Here at Under Solen we get to hang out and work with some pretty inspirational people. Allie Bombach is certainly part of that crowd. A fellow 20-something-kick-ass-female-that-does-her-own-thing, Allie is taking on the world of adventure, video camera in hand. Beyond running Red Reel Video Media, she’s currently working on one of the most intriguing projects we’ve come across in awhile: 23 feet.

What is 23 feet? In a short answer: One film, three women, 23 feet of Airstream, and 2600 miles. With a love of adventure travel, Allie scored herself a sweet vintage rig and is planning on spending the next little while exploring the wild lands of the west, advocating “activism and awareness of conservation through promoting organizations that dedicate themselves to preserving these wild lands, and encourage people to get outside and see these places for themselves.”

We caught up with Allie to learn more about the project and what keeps her inspired.

Airstreams are hot these days. What was the first thing that happened that made you think, “I should get one of those?”

Being an outdoor videographer, my job keeps me on the road. I think the moment of realization came when my roommates were surprised to see me at home, and when I could sleep better in my car then my own bed. I have had a crush on old Airstreams since I was a kid and after traveling from place to place and only spending a few days a month at the room I was renting, it just made sense to get a home on wheels. I love the classic look, and that they are light and aerodynamic. Lasting through generations, they are meant for the roads and not the landfills and to me it resembles buying an old historic house verses a cookie cutter – more funky, fun, and the ability to have restoration creativity. I also love simple living. I’m excited to have limited space, so only the necessities are inside.

Did you think about buying the Airstream and then figure out the idea for the film, or vice versa?

I bought the Airstream first and was planning on moving to Portland, OR in the summer of 2010. After attending the 5point film festival and being overwhelmingly inspired to create by the filmmakers, I felt the story I wanted to tell was already there, it just needed to be set it in motion.

How did the idea for 23 Feet evolve?

At first it was about challenging myself. I am happily addicted to change, risk, and putting myself out of my element and the undertaking of living full-time on the road was a welcomed adventure. After discussing the challenges with others who had been on the road pursuing their passions, I realized that a lot of the conversations came back to community. It’s easy to feel alone out there when you’re always showing up in new place without knowing a soul. But, people who are passionate about the outdoors and getting outside are usually a pretty easy group to approach, and it’s hard to leave that new place without making a friend or two. So, it evolved into a story about the traveling community. A big theme of the film is enjoying our wild lands which, ultimately, go hand in hand with taking responsibility for them. Every day we are reminded that we cannot take these spaces for granted – every day we lose more and more precious wilderness. We are striving to stir people to action by reminding them of how lucky we are to have access to nature, and to bring awareness to conservation efforts throughout the West.

Who’s involved in 23 Feet?

When I offered to take friends with me on my trip across the West, I really didn’t expect anyone to say yes. After all, taking over a month off of work isn’t really something most people can do. And it’s not like this would be a vacation! Filming production is a lot of work, especially on the road. But Greer Glasser and Lisa Montierth not only said yes, they are drastically changing their own lives in the name of this adventure. I love that these two ladies are willing jump onboard, let me throw them into some pretty hairy situations, and at the end of the day crawl into some pretty tight quarters for some shut-eye. Greer is a long time friend and a very solid gal to have at your side. I’m sure I wouldn’t have made it out of many a foreign train station if it not for her savvy travel skills. Not to mention, as our designated events manager, she knows how to throw a damn good party! Lisa is also a welcome companion on this trip because as a talented writer she is able to see the beauty and fun in almost any situation. When the travel days are long and Greer and I are about to put on our cranky pants, Lisa will be there to help us appreciate our surroundings. As Red Reel Video Media’s writer, she’ll have a vital role in telling the story of 23 Feet, and she’s also going to teach us some well needed Yoga skills…

Tell us what it’s like to take on this project as a group of three women?

It’s easy to see this project as three young ladies headed out for an adventure, and part of that we embrace. However, our true dedication lies in telling a story that has not much to do with gender, but the inspirational stories of many individuals and their passion for the outdoors. Taking on any film project presents some unique challenges and we are so lucky to be backed by a diverse community of rockstar people who understand and care about the story we are striving to tell. The fact that we do happen to be three young women is, of course, part of that story. I think it will be really interesting to see what that will ultimately mean to the project and how people will respond to us throughout our travels.

“Community” is a common theme in your idea for this film. What’s your own definition of community and how do you think this adventure might change that?

Community to me is really a bond where people share a similar passion. I think what pops into my head first is physical locations, like the community of a town. Although, when I think of my own community, I am unable to name just one place. I’d say that my community is defined more by a feeling then a location and I hope that this adventure proves it to be stronger then I thought.

Since embarking on this project, what’s one of the main things that you’ve learned? What do you think you’ll learn over the next several months?

There have been a lot of hurdles up to this point in the process of making this project a reality. While rebuilding the 40 year old Airstream I kept asking “Is that possible?” in reference to things like plumbing and electricity. My step dad, who has been a HUGE help in the restoration, always replies without hesitation or concern “Allie… nothing is impossible”. At first, I thought he was talking about installing solar power or having a collapsible rain barrel, but I think his simple reply has had a deeper meaning to me in the last few months. I’ve come to realize that many of my friends and family have traveled in their lives for extended periods of time. My grandparents traveled the United States for 10 years while I was growing up. From Vancouver, BC to New Orleans, LA, visiting grandma’s house was an adventure because it was always somewhere different. I have come across many people that not only live on the road, but work full-time in converted Euro vans or trailers. It’s becoming more and more apparent that many have taken on this lifestyle if not now, at some time in their lives. Every now and then I hear from friends that they too would love to travel, but it’s just not possible. I can hear my step dad speaking up at this point. I hope to learn more about how people perceive what is possible, and what is pushing them forward or maybe…holding them back? ….And I hope Lisa will teach me some Yoga skills.

What’s the plan for the project?

Our dates aren’t really set in stone, but we will head out from Durango to Silverton, CO on the 4th of July for the famous firework show. Then, through the month of July we’ll head through Utah, Nevada, California, and Oregon. We’ll pull into Portland OR in early August and will premier the film in later in the Fall. We encourage people to follow along on our Facebook page as well as on our site www.23feet.org. We’ll be keeping in touch through words, photos, and short video clips. We also encourage people who are out there right now to let us know their own stories and meet up with us for a high five!

We will be having a 23 feet launch party at Serious Texas BBQ in Durango, CO on June 30th as a farewell and a high five to the Durangatang community. Local music, tacos, and brewskis will be on from 4-8 pm and the Airstream will be there to tour!

You’re making a film that’s certainly about inspiration. What inspires you on a daily basis?

Inspiration comes in so many forms for me. Something that keeps inspiring me lately is what happens after inspiration has taken hold of others; the drive in people who are determined to take what inspires them and turn it into action. One talk motivates someone to be active in a nonprofit, one film pushes someone to change their purchasing habits, one person challenges another to take on life as a precious gift, it’s endless. I feel so lucky to have such a great group of friends that inspire me in this way on a daily basis; people who are taking charge, setting goals, and making change.

Watch this. Laugh. Then check out Colbert’s Twitter feed for how you can help Comedy Central’s Address the Mess campaign. That’s a good use of social media.

We love the original version of Social Media Revolution, in fact when you turn the volume up it grabs the attention of even social media naysayers; people tend to smirk at the porn stat. Now there’s Social Media Revolution 2.0 with updated statistics, and even an iPad thrown in for good measure, but the same great intense techno background that we’ve all come to love.

Some key stats:

• 96% of Millenials have joined a social network
• 25% of search results for the world’s top 20 brands are links to user-generated content
• 60 million status updates happen on Facebook daily

Turn up the volume and enjoy!

We’ve had a week of rain, snow and sun; classic Portland spring weather. So we’re more than ready for a fun weekend!

But first on the list is getting active for some very important causes.

Next week, the UN ban on ivory trade could be lifted. To stop that from happening, we need to give support to the African nations and conservation groups that are pushing to uphold the ban. You can sign the petition here. You’ll do your part to help save elephants!

Speaking of saving stuff, while you’re at it make your way over to the 5 Gyres website. It’s a scientific expedition taking a look at marine plastic pollution worldwide. If you want to talk about saving our oceans, and the marine life that calls them home, you’ll probably want to take a look at the severe effects of our single-use plastic consumption. You might be surprised to learn that it’s not only affecting fish, but humans as well.

But let’s not get bogged down in the gloom and doom of environmentalism, there are a lot of positive things going on too! Like Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard talking dam removal, saving salmon and saving ourselves: “To do good you actually have to do something.” That might just be our new mantra.

This week we also took part in International Women’s Day. Here’s a list of ways you can take action to help women the world round, because we believe women should be celebrated all year long!

And if that’s not enough inspiration for doing something to promote positive change this weekend, here are some other ones that made their way onto our list of faves this week:

Urban Volunteering: San Francisco

Top 10 Global Warming Denier Arguments Debunked: Part 2

Treehugger Best of Green

And because we always like to leave you with a fun video for the weekend, here’s one passed along to us by our friends at JAM Collective. Ok ok, so we know it’s a Pepsi ad (and we are big believers in not drinking cans of high fructose corn syrup) but we still love the spirit of this video.

If you’re a big user of any kind of social networks or new media you’ll appreciate this… especially when all the tech related websites start popping up and you realize that you’re subscribed to all of their RSS feeds.

Thanks to @onitmarketing for the tip!

www.thesnaz.com

This is Liz here, chiming in from Under Solen HQ in Portland, OR. Obviously, my fave from this week is that I got to spend the past five days drinking coffee and dodging rain drops with two of my favorite ladies. Not only was it awesome to be here and do some great work, but we managed to have a little fun too. In between intense new media strategy sessions, we managed to stumble upon some amazing videos that really made us laugh… more than once. For this weeks Friday Faves, I bring you some ridiculousness… and please, let us know how they inspired you.

“A classic example of pure Scandinavian hawtness” – Anna Brones

“Gun control means always hitting your target” and this video does just that.

A little bit how Anna and Liz sound when singing in the car….if they knew how to play the Ukelele.

When it comes to the lull of the middle of the week, we all need some inspiration. So here at Under Solen we’ve decided to bring you a weekly dose of inspiration to fuel your wanderlust. It might be a video, a photo or even a quote; anything we can find to get you inspired to get out and go!

This week it’s this beautiful video shot in Norway by Leif Johan Holand. Thanks to MatadorTV for tracking it down. Enjoy!

A little excerpt from this year’s Backcountry Film Festival. Sweet backcountry videos from well known production teams like Powderwhore and Sweetgrass. Oh, and did we mention that proceeds from the festival go to protecting beautiful winter backcountry spaces so that you can keep enjoying your seasonal human-powered adventures??

Here’s a list of tour dates so you can check it out for yourself:

• Santa Barbara, California – January 7, 2010 – Victoria Theater
• Talkeetna, Alaska – January 9, 2010 – (location coming soon)
• Logan, Utah – January 22, 2010 – (location coming soon)
• Victor, Idaho – January 28, 2010 – Wildwood Room
• Buffalo, Wyoming – January 14, 2010 – Buffalo Theater
• Bozeman, Montana – February 17, 2010 – Emerson Theater
• Red Lodge, Montana – February 19, 2010 – (location coming soon)
• Salt Lake City, Utah – February 25, 2010 – The State Room

My good friend, and slackline master, Andy Lewis is heading up a group of Boulder slackliners to lobby the city of Boulder to allow the sport in Boulder Canyon, other open space areas and city parks.

From Colorado Daily:

Local slackline enthusiasts are lobbying the city of Boulder to relax its rules and allow the sport in

A boom in popularity and a community of about 100 slackline “addicts” has meant more people practicing the sport — and drawing more attention. Earlier this month, police were called about someone slacklining — walking on a narrow, flat nylon line that’s not pulled taut — in Boulder Canyon, but the person was down by the time rangers arrived.

Larkin Carey, with the Colorado Slackline Club, said Boulder’s law against attaching anything to trees in public places generally hadn’t been enforced. Slacklining on open space, where it’s not an “approved” use, also hadn’t been an issue in the past.

But this spring, with more people slacklining and highlining — slacklining up high — police got calls and people were asked to take down the lines, Carey said.

“Since it’s fairly new, people are trying to figure out if it’s a problem,” he said. “It looks dangerous, so people take notice. But it’s actually very safe.”

To see Andy and a few of the masters in action, check out the video below of them walking the highline in Dream Canyon.

Check out Daniel’s cool video recap of their day on the river… And check out Nutcase Helmets on Twitter and Facebook for more photos and video!