Author: Jess

Boondocking in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Post author By Jess
Post date December 22, 2016

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has been on our radar for years. There are miles of BLM land and we’ve watched many travelers spend weeks camping out in the desert for free. For the last two years, there has even been a social gathering of nomads for New Year’s Eve although we’ve never been close enough geographically to attend the party.

After a week in Disneyland, we figured that some desert solitude was just what we needed. With some advice from @upintheairstream about specific camping locations (you can find it here on Campendium), where to get water, the low down on the grocery and all the other essentials we made the drive from L.A. down to the park.

Travel Dates: December 11 – 15, 2016

It’s definitely called a “desert” for good reason. Lots of catcus, Ocatillo, shrubs, palo verde and every other desert plant that I absolutely love. Felt like coming home. We camped in the wide open desert with visible neighbors, but no one close enough to feel like we had to be social. One neighbor had a fairly loud generator, but they were good about not running it at all hours of the night.

We made a point to get out and explore everyday, but mostly we got back into the groove of work & school after a fairly crazy couple of weeks. Here are some highlights from our stay:

Metal Art Sculptures

When I first saw photos of these metal art sculptures on the internet, I thought they were out in the middle of nowhere. Turns out, some are actually just right off the main road. We got a map from the state park visitor center, and went off to find them.

I posted on my personal feed the other week about my struggles with home schooling. I had gotten overly ambitious and more concerned with workbooks and subjects than the magic of learning on the road. Today after a few subjects we went in search of these metal sculptures outside the town of Borrego Springs, CA. My kids were fascinated and thought they were the coolest things ever. Art class? ✔ -@CurrentlyWandering

Last week at Disneyland, we had encounters with Yeti, aliens, enemies from the Dark Side of the force, and other wildness. After a visit to see some cousins in Irvine over the weekend, we’ve made it into the desert. And now this angry dinosaur is going to eat the truck. – @TelegramSam

Hiking “The Slot”

The kids absolutely LOVE slot canyons, and we’d heard from multiple sources that “The Slot” is about as awesome as they come (great review & information on The Outbound). It took us about a half an hour to drive to the trail head and then we spent about an hour wandering around and exploring.

As far as slot canyons go, today’s was pretty fun! There’s something about squeezing through two canyon walls that seems to put a smile on everyone’s face. Wishing the rest of the night was just as epic. I’m lamenting our decision to cook dinner instead of dropping by Taco Tuesday night at the local restaurant. Can’t win them all I suppose. – @CurrentlyWandering

Good Morning! -@TelegramSam

Part of Disney recovery (and Jess therapy 101) is being more relaxed with our homeschooling. Even though I still stress about “not getting things done” I made a visible effort to just let the kids play all morning. They had so much fun cutting out snowflakes and hanging them back in their bedroom. Cooperation, fine motor skills, and symmetry are all useful skills, right?

Kids have spent all morning in their pajamas making and hanging snowflakes in their bedroom. Perhaps we’ve taken this un-schooling thing too far? -@JessCurren

We have been trying to adventure earlier than normal, since the sun seems to set shortly after lunch this time of year. We enjoyed sunset visiting a few of the many metal sculptures dotting the desert, arriving home after dark.

Dinner included some grilled sausage which required more effort than usual. The open desert likes to get windy in the morning and at night when the moving temperature differential produces unevenly heated air that insists on trading places. I carefully positioned the truck on the leeward side of the Airstream and set up the BBQ on the truck’s tailgate just in time for the wind direction to shift dramatically.
By sheer luck we had filled our two 5 gallon water jugs at the Chamber of Commerce in town, having between assured by @upintheairstream that filling containers in the dark from an unmarked spigot on the backside of the building was a totally normal thing to do. I positioned the water jugs on both sides of me as I stood in front of the BBQ on the tailgate, thereby forming a wind barrier sufficient for proper grilling of sausage.

I therefore present “Bikes in the Moonlight,” captured from my fixed position as a necessary wind barrier. Dinner was delicious.

Laundry, Swimming, & Dinner Out

We had a chore/laundry day in the middle. The only laundromat in Borrego Springs is at the RV park so the kids and I headed over there in the early afternoon. We had been contacted on IG by the owner of the RV park (he’s a fan) who offered to let the kids swim while we were there. Super gracious of him and we all appreciated the heated pool & hot tub!

Afterwards the kids and I attended a ranger program on phases of the moon. It was… slightly boring. Our kids were troopers though and we might have entertained ourselves by passing notes. So elementary school, but what can I say?

Another night we ate dinner at the Bighorn Bar & Grill located on the same property. It was delicious. Sam and I both got hamburgers, Rachel & Andrew shared a chicken, pesto, pasta dish, and Cara had the most amazing mac & cheese of the kid’s menu. Definitely get something with fries. They were to die for.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how social media isn’t “real.” How we are all lying about how great our lives are and misrepresenting how difficult a life of adventure really is.

Our life is definitely not ALL rainbows and unicorns, but it IS pretty freaking amazing. We do school, we work. We have times where we are just nose to the grindstone on a project, and days where we just want to be in a house. The difference is that we have made it a priority to get out Every. Single. Day.

We’ve also given up many hobbies and other pursuits to travel, freeing time for outdoor exploration. As I look back over our feed I have to just shake my head. We do more in two weeks than most people do all year! As parents we deal with whining, we “bribe” our kids with trail snacks, we have days where we’d rather just sit. But, as we practice and keep trying, getting out with our kids gets easier. Our kids now ENJOY going out. They’ve learned everyone really is happier if we spend time outside every day. If that’s the only lesson they learn on this crazy adventure of ours it’ll be enough. -@CurrentlyWandering

Palm Canyon Nature Trail

One of the best and easiest hikes in the park is the Palm Canyon Nature Trail. Its about 3 miles round trip and fairly flat as you follow the wash up in the canyon. Turning a corner and seeing a tight knit clump of palm trees was pretty amazing. We grabbed an info sheet from the kiosk and read about the various plants, animals, and cultural significance of the are on our way up.

Definitely take the alternate trail back as it hugs the mountain more and gives you a great view of Borrego Springs.

Our afternoon adventure led us to an oasis. The kids were delighted to discover so much water and life in the middle of a desert. -@TelegramSam

Tucked back in Palm Canyon lies this beautiful oasis of palm trees, waterfalls, scrambling rocks, and vegetation. Seeing as we are smack dab in the middle of the Anza Borrego desert, the scenario pleasantly surprised us. Rachel dubbed this easy, 3 mile nature trail the “best hike we’ve ever done – and we do a lot of hiking!”. Not sure how I feel about that. -@CurrentlyWandering

More Metal Sculptures

With sandstorms to the left of me and rainstorms to the right, we explored some more of the desert metal sculptures yesterday. Most were of animals, but a few included humans, including this sculpture of grape vine workers. The kids wanted in on the work.
The windstorms knocked out power in town yesterday, and continued into the morning before finally yielding to calm. -@TelegramSam

“Hey! Stop fighting guys!” The the other day @telegramsam took the kids out to explore the other group of local, metal statues. They found a giant scorpion, large serpent, grape workers, and even some ground sloths.

Where was I you may ask? Totally in a funk. I ended up hiking solo straight up the nearest mountain to try and gain some perspective on my goals, work, family, marriage and pretty much everything. I suppose everyone goes through their personal dark tunnels yet often we feel alone when it’s our turn. I’m so grateful for a patient husband, understanding friends, the love of my Savior and blessings of the Atonement of Christ.
I’ve got changes to make. It’ll be slow and most likely painful but I’m confident I’ll make it through stronger on the other side. -@CurrentlyWandering

We hitched up and drove out of Anza-Borrego today. We are headed North in a slightly crazy plan for a place to celebrate Christmas. -@TelegramSam

With crazy winds at night and the desire to escape the swirling sand storms we hitched up and drove out towards Las Vegas and our Christmas plans.

Tags Anza-Borrego State Park, Borrego Springs, California, desert

California National Parks On the Water

Kayaking on Santa Cruz Island, California

Post author By Jess
Post date December 18, 2016
1 Comment on Kayaking on Santa Cruz Island, California

This last Thanksgiving weekend, we spent 3 days out in Channel Islands National Park. The park consists of 5 islands located off the coast of southern California.

While doing research prior to the trip, I discovered one of the attractions for Santa Cruz Island is the sea caves. We have enjoyed paddling in lakes, streams, and rivers so adding some pacific sea cave kayaking to our resumes sounded like fun!

When We Visited: November 22-25, 2016

Ages of Kids: 11, 9, 6

We have a reasonable amount of paddling experience, and toyed with the idea of renting kayaks and bringing them on the ferry. After some research and discussion, however, both Sam and I agreed this adventure was out of our comfort zone. Instead we contacted Santa Barbara Adventure Company, who graciously agreed to comp both Sam & my fees on a media/press/blogger expedition. They are one of a few outfitters serving the Channel Islands and came highly recommended by some outdoor friends. They provided the kayaks, gear, and guides for our experience even going above and beyond with an extra guide to paddle with Andrew as all kids under 12 are required to paddle with an adult.

We walked down from the campground on Wednesday morning, and met our group near their equipment on the beach. Starting times vary as the ferry arrival isn’t super consistent. Many of the participants were coming over for just the day so we had to wait until everyone was unloaded. Totally not a problem.

Before we hit the water, we outfitted in our suits, PFDs, and a good application of sunscreen. Wrestling kids into wet suits was a bit of a challenge for both them and us, but we all made it work. Our last major experience in the ocean was in Florida over Christmas, and water there was quite warm. Here in the Pacific the water is significantly colder so we opted for both wet suits and paddle jackets!

After gearing up, we had a quick safety talk. Our guides instructed us on paddle handling, how to get in the boat (rear end first, then swing your legs over!), and safety measures should someone fall out. The weather that morning was fairly windy, and I was grateful for our choice to work with an outfitter and for their attention to our safety. Our guides reiterated that if we weren’t comfortable we wouldn’t have fun and to let them know if we experienced difficulties!

Our guides specifically advised paying attention to our seat adjustment in the kayak. There are a set of straps that adjust the sitting position, and getting it right made a huge difference. Most of us got adjusted properly before launch, but Rachel needed some adjustment during our paddle. She was really struggle with leg cramps (and attitude!) and came close to the edge of a total meltdown. Our super attentive guide recognized her discomfort and managed her straps while on the water. While it wasn’t a fix for her attitude problems, we definitely solved the leg cramping and her spirits improved considerably!

The kayaks are tandem kayaks and for good reason. During difficult wind or swell conditions it can take all the effort of two good paddlers to fight the waves. Sam is our strongest paddler, so he paired with 6-year-old Cara. I’m not the most amazing paddler myself, so Rachel came with me. Andrew joined a guide in a double kayak. He can be seen in the picture below, holding up a Giant Antler Kelp we found floating on the surface.

The main attraction to see around the islands are the sea caves at the bottom of the cliffs. We were able to paddle into and through several caves during our tour, and it was a great experience. We paddled along the edge of the cliffs to visit each spot, pausing in small coves to rest. On the first half of the trip, we were paddling against both the wind and the swell, and it was really challenging. Turns out you can also get a little motion sick while paddling a kayak through the ocean!

During our breaks, we listened to the now obvious advice from our guides and anchored ourselves to the kelp beds during our rests. By grabbing a handful of kelp, your kayak would not drift away, yet required no paddling to keep in place. Seriously genius.

Our guides talked to us about the island, the wildlife, how the caves were formed and other interesting facts about the area. I loved that our tour was not only physical exercise, it was informative as well. Two of the caves we visited were pretty large, but the last and smallest had fairly tight quarters. We entered one at a time and had just enough room to spin around and head back out. Only open at certain tide levels, the cave is called “Shark’s Teeth” and was definitely everyone’s favorite!

It isn’t very obvious in the picture below, but the seas were pretty rough at points of our trip. At one point Jess and Rachel needed some help and accepted a temporary tow from one of the guides. Little Cara tried hard, but Sam was clearly doing most of the difficult work. At the halfway point of our trip, we had an opportunity to paddle past the point of the island to look down its length. This put us in full exposure to the stiff wind and oncoming swell

With guides present, we were able to be a little more adventurous. Sam and Cara paddled hard out beyond the point into the big swells, knowing that if they had some trouble guides were not far away. We also appreciated their knowledge of the sea caves, and which were safe to enter given the sea conditions and the current level of the water.

We turned around and made it back across from the beach with about an hour and a half left in our time. Here we had the option to beach our kayaks, or to continue south and explore the other end of the island. We knew our kids were tired and it would be a paddle upwind to return, so we opted out. The rest of our group continued on but we were definitely happy with what we had accomplished.

After stowing our kayak gear, Cara surprised us by insisting she wanted to go snorkeling. For no additional charge Santa Barbara Adventure Co will also provide snorkel gear. While Sam and I added a wet suit jacket to our sleeveless suits, our guide fitted the three of us with fins & masks. Rachel and Andrew, however, walked back to the tents for a rest claiming they were too tired for a swim. Apparently kayaking totally wore them out!

Cara didn’t last long, but watching her excitedly point out fish and swim through tall kelp was adorable! She seemed excited to have mom and dad all to herself and dove in like a champ. The kids all learned to snorkel on the Dry Tortugas last year, and apparently Cara liked it enough to go again. This time we had kelp beds instead of coral and it was fun to experience something completely different.

As a family we participate in a lot of outdoor adventure. From backpacking to mountain biking, or simple nature walks we regularly push our physical and mental boundaries. This kayak trip was definitely one of the hardest outdoor experiences we’ve had. That said, I’m so glad we did it! We felt completely safe and taken care of by our guides – which is honestly one of the best ways to push your limits.

If you head to Santa Cruz Islands in the Channel Islands National Park, definitely make the time for some sea kayaking while you are there. It’ll be worth it!

Tags Channel Islands, National Park, Santa Barbara Adventure Company, Santa Cruz Island, sea caves, sea kayaking

Airstream Accessories Daily Life Homeschool

Our Favorite Board & Card Games for Elementary Kids

Post author By Jess
Post date December 7, 2016
1 Comment on Our Favorite Board & Card Games for Elementary Kids

Looking for great board or card games for kids? Check our list of educational, fun, collaborative and creative games to play with your children!

We live in 188 square feet of space, but we definitely make room for games! Whether they are educational or just for fun, playing games is a fabulous way to spend time together as a family.

With kids in the 6-11 range, sometimes its hard to find games that will appeal to everyone. We have some we play all together, but we also play teams or even do one on one with an older kid.

Collaborative games like Castle Panic or Desert Island are great for younger kids because everyone is working towards the same goal!

Check out our list and then leave a comment below with YOUR favorite family game!

hanabi

Hanabi: This is a cooperative card game. As a group you are trying to launch a spectacular firework show, only its so dark you can’t see your own cards! You have to share information about other players’ cards and figure out the right order to play them in. Cara (age 6) struggles with this one and usually plays on a team. Definitely more difficult than it sounds!

noggins

Professor Noggin: There are many versions of Professor Noggin’s games. We have Ancient Civilizations & National Parks. They are a great trivia game and easy to play ever for smaller kids. Does include reading, but its easy enough to help younger kids read the questions for other players.

dominion

Dominion: This is our current favorite game and the kids have asked for more expansions, which makes the game even more fun. You choose 10 sets of cards to play with and build your own deck as you play. The goal is to end up with the most victory points at the end of the game. It took Cara a bit to get into it, but she holds her own and wins more often than I do! There are plenty of expansions to extend play and make it exciting! We also have played Intrigue, Seaside, Alchemy, & Prosperity. Some are full sets and other just have the Kingdom Cards.

brain-quest

Brain Quest: We were given this game by a fellow traveler who had finished with it. We adjust the rules as necessary depending on how much time we have to play. Great all around knowledge. I was super excited when my kids could correctly identify a preposition. Score for for home school!

gubs

Gubs: Every time we visit family my niece asks if we brought GUBS. Whimsical with great illustrations, this game is a fast, easy one. Players try to collect the most GUBS while defending against Lures and even the Gargok Plague. Not a lot of strategy or reading involved.

castle-panic

Castle Panic: This is another collaborative game. Players defend the castle against invading monsters. There’s less strategy involved and it was a little too easy to win every time. Which I believe is why there are expansions for it.

wizards-tower

Wizard’s Tower: Adds the elements of a friendly wizard who can help defend your castle with his magical spells. We don’t have this one… yet.

dark-titan

Dark Titan: This is the first expansion we bought, and I wish we had done Wizard’s Tower first. Dark Titan felt fairly complicated and we really struggled figuring it out the first time we played. I think it takes some getting used to.

dragonwood

Dragonwood: Bought this one on a whim for Rachel’s birthday last September and we love it! Play is simple – you roll dice in order to capture monsters. Some cards give you extra abilities and the game ends when both dragons have been caught.

ticket-to-ride

Ticket to Ride: I’ve loved this game for years, but its been fun to introduce my kids to as they get older. We typically play open hand so I can help the kids plan their routes (especially Cara). I have to try really hard not to block them once I know where they are going! settlers-of-catan

Settlers of Catan: My two oldest (ages 11 & 9) have played this one on their own. I’m fairly terrible at Settlers, so its not my favorite game but the kids love it.

zingo

Zingo: We got this one for Cara (age 6) to help with reading. It takes practice to get good at calling out the letters, so more often than not we take turns choosing a letter instead of racing. There area a few different versions including Sight Words & Bingo.

scrabble-jr

Scrabble Junior: Our older two will play this, but its not much of a challenge. I honestly like that I don’t have to think up words. Instead the board is preset and we have figures to move around the edge of the board as we score points. If you finish a word that’s the same color as your token you get an extra point!

forbidden-desert

Forbidden Desert: This is our favorite collaborative game. As a team you are stranded in the desert and must fight off thirst, sand, and windstorms in order to collect the pieces of your ship and get home! Our kids are actually pretty good at this one, and because its collaborative play all our kids join in.

forbidden-island

Forbidden Island: Similar to Forbidden Desert, but this time you are stranded on a sinking island! As a team you have to collect the four treasures and make it to the take off point before your island disappears completely.

trekking

Trekking the National Parks: We found this one at a National Park last fall and have enjoyed playing it. Gathering trek cards allows players to move across the map and claim valuable park cards. If a player is the first to visit a National Park, they collect that park’s stone, which award bonus points at the end of the game. The visuals on the board & cards are stunning which helps make the game even more fun to play!

enchanted-forest

Enchanted Forest: My mom owns this one and I have played it since I was little. Its a fun memory match game that is easy enough for even young kids to play. Roll the dice and round the board, sneaking a peek at treasures hidden in the Enchanted Forest along the way. Be the first player to find the treasures the king seeks and the kingdom is yours!

cant-stop

Can’t Stop: Players try to win three of the eleven number columns as quickly as possible. During their turn, players may roll the dice as long as they wish-provided that they can place or move at least one of their runners (each player has 3). If, after rolling the dice, a player is unable to do so, his turn ends immediately and he loses everything that he achieved during that turn. You have decide if you are going to roll once more or stop when its safe!

Winter evenings are a great time to settle down and play games around the table as a family! Its too dark or cold to be outside, and I we can hardly put our kids to bed right after dinner. Games are staple around here and we would love to hear what some of your favorites are in the comments below!

Outdoor Gear The Airstream

Gear Review: Taking the Airstream Basecamp to the Wedge Overlook

Post author By Jess
Post date December 2, 2016
3 Comments on Gear Review: Taking the Airstream Basecamp to the Wedge Overlook

Its no secret we love our Airstream Travel trailer (see our reasons for choosing Airstream in this post). 3 years in and we still are happy with our purchase, and fully support the brand.

Recently, Airstream launched a new style of trailer: The Basecamp. Its different from their regular travel trailers in a few fundamental ways:

Towable with a variety of mid-size SUVs.
Totally compact & small making it incredibly easy and aerodynamic to tow.
Departure angle helps with high clearance (aka adventurous) roads.
Rear hatch for loading & unloading larger gear.
Attachable screen tents to expand living area.

I was able to see the Basecamp first hand while at Outessa (on launch day no less!) and casually mentioned it’d be fun to take it out for a spin. Airstream jumped at the idea for us to test it out in exchange for a blog post & some social media bragging rights. We managed to talk grandma into watching the kids so we could have an adventure date in southern Utah.

Travel Dates: October 6-8, 2016

“Built for adventure, it’s tough enough to go anywhere your wanderlust takes you, and comfortable enough to help you really enjoy the time you spend there.” -Airstream

Sam and I set off on a Thursday afternoon to drive the three hours down to the Wedge Overlook near Castle Dale, Utah. This spot has been on our list for at least a year, but we were unsure of cell signal so it needed to be off grid time. The Wedge is also known as “Utah’s Little Grand Canyon” for good reason.

As we left civilization and entered the southern Utah desert, I was reminded why I love it there so much. Wide, open, rugged spaces with large sandstone cliffs. It might not be for everyone, but I definitely appreciate the landscape!

Campground at the Wedge

All sites at the Wedge are first-come, first-served, so we snagged an area in group site #9 near the bathroom and the overlook. My parents were bringing the kids down for a night the following day (that’s really how I sold it to my mom so she’d watch the kids for us!) in the pop-up trailer so we needed some extra space & a toilet nearby.

The campground is basically a lot of scrub oak, red sand, and beautiful blue skies! Many of the sites would have worked for us, and there were some closer to the rim but nothing we could have fit two trailers in.

Basecamp Functionality

The Basecamp has a pretty simple layout: Kitchen in the front with panoramic windows, wet bath across from the door, and then the couch/sleeping area in the back with a hatch at the rear end. At 16’3″ long, the Basecamp is pretty small (similar to the Airstream Sport 16′ model), but they’ve done incredibly different things with the space. I loved the panoramic windows in the kitchen. They help the whole trailer feel so much more open! We often also opened up the hatch (there is a screen you can attach) to let some light and air back there as well.

Cooking was a breeze. I’m pretty sure the Basecamp has more cupboard space in the kitchen than our 27 International model! I felt the fridge was totally adequate in size for a weekend trip, and loved that there is even a small freezer section. Two burner stove, and plenty of counter space also made food prep smooth sailing.

The only con of the kitchen for me was the sink, and I talk about that in our video review below.

We didn’t get super organized (as you can see in the bottom left photo below) but we did feel there was enough storage space for everything. We took our laptops and they floated around a bit, and there’s no hanging storage for any clothes. More often than not though, I imagine weekend warriors will leave laptops and church clothes at home so its probably not generally an issue.

The Big Dipper even cooperated with our night time photography shoot!

The Basecamp is marketed as an adventure mobile, and we definitely agree! We brought our mountain bikes to tackle the 21 mile mountain bike trail around the rim. Coming back to smoothies & a shower instead of a tent was definitely a perk of having a small trailer along with us! Kayaks, bikes, SUP boards or other large gear could easily fit through the rear hatch and be tied down.

Can I just take a minute and reminisce how fun it was to do a long, mountain bike ride together without kids? I was seriously giddy the entire time. Especially because the views were amazing around almost every corner.

View looking into the trailer through the back hatch.

Taking the Road Less Traveled

On our way to drop the trailer off, we decided to take the long way to Green River, Utah through Buckhorn Wash. We had heard the roads can get pretty dicey down through there, but felt we were equipped to handle it. Luckily for us, the road had been recently graded and the Basecamp towed like a champ over the dirt roads!

Overall we were fairly impressed with the Airstream Basecamp model. Nimble, easy to tow, and great for outdoor adventures this definitely fills a need for many weekend warriors!

Video Review

Holidays & Bdays Outdoor Adventures

Choosing to Opt Outside For Black Friday

Post author By Jess
Post date November 21, 2016

Excited for Thanksgiving? Instead of shopping after the meal, consider Going Out with Us! Check out how we are dodging consumerism and spending time together as a family outdoors instead.

Thanksgiving weekend also means the start of Christmas. We are pretty diligent about not listening to Christmas music or putting up decorations before turkey day is over. However, I’ve grown increasingly sad with how stores are pushing the consumerism of Christmas. Do stores really need to be open on Thanksgiving Day?

In 2015, REI started the#OptOutside movement and it spread like wildfire. Their message was simple: Use Black Friday as a day outside. They put their money where their mouth was, closing all 149 of their stores, processing no online sales, and paying employees to take the day off and go outside.

At Currently Wandering, we fully embraced this idea as well! We already disliked the idea of spending an entire day centered around food. We were far from family and I had no desire to cook a turkey in our Airstream oven. Instead we took #OptOutside to the next level and spent 3 days backpacking at FDR State Park in Georgia over the holiday.

“We knew we wanted a Thanksgiving that was less about food and more about spending time together, and backpacking as a family does the trick.

Its hard to describe the feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction and pure happiness after two days out on the trails with our family. We did 7.8 miles over three days so it wasn’t hard, just lots of time unplugged with each other.”

fdr-state-park-ga_10

It worked so well that we’ve decided to do it again! This year we are in California and plan to camp on Channel Islands National Park. We have a kayaking/snorkel trip booked , day hikes picked out, recipes planned, and books ready to read.

On this holiday of Thanksgiving, we have much to be grateful for. We love our family, our faith, and our friends. We also feel very grateful for this opportunity to travel, to restructure and re-prioritize our activities and circumstances in pursuit of a simpler life.

I hope that along with family time & eating yummy food you’ll consider “Going Out With Us” on Black Friday! Make sure to visit REI’s #OptOutside page and create your own graphic to share on social media.