Guest Post: Valley Film Co
Guest Post: Valley Film Co
Neither of us had ever been out to Colorado or Utah, or really many places out west, but had always been dying to go. We had been talking about taking a trip out there for over a year, and we knew that this was a perfect time. We knew that we had to get a camper van. We have been pretty obsessed with tiny houses, van living, and the like for a few years now and had to experience what life on the road was like. And then came Native Campervans.
Our itinerary ended up being perfect for the amount of time we had and was as follows:
DAY 01
We landed in Denver and immediately went to pick up our van! We had the pleasure of driving, living in and loving “The Legend of Tarvan”. We were given our tour, got the keys and were off to the grocery store. The excitement of it all was palpable and it definitely carried over into the grocery shopping.
Did we go overboard on food? Yes.
Do we always? Yes.
Was it worth it? Totally!
Once we had our provisions, we were off to Utah! We drove straight through to the Moab, stopping a few times along the way (Del Taco, beer, and wine…you know, the important stuff). We arrived in the Moab area around 7 pm and we found a campsite that was still open along the river (lucky, I know!). We turned on our music and started making our dinner while watching the sunset with the sounds of the rushing river in the background. A true dream!
We made a pact to watch every sunrise while we were out here, so we woke up at around 5 am and started driving to Castle Valley in the darkness. After some chocolate chip pancakes and iced coffee, we decided to start making our way to Arches NP.
We spent the better part of the day in the park and did a few hikes including Landscape and Delicate. On our way out of the park, we decided to stop quickly at Double Arch as well to walk around a bit more. There truly isn’t a bad view in the park, even simply from the road!
We had planned to go to Dead Horse State Park, but by the time we got there, we realized that we didn’t have time to make dinner before sunset, so we decided to just take a quick look at the incredible views. The view was definitely one of our favorites from the trip (and that’s saying a lot!). With that incredible view as the backdrop, something pretty amazing happened…WE GOT ENGAGED!
Not a single person was in sight, the sunset was unreal and the moment was perfect. We spent the remainder of our time sitting and staring at each other and the view, feeling totally blown away by all of it.
Again, because of our pact, we got up in time to watch the sunrise. This time, however, we simply opened the back doors of the van to enjoy it all. Staying in bed to watch the sunrise and feel the cool morning air, while attempting to call all of our family and friends with our good news, was the perfect start to our day.
We then headed to Canyonlands NP for the first half of the day, and then drove to Glenwood Springs, CO, very sad to say goodbye to Utah. We spent our night relaxing at Iron Mountain Hot Springs, which was the perfect way to wrap up our two days of hiking in the desert.
We were up, yet again, for sunrise through the back doors. We then immediately started heading towards the Rockies! We cranked our playlist and jammed out while making the beautiful drive up to the park. Thankfully, the upper portion of Trail Ridge Road had JUST opened for the season, so we started our drive through the Rockies. Each stop along the way, of course, was colder and colder and each overlook was somehow more beautiful than the last.
By the time we were at the very top, the snow was blowing and we were honestly getting a bit nervous about the weather. Thankfully, the snow and wind subsided as we continued our drive and made it back down the mountain, to our campsite, without any issues.
We both woke up feeling sad that today was our last day in the van. We ate a quick breakfast and immediately headed out for one last adventure. We drove to Bear Lake and did a quick hike around the lake. We trudged through some snow, took a handful of photos, and then came to the sad realization that it was time to head back down to Denver. We stopped in Boulder for a quick lunch at Native Foods, went into a few shops, and then finished our drive back down to Denver to drop off our beloved Tarvan.
This trip was truly life-changing for both of us, and we can’t imagine what it would have been like with our amazing van from Native Campervans. It gave us such a sense of adventure and freedom, and we will definitely be renting again!
Valley Film Co. is not endorsed or sponsored by Native in any way – they booked and rented a vehicle as a normal customer.
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