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When It All Goes Wrong… When It All Goes Wrong…
Special to ModernJeeper by Kristen Frasca, the Jeeping, Wayward Explorer with her trusty friend, “Winter.” The Editors Sometimes the best adventures are the ones... When It All Goes Wrong…

Special to ModernJeeper by Kristen Frasca, the Jeeping, Wayward Explorer with her trusty friend, “Winter.”

The Editors


Sometimes the best adventures are the ones you don’t plan, that are unpredictable, where every little thing seems to go wrong and you want to give up and go home. I think when we push past the doubts and fears is where the magic happens. Those special moments that remind you that it’s worth it all and you wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Last spring I was road tripping all over beautiful southern Utah with my best friend and Winter. We camped in our Jeeps under the stars in Moab, enjoyed a hidden glamping oasis in Arizona, and went off-roading all over Kanab.

One morning we decided on driving to Page, AZ to see Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell. We didn’t have anything booked or planned; we just loaded the cooler and rolled out. That morning everything seemed to go awry… my phone broke and my engine light kept flickering on and off. You know that phrase, “man makes plans and God laughs”? Yea… that’s pretty darn accurate.

All signs seemed to tell us not to go. We had a choice make, was this a sign from the universe that we really shouldn’t go or a just another obstacle to overcome in our relentless pursuit of adventure? It’s so important to be smart and listen to your gut.

If something feels wrong, always follow that natural intuition. It’s usually there for a good reason. I made the decision to push past all these unfortunate events and hit the road anyway. Armed with my friend’s outdated 3g iPhone, we mapped out our destination and on we went.

I typically use a variety of apps and websites to locate BLM campsites. I highly recommend iOverlander & The Vanlife App. Since our only connection to the digital world was an old iPhone with terrible service, we just had to wing it.

As we entered Page, we were welcomed with a breathtaking view of Lake Powell. The colors were unlike anything I’d seen. Cotton candy hues and warm glowing beams reflected off the lake onto the rocks above. There’s a beautiful overlook you can drive up to just past the welcome sign that I highly recommend checking out to get a better view over the marina.

After watching the most ethereal sunset, we decide to set up camp. Surprisingly there isn’t much BLM land near Page. After some hefty scouting (without my trusty apps), we finally found a beautiful campsite not too far from the dam. It was perfectly tucked away: enough off the beaten path to where we felt completely alone but close enough to town should we need anything.

After we cooked dinner and relaxed a bit, Winter and I made our way up to the top of a mesa. I will never forget this moment as long as I live. Looking down on the Jeep at our little campsite I felt complete and total peace, even with all the chaos of the day.

The stress of how I would get my phone fixed just disappeared. All worries about trying to find a mechanic out in the middle of nowhere quieted as I sat with Winter, soaking up the calm of this moment together. I was reminded how trivial these “problems” are. I told myself, “you will never get this exact minute ever again” and I was overcome by how temporal it all was.

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Kristen Frasca

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