Author: Jess

Categories
Nebraska

Kearney, NE and a bike mechanic

“Keep going until you feel like you are headed out of town. Then keep going. Our house is out there.”

Kearney Nebraska was much bigger than I was expecting. Located mid-state I was thinking it’d be some po-dunk, in the middle of nowhere town and WHY would anyone want to live there? Ever?

Pleasantly surprised to find that its a fairly good sized town with quite the collection of big box stores, parks, and restaurant chains. Not so big that you get lost though. Just right. And there’s trees. For some reason, I had this perception that everything in the middle of the country would look like, well, Nevada. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

When my friend Jared offered to put us up for the night I was nervous it would be a little awkward. The “we haven’t seen each other or really talked in forever and now we’re staying at your house” kind of awkward. My nervousness was completely unfounded. Their kids immediately took ours under their wing and introduced them to their favorite toys and us adults settled into pleasant conversation that lasted almost until midnight.

I met Jared and his wife in college. While attending BYU I worked for Outdoors Unlimited; the on-campus all things outdoor equipment related rental shop and bike repair. For a Recreation Management major it was heaven. Great people that were interested in fun things, free equipment rental, on campus location, and a great boss. Jared showed up to get a Master’s Degree about my junior year. He immediately took over running the bike shop, whipped it into shape and became my mentor for all things bike mechanic. He is a whiz and I loved it. He taught me how to true wheels, overhaul hubs, tune derailleurs, you name it. He was also my go-to guy for a truck to haul bikes around on Saturdays for the Bike Rides for Girl’s Program I started as part of an internship for my degree.

Seeing them again was seriously a flashback to all the fun memories of college. It was great. I could almost smell the bike de-greaser again. Plus, my kids got to see first hand what an amazing bike mechanic Jared is, as he whipped out a new brake cable metal thing-y to fix Rachel’s bike.

We had so much we almost stayed a few extra days. We’ll be back.

Categories
Airstream Accessories

Laptop Pad

Today’s highlight shows how I was able to do some editing while in the car without totally hating life. Previous to this trip I bought the Logitech Portable Laptop Desk N315 and thought it was a good deal – even for editing on the couch while watching a movie with the hubby. You know, multi-tasking at its best. But it really shines when you are traveling.

You think I’m kidding, but this sucker has been a LIFE saver. And probably not for the reason you think. Yes, it keeps your lap cool (who here hasn’t put a laptop in their lap and singed their thighs a little??) but its the retractable mousepad that is my favorite feature. Trying to edit photos with a little touchpad on a laptop is a nightmare. I hate it. I won’t do it. You can’t really drag and drop, and using the patch tool to remove some unwanted blemishes? Total fail. I bought this one off Amazon on a whim and really, really, love it. So, if you are traveling (I’ve used it on a plane) and have a laptop that you might even possibly need to use while not seated a desk. Get this one. You can thank me later.

Oh – and to go along with it, you need a good USB Mouse. Ours is also a Logitech, but really, any good optical mouse will do. Although, what I really am thinking we should do is upgrade to wireless mouse. Then we could have one less cord to get tangled in the bag. Yup. Its going on the wishlist.

Happy Travels!

 

Categories
Faith Most Popular Posts

Leaving the Known for the Unknown

We’ve been to Denver before. Denver is not new to us, in fact it was a little like coming home. Right now, if I could pick anywhere to live it would be there. I love it. I love the people, I love the landscape, I love the city. I love the outskirts of the city.

Turns out though – neither Sam or I have ever driven PAST Denver. Nope. Denver was the edge of the known universe. Up to the eastern city limit, we could recognize landmarks and have a general idea of what to expect. Past it and my brain had a hard time even visualizing what to expect. Is the middle of the country as flat as I think it is? What’s out there? Does it all look like…gulp… Nevada?

In some ways our journey really starts here near the edge of the Rocky Mountains. From here everything is new – we have to work together a little better to make sure things don’t go sideways. To make sure that we stick together as a family. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous.

We pull into a gas station in the middle of nowhere and I have a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Are we really going to do this??” I think to myself. I look out over the brown, desert Eastern Colorado landscape and just for a moment I am afraid. There are so many things that could go wrong, yet at the same time there are so many that could go right.

Once again we leave the known for the unknown. Time to take a deep breath and just drive.

 

Categories
Airstream Accessories

Must Have Monday: Travel Potty Seat


Let’s be honest. Potty training your youngest child while traveling 2700 miles across 11 states is not ideal. Not even close to ideal, in fact its downright crazy. But what in our life isn’t crazy these days? I have seriously been trying to potty train this girl for over a year. We’ve tried on and off and maybe because she’s my last (not ready to let go?) or my most stubborn (not willing to duke it out with her?) it just hasn’t clicked. “She’s not ready” and “We’ll try again when she’s a little older” are my most common excuses.

Fast forward to 2 weeks before we leave. I desperately realize that having her still in diapers will be not ideal. So, it’s GO time. I’m going to get this DONE once and for all and then we will never have to buy another diaper again. I can totally do it in 2 weeks. My friends have managed to train in 2 days – so I have given myself plenty of time.

Not so much. I became so stressed, unhappy, and hating my life that I decided it just wasn’t worth it. I put the panties away, pulled out the Pull-ups again (gasp! I know!) and decided that when she wanted to, she would. And guess what? She did! The next day! I about fainted when Sam called to tell me Cara had gone upstairs and taken care of business all by herself.

We’ve not been without our accidents, but she’s actually doing quite well. The BEST thing I ever bought for this was a travel potty seat. This thing is a LIFE SAVER. I kid you not. Not only does she love it (who doesn’t love frogs, right??) it helps her to not be scared when we pull into the mangiest gas station in the middle of nowhere Nebraska and cheerful say “Okay Cara!! Time to go potty!” She tends to walk into the bathroom, look at the nasty toilet and say “No, mommy. I don’t need to go.” Luckily the frogs coax it right out of her. And it even comes with a nice little travel bag to keep it clean. Brilliant I tell you!

So, next road trip with a potty training child? You definitely need one.

 

Don’t we look amazing while we road trip?! Leaving Utah & Cara “driving the car”

 

Categories
Video

Rifle Falls to Denver, CO

The drive from Rifle, CO, to Denver, CO is one of my favorites. The canyons are beautiful, they have some really long tunnels to keep the kids entertained (Rachel held her breath through the entire Eisenhower Tunnel, not an easy feat) and it really just epitomizes “rocky mountain grandeur”.

“Babe!!”

“What??!”

“Check out that bike path! One heck of a climb but just LOOK at it!”

I glanced out my window to see the most picturesque paved bike trail I’ve ever seen in my life. The black and yellow winds up through the pine & aspen trees to the top of a giant hill (possibly Vail pass? I’ve lost track of where we are) before beginning a quick descent back down the other side. It was so beautiful I almost cried. Well, not really, but we did decide that we could easily spend a few weeks here.

Imagine this: Park the airstream, Sam spends some quality time with a signal booster and a mifi card while the kids and I hike and play in the dirt. We spend our evenings on long, scenic bike rides with the kids. Sounds glorious doesn’t it?

For now, though, we just drink it in and keep driving to Denver.