
Adventures in the #YourLead Van
Hello again! Wilderness Press is (begrudgingly) back from traveling in the #YourLead van. It was better than I ever imagined. It was also challenging (hello, five days without a shower!). The photos will tell the story far better than words ever could. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy living the van experience!
Where We Went
Day 1 – Flagstaff, AZ > Lake Meade, NV

Sunrise views from the bunk beds
Day 2 – Lake Meade > Death Valley/Badwater, CA > Lone Pine, CA

Melting inside Badwater Basin
Day 3 – Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Peeking through the pines at the Sierra
Day 4 – White Mountain > Mono Lake, CA

Snowman on the summit of White Mountain

Sun setting over Mono Lake
Day 5 – Mono Lake > Mount Rose, NV

Ending the day high above Lake Tahoe
Day 6 – Tahoe Meadows

Snaking boardwalks lead to three scenic trails through the meadows
Day 7 – Sportsman’s Warehouse in Reno and Carson City

Betsy the van striking a pose
Day 8 – Lake Tahoe > Crater Lake National Park > Lassen Volcanic National Park

A run with a view

The bluest blue I’ve ever seen

Snow-covered volcanoes everywhere you look
Day 9 – Cinder Cone Volcano > Bend, OR

Rolled out of bed, climbed a volcano
Day 10 – Dechutes River Trail

Look Ma, no fear!
Day 11 –Sportsman’s Warehouse in Bend

Lucas speaking with an adoring fan

Goofing off during a run guided by Lucas
Day 12 – Grey Butte/Smith Rock/Tunnel Falls

Single track through the high desert

Smith Rock is a mecca for climbers.

Worth every step of the 12-mile hike
Day 13 – Multnomah Falls/Arlington

The Columbia River Gorge is full of falls.
Day 14 – Arlington

Goodbye, van!
Day 15 – Home
Who We Met
Heidi—A strawberry blonde bundle of energy. Likes: 90s country music, Peanut M&Ms, trails. Dislikes: trail litter, disorder, creepy campsites.

Looking out over her kingdom
Mike White—Highlights: hearing funny trail stories from writing Afoot & Afield: Tahoe-Reno, discussing bucket list trips, touring Reno, devouring lunch. Lowlights: Not having enough time to hike together, missing his annual family hot dog party.

Signing books for his adoring fans
Justin and Adam Fricke—Other known alias: Bro’d Trip. Last known address: Joline the Dodge Sprinter. Famous for: vlogging, making delicious breakfasts, tubing down rivers on slices of pizza.

Justin, Adam, and Joline
Amanda Sandlin—Phenomenal artist traveling the country in Penny, a van she built herself. She makes a mean cup of joe, and she has an Instagram account you can’t help but drool over.

Amanda and Penny
Lucas Alberg—Author of Trail Running Bend and Central Oregon. Dad to Loren. Faster (than me) trail runner. Running tour guide of Bend, Oregon.

Lucas and his son, Loren
Ashley Perry—Cheerleader for Bounce Energy Balls. Lover of trucker hats. Rider of cool mountain bike.

Ashley, saving herself from flying golf balls
Terry and Kerrie Priest—Modern-day Bonnie & Clyde: They stole Betsy and drove across the border to Canada and Alaska. OK, maybe they were the next guests in the #YourLead van, but still.

Terry and Kerrie loading Betsy the van
How We Slept
Like a Katy Perry song: It was hot, it was cold, there were mosquitos, there were moths. The sunsets were incredible, the stars were plentiful, and the sunrises were gentle.

Breakfast with Betsy
We relied on freecampsites.net every single night to seek out a safe, free, and legal place to park our home. Seriously, if you’re looking for somewhere to lay your head at night, whether it’s in a tent or a vehicle, this site is invaluable.
When We Worked and Played
Heidi and I had an itinerary, so we pretty much knew what each day would bring and planned accordingly. If we wanted to bag some sunset peaks, we worked during the day and played at night. If the morning hours beckoned us into the great outdoors, then we’d hole up in a local coffee shop and work until they kicked us out at night. The van also had a hotspot, which allowed us to work around the clock when we had cell phone service.

Catching up on emails in Bend, OR
What We Ate
The #YourLead diet consisted of chips, energy bars, water, fruit snacks, Bounce Energy Balls, more water, chocolate, wasabi peas, cheesecake, cinnamon buns, and Perrier water.

Justin cooking up some breakfast
Here are two recipes we concocted and highly recommend that you try.
#VanLife Nacho Pasta
#VanLife Eggs and Kielbasa
Why We Did It
There aren’t many times in your life when you can pick up and move into a van for a few weeks. There are even fewer times when you can do it as a work trip.
We’d like to think that we inspired people to leave their comfort travel circle and explore what our country has to offer.

Go travel the country – your heart will thank you
Rachel@Picture Birmingham
Awesome recap! And the trip was definitely inspiring. As soon as someone will give me that van, I’m forcing my family onto a road trip out west!
Heidi Kumm
My brother is currently regretting that 90’s country obsession I have… 🙂 #missyou
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