Imagine being a professional outdoor photographer living full-time in a truck camper with your fiancé and cat.  Then imagine being in a pop-up truck camper in the middle of Alaska’s brutal winter waiting outside at dawn for the northern lights.  And if that’s not enough, how about selling your truck and camper to build a $350,000 trophy truck only to then buy exactly the same camper you already had?  Who does these things?  Our friends Gary Love, Todd Salat, and Marshall Madruga. 

Catching Up With Gary Love

Professional photographer, Gary Love and his fiancé, Ariana, have been busy traveling all over Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.  Gary just traveled through Washington and told us that they went to the Washington Peninsula for a couple of weeks.  He explained, “It is one of my favorite places to photograph.”

Gary also enjoys taking photographs in central Oregon. “The fall colors are amazing here this time of year. I've been taking back roads in this area for years, and every year I find more views and more new roads to explore! I've captured more great images this year than I have in the last four combined. Now that we're on the road full time, it gives me the opportunity to photograph so much more.”

Since Gary has been all over the northwest, we asked him where he recommended we visit.  Here are his recommendations:

“In Washington, go to Neah Bay and hike the Cape Flattery trail.  The trail leads to the northwestern-most point of the continental United States, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Vancouver Island.  The other must see is the HOH Rainforest in Olympic National Park. Averaging 160 inches of rain per year, it's one of the most wet and lush and wet places in the contiguous 48 states. It's also the only rainforest in the continental United States. And the campgrounds are great.”

Maybe you’ll see Gary, Ariana, Ramble (their cat), and their Okanagan 116 ULT on the road.
 
Original TCM Article Link: Gary Love’s On A Roll – June 4, 2007

Catching Up With Todd Salat

As we know Todd Salat, a.k.a. The Aurora Hunter, is busy during the winter months chasing the northern lights.  During the summer he’s camping, selling his photographs at state fairs, and taking photographs in Alaska’s Denali National Park. He explained, “We sell photos at Tanana Valley State Fair every August in Fairbanks, Alaska, along with doing an Anchorage Weekend Market in the summer.”

This summer was also Todd’s fifth year of receiving a Denali ProPho, a coveted permit given to professional photographers that grants unrestricted access to the gravel roads in Denali National Park.  As a photographer, you need at least twenty-five published photographs every year to even apply for a ProPho permit.  Todd met the ProPho Permit requirements and was able to participate this past June and July. Todd has also sent us a fun story about bears in Denali that we will run in a few weeks.

Todd enjoys the Alaskan summers.  “Now that we can feel the daylight hours slipping away, everyone speeds up the pace even more.  I know this happens everywhere but I think it's a bit extreme up here.   Anything less than twenty hours of daylight seems like a short day!”

“I camp anywhere and everywhere my truck camper can take me.  I’ve almost driven all of the roads in Alaska, but there's still a few way-out-there.”

Sounds like there will be a few more catching up reports from Todd.

Original TCM Article Link:  The Aurora Hunter – February 25, 2007

Catching Up With Marshall Madruga

Since we last talked with Marshall Madruga, he sold his truck camper!  But don’t stop reading, there’s a good story behind it all.

Marshall liquidated all of his vehicles including his truck camper three months ago to finish his off-road Trophy Truck.  Marshall’s Trophy Truck is a modern-day race vehicle like the Parnelli Jones "Big Oly" Bronco that won the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1973.  

Even with twenty-three sponsors helping Marshall out, the Trophy Truck has cost him about $100,000.  He explained that he’s really saving money because without the sponsors, the truck would cost him $350,000.

Marshall recently wrote us and said, “The truck will be on display at the 40th annual Baja 1000, in Ensenada, Mexico November 12th in the Bilstein booth.”  He said that it is a good idea to go to the Baja 1000 in a truck camper because it’s so hard to get a hotel.  

Marshall plans to get a new Lance 835 this spring, the same truck camper he had before.  We’ll be sure to catch up with him again when he does.

Original TCM Article Link: Fish & Race With Marshall Madruga -  April 8, 2007