In high school I could run a sub six minute mile. In college, I ran two Boston qualifying marathons.* I have a box in my basement full of ribbons, medals, and trophies, but as proud as I am of those accomplishments, the miles I’m proudest of these days are much slower. They’re long lasting miles fueled by patience and full of silliness, lack of focus, and creative endeavors at motivation. They’re the miles I do with my children. These miles require…
When we initially planned this trip months ago, it started out as just a little family road trip, but then more and more fun things came up that got added on. I usually like to come up with a story to share or a thread to follow when talking about our adventures, but there is so much I want to share about the last two weeks. Forgive me for this being a little bit journal-y. I’ve highlighted each day with just one…
When I was a recruiter for USU, I repeatedly told students USU was “only an eight hour drive away from home and therefore the perfect distance from family.” The eight hour buffer gives you space, but you also can make if home if something important comes up. While there is some truth to the buffer theory, the eight hour drive is a lie and one I have been guilty of perpetuating. Sure Google maps will support the eight hour theory, but it’s…
Two years ago we went camping at Maroon Bells. It was an enjoyable experience and we’ve been wanting to go back ever since. Campsites at Maroon Bells itself are pretty hard to come by, especially on weekends, so I had a reminder in my google calendar to make a reservation the second the sites opened up for our chosen days. Months ago that Google reminder popped up and I made a reservation hoping for a nice calm getaway, completely unaware…
It’s been a long dreary winter and now that everyone is feeling better we took an opportunity to get outside. We’ve been itching to get to the beach for a while now. Since there is no ocean of reasonable proximity camping at Great Sand Dunes seemed to be a worthy substitute. After playing an intense game of 3 dimensional Tetris, we got all our camping gear in the car and headed south and away from civilization. Great Sand Dunes Great Sand…
Screeeeech! Crash! I was torn from a restful sleep instantly. Whatever that was, it sounded heavy. It wasn’t someone tripping over a lantern on the way to the bathroom. Beep! Honk! Beep! Honk! Beep! Honk! Audrey stirred next to me looking a bit annoyed at the ruckus. We lay frozen in our sleeping bags listening to car horns blaring throughout the campground. After a few moments the car horns stopped and it was eerily silent. Outside the tent I could…
The wind whipped through the desert hurling dirt blizzard-like across our windshield and lodging a tumbleweed into the front bumper of our car. The road stretched before us, desolate. Noel and I looked at each other wondering aloud whether this was a good idea or not. As we drew nearer, the dunes appeared, surprising all of us with their magnificence. Still, when we stopped at the entrance to Great Sand Dunes National Park to take a picture even the kids…
Sometimes when people find out we go camping with a two year old and a four month old they’re a little shocked. Reactions range from admiration to wondering if a call to child protective services is in order. Fortunately nobody has done the latter…yet. Nevertheless, Audrey and I love being outdoors so even though we don’t make it out as much as we used to, we have gone camping several times with the kids. We just got back from an…
Being outdoorsy gets sort of complicated when you have kids. Long hikes tend to turn parents into pack animals, backpacking is impossible, and even car camping becomes increasingly difficult with all the paraphernalia kids seem to require. But, because we don’t want to take a 10-15 year hiatus from the things we love, we absolutely refuse to give up just because things get more difficult. With Noel’s sister, Danielle, in town this past weekend we decided it was the perfect…
We decided it was about time we escaped the urban scene once again, so Thursday night we drove up to the National Forest just outside Rocky Mountain National Park and snagged the last campsite. (I always feel a little bad when we do that; I hate seeing people driving around with cars full of gear looking disheartened.) We didn’t do anything terribly hardcore, but managed to squeeze in some hikes, s’mores, dutch oven goodness, star-gazing, and some general chillaxing. We…