Ashley ·
A couple of weeks ago we met up with our new "van family" for another adventure off the beaten path. 7 vans in all gathered in the Mt. Rainier area in Washington, and traveled up a long, rutted, rocky dirt road to a beautiful secret lake. We fished, took photos, cooked amazing food, talked vans, and stayed warm around a roaring campfire. I even saw the first snow of the season! We're loving being connected into this awesome group of folks, and can't wait for our next meet up!
Ashley ·
This weekend Justin and I attended the first annual Descend on Bend van gathering! Organized mostly through Instagram, 45+ people, in 20 or so vans (mostly VW Vanagons) came together in the desert of Eastern Oregon. Most of us didn't know each other beforehand, but it didn't take long to change that. It was so fun to spend time with like-minded folks, and to talk about travel, outdoor adventure, vans, and the simplicity that comes with traveling/living in your vehicle. There were lots of little kids running around, dogs, bonfires, delicious food, and so many fantastic conversations.
After the weekend was over a few of us extended the adventure, driving down some crazy backroads to a second campsite where we hiked into a hot springs in the dark, cooked chili over the fire in a dutch oven, and fly-fished a gorgeous little stream in the morning (followed by a skinny dip in said creek).
It was an amazing weekend and we left feeling inspired, motivated, and excited about future adventures and plans.
And now, back to work;) Enjoy the photos y'all!
Ashley ·
I'm having a short sale in my Etsy shop right now! It's never too early to start thinking about holiday gifts, and it's always a good time to treat yourself:) Use coupon code "EarlyBird" for 15% off of everything in my Etsy shop, 10/22/14-11/5/14. Thanks, and I happy shopping!
Ashley ·
I've been hard at work creating new designs for the holiday season. Check out what's new in my Etsy shop, and maybe you'll find a gift for someone you love (or yourself:).
Here's a sampling of what's new!
Ashley ·
All of the men in my life are extremely obsessed with fishing. Like little boy, Christmas morning, think about nothing else kind of obsessed. So, needless to say, fishing is a pretty constant topic of conversation around these parts, and it's begun to rub off on me a bit.
While I wouldn't say I've totally caught the fishing bug yet, I'm loving learning something new, and more importantly I love wading through rivers, watching great blue herons fly low over the water, or the sun set behind the canyon walls as I make my last casts. And, most of all, sharing something that means so much to the people I love so much is pretty great as well.
My father and I had been talking for a long time about heading over to the Deschutes river in Eastern Oregon, and we finally made it happen. He has fond memories of summers spent fishing with his father on this river, so it felt good to be carrying on the tradition.
While the fish weren't biting perhaps as much as we'd have liked (the boys will hate me for saying this - from what I've observed there seems to be an unspoken rule among fishermen that you don't admit it when you get skunked:) it was still so fun to spend time camping together, and to explore two beautiful Oregon rivers.
After a couple of nights in the high desert of the Deschutes we headed over to the Salmon River, which it turns out is one of the most stunning places I've ever been. Mossy, dripping old growth forest, crystal clear waters and fiery red and yellow maples showing off for fall.
Here's to getting out on the weekends (or whenever you can) and seeing somewhere new!
Happy friday y'all.
