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Baja by Vanagon - read more on the Bedrock Sandals blog. 

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Descending and Extending on Bend, Oregon and beyond this past October. Photos by Allison and Matt 

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2016 in the great outdoors

The first trip to the woods of the year had us putting chains on Allie’s honda without my AWD Subaru, renting snowshoes and a Curry Village tent because the snow forecast was so heavy! It was good to see Yosemite in this way since the last year was so dry. 

Sketching at the campsite in the hills of Big Sur. 

A dream of the past 6 or so years was realized when I decided to purchase a 25 year old VW Vanagon this February. It’s turned out to be a good home and camp mobile - but it sure expensive. Up top is my van after doing some major kook slams in the water nearby. And below is Ryan’s van hanging out at some of the van families property on the coast of CA. 

My type of camping fun with a great crew on the east side of Nacimiento Fergusson road.

On a trip with Bedrock Sandals to Hendy Redwoods. 

A quick overnight trip with Adam to the Diving Board near Half Dome. Giving the new Bedrock Cairn Sandals a good test on the angular granite boulders. 

Hanging out next to the 3000 foot drop off and cowboy camping nonetheless. 

A three day adventure on a crowded, and not-so-lost coast. Building shelters, brain-freezing swims, and dreaming of better backpacking food are what it’s all about. 

Super grateful to have all these rad folks to send it with in my free time! This shot one of the first with the selfie-stick we found on the trail! Keep Living the Dream! 

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The Colorado Car

In the latter years of high school I took a trip out to Colorado for a week of backpacking, mountain biking, and hanging out around campfires. It was a formative week and the first time I learned of Subaru Outbacks and Foresters - “The Colorado Car.” I got excited about the capabilities of AWD, roof racks, and maybe enough room to stretch out and sleep. Five years later I purchased one of the only used ones for sale in Oklahoma and hit the road West on my first solo trip across the country. 

I spent several weeks camping out of the wagon on forest service roads and empty ski lots in Colorado before the incessant overheating began. 

With the diagnosis being a blown head gasket, I drove the 10 hours back to Oklahoma without A/C and sometimes heat to keep the engine satisfied. Luckily Joe had the patience and skill to drop a new (used) engine in it to get me back on the road to California. 

Camping on the coast just south of Big Sur, CA. 

First time in the snow - Mt. Shasta, CA. 

Mobile Art Studio shot by Adam. 

What can’t this adventuremobile accommodate? One day a bike, the next camping gear and friends, another day surfboards and wetsuits. 

One of the first nights of my extended 3.5 month trip throughout the Pacific Northwest - seen here at Crater Lake after a gnarly rain storm. 

Camping among new friends in Olympic Peninsula, WA. 

Home is where you park it - with the Ocean’s. 

I slept, created art, and made my meals around the subbie nearly every day and night from July-mid October 2015.  

The Subaru kicking hard down Montana backroads with 205k on the odometer. 

Rearranging house at Logan’s Pass. 

Before getting a little sleep at the highest spot a car can drive in the state of Washington. 

One of those spots you don’t want to leave. 

Portrait of me by Karen in Seattle. 

Mt. Rainier at sunrise! 

Parked at Laurie’s New Mexico condo on the way back home for the holidays. My forever pitstop between California and Oklahoma. 

Emergency shelter for the night in a McDonald’s parking lot when a blizzard started on my way back out to California in 2016. Unfortunately it was the last night for me to cram in the back of the wagon to find rest. Less than 12 hours after taking this shot a charter bus rear ended me, knocking me out, and sending me flying across oncoming traffic and 200 feet into desert before I came to, wondering what just happened. Thankfully I came out walking and talking. Unthankfully, the subbie was totaled.  l’ll miss this adventuremobile. I share my sentiment through favorite pictures not because objects like this car are what matters in life, as they can be replaced, but because this one became more than a possession to me. It was a freedom vessel that allowed me to actualize so many dreams. It was my home on the road more often than not. It took me to places I had only seen in pictures and most importantly connected me to people that have enriched my life. The jingle is true: “Love it’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

Rest easy in the salvage yard you ole’ hunk of metal. 

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Descend on Bend was one a of a few major highlights for me on my trip this past summer. So many awesome people came together to hang out at Hole-in-the-Ground, OR for an extended weekend. I arrived early and decided to try and sketch every adventuremobile that showed up. Fortunately so many people showed up that I wasn’t able to meet everyone and sketch ever different rig, but I was happy to get almost half! It took a couple months but I have now scanned and compiled the sketches I have into a variety of posters. Check them out in my store! 

Thanks to Mike for capturing the sing-a-long shot and Gene for the capture of me sketching in the a.m.! 

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Camp Illustrated Post #197

Before I thought up Camp Illustrated and started used watercolors, I sketched a lot of cabins in the woods and before I could afford fancy art pens I ditched pencils for freebie ballpoint pens. In this drawing I combined all of those mediums into one - starting with ballpoint pen and adding the rest. 

Just ballpoint pen with a watercolor wash. 

The final illustration of a photo by @whitneyljames made of watercolor, ballpoint pen, brush pen, and white gel pen. Check out the original on her instagram. 

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Oregon Round 2

I didn’t see any waterfalls on my first stint in Oregon, three months earlier. This visit I did a hike in the Columbia River Gorge and at this spot, somewhere near Mt. Hood. 

E-mail time.

Bagby Hotsprings after a few days in Portland. 

Camp spot at Smith Rock State Park. 

I altered the perspective a little bit to get the river in. This involved moving my makeshift art studio back and forth several times. 

Stoked on this place. 

I ended the trip out of mind stoked with 5 days outside of Bend, hanging out with the van crew at Descend on Bend.  

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A few days in Mt. Rainier.

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Washington revisited

After leaving Montana, I darted through Idaho. The second night in Washington I tried sleeping in my car on the highest road in the state. It looked nice but ended up being super windy, exposed on the ridge. 

The morning sunrise was worth it though. 

A trailhead on the side of Highway 20 was a nice surprise. I saw this lake in the distance - it took some work to get to it - but the green was nice. I should have jumped in. 

That island is begging to be camped on. 

got up near one of Mt. Baker’s glaciers and saw this guy. 

The first fire lookout I’ve found to be open. 

a portrait of me in Seattle by Karen. 

spent a couple of nice nights here before heading to Mt. Rainier. 

captivated by this one. 

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Montana Part 2.

Spent some time exploring Forest Service Roads in the Flathead Valley while waiting for my gal to join me for the week. 

Ran into my first mountain goats of the trip and since then have spotted at least twenty. 

Allie arrived and we went down south to enjoy some wilderness serenity before hitting the National Park. 

It’s nice to have some dinner help and company. 

early morning on the Going to the Sun Road, in the park. 

Backcountry bridges. 

Snowy and windy conditions on the Highline Loop Trail but it was damn beautiful. The real adventure started when we finished and had slow luck hitchhiking back to the car and then tried car camping near the dude who started his chainsaw at 10:45pm. 

The closed for the season Granite Chalet from our viewpoint near Swiftcurrent Pass. And then the next day near the end of the Highline Trail. 

Probably couldn’t justify the price to stay the night, but rad nonetheless. 

I’ve found my park. 

Still smiling after logging 45 miles in 4 days, straight from sea level California. 

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Montana Camping Part 1.

Spent a couple of days in Whitefish waiting for the smoke that completely disguised the mountains to clear before heading up to Polebridge and into the park. 

Camp Cuisine. 

After hearing of the multiple grizzlies known to be hanging out in the spot I got a permit for, I asked Nick to join. 

It was good to be bear aware. 

hiking ultra-light for four days and reaping the blessing of people hiking ultra-heavy sharing their trail snacks. 

Nick’s Hyperlight Mountain Gear tarp tent doing a good job against the wind. 

Backpacking sketchbook. 

Windy mountain passes in Glacier’s West side. 

The last night at Upper Kintla Lake lighting up like what I imagine Hawaii to look like. 

Spent a quick night with the Busby’s in their off grid Yurt! Learn more about it here!

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Mobile Art Studio Week 7

Hit up Peyto Lake after leaving our spot on Abraham Lake. Took the concrete path for a while until finding a dirt then rock scrambling path to take in the views alone. 

After spending the previous day checking out some of the stuff around Banff, I took to the trail with getting above tree line as the goal. Climbing up passes always brings to mind the quote I have from John Muir written down in one of my sketchbooks. “Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action.” I wrote this down a while back to remind me to take some risks, get tired, say fuck you to the pursuit of money and illusion of what it will buy. Half of the time I agree and half of the time I long for that idea of home that Muir rejects, especially the community that comes with having roots and shared space. 

I spent friday inside due to rain. Trying to get caught up on work in the crowded Banff Starbucks. Later in the evening I came outside to see the rain was snow in the mountains. This piece of rock behind Two Jack Lake had no snow on it the previous night. 

The hardest part about the hikes starting from Moraine Lake is getting a parking spot. I linked up with a group of 4 other hikers and we headed up past the popular lake for snow and mountain passes. It was a treat to hike through snow, though by the time we descended much of it on our level had melted. 

I spent the evening and night at Moraine Lake, hanging out with Nick and Laura while Nick worked on a time lapse that turned out rad! I did an interview with them talking about road life that will hopefully appear in the zine I make about this trip. 

After spending two nights in parking lots, doing a good hike, and parting with Nick and Laura I headed off on a two night backpacking trip to Baker Lake. The trip turned to one night because the impending smoke was making all of the views hazy. This dude was hanging out and letting me get too close on the way up. 

The view of smoke from my campsite in the morning before deciding to head out.

Before leaving Canada and getting hassled part two at the American Border, I hit up Lussier Hot Springs!

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Mobile Art Studio Week 6

The hardest 12km return backpacking trip we had ever done with lots of boulder fields and scrambling. 

A couple mobile work days at this rad free spot on the Saskatchewan River waiting on the rain to pass. 

Learning the ways of the night photo via Nick. 

Morning on the Columbia Icefield Parkway. 

The everyday yet ever changing mobile art studio. 

Home is where you park it. 

A sleepless night spent here before heading into Banff at 5:45 a.m.

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Mobile Art Studio Week 5

One handed driving shot. 

After leaving Squamish we stopped for a few nights at a rec spot just south of Mt. Robson. Nick trying to catch some of the 20+ pound salmon but they would not bite. 

Arriving in Jasper, it initially felt like Disneyland. Full of fees, lines, boat rentals, more fees, only one car per campsite etc. However, early mornings and late evenings provided a more National Park-like experience. Scrambling a ways up off a popular backpacking trail brought me to a rad alpine lake.

The descent.  

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Mobile Art Studio Week 4.

On Monday the @camptrend crew left and I camped on with this view of Mt. Shuksan. I spent the next couple of days working on 3 commission pieces that keep this trip going strong!

The scene of Nick and Laura’s camper as I watched cars zoom through the other station. Eventually they pulled over and I gave the suspicious answers “traveling through Canada for the next 3-4 weeks” “No job” “One apple and a couple of oranges.” We all ended up inside to be individually questioned, instructed not to look at each other . My car was searched for the drugs I denied having any of and we were sent on our way.

photo of me from Nick after we dislodged a SUP worthy log and I floated down stream into the night. Quickly it was dark as I jumped ship to find the road back to the campsite. What I found instead was a series of smaller tributaries that disoriented me to where I was in the dense forest as the light past. I experienced lostness in the woods for the first time. Luckily I was too far from camp and my “Hellos” eventually reached the crew.

Sketch of Girabaldi Lake at the end of a 9km uphill hike to camp with many others. A bear was spotted at my tent but that thankfully denied me no sleep.

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Mobile Art Studio Week 3

The nice thing about having no plans is freedom. I ended up caravanning with a large group of Vanagons into the Olympic Peninsula and camping for a few days. 

After saying adios I spent the evening running and camping in the Hoh Rainforest. 

After spending the night on a forest service road I made it to another section of the National Park where hot springs abound. 

Campsite near the hot springs. 

After the hot springs I took a five hour drive north east to the Mt. Baker area to meet up the folks at Camp Trend as well as Nick and Laura. It was a good few days of everybody working on their craft separately and then converging at other points in the day. Though it rained 3 days straight I was able to get a lot of work done. Something I had been neglecting thus far. 

Camptrend’s mobile HQ. Complete with everything you need to live and work on the road. 

Chatting in the morning prior to more rain. Check out the photos from campbycamp below to see their take on the weekend. 

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Camp Illustrated

Finally got to meet (and camp with) Matt McAdow, aka Camp Illustrated. I came across his instagram account about a year ago when it first launched and immediately became a fan. 

Matt did a few exclusive pieces for Camp Trend which you can see here.

And to get a view of the finished piece of art, check it out here.