OVE PNW. Skate Across America: Chad Caruso. & The Family We Choose.

ISSUE 43  |  JULY 10, 2026

Hello, STORYTELLERS! Welcome to the 43rd issue of Galactic Adventures: our community-focused, community-informed newsletter. This issue's featured photo comes to us from MODE Owner, Blair Emerson.

If you would like to see your photo or story featured in Galactic Adventures, please send an email to emma.w@storytelleroverland.com 

OVE PNW 2026

Title

Christine Coleman & Peter Perales – MODE Owners

It's hard to believe it's already been over two weeks since Overland Expo PNW, and we're still talking about everything that happened at Storyteller Camp.

We've been replaying so many moments in our heads. The conversations over coffee. The camp chairs that somehow kept growing into bigger circles. The music drifting through camp. The laughter. The hugs from friends we only get to see a few times a year. Those are the moments that stay with you long after the vans head home.

From the minute everyone started rolling into camp, it felt like home. Familiar faces were reunited, new friendships were made almost instantly, and before long camp was buzzing with people sharing stories, helping each other out, and settling into another unforgettable weekend together. It's one of our favorite things about this community. No matter where you come from, it never takes long before you feel like you belong.

Friday evening kicked off with our community potluck, and once again everyone absolutely delivered. Storyteller provided the meat, but our friends from Tembo Tusk rolled in with their Skottles and jumped right in to help cook for everyone. It was such a cool example of what this community is all about, people simply showing up to lend a hand. Camp tables quickly filled with amazing homemade dishes, plenty of great sides, and one very memorable pie that disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.

As the sun started to set, Rusty Frets brought the perfect soundtrack to the evening. Camp settled into that sweet spot where nobody was in a hurry to be anywhere else. Some people danced, others wandered from campfire to campfire catching up with old friends, and new friendships were forming all around camp.

Throughout the weekend, Wild Latitude Coffee kept everyone fueled with fresh cups of coffee each morning. We were especially excited to finally share our new Pino's Adventures Van-Go Blend, and seeing everyone wander over with their favorite camp mug became one of our favorite morning rituals.

One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was celebrating Storyteller CEO Neil Grimmer. Neil is continuing to carry forward the incredible legacy that Jeffrey began while adding his own heart and energy to the Storyteller family. Watching him continue to lift up this community and seeing everyone come together to celebrate him all weekend long was something really special.

Another huge hit was having Ink by Abi with us all weekend. Abi was busy from start to finish, and it seemed like every time we walked by, someone new was sitting down for a tattoo. What made it even more special was that so many of them were getting their very first tattoo. Abi created an amazing collection of Storyteller-inspired flash art just for the event, and people absolutely loved it. Watching everyone proudly show off their fresh ink and the stories behind why they chose each design was such a fun part of the weekend.

Saturday night brought everyone back together once again for tacos, good conversation, and an incredible birthday celebration for Neil. Then The Hucklebearers took over, and they absolutely rocked it. They were the perfect band for the night and brought exactly the energy the celebration deserved. Before long, people were dancing, singing along, and simply enjoying being surrounded by great people. It felt less like an event and more like a big family reunion.

Looking back, it isn't really the schedule we'll remember most.
It's the little things.

The early morning coffee conversations.
The strangers who became friends.
The neighbors who jumped in to help cook dinner.
The first tattoos that people will remember forever.
The birthday celebration that brought everyone together.
The music echoing through camp after the sun went down.
Those are the moments that make Storyteller Camp what it is.

Peter and I feel incredibly grateful every time we're trusted to help host this camp. It's something we never take for granted, and weekends like this remind us why we love being part of this community so much.

To everyone who came out, shared a meal, grabbed a cup of coffee, got a tattoo, celebrated Neil, danced with The Hucklebearers, helped a neighbor, or simply made someone feel welcome...thank you.

You are the reason Storyteller Camp feels like home.

We're already looking forward to the next time we all find ourselves gathered around another campfire together. Until then, keep exploring, keep taking the scenic route, and we'll see you down the road. ❤️🚐
 

~Christine & Peter

Skate Across America: 
STORYTELLER Chad Caruso Sets New Record

Title

Storyteller Overland

Chad Caruso set out from Venice Beach, California this Spring with one goal: beat his own record for the fastest skateboard crossing of the US. Thirty-nine days and roughly 3,000 miles later, he rolled into Jacksonville, Florida, and did it.

A Storyteller Overland CREW MODE rode with him the whole way.

From 57 Days to 39
In 2023, Chad set the world record with a 57-day solo skate across America– just him, a backpack and no support vehicle.

This time around? Chad was up before dawn every day, pushing by 4:30am and skating 12 to 16 hours at a stretch, no days off, no rest days built in. He averaged 72 miles a day. And he did all of it on a knee that had already torn twice, the second time just two months before he left California.

What the Crew Handled
Chad skated and the CREW MODE handled the rest.

With the CREW MODE as a support vehicle, Chad didn't have to burn daylight looking for a place to crash or scrounging for food after dark. The CREW had it covered: somewhere to sleep and recover after 12+ hours on the board, a setup for shooting and editing footage from the road and meals ready whenever he needed them.

Fewer problems to solve on the fly meant more energy for the next mile.

The Road Gave Him Plenty to Talk About
Strangers kept showing up for Chad. People handed him water, food, cash, sometimes hundreds of dollars, just because they wanted to be part of what he was doing. These incredible moments of humanity and community are available for review on Chad’s Instagram. 

Chad also used the Skate Across America to raise money for Natural High, a nonprofit that works to give young people a sense of purpose without drugs. When he reached the coast, the mayor declared it “Chad Caruso Day.” 

Want to hear more stories from Chad's Skate Across America? 
Check out his YouTube channel.

Want to support Natural High? You can find Chad's fundraiser here.

The Family We Choose

Title

Emma Walsmith, MODE Owner

This past month, The Waypoint has been full.

Gordy and Dolly rolled in first. Then Jack and Liz. Then Jill. Then Marci and Stephen. Fellow STORYTELLERS, people I met through this community, showing up at our little farm in Earlham, IA like it was the most natural thing in the world.

At the same time, my actual family was here too. My parents. My brothers and their wives. My nephews, in from Arizona and Washington, running around the farm like they'd grown up chasing alpacas their whole lives.

Two different kinds of family, under the same sky, at the same time– yet it didn't feel different at all.

What I Thought #Vanlife Would Give Me
When Jason and I first got into this lifestyle, I thought the draw was the obvious stuff– the freedom, the views, the ability to wake up somewhere new and explore endlessly. 

I wasn't wrong about any of that. They’re all definitely parts of living life as a STORYTELLER and I count myself as very lucky to have an adventure vehicle that lets us do what we do.

The biggest surprise of owning a Storyteller MODE, however, wasn't the rig itself– as much as I love it. It was who showed up in our lives because of it.

The Family We Choose
Gordy and Dolly. Jack and Liz. Jill. Marci and Stephen. I didn't grow up with these people. I didn't know them a few years ago. We found each other through a shared way of living, and somewhere along the way that turned into something a lot closer to family than "fellow van owners."

With Storyteller, you're not just buying a van. You're joining a network of people who are all out here chasing something similar, and who genuinely want each other to make it.
They show up. They stay a few days. They help with chores without being asked. They sit around the fire and tell stories about routes they've run and people they've met, and somehow every one of those stories connects back to someone else in this incredible community. 

Hosting Both at Once
Having my parents, my brothers, their wives and my nephews here at the same time as Gordy and Dolly, Jack and Liz, Jill, Marci and Stephen could have felt like a lot. Two worlds bumping into each other.
Instead, it just felt like The Waypoint doing what it was built to do.

My nephews got to hear stories from people who've actually lived the thing they see on Instagram. My parents got to see, up close, why Jason and I chose this life and why we chose to build a place like this around it. And the STORYTELLERS who came through got a taste of what it's like to be folded into a family that isn't technically theirs, but treats them like it is anyway.

The Top Features
If you asked me to list what I love most about our MODE van, I'd tell you about the layout, the off-road capabilities, the way it's built for actually living in and truly feels like home, on wheels.
But what I'm most grateful for isn't a factory-built feature at all.

It's Gordy and Dolly enjoying our pond and swapping stories with my parents. It’s Jack and Liz taking the time to stop at our farm whenever they roll through Iowa on I80. It's Jill letting her pup off-leash to play with our small herd of dogs. It’s Marci and Stephen happily enjoying live music from The Nadas (Jason’s band) while seated with my extended family and Iowa-based friends. It’s my family watching all of it happen and understanding, maybe for the first time, why this life makes perfect sense to us.

The van got us here. The community is what makes it worth it.

Title

Life's Greatest Luxury is saying YES to the Next Grand Adventure!

We'd love to hear your stories and see your pictures from the road! Send to Emma at: emma.w@storytelleroverland.com

Latest Stories

Title

more stories