Adventure Vibes during the time of COVID
It seems appropriate that the first article for this website is being written at a time where we are hopefully starting to come out of the COVID pandemic. It is March 2021 and my parents are getting there vaccines this week and I will be eligible in a few weeks. Life may begin to get back to whatever a new normal is. I wonder what the impact of the new normal will be on adventure and travel with the world still in a state of flux. As of last week over 120 countries did not have a vaccine yet. It is sounding like travel to Europe and other areas of the world will still be very limited in 2021. It is starting to sound like adventure and travel may really be domestic in nature once again this year.
We were fortunate that we started RVing a few years ago (more on that in another article). We have our little class C Winnebago that is fully contained. We have our own bathroom with a shower, all of the tanks to store the black and grey water, a kitchen and plenty of space for myself, my wife and our two little dogs. We did not have to worry about using public restrooms, going to restaurants, etc. We were really self-contained. We felt safe and isolated which allowed us to go on our own adventures (and we were ready and willing to follow all of the CDC guidelines for safety).
It quickly became clear that we were not the only ones who felt getting outside was the way to get out of isolation. We took a few local 3 day weekend trips. As with any summer, reservations at campgrounds were needed well ahead of time. Nothing seemed to be different except that State Park campgrounds were closed. So it was private campgrounds for us. Then we took nearly a month in August and did a grand tour of five national parks along with a few other places along the way. Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park is a first come-first serve campground (although they have switched to reservations in 2021 for the first time in decades). We got there early and the line to get a spot was about an hour long. Other campsites we had reserved were full as well. It was great to get out on the trails where there were fewer people. We were able to hike all over the place, mountain bike the slick rocks of Moab, and SUP on Jackson Lake in the Tetons and down the white water of the Colorado River near Arches (lets be real, when I say white water I mean 1s and 2’s with me spending a lot of time pulling myself out of the water). I think the point is… outdoor adventure, although a bit different, was still there to be had and very popular. It was safe and energizing for the spirit. But to be clear, it did not all work out. My wife and I had reservations to visit Yosemite NP the first week of January as a little respite to begin the year. We were excited to take our RV and enjoy a National Park in winter. California ended up closing all camping due to a pandemic spike in the fall. While day use was still available in Yosemite, the state did not want people traveling within California or people coming and going for tourism. I do not begrudge that decision at all, but it was a bit of a bummer. We ended up camping at a beautiful site right on the beach of the Pacific Coast in our home state of Oregon instead. We had a great time, but it was not Yosemite.
From everything we are seeing 2021 looks to be even more the year of domestic outdoor adventure. After manufacturing was able to open back up, RV sales were off the hook. They still are. Purchasing a used RV means paying a premium, while finding a new one can be hard if you want it immediately, or can take a few weeks to months to get depending upon what you want. Reservations for the summer are really hard to find and many campgrounds that were available as a drive up are now reservation driven. Even though last year saw the fewest visitors to National Parks since 1980 (because 66 of them were closed), there will be crowded campgrounds and crowded trails as outdoor adventure is one of the safest and most healthy forms of travel in 2021. Does that mean you should avoid it? I certainly will not be missing out. We will once again be heading out in July to Crater Lake National Park and then for another 3-4 weeks the end of July to mid-August. We will be going to National Parks and other areas off the beaten path. There is BLM and other land where you can dry camp (boondock) and potentially be more isolated from others. We are just looking forward to getting back out on the trails, on our bikes, and on our SUPs. We are really lucky that one of our favorite things to do, is still available, still safe, and calling to us for our next adventure.