Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Hi family!
As many of you know, we finally hit the road last weekend and started our big road trip. Over the next 4-5 months, we’ll be traveling the whole USA!
I’m writing to you from Missoula, Montana – just a few days since we left Wyoming. Looking back at everything we saw along the way, I had to share our experience.
So here’s what we experienced in Wyoming!
Entering Wyoming (AKA firework central)
Surrounded by scorched grass and barely rolling hills, southern Wyoming isn’t super exciting.
As we crossed the border from CO to WY, we were immediately bombarded by firework shops, which I found hilarious. Often, folks in Colorado will drive up to Wyoming to buy fireworks for the 4th because our restrictions are so tight. And Wyoming pyrotechnics wanted to make it as easy as possible for Coloradans to drop hundreds of dollars on fireworks😂
We stopped at a Planet Fitness in Cheyenne to workout and get a shower in, which felt like our first major stop outside of CO. The town was much smaller than I expected. Being the capitol, I was shocked! Their population is smaller than Parker at around 80,000.
Other than a bit of a thunderstorm, Cheyenne was underwhelming. We hit the road again and caught a gorgeous rainbow on the way:
Rained out in Casper, Wyoming:
Mid-Wyoming, we stayed the night in Casper! We found a brewery that allowed overnight parking, and the view over the city was really pretty.
That night, it poured. The rain came down in sheets of water on our van, and it was so loud we could barely talk! I hadn’t thought about this before, but with the rain so loud we could watch anything on iPad that evening. We could barely hear😵💫
That’s when things started to get interesting…
We left Casper the next morning and headed to the Tetons. Seeing the same brown throughout Wyoming, our expectations were low. So low in fact, we thought these were the Tetons as we drove by:
Spoiler: those were the off-brand Tetons.
And we were blown away when we turned the corner and saw THIS:
Almost Blown Away in Jackson Hole, Wyoming:
To the left of the Tetons, there’s an adorable little town called Jackson Hole. We decided it would be the perfect place to stay the night, so we slept in the back of a Whole Foods parking lot.
Jackson has a cute downtown area, similar to Breckenridge or Vail – so we scoped it out. We found a tasty pizza restaurant remodeled from a movie theatre, and walked through an unsettling amount of shops that sell stuffed squirrels.
On our way back to the van, the skies darkened. I looked up at the churning clouds and gulped – and then it hit: the most intense gust of wind we’ve ever experienced.
The wind came so suddenly through the town, I feared the trees would uproot. Sand blew into our eyes and make it hard to see. My hair whipped behind me as I squinted through the dust and sprinted for the van. Pinecones from a nearby tree pelted us. The temperature plummeted from balmy to chilling.
Finally, we made it to the van. My hair was a nest of wild knots. When I closed my mouth, sand crunched between my teeth. My eyes were red from sand. Nathan and I looked at each other and laughed. It’s all a part of the adventure.
Our favorite stop: Yellowstone
The next day, we drove into Yellowstone. Fun fact: Yellowstone park is waaaay bigger than we thought it was. A road loops the whole park in a circle, and that circle is 100 miles long. Old Faithful and the majority of the geysers are close to the beginning of the loop. But dotted all along the way are dozens of stops, wildlife crossings, and camp sites.
Right before we entered the loop, we found this stunning waterfall. Moss and ferns clung to the crag beside the water, and the river roared like a lion. It was one of my favorite stops:
Our next stop was Old Faithful! Seeing such a big geyser explode was cool, but my favorite part was actually all the springs and pools along the way. In Yellowstone, there’s a boardwalk that takes you on a trail showing each geyser in the park. Here are a few of my favorite spots:
^^ Old Faithful for the first time!
^^ This pool was called “Blue Star”
^^ The prettiest poll IMO
Sleeping in Yellowstone
After seeing Yellowstone and driving forever around the entire park, we stayed the night in a camping spot right beside the Yellowstone lake (which is the biggest lake I’ve ever see in my life😳)
The campsite was pretty skimpy – but oh well, we were just sleeping anyway. I wanted to try a cute new recipe on the road, so I bought ingredient for a leek chicken soup a few days before. But when we got into Yellowstone, I had NO reception: which meant we had to figure out how to cook everything ourselves.
Usually that would be fine – but we’ve never had leek before and had no idea which part to eat😂So we took an educated guess and at the bottom white part. Hopefully that was right.
And we saw bears
The next morning we parked beside the river and ate breakfast right beside the water. It was so peaceful and beautiful🥹
Then we headed out of the park and started driving to Montana. Along the way, we noticed traffic slowed to a standstill. I looked ahead and noticed something scampering across the road. As we drove closer, we realized it was a bear🥺
It was so fluffy and adorable. I wanted to hug it.
Summary: 5 Things to Know About Wyoming
After we saw the bear, we left Wyoming and entered our next adventure: Montana!
We went into Wyoming with 0 expectations, and left learning a lot about van life. Here are our key takeaways:
1. Wyoming moves at a different pace
Coming from Colorado, I was surprised to see how slow Wyoming feels. In Casper, the town felt dead, even on a work day. The traffic was light, the colors are muted, even the people at the store walk slow. While I didn’t feel like that slow pace was my vibe, I think there’s something to learn from a state that slows down and takes its time.
2. Wyoming is boring, until it isn’t
For 75% of Wyoming, we were pretty bored. It started getting a bit more interesting in the middle, but coming from such a mountainous state, we aren’t used to how flat everything feels. BUT – if I could go back in time, I’d tell myself: “give Wyoming a chance!” Up North is actually stunning. The forest and mountains are unmatched, even by the Rocky Mountains (I know, hot take). It’s a beautiful place to visit.
3. It’s easier to work on the road than I thought
Going into this road trip, I expected to spend most of our time at coffee shops so I can get work done before traveling in the mornings or evenings. Surprisingly, I was able to get data (at least 2-3 bars) for most of our time on the road so far. It works perfectly, because Nathan can drive while I knock out a couple hours of work.
4. Traveling does not = happiness
You see travel bloggers and travel influencers all the time, boasting a lifestyle most can’t afford, and presenting this “happiness” that can only be achieved through adventure. Don’t get me wrong, traveling has been amazing so far and we are very blessed to be able to do so. But it doesn’t make us happy.
It isn’t the answer to our questions, the fulfillment to our souls, or the joy to our hearts. Jesus is.
Honesty moment: I haven’t been great about spending time with God this week. It’s been tougher than I expected to dedicate bible time each day, on top of working out, working, and driving 3+ hours every day. But every time we see something beautiful or experience something new, more than anything I want to experience it with Him.
It remains true: no matter where you are, God is chasing you down. So even here, on the road, God is showing us: fulfillment can’t come from this adventure. It comes from intimacy with him. And I’m excited to spend more intentional time with him this week:)
Thanks for supporting us on this journey! FYI, we’re posting fun vlogs every day on our YouTube channel, so if you want to see some cringy Annabelle/Nathan content, that’s your one-stop shop. Happy weekend!