Ash & Ember: A Campfire Candle’s Nomadic Story

The fire crackled under a starlit sky, its smoky glow casting shadows on the faces of new friends we’d met on the road—fellow full-time RV travelers who lived for the call of the open highway. We’d parked our rigs in a remote clearing in the heart of a pine forest, the towering trees whispering in the cool night breeze, their scent mingling with the deep, earthy notes of moss, patchouli, and vetiver that clung to the ground. The air was crisp, carrying the promise of autumn, and the stars above seemed close enough to touch, a glittering canopy that made the world feel both vast and intimate. Ash & Ember was born from that night, a hand-poured soy candle crafted in our home on wheels to capture the magic of the road and the warmth of connection found in the wilderness.

As the flames danced, casting a warm golden light across our circle, we shared stories of our nomadic lives—tales of desert sunrises that painted the sky in hues of fire, mountain detours that led to hidden lakes, and the quiet freedom of waking up somewhere new, with no agenda but the horizon. One friend, Sarah, recounted a narrow escape from a Wyoming storm, her voice low and animated as she described the thunder rolling in like a freight train, forcing her to pull off a winding road just in time. She’d found a small pullout near a rushing creek, her RV rocking in the wind as lightning illuminated the jagged peaks around her. “I’ve never felt so small,” she said, her eyes reflecting the firelight, “but so alive.” Another friend, Tom, laughed as he shared the chaos of a midnight flat tire in the Badlands, his RV lit only by the glow of a flashlight while coyotes howled in the distance. He’d spent hours under the stars, wrestling with a stubborn lug nut, only to be rescued by a passing trucker who shared a thermos of coffee and a story of his own.

Their voices mingled with the fire’s last whispers, each story a thread weaving us closer, a tribe of wanderers bound by the road. The scent of smoky maple and clove filled the air, a warm, grounding reminder of the moment, as the charred embers and bonfire smoke wove their rugged beauty into the night. We roasted marshmallows over the flames, the sweet, sticky taste a perfect contrast to the smoky air, and passed a thermos of hot cider, its warmth seeping into our hands. The cider’s cinnamon notes echoed the clove in the air, blending with the earthy undertones of the forest floor. Above us, an owl hooted softly, its call a haunting melody that seemed to harmonize with the crackle of the fire, while the pine needles rustled in the breeze, adding a soft percussion to our night.

As the fire’s glow faded to a smoldering red, each ember crackling with memory, we fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that only comes from shared understanding. We didn’t need to explain the pull of the road, the way it calls you to keep moving, to chase the next sunrise, the next adventure. We all knew the thrill of leaving behind the ordinary, of trading a fixed address for a life where every day is a new story. That night, around the campfire, we weren’t just friends—we were a family of nomads, united by the freedom of the RV lifestyle and the stories that define it. We spoke of the challenges, too—the breakdowns, the loneliness that sometimes creeps in, the uncertainty of where you’ll park next—but also the triumphs, like the time Sarah found a hidden hot spring in Oregon, or when Tom stumbled upon a small-town festival in Nebraska that welcomed him like a local.

In that shared space, we found connection, a sense of belonging that’s hard to come by in a world that often values roots over wings. As the last embers glowed, their smoky maple warmth lingering in the air, I felt a spark of inspiration. I wanted to capture this moment—the crackle of the fire, the earthy scent of the forest, the laughter and stories of our nomadic tribe—in a way that would last beyond the night. Later, in the quiet of our home on wheels, with the soft glow of string lights illuminating our tiny kitchen, we poured Ash & Ember. The process was a ritual of its own: melting the soy wax, blending the fragrance oils—smoky maple and clove for warmth, charred embers and bonfire smoke for the fire’s essence, moss, patchouli, and vetiver for the forest’s embrace—until the scent perfectly mirrored that starlit night. Each note was a memory, a piece of the road we’d traveled together, poured into a candle that would carry the spirit of that campfire to others.

Ash & Ember is more than a candle—it’s a portal to the wild, to the moments that define the RV lifestyle, to the friendships forged in the glow of a campfire. When you light it, you’ll feel the warm, evocative glow of that night, the fading embers whispering tales of the open road. You’ll smell the smoky maple and clove, the charred embers and bonfire smoke, and the earthy moss that grounded us as we laughed and shared our stories. This scent is an invitation to embrace the nomadic spirit, to find your own tribe of wanderers, and to let the road lead you to moments of connection and wonder. Whether you’re in an RV, a cabin, or a city apartment, Ash & Ember brings the rugged beauty of the wilderness and the joy of shared stories into your space, a reminder that the best memories are often made where the fire burns brightest.

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We’re Jon & Rich—light Ash & Ember and explore more nomadic adventures with us on this site or on Instagram @nomads.trekkn.