After a packed weekend in New York, I hopped an NJ Transit train from Penn Station to Phoenix for GreenBiz. It was my first time at the conference, and I was excited to get out of my outdoor industry bubble a bit. Reunited again with my conference partner in crime Zack, we took a quick hike to stretch our legs… and catch up on the hot goss.

*This was clearly not legit, but that didn’t stop Zack from geeking out.*

After a false alarm involving a snake (it was just a leaf), we met up with our buddy Andrew and went in search of grub in Scottsdale.

We thought it would be easy to get a table on a Monday night in the middle of winter, buuuuuut it was Valentine’s Day. After striking out a few times, we squeezed in three bar seats at The Mission, a delish Mexican spot in Old Town. So, that’s how I spent my V-day: seriously underdressed at a fancy restaurant, crushing churros with the bois.

As always, time flew by once the conference got going. Meeting new folks was my favorite part, per usual… a connection I made at GreenBiz has already saved my tushie on a project I’m working on. Huzzah! ALSO, Molly Wood from NPR was there!!!!

A candid pic of me, probably telling everyone how much I love Marketplace. — *A candid pic of me, probably telling a bunch of strangers how much I love Marketplace.*

Five minutes after it started Monday, it was Thursday, and the event wrapped. That night, I was on to Part 3 of my adventure: The Remote Work Van Experiment.

Renting a campervan in Oregon got me thinkin’ big thoughts about saving up for an adventuremobile of my own. In a late night Instagram #vanlife hole, I came across Boho Campervans, a company based in Tempe that I developed a big buildout crush on. But… the puppies aren’t cheap. So, I thought to myself: what better way to see if van remote work is possible than a weeklong test drive?

After checking out of my AirBnB, a busy final day at the conference, and a harried return of my rental car to the airport (why is this a trend), I found myself standing outside Boho staring at my noble steed, suddenly scared shitless of driving a large and very expensive van. It didn’t help when I learned I had to take their DRIVING TEST!

I have cruised down the highway in many a 15 passenger ride, but this 20 foot Ram Promaster 2500 was certainly the biggest vehicle I’d driven. And the pressure of a surprise driving test after a scrambled and stressy day drove me into a mild panic. So I went into the bathroom, had a brief maniacal laugh at the situations I seem to put myself in on the regular, called on my inner Beyoncé, and… as always… was fine. I passed the test, was awarded the keys, and hit the road.

After stocking up on groceries, I headed north to a state park campsite, where I cozied up in my sweet temporary home and slept like a baby. (Minus almost freezing to death because winter in the desert apparently means it’s 10 degrees out).

*There’s insulation in here, but not THAT much…*

I had taken Friday as a PTO day after realizing my road trip itinerary was… aggressive… so after some breakfast in the van, I headed to Sedona. I had been to the area once when I was twelve, and even my shriveled preteen heart had liked it at the time. Not a small feat!

I parked my van along a twisty highway and embarked on a hike to Devil’s Bridge. The most direct way was along a jeep road, but I went a little AWOL and enjoyed myself on some snowy, slightly-less-traveled paths.

Towards the end of the hike, the trail got steeper, but yet again, nothing like New Hampshire. Switchbacks are for suckers, Arizona! I was definitely feeling the altitude though, I am a sea level cat.

Finally, I reached Devil’s Bridge, a cool rock formation that was way too scary for this gal. People were waiting in line to die for the gram, as always. A particularly terrifying moment was when the whole crowd GASPED in unison… but someone had just dropped their sunglasses.

*No thanks, I’m good over here, thank you!*

I trekked back in the midday sun, and enjoyed the novelty of kicking back and relaxing with a sandwich and some gatorade in the van post-hike. 5 stars. Before leaving Sedona, I made a pilgrimage to Cathedral Rocks, which looms in my memory as a magical place from my first trip to Arizona with my mom & dad. Unfortunately, it was way cooler in my brain (with a million cairns everywhere… I found nothin!) It still was a nice walk.

My final stop of the day was Flagstaff. I needed to go to REI to avoid dying of hypothermia, and was ready for some hot food. After hitting the 24 hour mark in the van, my previous day’s anxiety was ancient history.

*Why is this easier for me to park than my Prius?*

*A great stop in Flagstaff was* *DB Burger: local Arizona beef, green chile sauce, and a house made English Muffin bun.*

Fed and properly outfitted, I headed north to scout out a camp for the night… because I had big plans for sunrise.

where: scottsdale, sedona, and flagstaff, AZ//ancestral lands of the o’odham jewed, akimel o’odham, hohkam, western apache, hopitutskwa, and pueblo peoples
when: february, MUCH COLDER! THAN EXPECTED!
how: a 6 mile hike that could easily be shorter.

deserts and desserts

westworld

ny fashion week