Warning: Picture-heavy post ahead! When you think of the whole United States, most people don’t realize just how far north Alaska is. Go take a look at a geographically correct map. Cue collective “WHOA” There are only so many ways you can drive to Alaska and most journeys take days (even the ferry). And while…
We are *almost* to Alaska! Middle of nowhere Canada actually!! But, in an effort not to get too backlogged on posts, let’s just pretend we are still in Wyoming. Because I want to recap our hikes from our 3 weeks there. I’ll keep it short and sweet (with lots of pictures!). With its regal 40-mile…
We wrapped up our 3 weeks in the Teton Valley of Wyoming (Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park) and are in route to Alaska (via a long 8 days through Canada). I know I keep saying this, but it felt like way more than 3 weeks. We really had no idea how much we…
Currently living/working in: Wait, has all of June really passed? Holy cannoli, we truly have been running at warp speed while trying to juggle fiery balls mixed in with sharp knives. Okay, quite the exaggeration, but I’m known for that. Anyway, a million things have been going on in June. I will spare you all the…
Road life. I’ve forgotten how chaotic it is! Actually, the truth is we’ve been going 150 mph even before we hit the road. As my brother-in-law said to us, “it’s kind of interesting to see you two stressed out and actually working like the rest of us!” Anyway, I knew I owed everyone an update.…
2 years. It’s the longest we’ve spent in one place since we embarked on our life less ordinary in 2011. So basically an eternity. New Mexico–the 15th state we’ve collectively lived in–unexpectedly stole our hearts. To get even more poetic and cheesy, we were mesmerized by the spell cast by the land of enchantment. Justin…
Currently living/working in: Enjoying our last few weeks at Fenton Ranch in New Mexico before we close this chapter of our life and hit the road to work for Leave No Trace in June (Fenton Ranch wrap-up post forthcoming!) Current mood: A tad overwhelmed (mainly me) by all the details involved with the transition, but in…
This should be no surprise to anyone, but we bought another van (our “big purchase” referenced in my April Currently post)!! Meet the Wanderer II, a 2010 Roadtrek Adventurous RS Sprinter. As we do best, we usually spend 22 minutes making big life decisions. To be clear, Justin is always looking at vans for sale.…
Currently living/working in: Nearly done with our 5-week spring teaching session at Fenton Ranch. The teaching schedule is so busy, but it goes so fast! Current mood: Pumped for our summer 2018! A few currently posts ago, I lamented that our summer was looking pretty boring. Boy was I wrong. Currently amazed by and proud…
Justin and I have thoroughly loved working at Fenton Ranch teaching kids K-5 about nature. We try our darnedest to impart everlasting knowledge, particularly Leave No Trace lessons on the young minds. Maybe out of the 50+ kids in every grade level, 3-5 learn something. Maybe they don’t retain the facts, but I am comforted…
In addition to our bylines in Backpacker‘s Spring 2018 Gear Guide, there are also some full-page pictures of us tucked in the pages and I wanted to share our photo shoot story before the issue leaves the newsstands (you know, in case you want to pick up a copy for us to autograph). This…
Currently living/working in: We are enjoying the quiet of Fenton Ranch for just a few more days until the school children return for their environmental education program! The spring session only lasts 5 weeks, with kindergarteners coming up to the ranch for just the day, 1st graders for 1 night and 3rd graders for 2…
New Mexico is a darn big state. Even though we’ve been living here on and off for 2 years (holy cow!), we’ve hardly explored half of it. Little by little, we are trying to see more. Because our nomadic half-time RV, half-time hiker friends, BJ & Clara (Shadow & Country Mouse), put down temporary roots…
Justin & I wear many different hats, and one large one is Gear Testers for Backpacker Magazine (and a prototype tester for a few brands). We get a lot of questions surrounding this. How did you become gear testers? What the heck does that mean? Is that really a job? Do you get paid? I…
Currently living/working in: Still property caretaking Fenton Ranch in New Mexico … nothing much to report on that end. It’s been a quiet winter compared with last year! Current confession: February was a short month, and that’s my excuse for posting “Currently” so late. Current mood: Oy vey, it’s been quite a month. Actually, quite…
I received the greatest gift. The gift of time with my mom. This hasn’t happened in quite a bit. And we had 7 whole days, just her and I. She flew out to Denver to briefly see Justin too, then she and I road tripped back to New Mexico. The one-on-one time was something we both needed…
I have so much to say, yet nothing to say. But if I don’t get a post up soon, we’ll be in March and I’ll be kicking myself. Then I decided, I have a lot of pretty pictures to share! So I don’t really have to come up with lots of words after all. You’re…
Currently living/working in: Still property caretaking Fenton Ranch in New Mexico! I believe our Jan. 21 snowstorm was retribution for getting off easy with the mild winter we’ve had (and continue to have). Their 3-inch prediction turned into 15 inches! It was beautiful and necessary, but did I mention our snowblower decided to break that…
Native Americans have inhabited New Mexico for more than 2,500 years and thankfully, the state has preserved so much of their living culture with a number of national monuments. But, there are also 100s of ancestral sites dotting the land as virtually untouched and unknown treasures. Thanks to local knowledge, we explored Guadalupe Mesa last…
For 7 days straight, we’ve hosted 3 different sets of back-to-back visitors! Hosting people is one of my favorite things to do, but being nomadic has made it a little more challenging for most people to plan trips. Now that we’ve been “settled” in New Mexico for nearly 2 years, more and more peeps are…