Traveling Back in Time
When I think of remote places to visit, I think of Alaska, I think of wildernesses, and I think of untouched nature. It’s a dream really, because nowhere in America I believe is really remote. Howev... Read More
Exposure to a New World
This may have been the most adventurous trip we took this year. It involved rafting, portaging a raft, hiking, and canoeing, as well as, coordinating all the components to work together. Also, I hadnâ... Read More
Home on the Range
Our first stop on our summer adventure was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our plan was to visit the park for a day by car, then find a rover for the dog and backpack overnight. The first lesson I l... Read More
A New Adventure
Last year while I was at Elk Lake with the kids, Will went to a seminar about life’s endless possibilities. As we discussed what we talked about as possible we both agreed we should travel. We resea... Read More
Sledding 2017
I think every year, I’ve taken Noah and Isabel to the sledding hill across from Snow Bunny on Mt. Hood. Another year is in the bag. ... Read More
Mt. Lassen National Park
A few years ago as we were on our way to Yosemite National Park we drove by a little known park called Mt. Lassen. It was late June and the park was still closed. The park is high in the California mo... Read More
The Twins First White Water Rafting Experience
A photo essay of Noah and Isabel’s first Rafting trip, for Cousin Karli and Uncle Greg’s Birthdays. Click on a photo for full-size slideshow.... Read More
Up and then Down the ‘Grand Canyon’
With our National Park Quest we have been obsessed with the idea of hiking the Grand Canyon. However, with a bit over 90lbs of weight distributed between Will and I and the weight of extra water, I’... Read More
Life is Calling
Sometimes you just have to get out into nature. It just beckons and calls. I’m not sure why, but sometimes I get an irresistible urge to just get out and if I heed the calling, I always find the mos... Read More
Navigating by Compass
After so many trips, we thought a nice 4th of July hike would be great. Will wanted it to be challenging so we experienced our first non-trail, map and compass trip. We planned a 3-day trip out (1.5 m... Read More
Beach Camping
During Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to take the kids on a trip. Will was still not feeling well and with twins you never get a break and there never is downtime. I let him catch up on sleep and took... Read More
Spring in California – Pinnacles and Point Reyes
In November, when the weather is cold and dreary and I’m yearning for longer, warmer, drier days, I start planning our spring trips. Guadalupe Mtns, Pinnacles, Hawaii, Big Bend, and Florida are all ... Read More
Introducing Friends
When Nate and Josh were little we went on a Labor Day weekend camping trip with their cousins west of Sisters in the Three Creek Wilderness Area, just at the base of Broken Top. We took a short hike t... Read More
Day 8-10 Great Basin National Park & Finding Our Limits
Hiking: 1 mile Part 5 of 5 of our 10-day trip. Check it out from the beginning or maybe from DAY 7 NATURAL BRIDGES AND CAPITOL REEF – DRIVING & FLASH FLOODS. As the ranger over the counter hands... Read More
Day 7 Natural Bridges and Capitol Reef – Driving & Flash Floods
Hiking: 2 miles Part 5Â of our 10-day trip. Check it out from the beginning or maybe from DAY 6 MESA VERDE. The monsoon type rain continued through the night and into the next morning, we all were sta... Read More
Day 6: Mesa Verde
Hiking: 9 miles Part 4 of our 10-day trip. Check it out from the beginning or maybe from DAY 4-5 CANYONLANDS – THE NEEDLES DISTRICT. After yesterday’s backpacking trip, we drove directly to Mesa ... Read More
Day 4-5 Canyonlands – The Needles District
Backpacking: 7.3 miles + 9.2 miles Part 3 of our 10-day trip. Check it out from the beginning or maybe from DAY 2-3 CANYONLANDS – ISLAND IN THE SKY. We checked in at the ranger station and found out... Read More
Day 2-3 Canyonlands – Island in the Sky
See the start of this series in the blog:Â Finding the Magic Number Hiking: 5.7 miles, Backpacking: 0 miles I was thankful to arrive at our campground earlier than I had anticipated. Thanks to our lon... Read More
Finding the Magic Number
Everyone places some sort of limit on themselves, whether it be a time, an ability, or a monetary limit. What if you told yourself there were no limits? We’ve tried to instill this belief in our chi... Read More
Hiking with Friends
Sometimes we take friends on our hikes. This hike was great the berries were out and we ate berries to our hearts content as we took the 7.5 mile Silver Falls State Park loop. ... Read More
Mountain Bikes, Rain, and …Perfection Repeated
I never thought I would backpack to the same place twice. There are so many awesome places in the NW to go, why go to the same place twice. We had taken this trip (The Siouxan Trail) a few years ago, ... Read More
A Few Days in the Desert
Round-Trip Backpacking Distance: 20 miles Day Hikes: ~14 miles: Devil’s Hall, Carlsbad Caverns, Buttercup Stagecoach and Frijole Ranch Sometimes you pick a vacation because you just need to get ... Read More