2013 has been a crazy year here at Exploring Elements. It started off by getting back to the states after an amazing month driving around Mexico for the Maya Rally. The crazy adventures continued all year, highlighted by; Jan. skiing in Tahoe, Feb’s Gems & Brews Tour, a March filled with Desert Rendezvous/Santa Cruz Paddle Fest/Easter Jeep Safari, April in Baja, May at Overland Expo, June in the PNW at the WA Overland Rally, July was a cross-country drive & Potomac Fest, Aug. was the inaugural VT Overland Trophy & Beaver Fest, Sept. was the classic Gauley Fest, Oct. brought the VT Overland Rally & Mountain Rendezvous, Nov. I was in Baja for the 1,000 and Dec is being spent on the East Coast with Family. An action packed year!
THE highlight of 2013 was the addition of the amazing Sarah Blessington on this crazy adventure. She has quickly adapted to the van life and is excited about the many adventures around the globe in our near future. Check out the post about her joining the adventure (Van Life Gets a Woman’s Touch) and her amazing post about how to make the perfect cup of coffee on the road (REVIEW: The Travel French Press). She brings a lot of artistic style to Exploring Elements with her quality writing, angelic singing voice and hand crafted jewelry. You can even buy her jewelry, featuring the “Van Life Flower Earrings,” HERE, with all proceeds going towards keeping the van life adventures rolling.
Besides all the crazy adventures we also got to test out a ton of new quality products in 2013. We shared our favorites through reviews: Leatherman Skeletool CX, Benchmade Triage Knife, LED Lenser M7R Flashlight, 5.10 Water Tennie, XPCamper V2, Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers, Adventure Underwear, The Travel French Press, 12 Survivors First Aid Rollup Kit, CORE Kirri WW Paddle, Helinox Chair One, Travel Speakers, Joby GorillaPod + Ballhead X, SteadePod, Pakems, PacSafe CarrySafe 150 Sling Camera Strap, LED Lenser X21R Flashlight, Energizer Cup Inverter and the Joby 3-Way Camera Strap. We also got to check out a TON of fancy new kit this year at a few industry trade shows, factory tours and events: TL Surf, Winter OR, SIA Snow Show, Leatherman, Sportsmobile West and Overland Expo.
For the second half of the year we have been making plans, saving money and trying to figure out our next move while based just outside Washington DC, close to my family. The overall goals of sharing the van life stoke, seeing & experiencing new things and kicking off a RTW overland expedition focused at seeing the world through adventure sports has not changed. We are charging into 2014 with optimism and focus on making our goals a reality. Step one is to sell our beloved adventuremobile, the EE Sportsmobile, and build another vehicle that is better suited for our RTW goals. Step two is to round-up just enough funds to make sure that we are fed, fuel is in the tank, health insurance is in place and our vehicle & us can be transported across large bodies of water. While we are working on this funds gathering project fervently, we are always open to suggestions and leads to great companies who could use our product testing, photography, writing and promotional skills to improve their brands and products.
Thanks for following the adventures. Please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at any time. I’m also always really appreciative of constructive criticism that will improve the website, future adventures and your enjoyment when following along. It is all my amazing readers who make the long hours of content creation worth while. In 2014 lets all make it a point to get up from the computer and get outside more. The adventure might begin with a few clicks of the keyboard, but it really hasn’t started until you step out the door.
The following gallery is a brief tour of the amazing places, people and chariots that were part of Exploring Element’s 2013 adventures:
May 2014 bring amazing adventures to you & yours! –Bryon Dorr
