De Pere, WI

De Pere had a lot to live up to after our thoroughly enjoyable two weeks in Michigan. The night before arriving we spent the night at a private lake off of a national forest road, which could have been excellent if it weren't for the maddening mosquitos. Unfortunately, that alongside a hazy overcast, made our first day in De Pere a little lackluster.

Continuing to give De Pere a poor reputation was the public bathroom I used along a riverside park; it was the worst bathroom I've ever been in, and I have been in a lot of public bathrooms. Not long after that experience, we discovered that most shops and restaurants were closed (either because it was a Monday or because it was 4th of July).

To counterbalance the off-putting first impression was a pretty riverwalk alongside the Fox River locks and a seemingly-new educational flower garden. From the river trail we saw lots of anglers and nearly an equal number of pelicans. The downtown stretched across both sides of the river, but the west side was clearly superior. There was a fair amount of art, including one of the most beautiful murals I've ever seen, and an actively-marketing community theater.  

To finish off our time there, we had lunch at Nicolet, a diner that did not cater heavily to their vegetarian customers, followed by a walk through St. Norbert College's campus. We spent the remainder of the day driving through nearby Door County, a peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan and Green Bay. Had we hit De Pere on the right day in the right mood, I'm sure it would have been charming. 

The Good

• Nice riverside park, although the walking trail that we were on was not very long.
• Interesting community summer events being advertised: art walk, farmer's market, food truck rally, music nights, yoga in the park, and sidewalk sales. 
• Cool art around town.
• Near to some very cool places, like Cave Point County Park and Sister Bay on the Door Peninsua.
• Centrally located in the US (meaning easy access to almost everything).
• A good sized town: large enough to support a robust community theater but small enough to walk to everything. 

The Bad

• Nothing particularly stunning. Every time we would come across a pretty spot, it was marred by something slightly off. 
• The river was kind of gross looking. Boating might be fine, but swimming would definitely be off limits. 
• There was a nice looking biking trail next to the river, but a sign warned that bikers and rollerbladers had to pay a fee.
• This is a silly gripe, but I don't like the name De Pere and I can't keep track of the correct pronunciation. 

The Verdict

No. I had intended for us to spend a few days in De Pere, but nothing we saw on day one was compelling enough to bring us back for another visit. 

This was our first true view of De Pere, and it would have made a great first impression if it weren't for the other negative events leading up to this.

A fair number of people out fishing on their holiday. The Fox River feeds into Green Bay, contributing (I presume) to it's name. 

I have mixed feelings about locks. They're cool, but sort of a nuisance. Also, we didn't see any fish ladders built into the dam, so this is likely the only method for fish to get higher upstream.  

The dam mentioned in the previous photo's caption. You can also see a cluster of cormorants and pelicans on a cluster of rocks right in front of it. 

This public garden may have been the prettiest part of De Pere. From what I could tell, there was nothing there to leave a negative aftertaste. 

Downtown was eerily empty.

Not only did it lack people, but it also seemed to have building gaps.

A very cool mural.

What I am dubbing "bee alley." These bee sculptures extended back pretty farm, and were intermixed with some giraffe sculptures and bee-themed print art. I couldn't figure out if there was any connection with the gyro place that was located inside the building (probably not).

Per usual, I found an event listing hung up at a shop front, but this was the only shop we passed that was advertising these community events. 

Conversely, "Shrek the Musical" was being heavily advertised around town.

A new cultural center is being built.

A nice looking college campus, although I couldn't get into any of the buildings to snoop around more. 

The very off-putting fee-to-ride sign.

Now for the best parts of De Pere, which were outside of the city:

The blue waters of Lake Michigan and the sound of light waves echoing in semi-submerged caves at Cave Point County Park.

Despite the gloom and cold water, we had to jump in.

On nice days, goats graze on the thatch roofs of this Swedish-themed shop and restaurant in Sisters Bay.

Despite the looming downpour, there were people enjoying an outdoor beer.

Van Life: Routines

I have always prided myself on being organized and careful and thoughtful and dependable and tidy; all good things when in a job interview. Most of these I can attribute to the routines I've set for myself. Now that I am living in a van, that orderly structure to my day has "whiffed out the window."

Pre-van, my ideal day started off at 7:00am, morning maintenance, a leisurely breakfast, and sitting down to work by 8:30. Around 10:30 I would have a snack, then lunch (last night's leftovers) at 12:30ish, and then back to work until about 2:30pm. The rest of my afternoon would be dedicated to chores, errands, and typically a 30-60 minute walk. While Cameron was finishing up work, I would cook dinner, we'd eat around 6:30 or 7:00, and then spend an hour or two watching Netflix or working on the van. Bedtime was by 9:30pm. 

Now, not a single one of those elements is unchanged. 

Let's start with the mornings. Since we left Utah, we've mostly been in the Eastern and Central time zones. Cameron and I both work with teams on the West Coast, so we've tried to start work a little later in the day to help keep our schedules aligned with our coworkers. That means no morning alarm clock, but waking up at inconsistent times (for me it ranges from 6:00 to 8:30) and in inconsistent places is disorienting. 

What happens next varies on a number of factors. How late we can stay at our sleeping spot, how accessible a bathroom is, how far we need to drive for the day, when our first work meetings are, what the weather forecast is, and if we have internet access all play into the decisions of what we eat for breakfast, as well as when and where we eat it. Some mornings are leisurely, but others are mad with activity.

Typically, once we've arrived at our working destination, things settle down for a few hours, but there are still day-to-day challenges. If we both have meetings at the same time, typically one of us will go outside (either to sit at a park bench or inside of a nearby café). If that's not practical, we create as much space between us as possible (Cameron sitting in the passenger seat while I go to the far end of the bed) and are strategic when using the mute button. 

For lunch, we still eat last night's leftover's when available, but our cooking habits have changed. Making elaborate meals is difficult on a one-burner camp stove, so dinners are often smaller (meaning no leftovers) and we're eating out more frequently (which also means no leftovers). I'm having to adapt to food I used to scoff at, like cereal, sandwiches, and ever-frequent couscous salads. 

After I finish work for the day, I'm looking for any excuse to get out of the "house." We've learned to look for spots that have interesting walking trails nearby so that I can come and go without interrupting Cameron's afternoon. We have plans to hike the John Muir Trail in August (a 20+ day backpacking trip with many miles and lots of daily elevation gain) so I would like to be training for that. Training should involve long hikes with a heavy backpack, or at least going running, but because we're limiting our showers, I'm doing very little strenuous activity.

Despite trying to avoid breaking a sweat, I'm sure I appear grubbier than I used to. Partially because I am – showers get pushed to every three or four days and I tend to re-wear the same outfit for at least three days in a row – but I'm also losing some basic daily habits that I thought were set for life. My toothbrush and floss are kept in separate parts of my toiletries bag, so I sometimes forget to floss in the mornings. I'm not putting on sunscreen as often as I should, and I'm definitely not washing my face every day because it's cumbersome in our setup. I think I've remembered deodorant every day so far, but there's an odor that tells me otherwise. 

Like the mornings, evening schedules vary. When we find someplace pleasant, we tend to stay a few days, but we occasionally have to get to a particular place within a constrained timeframe. Those days, we'll start driving as soon as reasonably possible given Cameron's afternoon meetings schedule. We try to keep daily drive times under three hours, but that's not always practical, and our dinner options change. More than once I've wished our 10'+ van could fit through a fast food drive through, but since it can't we find alternatives. I'm usually the one driving so that Cameron can finish up any last minute things at work, but once he's done, I send him to the back of the van to gather a hodgepodge of snacks. Sometimes those snacks are substantial enough to replace dinner, but even when they are, eating while driving is rarely satisfying. 

More than once, we've pulled into our final destination after 9:00pm (which I used to consider my bedtime). Even if we're adequately fed and dead-tired, we have at least 15 minutes of evening prep that needs to happen. Additionally, lately we’ve been driving through the Dakota plains region, which is regularly hitting 100°+ highs, so if we want to do anything outside, we have to do it early in the day. Twice in the last week we’ve woken up at 3am to hike in national parks (Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands). With the irregular sleep schedule, I am noticeably crankier (although Cameron thinks that my crankiness is because of the small space) and I am drinking coffee on a far more regular basis (this last week I drank coffee at least thrice!).

Maybe this is TMI, but I think the change in sleeping habits, diet, exercise, and bouncing between time zones have changed my bathroom habits. I can't predict if I will want to be near a public bathroom in the morning, the afternoon, evening, or all three. We have used the van’s toilet more in recent weeks, and I have started to notice a smell. One day (while working in 95° degree whether atop a ski hill in the Black Hills) it stunk so bad! I wasn’t sure if it was because of the toilet’s recent usage or if the heat was stirring up the stink, but I was about ready to quit van life altogether. By the end of the day, Cameron discovered we just hadn’t sealed the toilet properly the last time we emptied it, so thankfully we were able to fix that and get back to our normal neutral (at least I hope!) odor.

The one daily routine that we’ve developed is very van-specific. Every evening, we transition the van from driving mode to sleeping mode. At a minimum, we pull out custom window covers from their daily resting spot (typically under the bed, but evermore frequently we’re keeping them more accessible to block out sun while we work) and attach them to blackout the windows. We move all of our backpacks from the bed to the floor or one of the front seats. The bench seat and pillows also get moved to the front, and we typically also put up the table, so that the toilet is easier to access in the night. And lastly, after pushing it to the last minute, we lock up Pancake in her cubby so she doesn’t jump on our bed and wake us up. In the morning, everything is reversed.

This last week we had a little reprieve. For five days, we were at a family reunion where I met many of Cameron’s relatives for the first time. I know two months of van life probably did not set me up for the best first impression, but after multiple days of regular showers, washing laundry twice in the same week, and working every day in a strongly air conditioned space, I felt far more presentable. Of course they were all understanding, and mostly impressed and intrigued by our newfound lifestyle. Despite the luxury conditions, I still re-wore the same shirt three days in a row. Perhaps I should start preparing for the likelihood that some of my newfound van habits will stick with me long-term, even after the Goldilocks Project is over.

Got to start off with a glamor shot of the van. This was our boondocking site in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Early morning birthday hike to beat the oppressive heat in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. We're trying to integrate hiking into our routine as much as possible.

The daily routine includes replacing our window covers and piling up the pillows. Pancake likes investigating the new configuration. 

Our window covers are black on one side and reflective on the other. We can choose which side faces outside based on how warm we're trying to keep the inside. 

Typically, if we are not under tree cover, we are also setting up the Starlink, our satellite internet connection. We used to only have a ground mount (as seen here), but Cameron recently installed a rooftop fixture for it.

The roof mount still requires reaching outside, but it is more accessible than before and it also gives us consistently better service.

We've attempted multiple methods for keeping Pancake off of the bed, but nothing's worked long-term.

 

It's tempting to let her up there because she can be so darn cute when she's sleeping! She just doesn't stay sleeping through the night. 

An element of van life that I didn't talk about here is laundry. Although typically cumbersome, laundromats can be kind of fun. There's a lot of people watching and typically some arcade-type activities.

This is a pretty standard look for me these days: a non-tank top shirt (to hide my armpit hair) that won't be embarrassing to be seen in if I have an unexpected video call at work, sunglasses around my neck, earrings (also to look more workplace-presentable), and hair pulled back (to camouflage the greasiness). 

No surprise, but another regular part of our routine includes gas station stops. In addition to fueling up, we have to regularly clean the windows (it's buggy out here!) and replenish our diesel exhaust fluid (something that apparently reduces the pollutants from diesel vehicles).  

We try to eat and cook outside as much as possible, but wind, bugs, and heat all affect the feasibility of that.

While staying in the family rental, it was fun to make a multi-course meal (I was able to use the oven and have two burners going at the same time!). In the van, this is bout as gourmet as it gets – huevos rancheros for Cameron's birthday breakfast. 

Despite the constraints, Cameron managed to "bake" himself a birthday cake. He layered up crepes, lemon curd, and Italian merengue.

Some of the mild frustrations about living in the van: not having a place for semi-clean clothes, so they end up on the counter; our cabinet latches not being strong enough, so we have to bungee the drawers closed; and no defined spot for the newly-purchased rabbit tunnel. 

Additionally, we're lazy and often let dishes pile in the sink. We also regularly forget to put the sink cover away before driving, secure the internet router, and find a spot for the tissues and toilet paper. 

Leelanu and Benzie Counties, MI

Welcome to bonus spot #2!

Clearly I’ve been enamored with Michigan, but have ultimately discounted it because of the skiing opportunities. After spending almost a full week along the shores of Lake Michigan (mostly at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore), I may have been won over. Surely spending that time with two really good friends as well as staying in proper campgrounds where showers are not a commodity helped a lot, but what really sold me was the home prices. Expectedly, there were gorgeous mega homes with private beachfronts that would run into the millions, but Zillow advertised some not-so-modest homes with reasonable amounts of property that were walking distance to cute towns and public beaches at prices that were very appealing to me and Cameron.

We spent a fair amount of time in Empire (lunchtime stop where we saw a nice Mennonite family out for a bike ride); Leland (known for a specific type of blue stone, but I was more interested in the many rabbit-named shops, tasty looking ice cream, and the now-hip Fish Town); Beulah (where we ate a grand cherry-themed feast); and Benzonia (which had a funky coffee shop and a very solid brewery).

Although these towns boasted populations of only a few hundred or thousand, they seemed much more robust. Surely part of that is seasonality, but I got the sense that the community still exists outside of the limited summer tourism. It was obvious that the region was trying to promote winter tourism, but there were clear signs that winter could be rough: very sloped roofs, wide shoulders, seasonal overnight parking restrictions, and lots of snowmobiling and cross-country ski trails. 

The Good

• Really affordable for what you get! We toured a house that was less than a 15 minute walk to Benzonia and Crystal Lake that had 1 acre of property and two individual homes on it. (We did not put an offer on it, but it also didn’t have any red flags.)
• A fair amount of wilderness. Cameron could have his land and nature while I could still have the people-focused community.
• The towns are charming and self-sufficient, but there is a larger city (Traverse City) less than 1 hour away for an airport and more city-focused needs.
• The lakes are beautiful and are such stunning shades of blue that it looks like you are in the Caribbean. That fantasy is quickly forgotten once you try to swim in Lake Michigan’s frigid waters, but some of the smaller lakes in the area are more manageable temperatures. 

The Bad

• Skiing. You knew this would come up, but we could commit to switching over to cross country skiing and then do a bigger travel trip once or twice a season.
• Harsh, gray winters. We talked to a quasi-local at one of our campsites who told us that seasonal depression was likely worse in Michigan than in Washington. When I asked our realtor about winter’s brutality, he cheerily told us that it wasn’t so bad – “the other side of the lake might get down to -30 but over here it’ll only be 15!”
• Sand. I know we’re not well set up for it in the van, but it’s such a hassle.
• Bugs. The mosquitos aren’t terrible, but the biting flies were driving me nuts! It was impossible to relax on the beach long-term without getting chewed up. Luckily I have a very fun song that I sing about “the black fly picking at my bones in North Ontr-i-o-i-o” that brought me some comic relief.

The Verdict

Clearly, given that we toured a house, we’re thinking about it. We’ll likely stay in touch with the realtor we met and are tentatively planning to visit again this winter to get a better sense of what year-round living is like here. One thing I really like about this area is that there is a lot more of Michigan that we want to explore, so it’s easy to picture what our weekends and holidays would look like if we had a home base here. I do have to question myself “what makes Michigan better than Washington?” and I’m not sure if I have a great answer (other than the cost of living differences). I may not be totally sold, but I am willing to at least consider this as a future vacation spot, even if it won’t likely end up as one of the final top contenders.

With sunsets like this, how could you not want to move here? This greeted us on our first evening in the area. 

The second evening's sunset was not as brilliant, but sill lovely. 

We camped within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore boundaries, so of course we had to climb some dunes. Sand hiking is not my favorite activity, but when in Rome...

Lake Michigan had stunningly clear water and beautiful blue hues that could be seen from a distance. 

Leland's Fish Town. From here you could charter a boat for fishing or to ferry you to one of the island's that are also within the National Park's boundary.

Most of our stay was spent on the water, but not necessarily lake water. We did a river float in our friends' raft and pool tubes. 

This public beach along Crystal Lake is within walking distance (~15 minutes) from the house we toured. 

Dinner at the cherry hut was an experience that included at least five courses.

It would be easy to find a place within an hour's drive of Traverse City, which has a reasonably-priced airport and plenty of it's own culture. We spent an evening exploring "The Village" – an abandoned asylum-turned-shopping center. 

After leaving the northwestern region of mainland (mitten) Michigan, we spent a few days on the Upper Peninsula.  Although far more rural, there were lots of nature-focused stops we enjoyed, and many more left to see. Tahquamenon Falls were a favorite of ours. 

Clearly, Cameron and I had a grand ol' time.

Also, what's not to love about an area with so much rabbit-focused art?:

Rochester, MI

Now if you’ll remember the last town post, I left with an overall good feeling about Michigan in general and that continues to extend to Rochester. My first impressions of Rochester were very good. We worked from its Municipal Park during the day, and then meandered around downtown and it’s surrounding neighborhoods in the evening.

The heat wave was still abundant, but tons of people were out walking, biking, and enjoying a bachelorette party (that’s got to be a good sign, right?). We were there on a Wednesday, yet many restaurants were full, which makes me wonder what it would be like on a weekend (too crowded?). There were ample maps posted to help visitors find their way and to see that Rochester is connected to a handful of other towns via a 10 mile river trail. Along said river trail, we saw an otter catch a fish and a deer who was far to comfortable with our close proximity.

For dinner, we went to Chomp, a place that was rated as one of the top for vegetarians and vegans in the greater Detroit area (I had a vegetarian Ruben but Cameron had a full-meat chicken and waffles with bacon). It seemed like every type of person who could be there was: young families, a group of women about my age, some college kids, a middle-age man working on his tablet while he waited, and a rotating line of folks coming in to pickup pre-ordered meals. 

The Good

• Race, age, and socioeconomic diversity. Looking around at the people and houses, this felt like a community I could fit into and would be happy to be a part of. 
• Great outdoor spaces that extend around the town, plus a handful of state parks and nature preserves in the nearby surrounding areas.
• A large and local downtown that had character and largely brick and Tudor architecture.
• Very nice looking schools – the high school we passed was a very impressive building and Rochester University seems like a nice small liberal arts school (although it is religiously affiliated).
• Lots of community events that were being advertised, ranging from a weekly farmers’ market to “Junk in the Trunk,” whatever that is!

The Bad

• Skiing is still a concern, but potentially easier to overlook here than at the other Michigan stop since Rochester is closer to other water-related outdoor activities. That said, looking at a map there’s not much wildness in the greater area.
• The heat also continues to be a concern for me. I also tend to assume if it gets really hot in the summer, it probably also gets really cold in the winter.
• The downtown, although lovely in almost every way, is on a big road and doesn’t feel as pedestrian-focused as my ideal town would have. 

The Verdict

Probably no. Although I think I would be perfectly happy here, I wasn’t wowed. I’m glad to see that my qualifying metrics seem to be producing good places, but when I compare Rochester to other towns we’ve already visited, it doesn’t make the top of the list.

The town really prided themselves on their nature-focus and art, both of which help rank it high on my list.

I also like a town that is welcoming enough to provide you a map, and big enough to warrant said map.

The restaurants and shops in downtown were cute, but the main road doubled as a highway, which made it a little less cozy than my ideal downtown would be.

Rochester's roster of events was pretty expansive. Despite it's proximity to Detroit, I don't think I would need to go into the big city to get my fix for community entertainment.

All of the restaurants seemed busy despite the day of the week we visited. I wonder if they get a lot of visitors from the other nearby towns which may not be nearly as comprehensive. 

The downtown neighborhoods were really stinking cute...

...and I found my dream house style. What is this architecture called? Queen Anne? Victorian? Regardless, I want there to be artistic flourishes to my final home.

There was a really nice river train paralleling town. Based on the Paint Creek Trail map, it seemed likely that bicyclists use this trail system for commuting. 

We spent most of the day working from the Municipal Park. There were a wide range of parkgoers throughout the day.

Although most people were enjoying a walk through the park, a handful of kids were splashing in the river. 

A nice overview of Rochester's history. In short, it was the first permeant settlement in the county, it was named after Rochester, NY where many of its first settlers were from, and is now the home for a dog school for the blind.