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The comforts of home are inexplicably unique. For me it is the smell of the old leaves decaying on the forest floor, the breeze off the lake, the softness of the bark on the woodshed floor, uninhibited starry nights, and weird groans and calls from beyond the hedges in the middle of the night, among a few other things. Our tour across the country has been exhausting, uplifting, and heartbreaking at times. When we arrived in Wisconsin we felt a well deserved rest settling in. This is very much where my obsession with camper trailers began. Danielle probably had no idea what she was in for when she married me. Colors in Wisco are unmistakably vivid and thoroughly saturated. I don’t think that green exists anywhere else in the world like it does here, with maybe the exception of Ireland. If you feel like making a visit don’t neglect your mosquito repellant as I am pretty sure they are setting up a colony here to overtake the continents of North and South America. They may even overtake Northern Europe. We have had a great time listening to the calls of the Sasquatch at 3 am also. We have been visiting with old friends and great family for a week now and that familiar melancholy is sinking in knowing that we are leaving soon. At least we will have some images, which seem to freeze time for a thousandth of a second, for us to recall when our longing for our loved ones settles in. Some images are full of beauty and some are meaningful only to the beholder. Sometimes the smells of a place flood in when I look at an image. It’s funny how we are wired to remember. Many more images to come.

K

When you are on The Road for hours and hours you can’t help but anticipate the next rest area located at the side of the road.  You have been traveling along, sometimes trying to beat the clock, other times simply on auto pilot, nevertheless eagerly anticipating the next chance to rest you rear for a minute or two.  Usually these pit stops include an extended stretch of the legs, torso, and arms, a trip to the restroom, maybe a snack of whatever you packed in the cooler, and a once over of the map just to be sure you haven’t wasted the last 6 hours on the wrong interstate.    I have come to look at this journey for Kevin and I, this road trip, as a metaphor for our life, and rest areas as a symbol of the stage in our life this road trip happens to fall upon.  For years Kevin and I lived on auto pilot.  We lived comfertably, had steady jobs and income, and for the most part took little risks with our dreams.  That was not sufficient for us.  We had always had big hopes, and even bigger dreams, and little knowledge on how to take either seriously.  When we got a glimpse of what living out our dreams may look like we ran with it.  We have been spinning wheels at times trying to beat the clock and get ahead.  Exhausting our selves and our resources in an effort to make a life we could only dream of.  This road trip couldn’t come at a better time.  It’s been much like that rest area at mile marker 654.  The one you made yourself pull over at even though you were convinced you could make it another 200 miles until you needed a break.    A moment in life to pull over to the side of the road, dispite the momentum, to just get your witts about you.  A moment where you evaluate where you have been, and where you are headed just to be sure it is the right direction.  A moment to step back and evaluate how you have lined up your priorities, and that you are still focused on all the right things.  That has bee much of what this trip is to us,  those moments in which you turn off the road for a bit just to catch your breath.

Here we are now.  Heading into the next stage of our adventure and still eager to see what is at the other end.  We have come to realize that we are pleased with the direction we are headed.  That we are fearful, anxious, eager, and excited all at the same time.  We love that we are not alone on this journey.  However isolating its feels at times, there are always, ALWAYS, others who are sharing the same journey, taking the same route, and have even hit a few of the same obsticles and still lived to tell.  We hope that our paths cross with you some day.  That whatever road you are traveling, it is paved with hopes and dreams.  That whatever detours come your way, road blocks you come accross, and rest stops you encounter, you will remember there are others out there sharing a similar journey.

Cheers!

D-

No matter where we are, no matter what wild card life hands us, no matter how down and out we feel, there is something so calming, so life giving, and so majestic about a beautiful sunset.  This particular sunset was literally breathtaking! Kevin and I have been on the road for days now.  We have witnessed some incredible sunrises and sunsets but nothing, not-a-one, compared to this night.

We were just outside of Littleton, CO after looking at an Airstream we were thinking about purchasing.  After leaving empty handed we were feeling a little bummed about our situation.  I suppose I should rewind just a bit to give a context.  If you remember our earlier post {Exploration} I shared how the launch of our journey started a little early when we discovered (and agreed to purchase) a 1957 Bubble in Denver, CO.  We were stoked about the new addition to our Airstream venture.  Our best friends made the trip up to Denver from Monument to give the seller a deposit and handshake on our behalf.  When we arrived to Denver to pick up the Bubble and finalize the sale we quickly found out that the man selling the Airstream sold it to another party just two hours prior to our arrival.  We were devastated!!!  Not only are Airstreams a passion of ours they are also a part of our livelihood.  Thankfully we were able to walk away from the situation with our deposit, but still left with broken hearts, and a bursted Bubble (pun intended).

Since we’re in the market for a new Airstream we took the opportunity to see what possible gems could be in the area.  We found a listing on the Denver Craigslist and headed to Littleton only to decide that it was not the right Airstream for us.  While leaving Littleton heading to Monument to meet up with our friends we ended up on some back roads by accident.  Just ahead of us were some of the most ferocious thunderheads.  Looking ahead into the deep grey sort of resembled our state of mind at the time.  I looked into my rearview mirror and out of the corner of my eye caught a glimpse of the most beautiful orange and blue sky I had ever seen.  We quickly  snapped out of our funk and pulled off to the side of the road.  This is one thing I love about being a photographer.  No matter what the circumstance is, when the camera is in hand it forces you to get out of your own head and enter into a world where only authentic beauty exists.  On the side of a random road, in an unfamiliar place, in an unfortunate time, we found solace in a sunset that felt like it was meant for just us.  Looking up into the sky, despite the few short moments we had with the sunset, it felt like there was an eternity of hope ahead of us.  In the glory and wonderment of that sky it felt like the journey we had taken was no longer about finding the Airstream of our dreams, but living out our dreams in each moment.

Kevin and I are firm believers that all things can be turned for the good.  Though our time in Colorado didn’t result in an Airstream purchase, it did result in some good insights and time with good friends (post to follow).

Here are some images we took on the side of that road.  Film and Polaroids to follow soon!

D-

This place is just breath taking.  It has been a rough few days but time in the mountains with our dear friends is just what we needed to clear our minds.  Things have gotten of to a rocky start for sure (pun not intended, but appropriately placed).  I’ll post more later on just what has been going on later.  Hitting the road now to check out an Airstream in Lynwood….fingers crossed.

D-

We have spent all night and now most of the day on the road.  The rout took us through Navada, the tip of Arizona, Most of Utah and finally into Colorado.  It has been an amazing trip.  Utah is hands down one of the most mezmorizing states.  I never, EVER, get board when driving through Utah.  Tired maybe, but never board.  Kevin and I love the colors, the richness in the soil, and the clean air.  

Passing through usually feels like a breez (except after you pull an all nighter).  The sun was shining and the clouds just rolled by until we began to approach Colorado.  It was nearly the second we reached the state line when the thunderheads rolled in.  It was a glorious and nearly frightening sight all at once.

First stop in Colorado is to pick up our new Bubble in Denver.  Then off to Monument.  And finish off in Jellystone Park in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.  Stay tuned!

D-

So we left at 9pm on August 3rd in high hopes to make it to Colorado by later this afternoon.  We have been driving strait through the night (and by we I mean Kevin).  At around 5:30 this morning we had to stop off on the side of the road to have a little snooze.  We rested about an hour and then hit the pavement all over again.  When we woke it was just about sunrise.  It was sort of magical.  Kevin is crusin, Harley is trying to sleep, and well I am keeping in touch on behalf of us all.  Can’t wait to see what awaits us in Colorado.  I love being on The Road.

D-

The Memory Makers are hitting The Road and (most likely) coming to a city or town near you!!!!

From the time Kevin and I started dating The Road has been a huge part of our lives.  Early on we would pack up the truck and head somewhere, anywhere really.  We are fortunate to have that shared love for travel and adventure.   As many of you know we also share an above average love for vintage Airstreams.  We have owned a few in our lifetime together.  We’ve lived in them, loved on them, and passed them on to other loving homes.  It’s more than just a hobby for us, it has become a way of life.  We recently sold our ’84 Limited to a couple in Joshua Tree; naturally when we saw  a rare 1957 Bubble (post to follow) on Craigslist we could not pass up the opportunity to own and restore a piece of American History.  We were planning on taking a road tip to Wisconsin for a family reunion in August, but when we got word of this new find… our bags were packed and we were on The Road within 24 hrs.  Now if you have been following us on Facebook or Twitter then you know that  it was all part of the plan to head out roadtrippin this month.  In fact with tons of family and friends dispersed throughout, we decided to make a grand expedition out of the trip.  Instead of taking the couple weeks we would normally take, we are touring the Nation for the entire month of August.  With our bikes attached, Airstream hitched up, little Harley by our side, cameras in hand, laptop standing by, MyFi keeping us connected, and a portable hard drive, there is really no reason we couldn’t take this photo show on the road.

We would love the chance to connect with you while were are out and about.  For those of you interested in a session with us we have Quick Connect packages available for anyone interested in some real Memory Maker fun!  For my Photog Friends please contact us…we would LOVE to connect while we are on the Road.

Here is our tour dates all in the month of August:

4th-9th: Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park)

10th-11th: Minneapolis, Mn

11th-18th:  Spooner, WI (Duluth, MN)

19th: Pit stop btw MN & WA ??????  any suggestions?

20th-24th:  Seattle, WA

24th-31st:  West Coast Tour (Astoria, OR, Eurika, CA, SanFran, Monterey, SLO/SB, LosAngeles)

Please Look over the dates.  If we are near you and you would like to meet up we will do what we can to make it happen.  Contact us soon!!!

hello@thewhywelove.com

Subject: Tour Stop

or give us a buzz: 626.644.6981

Cheers!