Author: Jess

Categories
Airstream Accessories Inside the Airstream

Tour of our Airstream 2017 Edition

We recently had the opportunity to interview with Airstream for a new campaign they are rolling out in 2017. As they were coming to do a video interview and then a photo shoot, we decided a thorough clean was in order.

Its amazing that we can deep clean our entire house in just a few hours.

With everyone working together, we scrubbed, cleaned, organized, and tidied up the entire house. We washed the windows inside and out (those not covered by screens), washed all the walls & cabinets, took down the last of our winter decorations, and cleaned the floor including all the edges (what a difference that made!). I’m not sure I remember the last time it was this clean. We also put away all the random items usually left out – you’ll notice a distinct lack of cords underneath our table.

It felt great. After we were finished with the interview,  Sam took the kids down to the pump track with their bikes to play for a bit before dinner. I sat inside the Airstream and soaked up every inch of it. I love how clean, light and airy it feels inside our house. I love that we’ve made it our space. Its unique. From our fridge with our favorite magnets, to the photos on the walls, to the custom beds in the back for the kids, we’ve truly made this space our home over the last three years.

As I’m not sure when the next time we’ll have the Airstream THIS clean, I decided to document the occasion with a photo shoot of my own.

For those not familiar with our Airstream – we own a 27FB International CCD. We have removed the queen bed in the bedroom area and replaced it with three beds for the kids (remodel posts here). We sleep on the pull out couch with our bedroll (super comfy and easy access to the ice cream in the freezer after the kids are in bed!).

We have more renovation plans up our sleeves – just not sure when would be the best time to execute. We want a U-Shaped dinette (dubbed “The Grand Lounge”) and Cara needs a new bed as she’s outgrown her toddler-sized mattress. Perhaps we’ll get to those this year, but we already have a lot of changes on our horizon so they might have to wait. For now, I love that we’ve documented this phase of our Airstream life!

Categories
Arizona WanderLog

Learning How to Just “Be” in the Desert for New Year’s

If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you’ve probably realized we move fairly frequently. We aren’t the type of travelers to sit in place for weeks on end, but are fueled by getting out and discovering new places.

It’s exhausting.

One of our goals this winter was to find free boondocking spots in the middle of the desert and just “be”.  Learn to relax and not be on the go all the time. I feel that perhaps a bit of the pressure to explore exotic and new places comes from social media. There’s always that pressure to post the next “amazing” photo, and I seem to struggle the most with the ability to let go.

Travel Dates: December 29, 2016 – January 4, 2017

As we sat in the Kofa desert near Quartszite, AZ for New Year’s Eve I had a chance to do exactly what we intended. It was difficult. I was antsy for a few days, even angry more than once. We were surrounded by amazing friends, yet I still struggled.

“Sometimes it feels like we are going in circles.”

“Being out in the desert has been fantastic – have you ever smelled creosote bushes after a rainstorm? 😍 At the same time I’ve been digging deep and trying to discover why I couldn’t just boondock for weeks at a time like some of our friends can.

I think it comes down to being bored. There’s really nothing out here. We went on the 1 mile “hike” up Palm Canyon, looked for quartz crystals, and visited the spiral labyrinth. And…That’s about all there is. There’s not really even a proper grocery store in the nearest town about 20 minutes away. But why does that matter? Why can’t I just be?

I think I pressure myself to provide opportunities for my kids and my expectations have inflated in the process. Exploring has taken the place of soccer, dance classes, or piano so when there’s nothing to explore I just feel empty and impatient. We’ve tried to expand our collection of outside toys so that I can just send my kids outside to play, but it’s still hard. For some reason that’s not enough for me. It’s not good enough. Not interesting enough. Not epic enough to reflect the lifestyle we are living.

I’m hoping this winter I can change. Not everyday needs to be epic hikes or science museums. I hope I can be content to sit outside and read, or throw around a frisbee with my kids. That just being together is enough. Less focusing on social expectations of our life and more being content with who I am.”

One afternoon we completed the only “hike” the area. An easy 2 mile round trip up Palm Canyon. We arrived back to the truck thinking that wasn’t “enough” but maybe it was.

Stephanie & Gus (@stephaniewv81 & @gm3sf) spearheaded a New Year’s Eve Potluck dinner. We gathered as nomads and feasted on chicken pot pie, cornbread, tacos, bean dip, chili, salad, and plenty of dessert.  Sam and I didn’t make it until midnight (hard to see the point when there’s 9am church the following morning!) but we enjoyed the time we had chatting around the propane campfire and swapping stories.

Living in a community of nomads for a week is vastly entertaining. Everyone has work (and sometimes school) to accomplish during the day and we often keep to ourselves. Evenings were spent playing games (thanks to everyone who helped us out with our prototype card game!), hanging out in trailers with a grand lounge, or playing frisbee before dinner. Our kids especially loved playing with Gus & Stephanie’s dog Gracie. She’s super cute and little and the kids all agreed we needed a dog her size. Sam and I disagreed.

We celebrated one final evening together at the local pizza joint in honor of Heather’s birthday (@h_livingistheadventure). Armed with noise makers, cake, & ice cream we took up an entire corner of the restaurant and probably brought the average age down a decade or two as Quartszite is a popular place for retirees in the winter.

“Morning in the Airstream often looks like this. Andrew snuggling @jesscurren in our bed, Cara getting started on schoolwork, and a few dishes that didn’t get washed last night. I get to watch the morning unfold as I work from the table.” -@telegramsam

As it came time for most of us to move on I honestly became nostaglic. I enjoyed having friends close by without the pressure to really “do” anything. There were a few evenings Sam and I snuggled under a blanket outside in our camping chairs and gazed in awe at all the stars.

I think I finally started to relax. I’m hoping we can have more experiences like that this winter and can’t wait to meet up with our friends again down the road.

Categories
State Parks Utah WanderLog

Meeting Grandparents at Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon State Park is one of those hidden gems. Although it’s relatively close to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, this place is a worthy destination by itself. Plenty of rock scrambling, lava tubes, sand dunes, hiking, and gorgeous landscapes to keep anyone busy for days.

We were here back in 2014 (although we had warmer weather!) and have always wanted to return. We convinced my parents to drive down from Salt Lake City the day after Christmas, and Snow Canyon SP was conveniently close to their rented condo. Perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed our snow-covered holiday at Zion National Park, but it was definitely time to get moving towards warmer temperatures.

Travel Dates: December 26 – 28, 2016

After getting set up at our campsite, we mostly relaxed. We ate dinner with my parents, the kids slept over at the condo for 2 nights (2 nights!) in a row, they swam, went out to lunch, Sam and I got a date, and Grandma & Grandpa treated us all to see Moana at the movie theater (it was just as good as everyone said!).

We spent one day exploring Snow Canyon and since we had two vehicles decided to shuttle one of the longer trails.

We started at the Lava Flow parking lot and hiked down into two of the tubes. My kids had been looking forward to this for weeks and thoroughly enjoyed scrambling through the caves with their Niteize headlamps (Amazon affiliate link).

From there we hiked out the Butterfly trail and then scrambled over the Petrified Dunes. I’m not exactly sure we followed the trail, but it was a lot of fun! Plenty of climbing up and over the rocks which kept the kids reliably entertained.

Once we reached Hidden Pinyon cutoff it was an easy downhill back to the campground. We grabbed my parent’s car and shuttled back up to Lava Flow to grab our truck. Easy peasy. Our total mileage was close to 3 – so nothing too crazy.

It was a little strange to wake up Thursday morning, pack up the trailer, dump the tanks and drive to pick up our kids from Grandma & Grandpa’s. Our kids usually help with most of those chores, but I can see the appeal of traveling just as a couple! Perhaps when the kids are gone we will have to do some Airstreaming on our own.

Temperatures in southern Utah were still a bit chilly, so after grabbing the kids we pointed our tiny, shiny house south to Arizona for some sunshine.

Categories
Biking Homeschool Outdoor Gear

Teach Your Child to Shift with a Woom4

Its no secret we are fans of Woombikes. We were introduced to them in 2014 as Cara was ready to leave training wheels behind. We had a fantastic experience as she basically just climbed on the bike and pedaled away (6 Reasons to Buy Your Child a Woombike).

We’ve now reached another milestone with Cara’s bike – that of upgrading to one with shifters. We reached the point where she was spinning her wheels as fast as humanly possible and still couldn’t keep up with the big kids. She had the muscle, the awareness and desire to be faster, better, and more in control – she just needed the tools.
We visited Woom headquarters in Austin, TX last spring and Mathias upgraded her Woom3 to a Woom4 with a rear derailleur and an 8- Speed SRAM X4 twister shifter. Since then, we’ve been working with her on when and how to shift her gears based on the terrain she’s riding. Its honestly been a bit of a fight. For awhile she wanted to leave her gear in the middle and pedal like she always has. Slowly, she’s come to the realization that she can go farther more quickly and with less effort if she utilizes the entire range of her gears.

Its slow progress, but progress nonetheless. We happened in to a tradition to have each of our kids complete a 25 mile bike ride by the time they turn 8 years old. Rachel did hers with Sam back in Lehi pre-travel, and Andrew completed his with the Watermelon 4th of July ride in Minneapolis. Cara is 6 so we have just two years to get her ride in. Time to get training and gears will be an essential part of completing that ride.
As our experience is one shared by many parents, I thought we could give some advice on how to ease the transition between bikes.  I talked with Mathias, the owner of Woombikes USA, and he helped me outline 6 suggestions to help your child transition more smoothly to a bike with shifting capabilities:

1. Prepare and Anticipate

Kids transition easier when they know what is coming so talk about shifting even while your child is on a single speed bike.  Most of us just get on our bikes and go, but talking with your child about the bike components and why they are useful can help anticipate the change.  Show your child how your bike shifts (simple as picking the back wheel off the ground while remaining stationary) so they have a visual concept as well.

Ever ahead of the game, Woom has introduced a SRAM Automatix 2 Hub on their Woom3 bikes which has an internal mechanism that automatically shifts into a higher gear once 6 or 7 mph is reached. Total genius! Mathias said, “The design is hands-free, keeping your child’s focus on the road. On top of that, the hub functions as a learning tool. The mechanism also teaches [kids] timing. When they feel the bike change gears, children are passively learning how to time their shifts. Without ever touching a shifter, they can go faster, ride smoother, and move up to their next bike with total confidence. By the time the controls are in their hands, they’ll be ready for any adventure!”

2. Have a Visual Classroom

Once you have a new bike with shifters, take the time to visual explain how the bike works.  Mathias suggests that, “It’s much easier to show them, rather than tell them.  If you tell them while they are on the bike, then they are too busy and can’t really focus on your words.  Visually explain the concept while one parent is holding the saddle, and the other is rotating the pedals and shifting.” Seeing an adult bike in action is one thing, but when its their bike the concept just might have a bit more traction.

3. Ride Alongside Them

Kids love spending time with their parents, and we find many teaching moments as we hike, bike, or paddle alongside our kids. As we ride with Cara, we can coach her along the trail. “There’s a big hill coming up – shift now down to a 2,” we’ll tell her. Or, “Cara you are spinning your pedals, try shifting up to a 6.” We can judge the terrain we are riding and coach her as we go. She loves spending time with us, an we’ve been able to make more progress than if we just sent her off on her own.

4. Have Older Children Help Teach

Whether its a sibling or a friend, other children can definitely have an impact on your child. Mathias noticed that, “Parents sometimes have trouble using the right words  to communicate the concepts.  Other children who already know how to shift could use their skills and way of explaining so that the other child learns it more easily.  I saw this at a biking event, where one 5 year old explained another 5 yo how to use [their bike] in a fun an easy way.” We’ve definitely noticed this as Rachel and Andrew encourage and instruct Cara as she learns.

5. Bike in Familiar Territory

Mathias recommends to “Choose a place where your child feels most comfortable, i.e. playgrounds, parks, running tracks, safe neighborhood streets.” Cara feels most comfortable on paved pathways so that’s where we try to have most of our teaching moments. Mountain biking is great, but trails can be unpredictable and rocky. Riding the same section of trail or path over and over can also be beneficial. Kids will get used to the trail and can anticipate shifting patterns, which will also build their confidence.

6. Be Patient

Just as teaching a child to ride a bike can take time, the complicated act of shifting will take time for your child to master. I get impatient and frustrated more easily than I’d like, and have to consciously tell myself to chill out.  There are hills I know Cara can climb, but she choose not to. There are times where she is whining and frustrated and wants to give up.  The long term benefits and learning will be worth it. We believe that as our kids learn skills through outdoor activities they will be more confident and capable in all areas of their lives. Perseverance, determination, and not quitting are qualities  we would love our children to develop!


Categories
National Parks Utah WanderLog

We Spend Christmas in Zion National Park

We made the decision last summer to do “one more” winter in the Airstream. Originally we had planned to take a break, rent a house, and teach the kids how to ski. After some long term planning, we decided that 2017/2018 was the ideal time for the that and everyone agreed we’d spend the winter traveling, exploring, and having a last full-time Christmas celebration in our shiny house.

Then the obvious question became “Where?”

Travel Dates: December 17 – 25, 2016

If you’ve learned anything about me, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a scheduler and planner. Add to that the stress of “one more” and needing it to be “epic” I kind of freaked out months before the holiday even arrived. Nothing was good enough. Nowhere seemed right. We’d throw ideas against the wall of the Western states and nothing would stick. I kind of sort of wanted to be near some family, the kids were dying for snow (despite also wanting to be in the Airstream – two things we had always sworn didn’t mix), and Sam wanted to be in the middle of nowhere in the desert. We decided California was too expensive, the Arizona desert was too remote for logistically making Christmas work, and Mexico seemed like a bad idea all around.

Eventually we settled on making reservations for 10 nights at Snow Canyon State Park in southwestern Utah. We had cousins that would be there visiting in-laws, and it was only 5 hours from my parents whom we thought could be enticed down to visit. The temperatures were forecasted to dip below freezing, but with some reflectix in the windows and generator time we thought we could make it work.

As the Christmas holidays crept closer and closer I kept re-thinking that decision. With our stay in Anza-Borrego State Park and the little solar we were able to utilize with the low winter sun, we had to run our generator quite a bit. Snow Canyon has limited generator hours right in the middle of the day (the perfect time to be out exploring) and we were not confident we could recharge after long night of using the furnace to keep warm.

I kept looking for more options and after playing with the idea of spending night at the lodge in Zion National Park, I casually mentioned to Sam that we could just take the Airstream to Zion instead. Watchman Campground was more expensive, but also had electric hook-ups. We’d be plugged in, could use our small space heater, and we’d be in the park to explore over Christmas! The only snag we could envision was the park service getting upset over us bringing in a Christmas tree.

That conversation led to me to remember that a group of traveling friends had camped on BLM land outside La Verkin (about 30 minutes from the entrance to Zion) on a beautiful bluff overlooking the Virgin River. No generator hours, free camping, and freedom to bring in 10 Christmas trees if we really wanted. This quickly became plan A, and we changed our reservations at Snow Canyon to just 3 days right after Christmas to coincide with my parents renting a condo and joining us in St. George for a few days.

After leaving Anza-Borrego we drove north splitting the drive with a stop in Las Vegas, finally arriving at the epic-sounding boondocking spot only to find it was literally a mud pit. We pulled off the side of the road to check it out on foot before driving down the dirt road, and Sam and I both sloshed and slipped in the mud. With rain and possibly snow in the forecast only going to make it worse, we called an audible and drove the 30 minutes into Zion hoping to snag a walk-up site at 5pm on a Monday evening.

Turns out when Plan B is fairly incredible, you don’t mind the change.

Christmas was everything I hoped it would be. We had fabulous weather for a few days and even managed to hike Hidden Canyon with our kids – a fairly steep ascent into a canyon using chains on part of the trail. We saw the Emerald Pools covered in ice, enjoyed the low crowds, bought our small Christmas tree which fit inside the Airstream Christmas Eve,  and woke up to snow on Christmas Day. We snuggled at night to stay warm and just enjoyed one of our nation’s most beautiful parks in all its winter glory.

“Upper Emerald Falls was fairly frozen on our visit yesterday. The kids spent a good 30 minutes using our hiking poles to break up the weaker sections and watch slabs of ice start a journey downriver. @telegramsam  fished this giant piece out and we marveled at the frozen bubbles inside. Not exactly a privacy shield but luckily there were few people up there with us!” -@currentlywandering

Staying right inside a National Park has some perks, including easy access to the park right outside your door. Our afternoon wander provided some excellent views and great fun. Merry Christmas! -@telegramsam

“Our casual drive around Zion turned a little more serious when we decided on a whim to hike Hidden Canyon. The part of the trail that wasn’t steep was cut into the rock and occasionally offered chains for safety. It was a challenge to us all, but most particularly to Cara and Rachel. Everybody was awesome, and we went home tired and happy.” -@telegramsam

“There’s something extra magical about an Airstream Christmas. The snow is sticking to the ground outside and our kids are going to wake up to a blanket of white in a National Park. I can’t wait!”-@currentlywandering

“Snowball fight! We decided to abandon our fancy breakfast plans in favor of a snowball fight before church earlier this morning. Always a good decision.” – @currentlywandering

“The kids opted to stay indoors with new toys (Legos! Paw Patrol! Watercoloring!) this afternoon while @telegramsam and I had a hiking date. We went up Watchman Trail and had fun sloshing in mud and slipping on sections of hard packed snow. I’ve concluded these red rocks all dusted with snow = 😍” – @currentlywandering

Sometimes our plans just fail. More often than not we aren’t sure of our location 2 weeks out. Its part of the lifestyle, and we have learned to roll with it. Sometimes however, things work out more beautifully than we could have imagined.  As Sam and I crunched our way through the snow up to the top of Watchman Trail on our hiking date, we looked at each other and just had to laugh at the winding path we took to get there. We wished everyone we passed a “Merry Christmas” as it truly was one of the best we’ve had yet.