I made it to the yurt. I've heard Steven and Hana talk about this place for years but had never been. It exceeds my expectations. What a space. The view from the deck is as good as it gets. So kind of them to let me stay here.
I wasn't expecting to actually sleep in the yurt. I always stay in the van. But when I got here and walked around, the best view is off the large deck and I knew that's where I'd want to be spending most of my time. The van spot is about 100 feet away down a dirt path. After about half an hour of evaluating and testing whether my extension cords would reach, I decided to stay in the yurt. What followed was about 50 trips back and forth to the van. There's a large desk, a queen bed, and a little off-grid cooking station inside. Everything has a tasteful design flair. I don't know how long they'll let me stay before it becomes too much, but I love this place and it feels exactly right for where I am right now.
The first concern was internet. No internet out here. The yurt has a small battery bank that powers a few lights and could run Starlink, but not for long. So I did something I thought I'd never do. I uninstalled Starlink from the van. Got down behind the microwave, cut zip ties, pulled the power brick and router off the mount, fished the cable out from under the rug, which required removing trim pieces with a screwgun. The dish itself just lifts off the roof magnets. Now Starlink is set up in the yurt, powered by the van's electricity via extension cord. Pulling that cable out from under the carpet meant taking everything off the van floor, which made me realize this was a perfect opportunity to do a deep restructuring of the storage. I'll be doing that gradually over the next few days. Perfect timing since I'm sleeping and living in a different space.
I've been on the go without any real sanctuary spot for over two years. In the early years I'd return to Nashville every few months to swap things in and out of storage, keep the inventory fresh. Out here now I'm carrying everything for every season and every need, and it's reached a point where it needs a refresh. This is the place to do it.
The drive here from Telluride was more of an adventure than I anticipated. About 35 minutes outside town, the last 6.5 miles on dirt roads. Beautiful, but not something I'll be doing often.
Last night as I was laying in bed looking at the structure of the yurt I made a new field guide all about yurts. It's a beautiful piece of engineering.
Yesterday I was at the computer in the van until about noon, then had coffee with Steven, Hana, and Rumi up at the house. Steven spent a while showing me various pieces of music gear and how he uses them. We have some overlap but he takes a unique and different approach to everything. His methods are quite evolved. I learned several new things. Could be expensive knowledge, but I'm going to resist any purchases. I have plenty.
I rolled out around 4pm and went into Telluride for a bit. My father is good friends with a man whose son owns a high end outdoor store in town. I dropped in and introduced myself to the son, Eric. Lovely guy. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival takes over the whole town this weekend, and Eric told me about a good spot to hear the music without buying a ticket. Parking will be impossible so I'll park just outside town and ride the electric bike in.
Got to the yurt around 6:15, just enough time to get situated before dark. Stunning sunset from the deck.
Steven and Hana mentioned there are a lot of bears out here. Bears have gotten into their vehicles at the house, and apparently one has gotten into the yurt before. They see them on a weekly basis. Something to be aware of.
I didn't sleep great. My body is so used to the van. I rarely sleep anywhere else. It was chilly and I needed another blanket, but mainly there were so many unfamiliar sounds. The yurt sits on a wooden platform and the walls and roof are canvas material. Every creak and rustle had my mind on alert for wildlife. Good place to set up the game camera.