an easy fix and we just had to dry things out. Still not what you want to happen, especially in the middle of a City! The plus side of this video is we got to stay at a Lavender Farm Harvest Host and I don't think I have ever seen Katie so happy (keep in mind we had just gotten married a month prior). We are a little behind on videos at this point so sorry for the delay on this one but great stuff coming your way soon! Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe!
Backpacking Spade & Venus Lakes | VANLIFE 2021
Longest Day Hike We Have Ever Done | VANLIFE | GLACIER NATIONAL PARK | HIGHLINE TRAIL
Join us for some adventures in Montana!!
We spent a week in Missoula, Montana before making our way to Glacier National Park where sleep was at a minimum and hiking was at an all time maximum!! We woke up at 4am to tackle our longest day hike yet at 16.4 miles long!! Sure was exhausting but I'll tell you what - the views are so sooo worth it.
We really hope you enjoy!! and if you do - it would mean a lot to us if could subscribe to our channel and stay up to date on our adventures :) You can expect a new video from us every Monday!!
BEST things to do in YELLOWSTONE in a day | VANLIFE TRAVELS
We visited Yellowstone for our second time, and it is absolutely beautiful, but I like it better in the winter to be honest. We planned to spend 1 day in Yellowstone so we tried to hit all the top attractions. It is the first ever national park, and has beautiful views and attractions everywhere you go. The downside I think is how popular it is. We sat there with probably 500 other people watching old faithful. Which is awesome that so many people get to experience it, but for us it almost felt more like an amusement park than being out in nature. Therefore, Yellowstone in the summer isn't cracking our #1 National Park spot. I think some of that doing is on us, because we didn't make it a priority to find a long hike or spot to really get out into the wilderness, and if we did, who knows what it would be ranked for us. Overall though it was such a fun weekend and there are some natural phenomenon this park has to offer that you won't find anywhere else.
VANLIFE | This is BY FAR Our New Favorite National Park!!!
Getting married on the Tuesday before a holiday weekend has some perks! We had an awesome long fourth of July weekend to spend time celebrating our new status as Mr. & Mrs. Bryce Brill! What better way to spend that time than checking out a new national park!? Well new to us anyways - We LOVED the tetons and fit in some fun activities like hiking, swimming, kayaking & MORE! We ended up staying the week in the area so that we could spend some post-work evenings enjoying all the park had to offer. This is a fun one folks - hope you enjoy!!
WE'RE MARRIED!!!!! | Checkout our VanLife Wedding
We are officially Mr. & Mrs. Brill!!!
In November of 2020 we finally completed building the van home of our dreams, moved in full time, and hit the road. We now lived, worked, slept, cooked … and I guess (being engaged and all) planned a wedding all from this tiny living space. All our hard work ended in our dream wedding June 29th 2021
35 friends and family members camped with us at a group campsite in a national forest in Colorado for 2 nights. Everyone brought their own tents and food and pitched in so many countless ways to make this group camping trip special.
At 9am on Tuesday Morning we embarked on a ~4 mile out and back hike that included crossing a cold river to reach a beautiful clearing surrounded by mountains for our ceremony. Katie's grandma even rode a horse named pistol in order to not miss the ceremony up in the mountains - TALK ABOUT AMAZING!!
Our dear friend (who originally introduced us) got ordained and married us. We gathered notes and keepsakes from our loved ones and placed them in a time capsule. And we topped it all off by completing a German wedding ceremony of sawing a log in half in front of all of our friends and family to represent us overcoming our first challenge as a married couple (We aren't German but it sounded fun).
There was cake, speeches, dancing, campfires, dogs, horses, cows, mountains, tents, Rvs, vans .. all the makings of a perfect wedding right!? Being surrounded by our loved ones in such a beautiful place was indescribable and the memories from this day are going to keep us smiling, crying and laughing for years and years to come
Any Photos displayed in this video are all thanks to our amazing photographer (https://mikaylareneephoto.com/) who captured such beautiful pictures from this day
Video, as usual, is content captured by Bryce and Katie (with help from our friends and family!!)
Song: LiQWYD & Carl Storm - Stay Here
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported
Video Link: https://youtu.be/sehruAJvBW0
Song: Luke Bergs - Feel Love
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
Video Link: https://youtu.be/KeQhzuEgNDo
DEADLY hike in Black Canyon National Park | Vanlife and Tomichi Route
This hike was absolutely insane...do I recommend it, yes, but was it brutal, also yes! If you have the chance to go to Black Canyon, make sure you get down into the canyon. Tomichi trail was really tough and basically straight down, but it was beautiful. It was challenging, beautiful, freeing, and just all around amazing. Katie cried but that happens lol! Make sure you head to the visitor 's center early to get a permit! Thanks for watching and following along!
VANLIFE | Why we stayed 2 weeks in Gunnison and Crested Butte
We spent quite some time in the Gunnison and Crested Butte area, and it's beautiful. We are getting married there in a couple weeks and wanted to do some exploring before the big day. We got to do some hiking, kayaking, relaxing, fishing, and of course working lol. It was a great time and we area already excited to come back. We also tried out our Grayl water bottle for the first time and it is amazing, especially when you get it from an ice cold Colorado river, link below if you want to grab one yourself!
OUR VAN IS HAVING ISSUES | Vanlife in the 2nd Largest US Canyon
Well....to say a lot happened in this video would be an understatement. We had battery issues, we had propane issues, we saw a HUGE snake, colorful lizards, got stuck in 3 hail storms, and honestly had an incredible time in Palo Duro! Even during these times in vanlife where things aren’t going the way we want them, it is still a blessing to have the ability to travel to these incredible places. Put the 2nd largest US canyon on your list of places to visit, well worth it!
VANLIFE WACO MISTAKO | Don't Make This Vanlife Mistake When Visiting Waco
We LOVE the show Fixer Upper. Chip and Joanna are awesome and what they have done in Waco is incredible. We were so excited to go spend our Sunday at the Silos, when we realized that everything is closed on Sunday! Luckily, we got to do some exploring after work one day, and it was so fun! we grabbed some desserts, hung out by a river, and visited the Silos. Shout out the Chip and Joanna...simply because they are amazing.
THE BEST FOLDABLE KAYAKS | Vanlife in Austin
We LOVED exploring Austin with friends for a week! We got some awesome Kayaks (we will give a full review on them in a future video). The city was great, the food was amazing, and the company was the best! It was Bryce's first time in Austin and he gives it an A+. We do miss the mountains and nature and are making our way back to it, but it's fun to check out new cities along the way!
VANLIFE IN ARKANSAS | Why We Were Blown Away by the Natural State
We finally made it to Fayetteville, Arkansas! We had heard great things from friends of ours and decided to spend quite a few days in town. We got some great tea, food, did some hiking, and dug for diamonds! We also got to use our new drone some more so hope you guys like that extra footage! Thanks for watching as always!
VANLIFE BREAK | We almost sunk a sailboat
We haven't posted in way too long. We had so much going on between my shoulder, work, and accomplishing things we needed to while back in Chicago. However, now that we are back in the van the videos will continue! Here is us teaching you how NOT to sail. If you are curious which drone we got, the link is below:
BRYCE GOT HURT SNOWBOARDING IN BIG SKY | Vanlife Adventures
5 THINGS WE HATE ABOUT OUR VAN | Vanlife | DIY Vanbuild
We dive into the things we "HATE" about our van. To be honest though, we don't really truly hate anything about our van. There are things we may have done differently if we redid the entire thing...but nothing we really hate. If you are building a conversion similar to ours, maybe these are some things you would like to take into consideration!
Vanlife in San Diego | A week of luxury and animals
16.2 MILE HIKE TO RINCON PEAK
We accomplished our longest day hike to date! We hiked 16.5 miles in the west side of Saguaro National Park. Incase you didn't know (like us) there are 2 different sides of Saquaro and both offer some incredible hikes and scenery! As always, thank you for following along and please subscribe!
HIKING PICACHO PEAK | Vanlife Adventures
We did this super cool hike outside of Saguaro National Park. This hike offered some incredible views, and was a great workout! It is the most different hike I have ever done as there are ropes along the tougher areas to help you climb! Definitely check out Picacho Peak if you are in the area
FOUND THIS HIDDEN GEM IN SEDONA | Vanlife living in Sedona | Bear Mountain Trail
We wanted to share our adventure of heading into Sedona. We got to see one of the most amazing views ever! This hike actually happened a couple weeks ago but we never got to share it so check it out! Hit that subscribe button if you haven't!
IS THIS THE END OF THE WORLD?! | Vanlife
We wanted to share our adventure of heading into Sedona. We got to see one of the most amazing views ever! This hike actually happened a couple weeks ago but we never got to share it so check it out! Hit that subscribe button if you haven't!
5 BEST APPS FOR VANLIFE
We bring you the apps you need for vanlife, and one you don't need. We wanted to share this with people to make people's experiences better as well as help them save some time and money learning from our mistakes! Make sure to subscribe if you haven't!
GOT STUCK IN THE SNOW ON THE WAY TO ARCHES | Fun Potato Facts Included
A lot happened in a few day's span...we got the van stuck, we drove to arches, found some of the coolest camp spots we've stayed thus far, we almost fell off a cliff while driving, and we visited a potato museum...I guess that's just typical vanlife!
VANLIFE CHRISTMAS | Yellowstone Edition
VANLIFE ADVENTURES | Snowboarding In Steamboat
We were able to spend a day on the mountain with family hitting the slopes! Great thing about vanlife is that you can travel to see anyone you want, whenever you want!
VANLIFE WITH COVID? | Carwash, Solar Issues, and Family
We have been doing our best to social distance to stay healthy and save from COVID. We definitely thought we were safe when negative tests came back...but then things changed. Lots of things have been happening over the past week, but vanlife is all about rolling with the punches.
COST OF VAN CONVERSION | VANLIFE
Cost of Van Conversion
VANLIFE WITH A REAL CHRISTMAS TREE ?!?!
Anything is possible with enough Christmas spirit!! Checkout our adventures of finding the perfect van Christmas tree. Living in a van, you often need to think critically about what is practical and let go of certain things that just don't make sense. We knew that when we signed up for this lifestyle. But when something is really important to you (like Christmas is for Bryce) its ok to just let practicality slide and have a little fun :) Hope this spreads a bit of joy to whoever watches as I know it brought much joy to us.
WE DIDN'T MAKE IT | DOES WILLOW LAKE EXIST??
We decided to push ourselves to the limit on a winter hike in Colorado. We almost got caught hiking in the pitch black. Maybe we should start our hike earlier next time! We will be back to conquer Willow Lake at some point!
NOT THE THANKSGIVING WE IMAGINED | GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK
Thanksgiving has been a little different for everyone this year, us included. A normal thanksgiving for us involves a 5k turkey Trot and tons of turkey with family. This year we find ourselves in Great Sand Dunes National park in Colorado. We didn’t have sand boards but that didn’t stop us from making the most of what we have.... after all isn’t that what thanksgiving is all about!? Make sure to stick around for our van cooked “turkey” dinner - certainly a thanksgiving we won’t soon forget.
LET'S LEARN ABOUT ALPACAS | COOL VANLIFE MOVIE SETUP
Spent the night at an Alpaca and Llama farm. It was really awesome and we cannot speak highly enough about Harvest Hosts! We are getting excited to head out west during Christmas time so our videos are going to start showing some snow!
OUR FIRST HARVEST HOSTS EXPERIENCE | STAYING ON A DAIRY FARM
We used Harvest Hosts for the first time and it was awesome! We got to stay at a dairy farm in Kentucky with a bunch of animals including cows, dogs, and pigs, so it’s hard not to have a blast!
FIRST DAY OF VANLIFE | HIKING, WATERFALLS, AND COOKING
First stop was Daniel Boone National Forest. We had a good time hiking and found a pretty cool waterfall! Cooking for the first time in our van was pretty fun, but definitely has it's difficulties.
FULL VAN TOUR | COUPLE TURNS VAN INTO DREAM HOME
We finally did it! Our Van is completely finished and on the road! It was SO MUCH WORK. But we are happy we did it and learned so much through the process. We are excited to have the freedom to travel wherever, whenever, as there are millions of things to see throughout this world. Thank you everyone for continuing to follow along. We are excited to finally be traveling and are excited to keep you guys updated throughout our journey.
Day 7 Van Build: Backsplash, Painting, and Cabinets
The next time you see our van it is going to be finished! We are basically finished, but don't want to give the full reveal quite yet. We still need to pack up and will be hitting the road shortly! We don't know where we are going to go yet, but that's the beauty of van life
Day 6 Van Build: Walls, Ceiling, Kitchen
Obviously we missed our October 1st launch date. We have been making a ton of progress but things always take longer than expected. It's more about the journey than the destination anyways, so we aren't too worried about not leaving yet.
Day 5 Van Build: Saving Baby Turtles, Insulation, and Framing
We are getting closer and closer to finishing! Framing is basically finished. Katie also saved a baby turtle which is always a plus. Time for walls, cabinets, and some painting! We are excited to get going on our finishing touches.
Your Vanlife Questions Answered- Plans, Savings, and More
We answer all your questions! Thanks for everyone who asked, and glad we could give some more insight. We had so much fun making this video, so feel free to ask more questions and we can do this again!
Day 4 Van Build- Mounting Propane Under a Ram Promaster
We decided to mount the propane tank under our van. We have a 159 in. WB non extended version. In order to mount it, we had to remove the spare tire. We are continuing to make a ton of progress, but we still aren't sure if we are going to make our October 1st launch date! Stay tuned to find out!
Day 3 Van Build: DIY Electrical System
We almost finished wiring all of our electrical in our van! Couldn't have done it without the help of our friend Tim! Eventually we will give an even more in depth walk through once our van is completely built out, but this should be a good overview for now. Thank you to everyone who has followed along thus far, we are just getting started! If you haven't, please click that subscribe button! It only takes a second and it would help us out!
Day 2 Van Build: Bed Frame & Bench Seat
We are making some progress on the van! Framed in the bed to give us a starting point. Lots of work left, but you've gotta start somewhere! If interested in any of the appliances we used, check the links below...
DIY Japanese Soaking Tub- (We Lit Our Tub On Fire)
We built our own version of a Japanese Soaking tub. This is something that anyone can do if you put in the time and effort! The epoxy definitely helped keep this thing water proof and it's going to look great in our van! If you are looking for epoxy resin and hardener, the link below worked great!
Day 1 Van Build- How To Install A Swivel Seat
We are beginning the construction on our van! We were able to install the swivel seat and it works! We are also doing some preparation to make space for our bed. We will continue to post updates of the Vanbuild
Are We Making A Terrible Life Decision?
Find out if we are making some poor life decisions...
Fixing an Old Rusty RV Oven
We fixed up this 1960 Holiday RV Oven to put in our Van for Vanlife!