Last fall when we said our goodbyes to Traverse City and all of our friends here, we did it with the expectation of coming back for a summer of adventure. We have done a pretty good job of getting out to hike, sail, and travel this beautiful state. But as we near the end of summer I have to say there is still a long list of must dos. We have yet to go for a midnight skinny dip, see the Upper Peninsula, explore the back streets of Detroit, travel without direction, or simply turn our phones off and hit the open road.
That changes tonight.
Tonight we begin possibly one of the greatest of all wild measures. Three or four years ago our brilliant, talented, stylish, etc. friends Ben Bator & Matt Ferrel began what is now the Mille Mitten. In short it is a 3 day, 1,000 mile road trip (with 40+ soon to be friends) around the Great Lakes State. As we understand it, the idea for Mille came from both the automotive roots of Detroit and the epic Mille Miglia in Italy. The idea is rooted in the magic that happens when we leave the everyday rhythm and hit the open road. Not only is this a uniquely American thing, it’s pretty much the most Michigan thing we can do. So, for the last couple of years when Matt & Ben are not running their companies or working their day jobs, they are driving around the state and planning the next year’s trip. On one of those drives they called us up and asked if we would be willing to help them brand the adventure. Therefore in the spirit of getting up from the desk and finding your own adventure, we hand lettered over 100 different logo ideas before landing on the one above.
It has been a year of anticipation of this adventure, and it all begins tonight in Midtown Detroit. At this moment we are headed south on I-75 with our weekenders, my camera, a GoPro, and an adventurous spirit. We only find out at the beginning of each day what that day will hold and where we will go. All we know is the trip will be 1,000 miles, 3 days, and 40+ people we have not met, but who we will soon call friends.
I am beyond excited to get out of the studio for a weekend and hit the road. We haven’t talked about it that much, but it has been an incredibly stressful couple of months with house buying from a distance, three major brand products going live, managing a design team at a distance, countless photoshoots, dinners, late nights, and early mornings. Tonight all of that fades into the background as we step back into the spirit in which we began Wild Measure when we were in Paris three years ago.
I will be posting for the next couple of days, but it will be more of a creative stream of conscious style posting. We have always considered this space to be our sacred creative space and for the next couple of days it will be. I have no idea what we are going to see; I have no idea what it will look like. At the end of every day, I am going to empty my camera, do a quick edit, and in 30 minutes or less post the days adventures. I might write; I might not. It might just be photos or sketches or notes from the day.
This will be one of the only weekends we do this, but I will be posting on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So, follow our Instragam accounts Mike – Megan for live updates on the adventure, and check back everyday for the previous day’s adventure.
See you tomorrow!
