Clifford Turns Five

The past twelve months have seen only a few changes/modifications to Clifford the Big Red Van. The larger focus for me personally has been to get out at least once a month, even if it was only for a single night. You can link back to the previous four years of annual updates from my…

Eastern Oregon Trip

Ever since 2013 when Mia and I drove up over the Blue Mountains and dropped down into Pendleton, OR as we moved across the country, I knew it was an area we had to get back to. My solo trip back in 2023 brought me to the area south of Pendleton/La Grande. Coming into 2025…

Sub 24 Overnight

A sub 24 overnight is basically a bikepacking trip that lasts less than twenty four hours (duh!). I didn’t do a single bikepacking trip in 2024 and hadn’t been camping in a tent for quite some time. I get this itch to sleep outside that needs scratching. The whole #vanlife thing is fun and definitely…

Double Nickel

Somebody in the Rhodes household hit the double nickel (55) birthday recently. As has become almost an annual ritual we headed over to Sisters, OR to celebrate with a combination of camping and rental house for a week. Mia and I took Friday off from work so we could beat the holiday weekend traffic. We…

Will Travel for Pastries (or snacks in general)

There is little doubt that Mia and I are always looking for those little gems on our road trips/vacations. While I definitely have a penchant for mom-and-pop donut shops we also are on the lookout for bakeries, sandwich shops or just something “different”. We have our favorites like Sisters Bakery, Sisters Coffee, Joe’s Donuts, The…

Planning

This is the time of year I start to get antsy for outdoor adventures. The crappy weather has been with us for a bit now, but some warmer weather is quite possibly only a few weeks away. I have spent the past few months thinking about spring and summer adventures. Hikes, bike rides, camping trips,…