CRA Motoring & Travel News – USA
BY DANNY AGNEW
With rental outfitters popping up around the country, there’s never been a better time to get your tires muddy.
I tend to like things with the word “adventure” in the name. Six Flags Great Adventure. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Get the word “adventure” in there, I’m almost certainly going to be a fan.
Thus when I heard that an establishment called Adventure Lodge in Boulder, Colorado, was offering “Adventure Van” rentals for excursions through the wonderful wilds of the Centennial State, I was immediately game.
The officially dubbed A-Lodge (but we all know what that A stands for) is a charmingly rustic property nestled in the woodsy foothills just outside of Boulder — the kind of place where nature-minded folk stay when they want to be close to town but still hear the occasional mountain lion yowl as they drift off to sleep.
Recently, A-Lodge founders Asa Firestone and Kris Klauber augmented their offering with the aforementioned vans, a fleet of Mercedes sprinters kitted out for, well, whatever type of adventure the occupants are looking to have. Each van features an interior lofted bed with storage cubbies plus a kitchen with induction stove, fridge, sink/faucet and drawers full of cooking gear. Our van also featured a rooftop tent that required naught to set up but popping a couple latches and raising it up, as well as an exterior “shower” (think a kitchen sink spigot on a long tube — it’s not heated, but whatever, don’t be a wimp). There’s even a portable toilet on offer in the event that you’ll be camping away from facilities and/or are averse to pooping in a hole you’ve dug for yourself (again, though, don’t be a wimp).
And this is sort of the beauty of the Adventure Van outing: the ability to unplug, get out into the great outdoors, and get away from, well, everyone. It’s freeing and also stress-relieving. You know where you can’t catch the coronavirus? In the middle of fucking nowhere.
Another unsurprising benefit? The ability to make your trip an actual adventure — making decisions on the fly and letting the occasional flight of fancy influence your itinerary is half the fun on a trip like this, and can prove an excellent conduit for discovery. A phone call from a friend resulted in an impromptu detour down to Moab, Utah, a place I had never been despite growing up in the (relative) vicinity. While breaking for some much needed water and a view of the stunning Martian landscape on our ride of the famed Slickrock Trail, I turned to my brother and said, “I don’t know that I ever would have planned a trip out here, but I am damn glad we came.” He nodded his assent and replied “adventure van, man.”
If you live anywhere in the vicinity of Colorado (or if you’ve always wanted to visit but just haven’t had the proper catalyst), I cannot recommend the A-Lodge Adventure Van experience strongly enough — it’s perfectly suited for the weird times we live in currently, but honestly would be an excellent getaway under any circumstance for those who dig any combination of nature, adventure sports, peace/quiet and drinking beer under the stars.
https://8a19f5209886e11cf140ba42d36fe98a.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html And if you don’t live in Colorado, take heed: venerable rent-a-van outfitters are cropping up all over the country (especially anywhere west of the Rockies), from Oregon’s Roamerica to LA’s Vintage Surfari Wagons.
Whenever you decide to haul, consider a few of the below items we found invaluable on our adventure:
- Military Folding Camping Shovel
- LED Headlamp Flashlight
- Camping and Backpacking Stove Cooking System
- Coffee Cups
- Bluetooth Portable Speaker
- Full Tang Paraknife
Article Credit To Inside Hook.
