My Van Life: Day 13

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Belle Fourche Dam & Reservoir, SD

This place reminds me SO much of Henry’s Lake in Idaho just outside of West Yellowstone - except hotter. It was 97 today with strongggg humidity just about all day long however the saving grace honestly was the wind. I don’t know if it’s because we’re right on a lake or what but the breeze is strong here. While that made the higher temps a lot more bearable it also made our mosquito netting seemingly obsolete. The wind tore the mosquito netting off the back and essentially invited DOZENS of flies into our happy little home. So yes I’m grateful for wind allowing us to keep the doors open and keep the air flowing however is it worth battling flies all day and night? I’ll get back to you on that one.

I use a virtual background on my Zoom calls for work and it’s so funny if/when bugs are flying around or the wind is loud and my hair is flapping all over the place I’m sure people are like "where the heck are you" and "what are you doing?!" That’s why we keep it cute with the virtual background. I had a hard time sleeping last night because it was just so damn hot. This camping spot is perfect though. It’s remote (but not in a scary way), right on the lake with the most beautiful bluish green water, has plenty of space for both us and Coco to feel comfortable AND it has great service! Need I say more?!

That being said we’ve been able to stay here and finish out the work week which has been such a blessing. It can be really challenging feeling pressured to drive during the work week and find places to stay especially after a long work day. Talk about the last thing you want to worry about. This place was only about an hour and a half, if that, from the last rest stop we were at so it was a quick drive and we were able to make it after work yesterday before it got dark.

I think the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place is two days which is kind of crazy when you think about it. I’m not sure what I expected but I think I expected to stay places longer than that. You get kind of addicted to newness though. Now after two nights in one place I find myself itching for that next destination, that next discovery. That’s where I’m at right now I think. While this has been a beautiful spot and I’m so grateful we stayed here, I’m still praying for cooler temps and I’m ready for all the adventure that this upcoming weekend will bring. As I’ve mentioned at least five thousands times, today was hot as hell but then around 4pm it started thundering and lightning and pouring rain. Out of nowhere! It dropped about thirty degrees but for the first hour or two after it rained it felt SO muggy and miserable. Now it’s finally cooled down and I have the back door open enjoying evening writing and snacks with Coco. Now this is what I signed up for.