Army. While he did not find a job that really appealed to him, through the proper application of mentoring and a whole hell of a lot of push-ups, Kennedy did realize that the fear of the unknown had a major influence in his life, relationship and career choices. From that moment, he made a solid effort to accept challenges, especially the ones that scared the living crap out of him. Following his deployment to Iraq in ’03 – ’04 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom / Enduring Freedom, Kennedy left the Army with an Honorable discharge. Due to his training and experiences in the military, it helped him accept all the challenges and opportunities life would throw his way. 

When asked what advice Kennedy had for people seeking adventure, here is what he said:

Ashlie has a long list of hobbies, which include:

Bourn Adventure has been fortunate enough to have people all over the world read our articles, participate in our adventures, and support us through purchasing our products. 

We take great pride in the connections we have made across the globe and we look forward to making many more throughout our journeys. We are humbled by our customers and thankful for their eagerness to rock Bourn Adventure Gear on their adventures. There is a good possibility that one of our stickers, patches, hats, t-shirts, or other products are currently being used on an adventure somewhere in the world right now!

As it stands, we have shipped Bourn Adventure Gear to all 50 states and to more than 25 countries.    

The Bourn Adventure Gear introduction article explains the "why" we started designing and making stickers. This one will explain the "how". If you are not familiar with the "why" and want to read our history in terms of products, please click here: About Us: Bourn Adventure Gear 

Initially, we started our sticker design work on an Apple iPad using a variety of applications. This worked, but not all that well. Although the iPad had been out for a little over two years at this point (late 2012) it could be challenging at times to get designs the way we wanted them and even more challenging to make changes later on if needed.  

The majority of the applications we used then saved the source file as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG or JPEG) or a Portable Network Graphic (PNG). Typically this would not allow us to make changes to the design later on since it was essentially a finished image without editable layers. If something needed correcting, we normally had to recreate the design from scratch. 

Another issue of the file type was image resolution. Both JPG and PNG are what is known as raster files, which is made up of pixels. On smaller images or products like stickers, this is not too big of a deal. On larger things the resolution can be distorted and the image can appear pixelated due to the raster graphic.  

At the time these issues were easy for us to overcome, but as we continued to grow and design more products, it was not efficient. We knew there were two directions we could go. 

1. Hire a graphics design artist to do all the work
2. Start learning graphics design and purchase the appropriate software 

The first option might be easier initially, but ultimately would be more expensive and could be challenging to convey our design ideas. The second option would be more work and require us to learn new software and develop new skills. The plus side is, I could drink coffee while doing it, so, there is that. #coffeeislife

With the help of articles, videos, and other tutorials, we transitioned to Adobe Illustrator (AI) for all of our design work. This allows us the opportunity to easily make changes or adjust the designs when needed. Another benefit to this program is it uses vector based graphics. This simply means a graphic is comprised of paths resulting in a cleaner graphic which is scalable in size without the distortion and pixelation found in a raster-based graphic.  

Adobe Illustrator gives us options for file types. We can still save a design as a JPG or PNG if we want or can save it as an SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphic), PDF (Portable Document Format) or of course, as a Adobe Illustrator (AI) file, which typically is what we do as those file formats work best for printable designs. 

To learn more about various file formats and how they are best used, please click here: 10 Types of Image File Extensions

​By no means are we experts in this field and if we needed additional support for design work we would gladly hire a professional to assist us. At the end of the day, we are just hobbyists graphic designers who continue to grow Bourn Adventure Gear through our design work and drink too much coffee in the process. #coffeeisstilllife    

He left law enforcement with the rank of Sergeant (SGT) to pursue overseas work, which he still currently does. ​

Baker, along with his wife Ashlie, started what is now known as Bourn Adventure in 2012. Before the rebrand to Bourn Adventure in 2017, the business was known as Bakes FJ, which focused on their adventures in the Toyota FJ Cruiser they owned. Their journey took them to all lower 48 states and parts of Canada. Unfortunately, while on a winter road trip they encountered a mighty snowstorm which led to the FJ Cruiser being totaled following an accident. To read that story, please click here: The Roll Over    

Over the years their website and their adventures have grown. They have even added a 2017 John Cooper Works MINI and a 2005 Lexus GX470 to their fleet of adventure vehicles. They make a good pair traveling together as Ashlie helps cover up the odd smells and weird noises made by Baker.
​
To learn more about their history, please click here: The Bourn Adventure Story

​Shortly after buying his 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser he rediscovered his desire to travel. Initially, he set his sights on getting to know America better and launched a campaign he called, Explore America. Over the course of several years, he did just that! 

Through the use of the National Park System, Museums, camping, hiking, off-road events, and other activities in various location across the United States, he truly has Explored America. Although he has visited all lower 48 states, some several times over, and more than 100 areas associated with the National Park System, he knows there is still so much more to explore within America's borders.

More recently he has had the opportunity to travel abroad. When possible, he has Captured the Journey at places like Petra, Jerash, Sinkhole Park, and Mt. Longonot, just to name a few. He has visited more than 20 countries, although not all of them were conducive to tourist activities. 

Through his adventures around the world, he has had the opportunity to meet and interact with so many great people from all walks of life. He is a firm believer in never missing an opportunity to meet a new person and hear their story. 

He knows not everyone has the financial or physical ability to Explore America or travel the world. Although these adventures are fun, his motivation for documenting them and providing that content to others via Bourn Adventure is personal. ​

Here is what he had to say about it: 

Bourn Adventure has a plethora of informative and entertaining content in the form of articles, pictures, and videos. Each week more information is added or updated to their website. If you do not know, Baker and Ashlie also own and operate Bourn Adventure Gear, which is the retail side of Bourn Adventure. 

To learn more about that, please click here: Bourn Adventure Gear 

He is passionate about what he does and loves sharing his adventures. He trusts his motivation will encourage others to do the same and he looks forward to what the future holds for him, Bourn Adventure, and all those influenced by it.

​Bourn Adventure is more than just a website, it is a life style!

​To all the brave men and women in military uniform who serve this great nation across the world, we here at Bourn Adventure would like to thank you for your endless service. We know the job is not always easy, but we also understand it is necessary. As a former member of the military myself, I can relate to the difficulties faced and sacrifices made to ensure this great country continues moving forward. 

My time overseas and stateside was made easier by companies who helped us out by offering great products at a discounted price. Now that I run my own business, I want to do the same thing. Bourn Adventure Gear is more for entertainment purposes than real-world practicality. Having said that, we understand how important it is to have something tangible that can bring a smile to you or your friends face before, during, or after operating in hostile environments or to help break up the daily grind of the job.

We hope that Bourn Adventure Gear can do just that and as such, we would like to extend you a discount on your purchase. At checkout, enter discount code  Military15  for  15%  off your entire order (before shipping). We work on the honor system, therefore, you do not need to prove service to be eligible for this discount. Lastly, this code is good for each and every time you place an order!

Thank you again,
Baker, owner of Bourn Adventure and Bourn Adventure Gear
Infantry (11B)  |  E6 (SSG)  |  2 Deployments ​