Day 2 brought another off-roading trip, this time to Tusher Tunnel, which is, in fact, a tunnel. This road was a little rough for Monique, who isn't quite accustomed to all of this off-roading business. She likes it, of course, but she's a little nervous being so new at it.

This particular hill was a bit of a challenge for Westy Girl, but she took it like a champ! Only got stuck on a rock once.

The sand, however, was a whole other story. Westy girl got stuck in the sand, but the best part about Westy meetups--every SINGLE driver jumps out of their van to help you. We had the whole group digging and pushing to help Monique out of the sand trap. I LOVE VAN PEOPLE.

Unfortunately I didn't really get excellent pics of the tunnel since it was pretty dark. Thus this blurry picture of Riley. But you get the idea! It was pretty phenomenal. But then again, most of southern Utah is phenomenal.

I would sell my soul to be back at this meetup right this instant. I really would.

You learn a lot of things traveling in a van.

1.) You see so much more at 55mph. Why do we all move so fast? What's the rush?

2.) Priorities have a strange way of realigning when you meet others with stories different than yours. Take, for example, our new Westy friends Dana and Mark. They've been on the road for 7 months. They started in Boston, made their way to Florida, to Texas, to New Mexico, to Moab for the meetup. They'll stop when they find "home" whatever that may be. They are not retired--they are young and hopeful and so entirely full of life. Talking to Dana was the biggest breath of fresh air and one that my stagnated life desperately needed.

3.) On that same note, you don't need what you think you need. Everything you need can and will fit inside a van, and you will find happiness living that life.

4.) Life is all about helping people and letting them help you. Vans broke down on the trip as 30-year-old vans tend to do, and everyone rushed in to lend a hand where they could. People shared their food, their games, their chairs, their beer--everything. Community is what makes life worth living. Not money, not success, huge houses, or expensive clothes.

5.) Everyone has a story worth telling. Everyone. We watched this documentary called "The Bus" on a projector in the middle of the desert, and this guy in an interview says that everyone that owns a Vanagon is worth a campfire and a beer. It's true. I met another astounding woman named Valerie who has been on the road for 10 months with her beautiful and incredibly outlandishly sweet special needs daughter Camilla. They started in Quebec and went all the way to Costa Rica and back to Utah. The stories and the light and the life that emanated from both of them blew my mind.

Anyway, all deep thoughts aside, the time spent at camp was definitely as much a highlight as the offroad trips. We even got these super official and/or super awesome "Westy Camper Life" hats that are my new prized possession. We ALSO got our stove to work!! Meaning we can boil water/make grilled cheeses anywhere we go. YES! Win!

Westy Camper Life. I want that life. I want to travel like Dana and Mark and Vallerie and Camilla. Someday it will happen. There's too much to see to not make it happen.