This is Tougher Than I Expected | Winter Van Life with Two Rescue Dogs

How's it going everybody? I'm Nikki Delventhal and these are my dogs Rodney and Camper Delventhal. For over three years we lived in a Toyota Prius but now we're in a 4x4 Sprinter and we're here to take you along on the wild ride. So fasten up your seat belts and let's have some fun. Don't forget if you like what you see, like, subscribe, comment, share with your friends and turn on notifications. We would be so thankful. The past few weeks we have been in the Lake Tahoe area just getting acclimated, doing a lot of training hikes. We also got the boys some new winter gear but also I took Rodney to the vet for a checkup and just to make sure everything was clear and he ended up coming back positive for two tick-borne illnesses, Lyme and something called, I'm gonna butcher this, but Auriculia. Regardless they're pretty gnarly diseases and we're still working with the vet but I think we caught it early enough that we're not gonna have to worry. So we've been dealing with that but that also adds to his backstory and just goes to show that if you do get a new dog, no matter what you think, it is really really smart to do your due diligence because what the rescue and I thought was that Rodney was a true res dog and spent his life there begging at that McDonald's with his pack and it ends up the diseases that we found are not normal there. So our best guess is that he did have a family and they didn't want him anymore and they abandoned him there, which is not uncommon. This happens all the time on the res, especially with rescues being just overflowing all over the country and are not intaking dogs anymore. Yeah, we're sad for him but we're also happy because he has been a wonderful addition. That's Rodney's backstory. We've been dealing with his stuff, really getting these two bonding together. Camper also has a really amazing rescue story. If you guys want to watch that, I'll put it right here. What do you guys say we go on a hike and show them how good we've been doing? Let's hit it guys. Come on, let's go. Oh wow, it's a lot warmer than it's been all week by like 20 degrees. We do not need this. Let's get to hiking. We got this whole place to ourselves. This is unheard of. Today we are starting our hike at this beautiful frozen lake in the Desolation Wilderness and we are going to make our way all the way up to that peak to try to get a view of all of it. I think it'll be maybe like four or five miles round trip. Honestly, it has been such a treat to see these two progress to kind of just like avoiding each other to now running with each other. It's so great for a dog mom. But also it's been really interesting to see the massive differences in training. You know, Camper took maybe like a year, year and a half to get solid recall when Rodney kind of just sticks by your side, isn't as curious. All right, a little further to go. We're going right up there. The higher we get in elevation, the more snow there is. This is a burner, but it is magical. We did it. We got a chair right here just for us and this beautiful view. Look at this view. We have Fallen Leaf, behind that is Lake Tahoe and the beautiful Desolation Wilderness Mountains in the background. All right, we did it, you guys. Good job. Truthfully, at first I was really, really stressed out about if I was going to be able to have two dogs or not successfully and well, but I think this is going to be the best thing that I ever did. All right, you guys, we're going to play some fetch and enjoy this view and we'll see you all back at the van. We're back. Home, sweet home. Load up. Rodney, you coming? Good boy. All right, let's get out of here. All right, what do you guys think? Huh? Yeah, I'm thinking that too. Let's try to find a wild camp spot, not a parking lot. Oh, maybe we can go somewhere in the woods. Yeah, ma. Not another parking lot. Excuse me. This guy needs constant love and attention. Huh, camp? It makes you want to be more cuddly, which I love. Nope, maybe not. Okay, got it. All right, you guys, let's go. So the sun is going down super early. We got 4.30 sunset, so we have an hour and a half to find this said wild camp spot. Looks like we might be driving into the night. Oh, no. They shut it down for the winter. All right, so we're going to go about 10 minutes east because I think there's more dirt roads over there and pray that those aren't closed as well. Looks good to me. What do you think? You like this spot? Of course you do. All right, I'm pretty hungry. What do you guys say we make some dinner? Here you go. Here you go, camp. Who's ready for a vegetable medley? Me. Can't believe these guys still have not moved yet. So cute. Mushrooms and onions, parsnips, potato, broccoli, and kale. Wow, you guys, I think this might be the first time in over three years that I've eaten dinner without a dog right here. No way. Should we try to tempt them and see how tired they actually are? Here you go, good boy. Rodney, come here. Good boy. Well, this is a little bit more like it usually is, huh? All right, here you go, good boys. Mom's dinner's pretty darn good, huh? Uh, hey, you think I could get some of that, lady? Uh, do I have to share with him all the time, or do you think I could just maybe take all of it? All right, rookie move. We are on a quite large slant, and it's too cold out to use leveling blocks, in my opinion. So, one of two things. It's so much of a slant that if we shower, the water will overflow, or it's just enough that the water will still drain into the tank. Do we risk it? Yes. All right, there will be no accidents tonight. No, no, no. Come on, guys. We're gonna go outside. We have had way too many accidents in the van to chance not going out like the last second before bed. Oh, good boy. Good body, Rodney. I think we are ready to go to sleep. So, one thing I have noticed about Rodney is he has a bit of a nighttime aggression. If he's surprised when it's dark out, he will growl and almost attack, and I don't know where that comes from, but I do know he has some scars on his face. Three on his nose, kind of one on the top here, and it makes me wonder if maybe he was attacked at night. I don't know. You're safe now, mister, with camper and I. Right, mister? We're gonna keep him safe. Night, everybody. Oh, what is that guy doing to your face? So, this happens a few times a night where he just wakes up and starts rubbing all over your face, and then camper's like, what the hell's going on, and then we go back to bed. Guys, you wanna go outside? Yeah. Let's go. We gotta bundle up. It's gonna be cold out there, you guys. Wow, it's windy out. Well, we are just gonna go take a little run around the forest until little man here poops and get a little exercise. All right, boys, who's hungry? Load up. Breakfast time. I'll make you guys breakfast, I'll make myself some breakfast, and then I need to get myself in a better mood. Both my cameras are broken, except for this iPhone. I think I know just the thing. So, let's make some food and then get in a better mood. Yeah. Here you go. Here you go. Cacao. Goji. Oats. Chia seed. Sunflower seed. Pumpkin pistachio seed. Flax. Coconut. Oh, too much adaptogen. Pow. All right, the recipe to get in a better mood. You gotta dance a little bit. You could wear your pajamas all day, two dogs, have someone else make your coffee, which is what we're about to go to right now, and then the best one. It's gonna be right after coffee. It's a surprise. You know what? I may have been in a bad mood, but you know what I have now? I've got a coffee, a cheesecake brownie, and you guys, this is the best part. You ready? We got a new mug. Look how cool this thing is. A guinea pig mug. All right, there's only one more thing I can think of that will ensure that we get into a better mood, and that is to shock the system. So right down there we got Lake Tahoe, and we're just gonna go head first right into it. All right, we're here. Let's go back. Come on. Excuse me. Who's ready for a play date and to see their friends? You ready, mister? You ready, camper? All right, let's do this. Come on, guys. Come on. Look who's here. Bring it in. We're gonna jump in Lake Tahoe. It's gonna be freezing. Dog's got a head start. They're absolutely nuts. This is so stupid. This is so stupid. It's the coldest I've ever felt this water. Okay, one, two, three. Let's go. One, two, three. Oh yeah, this specimen right here, this is Justin. You might recognize him from this video. Oh my goodness, you guys, that was freezing. Highly recommend it if you want a little wake up. We love you all. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week.