My Van Life: Day 10
Monday, July 19, 2021
Bozeman, MT – Walmart Parking Lot
According to “the plan,” we were going to stay in Beaver Creek Campground just outside West Yellowstone until roughly Thursday late afternoon/evening, then start making our way to South Dakota with a rest stop thrown in the mix. Well after discovering quite quickly yesterday that Beaver Creek was just a bit too off the beaten path not to mention the fact our service was nonexistent, we had to quickly move to Plan B. Plan B meant driving about an hour and a half to Bozeman, Montana which thankfully is on the way to South Dakota (Mount Rushmore specifically), and posting up in you guessed it, another Walmart parking lot.
This particular Walmart (located on Seventh Ave) is not only huge but it’s literally an RV park. We pulled in at 9:30pm last night nervous that we would be the only oversized vehicle in the lot at this hour and not kidding there were at least 25 other sprinters, RVs, 5th wheels, motor homes, MASSIVE MOTOR HOMES, in the lot. We quickly felt like we belonged. “Our people!” we chanted in unison.
Of courseeee we happened upon Bozeman, Montana during a heat wave. No joke. A young woman we chatted with at the local frozen yogurt hotspot said it's traditionally in the 70s during this time of year. It’s been in the 90s since we’ve arrived and uncomfortable. I know I’ve mentioned it a few times already but the lack of circulation in this vehicle is what will kill me. It will actually be my demise. Sitting in the parking lot working all day was fine, it would be enjoyable even if I wasn’t silently melting and rubbing sweat profusely off my back. Believe it or not that’s not the vibe I’m going for during my work day. Nor any day really let's be honest. We were still very grateful to find this location and felt comfortable posting up here for the day, maybe even staying through the night since we at least know we have a safe space to sleep and somewhat guaranteed internet. I say somewhat because after random hiccups here and there throughout the day Adam did some research and found out that apparently internet in Bozeman in general isn’t great. Yes, that’s correct, the actual city itself is known to not have the best internet connection. Great for two young professionals who just happened upon this city during their US travels.
(Coco post Yellowstone is honestly the mood for today.)
After work today we desperately needed to get outside and get some movement in. Turns out daily walks in and out of Walmart to buy random things don’t quite cut it. We found a nearby park – Centennial Park – drove over there, whipped out our yoga mats and did a couple Nike Training Club workouts then threw the football around for a while. Like I said, you have to get creative when it comes to working out while living in a 24 foot sprinter van. In our research we’ve seen that people pay for monthly memberships to Planet Fitness which are located across the country not only to get a workout in but to use their showers. Honestly, the more time that passes the more I think that really may be worth it.
Post playtime we headed back to Walmart to find a spot to land for the evening, made some dinner and both retired to our individual work. Adam’s catching up on work and I’m feverishly trying to catch up on blogging, Instagram, all that fun stuff. We were talking about this tonight but it’s funny how van life makes you appreciate how much free time you have/had while living a traditional life so to speak. After work it’s like I had nothing but time to work on my individual projects, read, write, etc. whereas now I’m scrambling to get even one of those things done in an evening and try to get to bed by midnight. MIDNIGHT! How I miss and will forever cherish my "free time". Hopefully we’ll continue settling in and I’ll get it back in no time. I’ve got things to do people!!