Don and Karen have been weekend campers for years in their vintage cruiser camper trailer exploring the Texas countryside and Midwest. In 2024 they took off on a month-long adventure camping their way to Toronto and back seeing many friends along the way. This summer they did it again with the destination of the Big 5 National Parks in Utah, but this trip required changing the rules a bit as many of their stops would require them to camp without power or water hook-ups a different experience than their norm. They planned, prepared, adjusted and took off an epic 36 days out into the desert and are here to share the story.

Nederland Colorado a town that is very dear to my heart and the place I am finalizing this episode from recently suffered from a tragic fire that burned down the Caribou Village Shopping Center home to 8 local businesses. The community is committed to rebuilding and coming back stronger. If you have the ability, please consider donating to the Go Fund Me listed below supporting the business owners and employees from the affected businesses as they find their footing after this tragic event.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/aid-nederland-shops-and-employees-postfire

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they continue into year two of full time vanlife.