We are Ken and April Pishna, better known as the beer guys! We’re so excited to be co-hosting Camp Carpe Diem with Debra and Barry Benton from The Virtual Campground. Just like our other camp counselors, Jill and August Wheeler, we met Debra and Barry at the RV Entrepreneur Conference, too.
Because of the RVE, we created a tribe of people that we continue to connect with both on and off the road. We want to be a part of helping you to build your tribe, your road family. The ones who get you, who understand black tank talks, low bridge horror stories, and the joy and hardship of constant travel. The life we have chosen is not always rainbows and unicorns, but for this weekend, we want to play like it is! And that is what we are here for.
Meet Camp Carpe Diem Counselors Ken and April Pishna
In the summer of 2018 we moved into our RV. We joke that we left our kids before they could leave us. In truth, we left a lifestyle that we had grown out of and created one that we were once again excited to be a part of. I (April) quit my teaching job and Ken took his editing job on the road with us. We got rid of most of our stuff, moved the rest of it into our 24-foot RV, left the house with our two boys, and took off for roads unknown.
Literally that is how we travel. We rarely plan. We generally don’t know where we’re staying next week, let alone tomorrow, but that is how we have created a circle of friends everywhere we go. Say hi to a stranger. That’s our motto.
Craft Beer Experts and Mountain Bike Lovers
And some of the best places to say hi to a stranger are while sitting at the bar at the local brewery. It is here that we feel most comfortable, chatting up beer and all the things that happen around a good beer. From these conversations, we have met people from all walks of life. We now live a life of craft, from seed to glass, working with brewers, farmers, maltsters, and more to tell the stories that are always found within a good glass of beer.
Mountain biking pairs well with beer. Being avid snowboarders for two decades, we decided, at the young age of 45, that we should also try mountain biking. While we will never be as good as our mountain bike co-counselors, Jill and August, we do have as much fun as them, and we love getting others excited about a sport that can be as mellow or as intense as you make it. And that’s the same with beer. With so many flavors and stories behind each glass, there’s sure to be something to please almost any discerning palate. We’re excited to get you started on your craft beer and biking journey.
Our stories are told through our many mediums, and now we can’t wait to help you tell your stories through your own adventures with beer and biking.
Just the Facts!
One fun fact each
(April) I love to travel and experience new cultures. One of my most memorable and enlightening trips so far was when I went to Kenya with a group of college students studying to be engineers. The goal was to assist a small community with building bridges both literally and figuratively. The lessons I learned while there were invaluable.
(Ken) Before I was mountain biking, I fell in love with road cycling, still love it in fact. So, I decided to register for a race, but not any race, a century. I completed the 100-mile ride in around seven hours, and just might do another because I can.
Our favorite place in the entire world
People ask us what our favorite breweries are all the time. That is an extremely difficult question, considering we’ve been to over 750 breweries. But this question is even more difficult, and the only truthful answer we can give is this:
In the trees on a mountain side either on our snowboards or on our mountain bikes, but those trees offer a silence that is earth-shattering. It is a place to just be. And the beer at the end of a ride? A perfect pairing!
And, of course, another favorite place is always with the people we love.
Our favorite quotes
“It’s all the freaky people that make up the beauty of this world.” (Michael Franti, singer and songwriter)
“If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do.” (Warren Miller, skier and filmmaker)
Register for Camp Carpe Diem today!
And speaking of not doing it this year… just do it! If you don’t, you’ll be one year older when you do, and who knows where Camp Carpe Diem could be held next year.