adventure and travel to discover the unknown and uncommon…with kids
This morning as I drove my children to school, I looked back at them in the rear view mirror. They were all decked out in red, white, and blue as requested by their school. They were going to spend some time in prayer and remembrance today, September 11th. My eleven year old caught me looking and I smiled at him remembering that chubby 6 month old child that he was that day. I decided to share with them, my memories of 9/11. Continue reading “parenting after 9/11”
It’s early Saturday morning and with everyone still asleep. It’s the perfect time for a nice long bike ride. I hop on my road bike, coast down the driveway, and I’m off. What follows is a list of what I see while on my ride. Continue reading “morning bike ride: a list”
Ever have one of those days where everything is perfect? The weather, the company, the location, and activities. You look back at the end of the day, tired and happy, and think “wow, this is a day I will always have with me! This is a day that makes all the difficult things of life worth it.” As much as we would like to, these days cannot be planned. They just happen organically. That’s part of what makes the day so special; you just can’t put a finger on exactly how it happened or even why it ended up being so unique. It will never be recreated other than in your mind again and again during the mundane or hard times in life. Continue reading “blue moon and the jersey shore”
Photo of the week:
It’s early morning and since we are on vacation everyone else is still asleep. I quietly get up and throw on a pair of shorts, a top, and tennis shoes (I grew up in the Mid West, we don’t wear sneakers there!) and slip out the door. I head down into the hotel lobby and smile good morning at a few sleepy looking people clutching their coffee cups and head outside. The morning is already warm and the sun, having just risen above the horizon, is doing it’s best to pierce through the fog still clinging to the valleys. The road, which later will be packed bumper to bumper with tourists exploring the area, is relatively quiet now. I put on my headphones, start my watch, and head out onto the road and start to run. Continue reading “morning run”
The road we were on twisted and turned passing a few small houses, lakes, and wetlands. It would soon come to a dead end, but our destination was before that. We had never been on this road even though it wasn’t too far from home. Off of this road was a lake; the location of a now deserted camp. We wanted to see what still remained. Continue reading “abandoned”
It’s that time of year again. Time for the State Fair. Every year the first week of August, the fair comes to town. Every year we go to the fair. Every year it’s exactly the same. But you know what, every year we have a great time! There’s something about the familiarity that is appealing. Your life may have changed this year,things may be different, but as soon as you step onto the fairgrounds you are surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells that you remember from last year. Continue reading “everybody loves a state fair”
The heat and humidity of the July afternoon had been left behind and the temperature continued to drop as we crawled onward, deeper and deeper into the ever narrowing crevice. The rock surrounding us was now smooth and damp with a slightly yellowish sheen. This dampness had meant the end of the huge black spiders each guarding an even bigger egg sack that we had seen at the entrance. We looked forward allowing our headlamps to pierce the darkness in front of us and wondered just where this tunnel in the cave would lead.
I often wonder how people have found many of the places that we go to. We often find ourselves in the middle of nowhere either bush whacking or following a faint herdpath to our destination. Was the location passed down through the generations by locals or was it simply stumbled upon by someone? Then, what caused someone finally to give up the location? Continue reading “deep into the cave”
I think I am addicted to triathlon! I just completed two triathlons over the past two weekends and I’m ready for more! And I want to recruit any and everyone to do them with me. You too!
Last weekend we had to bring my son up to camp in the Adirondacks and, while I was looking for a place to stay, I stumbled across the Piseco Lake Triathlon. It was nearby and I thought, why not, and signed up 4 days before the race. I’m so glad I did because it was a fun laid back race! The morning was gorgeous, cool and sunny with fog in the valleys. We all started together in the lake; there were no heats. It was a quick start, a couple of announcements and suddenly it was time to swim. Continue reading “addicted to triathlon”
What! We have not hiked the Adirondacks most popular hike! How can that be?
We were taking my oldest son to summer camp in the Adirondacks and decided to stay for a long weekend after we dropped him off. If you have read other posts of mine such as conquering the mountain, you know that the Adirondacks are my favorite place visit. It’s beautiful, rugged, rural, and there is so much to do! I began to plan what we would do this time and I came across Blue Mountain in the town of Blue Mountain Lake. We have been to the town a number of times but have never hiked the 2 mile trail to the top of the mountain which many websites stated was the most popular hike in the Adirondacks. Guess it was about time that we hike it! Continue reading “all the way! (with cranky kids)”
7feetnorth 