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Belated Musing of a Wandering Family

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Time gives perspective, and since it’s been about a year since our return, I think I can finally put down a few words to sum up our journey. The intent of making this site was to create something that our kids could have and reflect on as they get older. It’s been great fun cataloging the journey and we will continue to do so as we venture further afield across this great planet. We also get a lot of pleasure from strangers and friends who have happened upon the site. The sharing of our travels and the conversations it prompts are fantastic.

As I look back at a year in a car with my family, traveling almost 24,000 miles, experiencing new adventures, and connecting with old places and friends I just feel blessed. Watching my children grow in wonder and knowledge is a gift that will be the greatest I have ever been given. Getting to know my children in a way few father’s get to is nothing short of amazing. I have a much more real and deep relationship with each child. They are more open to sharing with Katie and I, even when it’s embarrassing or personal. I’m not sure how the depth of the relationships with our children would have occurred had we not spent so much time together. As we move forward, back in our “normal” lives, the relationships keep getting stronger. Now I’ve always had a great relationship with the kiddos, but what I gained from our year wandering was a profound depth.

The relationship wasn’t just one way either. I feel our kids have a better understanding of mom and dad because they got to see many of the aspects of life that we hold dear. Adventure, nature, beauty in the simplest of things, great friendships, meeting new people, and respecting/taking care of the world we live in. One of the main goals Katie and I had for the trip was to give our children the ability to be flexible and to adapt quickly to new experiences. We also wanted to instill in them a sense of exploration of the world around them. We wanted them to know that the world is soo much bigger than the small town we live in. As Katie and I talk about the adventure, we feel all the kids have developed these traits and have started to incorporate them into their own personalities. Each child has been changed forever by the experience and it is exciting to see how they carry that forward as they grow up.

I would recommend this experience to every family. We know that taking a full year off to do so might not be realistic for everyone. But even a week or two of time with your kids, going somewhere you’ve never gone before, can be life-changing. Katie and I will always cherish this journey as something that was truly a once in a lifetime experience and profoundly life-affirming. We will always wander, sometimes alone, sometimes together, ever forward, and never lost.

The Nomads will Return…

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Adventure

Revisiting My Life in the Mountains – Two Decades, A Beautiful Wife and Three Kids Later.

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A Sweet Homecoming

I can’t explain the feeling of crossing the border into Colorado with my family in tow. I was so excited to show them a part of my life that so profoundly shaped the person I am today. As the landscape changed from desert to high mountain the anticipation only grew. Familiar landmarks started to jog in my mind and a feeling of coming home crept into my soul. Our destination for this leg of our journey was Crested Butte, CO. To get there you need to drive deep into the heart of the Rockies, past Blue Mesa reservoir, through the town of Gunnison (home to my college Western State Colorado University) and on to the 12 to 14 thousand foot peaks rising in the distance. Crested Butte is nestled at the foot of its namesake peak and surrounded by some of the most pristine mountain wilderness in America. This town just happens to be the wildflower capital of the state and we hit it at its peak. To make the trip all the sweeter I got to reconnect with a great college friend whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years. As we drove into town, we were greeted by locals and families walking the streets, townie bikes swirling around through the meandering traffic, and the sweet smell of mountain air. We found our home for the week and unloaded our car under the sunset kissed peak of Mt. Crested Butte looming serenely above us.

Mill Creek Adventures

One of my favorite hikes, when I was going to school at WSU, was Mill Creek. I really wanted to take the fam on this hike so we packed up the truck and drove out. Mill Creek is a nice hike that winds through Aspen groves and crosses a mountain stream. Canyon walls rise up hundreds of feet on both sides, with some cool hoodoo rock formations at the peaks. The valley was a nice contrast of vivid green down the center against dark rock walls to the left and right. We had a nice picnic by the stream and on the way back ran into a small herd of cattle, complete with Bull. We thought it was going to charge us but it just snorted and we survived. A great hike with the glorious sunny weather. I like taking the family to places I used to frequent when I was a slightly younger man.

Almost Paradise…

One place we loved to go in college was Paradise Divide. This was a pass high in the mountains overlooking Crested Butte. The dirt roads up to the divide were good but narrow and a small section had you driving along a steep sloping drop off that feels at least a thousand feet to the valley floor below. Knowing some in my family are a bit afraid of high places, we took the back road up. We got stopped a couple miles from the spot I wanted to go because the snow was still blocking the road on this side! It’s very common for snow to be present deep into summer in the high country. I was kind of bummed we couldn’t get all the way to the spot but we had a nice hike just the same that took us to Emerald Lake. This is an incredibly beautiful lake in the high mountains with a deep green color. We saw dozens of beautiful wildflowers on our hike and had a great time, again blessed by blue sunny skies.

Katie and I Reach the Peak

Mount Crested Butte offers a super cool day camp experience called Mountain Adventures. This camp offers rock climbing, ropes course, zip lining, archery, and other assorted outdoor activities. This camp is for the older kids 7+. For Lennox’s age, they offered the less strenuous Camp CB.  He loved it! He would go to a climbing wall, bungee trampoline and even jump from 30 feet onto a huge airbag. The kids did a few days at the camps and loved every second. This also gave Katie and I the chance to do some activities on our own. One such activity was hiking to the peak of Mt Crested Butte at 12,162 ft. Though not an overly technical hike it was still a tough one for us due to the high drops and altitude. After hiking some well-traveled trails the path disappears and you are left to your own scrambling devices for the last 150 ft or so. The views from the top well outweighed any of the challenges to getting there. It felt exhilarating to be on top of the world.  So many peaks can be seen from the top, it almost seems like you can see all of the Rockies from this vantage point. This a nice final accomplishment for us on our journey around the United States. It seemed there was a sort of spiritual parallel to climbing this peak and coming to the finish our journey that started almost a year ago. We highly recommend the hike, but make sure you’re ready for a mental and physical challenge. Especially if you’re not used to high exertion in the mountains.

Small Town 4th of July, Mountain Style!

Having lived in a small town for some years, we are used to the fun folksy vibe they give off during celebrations. Crested Butte was no different. The day was blue skies and sunshine and everyone was in a great mode. The highlight of the day was the parade. Most ski towns are full of unique individuals, characters if you will, and CB is no exception. A great mix of irreverent style, rebellious individualism, and patriotic spirit. I would imagine that the first Americans to celebrate independence day did not look much different. Everyone had a blast. The kids scampered around trying to get candy while locals threw water balloons at the floats and parade participants. It’s probably the only time I got to see and avocado and a cross-dressed Dorothy from the wizard of OZ take a water balloon to the face! Speaking of water, the parade culminated in an incredible water fight at the end of the main street. This fight is an epic mix of combatants including, kids with an assortment of squirt guns, adults with buckets and water balloons, and the local fire department armed with full-on water hoses. Such fun was had by the girls as they ran to and fro trying at the same to avoid and inflict watery attacks. Lennox was a bit overwhelmed by the spectacle and hung back on the fringes. Twenty minutes later it was over. The only remnants were small muddy streams flowing lazily away from the street and fragments of colorful rubber strewn across the street like some sort of birthday confetti. The rest of the day was spent shopping and seeing friends. We ended the day catching some music mountainside with our friends, an alternative to fireworks due to the stage 2 fire ban which was in effect. All in all a great way to spend the fourth in a home away from home.

An Afternoon on Irwin Lake

Heading Out

It was bittersweet to have to leave CB. On one hand, we are making our way back to our home in Michigan which we are all excited for, but on the other, we had such a great time we didn’t want to leave. I get a little emotional at being able to share the area where some of my most formative growth happened with my family and watch them all love it as much as I do. I think this place will be a special memory for all of us. The kids already want to come back every year and I think Katie has a new found understanding of what makes me tick. On our way out of the area, we stopped at my college, Western State, to snap some photos and show the kiddos some of my old haunts. We weren’t leaving Colorado yet though. We planned a couple days in Boulder before heading out for our final eastward trek home.

Random Access Memories

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Western State Colorado University

Hanging Out On a Boulder Near the Flat Irons

We only had a few days in Boulder, and we mainly planned to do some light hiking and shopping. We just wanted to have a little taste of urban life before heading out. We shopped and explored the Pearl Street Mall area. We found an awesome Acai bowl place and bought some gifts for friends and family. One day I snuck off the beaten path just a bit to see the house featured in Mork and Mindy. Now any of you who know that show, consider yourself old, but also feel lucky you saw some of the raw genius of Robin Williams. We took a nice hike in Chautauqua Park to the base of the Flatirons and took in the beauty of mountains giving way to the plains. We took off the final day and did some much-needed school shopping for the kids. Heading out of Boulder and Colorado we waved a sad farewell, but we all know we’ll be back many times to visit.

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Coming back home…our 2nd home that is… Portland, Oregon

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Driving up the Coast

For Katie and I, Oregon holds a special place in our hearts. We met in Portland, fell in love, bought our first home and started our family here. Portland is also where we both started our work life after college. We spent the better part of a decade exploring the state, watching the little big town grow and making some great friends. As we crossed the border from Cali in Oregon, we both felt the exhilaration that one can only get when coming back to something they have missed greatly.

The Oregon coast is one of the most rugged and beautiful sites you will ever behold. High craggy cliffs give way to sandy beaches in a beautiful dance as you go from looking at the beach out your window to looking down at the ocean from 100’s of feet up. The water can range in color from seafoam grey to almost jade green depending on the day. The landscape is lush green with moss covered rocks and towering old growth trees rising to the sky. It’s really breathtaking and we highly recommend to anyone a drive up the Oregon coast on highway 101.

We spent a few days on the Oregon coast, stopping in Newport for a night and some delicious Rogue beer and ending up in Cannon Beach. One last stop before Cannon Beach took us to Tillamook, OR. For those who don’t know, this is the home of the Tillamook Dairy company, and possibly the best cheesemongers in the US. We love the cheese and ice cream and used to come visit the factory when we lived here. We stopped for a short visit and were amazed how much the “little” cheese factory had grown in the decades since we left. They still make awesome dairy products and are worth the trip down to see them.

Cannon Beach

When we lived in Portland we would take day and overnight trips to Cannon Beach. The town is very art focused but still keeps an easy beach vibe. There are miles of flat sandy beaches to walk and relax on. The real treat of this beach is that you can get up close and personal with one of the 100’s of Oregon rock islands. These rocks tower from the surf and awesome to behold as waves crash against their bases. They are also home to many migratory birds, including the rare Puffin. The big rock in Cannon Beach is called “Haystack Rock” and when the tide is out you can walk right up to the base and see all the abundant sealife contained in its tidepools. We also had a great visit during this part of our trip from Fred and Barb! (Katie’s parents) The kids loved this stop. They got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa, run free on the beach, frolick in the icy cold Pacific and search for strange creatures in the tide pools. There was also some kite flying, which is a cultural rite of passage in Cannon Beach. We knew we were in for a special trip after our amazing stay.

The Rose City Adventures

After a short hour or so drive from the coast, we landed at our home for the week. We rented a nice home on the west slope of Portland which was a perfect location for us to explore the city from. This time of year in Portland is amazing! There are countless numbers of flowering trees, shrubs, and bushes and they were all in full bloom. Colors ranged from soft pastels to vivid oranges and all the spectrum in between. This made driving around town a delight. Grandma and grandpa gave us a nice gift on the first day we were there and took the kids to the zoo. The kids had a blast but more importantly, Katie and I got some much needed alone time to explore the city unencumbered by small clingy humans. We drove by our first home and many of the other haunts we used to frequent. It was a really nice homecoming. The rest of the week was spent seeing sites and enjoying many of the things that are uniquely Portland. We went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), shopped downtown, visited the famous Rose Test Garden, and had a seafood feast to commemorate Mother’s Day and grandma’s birthday. We had an awesome time with Katie’s parents and we couldn’t be happier that they joined us on our trip.

 

Japanese Garden

One of Portland’s most incredible sites is the Japenese Gardens. They are located near the top of what’s called the West Hills which sits hundreds of feet above Portland. So the views are amazing. But the gardens themselves almost defy explanation. They are peaceful, serene works of living art that immediately relax the soul and bring joy to the heart. We hope the pics do a little justice to this great space and please put this on your list if you ever make it to Portland. As an added bonus this time we got to see a collection of Bonsai trees, some were over 200 years old! Just amazing!

Bonsai Garden

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Old Friends

Katie’s parents left late in the week and we still had a handful of days left in our old home.  One thing we looked forward to most was reconnecting with our old friends. We invited our friends Marissa and Kevin over to the house for a nice home grilled meal. They brought their two great boys over which was awesome for our kids. Colette, Sienna, and Lennox have not had many opportunities to play with kids so this was a treat and they enjoyed it to the fullest. The adults had a wonderful time catching up and sharing stories of the past decades that have gone by. It was really nice to see some friends from the past and felt as though no time had gone by at all.

One of Katie’s hometown friends who she grew up with in East Jordan lives out near Hood River. Hood River is about an hour east of Portland and sits along the banks of the mighty Columbia River. It’s a beautiful drive along the Columbia River Gorge. The gorge walls rise hundreds of feet up either side of the river and are covered with green pines and rocky cliff faces. The river is about a half-mile wide and provides a beautiful juxtaposition with the rugged landscape on either side.  There are also many waterfalls along the way. The most famous is Multnomah Falls. We have stopped there many times in the past and thought it would be great to show the kids this cool landmark as well. While still beautiful, the falls were a bit sad because of some massive wildfires in 2017 burning much of the landscape around the falls which caused the park service to close many of the trails that were once available. We met Cathleen at the Full Sail brewery in downtown Hood River and she surprised us by bringing her husband Mike whom we thought would be working. We only had an hour with this great couple but it was filled with lively conversation and lots of laughs. Cathleen and her family will be coming back to East Jordan in the summer so we’ll get to see them and their children back home.

I got to reconnect with some of my best friends from the college days. Portland sits very close to the Columbia River and on the other side of the river is Washington state. I met Frank and Todd Limberg during my undergrad at the Western State University of Colorado. We were close friends all through college and I lived with Todd when I first moved to Portland back in the late 90’s. It had been at least 10 years since I last saw these two hooligans and their lovely wives. Both Katie and I we super psyched to spend some quality time with all of them. This time came in the form of a Mother’s Day bbq at Todd’s house. Todd is married to Becky and they have a son named Riley. Frank is married to Maria and they have two kids Cash and Ella. As an added treat we got to see their parents, who we became friends with, Donna and Mike. It may have been over a decade since our last visit but it felt as though a day hadn’t passed. We ate, drank and laughed the night away. And even though their kids are quite a bit older than ours, they all played and had an awesome time. When it came time to leave we didn’t want it to end. I think we will all try a little harder to make sure another decade doesn’t pass with us not getting together. This was our last hurrah in Portland. The next day we headed north…way north to about the farthest north and west you can go and still be in the United States. Orcas Island here we come.

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Roaring Ocean and Giant Trees – Northern California

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Redwood National Park

California is a huge state and we had a long drive North after leaving San Francisco to our next stop in Northern Cali.  The drive was beautiful, through mountains and valleys, and amongst ocean views and giant trees.  We arrived at our Airbnb nestled on top of a little mountain with the steepest driveway I have ever seen. From the house, we could look down on the tiny town of 350 people, Orick, California.  It was perfect!  For the next few days, we explored some of the most beautiful forests in existence.  We hiked amongst the largest trees in the world, the Coastal Redwoods.   The forests here breath life straight into your soul while making you feel like a mere pebble on the surface of the earth.  Your eyes can wander up to space typically filled with clouds and see deep red veined bark and green boughs gently swaying.  Walking among these monsters is so unexplainable and unearthly you must experience it for yourself but here are some photos to try to give some perspective on the wonders of the forest.

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Fern Canyon

We ventured off to Fern Canyon for a hike and getting there was half the adventure.  I’m not a very experienced off-road traveler and although there was a “road” it was a good thing we had our big vehicle to navigate through the rough terrain.  There has been lots of rain here so we had to drive through a fair amount of water, bump over potholes, through a river, and rumble along the gravel road.  The ocean’s foam tipped wavey surface stretched off into the horizon on one side and Elk grazed casually on the other, both were pretty spectacular.  We started our hike at Fern Canyon tiptoeing around trying to avoid the water but soon realized we were all in and the only navigable path was to jump in the water.  The kids were soon knee-deep and having a blast.  The vegetation around us was almost a glowing green as the sunlight illuminated the canyon.  It felt like you were in Jurassic Park, and in fact, one of the movies was filmed here.  This hike ranks high on the list for beauty and adventure and the rush of spring water made it even more exhilarating.

Agate Beach

We started looking for agates even though we don’t know exactly what we’re looking for.  The ocean was spectacular on this spring day and we enjoyed searching for stones and sea creatures.  We still don’t know if we found any agates, most likely not, but we had a great walk on the sandy shore.

Elk

It was amazing to see elk grazing in the grass so close to the road.  Each day they seemed to wander to a new spot, sometimes right by a local house.  There are many road signs showing elk attacking humans and the bodily harm they can cause which, although serious, was so absurd it made us laugh.

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Paul Bunyan and the Trees of Mystery

When Paul Bunyan and Big Blue are 50 feet tall you must stop for the photo op.  Of course, we checked out the Trees of Mystery which had some interesting things to see and the best part was the sky ride to a beautiful overlook.  Well, that was the best part for everyone except for Sienna.  She is a bit afraid of heights and once at the top decide she would hike down the “extreme trail” instead of board the sky ride again.  Thankfully Matt volunteered to join her on the hike which ended up being super steep and hardcore.  They were troopers for sure.  After we stopped at the drive-through tree which was a bit tight for my comfort in our oversized car but we made it!

Ocean Power

The ocean in this part of California is no joke.  The wind whips, waves roar and it would eat you up if you let it.  It gives you perspective on all those who brave these waters and the elements.  What an amazing land to walk along.

Final hike and scenic drive through the most magnificent grove of Coastal Redwoods

The kids completed another Junior Ranger Program and we bid farewell to these majestic trees.  It still blows my mind some of these trees are thousands of years old.  Imagine what has walked among them and the earth’s changes they have experienced, resilient creatures they are.  It is also sad to note that 95 out of every 100 of these magnificent trees were logged in the past.  We are lucky to have the National Parks to preserve and protect these wonders so our future generations can experience their grandeur.

 

 

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Cool Places

The Mighty Yosemite Valley

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“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir

 

Five Days in the Yosemite Valley

Much like in Joshua Tree, words fail me when trying to describe our experience here in Yosemite. Yosemite National Park is an incredible place. We came into the park through the South entrance, which is a beautiful drive. The road in is very curvy and slow but somehow driving high in the mountains at sunset makes it all worthwhile. The most spectacular part of this drive is exiting the tunnel into the Yosemite Valley. You are greeted by a humbling vista of the whole valley, El Capitan standing regally, guarding over the valley floor, Bridalveil falls flowing unending into the forest below and the Merced River winding like a silver snake towards the towering edifice of Half Dome in the distance. The might Yosemite Falls showering the valley floor from thousands of feet above. And this was just what we could see from the very first pull out after the tunnel exit. We spent the next week learning about the history of this park, hiking into nature to get up close and personal with these majestic landmarks, and just being happy to be alive and able to enjoy this paradise on earth. Sienna got to spend her birthday in Yosemite. (Lucky for anyone let alone an 8 year old!) She is so full of life and has no fear. The raw beauty of Yosemite matched her soul’s intensity perfectly. Lennox, Sienna, and Colette got to be sworn in as Junior Rangers and Katie and I both hope a little of the magic of this place carries with them as they grow. We hope that the images we captured share a tiny bit of the majesty of the Yosemite Valley and serve to inspire any who see them continue to support and steward these national treasures.

Winter in the Valley

Yosemite Falls and Bobcats!

From the Valley Floor with a Birthday Girl

Mirror Lake

Ranger Hike, Junior Ranger, and More Bobcat!

Bridalveil Falls

Sunsetting on our Trip to the Valley

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Adventure

750ft Below the Surface of the Earth…and Aliens

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San Antonio to Carlsbad

This section of the trip took us from civilization to no man’s land. Well, that’s not entirely true. There were an awful lot of oil men drilling for black gold. It was a beautiful drive until we hit the last hundred miles to Carlsbad.  This is where we turned on to a  two-lane road with posted speed limits of 75mph and potholes that could rip the tranny out of a monster truck. There were semi’s barreling by and an uncountable number of F150’s. All these trucks were there to service the oil derricks that dotted the landscape like toothpicks on a party tray. Oh, and did I mention that the winds where gusting 25-30+mph which is really fun in a big land yacht with a topper on it. We made it just as the sun was setting. We tucked into our hotel and got ready for a fun day deep underground.

The Caverns of Carlsbad

The caverns aren’t actually in Carlsbad. (FYI) You need to drive about 30 minutes. It is well worth the effort. After a beautiful drive through the park and up to the cavern entrance, you’re greeted by a breathtaking vista of the Chihuahuan desert.  On the way up we got to see a type of Bighorn sheep which was a cool surprise.

The visitor center is well staffed has an excellent museum to get you oriented. Once you’re ready to visit the caves you have two options. A quick 1 min elevator ride or a 45 min hike into the cave system from the mouth at the surface. We opted for the elevator on our first day as we had a guided tour we needed to meet. The next day we decided to hike in and it is AWESOME!

But I digress, day one we went to a cave system called the King’s Palace. This was a guided tour and was wonderful. The cave system was well lit and had thousands of stalagmites and stalactites, rock curtains, and impossibly thin rock tubes called soda straws. Truly an awe-inspiring experience. The guide also turned the lights out half way through so we could feel the intenseness of complete darkness. Colette and Sienna both loved the excursion into this hidden world. On day two we hiked into the cavern from the surface. This gives you a real sense of what it must have been like to first come upon these caverns and explore them. We highly recommend hiking in one of the days if you visit this place. Once at the bottom we went on the self-guided tour of what they call the “Big Room“. The Big Room tour is about two hours and takes you buy some of the most spectacular otherworldy structures you’ll ever see. Carlsbad Caverns is a remote location and we’d recommend tacking it on to a bigger exploration of the Southwest.

More of the Surreal

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Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The caverns aren’t the only thing to see when in Carlsbad. About 20 minutes past the caverns lies the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We are always in awe of the national park system and what they protect and this was no different. Beautiful mountains, pristine wilderness, and Jr. Ranger Program!!! We love these.

There are a few short hikes here, but it really caters to longer overnight hikes to experience the park. We opted to drive around and get some great shots after the kids became Junior Rangers at the museum.

Believe…….

We spent about three full days in the area exploring and found that to be a good window of time to experience a taste of the caverns and mountains. On the way to our next destination, we needed to make the pilgrimage to the town made famous by the alien spacecraft that crash landed there 72 years ago. Roswell, NM is a surprisingly big town, much bigger than Carlsbad. Our only focus for passing through was to visit the UFO Museum and have space lunch. The museum is a fun place to visit and does a great job recapping the history of the alien crash investigation. There’s are lots of fun and cool art and exhibits to enjoy as well. I love Aliens! So making the effort to land here definitely was a check off my bucket list. I’m not sure if Katie felt the same way, but the kids had a blast. A worthwhile place to spend an hour and get some lunch. Though space lunch was not found we did have a nice bite at a deli up the street.  Our next stop is Santa Fe for a couple weeks.

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