Artist Series
This beautiful collection was designed by Naiomi Glasses, a Diné asdzáán (Navajo woman), who lives on the Navajo Nation. She is a seventh-generation Navajo textile artist that learned the craft of weaving from her late paternal grandmother, Nellie, and her brother Tyler.
She focuses on designs that incorporate stripes and old-style elements such as Saltillo diamonds, four directional crosses, and wedge weave, which is an older weaving style that creates zigzags.
100% of the profits from her collection will be donated to Chizh for Cheii (Wood for Grandpa), an organization that provides free firewood to high-risk elders on the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas.
cwt
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydneyinibus
ksdjsfklj
kwejtklwejtjl wkejtl skejt lwejt jwlejtl
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Artist Series
This collection was designed by Lehi ThunderVoice Eagle. Raised part-time in the Arizona wilderness living off the land and part-time in the city, ThunderVoice Eagle grew up in two worlds. He has merged his ancient culture with modern America, through art, fashion and commerce.
100% of the profits from this collection were donated to Sovereign Bodies Institute, an organization dedicated to ending gender & sexual violence against Indigenous peoples through grassroots research.
A blog by Hunter and Hannah (@packthebus)
The bus was left along the road near the trailhead as we took a short walk before climbing up some of the grippy rocks and laid out our blanket before setting up to watch the sunrise over the large granite formations this place is known for.
Arriving at a National Park that is familiar to us felt good and overall, comfortable. As we drove through the park with the first light of dawn, the Joshua trees in our rearview mirrors were nothing but silhouettes on the barely lit horizon as we headed to our viewpoint destination: Skull Rock.
Seeing the sun light up these boulders one by one as a pink sky began to turn blue felt so peaceful as we gazed over the landscape covered in Joshua Trees and Mojave Yucca. We began to take in the striking uniqueness of where we were.
This place was difficult to leave. Although we checked off all the activities on our list of things to do, from sunset hikes to afternoons spent on ropes climbing rock faces, there is a magic to Joshua Tree that makes you want to stay forever.
An interview with Tatiana (@tatjanas_world_) located in Nieuw Vennep, the Netherlands
Very young actually. I was always rearranging stuff. Changing everything on my walls (sorry for the holes mom). When I got my first own home and working in interior it really sparked things big time.
Getting inspiration can come from different things for me. From a tv-show, to a fallen leaf, to a conversation, to good music. But yes, the sixties and seventies are very inspirational to me as well. The whole hippie vibe speaks to me.
Let it grow and give it time. Like life, your home is a journey and you pick things up along the way and leave things behind.
When I started out I was more a quantity over quality type of person. I loved so many things and wanted it all. I’m more picky now and prefer one special item over multiple simple items now.
An interview with Rachel Kathleen (@rachelkathleenhome) from Salt Lake City, Utah
I always loved decorating my childhood bedroom and college dorm room but I really didn’t know I had a knack for it until I moved into my own house after college. Working in healthcare can be stressful so I would spend the weekends making our home a place that felt calm and relaxing.
I gain a lot of inspiration from Sara & Rich Combs of The Joshua Tree House and Christina & Robert of New Darlings. These two couples have such a love for the desert landscape and it radiates through their interiors. I love watching them find unique ways to incorporate things from their surroundings into their homes.
When I first started, interior design was about making things “look nice”. Now, I’m all about how a space FEELS. I want to have a sense of calm and peace wash over me everytime I step foot into my home. It’s less about looks and more about that blissful feeling and a home that truly makes you smile.
I think my biggest piece of advice would be: Your home style evolves and changes just as you evolve and change as a person. Your style can also change with the seasons. My style has changed so much since I first started and so have those around me. Change and growth is GOOD!
A blog by Hunter and Hannah (@packthebus)
A layer of freshly fallen snow greeted us as we drove into the Grand Canyon for the first time.
We spent one day hiking the Rim Trail. Each new section of the trail gave us a different perspective of the giant canyon and the relentless Colorado River running through it.
Each evening, we visited a different viewpoint to watch the sun go down. While we were wrapped in our blankets, we observed the sun lighting up the earth’s beautiful, rocky layers as we sat in awe of this natural wonder.
A blog by Hannah and Hunter (packthebus)
Feeling eager and excited, we continued to drive deeper into the park as we watched the dunes become brighter with each passing moment. This park had a sense of openness and serenity to it, making it one of the quieter places we visited thus far.
The dunes at White Sands National Park consist of a mineral called gypsum, which collects in the Tularosa Basin as the result of runoff from the nearby mountains. We were in the largest gypsum dunefield in the world, right in the center of the state of New Mexico.
We spent several evenings cooking dinner at our favorite picnic location with the bus next to our table and grill. With our food prepared, we journeyed into the dunes with our blanket over our shoulder to find the perfect spot.
The ability to walk in any direction makes for endless exploring, and there are marked trails which can be used for learning more about the geography of the landscape.
A blog by Hannah and Hunter (@packthebus)
As we entered Arches National Park, we were amazed by the massive pinnacles and fins of rock that filled the landscape. We couldn’t believe the size of these rock formations and how they balanced in a way that looked like they could topple at any given moment.
It was an incredible experience viewing these balanced rocks and arches knowing how much time it had taken for these formations to occur. 65 million+ years of eroding sandstone left us with unbelievable geological sights.
We've always seen the iconic Delicate Arch featured on the Utah license plate, however we couldn’t have envisioned how incredible it would be in real life. After a relatively short yet steep sunrise hike to this destination, we were completely blown away by the size and miraculous structure of this arch.
A blog by Jordy and Tia (@75vibes_)
We cruised along the dusty roads until we stumbled upon the perfect spot to make camp- a place surrounded by elevated bushland, where eagles soared above, and wallabies hopped on by. With not a soul in sight, we set up our gear and got the fire roaring.
The sun began to set behind Mount Barney, we watched the light fade away. All that was left was the alpine glow from the fire and the twinkle from the stars and moon above. We had not one but two cups of tea before we cozied in for the night. The temperates often drop at night out here so we made sure to bring fuzzy socks and extra blankets.
It was hard to get out of bed the next morning. We woke to the flocks of native birds which nest in the region. As soon as we stepped out of our tent, we could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. We wandered through the tall, dried grass (looking out for snakes of course) to catch the first glimpse of sunlight over the mountains. The air felt cool and the wind sharp, so we made sure to stay bundled up.
Since coming out to the Scenic Rim, we have collected a few favourite spots. Each time we come out here it looks different depending on the light, temperature, and season. Some mornings the grassy valleys are covered in mist, other times the clouds hug the tops of mountains, lighting them up with peachy pink tones.
A blog by Emmett Sparling (@emmett_sparling)
During the first leg of our journey, we made sure to stop at some of Iceland’s spectacular waterfalls. To make things more interesting, the weather was constantly changing so our photos look like they were all taken on different days.
After 2 days of driving, we made it to our eastern most point on our route: Stokksness. This beach is possibly the most iconic in Iceland with its jet black volcanic sand leading to the jagged mountains in the distance.
We began our 2 day journey back to the capital city of Reykjavik. We were dreading the long, dark drive through the night. That was until the sky began to dance. A river of silvery green light lit up the dark Icelandic landscape as it moved with dazzling speed.
A blog by Jordy and Tia (75vibes_)
The Breakaways, also known as Kanku-Breakaways, is a conservation park just outside a small mining town called Coober Pedy. It is full of large colourful mounds creating cliffs, mountains, valleys, and plains.
The town itself fascinated us just as much. Coober Pedy is the “opal capital of the world”. Here we saw many locals in the minefields digging for precious stones. Australia produces 95% of the world’s supply of commercial opal, we were lucky enough to walk away with our very own stone.
The Aboriginal people have lived in this area for thousands of years, and it holds a very important place in their stories of dreamtime. While we enjoyed the desert air on top of the lookout, we felt the importance of this place. Its rocky planes and multi-coloured hills gave us an experience that we were no longer on earth but instead sat on the surface of Mars.
Summertime in outback Australia is a different story - the days can reach 55 degrees Celsius! Because of this, 60% of the houses were built underground to keep people cool. Being under the earth’s surface, the homes and shops are much easier to heat and cool and will hold their temperature longer.
A blog by Tia and Jordy (@75vibes_)
It felt so good to drive out of the city and away from the busy traffic. Smiles came across our faces as the air grew cooler and the sweet smells of nature swept through the van. Our first stop: the rugged coastline of South Australia.
This journey is a 2,500km drive through the Aussie outback, a two-week trip which took us through some ethereal landscapes like rainforest roads, pink salt lakes, and red desert dunes.
As day one turned into day two and three, we noticed how quickly the scenery changed as we headed further inland. We left lush green canopies for wide open plains full of wheat fields and sunflowers. The countryside shared a very different beauty, especially during sunset. The way the light would glow across the fields had us mesmerized.
The final days of our trip were hot and dry. We crossed over into South Australia and happily welcomed the cooler climate on the South Coast. Our eyes were set on a beach called Sellicks located in the Fleurieu Peninsula. This spot was the perfect point to land. It has tall cliffs standing hundreds of feet in the air, and the beach is great for driving along the water’s edge.
A blog by Hannah and Hunter (@packthebus)
Redwoods National Park was one of the most unique places we visited so far. Not only was it home to some of the tallest trees on earth, but it was a lush green coastal forest with incredible biodiversity.
As we traveled through the Redwoods, we were inspired by not only the unique coastal climate that allows these forests to thrive, but by the number of years these trees have been standing tall. To stand below giants that have been growing for thousands of years gave us a new perspective of how incredible nature truly is.
For those wanting to visit the Redwoods, it is important to know that this park is spread out into multiple smaller parks that are both National and State parks. Each of these parks has unique groves of redwood trees along with other key features such as gorgeous fern canyons, prairies filled with elk, and even ocean views.
From driving through trees with trunks twice as thick as our bus to roads lined with walls of ferns, the Redwoods had a very different feel to the southwest parks we had visited in the past.
A blog by Hunter and Hannah (@packthebus)
As we experienced Wyoming for the first time by visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton, we knew immediately this would be a place filled with things we've never seen before. We saw more new species of animals in person here than the rest of our trip combined; including bison, bears, wolves, and moose.
Yellowstone became our country’s first ever national park 150 years ago. With the population of North American Bison getting dangerously low with overhunting, Yellowstone became a place where they could thrive safely along with other species such as wolves and grizzly bears. Yellowstone is also the only place in the US where bison have lived since prehistoric times!
The road between Yellowstone and Grand Teton opens mid May, however many hiking trails in Yellowstone specifically don't open until June. We arrived at Yellowstone in May and crossed over to the Tetons the day the middle road opened up.
Since Yellowstone is an enormous park, giving yourself multiple days to venture through all sections is worthwhile. From Mammoth hot springs and Lamar Valley at the north end to Yellowstone Falls near the east and, of course, Old Faithful further south with many hydrothermal features in between.
We have partnered with RiSE festival to celebrate their magical event held in the Mojave on Jean Dry Lake bed just 25 miles south of Las Vegas on Oct 7th and 8th - the world largest sky lantern release.
When purchasing your tickets, you have the ability to select the Chandon Picnic Experience which includes a Sackcloth & Ashes blanket. Our blankets are made from recycled materials and produced in a water free, dye free, and chemical free process; all with comfort and durability in mind.
A blog by Hannah & Hunter (@packthebus)
As we entered Glacier National Park, we drove our VW up the mountain pass on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, the alpine meadows and carved valleys surrounding us were lit up beautifully with golden evening sunlight.
Glacier National Park is a beautiful and unique place to visit due to the exact features it is named for: its glaciers. A glacier is a mass of ice large enough that it flows under its own weight, and besides viewing these icy features themselves, they also create environments for other natural visuals. Some of these include gorgeously bright blue lakes as well as alpine wildlife and plants.
We could see animals we had never seen before and those we had seen before seemed to exist in much higher quantities. We spotted mountain goats, bighorn sheep and even a variety of bears. A favorite aspect was also the wildflowers that filled the alpine meadows of this incredible landscape.
This National Park inspired us to visit more alpine mountain regions since this was the first time we had ever been in this sort of landscape. We were about as north in the US as we had ever been, and this experience made us want to venture even further the next time we get the chance.
Sustainability
