#VanLife Update: The bumps, bruises, and mud baths of the road

So it's been a month and a half since I started this journey and committed to #VanLife. And in the spirit of transparency, and because it's been an insane ride, I'm going to share all the bumps, bruises, and mud baths my van, Rocky, and I have gotten along the way. 🚐
It all started on day one of my trip, not even 100 miles outside of my starting point in Illinois. The car in front of me swerved to the right and all the sudden, there was a large, round traffic cone in front of me, off center. It made contact with my driver's side mirror and smacked against the window, loudly shattering. 
I sighed and refused to make this a bad omen for my trip. After all, I had thought to pack a small 360 mirror "in case of emergency". So I Gorilla Tapped the small mirror to my shattered wreckage of a mirror and sought out the nearest Auto Zone for a temp mirror. I found a temporary mirror  (cut to fit style), and of course cut it the wrong way (hello blondness). 
The next day, while driving through Iowa, I was clocked going 8 over (by an aircraft). I was pulled over, but the previous owner had gifted me the "support the troopers" license plate cover, and the officer asked me about it, I was able to tell him that my Pops was a correctional officer for 27 years. WAHLAH, no ticket (shout out to my Pops!). 
Still, I refused to feel like a cloud was hanging over my trip. ☁️
Since then, a rock has hit my windshield, chipping it (apparently welcoming me to Alaska with what locals refer to as the 'Alaskan Windshield'). 
And we have gotten VERY dirty (pictured) as we went through the bumpy and rainy dirt roads of the Top of the World highway (WORTH IT!).
Lastly, we had a small accident in Anchorage about a week ago. 
While turning right on a red light, as I waited for a motorcycle to pass, I was hit from behind. Luckily the damage was minimal and the driver was a mechanic who popped my bumper off and hammered it back into place! 😂
Rocky was okay, and I was only sore for a few days afterward. 
*whew* It's been quite a ride, but honestly it's to be expected when you are driving so much and living out of a van. 
Everything has turned out alright and has helped me make new friends and maintain a positive perspective in the face of obstacles. And yes, I am learning to be more and more careful. 
#VanLife isn't all about beautiful pictures in breathtaking places. It's still real life and there are still bumps and bruises along the way. 
But for me, it's all worth it. 


Considering #VanLife? Tell me about it in the comments! 😊