The Spotlight: Daniela

Life is doing what makes your soul happy.

WHO: Daniela

WHERE: Colorado

WHAT: Van Lifer, Jewelry Maker, Nature Lover

The Spotlight this week takes us to Colorado where we meet Daniela, an adventurous soul whose passion for nature has led her down an interesting path. Find out how she took an old barbeque restaurants catering van and turned it into a weekend getaway machine, where she finds inspiration in making her own jewelry that reflects the best of Mother Nature.

Born and raised in The Czech Republic, Daniela moved to Texas at 15 with her mom. Just recently however, she moved to Colorado with her fiancé, where they take their van out on adventures every chance they can. That’s where we pick up.

Me: What made you want to move to Colorado?

Daniela: Adventure. The mountains. Everything! In Texas, you can’t really go camping much, there’s not much public lands and the camping season is so short because it’s so hot. My fiancé and I used to come to Colorado every winter for skiing and snowboarding and finally we thought, “we probably should live there.” And after I graduated college, I used some graduation money to convert an old barbeque restaurants catering van into a camper. We love it. So now that we’re in Colorado, its perfect for weekend adventures. We haven’t 100% finished it yet because once it was sleepable we just kind of took off in it.

Me: Ok but I like that, because some people wait until everything is perfect, and if you do that, you’ll never be ready.

Daniela: Exactly! It’s just kind of takes time away from you. We put in floors, we have a ceiling fan, a bed, and the storage is really good. We have storage on the side for all of our activities, like skiing, paddleboarding, fishing. My fiancé is really tall so we put the bed the other way [than most] so we have that extra space for storage for our camping equipment, like a camping stove and camping chairs, fishing gear, skis and snowboards. We took it out this spring, that was really cool.

Me: Where did you take it?

Daniela: We went to [Arapahoe Basin]. Here in Colorado, A Basin stays open the longest for skiing, and they have a lot of dispersed camping in the area. So we were able to find a spot, camp, and ski the next day.

Me: How often do you get to take the van out on an adventure?

D: In the spring, we were out every single weekend, but we started doing dispersed camping, which is just a spot that you pull up to without showers or water. There’s a lot of it on BLM land, you just have to find it. Its really fun because we’re not big plan people, and that way we can just pick up and go whenever we want, wherever we want.

Me: Where all have you gotten to go with the van?

D: When we first took off, we went to Arkansas. I didn’t know what to expect but it was really fun. We went to the Ozarks, to Eureka Springs, and that was our first longer van adventure. It was really fun. Before the van we just did car camping in Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Zion, but then about two months ago, we went up north into the Tetons and Yellowstone area. Yellowstone was SO packed because it was Memorial Day weekend. So we ended up going to Montana to get away from all the people. We also went recently to Moab, Utah, for a long weekend. That area is so pretty.

M: What are some of your favorite places you’ve been?

D: Can I have multiple? For national parks, I really like Yosemite. For dispersed camping, Wyoming has lots of options and it’s absolutely beautiful. And I love the Narrows in Zion. Zion is high on my list.

…we totally got stuck in some quick sand.

Me: Do you have any funny or crazy stories in the van? Anything off the wall that sticks out in your mind?

D: A couple months ago when we went to Moab, we were going to a dispersed campsite and we got there at like 1 am, and we were not paying attention and we totally got stuck in some quick sand. At 1 am! Thankfully I have AAA and that is definitely a must-have when you’re out on the road. They came out within the hour and got us out.

Me: I want to go back to you mentioning AAA as a must have. Has there been other unique things you’ve learned about owning and building out your own camper van?

D: We’re pretty easy going so we don’t need much, but AAA is great. And we also have a Planet Fitness membership so on longer trips we would go in just to shower. So that was very convenient. Propane is definitely handy and easy to cook with too. Knock-on-wood we haven’t had any big problems yet, but it’s definitely on the back of our mind when we’re out in the middle of nowhere in an old catering van.

Different pieces, different places.

While chatting with Daniela she revealed she makes jewelry inspired by nature, and I was intrigued to hear her connection with nature making these pieces, in hopes of bringing appreciation of the wild to everyone.

M: So you make jewelry. Do you find inspiration for your jewelry when you’re out in nature?

D: I do, I definitely do. I started making wire-wrapped jewelry and it kept evolving. And I go out into nature and I look at things so much closer now and think about how I can turn what I see into jewelry. I know it sounds crazy, but there’s something special about it. It brings people joy. And I think about how life can get busy and how making jewelry inspired by nature helps people keep nature with them to carry on a daily basis. If I can give a piece of nature to a person who will look at it during their busy day and take a deep breath and reconnect for a second, that’s my goal. Mission accomplished.

M: I think that is very cool and really reflects the mission here. Tell me more.

D: So I’ve always admired wire-wrapped crystals, but couldn’t always find what I wanted, so I learned how to wire-wrap myself. And it was just a hobby, but my friends liked it, and then strangers would like it, so I started selling it. After that, I started with flowers and turning them into jewelry, and I just fell in love with it and I found my thing. I really try to find businesses that I like and connect with, and I do sell it online now too. I love sharing it with people. (You can find Daniela’s website at czechouttherock.com.)

Me: Where do you see your jewelry taking you?

D: This is me dreaming a bit, but taking the van disperse camping, living in the wilderness, in the forest, and making jewelry all day. It definitely sounds awesome. With my wire-wrapping, I was able to make all my pieces right out in nature, in the wilderness. My new stuff, I finish all my pieces in nature. And you will always find me with jewelry on.

Me: It almost makes you seem like part of the landscape.

D: Oh yeah. Different pieces, different places.

We need nature in our lives.

M: What keeps you motivated to keep going on adventures?

D: I love it so much. I mean, just new places, exploring new thoughts. I feel like I have a wild soul, I just need it in my life. It’s good for my soul. I also love the simplicity. When you stay in a hotel, you don’t remember the little things like brushing your teeth, but when camping, it’s just one of the many memories. You remember waking up with a view, brushing your teeth, making coffee, everything.

M: Why is it important for you to keep going out on adventures?

D: I feel like life is short and you have to enjoy it while you can. For me, getting out in nature helps me clear my mind. I love it so much. I just want to live out in the wilderness! I love the forest and getting lost in nature. I like looking at the little things, looking at the trees and the flowers, and that’s why I love making jewelry of flowers. And I think we’re so disconnected with nature these days. We need nature in our lives. I can’t go a month without getting out in nature.

M: For someone reading this, what else would you want them to know about you?

D: I would tell people to live their life, to not hesitate. Whatever the crazy thought you have, I don’t think its crazy. I have crazy thoughts all the time. Life just unfolds. So many people talk, but like, what do you have to lose? SO many people get stuck with a job they don’t like, or make excuses for things. But for me, life is doing what makes your soul happy.

You can find Daniela and her fiancé out in the mountains on an adventure, or at her Instagram at czechouttherock.

For more stories on van-life, check out this two-part story I did about a van-lifer turned van-builder in the Spotlight: Nate Pascal, and another story about a white-water guide who lives in a big van community in the Spotlight: Kent Preston.