The Parkwell Project

FEATHER FALLS, CA

our peace and quiet was cut short the following week, but hey, what can ya do. the spot was free and pretty easy to access. we weren’t too surprised

the top picture is Darell - he was a welcome distraction. probably in his early 60′s. he rolled up alone one day looking to camp with his two little dogs but all the sites were full. we felt bad, offered the spot next to the bus and he set up a little tent. he turned out to be a great dude, had spent time on the road in his RV, and we talked for quite a few hours about places to camp around northern california. he was bummed we didn’t have any beer left, but totally understood when we told him we weren’t about to drive 25 miles down the harrowing road just for a six pack. he left the next morning but said he’d be back with some brews and beef cuts the following friday, and if we were still there, we’d have a little potluck. a man of his word, one week later Darell was back with a case of sierra nevada and a tri tip. we threw it on the smoker and had another great night chatting about random shit. simple random interactions with folks like this are one of the things we love most about bus living. there are lots of good people out there

the fire burning in the bottom shot is from the neighboring site about 100 yards away. there was a pretty big crew of people camped out there, and based on many things we saw, heard, and smelled - I’m almost 100% positive they were cooking meth. on this particular night, they were burning all their spent gear. lots of plastic and other trash. I’m not sure they slept the whole time we were there, and the saddest part of it all was that they had a few little kids with them. it was pretty fucked and put in motion our search for a new spot

FEATHER FALLS, CA

felt good to mess around and finally make some art again. it only really flows for us when we can camp out somewhere for an extended period of time. 

creating while parked in a city is out of the question. too many distractions. skateparks to check out. records to find. food to try. and people walking by the bus staring in the windows. 

creating on a short camping stint is also difficult. there are trails to hike, firewood to collect, streams to fish, stars to gaze, and woods to explore. 

to get into the creating mindset, we need a good two weeks out in the bush. the first few days are spent getting situated and exploring everything around us. only once we’ve satisfied that urge does it feel possible to coop up inside and create. 

FEATHER FALLS, CA

FEATHER FALLS, CA

FEATHER FALLS, CA

FEATHER FALLS, CA

our next attempt at finding a quiet place to create led us to feather falls. a spot on the west edge of the plumas national forest, not far from lake oroville. the road leading up to the trailhead was a fucking snake, definitely not meant for a 35-ft rig, but we figured if the loggers could do it, we could too. we were 100% over the middle line on most of the turns, and would lay on the horn, hoping a logger ripping down would hear it and slow up. definitely not a leisurely drive we’d wanna do to go grab groceries, but we made it and found what we thought would be a quiet site.

STONEY GORGE RESIVOIR, CA

welp. the spot had water, but it wasn’t exactly conducive to concentration or relaxation. understandably a lot of people had the same idea and wanted a free place to camp and cool down in the heat. people were parked more or less “up our asses” and doing all sorts of crazy shit. parents screaming at kids, dubstep blasting. we even had a whole family roll up behind us in a suburban and BARK like dogs at us

STONY GROVE RESERVOIR, CA

SANTA CRUZ, CA

while we were in the neighborhood, figured we’d check out santa cruz. the drive on 17 was slightly gnarly but doable. Initially we tried to snag a parking spot by a surf spot on the coast, but had to relocate after some lady came out and started screaming at us. we hadn’t even attempted to park yet. honestly we were a little taken back by the how tightly wound the lady living in beautiful, sunny, surf central was - but hey - i guess beautiful views, fantastic weather, legal pot can’t solve all of life’s problems. some people are just born permanently pissed off...

we found a pretty great spot to settle up at the university. the drive up there through big rolling fields was a treat, and we bike ride down to town was all downhill. 

we woke up the next morning to the sound of a big truck. looked out the window and the fire department was set up all around us doing driving drills. dudes in the bucket, guys on the back steering, weaving in and out of cones. we were a little nervous they’d kick us out, but they didn’t say a word. later that night a cop came by to see what we were up to. troy did the talking, and the conversation went like this:

“...honestly, I don’t give a SHIT if you guys park here, I get off in 30 minutes, but the next guy might come by and kick you out. do whatever you want...”

PALO ALTO, CA

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA

our stanford sendoff. take care y’all! 

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA

party time. we all went to check out the grad’s final show at the stanford art gallery, and were pretty blown away. afterwards everyone slowly trickled back to the secret MFA nook on campus where the bus was leveled out on 2x4′s and rigged with a smoke machine underneath the frame. we’d fog the place out every couple songs and it looked like the bus was breaking down. we thought it was hilarious

despite only having mini PA speakers we’d rented from the library, everyone grooved enough to raise a dust cloud. it ain’t always easy to get people moving outdoors, but spirits were high, and  legs were shakin’. hours later the night slowly wound down to a small group jamming random instruments around a fire. we couldn’t have asked for a better night. 

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA

the Stanford MFA program spans two years and is super small and select. I’m sure hundreds apply, but only 4 - 5 students are accepted each year. all are incredibly talented. we had so much fun meeting them all, checking out their studios, and seeing their work. thanks for havin us y’all! links to their work below

2017 CLASS

Omar Thor Arason

Mark  Baugh-Sasaki

Becca Bloch

Steven  Garen

Boris Oicherman

2018 CLASS

Joe Ferriso

Sean Howe

Natani Notah

Amber Imrie-Situnayake

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA

the rip up from huntington beach was scenic and uneventful in a good way. easy driving, no problems. made a few pit stops to buy fresh fruit, and had a hilarious night in fruita ca - ask us about it in person. 

when we arrived in palo alto, victor directed us to an old rugged dirt and gravel road nestled inside the stanford campus, lined with trees and some older looking buildings. heavily contrasting the crisp, hyper clean rest of campus. it was great, we felt much more at home tucked back there than we would have in front of a historical building with a hand manicured lawn. these were clearly our folks. 

COSTA MESA, CA

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA

it had been years since we’d seen our ex-midwestern compadres craig and kevin. crucial homies, we grew up skating together and used to stay up all night editing and watching each others footage. the two of them had split for california after high school and only rarely made it back to chicago. we were long overdue for a visit