Baja by Vanagon - read more on the Bedrock Sandals blog.
Descending and Extending on Bend, Oregon and beyond this past October. Photos by Allison and Matt
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!
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.
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.!
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.
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.
A few days in Mt. Rainier.
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.
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.