This Day Didn’t Go the Way We Expected | Van Life After 60

This Day Didn’t Go the Way We Expected We thought this would be a simple travel day through Death Valley… but the day slowly turned into something very different. In this episode of Van Life After 60, we leave Pahrump and drive into Death Valley during the super bloom season, stopping at Zabriskie Point, the visitor center, and some of the desert landscapes we had been anticipating for weeks. But as the afternoon unfolded, the focus shifted from sightseeing to something every traveler eventually understands — trying to find a place to land before dark. We’re JK and Kim. Think van life travel is only for the young and fit? Think again. We share what life on the road is really like after 60. We, along with our senior Golden Doodle Tia, are part-time adventurers who love small town discoveries, inspired vistas and slower-pace road tripping in our self-converted 2019 Ford Transit T-250 high roof, RWD camper van. After searching for camping near Alabama Hills and running out of daylight, we eventually find an unexpected quiet campground near the base of Mt Whitney outside Lone Pine, California. This wasn’t a tourism highlight reel. It was one of those real travel days where plans change, expectations shift, and the places you appreciate most aren’t always the ones you originally came for. If you enjoy realistic van life, slower travel, road trip storytelling, and travel after 60, we’d love to have you along for the journey. “Life isn’t about ‘finding’ adventure, it’s about ‘choosing’ adventure.” 📍 Locations in this episode:• Death Valley National Park• Zabriskie Point• Alabama Hills• Lone Pine, California• Mt Whitney area 🚐 Thanks for traveling with us. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (ESV) #Van Life After 60, #Death Valley travel, #Travel after 60, #Realistic van life, #Slow travel, #USAVan life couple, #Alabama Hills camping, #Lone Pine California, #Mt Whitney campground, #Part time van life, #ford transit van, 📌 CHAPTERS 00:00 ONE LONG DAY 00:25 Leaving Pahrump, NV 01:36 Entering Death Valley 02:05 Zabriskie Point 04:45 Visitor Center + Super Bloom 06:42 Driving Through Death Valley 09:23 Lone Pine, CA 10:35 Searching for Camping Alabama Hills 12:18 Finding a Quiet Campground 12:30 Reflecting on the Day