A lot has changed in a year.
From the 20 vans that showed up to the first Descend on Bend, 2015 brought well over a hundred rigs. Despite the exponentially greater number of people, pets and children, the theme remained the same: meet like-minded people.
In the whirlwind of socialization and baking more than one van-apple-pie, Jacqui and I drove away from Descend on Bend Dos with massive smiles because we had the privilege of seeing old faces and new. More than anything though, getting a chance to feed off the stories and excitement of other travelers, many that have been on the roads for years and some that are just starting their tale, has energized Jacqui and I to restart ours.
From a family of 5 living full-time in an airstream (with a cat too), seasoned travelers who have traversed the globe in their 15 years living in a van, a family of three who've seen the America's tip-to-tip in a '71 VW bus, expecting parents choosing to start their new baby's life on the road, an engaged couple who are likely to have their wedding en-route to Argentina, two best friends taking off to make a show about their drive down the Americas... all these stories capture just a handful of the travelers we've met at Descend on Bend.
After meeting this mass of travelers, I'm here to tell you, not a single, solitary one of them can tell YOU how to stay on the road. Or at the very least, I have yet to discover a single matching answer.
Staying on the road full-time seems to be a true test of creativity. What skills do you have? How can you monetize those skills in a way to allow you to spend more of your life living and less of it working? When Jacqui and I figure out the answer, I'm sad to say, it probably won't help you. But if you figure it out, it probably wouldn't work for us either.
This all makes a great segue to our next post that's coming soon about working, settling, exploring and trying to prioritize living.
But not before some photos of our fun at Descend on Bend Dos!!