16 Aug Road Trip with Karma: 10,000 miles + a new trailer + officially NM
Wednesday July 6
We had been looking for a trailer for several months across several states, wanting to clear out our storage unit in Denver. The rent on the unit was month to month, and had been increased twice already in the past 6 months. We knew we could save money in the long run by investing in a small trailer that we could park with us in New Mexico. Ideally we were hoping to find one somewhere along the route of the Wisconsin family reunion trip, so that we could stop in Denver on our way back to New Mexico to clean out the storage unit.
With the reunion come and gone, we were in Lake Geneva for one more day when we checked the online listings. And of course, there it was! The perfect 10′ x 6′ size, and within a couple hours’ drive of where we were. We headed up almost immediately to check it out, grabbing cash on the way. The seller was no longer in need of trailer, having completed moving his daughters to various cities around the state with it. We agreed on the price and handed over the cash — and there we had our trailer!
Thursday July 7
After the trailer got a thorough inspection from my dad, we were ready to hit the road once again back west. Since we were instead going to Denver, we followed a different route through Iowa, first crossing the Mississippi over the super cool Savannah-Sabula bridge which was almost 3 miles long!
Crossing the Savannah-Sabula Bridge between Illinois and Iowa.
Friday July 8
We began our 2nd day of driving just outside Des Moines and found ourselves taking the Bridges of Madison County Scenic by for part of our day’s drive! The side roads through the state were empty and peaceful, and we made it through most of Nebraska on Friday as well. It was a L O N G day of driving but we were looking forward to an early arrival in Denver the following day.
Saturday July 9
We arrived in Colorado around 11am on Saturday feeling pretty burned out from two and half long days of driving, totaling 1,358 miles. We headed into downtown Denver and met up with some friends at a local Colfax bar, then headed to my mom’s house for a relaxing night before we began tackling moving out of our storage unit the next day.
Sunday July 10 – Monday July 11
We began our move prep by listing some items we wanted to sell instead of pack into the trailer, and then going to the storage place to see what else we might want to purge, like a round through our clothing bins again.
Monday morning we got the van a fresh oil change in prep for our journey south to New Mexico the next day. After that we began unpacking, selling, and repacking our remaining furniture, clothes, decor & artwork, kitchen supplies and outdoor gear into the trailer. The process was fairly smooth and we were able to sell almost all items in time to leave!
Tuesday July 12
We went out to breakfast with my mom before taking off south back to New Mexico. On this 300 mile journey south, we officially passed our 10,000th mile with Karma the van! Not a single issue to develop yet over the several cross-country road trips we’ve taken. We are so happy with last fall’s spontaneous car purchase!
With this final step, we are officially moved out of Denver, Colorado and now considering ourselves New Mexico residents for the time being! Hooray!
Maureen zimmerman
Posted at 18:25h, 16 AugustHome 🙂
Wherever you fill your Heart with Happiness!
Adrienne
Posted at 12:59h, 17 AugustCongrats! It’s too expensive here haha.