Van life with Scout: February 2023 recap
Last fall I started doing a monthly recap to keep track of what we’ve been up to at a high level here on our blog (alongside our regular sharing on Instagram). Here’s our February overview!
The last few weeks have flown.
TLDR: Top February highlights
We’ve lived in our van for more than a month now! All three of us seem to be really getting used to things on the road.
We got to experience a few Civil Rights Movement locations this Black History Month.
Scout seems to be more confident than ever—she’s eagerly played almost everywhere we’ve asked.
Van life: Adjusting to our new normal
February was the first full month we lived in Hermes.
We kicked things off in Florida at Henderson Beach State Park (reliving our Destin wedding last year ), made our way through Alabama into Georgia to visit Cloudland Canyon, spent a night in Tennessee, explored so much nature in Arkansas, and then meandered up to Wisconsin where we’re spending the beginning of March with our parents.
When I type it all out like that, it sounds like a lot. And I suppose it has been—but in a good way!
Some favorite February destinations included:
Visiting the Rosa Parks Museum and seeing other key Civil Rights Movement sights in Montgomery, Alabama
Spending more of Black History Month in Memphis, Tennessee at the National Civil Rights Museum
Experiencing our first Harvest Hosts (and meeting the world’s sweetest brewery cat at a place in Fort Smith, Arkansas)
Soaking in the thermal water at Hot Springs National Park
Hiking multiple times a week and seeing more waterfalls than I knew even existed throughout the south
A full roundup of where we slept:
10 nights in national forest land / backcountry boondocking spots
7 nights at Harvest Hosts
5 nights in public parking lots (like Walmart)
4 nights at traditional designated campgrounds
2 nights visiting Sean’s parents’ house
Our first ditch experience…
We also got Hermes stuck in a ditch for the first time and had to be rescued on a small forest road in Arkansas. Oops. Everyone was fine—it was a pretty benign set of circumstances, all things considered. The van’s back tires got stuck in the shoulder while making a multi-point turn to head back in the other direction, and we just couldn’t get out on our own.
I was pleased with how we handled it—Scout especially was a dream, begging me to play while we waited for the tow truck —and am happy to say that now we’ve gotten all our first “mishaps” out of the way (overflowing gray water tank, almost overflowing pee jug, nearly running out of water) we’re still feeling like we really can do this van life thing. Inconveniences are pretty tolerable when you’re with your family.
What’s new with Scout specifically this month
Working through a few struggles living in the van
I’ve by and large been thrilled with how Scout is settling into our new house and lack of stationary home. We’ve experienced a few challenges this month, too, though: particularly increased territorial behavior and some of her old nervousness in unfamiliar busy places.
Nothing seems like a long-term concern, but I’ve been reflecting on how to make sure we set her up for success. More on our cattle dog’s van adjustment in this article.
Becoming a total play fiend in unfamiliar environments
While Scout has had a few more timid moments this month, she’s also played in more locations than I could have dreamed a few years ago. Even in Hot Springs National Park (where she got pretty uncomfortable with a combo of loud construction noise + other dogs in close proximity) she happily tugged with Sean at a brewery patio. Almost all of our fetch requests have been met with enthusiasm.
Seeing our heeler shake off stress and commit to our games makes my heart so full. A few particularly emotional spots:
She played in Sean’s childhood neighborhood—a fairly busy residential spot with lots of other dogs—without a moment of hesitation when we visited his family at the end of the month.
We spent the very final night of February in Madison, Wisconsin, which is where Sean & I met… and where I lived when I first adopted Scout. Late at night she threw herself into a game of tug with me on a street she’d never been to. I could have cried! (Instead, I jumped up and down a lot. 😂)
More off-leash fulfillment than ever before
Perhaps the best thing about living in the van? We’re able to access so many more safe, off-leash legal environments!
You could certainly argue that Scout experiences more stressors on the road than she did in the comfort of our old house… but she also gets more natural fulfillment. She’s especially fond of forests where she can follow critter scent trails and leap over fallen branches.
While we’re still using our long line, flexi, and standard leash plenty in environments that call for it, it’s been wonderful to see our relationship work and recall-specific training pay off.
