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…

Tom, Dick and Harry Hike

The last time Mia and I hiked up to Tom, Dick & Harry was back in September of 2013. We had only been living in Oregon for 3ish months at that point. Back then we were still in an apartment, had no dog and were just trying to get to know the area we had…

Deschutes State Park Weekend 2025

Surprisingly, the weather has been fairly decent back in the Portland metro area this spring. That is not always the case and when planning out trips a couple months in advance, you need to go with the probable not the possible. It was with that mentality that I booked a late April weekend at Deschutes…

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…