There’s a saying you’ve probably heard already that a rising tide lifts all boats. It’s usually used in reference to economic policy, but I think it can easily be applied to the women’s mountain biking scene. Women have been making waves in this sport for a while, but this year especially it feels like all those waves have come together to form an ocean that’s opened itself to a lot of other boats.

The realities of climate change have been unavoidable as we’ve made our way to nearly 10 states in the last three months. So far, our journey has included a historic heat wave and nearly constant smoke as dozens of wildfires burn across the western U.S.

Dan and I have been living full-time out of our van for two and a half months now. I should also tell you now that for reasons I’ll get into in another entry, we’re traveling with my mom, who is known around here as momski. The fact that this is my first blog is a good indicator of the van-life adjustment period, at least for me. I quickly learned even exciting changes take some getting used to, but it finally feels like we’ve all found our groove.