rooftop tent Archives - Half an Hour Away

Rooftop Tent Trip #1: Wrapping Up Our Adventure (Days 15 & 16)

Our First Rooftop Tent Adventure series is coming to a close! We spent the final two days in Jackson, before bad weather led us to return home early. Despite the change of plans, we enjoyed ourselves as our trip was winding down.

Trip Diary Begins:

Wednesday, May 31

Once again, we slept in to get some extra snuggle time in. I was very sleepy. Then, we made our way to Jackson, Wyoming, encountering lovely mountain scenery on our drive. (The Tetons are spectacular.)

After a relatively uneventful day getting some work done, we went to dinner at Merry Piglets, a Tex-Mex restuarant. There, we had Spicy Huckleberry Margaritas, which were delightful. I love embracing huckleberry flavored things, which are quite popular in the Yellowstone area. (We just talked about the wontons with huckleberry dipping sauce at Slippery Otter Pub.) Our meal was pretty heavy, but boy did those margs hit the spot. We’ve since returned to Merry Piglets, and the margaritas were just as good as we remembered.

I noted in my notes app entry for the day that the town of Jackson is so cute. Once again, I stand by that (how couldn’t you though? If you’ve ever been to Jackson, you know). I’ve been back a couple of times since this first trip, and I love it there, especially in the summer.

Thursday, June 1

Switching things up from all our sleeping in, we woke up mad early. We arrived at Cowboy Coffee before it opened at 6 am. Once we were inside, I basically napped on Jon’s shoulder for awhile, before starting on my work around 7:30.

We made the tough decision to end our trip a little early because the weather got crappy. It was rainy and had even started storming. Though we wanted to spend more time exploring Yellowstone (I would have loved to see Grand Prismatic), it was the right call. It was cool that we even got to experience Yellowstone at all!

Scary Fact: Yellowstone’s geothermal features are beautiful, but incredibly dangerous. I remember falling asleep to a podcast once, and awakening to a horrifying discussion about encounters with these features that led to death or injury. The good news? Deaths and injuries are extremely rare. Just be smart and follow the instrcutions at the park! Don’t be a touron—for your own good.

We were pretty conflicted but both felt it would be good to just start heading home. Of course, we were still sad the trip was ending. It’s always bittersweet ya know? But in that moment, I belonged in the car eating White Cheddar PopCorners. There’s always next time—and we will be back!

Trip Reflection

So, that’ll do it with this series! Our first road trip with the rooftop tent was so amazing. We skied in Mammoth, which has become one of our favorite mountains, explored the Oregon Coast, went to a music festival, enjoyed an “average day“, and even saw a bit of Yellowstone.

Our rooftop tent has enhanced our adventures so much, and I can’t wait to do another 2-week+ road trip with it! We use it all the time in the summer and fall, and it will continue to be a staple of many journeys to come. I look forward to exploring more, experiencing more, and sharing more of these special moments.

Rooftop Tent Trip #1: Skiing at Mammoth Mountain (Days 3 & 4)

It’s time for another installment of Our First Rooftop Tent Adventure! On days 3 & 4 of our first rooftop tent road trip, we had so much fun skiing at Mammoth Mountain. With plenty of spring snow, sunshine, and amazing après vibes, it was an unforgettable stop. We were even spoiled with a couple of nights at a hotel.

Trip Diary Begins:

Friday, May 19th

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up, packed up camp, and set off for Mammoth Mountain, just a short drive from our campsite. After arriving at the resort, Jon slammed his finger in the car door. Not fun! Luckily, this didn’t require a trip to urgent care. When we effectively sought a friend’s opinion (it’s great having a Physician Assistant friend; you know who you are), we decided that he would be fine, bandaged the finger, and got on with our day.

We started skiing around noon, dressed in Hawaiian shirts and jean shorts. It was my first time skiing in shorts, and I loved it. The weather was amazing, and our outfits were perfect for it! The slushy spring snow was super fun, and Mammoth had a lot of snow, especially for mid-May. They had about 30 runs open at this point. Skiing there was a blast and a half. This was also my first day skiing a wiggle, which was fun, even though I didn’t ski the entirety of the wiggle.

After a bit of skiing, we stopped back at the car and had lunch. Once we had eaten, we headed to the (fantastic) après at the Yoddler. It was so much fun! We each got an Aperol Spritz—one of the perfect après drinks, IMO.

That night, we were living the life of hotel luxury at the Motel 6. We checked in, relaxed, and freshened up before heading to a brewery for dinner. At the brewery, we ate yummy nachos and buffalo chicken flatbread. We returned to the hotel and had a chill night watching a little HGTV before bed. Enjoying the comforts of the hotel, we decided to book a second night.

Writing this now makes me wish I was on vacation again. No worries, just vibes, HGTV, and a hotel bed.

Saturday, May 20th

The weather was lovely again! I wore a different pair of jean shorts and a crop top, while Jon wore a tank and jorts. I also had my Mellanzana with me for the chillier moments. We even ~sorta~ got to ski through some trees, which was nice for this late in the season.

It eventually started raining. There was even a lightning warning! Because of the brief moment of ~weather~, we had to stop skiing for a hot sec, but it didn’t last long. We skied a couple more laps, bought some merch (obviously), and hit après again. This day was even more lit since it was a Saturday. The party had it all: champagne spraying, a guy doing yo-yo tricks, an older lady dancing on the table, and even a few dogs. Such a vibe! After we were done there, we went back to the hotel. We sat outside for a bit before deciding on a new brewery to go to. After we enjoyed our beers, we went to Roberto’s Cafe for dinner. I had beef taquitos and Jon had a carne asada burrito. We caught a stunning sunset before going to bed.

Toyota 4Runner is parked in a pine forest with a rooftop tent set up. A mountain bike is attached to the back, and camping gear, including a storage bin, is on the ground beside the vehicle.

Selfie of Jon and Lai in ski gear and tropical shirts in front of a large woolly mammoth statue at Mammoth Mountain. They are smiling, wearing helmets and sunglasses.

Rooftop Tent Trip #1: Denver to Mammoth Lakes (Days 1 & 2)

Lovely red rock scenery in the Capitol Reef area of Utah.

The weather in Colorado has been pretty warm recently, and spring is right around the corner. While it is a little unsettling that the temps have been above 60°F in February and March, I can’t say the sunshine doesn’t feel good. We recently returned from an Aspen trip that was a blast, even though it was pretty dry. The snow conditions weren’t ideal, but the weather was absolutely beautiful.

Since it’s been feeling pretty springlike lately (and spring is quickly approaching), I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to look back at one of our most memorable trips: our first major outing with the rooftop tent in the spring of 2023. We explored many amazing destinations over our two-week road trip. While we had many memorable camping trips before, the addition of the rooftop tent marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our outdoor adventures.

Pieces of Our Adventure

I’ll be breaking the trip up into various posts, grouping a few days in each one. During the trip, I took daily notes—some just for myself and others in preparation for our blog, which at the time was only an idea. I won’t be detailing every single day—just the parts I want to share. Now, almost two years later, I’m revisiting these incredible memories on our blog—something I’m thrilled has finally become a reality! I hope you enjoy these stories from our trip. 😊

Note: For this series, I’m switching things up a bit from our usual blog posts. As readers of Half an Hour Away know, we typically highlight how far certain destinations are from Denver, providing those distance and time insights up front. However, since this trip was more about the journey than a single destination, the format will look a little different. I hope you enjoy this new approach!

Trip Diary Begins:

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

We left Denver in the evening. Packing seemed to take forever, but that’s how travel goes, at least in my experience. We eventually stopped somewhere in Utah to camp.

Thursday, May 18, 2023

We woke up and set off, driving through some cool scenery. Utah has that red rock/desert vibe, which is really pretty to drive through. We found a spot near a lake to cook breakfast, driving by Capitol Reef on the way. Jon made us fried eggs and sausage on the portable grill. Three cute dogs ran over to us to say hello, then ran off again back to their owners. It was a blissful way to start the day. Oh, life on the road truly is something special.

From there, we drove to a spot where Jon could go mountain biking and I could hike. I hiked about 3 miles, and Jon biked 8. Afterward, we made our way to our next stop—Vegas. As part of the route, we decided to visit Taco Bell Cantina. In fact, it was the only reason we went through Vegas. Of course, Vegas being Vegas, the traffic was awful. Once we finally found somewhere to park, we walked to Taco Bell. We both ordered Baja Blasts with double shots of Patron in big swirly cups. Unsurprisingly, it was a lot more expensive than your average Taco Bell trip. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

After walking around for a bit, we continued our journey. We eventually arrived in Mammoth Lakes, California. After our first attempt to find a camping spot didn’t pan out, we finally found the perfect place. We watched Better Call Saul at the folding table under the stars before getting too tired and calling it a night. We got in the tent and went to sleep.

Note on Solo Hiking:

I enjoy hiking alone, but it’s crucial to be cautious and prepared, especially as a woman. While some may caution against it, embracing these experiences helps me maintain my independence and enjoy the outdoors without limitation. If you choose to hike alone, make sure to carry pepper spray and/or bear spray, stay alert, and practice situational awareness.

A piece of scenery from our Utah hike/bike ride. It's very desert-like and you can see red dirt and trees.

Vegas from the car window. The Eiffel Tower replica is visible, among other buildings.