When we started our camper van quest, we looked for overland or RV shows that might give us an opportunity to explore the world. And with that, we discovered Adventure Van Expo, noticing that there were two semi-convenient locations: Hood River, OR and Enumclaw, WA. We decided we should attend at least one and put Hood River on our calendars, preferring a June opportunity over waiting until September.
Perhaps a surprise to no one other than ourselves, we purchased and already had one trip in Ody before the Hood River event. However, this gave us the opportunity to purchase camping tickets and join the Storyteller Overland group on-site.
Off to Hood River
We chose the long route through Yakima Valley and – at the last minute – opted for the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway. Absolutely beautiful! Cliffs, grasslands, and river. Being on the east side of the Cascades, it certainly doesn’t feel like the Washington we live in, but it was a lovely – and not terribly long – drive.
Treveri Cellars
Then it was a late lunch at Treveri Cellars, with a little bubbly to accompany it. Though the patio is dog friendly, the pups found the ~90 degree temperatures – even in the shade – to be a bit much. We returned them to the van and cranked the A/C. We think they had a much more enjoyable time even if they were by themselves.
We each ordered flights of sparkling wine (after overcoming disappointment that the seasonal mimosa flight is apparently unavailable on weekends, including Fridays), the Mediterranean platter, and the whipped feta and honey, which I will be dreaming about for years!
Creamy dippable feta cheese, with pistachios – halves and crumbles on top – and drizzled with honey. I’m not sure I have words to describe just how wonderful of a dish this is. The richness of the feta is complimented by the sweetness of the honey, and together, they are just divine. The warm and slightly crunchy bread was the perfect vessel to move the deliciousness from bowl to belly.
The final stretch – Columbia River Gorge
Back on the road, we climbed over passes and back into the land of evergreens – spying Mount Adams in the distance. Then it was down towards the Columbia River. Before crossing, we made a brief detour to an interesting and somewhat surprising landmark – Maryhill Stonehenge.
Yes, a full-scale replica of Stonehenge . . . in Washington. After taking some pictures – and drinking in Mt Hood – we were back on the road for the final push to the Hood River County Fairgrounds – the site of Adventure Van Expo and camping. We had built in a few stops along the way, but given unexpected traffic and a slightly later than anticipated start, we were behind schedule and had no idea what time (if any) they were going to be shutting down for the evening. All was well, we arrived slightly after 9pm and were able to locate all the STOs (and there were a lot!) and set up for the night.
Adventure Van Expo
This was a completely new experience for us, and we had no idea what to expect. We knew we would want to walk around to gather ideas and to see and touch gear we had researched online.
A highlight! They came with three different vans, including – of course – a Storyteller, completely outfitted with all the gear. It was great to see it in person, and the garage storage system is truly amazing. Although it is unlikely it would for us today given the space we need in the garage, it is something we’ll keep in the back of our minds.
We will be acquiring the table bracket, a new table top, and likely a Lagun table arm. We will also get the bamboo sink cover and the outdoor shower curtain. The headliner shelf made a return to the list of top contenders as well. We were so impressed with their items – both the visual as well as the apparent quality. And we can’t say enough about their people either. So friendly and helpful!
We are always on the lookout for the perfect pack towel. Hadn’t heard of these guys before – but their patterns are gorgeous. They had a promo – so we bought three towels – one in each size.
See a sign for free coffee; attention immediately pivots. They have a very cool stackable pour over coffee kit with reusable stainless filter and insulated cup. Also an amazing travel grinder. Pricey but really great in concept and will save us a ton of space. Looking forward to trying it out.
We had seen videos of their stuff leading up to AVE, particularly for their Charge Groove. Although pricey for what it is, it is so very needed. Thanks, Mercedes, for a poor design choice on the dash with no cable management and no way to easily close the compartment where the charging cables (including that for CarPlay) go. The install was very simple, and we’re tempted by the other dash storage solutions. However, they’re not needed today – but they were cool to see in person.
They offered a solution to a problem we didn’t really have. In packing the van, we had a perfect spot for the GoTreads – except they just didn’t fit in their case – by mere centimeters. The TreadPack XLS stores one GoTread in each case, solving the problem. For carrying purposes, they can still be attached with velcro between the cases and a snap to attach the handles.
A Portland, OR company that makes window screens and covers. They’re new to the door screen game and have full screens for the Sprinter slider door and for the Revel, but they haven’t finished testing their template for the Storyteller yet. They promise it’s coming soon – and we’re considering upgrading ours. The primary difference between the stock screens and those offered by both Vanmade Gear and Rolef is that the STO screen has fabric that overlaps itself with a magnetic strip on each piece of fabric. The others use weighted magnets along the side of each piece of fabric – the combination of the weight and the fabric abutting rather than overlapping makes for a more snug fit and fewer instances of manual override (i.e., failure). Super great guys and would love to support local. We’re also eyeing their cab partition.
Johnson RV, specifically the dealership from whom we acquired Ody but their Sandy, OR location, had some interesting looking hammock systems that attach to the trailer hitch. We had spied these in use in the camping area and were intrigued. Telescoping hammock arms fold flat onto trailer hitch. Very interesting indeed – might be the perfect use for our rarely used hammock. We managed to avoid the impulse buy, but you can bet it’s on the radar now! Also learned they have something that can be put on the tire – to provide a mounting location that aligns with the awning.
Of course we had to visit them! Awesome guys. Taxa Outdoors was there too with a TigerMoth. Cute teardrop that looks useful (if you’re into towing). Went into the Hilt. Now that thing is a BEAST. Amazing STO quality. You really could live and work in that thing. If you want to spend nearly $500k.
We chatted briefly – they had they had their Storyteller here too. Doesn’t seem to be a way to tell what the solar panels are doing – other than to study the charge.
And of course . . . food!
There were two food trucks – crepes and tacos – and one beer offering – I overheard they had a blonde and an IPA, but I didn’t catch the name of the brewery. There seemed to be a lot of air in the tap, so we passed on that but opted for the others and got amazing blueberry lemonade from the crepe guys. Also – a sweet and a savory crepe. We were happy campers (ha! Pun wasn’t intended, but I’ll take it).
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