Galactic Adventures

ISSUE 09 | OCTOBER 28, 2024

Camper Vans gathered at a campfire at sunset

STORY MENU

The VANNONBALL RUN MOONLANDING Recap Happenings at HQ

IT'S ALL GAS, NO BRAKES FROM HERE. WE'RE GOING ON A VANNONBALL RUN.

🏁 The Innagural Vannonball Run

In early summer, Storyteller CMO David Schriber and Motorized CEO Lee Conn were riffing on crazy ideas - as they usually do. During the particular riff, they dreamt up the “Vannonball Run” which is now turning into a reality this Wednesday!

From the beginning when the team started to conceptualize it, we knew we would want our overlanding adventure to be more than just fun - we wanted to be sure to include opportunities for outreach, uplift and love. As Hurricane Season approached and storms began to make their way across the Southeast, devastating our neighboring states and displacing numerous Storyteller owners, it became clear to our team that Vannonball Run would need to be an effort to raise funds for those affected by these disastrous storms.

As our team makes its way across the 4,866 adventurous miles, we hope you will join us in donating to the American Red Cross. One penny donated per mile driven adds up to a donation of $48.66. However, if you can give more, please do!

Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 for the American Red Cross to aid in hurricane relief efforts. As of October 27, 2024, we are humbled to share that our incredible community has already raised over $23,000 for The American Red Cross.

The Vannonball Run officially kicks off on October 30, with Lee at the helm and Jason Ruha as his co-pilot hitting the road from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and 4,866 miles later, ending in Key West, Florida. This six day journey will be filled with community meetups, dealer visits and even picking up some special guests. They’d love for you to join them on the convoy too so stay tuned to our Instagram and X channels of their updated whereabouts and plan where you’ll meet them to tag along!

VannonballRun.com

🚀 M O O N L A N D I N G - All Vehicles, Tents & Spacecraft Welcome

Emma Walsmith, 2022 MODE LT Owner

The MOONLANDING Gathering, an event from The Journal of Lost Time, recently took place outside of Ramah, New Mexico. And while the event itself is in its third year, this was my first time getting to attend and wow – what an experience.

The MOONLANDING invites vanlifers, overlanders and nomads to come together to enjoy a temporary village and safe space for community in the desert of New Mexico. The land itself is rich with gorgeous vistas and when the lighting is just right, it really does feel like you’ve landed your adventure mobile on the surface of the moon. Shout out to Storyteller Overland for taking that vibe to the next level by sponsoring the Interstellar Dance Party complete with an out-of-this-world laser show and galactic costume contest.

In addition to beautiful vistas and moments that can take your breath away, the MOONLANDING is also a long weekend full of arts, wellness, storytelling and educational presentations from industry experts who attend to listen and share, not sell sell sell.

One artist I was lucky to meet is Johnny from Fetchko Glass. Johnny travels the US in his SUV and pull-behind camper that not only functions as a home on wheels but also, an incredible glass-blowing studio on wheels. Throughout the weekend, Johnny hosted intro to glass-blowing classes and even offered to make me a custom, glass-blown miniature of my soul dog, Fritz. It turned out wonderfully & I’ll treasure it forever.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the way the MOONLANDING gathering kept our small, temporary village fed across the weekend. We enjoyed gourmet small plates from The Buslife Kitchen and a pancake breakfast coordinated by fellow Storyteller MODElt owner, Peter Perales. Daily pourover coffee was made available courtesy of VSSL, potlucks galore were shared and pumpkin pie that is, well, a story for another time (IYKYK).

MOONLANDING is one of many events curated by The Journal of Lost Time. Their next event is ESCAPAR Seis – in San Juan de la Costa, Baja California Sur, January 29th - February 3rd, 2025. Tickets are available now here.

Happenings at HQ - Celebrating Kelsey Blalock!

Kelsey Blalock named 2024 HR Impact Award Honoree by Birmingham Business Journal

We are proud to share that our Senior Total Rewards Manager, Kelsey Blalock has been named to the list of 2024 Honorees– and we couldn’t agree more, Kelsey’s impact at Storyteller Overland is greatly appreciated by our team!

“As the Senior Total Rewards Manager, I’ve had the opportunity to shape and enhance our insurance and rewards programs, all while continuing to serve and uplift our community. I am constantly seeking ways to help our workforce to thrive in the areas of health, wealth, work, and home.” - Kelsey Blalock

Our team at HQ accepted the #OverlandGothic challenge and understood the assignment!

Check out some of the highlights:

Overland gothic

Upcoming Events

Join us at the last few events of 2024!

NOV. 1 - 2 Snowvana, Portland, OR

NOV. 8 - 10 Vansgiving, Lake Comanche, CA

DEC. 7 - 8 Rigs, Wits and Holiday Hits, Swoope, VA

What an incredible year 2024 has been! We've had a blast seeing you all out and about, camping together and sharing breakfast burritos. There are still a few more events left on the calendar - hope you can join us!

NOV. 1 - 2
Snowvana, Portland, OR

NOV. 8 - 10
Vansgiving, Lake Comanche, CA

DEC. 7 - 8
Rigs, Wits and Holiday Hits, Swoope, VA

full events lineup