This past weekend our friends Jeff and Simone treated us to a whitewater rafting trip on the Deschutes River. What a trip! Definitely going down as one of the highlights of this #vanlife adventure.

I met Jeff and Simone a couple years ago at Burning Man. They welcomed me into their theme camp, never having met me before, with open arms and introduced me to a crew of people I now count among my nearest and dearest. I was stoked to spend a weekend with them on their home turf, doing what they love — riding the river.

We left their house just outside of Bend early Friday morning and launched from Mecca Flat. From Mecca Flat, we floated at a leisurely pace down the river to a campground called Whiskey Dick. From what I gather, it’s a primitive campground managed by the BLM. There are no fees (besides permits for the river), but it is first-come first-serve and sites are limited.

We spent our second and final night at a campground called Buckskin Mary, where we scored a pretty slick camp spot with loads of shade right on the river. After another short float — and wicked waterfight with a passing raft — we got out at Maupin City Park.

Overall, it was a pretty spectacular weekend. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts. And I came away with all sorts of new ideas.