Day 3: Patron Pick Blog Post
***I’ve been writing about our adVANtures everyday during this trip. (We are currently on day 38 as I post this entry) Last week I asked our patrons to pick an entry day from the adVANture notes for me to share. They chose Day 3. I originally thought this day would be boring because it was so early in the trip, but when I went back and read it I realized it was very special to our journey. Thank you picking such a fun day to share!! And...extra thank you for being our patrons!!**
My sister Heaven and her sweet Baby J in Washington state.
Day 3:
“Today is our first official travel day. I am so excited to get this adVANture started. The last two days have felt like purgatory. My mind and body are ready to get this show on the road, but my spirit is stuck here, being crushed like a can in a recycling center.
We woke up in front of an apartment/condo complex in Rancho San Diego. We put away our bedding and headed to the McGrath Family YMCA to exercise, poop, and shower. We chose this part of town because Heaven (my sister) will be traveling with us for the first leg of our journey. Once this is all said and done I will be an expert on living in a van with not only a toddler, but also an infant. My sister will be accompanied by her son Julian, 8 months.
We left the Y and heaed to my sisters house. We got there around noon. We lingered at the Y for a little longer than I would have liked, but the slow morning was worth it because I knew we’d be traveling all day.
One of the fun traditions we started during van life is to celebrate Bishop's birthday whenever we go to a restaurant. He's had a number of birthdays this year LOL. Heaven and Baby J were along for the ride this time. We celebrated at Puerta Vallarta in Redding, Ca. on day 9.
We were officially on the road by 12:45pm. All day on the road. Lots of pit stops. Surprisingly most of them were for Mike (my husband) and not for Bishop (our son). I don’t know what, but as soon as we got to the central valley I felt a weight lift. I felt freed from something. An intanglible something, but a very real something. I have been preparing for this trip since mid- August of last year. Reading articles. Watching movies. Lots of google and youtube. One might say I had a slight obsession with van life. LOL
We got to Berkely late at night and drove around looking for a spot to sleep for the night. We slept in a residental neighborhood across the street from a Bart park and ride. It was a super artsy community. Very hippie-ish. Some of the homes have blight, but nothing like what we’ll probably see when we get to Detroit. We all fell asleep pretty quickly. As I drifted off to sleep I wondered what it would be like, sleeping with a baby in the van."
*unedited from original entry, minus spelling, and ( ) to explain who people are. Sorry for any grammar mistakes