Grand Canyon

A year ago to the day, Lauren and I packed our bags, rocked our Tivas, and descended into the Grandest of Canyons for a three day float down the Colorado river. Was it hot? Try 100 degrees. Was the water cold? Try 50 degrees. Was it everything I’d ever hoped for and more? Try reading the rest of this blog post.

More Canyon after the break. Continue reading

Paso Robles

paso-robles-1

Diving into the archives for back-to-back birthday posts, this one a few years shy of the ole one-six. If memory serves we spent the long weekend holed up in a killer farm house, eating epic meals, driving back roads, and searching for photo ops. Sounds like any Elliott trip worth taking.

More Robles after the break. Continue reading

Vancouver

There’s lots of fun to be had in Vancouver. Walk Stanley park. Visit Granville Island. Watch the Canucks lose to the Kings. Yes, these are cool. But nothing compares to the skill and endurance required to land a penny in the narrow opening of a frozen swill pot. For this memory, and the many attempts at ultimate success, I will be forever grateful.

More Vancouver after the break. Continue reading

Oh Hai!

For Leslie’s 60th birthday the gang surprised her with a long weekend at the Turtle Conservancy in Ojai. Before you ask, it was amazing. Both the celebration and the turtles. We really could have spent a week on the compound, but managed to make ourselves at home in just three short days. In fact, I now consider myself a de facto tour guide after cruising through each and every greenhouse and turtle terrarium on the property. I like turtles.

More Ojai after the break. Continue reading

Adventure Crew

Heartland Quality, Baja Barbecue. That is not the slogan for Omaha Steaks (at least not the second part). But it should be. After this Mexican vacation, I can scarcely imagine another adventure without a $600 mail-order meat medley. If you read the preceding sentences and felt lost, don’t panic. You were not part of the Adventure Crew. And if you were not part of the Adventure Crew, you don’t drive matching champagne Volvos. And if you don’t drive matching champagne Volvos, you don’t caravan deep into foreign territory. And if you don’t caravan deep into foreign territory, you miss out on celebrating Chloe’s epic Baja birthday. And if you miss out on celebrating Chloe’s epic Baja birthday, here’s a few photos to keep you in the loop.

More Baja after the break. Continue reading

Superbloom

41 minutes. That’s how long our GPS estimated it would take to get to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Problem was, it said 41 minutes every minute after passing Magic Mountain. Without technology or a concept of time, we looked at each other and wondered aloud if we’d made a massive mistake. Perhaps we took a wrong turn? What if we arrive to only patches of dirt? Who visits Lancaster anyway? Or, what if we hang in for five more minutes, round the corner, and stare down at a valley of glorious orange as far as the eye can see?

More poppy after the break. Continue reading

The Day After

What did we do? That was the name given to the Sunday BBQ after Lauren and I made it official. While the question was rhetorical, it didn’t really matter as the younger generation wasn’t ready to answer morning after, about the night before. Luckily, there’s no better remedy than pulled pork and shenanigans.

More Day After, after the break. Continue reading

Mantana

mantana-2

So. Many. Activities. For four glorious days six boys descended on one Montana cabin and found all sorts of ways to entertain themselves. Wake surfing. Hatchet throwing. Fly fishing. Beer Die. Mountain biking. Hatchet throwing. Everything became a competition, and this bachelor-no-more took home the ultimate prize. Memories. That and the most wins of the weekend.

More bachelor party after the break. Continue reading

The Oregon Trail : Part One

oregon-trail-5

On the eve of a great man’s 60th birthday we took a trip to parts unknown. Inspired by faded images of a bygone era, we attempted to recreate a simpler time in the backwoods of Oregon. A time when boys were scouts. The sea was rough. Yin Yangs were cool. And so was Patagonia.

More Rob Elliott after the break. Continue reading

Papua New Guinea

Scan-150106-0015

It’s been awhile since my last post, and even longer since our trip to Papua New Guinea. That said, the images haven’t gotten any less gorgeous. Or I more modest. The process takes patience, ruthlessness and a fair bit of procrastination—but I’m stoked on the final edit and happy to finally share them here.

More face paint after the break. Continue reading