Digital Nomad Life: Month 120

Month 120 was a better month than the previous few months, with a mix of work and fun, and visits to two of my favorite cities.

I started the month pushing to get ready for Outlaw Music Festival, and we managed to get everything ready to open in the nick of time. We had a great group of guests for the show and it was a solid start to the season.

I had a day to decompress, then I headed up to Vancouver for five nights to see my friend Megan and do all my favorite things in my favorite city. I had a bit of rain but overall it was an excellent visit.

On the way back to work, I stopped for lunch in North Bend and a hike at Snoqualmie Pass, then after two nights back at site, Toby and I drove to Seattle and flew to Albuquerque.

We spent two days with his brothers and my sisters-in-law cleaning Pa’s house out, then we had a rosary at his local church before driving to Colorado for the funeral. It was obviously a really sad time but it was great to be with family.

We flew back to Seattle and to a lost kitty, which wasn’t the welcome we were hoping for. Luckily, we found her after a couple of hours although she wasn’t in the best shape, more on that in the lowlights.

I had three days on site at The Gorge doing some work as well as doing trips into Wenatchee to see a doctor and get bloodwork done (I’m in perfect health) and to do the Ancient Lakes hike and visit Crescent Bar. Then we headed to Leavenworth for two days for Toby’s birthday and Leavenworth is always a fun time – I love that place.

We had a couple of fun staff BBQs back on site at The Gorge – it really is amazing to have a community there now – then I headed to Seattle for two nights. I stopped in Edmonds for a few hours on the way and I really liked this cool little town.

Seattle was fun as usual. After two days there I picked our worker Eddy up from the airport, then headed back to site to work the last show of the month, Beyond Wonderland. This was another fantastic show with a great bunch of people staying at the Oasis.

Toby’s cousin Ticia arrived on the last night of the month and we went into the show for a bit, which was actually really cool. The decor was amazing with everything lit up and there was even a House tent – pretty much the only EDM I like. 

Now onto the stats!

Countries Visited: USA, Canada

Places Visited:

• Washington: George, North Bend, Snoqualmie Pass, Wenatchee, Quincy, Crescent Bar, Leavenworth, Edmonds, Seattle, Issaquah
• Canada: Vancouver
• New Mexico: Española, Ojo Caliente
• Colorado: La Jara, Capulin, Alamosa, Aurora, Denver

National and State Parks, Monuments, and UNESCO Sites: None this month.

Islands Visited: Granville Island and Habitat Island in Vancouver.

Best Meals: Rosemary rock salt bagel with garlic cream cheese from Solly’s in Vancouver; Creme brulee donut from Luckys in Vancouver; Butter chicken pie from Peaked Pies in Vancouver; Everything at The Acorn Restaurant in Vancouver but especially the pasta dishes; Southwest chicken salad from McGlinn’s Public House in Wenatchee; Chicken souvlaki with tzatziki and pita from Demetri’s Woodstone Taverna in Edmonds; Veggie and prawn tempura and Geisha sushi roll from Moshi Moshi Sushi in Seattle.

Best Craft Beer: Mirabelle Plum Gose from Steel and Oak Brewing Co in New Westminster.

Hikes/Walks:

• West Vancouver Seawall from Ambleside Beach to Dundarve Beach in Vancouver 4 miles
• Seawall around Stanley Park in Vancouver 6 miles
• Annette Lake Trail in Snoqualmie Pass, WA 7.7 miles
• Ancient Lakes Trail in Quincy, WA 4.9 miles
• Canyon Crest Trail to Boundary Butte in Leavenworth, WA 7 miles

Watching: Nonnas, Kinda Pregnant, Sirens, The Survivors.

Reading: The Institute by Stephen King, Elevation by Stephen King.

New Posts: No new posts this month.

Highlights

Great First Show of the Season

Despite Toby having to leave to say goodbye to Pa in the middle of setup and the build team not being on track, we still managed to get the Oasis ready for our first show of the season, Outlaw Music Festival with Billy Strings, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson.

There were some delays because of high winds but otherwise everything went great, and it was a really nice bunch of guests.

Being Back in Vancouver

Being back in my favorite city and former home, Vancouver, is always a highlight and this five day visit was no exception. I stayed with a friend, ate some incredible food, visited Granville Island Market, walked the seawalls in West Van and Stanley Park and some of False Creek, visited Gastown, and spent a rainy morning working in Mount Pleasant.

Walking the Seawall

While I walked two seawalls on this visit to Vancouver, walking my favorite around Stanley Park for the first time in a couple of years (I usually bike it) was a highlight. The scenery always astounds me, especially being right by the city, and I nearly always see wildlife.

On this time around I saw four seals just off the seawall. Such a beautiful day outside in a beautiful place.

Soaking at Ojo Caliente

After a day of donating stuff and cleaning Pa’s house to get ready to sell, we spent an evening camping and soaking at Ojo Caliente, one of my favorite hot springs resorts in the U.S. It was fun to be there with Toby’s brothers and my sisters-in-law and I know that even though Pa is gone, we won’t stop visiting New Mexico and Ojo; It’s such a special place to us.

Being With Family at a Hard Time

Although going back to New Mexico and Colorado to pack up Pa’s house and attend his rosary and funeral was hard, it was amazing to see so much family during this time, some I hadn’t seen in years. The family really came together to celebrate Pa’s life, and I am so thankful for that.

Alamosa SummerFest on the Rio

After the funeral, the last thing I felt like doing was going to a festival but I’m so glad I did because it was fun and a release after a draining day. We had some drinks and dinner, checked out the different stands, and enjoyed the live music. And I got to cuddle with a baby goat – so cute!

We also got to know one of Toby’s cousins on his Dad’s side whom I’d never met before and his amazing girlfriend. It ended up being just what we needed.

Leavenworth Round 3

We spent a lovely two days in one of my favorite little mountain towns in the U.S. – Leavenworth. It was my third visit this season (so far) and we spent it hiking, eating German food, soaking in a hot tub, and wizzing down a mountain on a super fast alpine coaster. Joni came with us too and we stayed at the same cat-friendly hotel that I stayed at last month.

Attending a No Kings Protest

Toby’s birthday coincided with the No Kings protest in Leaveworth too which I was happy to spend some time at. I was really nervous the night before but I was there for over an hour and there was so much support and no ugliness or violence.

It definitely gave me some hope that there are so many people in this country who are just as appalled as I am by the craziness and cruelty of Trump’s dictatorship.

Return to Seattle

Because I had to go to Seattle anyway to pick up a staff member, I decided to spend two nights there. On this visit, I hung out in Ballard, watched the sunset at Golden Gardens Beach, ate at Pike Place Market, walked Alki Beach, checked out White Center, had drinks at a travel Facebook meetup in West Seattle followed by an evening drinking wine on a rooftop with Seattle views with my friend Marta. Overall, a very successful visit.

Lowlights

Grief

Grief is a mother fucker and it gets you when you least expect it. You could be feeling fine, then suddenly there it is. Being in New Mexico and Colorado with family was very cathartic and I cried a lot, but there have been lots of other times this month when it has snuck up on me at random times. The last few months have been hard and I am not just grieving Pa’s death.

Lost Kitty

Coming back from the funeral, I was really looking forward to seeing Joni but I called her for hours and she didn’t come home, so we got really worried. The worker who was meant to be looking after her said she had been coming home for dinner every night, but he was likely not being honest because when we finally found her under the Box Office, she was scared and skinny and it took a while to get her to come out. Poor little girl.

She spent the next couple of days inside and ate a ton of food, then luckily she bounced back but I felt so guilty for leaving her.

Car Issues

The car had been making a grinding noise whenever I turned to the left for a while, so we finally took it in as we needed new rear brakes too. The mechanic said the tie rod was loose and it may have caused more extensive damage so it was either going to cost $200 or so to tighten it or $2500+ if it had done more damage. Not what I wanted to hear. Hopefully, when we take it in again next month it will just end up needing to be tightened.

The State of the U.S.

What a horrifying shit show this country is right now. ICE raids, Trump jumping into a war with Iran and trying to sell off billions of acres of pristine public land. There is nothing good coming out of this administration. It feels like we are in the early to middle stages of the Nazi party’s rise to power. How can the people who voted for him not see this? I continue to be horrified by the cruelty and greed.

Gaza Starving

What is happening in Gaza IS genocide. Israel wants them all to die. I don’t understand how no one has stopped this? One tiny bit of good news is that Hamada Shaqoura, whom I follow on Instagram, won an Emmy for his documentary “The Man Who Feeds Gaza’s Children”.

Hamada was a food blogger before the genocide and now collaborates with the volunteer-run initiative Watermelon Relief to feed displaced families in Gaza, although with food shortages that is really hard right now. Check out the documentary here and make sure to follow Hamada on Instagram #FreePalestine

Spending

I don’t include international flights in my recaps. Some of my costs are shared with Toby or other travel partners.

Total: USD$1405

This is the lowest my spending has been in a long time. With spending almost nothing on accommodation this month as well as having gas and food covered for work days and work errands, I was able to keep my spending really low.

Accommodation $21

My one night of paid accommodation for the month consisted of one night at a hotel in Leavenworth (mostly using travel credit).

My 30 nights of unpaid accommodation for the month consisted of 18 nights in our staff RV onsite at the Gorge, five nights staying with a friend in Vancouver, one night at my father-in-law’s house in Espanola, one night camping at Ojo Caliente, two nights at family friend’s in Alamosa, one night with family in Aurora, one night car camping in Seattle, and one night staying with a friend in Seattle.

Food and Drink $834.50

Kinda high this month due to eating out a lot when I was traveling and taking Toby out for his birthday dinner.

Clothing $0

Transport $106.50

• Gas $92.50
• Parking $1.50
• Trains in Vancouver $5
• Airport parking $7.50

Activities $113.50

• Entry to Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Resort $39.50
• Skee ball in Leavenworth $2
• Alpine Coaster in Leavenworth – four rides $72

Other $241

• U.S. Phone plan $35
• OneDrive storage $2
• Garmin monthly subscription $14
• Spotify monthly subscription $6.50
• Netflix $4
• Toiletries $86
• Gifts $27.50
• Donations $15
• Travel mug $25.50
• Souvenirs $19.50
• Flowers $6

Website Costs $12

• Monthly payment for Keysearch $12

Vehicle Costs $76.50

• RV and van insurance $76.50

What’s in Store For Next Month

I’ll be starting the month with one more day of work for Beyond Wonderland, then I have nine days off. We’ll have our cousin Ticia visiting for a few days and I need to take the car into Wenatchee to get fixed, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the rest of my time off – maybe go back to Seattle or Vancouver, or head up to lovely Nelson in Canada. We will see.

Our next show is going to be a busy one and falls over July Fourth weekend – Tipper & Friends. We will be working that for five days and then I have ten days with no shows. I’m planning to do a road trip to Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks. Hopefully, Toby can come for a few days too and we can take the RV and Joni.

I have one last show this month, Mumford & Sons which is just two days of work, and then I will embarking on the summer trip I have been most looking forward too – a Canadian Road Trip starting with camping and exploring the Northern Sunshine Coast and then heading to Cortes Island where I am doing a retreat. I can’t wait!

To read additional Monthly Recaps, you can find them here