For almost 10 years, we have explored and wound our way through the most amazing corners of the Pacific Northwest. No longer content with keeping all those secret locations and experiences to ourselves, we brought them to you through Peace Vans Experiences. Our friends at The Field Trip Society helped us curate these unique opportunities for you to experience the great outdoors in new and exciting ways. Read on to hear more about this year’s Peace Vans Experiences.

January: Birding in the Skagit Valley

We kicked off our 2022 Peace Vans Experiences with a trip to the Skagit Valley area with a small “test” group with the intention of spotting native birds. We packed the vans, sent out a detailed itinerary, and hit the road. Bayview State Park offered the perfect set-up for our guests with power supply, a quiet space and heated bathrooms (a huge bonus in the winter). As Vanagons and Metris vans started rolling in, so did the excitement. Starting the day with a thermos of hot chocolate and a lesson in binocular use with our talented guide Roniq Bartanen of SheBirds. Our group immediately began spotting green-winged teals, great blue herons and red tailed hawks.

The true site to see was the massive flock of snow geese flying in formation at our last location of the day. As the loud sound of squawking erupted from the sky, heads began to turn and binoculars were erected to spot what was coming in. Hundreds of Snow Geese flew one by one into the large field right in front of us, filling the acreage with a deafening sound and fluffy white feathers. These birds fly over 2,000 miles from a small island off Russia with the intention of eating the leftover seed in the Skagit Valley Farm Fields.  Our group listened to Roniq as she explained the migration of these gorgeous birds and pointed out their key identifiers. In the midst of taking in the view, a bald eagle landed in a large nest that sat in a tree overlooking the large flock. The geese, afraid to become a meal for the family of three, picked up flight and created a wave of beauty that is simply indescribable. 

After our bird watching experience, we were ready to fill our bellies with hot food from the local cafés in Bow. We came back to camp as the sun set on the bay, sharing our list of seventeen-plus sightings, playing games, and toasting to an adventure-filled day. We stayed up late chatting and connecting over a glowing campfire. Once we began to settle in for the night, a barred owl hooted from above, and we took that as a seal of approval for a successful first-ever Peace Vans Experience. 

April: Shellfish & Kayaking on the Hood Canal

Grab your shuckers, paddles and s’mores sticks and get ready for a true PNW adventure! We opened our second Peace Vans Experience to all types of camping equipment, including tents, cars, a Dodge Pleasure Way (from California!), Vanagons, and Metris vans on this weekend trip.

Yelvik’s General store offered a private camping space for all thirteen attendees right on the Hood Canal waterfront, making it incredibly convenient to wake up, grab a hot cup of coffee, and launch right into the water from our campsite. 

Hood Canal Adventures took us on a fantastic kayak tour where we saw families of bald eagles and a pod of porpoises. Nearing the end of our tour, we were met with a shower of bite-sized hail that pushed the group to paddle faster to the next part of our exploration. The sun came to greet us at Hama Hama Oyster Farm while we enjoyed an educational demonstration, with countless fresh and grilled oysters in a special space just for us. We wrapped up the fun-filled day with a s’mores bar, two campfires, and a game created by one of our Peace Vans employees (way to go Eli!)- Synco. Despite the strong winds, hail, eleven seconds of snow, rain, and sleet, our Hood Canal Experience was a “shucking” success. 

May: Mushroom Foraging in the Cascades

The Pacific Northwest has been recognized as a great place to begin a foraging journey. What better way to begin than with your own guide, all the tools you need, and a great group of newfound friends? A big thank you to our guide Jaxon Ravens for taking the plunge and taking us out to an area where the morels were starting to show their little pinecone tops. Given all the tips and tricks for spotting these well-camouflaged fungi, we broke up into groups and went exploring. Within a few hours of using our maps, filling our baskets and keeping our eyes peeled to the forest floor, we were ready to come back together to share our findings. The group prepped a delicious Morel Bruschetta together and made a toast to the glorious findings in the forest. 

The kids and adults were excited to share their newfound treasures, ask questions, identify mushrooms that weren’t morels, and mark their maps for future explorations. The foraging we were doing would help spread the spores for future fungi growth, so it made sense that our first guests in Pancho Van had found morels hanging out in their very own campsite- no hiking and driving necessary for the Selby Family. This was another great weekend that shined the light on the natural wonders of the great Pacific Northwest.

June: Watercolors at Wilridge Winery

Hello sunshine, grapevines, and good times! Imagine a line of camper vans popped up in the middle of a Yakima Vineyard - beautiful, isn’t it? Now, imagine a double rainbow arched over that line of vans - stunning! We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend in the Yakima desert paired with great wines and watercolors. We started off the day with hot tea and coffee and Anna Brones led our group in a beginner-friendly watercolor class. Everyone spread out and took time to themselves to relax and focus on the colors of Wilridge Vineyard. The peace and quiet was soon met with the excitement of a Pride Festival happening onsite. Drag queens, gorgeous and glittering, strutted their stuff in sync with popular songs that made it hard not to get up and cut a rug (or grass in this case). Feeling the love (and the wine), everyone was excited to sit down in the evening over chocolates to share their delightful pieces of art. To say we had a group of talented campers in our midst was an understatement. So much beauty came out of our weekend and we’re so happy to have shared it with such lovely people.

October: Nashi Orchards Cider Press on Vashon Island

An apple a day keeps the doctor away and also makes a great reason to go camping! Peace Vans partnered with several incredible business owners for this October Experience and is so thankful for the opportunity to share that with current customers and newcomers.

Taking this weekend to an eclectic location in Washington, we camped on a spectacular flower farm on Vashon Island. Sweet farmer, Alyssa, owns and operates Sweet Alyssum Farms, where she grows flowers of all shapes, sizes, smells, and colors. Once everyone had chosen their spot on the farm, we headed down the winding road to another farm where flowers turn into something tasty. Jim and Cheryl gave our group a tour of their 22-acre farm and finished it off with a demonstration of how their delicious cider is made. Large jugs of fresh cider in arms, we left Nashi Orchards with smiles and eagerness for what was to come next. 

Of course, it would only be right to finish off the day by sitting family-style at a table decorated with fresh flowers and pumpkins for a delicious meal. Ashley, who owns and operates her own business, whipped up an unforgettable “fall-feeling” dinner with warm milk buns, poached chicken, fall vegetable soup, fried leek, delicata fritters, and so much more. Windward Adventures will continue to be our number one choice when it comes to a meal that impresses the masses. It was difficult to drive away from such a peaceful weekend, but we’re happy to hold onto the memories and take them with us on our future adventures.

October: Fall Foliage Watercolors on Whidbey Island

Deception Pass is one of our most highly recommended destinations for van renters. So, we wanted one of our experiences to take place in the area. Just an hour and a half north of Seattle, Cranberry Lake Campground in Deception Pass State Park served as the perfect place for our Peace Vans attendees. There were plug-ins, water spigots, and heated bathrooms (with hot showers!) steps away from our camping spots. Saturday morning was spent in a logged structure that overlooked the lake and was equipped with a glowing fireplace. We sat together, using the natural light coming through the trees to begin our watercolor class. Anna Brones has such a talent in teaching that she makes every stroke of our brushes seem natural, even to the most “non artistic” of the group. After getting the basics down, we split off to have lunch and spend the rest of the day finding fall foliage of our own to paint. Beach access to Puget Sound, hiking trails around the park, and the short drive to Whidbey Island offered plenty of great opportunities for everyone’s DIY time. 

We came together for a happy hour to share our paintings. This was a great way to spark intentional conversation throughout the group. Turns out, most of our group was made up of healthcare workers. Looks like this weekend was a much needed TLC weekend for a lot of guests. We’re more than happy to have provided serenity for everyone who camped with us during this crisp, fall weekend. 

December: End of Year Celebration

With such a spectacular year of adventures behind us, we had to host an End of Year Celebration. Inviting past experiencers to reunite and welcoming first-timers was a big part of this event. With the holiday season in full swing, this experience was meant to be easy for those who pack their calendars and didn’t have time to camp.

A quick drive to our very own Seward Park Audubon Center was where the crafty joy was happening on this evening. Our guests walked into a room filled with the aroma of pine, juniper and ginger snaps and found tables filled with greenery from Seattle Growers Market on Orcas Island. With a cozy fire and hot cider in hand, we were ready to begin. The class kicked off with our instructor Susan Papanikolas giving a demonstration on how to start making a wreath that was bound to look “store bought.” Guests began picking the pieces that they believed to be the perfect fit for their vision and started snipping away. Holiday music, cheerful conversation and the sound of twine being pulled filled the room as upstairs was filled with sounds of children’s laughter and sprinkles hitting the table. An adorable room equipped with a small library and mushroom seats was the perfect place to host a cookie decorating and gingerbread house party for the kids. Four gingerbread houses, a dozen decorated sugar cookies, and several stunning wreaths later, we concluded a successful celebratory evening.  

About Field Trip Society

Peace Vans couldn’t have done any of this without the incredible vision and talent that Cambria Cox from Field Trip Society brings to the table. We are incredibly grateful for all the help, networking, and preparation Cambria put into our experiences. To say that working with Cambria is a joy would be an understatement. She has put so much into her own business, and still being able to lend a helping hand in creating something spectacular for us has been a jaw-dropping experience. We love her as a person, all she has created and continues to create, and would love nothing more than to shine a light on what she does with Field Trip Society. Thank you so much for everything Cambria, we hope you had just as much fun as we did this year and look forward to seeing how 2023 brings us together again.