I’m always delighted to pass through a town years after I last visited. Mapping my memories of the old place to the present place becomes an interesting exercise in determining what has actually changed and what remains the same yet I view differently. Damascus, Virginia, a tiny town in southwest Virginia that is a hub […]
How adventure has made me a better father
As Katie and I have both mentioned in the past, one of our primary reasons for traveling is spending more time with our children. While we both worked full-time jobs, we recognized that our kids were growing up quickly and that we were spending a lot more time at work than with them. We determined […]
Visiting Children’s Museums on our Journey
Most of our time is spent camping, hiking and biking in state and national parks, but we regularly stay in or near large cities on our travels. When we do, one of the activities that we, especially the kids, enjoy is spending a day at a children’s museum. Today, I’m writing this post from the […]
I’m in Love with the Pacific Northwest
Guys. Maybe it’s because I’m currently in the Nevada desert, but I am missing the Pacific Northwest. Sure, the desert is a must see, but for anything longer than a few days, I’d gladly pass. The Pacific Northwest is where you want to spend your summer. I’m just saying. Not Portland or Seattle but the […]
Why It’s Important to Take My Kids Hiking
One of my main reasons for bringing my children on our year-long tour of state and national parks is to introduce them to the joys and pains of hiking and backpacking. My family took me on the occasional day hike when I was a child, though I was fourteen when I discovered hiking, more specifically, […]
An Ode to Summer Camp
I spent my summers starting at age 12 going to a summer camp in Brevard, North Carolina. Being from Florida, just getting to wear a sweatshirt in the summer time was exciting. Add in over night hikes, mountain biking, white water rafting, and countless other summer camp activities and I was a smitten kitten. In […]
America the Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea! Happy Birthday, America!
The Everyday WOW Factor
How Do We Deal With The Everyday Wow Factor? I was posed this question by one of my very old friends the other day. He asked me if I was ever becoming numb at all to the beauty we are seeing every day? I stopped to think about this for a few days. I’m still […]
How Are the Kids Doing?
We get asked this often, mostly by grandparents and concerned family members, but there have been some general questions sent our way as to how the kids are adjusting to our trip. My answer? Pretty well! Sure Wilson has cut six teeth with two more on the way since we left three months ago. That’s […]
Yosemite is beautiful, but…how do you avoid the crowds
It’s like nature Disneyland. I’m talking a group of 50 Japanese tourist being lead around the park by a guide with a flag. Just like Disney or the Louvre. It’s funny, I’m really learning exactly what I like in a park from all this travel. I like to have water free flowing. I like to […]