To augment our usual outdoor adventures, we kicked off this weekend with an educational one by attending the PechaKucha presentation in Tampa. PechaKucha is a presentation format derived from the Japanese where numerous presenters show 20 slides and are only allowed 20 seconds to describe each slide. There are PechaKucha chapters in over 700 cities across the globe where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts — just about anything, really — in the 20×20 format. Good PechaKucha presentations are the ones that uncover the unexpected — unexpected talent, unexpected ideas. Some PechaKuchas tell great stories about a project or a trip. Some are incredibly personal, some are incredibly funny or insightful, but all are very unique.
In the spirit of the PechaKucha theme, our recap of this week’s adventure-filled weekend features 20 images and 20 words for each. (Admittedly, this was WAY more challenging than we could have imagined!)
Bamboozle Café (Read the review here) – The best fresh Vietnamese rolls anywhere. Fresh, exotic ingredients wrapped in rice paper and drizzled with spectacular sauces.
Our favorite speaker discussed using bike-share programs to collect usage data metrics that translate into economic benefit for communities.
Spectacular campfire at our stealthy campsite miles away from RV-land – no crowds, fees, park rangers, or dog restrictions. Perfect.
Dueling garages – One large, one small. Adventure awaits for both with two bikes, SUP surf gear, and VANlife necessities.
VANdal’s camp kitchen queen serves up hot breakfast quesadillas on a perfect morning before heading out for some MTB.
Craig, the Dog Whisperer, entrances a lip licking Pauncho, Katie Lou, and Nestor with an egg and bean quesadilla.
The road less traveled. Unknown to all but a select few, our caraVAN heads to Ocala’s Santos mountain-bike trails.
The value of orientation is clearly lost on one of us….. However, sometimes cute trumps lost on the trails.
What? Spiders on the trail!? Even after three hours of MTB, spiders are cause for Bethany to pedal faster!
What Florida lacks in hilly landscape, the Santos trail system makes up for with really cool, challenging manmade obstacles.
Like kids on a roller coaster, Barb, Bethany, and the dogs repeatedly rode “The Vortex,” a fast and fun berm.
A day in the life of happy dogs: Chasing bikes through the forest….then lounging in dirt before van AC.
Nestor, ever the goofy lab, looking all smiles with sand stuck to his mouth while recovering from his run.
Craig can’t help but tag Outside Van at A1A Burrito Works (read the review here) before eating delicious Mexican UFO’s with local mahi-mahi.
The joy of the Sprinter — self-contained, stealth and fits into a regular parking space. In this case…beach-front :).
No morning is complete without espresso… This morning it’s espresso with a view while waiting for the perfect SUPsurf. (*Note: those are, in fact, some nifty collapsible silicone espresso cups by Sea to Summit…perfect for VANlife :D).
Successful SUPsurf day… (Bethany’s first!). We all ride green water and enjoy the break between sets to watch dolphins.
Katie Lou, no stranger to SUP, but having never SUP-surfed, prepares for her surf contest against her challenger, Nestor.
But for some bumps, bruises, bloody noses, and burns, we’re all big smiles after a fun weekend of turf-and-surf.
Katie vs. Nestor Surf Off on YouTube. What turf-and-surf weekend would be complete without some friendly competition? Vote for your favorite surfin’ pooch by commenting below!
Next weekend’s adventure — “3 Hours of Payne” in Hartwell, Georgia at their three-hour Chainbuster MTB race, followed by Bethany’s first whitewater SUP experience.