Almost exactly ten years ago, a rickety old VW Westfalia pulled into Moab. Its owners had no real plan as to what they would do, they just knew that things would fall into place. The length of their stay would depend on how things went, how they liked the area and how they found the community. With no home but the van, life was free and easy, the days would be full of mountain biking, climbing or trail running. If it rained they would sit it out in some cafe, making friends and plans for when the sun returned. Life was good.
Today a Subaru with mountain bikes on the roof rack pulled into Moab. Like the VW, its owners have no real plans, they simply know that things will fall into place much as they always do. The length of their stay is also undetermined, it depends on how they like Moab and how they find the community.
The people are the same in both these cases and they are of course us. After not having really been on a road trip in several years, we are marveling at how little has changed in terms of who we are. I drove along singing off key back then and I sing along off key still today. A road trip is a road trip, it offers a “take it as it comes” lifestyle and serves as a mirror reflecting the difference the years have made.
In these years we have built a successful mountain sports photography business – which was our goal upon arriving to Moab so long ago. We bought a home in Bishop, California where we lived for many years until deciding to get a second home in Europe, where we now spend the bulk of our time.
While making our way back to Utah, we have had numerous reminders of what we have done with our business. Numerous mountain shop visits along the way had us continually confronted by our own work; as store displays, posters, in magazines, hang tags, and catalogs. Finally it culminated in seeing the current Runner’s World on the reception desk of our B&B as we checked in, a Runner’s World in which we have a two page spread.
Janine (x2) alongside a Deuter Packs poster
We have worked extraordinarily hard in the last ten years and this journey back to our roots has revealed where we have taken our business and how we feel about it. This trip is neither a beginning or an end, it is simply a moment within the process in which we find ourselves.
We are excited at the coming months of being on the move, we have no idea where we will go, what we will shoot or whom we will meet. Life is still free and easy and it is most certainly still good.
Janine (x2) at Patagonia's San Francisco store
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