Van life with Scout: October 2023 recap
A high level of what we’ve been up to in October! (More detailed daily sharing usually happens on our Instagram stories, though I’ve spent less time on my phone in general this month.)
This was the month of sleeping in parking lots. We spent most nights snuggled in the van with window covers on and background music to dull nearby traffic & trains. But despite some less-than-ideal sleeping spots, we still enjoyed so much exploring southern New England and getting to see NYC for the very first time.
TLDR: Top October highlights
We got to visit so many incredible people this month. I met a close friend’s new baby! We connected with fellow dog lovers! We stayed with my aunt and uncle (and rode horses for the first time)!
Sean and I had a blast feeling like kids at Six Flags Fright Fest. Visiting a theme park in a van was perfect—Scout got to nap in the parking lot, and we visited her multiple times to make food and hang out. I even took a nap with her between some of our rides 😂
We enjoyed a surprising amount of beach time and even had a few properly warm days to swim for more longer intervals (I’m happy to get in the water if it’s in the 50s but won’t stay in more than a minute or two). Scout still isn’t a water dog, but she’s definitely happy to play tug and rest in the sand.
There is just so much history in New England compared to Wisconsin, where Sean and I both grew up. While neither of us are history buffs, by any means, it was cool to see buildings and landmarks dating back 300 years.
Scout made me very proud through all the driving around, taking work calls in random parks, sleeping in kinda loud places, the chaos altogether. She is a sensitive dog, full stop. But she is also a badass who can play almost anywhere and pee on concrete when grass isn’t available and self regulate like a champ.
Van life: Parking lots galore… but fall is lovely!
Okay, we are sick of sleeping in parking lots. Scout definitely misses the ability to roam freely on public land, I dream of not having to put up our window covers before bed, and Sean would love to do less driving around early in the morning after waking up at a Cracker Barrel. People are not kidding when they say New England (especially the southern part) can be tricky for nomads to navigate!
But.
Hermes is a darn cozy house even if we’re parked in less-than-ideal environments. Autumn has been beautiful. There are plenty of parks to hang out in during the day. While we’re starting to feel some van-life fatigue, this trip out east has still been worth it.
Some favorite October destinations included:
Wrapping up our visit to Acadia National Park with more hiking and beach sunrises
Falling even deeper in love with Maine’s coast as we drove to the easternmost point of the continental United States
Meeting my friend’s new baby (!!) and enjoying lots of delicious food in Portland
Swimming in the ocean, sprinting around at low tide, seeing dozens of gray seals, and taking our new inflatable canoe for its maiden voyage on Cape Cod
Meeting up with multiple dog Instagram friends in Massachusetts
Spending time with my aunt and uncle, including riding their horses for the first time!
Screaming on rollercoasters at Six Flags while Scout rested safely in her van home
Daydreaming about alternate-universe Haley who went to an Ivy League school as we explored Brown and Yale
Briefly stopping in NYC on our way to some of the beaches on Long Island, where we made the most of the season’s last few warm days jumping in the waves
As November dawns we’re heading back to the city to meet some familiar faces (human and canine ) and channel all of the sitcom characters we’ve watched take on the Big Apple over the years.
A full roundup of where we slept:
18 nights in parking lots (Cracker Barrels, Walmarts, other spots without overnight restrictions) or street parking
5 nights at Harvest Hosts
4 nights on some sort of public land (state forests)
3 nights at a campgrounds (traditional developed loops)
1 night visiting my aunt and uncle
Van logistics in October:
Drove about 900 miles in total
Went through our freshwater tank 5 times (I got to rinse in the ocean a bunch instead of always in the van)
Dumped our gray tank 19 times (lots of only-partially-full dumps this month, we usually take every chance we get to keep it empty especially in city areas where we aren’t sure when we’ll find another spot)
Dumped our pee jug 27 times (dump stations were a bit tricky to find, so many of these trips were to porta-potties when appropriate)
Visited a laundromat two times (one trip was everything including backup blankets, towels, etc—the other was clothes only)
It’s time to clean our air conditioning filter, rotate our tires, and get an oil change soon. So November will see some more maintenance.
We’re figuring out how to balance social time as introverts
One of the reasons I love living in a van is getting to spend so much time just with my little family: Sean and Scout. But another reason I love living in a van? Getting to travel around and see other people and things, too!
October definitely asked me to juggle these two things more than usual. More thoughts in the below post—in short, connecting with fellow dog lovers is amazing as long as I space interactions out and remember to let myself recharge, too. I’ve also gotten better than ever at making in-the-moment decisions about whether or not Scout actually wants to come along somewhere, which has been great for everyone.
What’s new with Scout specifically this month
A little “by the numbers” glance
25 or so longer leashed walks
5 off-leash beach adventures (yay off-season beaches allowing dogs!)
2 nail trims
Left alone in the van at least once a day (mostly short store trips, a few times while visiting people, longest stretch at Six Flags)
Too many rounds of tug and fetch to count!
Tougher than ever, still with a little fear and FOMO
The last month of living in a van hasn’t exactly been Scout’s dream—but she’s handled it so well (and I think had a lot of fun too). There was only one moment that was harder than usual: When we stayed on my aunt and uncle’s property their energetic lab ran around the van a bit, and our scaredy cattle dog girl did not appreciate it.
She had the worst time when she could see or hear me and Sean interacting with Nova. This exact situation has long been one of her struggles—I think it creates a conflicting straight-up-fear and fear-of-missing-out combination that’s tougher to break out of on her own.
All in all it was still simple to deal with. She had two pretty large barking episodes, but by the time we left she wasn’t making any noise from inside the van at all. Window covers, some soft classical music, play, and just settling into the new environment for the win!