Quick overview of this newsletter:

1. 🗺️ Where have you been loca?!!
2. 🚐 AdventureWagon made a questionable choice, but I got to test their system
3. 🛶 A cozy article by me: Historic Lodges of the Rogue River
4. 🥰 What’s that silly amazing blanket you’re wearing?
5. 💫 Rabbit hole: zodiac signs camping and hiking

Hi, hi Reader,

We’re still in the catch-up phase of our relationship, but I wanted to let you know that I didn’t stop traveling during my little sabbatical. I have a large backlog of posts to get through, which I’m excited to share. But so you know what to expect, here’s a sampling of where I’ve been since last October:

• Dec: Columbia River Gorge
• April: The Netherlands!!
• Spring/Summer: Chasing Waterfalls in Oregon
• July: Truckee/Lake Tahoe
• August: Mt. Rainier
• Right now: Quebec City, Canada, on a PRESS TRIP

Yes, you read that correctly. I am currently in Quebec, Canada!! On a press trip!! I wrote this newsletter last week, so I hope it’s going well for both of our sake. A press trip is when someone (typically a tourism board) hosts one or more journalists to write about a destination for a larger publication. I will write an article for an online publication you likely know and will probably post the individual activities on Moderately Adventurous. I’m beyond stoked and excited for this opportunity… but also nervous. Send all your positive thinking to Quebec as you read this, and I will absorb it from afar. ✨

Beyond that exciting news, my travel list feels a little… short when I see it like this. I used to feel a lot of pressure about travel - am I going to enough places? Am I doing exciting enough things? Will I have enough content? Luckily, the pandemic and moving l broke me of some of these thoughts, and I’ve decided that all of the PNW is plenty exciting. 🌲 Once you see these waterfalls and endless greenery, I think you’ll agree.

Au revoir pour le moment,

Hanna

Testing the AdventureWagon System in the Columbia River Gorge:

I explored the Columbia River Gorge last December based on a slightly unbelievable series of events. Well, mainly, AdventureWagon offered me to test out their modular campervan system by taking a fully built-out campervan for a few nights. Sometimes, I still wonder if they should have let me… but it was also incredibly necessary to feel and live in the system to write a full product review of the different products. And I also had a blast sleeping and waterfall hopping in the Columbia River Gorge. While I understand this is a niche product review (not everyone has a Ford or Mercedes campervan that they want to build out), I am also very proud of this blog post. You are most welcome to check it out and send it to someone who may be considering a conversion.

A Cozy Article: Historic Lodges of the Rogue River

Part of what made the Rogue River rafting trip special was the historic lodges we stayed at along the way. Each had its own personality and history while operating in remote wilderness. Wanting to learn more about them, I volunteered to write a separate article for ROW Adventures (in addition to the day-by-day breakdown and packing lists for my Rogue River trip.) I went all in. I contacted each lodge owner to get a more-or-less accurate history and confirm details. It was so much fun and made for an incredibly cozy article. Check it out on the ROW Adventures website, and let me know what you think.

What’s That Silly Blanket You’re Wearing?

The snuggie walked, so the Honcho Poncho could run. For my super fancy AdventureWagon weekend in the gorge, Therm-a-Rest kindly sent me two Honcho Ponchos to test out. And we did indeed put them to the test because we didn’t want to take them off! We wore them into coffee shops, on waterfall hikes, in the van, outside the van, and everywhere in between. They are less like a blanket and more like a poncho-shaped sleeping bag. Warm, but not too warm. Silly, but not too silly. Needless to say, we both loved them. Full product review coming, so in the meantime, here are the direct links:

• ​Therm-a-rest Website - Biggest selection of colors (apparently they now have a down honcho poncho. If you try it, you’ll have to tell me how it is!!)
• ​REI - only black, bummer
• ​Backcountry - three colors available
• ​Moosejaw - two colors available

Your Zodiac Sign Camping & Hiking

Hipcamp sent an article called “Your Ideal Camping Trip, According to Your Zodiac Sign,” two different things I’ve never considered combining before. But it sure is fun. Maybe it’s not totally accurate to my preferences, but it’s fun. Follow my rabbit hole with more silly zodiac camping articles:

• ​Your Ideal Camping Trip, According to Your Zodiac Sign - Hipcamp
• ​What Each Zodiac Sign Needs To Survive Camping, Because Nature Is Calling - Elite Daily
• ​The 3 Most Outdoorsy Zodiac Signs Thrive In Nature - Bustle
• ​The Best Hikes for Your Astrological Sign - Washington Trails Association (okay, pop off WTA!)
• ​Best Long Distance Hikes for Your Zodiac Sign - The Detour Effect