I recently traveled from California to Idaho with full-time van dwellers, Sara Roudebush and Joe Maier. Joe and Sara are rock climbers who have been living in Luna, their Dodge Sprinter van and invited me to join them to document their final trip in the van they’ve called home for over three years.
We began our journey just outside of Sacramento and made our way up the 5 to Smith Rock in Terrebonne, Oregon. After breakfast and coffee, we were contacted by a pair of Sara and Joe’s fellow van-dwelling friends from San Luis Obispo who were also making their way up to summer-climbing mecca Squamish in British Columbia.
After a day spent climbing at Smith Rock (and a close-call with van troubles), we hit the road again to Leavenworth, Washington–a small, kitschy Bavarian-themed tourist trap just east of The Cascades in Washington. The town is quaint but the area is mind bogglingly gorgeous. We spent several days in the crisp Washington air soaking in the beauty of Icicle Creek Canyon where we camped and climbed.
The creek was there to cool us and the ancient trees provided refuge from the summer heat.
I decided to leave my digital camera at home and loaded my bag with only analog cameras. Returning to the simplicity of film was exactly what I needed to reset my process and remind why I like shooting so much.