This Does Not Compute

We recently took an epic road trip to British Columbia with some of our friends who live in Seattle. We started our trip backpacking in the North Cascades National Park, then drove through Vancouver, B.C. to a town called Squamish. 

Yay! We survived the wilderness 

Before the trip even began, Dave mentioned going to Whistler for downhill mountain biking. He also casually mentioned that Amy was afraid of bikes and might need some convincing so that the four of us could go. We worked out tons of different scenarios to figure out what Whistler would look like if she decided not to try biking, but it turned out none of that was needed because she agreed to take a downhill class almost immediately. I would like to also mention here that I was a little apprehensive when she agreed after talking to Dave about it. Dave is the most encouraging person I know- he literally believes in everyone but may have underrepresented the danger of mountain biking when he showed Amy a wheelchair accessible paved ramp and said “If you can bike down this, you can downhill mountain bike.”

View from our AirBnB in Squamish, about 45 minutes south of Whistler. Waking up to that view, who wouldn’t want to go do scary things?! 

This apprehension turned to full on anxiety as we signed the waivers giving up our rights to sue if we received any injuries while biking. Amy took her form to a table and suggested we read through the entire form so we fully understood what we were doing. After the first paragraph, she suggested we sign before we fully understood what we were doing. 

We signed our papers, then agreed to signing them in front of a witness, and then I waited for them to ask me my blood type in case I needed major surgery following our lesson. Mountain biking is so fun, but if someone is afraid of bikes, sitting on a metal frame soaring down a mountain over rocks and tree roots and jumps and turns sounds like a nightmare. And the more I thought about the waiver and my blood type and how scary things might be for Amy, the more I thought about how scary this was in general. I made some jokes about how I felt like I was going to poop my pants or throw up, then actually work out contingency plans if said events happened (Just throw up to the side of the lift, helmet off).

Dave took lots of videos throughout the process for our legal records... here is a still showing us smiling through our terror 

We got our bikes and waited for our lesson. Our instructor came over to inspect our bikes and gear and when it was Amy’s turn, sent her bike back because the brakes didn’t work. Good start. We practiced putting our bikes on the lift one time and then headed up the hill. I realized very quickly that I hadn’t needed to worry about Amy at all. Because she went from being afraid of a bike to riding so fast and fearless that she was literally yelling at people to get out of her way. She rode over every rock, tree root, bear poop pile, and up on every berm full on. 

Dylan snapped this photo on the trails... Do we look cool?! 

We had set up a meeting time with Dave and Dylan because no one had service and when 2 PM rolled around, she suggested we leave the boys waiting in the dust for another ride (which we did). She boosted and gnar gnar’ed and ESP’ed and to our surprise, neither of us needed a blood transfusion due to extensive injuries. We ended the day cheers-ing to conquering fears with the guys (an hour later than they expected).

Important to mention: On the other side of the mountain, Dave and Dylan were crushing it on the hills, trying out tons of different routes. They decided they would give a black diamond a shot after riding for a few hours to end the day. Dave noted that they had to really work up their courage to take on the route and, after finally deciding to tackle the course, started cruising down the hill. There is an unwritten rule (or maybe written- I’m still new at this) in mountain biking that you should never slam on your brakes because that’s the easiest way to flip over your handlebars. So Dave was extremely surprised when Dylan slammed on his brakes halfway down the hill. He braked too to check in, and look slightly ahead to realize there was a huge bear hanging out in the middle of the track. Fair enough reason to stop. 

I signed a contract at a STEM based, Special Education preschool in Colorado. I made the choice, notified my parents and most of my friends. We made plans for my breaks from school. We talked about long-term goals, and our hopes and dreams for our new adventure. We discussed these things on a glacier on a mountain. Second time making that mistake.

Look at that view! Let’s make major life decisions! 

We started looking at houses. We found a cute little place with two bedrooms, a small kitchen and 3 season room, in a less than desirable part of town where the train runs through the middle of the street, blaring its horn at odd hours throughout the day and night. Its foundation was unsafe. Its yard was overgrown with weeds and shrubs. It was close to $300,000.

So we only have to go halfway across the country? Let’s try and drive this in one day! 

On the drive back to Denver, Dave started talking about how trendy everything we want is right now- a small home, walking distance to downtown, with potential to be fixed up, near nature. He mentioned how one of the things he liked about Ohio is that it’s never really trendy (despite Forbes magazine declaring it as such) and it (sorry guys) will probably never be trendy. He said he liked that if you aren’t from there, there’s nothing mystical or magical like the ocean, or mountains, or even a clear clean lake (Lake Erie doesn’t count) to draw you to this part of the country. It boasts humble opportunities, great sports, and some really genuine, really hardworking people.

I listened and a seed of hope began to sprout. See, I love adventure, and travel, and talking about how different our lives can be. And yet, as much as I hate to admit it, I love Northeast Ohio. Even as I’m typing this out I’m thinking, “Really? You love a place where the sun hasn’t shown itself in weeks over the mountainous glory land you just visited?” Yeah, I know. It’s weird and it doesn’t make sense. It just is.

Remember how much we complained about Ohio and everything in it? Let’s move back there! I know we’ve been driving for 17 hours and its 2 a.m. but I think now is a good time to make more life decisions. 

I got a text from my mentor teacher I worked under during my Masters program saying there was an opening at the school I was at in Cleveland. I cried. I was devastated that I had already accepted a position and was not going to work at a school in a district in a city that really needs it. I was sad that the kids at that school would not get to see my hard work or dedication. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to teach and learn from the community in Cleveland.

Because in my opinion, there will ALWAYS be someone who wants to move to Colorado. There will always be highly qualified individuals seeking employment out West. The district I accepted at mentioned how in the past year they had hired 210 new teachers to meet the demand of their constantly growing population. The kids out there will always have someone to help them through their Pre-K years.

We had already planned on coming back here for Memorial Day weekend and on the drive I opened the discussion for potentially rescinding my acceptance and trying here again. We had plenty of time to discuss the option- it was a 22 hour drive that we decided to just do in one fell swoop. We opted out of another hotel room to save Dexter from more trauma- instead sleeping at a rest area where despite the fact that he was severely drugged (desperate times) he barked at every human who walked within a ten foot radius of our vehicle. We ultimately ended up sleeping on the side of the road nestled between two semi’s so everyone could rest for an hour or two (something I had promised myself I would never do). I had made the comment that my breaks from school were ideal because we could just drive back on Fridays after I was done and bring Dexter and save money on a flight. After this drive Dave kindly said, “We will never be doing this again.” Oh Dexter.

Dear Dog Mom and Dog Dad: Please never take me in the car again. Love, Dexter. 

Anyway, a twenty-something hour drive coupled with a lack of sleep and restless dog seemed like an ideal time to talk through every major life decision we’ve made. We took a great deal of time over-analyzing all of our choices, all the reasons we left Ohio, and all the things we did or didn’t like about the new cities we had discovered. We recognized that the past two years that we lived in Ohio we constantly ragged on anything we could- the weather, the sometimes resistant to newbies people, the fact that you have to drive everywhere, the lack of mountains, etc.

But then we talked about fond memories of the summers, going to baseball games, hiking in the Metroparks, and playing on summer sports teams. We talked about our friends and family and how those connections carried us through the times the sun stopped shining. We talked about the diversity of people, classes, and cultures and how much we loved going to events and not looking around to see mini-clones of ourselves in Patagonia puffy vests drinking craft beer. Northeast Ohio, particularly Cleveland and Akron, has a depth and grit that trendy towns won’t ever have. It’s also incredibly affordable which offers opportunities to do things like travel other places, actually buy a home and potentially pay it off, and have a family (if that’s your thing). We talked about the pros and the cons and we realized that every city has something that’s special but there is no “perfect place.” And we have been so focused on the gleam of the West that we’ve avoided and denied the fact that this place has something for us that no other place does: the feeling of being home.

Dexter is so relieved he is not in the car and got to see his Grandma and Grandpa he does’t even care that he is covered in laundry.

It’s incredibly hilarious to both of us that we traveled to some of the most beautiful places in the country and still made the decision to come back right to where we started. The joke is not lost on us. And our decisions may seem crazy to people who have made the leap to go West and love it. But for us, for right now, we are seeing our home with fresh eyes. My Mom’s cousin Diane told me our story reminded her of a T. S. Eliot quote that summed it up perfectly:

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

So, for the second time I’ve had to call a lovely Principal and explain to her how our plans have changed and Dave and I are spending our time in Ohio, where we started, knowing it for the first time.

Our Air BnB had a little turtle lamp on a timer that turned on each night at 8 p.m. We lovingly referred to it as “turtle time,” our superhero signal that we would likely be asleep within an hour. 

Our time in Colorado was short and sweet. Most of the time I spent working hard on getting my teaching license transferred and applying and interviewing for jobs. Most of Dave’s time was spent making new connections and working hard on his new product. But we did manage to find time for some hiking and beer drinking. We went a lot more places than I have listed below but I’m just going to put in the highlights. Here’s a recap:  

Hikes:

El Dorado Canyon State Park

I needed a haircut while in Denver and was so glad I ended up making an appointment where I did- I met a fellow Ohioan who had moved to Denver five years earlier. She gave me a wealth of recommendations, including hiking at this park. Dave and I drove up one random afternoon and it did not disappoint. We packed a lunch and a few celebratory drinks (when in Colorado!), and ate them on a rock overlooking the canyon. I was surprised by this decision after our recent trip to the Grand Canyon and my recent obsession with figuring out how many people fall into canyons on accident each year.

St. Mary’s Glacier:

We drove up the mountain for this quick hike on a Wednesday afternoon in May and it snowed the whole time. We were the only people on the hike and it was super cloudy, but it was still a gorgeous view that I ignored the whole time because I took a call with one of the schools I interviewed with. I think Dave had fun though!

This seems like a great time to talk about early childhood intervention strategies!

Chief Hosa Park:

I’m not entirely sure of the name of this trail, but it’s close enough to the Chief Hosa exit off of I-70 that I’m just looping it in with this park. It was a nice 5ish mile loop that included a stream and some amazing mountain views.

Trees! Now that I think about it, this might be from our hike in Boulder. But you get the point. 

Drinks:

There were so many breweries right by our Air BnB, so we basically stuck to those while in town. Here’s a quick rundown:

Lowdown: Good food and a nice urban patio. While we were in town they were doing a “Month of IPA’s” which are my favorite so we came here quite a few times.

True Brewery: A metal brewery that’s always dark, even when the sun is shining and the garage doors are open. 

Crazy Mountain Renegade: They have super cool artwork and pretty good beer.

Banded Oak Brewery: We stopped up here one Monday after a giant hailstorm devastated the area and met a former filmmaker who looked related to Ryan Gosling and had given up the Cali lifestyle to live in Colorado. We talked to him about our trip and he raved about how awesome Colorado is. Right after he left we turned to the bartender, the only other person in the building and he said, “Denver sucks” and proceeded to unload about the reason it’s going downhill, mainly due to people like the aforementioned filmmaker. We loved him and he became our new best friend that we proceed to visit a few more times.

Baere Brewery: Lots of Edison bulbs and reclaimed wood. I suppose this description would work for all of the breweries above.  And all of the breweries in America.

Food:

Cuba, Cuba: A ridiculously delicious Cuban restaurant that we went to with some new friends. I prided myself on asking in the middle of dinner, “So, is this Cuban food?”

While Dave had been mentioning Flagstaff, Arizona since before we left for our trip and I had wanted him to see the Grand Canyon, we had other motives for spending a few days in northern Arizona. I had been interviewing at schools in the state and had been offered a position in Tucson and tentatively offered a spot in Flagstaff. By now, we’ve become pretty good at scoping out cities within the first 48 hours and looking for major signs that we would fit in and/ or major red flags. So we booked a few days at a cute studio a few miles from downtown Flagstaff and drove up. The drive was incredible- although the first two hours from Tucson to Phoenix were much of the same, the last two hours take you through Sedona and up into the mountains. We stopped to see the national monument Montezuma’s Well, a random mini-“lake” where the bottom depth is disputed. Very science fiction-y. Once we got to Sedona, we were ecstatic to see trees again after a long stint in the desert and instantly became freeze babies after being in the heat- wearing our coats and hoodies in 65+ temps.

Montezuma’s Well: No one knows how deep this thing is and the “bottom” is allegedly just leeches.

A picture of the landscape in Sedona from the car 

Our first night we drugged up Dexter and headed downtown. We had been told by multiple people how wonderful Flagstaff is and I gotta be honest- we were kind of let down. In part it might have been that I had my guard up- I didn’t want to fall in love with this place only to not be officially offered a position, and in part because we got feelings similar to those we had in Bend- lots of affluent folks who don’t really go out of their way to be friendly.  I should mention there is no denying that the setting is gorgeous- huge pine trees and a giant mountain as the backdrop to the downtown. We stopped in a cute brewery and looked around to see clones of ourselves sitting at all the barstools and tables and felt deja-vu we weren’t ready to feel again. We opted to take our beers to go and get Little Ceaser’s pizza for dinner instead of exploring more and despite both of us being lactose intolerant.

Brewery tasting

With our bodies properly fueled, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon the next day. I was excited because the last time I visited I was 12 and Dave had never been. As we drove up to the park, we enjoyed the joys that all relationships enjoy while traveling- a nice passive aggressive discussion about what we were going to do with our lives. I asked constant questions that could in no way be answered immediately like: Should I take the job in Tucson? Should I wait it out and see what Flagstaff has to offer? Should we leave Arizona in the dust? You know that sense of uncertainty and discomfort you feel when you step outside of what is your “normal” that typically occurs while traveling and makes you lash out at those closest to you? That was our drive through the beautiful country. Just keeping it real here. You want to know what snapped us out if it? Arriving at the Grand Canyon.

Well, not the canyon itself, but instead overhearing lots of other couples and families doing that exact same passive-aggressive/ungrateful/I’m kind of terrified so I’m being snappy thing. A few teenage comments like “Why do you always make assumptions about me Mom? You don’t know me!” and classic husband-wife darts like, “Well I told you to bring it...” and we were back on track.

We also decided that in the midst of such beauty we should use this opportunity to really think about what we want as we move forward. So we talked as we walked along the rim of the one of the seven great wonders of the world. As we discussed, we watched lots of teenagers freak out their moms by stepping too close to the edge of the canyon. The highlight: I heard a Mom say, “I know they wouldn’t have it open if it wasn’t safe, but I’m a mom and I worry!” which made me laugh. One of the things I love about the National Parks is they are not Disneyland. They care more about the environment than people. And they expect people to use good judgment and not do things like dangle over the edge of the canyon.

Ignoring our common sense for a good photo (to be fair there was a ledge below this rock so Dave only would’ve fallen a few feet. Also I’ll spare my Mom the picture of me doing a yoga pose on this same ledge).

Which made me start to wonder… do people actually die here? A thought to be explored later. Anyway, we avoided getting too close and instead hiked part of the rim and stopped at a gift shop to buy $7 pre-packaged sandwiches made in Minnesota. We talked more and more about the pros and cons of each life decision: Flagstaff? Tucson? Somewhere else? and then opted for a short hike 1.5 miles down the canyon.

Our stopping point in the Canyon

I love hikes that begin downhill because you become so confident that you are going to rock the hike, only to witness the slow crawl of everyone walking up the hill who was in your position almost moments ago. I started to get a little freaked out… Did we have time to complete this hike? Would I be able to carry the pack back up the hill? The pack which contained several unnecessary winter layers we crammed into a tiny container because we now required 80 degree temperatures merely to survive? Dave assured me we would be fine. We passed a teenager hiking in flip flops and full make-up, and another with a sparkling water who asked where the drinking fountains were. It was then that I understood that we would actually be fine.

Our hike was beautiful and we made it back up the canyon quickly, in awe that we had hiked 3 miles and just barely descended to the bottom. We talked endlessly about all the possibilities in the state of Arizona, a hidden gem to both of us that we only knew based on a song Dave wrote in college with the state’s name. I should put that on here. It’s adorable. When we got back to the rim, we walked hand in hand and decided that we would start a new chapter in Tucson. We walked back to the car content, I contacted the school, and we drove home to read stories about all of the people who have died at the Grand Canyon since it became a National Park. We felt ready to take on this new chapter together.

Then, that night, Dave did not sleep because he was so freaked out that we were going to move all of our belongings across the country in the middle of 110 degree weather and not four days later I had a nervous breakdown when I was sent information about requirements to start the school year and I quickly said oh, never mind, this is not right for me and now…. the search continues!

Also, just wanted to mention we drove through Arches National Park and Moab and they were absolutely stunning.

Spoiler Alert: We almost moved here we loved it so much. However, it did not begin as a love affair. Our first day we arrived late at night after our Palm Springs fiasco, tired and ready for rest. We stayed at a place where the AirBnB hosts own a home and have a small studio and larger casita all in one lot. The hosts were absolutely amazing and we were excited to openly share we had a dog again. We woke up the next morning and headed to the Starbucks that was two tenths of a mile from our house, a very dangerous thing, and decided to go for a walk to scope out the new hood.

Of course, Dexter’s gentle leader had gotten destroyed by our visits to the ocean and was now chaffing against his nose so badly that it had started to crack and bleed. With no other options, we took him for a walk using just his dog collar. In case you didn’t know already, Dexter is 75 lbs and horrible on a leash. So this got things started off RIGHT. I went in to Starbucks to receive our life blood and messed up the order, making enemies at the one place I so desperately needed people to like me. After multiple apologies, I ran out, we checked out a few places on google maps, and were on our way.

The Starbucks was located at a busy intersection- think 4 lanes going in 4 different directions, with an abandoned lot and a Safeway on the opposite corners. We figured things would calm down once we got walking and proceeded to end up in a sketchy alley where people deliberately almost ran us over with their cars. We found a place we had researched- a cute cafe people recommended. When we arrived, there were no people and bars on the windows. We started to feel a little discouraged. Would this be Santa Barbara, part two? We continued on our walk to find a brewery in a closed shopping center. The streets we were on were desolate and empty. We walked back to our place despondently, finding a dead pigeon that some kids had put a crown around at the entrance to our place. I freaked out. What was this place? What kind of omen was this? Why were we in Tucson? 

(Just kidding, it wasn’t that bad. We didn’t find the dead pigeon until weeks later.)

Determined not to repeat last month’s adventures, we caffeinated and re-grouped. We knew we needed to check out other areas, despite the (once again) record weather- upper 90 degree temperatures at 9 a.m. in March. We hopped on our bikes and headed down to 4th street, where our fears were calmed. We found a bustling, funky, college town rich with diversity and cool spots. We ended up spending our first Friday night (coincidentally St. Patrick’s Day) at The Shanty- the oldest bar in Arizona (a typical college bar) and Dave got a $50 haircut. History would not repeat itself. We were pumped. Here’s what we found the rest of our time there:

St. Paddy’s Day 

Hikes:

So we actually didn’t do as much hiking as we had hoped- I think due to the heat and the fact that we found ourselves outside getting our fix in the mornings when it was particularly nice. Side note: Dave and I are obsessed with figuring out how many days of sunshine each city gets on average because we come from Cleveland where the sun don’t shine. When we first arrived, we asked a few people how many days of sun Tucson gets and they looked at us confused. “It shines every day” they would say. “That’s not a thing here.”

Rillito River Path: This is a paved path that runs along both sides of the Rillito river. Dave and I were very confused by the fact that there is no actual water in the river. Even now, I like to look at Google maps and see the river, labeled in blue, looking like a river, and wonder at the mystery of it all.

Saguaro National Park: I’m not joking when I say that it was super hot every day while we were in Tucson, so oftentimes we skipped out on hikes later in the day because it wouldn’t be fun. We had been wanting to visit Saguaro National Park for some time but could never get it together to get out there before the heat hit and are limited in National Parks due to having a dog. On Easter, we opted to do the scenic drive, which did not disappoint.

Sabino Canyon Seven Falls: This hike we decided to do despite the heat because there was a rumor that there was actual water at the end. After getting lost on the trail a few times, we finally made it to the Seven Falls. It’s a gorgeous waterfall that fills a few small pools you are welcome to jump in. Dave went for it despite it being snowmelt and being March and also because he secretly had to pee. Secret’s out.

Dave getting ready to pee

Dave secretly peeing while an older couple watched and talked to him 

Mount Lemmon: Lo and behold, the hidden gem (or not really hidden, it’s a giant mountain) of Tucson. A real mountain that you can drive to the top of. The drive up is gorgeous and we hit it right around the time of a big bloom of wildflowers. At a certain point, you reach an elevation where the cacti disappear and pine trees and grass burst out of nowhere. It continues to baffle me and Dave that there are two completely different climates and respective landscapes less than thirty minutes from one another. Another magical thing about Mt. Lemmon: the Cookie Cabin, a place where you can get cookies the size of your face. We went twice. Oh also, there are lots of hikes on the mountain. But also cookies. Giant cookies.

Just looking at that cookie makes me want to drive back. 

Drinks:

Cafe Pase: Yummy food and good coffee.  

Savaya Coffee: That’s where Dave learned about a science coffee drip. I don't know what that is but it sounds expensive.

Crave coffee: Awesome work space says Dave.

Cartel Coffee: The best iced coffee around. Seriously so good and after a trip to Phoenix last spring this was a determining factor in our coming to Tucson. I should note I didn’t go once while we were there. 

Public Brewery: Great little brewery in a super cool old barn/warehouse. We went every Monday for trivia, reviving our “Bazooka Joe” team from Bend. Not only did we not lose once, we actually came in 9th out of 15 teams one time! The staff here were amazing- sometimes sneaking hints for us. Also, we met a fellow traveler here who ended up going on one of those ships thats on “Whale Wars” and saves whales from being hunted. We spoke to him a couple of times and on our last night there, Dave, confused, asked him “How’s the whale hunting going?” Now we can never show our face here again.

I should also note that after a few brews we visited the Tucson Taco Shop (lovingly nicknamed “The Littlest Taco Shop,” by us), a local taco-bell-esque shop open 24 hours. The woman knew my order by the last week.

Edit: Dave just informed me that it clearly states this place was called “The Taco Shop Company,” an oversight on my part. For the record, I will continue to ignore this information.

Borderlands Brewery: Good beer in an old warehouse right (sensing a theme here) with live music on Sundays.  

Dragoon Brewery: The best beers of all in Tucson in an… old… warehouse.

Food:

Marco’s Pizza: THEY HAVE ONE OF THESE IN TUCSON. We put our lactose intolerance aside to eat like we were in Ohio.

Walking to Marcos

1702: We put our lactose intolerance aside to.. eat pizza again. They had Hop Cheesy Bread- cheesy bread with actual hops on top. I pretended I liked it in front of Dave (who argued from the start it was an experiment gone wrong) but honestly it tasted weird.

China Pasta House: Authentic chinese dumpings. SO GOOD but also made my tummy hurt.

Prep and Pastry: A trendy brunch place with some of the best mimosas I’ve ever had, including one made with prickly pear cactus juice that looked like something a ninja turtle would drink.

Chipotle: A local taco/burrito shop. Very rare.  

Seis: A walk-up gourmet taco shop in an outdoor mercado downtown. It was so good I went once with my Mom and her cousin Diane and then went back two days later. The tacos are amazing and the outdoor space makes you feel like you are eating them in Europe.

BOUT TO EAT THOSE TACOS 

Street Tacos: An actual place with some really good tacos. I should mention Tucson prides itself on having the best 23 miles of tacos in the nation. They did not disappoint.

Spots/Things to Do:

Metal Arts District: One of our favorite places to hang. We stopped by the Tucson Hop Shop several times, a bar with several beers on draft and lots of drinks in a cooler. They had a gorgeous outdoor space and Etch-A-Sketches at each table. I also went to yoga at an art studio here and it was delightful.

Botanical Gardens: My mom came into town for a weekend and we spent an afternoon checking out an exhibit on Frida Khalo. It was gorgeous and especially helpful for two people who have no idea what the difference between all the cacti in the region is.

The Rock: A grungy concert venue right down the street from our place. Dave won free tickets to see a band called Chon. I acted like an old person.

Goodyear, AZ: When in Arizona in the spring, you gotta catch an Indian’s game! They crushed the Cincinnati Reds and we knocked something off our bucket list.

Cyclovia: An event that occurs twice a year where a huge section of downtown is blocked off to all car traffic and open to bikers and pedestrians. It was Dave’s dream come true, especially after he had a Sonoran dog from El Guero Canelo. A sonoran dog is a hot dog wrapped in bacon. 

D&D Pinball: A pinball emporium. Dave.

Marana: We had dinner with my Mom’s cousin who lives in this city, a little north of Tucson. It is right near the foothills of the mountains and simply gorgeous.

Cousin Diane’s very impressive dessert 

Phoenix: Dave went up to Phoenix for a few days for a work conference and somehow ended up booking the penthouse suite of an apartment building.

The view from Dave’s room. I DON’T UNDERSTAND. 

His rooftop pool. 

Star Gazing at Mt. Lemmon: We bought tickets to star-gaze with my Mom on top of Mt. Lemmon using some of the most advanced telescopes in some of the best skies in the country. We learned all about how the telescopes work, had dinner and watched a delightful sunset, and then were evacuated from the mountain due to a wildfire a mile and a half away.

What a beautiful sunset... can’t wait to see the stars

Based on several recommendations, including one from a former drug-runner we sat next to in a brewery while Dave’s Mom was in town, we planned a trip to Channel Islands National Park. The park is a series of islands off the coast of California near the Santa Barbara and Ventura areas. The only way to access these islands is via boat, so we booked a charter for a day trip to Santa Cruz island (the only open island during the time of year we visited).

We drove down the 101 early one March morning and arrived at the port. (Is it called a port?) The island we would be traveling to only has one water pump near where the boats drop you off and has no other amenities, so we packed accordingly: lots of snacks, healthy lunch, water, and two beers (for emergency situations). We hopped on the boat along with a middle school field trip group and began the hour-long trek across the ocean.

I was a bit apprehensive once we saw that we would be sharing the charter with middle-schoolers, only because several years ago I went on a family whale watching trip where the same thing occurred. Our family watched as the kids ran all around the boat, buying up all the food from the snack bars like cheese pretzels, cotton candy, over-cooked hot-dogs and candy. Unfortunately, the seas ended up being rough that day and we watched as the children slowly descended below deck, one by one, looking more and more green. Eventually, I ventured below deck with my sister-in-law Elise, only to find a wasteland of pre-teens and vomit bags covering the first floor of the ship. Our trip ended after we saw the tip of a whale’s tail and one of the chaperones demanded we return back to shore because “it wasn’t safe out here.”

Needless to say, I was worried. Fortunately, someone had the good sense to close down the snack bar until the return trip and my fears were quelled. We settled in for the ride. Only to be stopped after a few minutes. I looked around fearfully- engine trouble? already? would we have to swim back to shore? would we be taken over by pirate ships? were we being forced into slave labor on the oil rigs?

Not quite. Dolphins! HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS swimming in the wake of our ship. The captain slowed the boat so we could watch as they playfully swam alongside the ship. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. We tried to capture a clear photo but those cuties are quick.

We began to move again and then almost immediately stopped.

For a whale. A real, live whale. I was ecstatic. Finally, an opportunity to see more than a brief glimpse of a tail! The captain assured us this was a rare occurrence and that it might be one of the grey whales that missed the migration because it was lost or potentially gave birth. He drummed up the engine again to move on. Until, a second whale appeared! It was like a dream come true. Apparently the momma grey whale had given birth and her calf was now coming up to the surface. “Well this is rare, folks! Enjoy it! We are gonna get going- these whales won’t stick around for much longer” the guide explained. Until the baby grey whale started BREACHING. Straight up jumping up and down in the water. Again, it was magical.

Every time the captain tried to continue the journey, the whale did something more spectacular. By the end, it was swimming right next to the boat, waving it’s flipper and singing that “Don’t worry about a thing” song. It was almost unbelievable. We finally had to say our goodbyes and head on to the island to ensure we didn’t end up stranded out there. We finished the ride and were greeted at the island by an adorable walrus seal basking in the sun.

Channel Islands is similar to other remote national parks in that they kind of pull a survivor on you- they bring you to your destination, make you aware of all the bad things that could happen to you, provide you with no resources except a map and tell you to come back to the docking area on time. Dave and I love this. We opted to go for a 7.5 “strenuous” hike to a place called Smugglers Cove where you land on a quiet beach. We booked it up a hill and headed on our way through gorgeous open fields with views of the ocean and the California coast. The island was gloriously quiet, save for Dave’s burps and sneezes.

We arrived at the beach in plenty of time to eat our lunch and drink our emergency beers. After resting for a bit, Dave suggested we hop in the 37 degree ocean (that’s my rough estimate of the temperature based on personal experience). I thought sure, why not. I headed to change into my suit when I ran into two adorable girls walking up to the beach.

Nice spot for lunch

“You two are fast! We left at the same time and you guys are already here? We’ve been ‘huffin and puffin like sausage mcmuffins!” I died inside. These girls were too cute. I assured them we were only quick because we were motivated by food and an emergency beer.

I changed and Dave and I went in the water. It was crystal clear and completely freezing. I watched the tops of my thighs turn bright red and decided to go under once and then run away. never to return. I did this while Dave stayed in the water and screamed several times. Finally, when he had incited enough pain, he hopped out and we headed back.

Dave freezing in the corner 

We won the survivor challenge, made it back to docking area in enough time to catch cute little island foxes scavenge for food and have a reward beer on the boat. The end.

Documenting the impending sunburn

Driving into Palm Springs... it was inevitable we would want to spend the night here. 

On our way to Tucson, Dave and I planned an overnight stay at an Air BnB in the middle of nowhere, a halfway point between Santa Barbara and our final destination. Our friends Nick and Marie, who do a yearly trip out West, were going to be in Palm Springs, so we figured we would stop by and say hello. We had the brief thought of crashing in Palm Springs for the night, but all we knew about the place was that it was really fancy and we are really conscious of our spending between Air BnB’s because it can quickly add up.

We had a really pleasant drive to Palm Springs through intense LA traffic coupled with a moment of almost running out of gas in the middle of the desert. I was, as you can imagine, the picture of calm throughout the drive, only having a minor to severe anxiety attack thinking of how this whole day was going to play out. See, our friends were staying at a nice hotel that happened to be pet-friendly so we could park up with Dexter for a bit. Normally, this would be great news! Of course, not when you have quite possibly the worst dog ever. Even as I’m typing this, he’s barking every 30 seconds at the chickens roosting next door. Anyway.

The last time Dexter saw the inside of a hotel was a brief stint at the Motel 6 in Salt Lake City where he lost his mind at every noise he heard. He was on such high alert that in order to get any sleep we had to put the fan on the highest setting (in the middle of an actual blizzard), sleep with the bathroom fan on, (which of course could only be turned on if the light was as well), and keep the television on at a medium volume. Here’s the thing about our sweet Dexter- he’s a real gem when he is at HIS house, in HIS yard, with HIS people but anytime you add or subtract anything from that equation he goes into what we call “alert mode” where he barks or acts out.

So we had no idea how the day would play out. We stopped at a random park to tire him out and, in a last ditch effort to calm him down, doubled up his anti-anxiety meds (which I’m positive at this point Dave wanted to toss a few my way too, but alas).

When we arrived at our destination, the *insert Bon Iver* Ace Hotel, I started freaking out more, but in a good way. First, if you haven’t ever heard of the Ace Hotel it’s this aaaaaamaazing fancy hotel catered towards millennials, where everything is white, and it’s kind of campy but also super nice and over $250 a night. They have a bomb pool and its frequented by B list celebrities (including former Bachelor contestants and podcast hosts). Once I realized we were *at the Ace Hotel* I was obsessed. It was gorgeous, our friends were here on a mini-honeymoon they let us crash, and Palm Springs itself is just a real gem of a town with the mountains and desert all rolled into one.

On our first tour of the place

I was still nervous about Dexter, though. How could we leave this awful dog in an expensive hotel room? Would he suddenly turn into a monster and rip apart the bed? Would he scratch open the door to escape his prison and try to find us, like in some weird spinoff of Homeward Bound? I had no clue. Fortunately, we were visiting perhaps two of our most welcoming friends, (the aforementioned Nick and Marie), who somehow managed to turn their hotel room into their own personal living room, replete with snacks and delicious beers (from Michigan, nonetheless!). We settled in for a drink and finally decided we would just give it a go and leave Dexter in the room (who at this point was drooling and covered in water from drinking so much of it- a side effect of his medication).

We walked down to the insane pool area and ordered “facials,” a $13 drink that was some delightful mixture of mint and alcohol and juice that made you feel healthy. I downed my first one, not really realizing that it wasn’t a health drink, and turned to Dave.

Us after drinking facials declaring we too needed to spend the night here 

“We HAVE to stay here tonight.” Never mind that it is way out of our budget, or that we already have a placed booked, or any of that nonsense. I needed to be here. I wanted to spend time with our friends and I wanted to catch a glimpse of a former reality star snapping pictures on the Ace Hotel wall.

One of the iconic walls... no celeb sightings :( 

To my surprise, Dave agreed. “Yeah, we do.”

I sent him to the lobby to arrange our accommodations. It was close to 4:30 that night, so I envisioned the hotel, desperate to book up for the night, handing us a room for half the normal cost.

Dave came back a few minutes later, looking defeated. “I told them we have a dog and they said they only had one dog-friendly room available- a suite that’s over $300 a night without taxes.”

The group sipped our facials solemnly. Dave popped up. “What about Hotels tonight?”

I shook my head way too energetically, almost pulling a muscle in my neck. “Yeah, yeah, yahhh that can work!” Dave scoured the app and found a room for a very reasonable (sarcasm here guys) $200 a night.

What a steal! we all cheered. “The only catch- the room isn’t dog friendly. So we are going to have to sneak Dexter in.” No problem! The dog that barks at everything? The 75 pound pit bull mix? What dog could be easier to hide?  “Also, Katie, you are going to have to go to the front desk and check-in because I just was in there telling them we have a dog and need a room.”

Our illegal contraband 

Dave looked at me longingly. We both knew what lay ahead. I would have to go into a room with strangers and omit information, which, in a sense, is lying.

A brief explanation of my experience with lying- I’ve told some big ones, mostly before the age of 8, including telling my elementary school playground monitor that I still talked to a friend who moved away and telling my best friend’s mom that I went to the airport to see the Indians after the team lost the 95 World Series. In both instances, I felt so awful that I confessed in long monologues that I can still recall bits of today. “Mrs. Jackson… I have a confession….” I felt so awful after these instances that I only truly feel comfortable lying today for two reasons: 1. If I don’t want to be social because I’m super introverted and 2. If I can make Dave believe some elaborate scam about me, like that I’ve never heard of the band Queen or that I’ve never seen the movie E.T.

So, we had our work cut out for us. Sweet Marie, who actually is the picture of calm, volunteered to help smooth things over while I nervously checked in. She chatted up the front desk folks while I covered my mouth with my hands. I’m certain while we were gone Dave was anticipating me running out crying, “I couldn't do it! I told them all about Dexter and that we are parked illegally and that I didn’t really go to the airport in 1995 and we have to leave immediately!” But I didn’t. We did it. We booked our room at the Ace Hotel.

All of the mid-century modern delightfulness

At this point, we figured it was probably time to check on Dexter, who to our surprise was completely knocked out from the exhaustion of driving, ball retrieving, and anti-anxiety meds. Things were gonna be fine.

And they totally were. We spent the rest of the evening swimming, drinking facials, catching up with our friends, and eating a delicious dinner. It was truly an amazing night.

hanging with our friends in the bomb pool

Restaurant by the pool 

We woke up the next day feeling so refreshed and snuck Dexter out of the hotel before anyone was the wiser. The only evidence he was there? Some blood on the comforter because he had an infected wart that exploded during the night. Dexterrrrrr.

I have to preface our review of Santa Barbara with a note about how many wonderful things we had heard about the area. In particular, Santa Barbara has one of the most beautiful climates in the country, with most spring days in the 60’s and 70’s and lots of sunshine. That being said, we did not have the best experience. Part of that was due to the fact that Dave was sick for the first ten days with some semblance of the flu, part was due to record-breaking rainfall that plagued the first week of our time there, and part was due to our AirBnB being what I referred to as my own personal house of horrors. So, our descriptions may be a little skewed due to these factors.

Hikes:

Montecito Peak: This is a ten mile hike that we thought was 5 miles. We started this hike by traversing a river running over the road and had to cross the river at several other points until we reached a service road. The climb up the first part of the mountain is extremely lush and we hiked just after a ton of rain so it was super green and delightful. Once you reach the service road you start getting some gorgeous views of the ocean and the city. The last 2 miles are the most difficult and the path becomes somewhat unclear towards the summit. If you go on a clear day, however, you can catch some beautiful views of downtown Santa Barbara, the ocean, and Channel Islands.

Road we crossed to start the hike

More water to cross

We made it to the top on a super cloudy day! Only 5 more miles to go....

Waterfall Hike: Not sure the official name of this one, but it started at the same trailhead as the mountain hike but follows a creek up to a waterfall. The last 300 feet involve some rock climbing and when we went on a Saturday afternoon (rookie mistake) we struggled to find parking and had to wait to climb the rocks at the end of the hike to see the waterfall. It was crazy crowded with people and lots of fancy dogs and I'm really surprised no one broke any bones or expensive sunglasses going up or down the rocks. Lots of people were blasting Sugarcult when we got to the waterfall. Also spotted on this hike: a French bulldog in a backpack baby carrier. Just trying to give a full description of what's happened down in SB.

View of the falls

Channel Islands: Requires it’s own separate blog post! Absolutely beautiful and worth the $60 per person ferry ride. The best part of our time in SB.  

Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove: An area outside of SB where the Monarch butterflies migrate to during the winter months. There are trails through thick groves of trees that lead to spectacular  ocean views. The trails allow for access to a gorgeous beach- depending on the day. The first time I discovered this I walked about a mile on the sand in the sunshine. The next time I walked with Dave and Dexter and we both got soaking wet, scarred Dexter for life, and had several moments where our lives flashed before us because the waves were so huge and the fog so dense. We descended a huge cliff that met the ocean and the tide was so high that the beautiful beach I had walked on before was gone. We still tried to find a sandy patch of shore to toss Dexter’s ball, and ended our search at a point where a huge rock jutted out into the ocean. We each attempted to cross or climb over the rock, only to get smashed by huge waves. I sought refuge under the rock in a small cave where the water would occasionally come in and soak me and Dexter. We decided, as we looked at our soaked jeans and held our Starbucks cups, that we probably had no business doing what we were doing. We both knew if we got swept away we totally deserved it (#tourists). Fortunately, we made it back to the trail safely, holding various treasures we found (including a leather gun holster, 20 tennis balls, and a shoe), successfully ensuring Dexter would never want to go near any body of water again. No pictures from this adventure exist because of the aforementioned Starbucks cups. 

Beverages:

Handelbar Coffee Shop: Dave says it was “busy.”

Starbucks: Ever heard of this place? It was close to our condo, we could walk Dexter up and back, and that’s that. We spent most of our coffee money here.

Telegraph Brewing Company: Delicious beers that we toasted to after our mountain hike. A dog friendly bar in a warehouse district.

Cheers!

The Mill: A winery and brewery (Third Window) with a shared outdoor space. This was beautiful and although we didn’t try the wine, Third Window had some awesome beers.

A flight at Third Window 

The Sandbar: On State Street (the main drag) with a happy hour special of buy one beer, get another for a quarter. Bro-city.

Elsie’s Bar: A small, “divey” bar with pinball! We went one early afternoon with Dave’s mom and it was quiet, funky, and fun.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company: So good! Ask Katie for the full rundown on what happened after drinking their beer. 

Santa Barbara Winery: You purchase bottles and can enjoy them inside their warehouse-y bar area or outside on their adorable rustic patio.

Brass Bear Brewery: Another bar in the Funk Zone- We paid $20 to drink beers while staring at a kitchen sink. Accurately sums up our experience of SB.

Best seat in the house 

Boathouse Santa Barbara: This is a fantastic restaurant with a great happy hour (only $7 for drinks! Yay California!) right on Hendry’s beach. It’s absolutely gorgeous but has kind of a weird vibe- if you go for happy hour they rope you off into a certain section that you aren’t allowed to leave. I think it’s to keep the peons (us) from mingling with the “higher-ups.”

Sunset at The Boathouse

Other mentions:

View from the drive to Solvang 

Solvang: An adorable Danish style town in the Santa Ynez Valley. It’s a beautiful hour-ish drive from SB and has a cute downtown that’s very walkable. We stopped in to a sausage beer garden and a winery inside a windmill (the cutest!). We went on a random weekday so it was extremely quiet and easy to navigate.

Action shot in Solvang

Chumash Casino: While you are in the Santa Ynez Valley, you might as well stop at the casino! This spot is small but easy to navigate. I’m not a gambler so that’s the best description I can offer. Oh, and they have a slot machine called “Kitty Glitter” that’s actual glitter kittens and it steals your money.

Funk Zone: This is the neighborhood where a lot of the bars and breweries are located but also has art galleries and small shops. It’s close to the beach and State Street.

Salt Cave: I found this on groupon- a session inside a salt cave for $10. Dave’s Mom went with me and it was well worth the money if you are looking for a super quiet place to nap. Smells good, too. Supposed to have healing properties- that’s debatable.

Lily’s Tacos: Delicious authentic tacos. Yum city.

We left Bend on a Friday and drove through Eugene where Dave proclaimed, “If I was looking for a replacement Cleveland, here it is.” Still not sure what that means. After a few hours, we hit the 101 (where thousands, I’m talking THOUSANDS of renditions of Phantom Planet’s “California” ensued over the next 5 days). From there we drove to Cape Perpetua. At the Cape, Dexter had his first ocean experience during which we almost got swept away, we saw Thor’s Well, Devil’s Churn, and the Spouting Horn. We watched the sunset through the trees and drove through the forest as the full moon rose to our AirBnB in North Bend. Ordered some prime Chinese takeout. Living the life.

Almost getting swept away... I forgot when ocean waves come in they come in quick...

Just a double rainbow to add to our already perfect day. (That’s even starting to look like a triple rainbow.)

On Saturday morning we woke up refreshed, got some Starbucks from the Safeway (this is a family tradition started by my father, who always buys Starbucks on any road trip. Say what you want about large corporations and chains, this ritual is close to my heart and cannot be broken. Plus, they always give us a free cup of whipped cream for Dexter). Coffee in hand, we headed back down *insert music here* the 101 for an amazing drive down the coast to Arcata, California. 

We stopped near Bandon, Oregon after driving out of some major fog. The Oregon coast is seriously amazing and I felt like I was in Wuthering Heights standing on an English moor most of the time we were there. It was virtually abandoned so we let Dexter off-leash and ran down to the beach where he proceeded to try and dig up rocks in the sand thinking they were dog toys. I can only imagine his train of thought, “All of these toys? For ME?!” We hit our step goal and hiked back up the hill to continue on the trek.

That’s me and Dexter in the corner! 

The drive that day was one of the most incredible trips I’ve taken- it was in the upper 50’s, sunny, and extremely quiet due to the time of year. We ate our breakfast overlooking the ocean and made our way down to the Redwoods in California. Because we have Dexter, we are limited to the types of hikes we can attempt. Fortunately for us, a huge tree had fallen down a major road in the Redwood National Forest and the rangers gave us the okay to hike as far down the road as we wanted with our pup. It was such a unique hike- very post-apocalyptic and eerie, while at the same time magical because it was getting close to dusk and the sun was beaming through the trees at all kinds of beautiful angles.

After such an epic day there was no way to top it- oh wait, yes there was. We slept in a yurt. A surreal, ethereal experience that has made me convinced the yurt life is where it’s at. We cozied up in the 30 degree temps and slept like you do when you are camping in 30 degree weather and you are too lazy to wake up every few hours to put a log on the wooden stove so your nose and ears are frozen to the touch…. Anyway, this has not discouraged me from wanting to live in a yurt. Side note, the exact day we stayed at the yurt is the exact day the owners put it up on Craigslist for sale and I’m desperately trying to convince Dave that this is the thing we now need to do. Any help in doing so would be appreciated. 

#boutthatyurtlife #hurtinforayurtin #jurt’syurt

Even Dexter was freezing....

I know the above picture is not in any way flattering to anyone except maybe Dexter. But the morning after sleeping in the yurt, Dave and I couldn’t stop talking about how lucky we felt to be on this trip. So we had to capture it.

We spent the next day driving down to San Francisco. We had hoped to take Route 1 down to the Bay Area but unfortunately due to weather and recent slides we were diverted to the traditional highway route. We were able to catch golden hour at the National Seashore leading into the city and hit sunset just as we were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. Side note- its 7.50 to drive over that thing. And we still need to pay our toll….

(Hastily taken GG bridge photo)

We hit the city which, while overwhelming after being on quiet roads for the past few days, was surprisingly energizing. We crashed with some friends (thanks Megan and Nate!) who were kind enough to host us and our wild and crazy dog. (I should also mention they did this after moving into their apartment only two weeks before. Those are some good people.)  We spent the next day exploring the area around their neighborhood and ended up walking the entire length of the Golden Gate Park (a little over 3 miles to the coast, a little over 6 miles total). We relished the quiet trails and lush landscape in the middle of a huge metropolitan area. We relaxed on the beach for a bit which was an emotional experience for me as I recalled my Grandfather’s stories of walking that same beach as a child on the weekends with his father, a policeman, to ease his sore feet. It was beautiful and strange to think this place I had never been to before held incredibly transformative memories for people so important to me.

Me being emo with Dexter on the beach while also trying to keep him from barking at every dog we saw...

We spent the evening hopping around happy hours, playing a a barcade, and exploring more of San Fran.

A few snaps from our adventures...

Chatting with a friend about how terrifying it is to say goodbye to everything you know, and everything that is comfortable, and everything that is easy, to try something new (Hi, Irissa!). I’ve never been the most adventurous person and my personality actually craves consistency and the dependable. So the first few weeks of this trip (and if I’m honest, every few weeks since we’ve been gone) were (and occasionally continue to be) really hard.

I couldn’t pick up the phone to call my Mom (which I wanted to on several occasions) because just the thought of talking to her made me sob. I remembered a talk I heard one time about how you should never call or write home if all you have are negative things to say because it frames your situation in a way that is impossible to change. I heeded that advice and waited until I had my first really *great* day in Bend to call home. It took a while for that to happen, mainly due to the unreal amount of snow and ice on the ground, causing us to fall down multiple times while walking anywhere and get our car stuck every time we tried to get groceries or go on a hike.

The first *great* day was after I had gone to my first yoga class, something I hadn’t ever done by myself, and Dave and I had gotten drinks at a Brewery afterwards and chatted with some locals. After that evening, I was finally ready to share some of my experiences with the people I care about most. And I think I was ready to embrace the city for all it has to offer. Which is a lot, despite having over 18 inches of snow dump on us the day after we arrived, and it being January. So without further adieu, here’s what we found in Bend after a month.

Hikes: Deschutes National Forest: There are miles of forest available for off-leash hiking with your dog, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and more. We opted just to do a short hike due to not having any proper equipment. We were not disappointed.

Sahalie Falls/Clear Lake: After googling some sweet hikes, we decided to try and head to Clear Lake, about an hour from Bend. We didn’t realize that the several feet of snow on the ground might have any impact on our hikes. We weren’t discouraged though, especially after landing at Sahalie Falls and finding this view.

Clear Lake was virtually deserted and so Dexter got to have an off-leash experience. We could only hike on paths that had been packed down by other hikers and snowshoers, and Dexter found out the hard way several times what happens if you deviate from the path. You wind up thigh-high in snow.

Tumalo Falls: Our friend Alex made the long trek out West to visit us and we opted to hike Tumalo Falls one day while he was in town. The road to the Falls is closed so you have to hike 2.5 miles on the road to see it. Totally worth it.

Alex explored the area while Dave and I worked (gotta pay for these AirBnB’s!) and mentioned Smith Rock State Park is amazing. We were sad to have missed it.

Pilot Butte: This is an easy 1 mile up, 1 mile down hike right in the center of town. We went on a sunny day and could see for miles. Bring your yaktraks, folks! Dave and I were slippin' and slidin' all over the place. Fun times. Also this picture is awful because we only had my phone and it only takes selfies and is v old. 

LaPine State Park: We hiked to the “Big Tree,” the biggest tree in Oregon. In theory, this was an easy hike. However, we opted to try it on a rainy day where the snow caved beneath our feet constantly. Not so easy.

Shevlin Park: A gorgeous park 5 minutes from the city. We did a 5 miler in the snow with Dexter and he didn’t move the rest of the day. 

Beverages: Bend has no shortage of coffee shops and breweries. Some of our favorite coffee shops included Bluebird, which had a London Calling tea latte that will blow your mind. We frequented Backporch Coffee Roasters as it was a short walk from our apartment, and Spoken Moto, this amazing combination motorcycle garage/coffee shop that also serves beer. Dave was in heaven. I think his heart is still there, smelling that grease and drinking way too many iced coffees.

We attempted the Bend Ale Trail, which involves hitting 10 of the 20 million breweries in Bend. While we didn’t get to them all (our livers thank us), we did stop by 10 Barrel, Silver Moon (Katie’s favorite), Sunriver, Crux (another favorite), McMenimans, and Deschutes.

Both times we went to Silver Moon they had something awesome going on- the first trip was to see Lief Whitaker talk about climbing Mount Everest twice and the second time was to come in last place during Trivia.

We tried to take pictures of McMenimans’, this huge brewery/restaurant/movie theater/hot tub/outdoor complex but they didn’t turn out. We went to a High Gravity brew fest here and enjoyed the fact that many of the bars and restaurants have outdoor fire pits where you can drink and eat outside regardless of the temperature.

We also made sure to try some of the beer from other breweries, including Upworthy, Cascade Lakes, Goodlife, and Boneyard. All delicious. Personal favorite: Silvermoon’s 97 IPA. Tastes like home.

Food: We really tried our best to not spend all of our money on food in Bend. We ate the most amazing brussels sprouts at Crux Brewing Company, had some delicious burgers at Brother John’s Ale House, and the best brunch ever (?) at Chow (thanks for the recommendation and gift card, Mikey and Lauren!).

Other mentions: Thanks to Dave’s Brother Kevin and his wife Steph, we went on this awesome tour called Shoes, Views and Brews on Mt. Bachelor, the big mountain in the area best known for skiing. We snowshoed, stopped and tried different beers from local breweries, and got to catch some amazing views. This was unlike anything we’ve done and so worth it.

I got to attend a free teacher training put on by the National Forest in Bend all about teaching outdoor education in early childhood education. It was an amazing program that allowed me to see how schools out West are incorporating the outdoors into their daily curriculum- nerd moment.

We also tried to go to this K-9 keg pull, a race where a bunch of dogs pull kegs around. We drove out to the race only to find out it was cancelled due to the weather. #bummer.

The first few days of our trip are some I would prefer to forget. Not that they were entirely terrible (minus a stressed dog who has never traveled more than six hours + staying in a house with a LOT of people + crying every twenty minutes thinking of saying goodbye to my family) but they definitely marked a transition period. 

We arrived in Grand Lake, Colorado on Thursday evening and though it took a few days to settle in we’ve finally started to develop some semblance of a routine that involves exploring this beautiful place. I got to ski down a mountain at Winter Park, which was a breathtaking adventure that quite surpassed any previous ski experiences I’ve had.

New Year’s Eve we spent time at our friend’s bar (which how cool is it that now we are adults and have friends that have poured their hearts and talents into such a cool establishment) and despite not being able to hang until midnight (I blame the time change) we welcomed the New Year in the midst of this new adventure.

On New Year’s Day, we went to Devil’s Thumb Ranch for brunch and explored the unique and gorgeous architecture of the dining area/hotel. Dave and I decided “new year, new you” and opted to snowboard, something I’ve done on and off for 7ish years. Having my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education, we thought there was no one better to instruct Dave on how to snowboard. 

We started on the small hills to get him accustomed to moving on the board, where my expertise began to shine. I pushed up to the tow rope, where I successfully wiped out so hard that the lift operator had to stop the rope and explain in detail how to hold on to the rope. I spent the next 3 minutes terrified I would embarrass myself again, clutching the rope so hard my abs started to hurt. We made it to the top of the tiny hill, where Dave promptly said, “What do I do now?” Hmm…. I pondered. I shifted my weight around. I tinkered with the bindings. “So…. I’m not entirely sure how to explain this,” I replied. “Yeah, I knew this would happen,” my supportive husband muttered. His confidence in me is at times, inspirational.

It was at that moment that I realized I didn’t actually know how to snowboard myself, nor explain any of the basics to my husband. I couldn’t let him know this fact, so I pretended I just needed to re-familiarize myself with the process and started gliding down the hill. I proceeded to fall 5-7 times, shout out random tidbits of information that I am positive are not helpful in anyway, fall AGAIN while getting on the towrope, this time so bad that when the new lift operator stopped the rope and tried to help me I refused her assistance and flailed about, smacking myself in the head with the metal bar (thank God for helmets). After making it down the hill a second time, I smartly announced we were ready to try the real chair lift.

The rest of the day involved more of the same- lots of falls, tears both from laughing and that shock feeling you get when you fall on your butt so hard it takes your breath away, and near death experiences. But we made it to the bottom of the hill without any broken bones, jointly agreeing if we ever do such a thing again we will take lessons from an actual professional. I should mention there is only one picture from the day to avoid any embarrassing moments from the occasion.

We opted to hike the rest of our time in Colorado, just to ensure we didn’t have to use our catastrophic health insurance plan. Here’s a few pictures from some of the other adventures we had while in Winter Park/Grand Lake.

So we are moving across the country. Not sure where, not sure for how long. Not sure how to explain it.

Moving around the holidays forces you to answer to all different types of people- people you work with, people your families work with, people your spouse works with, friends you see all the time, friends you see rarely, your families, extended families, etc. If we had chosen to move in say, February or July, no one would be able to ask us these questions outright. We could discretely make our journey out West with no attachments. We could quietly go in the night without having to explain where or why.

But we chose the one time of year that everyone finds time to be together to make the biggest decision we’ve made thus far, and we’ve had to answer for it. So after a few weeks, I’ve just started telling people the truth. “We are starting in Bend, Oregon. We went there one time, on our honeymoon, four years ago, for one night, and we liked it.”

Dave and I have spent the past six years on the everlasting search for homestead greatness. We’ve tried the suburbs, we’ve tried an urban apartment in the third largest city in the United States, we’ve tried an up and coming neighborhood in a cool renovated loft apartment in Cleveland, we’ve tried the sweet small town we were married in. We’ve tried what seems like it all. If you’ve hung out with us at any point in the last six years, we probably told you we were moving, or we just moved, or we were looking for a new place. 

Despite all of this, we still haven’t found anything that feels like “home.” We’ve met some amazing people, we’ve had some amazing jobs, and we’ve been by some amazing nature, but not all at the same time. And I think that’s what we are after- we are choosing to “not settle” when it comes to putting down roots and making our home. We want it all. 

Will we find it? I have no idea. That’s where the honesty comes in. I don’t know why we chose Bend to start, and I don’t know if we will ever find all that we are looking for. But I know we can’t not try. We have to try. We’ve googled “where should we live?” more times than is acceptable. We’ve complained and lamented minor details in our living situations more than is normal. We’ve moved actual apartments more than any sane person would. 

Quick recap of our trip to Zion:

We decided against backcountry camping in Bryce as soon as we woke up because we had heard again that Zion’s campgrounds are hard to come by. We drove to Zion and snatched the last site in the park - a beautiful plot situated on a corner surrounded by two major roads. It was a wonder why no one had stolen this spot earlier.

We researched some great hikes but unfortunately a lot of the good ones in Zion are permit only and permits are hard to come by so we opted for 

one called Observation Point.

We met up with John and Elise again and decided to do the Narrows hike early in the morning, which was great because it was a lot less crowded. We had a fun adventure after hitting a point in the trail (which is the river) where we needed to swim in water up to our shoulders to continue. After a little debate, we decided to go for it and ended up seeing some amazing views down the river.

We hit another point where we were going to have to climb up a small waterfall surrounded by rocks with a narrow margin of error, but after meeting three other people on the trail who were adventure-seekers, we all worked together to keep going. I loved seeing that sense of camaraderie develop in such a short time-six people all connected by the will to see more.

Of course, we didn’t really see much more because about 100 feet down the river was another waterfall that required swimming in freezing cold water and climbing some slippery rocks. Our will to see more wasn’t THAT serious.

We stayed up late our last night in the park to check out the stars, which was totally worth it. Tomorrow we head to Colorado for our last stop on the trip!

My brother and sister-in-law from Atlanta are in Utah for the week for vacation, so we met up with them on Saturday night in Salt Lake City and had an epically delicious meal at a place called Frida Bistro. This place gets an A++++ in my book. To top of the night, the musician who wrote Dave and my’s wedding song (I mean not specifically for us, just the one we chose) was in town so we had the chance to see him perform.

At the end of the night, we went back to our HOTEL - that’s right - I finally broke Dave’s will to not stay at any hotel (other than maybe Indiana on the way home to swim in a pool because we will be sad at the end of our trip). We booked a spot at the Doubletree which has everything you could ever want if you haven’t showered in days or slept on a real mattress in a week. They even give you warm chocolate chip cookies when you check in. Come. on. Walking into our room and seeing that king-sized beautiful bed was one of the best moments on this trip. I mean at least it seemed like it at the time-perspective here.

We slept for 27 hours and woke up like new human beings. We again met up with my brother and sis and headed to Red Pine Lake to do an 8 mile hike to a beautiful alpine lake. John and Elise told us they were a bit hesitant to hike because they weren’t in shape like us (lol) but we all proceeded to conquer the hike to the lake without crying or throwing up.

On our way down, we wanted to replenish our bodies with nutritious power foods after the grueling 2000+ increase in elevation, so we went to In and Out and ordered double burgers with fries and root beers and collectively finished them in less than 10 minutes. 

John and Elise headed for Capitol Reef so we parted ways for the time being. Dave and I then proceeded to look for campgrounds and then give up after 5 minutes because we remembered how wonderful our sleep at the hotel was and booked another one.

We woke up this morning and did some research on where to spend our time before we meet back up with John and Elise in Zion National Park and ended up in Bryce Canyon, which is where we now sit around a campfire. We did a short hike and some scenic driving and saw some really unique and beautiful bits of nature. 

We also learned there are two backcountry hikes so we went to the Visitor Center to get a permit for tomorrow night, where we received a bear box. We knew we wanted to have a campfire and headed to a camp store nearby to pick up some supplies for dinner and firewood. At the store, we were waited on by perhaps the best cashier ever, who shot-scanned Dave and attempted to put my head in the bear box. I don’t know guys.

After we gathered what we needed, we walked over to the park shuttle which is the primary means of getting around the park. After waiting for about 15 minutes we decided we didn’t actually want to wait anymore and that we instead would attempt the 1.5 mile trek back to our campsite on foot. We decided this just as the shuttle pulled up and we were too far to go back.

I just wanted to mention this because awkward things just seem to happen to us. And tonight was no different. See, the bear box is kind of the definitive tool for backcountry camping. If you have one, it’s because you are going into the wilderness and you need to store your food. 

So, by carrying this bear box in my hands, it signaled to everyone “THIS PERSON IS GOING INTO THE WILDERNESS.” And it was filled with chips and drinks. And I had no gear except a camera bag. And Dave was carrying a bundle of firewood and fires are illegal in the backcountry. And we were walking on a trail. In shorts. In the desert. As the sun was setting. 

It was a real walk of shame and at one point I just couldn’t stand it anymore so we went significantly off the trail and ended up on the front porch of some ritzy cabins. I don’t know guys.

Anyway. We made it back. We are trying really hard to stay up past 9:30 tonight because this area is supposed to have some of the best views of the night sky in the country. Fingers crossed!

Friday morning, our continuing debate on where to go … continued…. and we looked up a few different routes on how to get to Salt Lake City. We knew we wanted a scenic drive and had read a few really great things about the Sawtooth Mountains, so we decided to head for the hills. The drive over was less than picturesque, and we had one of those “oh no” moments where questioned our decision.

But about 45 minutes away from our destination of Redfish Lake, Idaho, things turned around. All of the sudden, huge evergreens and beautiful streams popped up and renewed our confidence.

We arrived at a campground and it started raining, so after a quick hike to the lake we went to the visitor center and got some advice on things to do in the area. A really helpful guide described a short 4 mile hike with a scenic overlook and swing dancing in the nearest town, Stanley, later that night. We went straight for the hike, and we were not disappointed. It was so lush, quiet, and had a really beautiful waterfall right as the park crossed into designated wilderness.

We headed back over to our campsite for a quick ramen dinner and drove into town. Now. Stanley, Idaho. Population 63. Not expecting much? Neither were we. And we were SO surprised to find a small, bustling town with a few different restaurants and some absolutely stunning views of the Sawtooth Mountains. We bopped around from place to place and ended up at the Kasino Club for the live music/dancing the guide had described. The music was great - a country artist in town from California - but it was 9:30 and we haven’t stayed up that late this whole trip. So we hopped in the car and headed back to our campsite.

And then we got there. Just as the sun was going down. And there were 4 tents, 3 cars, and 1 boat situated right on our spot. Our tent was barely on the site-squished all the way to the boundary. Now, I may be anxious and freak out when bears and car troubles are involved, but in a people crisis I can actually be quite effective. Way more effective than Dave - but that isn’t saying much (I love my husband). So I opted to handle the situation.

I approached one of the 500 people (estimate) on the site.

“Excuse me sir, did you happen to reserve this site? We have been staying here all afternoon and had our tent here (pointing basically to the road) to reserve the site.”

I should explain here that at every single park we have been to, there is a typical protocol for reserving sites. You either do it online ahead of time (if available), there is someone at the entrance to the site you pay before entering, or there are fee envelopes that you put a check or cash into. When we arrived at the site, we searched high and low for these items but only found a sign that said “PICK A SITE-CAMP HOST WILL FIND YOU.” We had waited for the host for about an hour at two different points in the day, but no one ever came. We figured our tent claimed our spot but left a note outside our site with our phone number just in case.

Back to the situation where an entire community swiped our site. The man replies. 

“We didn’t reserve the site because you can’t reserve the sites. You have to find the site host and contact him. We saw your tent here and found the host and he said you hadn’t contacted him, so the site is ours.”

Oh.

But then, sweet Idaho kindness.

“It’s so late - I hate to push you out. You didn’t know - you can totally stay on our site. We are going to have a fire and marshmallows - please stay.”

I consider. But then, the site host arrives. I see my chance to settle this whole issue! He’s an older man and I know I’ve got this situation handled. I approach him with my sweetest, most endearing smile knowing my story will melt his old heart and we will figure this thing out.

“Why, hello there sir!” I say, trying to sound like a sweet southern belle. “See, we are just two poor souls traveling the United States and find ourselves in this here beautiful Idaho and see, we thought we had reserved the site and it’s really all just a misunderstanding!”

I bat my eyes. Dave is still in the car, so I look particularly vulnerable and pathetic. I wait for him to respond with his apology and perhaps offer of marshmallows. He stays quiet for a moment.

“Did you all figure out what you’re gonna do?”

This man looks directly past me, not even acknowledging that I have spoken, and asks the kind man. This old man has just shut.me.down.

“We offered them the site to share. They can stay here - no problem” the kind site-stealing man replies.

Finally, the stone cold camp host turns to me. And proceeds to chastise me for not contacting him, says the note I left was extremely unhelpful, says if we want to stay on the site we still need to pay for it in full. I try not to cry because I feel like my Grandfather has just told me he is extremely disappointed in me. I realize I should’ve used the full-blown southern accent while telling my story.

At this point Dave comes out of the car in a fury and I need to quiet him before he lights the whole place on fire. We quickly decide we will find another campsite somewhere else. I remember a place called “Sunny Gulch” we passed on the way to Stanley that I jokingly said “haha - we can always stay THERE if our site doesn’t work out!”

We headed to Sunny Gulch. Arrived with our high beams flashing because Gigi just didn’t want her low beams to work on the mountain roads at 10 p.m. We decided to sleep in the car and just as a lay my head down, I start to freak out. What if this spot gets stolen too?! What if the campground host tells someone they can stay here?!!? Is no campground safe in Idaho?!?!

And then, a beacon of hope lights up the mountain road. Here comes Froggy, barreling down the street at ungodly speeds in his golf cart. He pulls up to our site and says “HELLO THERE! YA’LL staying here tonight!?” He’s so helpful and kind, and we rest easy knowing Froggy is guarding our site with his tiny little golf cart and obscenely bright flashlight.

We wake up the next morning and head for Salt Lake, but not before passing through Ketchum, Idaho (we are moving here) and the Craters of the Moon National Monument (aptly described as “weird and scenic”). Dave really wanted to include this photo of me on top of a hill at Craters of the Moon because I look like an angry, disinterested teenager, but in my defense I actually had great service in that spot and my dog-sitter and I were texting back and forth about how cute Dexter is.

Dave and I keep talking about how the past few days on our trip haven’t really been “blog-worthy” and yet they have been some of the raddest days we have had on this trip.

Wednesday morning we left Glacier because we are hoping to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law in Salt Lake City in the next few days. Much to our dismay, we packed up our campsite (which was taken before we even left because Glacier is amazing) and headed south.

I think it is important to mention that we have officially reached the point in our trip where literally nothing is planned. Nothing. I mean, aside from the day we need to be back in Cleveland and the fact that we need to go east to get to Cleveland. Up until this point, we had some loose ideas of what we wanted to do-we had talked about going to Vancouver (BC), Washington, and Oregon… I even went so far as to create an incredibly detailed hour/mileage/date itinerary (what? extensive planning? not me!) that got scrapped once we realized schedules wouldn’t align and our time shrinks by the hour.

So Wednesday morning we discussed a few additional options, but, if you are in a relationship with someone who can’t make a decision just as much as you can’t, you understand the trouble we have had in moving forward. Our conversations in planning have consisted of the following:

“What about….. (insert city here)?” Dave or Katie

“How far is it from here?” Dave or Katie

Checks google maps for distance. (Dave or Katie)

“How far is it from Salt Lake City?” Dave or Katie

Checks google maps for distance. (Dave or Katie)

“Sure…. what do you feel?” Dave or Katie

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. After 2 hours and breakfast at a diner, we still had absolutely zero idea of where we were headed, but fortunately there aren’t many roads in Montana that lead south, so we hopped on the road we took up to Glacier. This very special road just so happens to pass through the town of Bigfork, Montana. Enter the most beautiful city I have ever encountered. Bigfork has the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi and is surrounded by mountains. Once we realized we would go through Bigfork again, we knew we needed to find a spot to camp for the night. And we did.

We spent the day next to the lake, had dinner at Flathead Lake Brewing Company, and sat on the rock cliffs next to our campground to watch the sunset. There is a cliff jump, so you know Dave had to jump it. I spent the entire 2 hours we were on these cliffs doing my whole “counting down” routine, but never quite made it in. We caught some epic pictures of Dave, though.

I just wanted to mention that an adorable family came up to try the jump and we started chatting with them. We found out they were from Bozeman, MT, which is where Dave spent 10 days wwoofing (volunteering on a small farm) last summer. This is how the convo went down:

“Where are you guys from?” Dave

“We’re just from down in Bozeman. We love it there.” Adorable mother

“Bozeman?! We love it there! I did some time there last summer.” Dave

“Did some time? And you’re proud of it?” Adorable father

“Uh… SPENT some time! SPENT! On a farm!” Dave trying to save face

“Well, have a good night” Adorable family

So they didn’t brush us off that easily because, like I said, they were adorable. But we all had a good laugh and it just further solidified the fact that Montana people are some of the best around.

We woke up this morning and had the exact same “Where should we go?” conversation, this time lasting only 1 hour and in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart, before again heading south and then, upon finding out that it was only 70 degrees in Idaho (instead of the blistering 90 degrees everywhere we’ve been) we headed to Idaho. We know nothing about Idaho.

But here we sit, camping next to a river at what is perhaps the most random campground in the heart of Idaho with natural hot springs.

Dave once again picked this place by pointing his finger around on a map and reading yelp reviews. At first, we weren’t too comfortable with his selection, as demonstrated by the desolate campsite and creepy bird signs that are posted everywhere.

We also had to take a dirt road about 5 miles off the freeway with creepy flags in a small-town that we later learned housed an illegal brewery.

However, one dip in the hot spring (a concrete pool with a rock bottom filled with natural hot spring water) and we have become changed people. This is actually one of the coolest places we’ve stayed.

If you’ve ever been on an extended road trip (or are thinking about taking one some time) you know there are certain things you learn about yourself, your trip mates, you car, and the area you’re traveling. Here’s some of the stats and info we have accrued so far.

TRIP STATS:

Day: 13

States traveled to: 9

Current state: Idaho

Miles traveled: 2500

National Parks Visited: 4

Number of showers: 4

Bears spotted: 6

Bear attacks: 0

Number of times Katie has cried fearing bear attack:4

Tubes popped: 1

Car shops visited: 2

Pairs of sunglasses lost: 2, then 1 because we found one under all our things in the car!

# of ridiculously kind people we’ve met who have helped us: 9

Nights slept in the car: 2

Nights slept in a real bed: 2

Campgrounds visited: 9

Coffees consumed: 28

Days that is has rained: ¼ (barely)

Days it has been over 90 degrees: 10

Other important things to know:

There is such a thing as an animal bridge. These bridges are specially constructed so that wildlife can safely cross into different parts of a park without having to cross the freeway.

When traveling in the middle of nowhere (much of the US) there is such thing as an “endless scan” where you hit the scan button on your car hoping for something to pop up on your radio and it never stops. We’ve had a few of these go on for hours.

Cottonwood really does fall like snow in July. EVERYWHERE.

Tent camping really lights a fire to buy a real camper. Dave and I have searched on craigslist in almost every town we’ve stopped in to see if we can buy an airstream, scamp, a-frame, or westfalia van. A few times we’ve rationalized spending way too much money on one of these. Usually after not sleeping well many nights in a row.

Things we’ve bought that we didn’t think we would need: 

PILLOW, we are on day 13 and just bought pillows today after complaining every single night of being uncomfortable

inner tubes (never would’ve guessed that one)

pretzels (because sometimes you pack a lot of dehydrated/processed foods, but they aren’t the *right * dehydrated/processed foods)

Duck tape (car repair tool)

eye drops (hello elevation)

chapstick (ditto elevation)

coffee cups.

Which brings me to our coffee cups. These need a spotlight because we wanted to find something that was reusable, washable, and held a lot of coffee. While in a Wal-Mart in South Dakota, Dave randomly grabbed these faux Starbucks plastic coffee cups that came in a pack of five and were only 3 dollars? The lady at the register was extremely apathetic and looked at the price, shrugged, and let us go on our merry way.

But anyway, these cups. They are the best because we have been able to make our coffee over the camp stove and pour them into our Starbucks looking coffee cups everywhere we go. Including the Badlands, Yellowstone, Hamilton MT, our backpacking trip in the Tetons-everywhere. I keep wanting someone to ask me while we are on a backcountry trail miles away from a gas station, let alone a Starbucks - “Hey, where’d you get that coffee?” See below these coffee cups in all their glory sitting on a mountain in the Tetons.