The wind is howling around us, shaking the trailer and banging branches on our roof. The kids have found their ways into our bed and even I sometimes duck down under the sheets.
The better part of summer we’ve been parked on this beautiful spot in the mountains. At 9000 feet summer brought us rain, some sun and the best view. But now we’re in the thick of fall. Not only have the aspens lost their leaves, we are experiencing torrential winds, night after night. Everything around us is put away or strapped down. Temperatures drop a bit below freezing, yet it feels like 20 degrees Fahrenheit. We are blasting through propane to stay comfortable and have already woken up to snow on the ground at least three times.
It is exciting and at the same time disturbing. On one hand I feel like you can dress for the weather, on the other hand we’re quite vulnerable here in our trailer up in the mountains. There is not a lot of insulation between us and the weather, and the dirt road we are on may very well become hard to pass. Currently our hot water heater does not work, but we’re boiling water on the stove.
This summer has been a bit odd. It was as if we were trying to live a normal life while living in the trailer, with job commitments, swim lessons and library books that always seem to be due. We have been cooking our usual meals, doing school with the kids and keeping a non-camping wardrobe. But summer was not the same as usual. Waking up at 3:20AM to go to work without waking anyone up? Practically impossible. Stocking your usual ingredients? Cupboards too small. And homeschooling while tying up loose ends with home, yard and storage? A headache.
I can’t wait for the season to be over. Not because I dislike my job (except the insanity of the hours that it takes place) but because we are ready for the next phase. In about three weeks we will store our trailer and cross the Atlantic. The next phase of our adventure is about to begin.
