Thirty-One: June/July 2022

ROVA

The magazine for epic road trips

ROVA2 min read
From The Editor
Idon’t always love surprises. If you tell me you bought me a gift, expect me to badger you about what it is. If you sneak up behind me, I will literally scream and take a swing at you; however, please feel free to advise me that I’ve won the lottery,
ROVA2 min read
Gear Up!
There’s nothing worse than heading to the beach and feeling like you’ve got a million things to carry down onto the sand. Forget fiddly tote bags, unweildy beach chairs, and armfuls of towels—keep it all-in-one with Bumruk’s Beach Backpack Recliner.
ROVA3 min read
Rova Recommends
Traveling is often more than just seeing the world around us—it can be a transformative journey of self-discovery that only happens when we’re on the road, staring up at the big sky or admiring the vast wilderness around us. If you’re at that awkward
ROVA1 min read
Rova
Gemma Peckham gemma@rovamag.com media@rovamag.com 646-916-2599 Abby Schmidt Giulia Heppell, Ruby O’Brien John Sidney Owens, Patrick Coleman, George Wood, Joseph Coleman, Madalyn Meyers, Allison Barrett Carter, Jane Pelusey, Michael Pelusey, Brad Boo
ROVA2 min read
Why The Road?
In October 2020, Alex had multiple strokes two weeks after we got engaged. After going through a traumatic experience and other complications with Type 1 Diabetes, we knew there had to be more to life; life is too short! We decided to go full-time an
ROVA5 min read
Pssst! You’re Being Followed!
I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina. The Smoky Mountains were my backyard, and an exit to the Blue Ridge Parkway was 10 minutes from my house. My friends and I spent most weekends hiking and camping, so we had all of the gear: tents and tarps, coo
ROVA6 min read
Eating At The Pump (and The Laundromat)
In the 1960s, my parents would pile my brothers and me into our truck camper for annual road trips. With fast-food restaurants few and far between, we cooked our meals at campsites or relied on my father’s unerring knack for finding the best greasy s
ROVA6 min read
5 Epic Summer Road Trips
I don’t know about you, but it feels like I’ve spent more than one eternity stuck inside. Summer is always a great time to hit the road, but it feels even more important for this trip around the sun. If you’re itching to be on the move again, these r
ROVA6 min read
Unexpected Challenges Of A Mobile Marriage
I look over at my husband as he drives us past a southern Texas wind farm, Tom Petty’s “American Girl” filling every corner of our RV as we inch closer toward the Rio Grande. We’re nearing the finish line of our pilgrimage to Starbase. The journey to
ROVA9 min read
THE GREAT GRAPE ADVENTURE Wine Across the United States
You might think of the various regions of the United States in terms of their suitability for different aspects of road-tripping: the Rocky Mountains for wide-angle grandeur; the California coast for surfing and redwoods; the southeast for Southern h
ROVA6 min read
Managing Expectations: Allowing The Good
Like many people did when COVID-19 hit, we purchased an RV. But while our purchase happened during a seemingly never-ending shutdown of travel, it wasn’t a panic purchase in the face of an uncertain future. Ours was a long-time dream grown out of roo
ROVA7 min read
The Road-trip Long Game
Ten years ago, we were camping among the snow gums in the Australian bush, sitting outside our van eating breakfast, preparing for our day’s work. Sharing our space were several kangaroos lolling around in a casual, relaxed manner. This is just one o
ROVA2 min read
Not Perfect, But Worth It
I woke up one day and asked myself, “What do you want to do with your life?” The only answer I could think of was that I wanted to travel full time and be a photographer, but I knew that could never happen unless I just went out there and did it myse
ROVA5 min read
Raising A Glass To American Single Malt Whiskey
In recent years, events like Cider Summit, Chocofest, Cultivation Classic, Feast Portland, the Oregon Brewers Festival, Seattle Beer Week, Taste Washington, and Oregon Distilled have attracted international visitors wishing to savor the Pacific North
ROVA5 min read
Road Trip, Baby!
It was the perfect plan. When our five-month-old, Andi, woke up, we would hit the road. She usually sleeps for three hours after her initial morning wake-up, which is generally around 4:30 in the morning. That departure time from our home on the Oran
ROVA1 min read
The PNW’s Single Malt Whiskey Honor Roll
Clear Creek Distillery, Hood River, OR hrdspirits.com/clear-creek-distillery Copperworks Distilling, Seattle, WA copperworksdistilling.com Westland Distillery, Seattle, WA westlanddistillery.com Westward Whiskey, Portland, OR westwardwhiskey.co
ROVA6 min read
Venturing Into The Bitterroot Valley
“Pick a drainage, any drainage,” could be the motto of the Bitterroots, a Rocky Mountains region that is crisscrossed with tributaries. Situated just 20 minutes south of Missoula, Montana, the Bitterroot Valley often gets overlooked when put up again
ROVA5 min read
Lead And Free Climbing In Las Vegas
I was wary of the drive to Nevada—which is to say that I was afraid of Vegas. My mind was filled with images of drunken crowds, the constant hum of traffic, bright lights and their artificial pomp, strip malls and their kitschy offerings. But, lured
ROVA6 min read
The Ultimate Great Lakes Road Trip
Northwest Michigan is the perfect destination for nature-loving road-trippers. As if painted from a mariner’s dream, it invites legions of boaters, kayakers, and swimmers to enjoy the crystal clear lakes and rivers. Majestic sand dunes, forested hill
ROVA6 min read
What’s In A Name?
For the last six years, spring turning to summer has been our cue to point our camper van west. My wife, Caroline, and I would set our sights on long-distance views and epic hikes; journeys past the gentle, old, familiar mountains we call home, past
ROVA5 min read
Cape Cod Like A Local
Crossing the bridge from mainland Massachusetts over the Cape Cod Canal immediately lowers my blood pressure and raises my giddy getaway vibe. Visions of sun-kissed sand, plump lobster rolls, and my favorite haunts fill my head. The Cape—as locals ca
ROVA1 min read
Picture This...
IT’S 80 DEGREES, AND YOU’VE HIKED two miles uphill carrying a pack with water, food, and an inflatable raft. You’ve arrived at Leigh Lake, Montana, hot and tired; despite the heat, snow dusts the peaks surrounding the water. You inflate the raft and

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