Seeking excitement and adventure, our friend Halle Madeleine, took a road trip across the west coast with a few of her friends and brought Koia along for the ride. Halle and her friends: Lex, Juneau and Katie all have a passion for photography and traveling. In addition to those passions, they also incorporate healthy lifestyles choices where ever they can, so they have energy for those long days exploring. Koia was a convenient and craveable co-pilot for the journey across the west coast so Halle and her friends didn’t have to compromise their routine because of their on-the-go lifestyle. Check out Halle’s post about how Koia was incorporated into her trip below!
We set out on our West Coast Road Trip packing as much beauty and adventure into 7 days and a van, as we could. First stop, Lake Tahoe, California. OVERNIGHT. The four of us primarily connected over Instagram, over our love for Photography and Adventures. Lex, Juneau, Katie, and myself, left Monday as soon as we packed ourselves, our gear, and as much Koia into the van as possible, Lex and I are both plant-based and were determined to incorporate as many plant based options on the road as possible. It can be hard sometimes while traveling, which is why we made sure the van was stock full of as many plant based options as possible. We drove throughout the night, taking shifts through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and arriving at Lake Tahoe, CA by 6am. The roads were dark as I took the last shift into the dawn and drove us into the most beautiful overlook. The Koia served us well giving me tons of natural energy as a lack of sleep hit hard.
We adventured throughout the day and drove up the BEAUTIFUL coast of California, to camp in the Redwood National Forest. The next two days were up through Northern California and Oregon, stopping at coastal overlooks, Mount Shasta, beautiful sunsets, and setting up our van along the coast to camp at night. By Thursday, we ended up in Washington and spent Friday and Saturday exploring around Seattle, Mount Rainier, and some islands. Our pre-hike routine included Koia for maximum energy to shoot and adventure! My favorite was the coconut- almond, Lex’s was the cocoa bean, and Juneau and Katie’s were the vanilla bean, and the cold brew! Thank goodness for the cooler in the van to keep all our snacks cold. After much adventuring, I can confirm that all adventures are better with snacks.
We headed back EARLY Sunday morning and spent the 22 hour drive back (fitting in a quick stop at Palouse Falls of course) to arrive back in Denver on Monday. We packed so much into our 7 day excursion, and it was so wonderful having Koia for nourishment and energy along the way. So grateful to have the opportunity to take amazing excursions like this one, learning more about myself and the world along the way. Stoked on the wonderful memories and photographs of a week well spent!
By: Halle Madeleine