Hi! Welcome! We are a family of four with a deep love of travel, the outdoors, staying active, and new adventures of any kind. We are passionate about sharing our experiences adventuring with our little ones. We hope that other families can get inspiration, tips, and tools they need to embark on adventures of their own. Questions? Email us!
Back Road Family
Follow us on Instagram!
Poles and Attitude! The season’s hottest new accessories. Watch- I’m gonna come back from skiing maternity leave and this kid is going to beat me down the mountain 🤦♀️ ...Maaaaaybe I’ll just say my pants are too tight and tight pants slow me down. 👍🏼This man is the donut to my coffee and the hot sauce to my burrito. Thank you my Valentine for loving me, supporting me, and giving me ALL the babies ❤️ I LOVE this life we’ve created, I LOVE adventuring with you and I LOVE watching you do rad stuff. I can’t wait to be outside doing rad stuff with you again soon. 😍❤️💗Gorgeous hunk is ours ❤️ Gorgeous view is Tahoe’s.30 weeks and still running. Every day that I am pain free and moving powerfully is something to celebrate. Because in my experience, pregnancy and athleticism were not synonymous. This pregnancy has proved otherwise. With discipline, I have discovered that pregnancy and athleticism complement each other beautifully! With the same amount of exercise, I am stronger now than I was 7 months ago. After surviving a barfy first trimester, I have spent a minimum of 5 days a week combining strength training and running. That was my schedule before getting pregnant and maintaining this schedule for the past 16 weeks has transformed pregnancy for me. Thank you @__magneticnorth__ for illuminating my path. You inspired me to prove to myself that pregnancy is not to be endured, it’s not weakness, nor is it something to waddle through. It’s an opportunity. An opportunity to use to my athletic advantage. An opportunity to discover strength. An opportunity to soar. It’s a freaking superpower! Heading into my final two months, I have zero expectations. BUT I will continue to show up every damn day for my body. To worship her and all she is capable of. Pregnancy is a privilege. So is the problem of figuring out how to squeeze in all this exercise without childcare. It’s a motherforkin’ hustle!Approaching a pregnant run with a beginners mind means I often wonder... Will my left butt cheek cramp up and cause me to limp back to the car? Will my tight sports bra cause boob rash? Will my right hip flexor give out? Will I need a full meal? (Better to pack one just in case). Will I be warm enough? Will my maternity leggings slide down? How many times in an hour will I have to squat in the woods so I don’t pee in my pants? Might I just pee in my pants? Where are the most densely forested areas so I get some peeing privacy? All real possibilities, mostly centered around my bladder. (Mamas, I know you feel me) I’m not giving up what keeps me sane SO I do my wondering. Then I say, “Come what may, I’m running anyway.” Every run brings a new surprise 🙏🏼 @__magneticnorth__ for teaching me about a beginners mind and how important it is for my endurance practice. Stay curious. Keep moving.Maybe a third kid will help us figure out this parenting gig. Third time’s a charm right? #saycheese #marchbaby #boyorgirl #itsasurprise
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Sage summits South Sister
As we drove through town, Sage looked out the window and pointed to a peak in the distance, “Mama, what’s the name of that big mountain?” I told her it was called South Sister. “Is it hard to get to the top?” I said, “yes, it’s a very hard hike to the top.” In typical Sage fashion she replied…”Ok then, I want to do it.”
Posted in hiking, Uncategorized
10 Comments
Nepal
My niece is spending a semester abroad in Nepal. In honor of her adventure, it’s time I finally publish our adventure in Nepal… from… ahem… two years ago. So yeah, that pregnancy and baby thing really set me back on our travel posts. Better late than never! We booked our trip with grand expectations. Himalayan adventures in films and magazines put Nepal at the top of our list. We were living in Abu Dhabi and given that Kathmandu was a four hour flight, we didn’t hesitate to book a trip.
Our dream for Nepal consisted of a strenuous multi-week adventure to the remote regions of the Himalayas but we only had a few days so we decided on a multi-DAY trek instead. If Nepal was as amazing as we hoped, we would return.
So here’s the big take-a-way. Our trip didn’t meet our expectations and was a disappointment. Fortunately though, Sabine is experiencing a very different Nepal. One that is living up to her expectations. Her pictures and stories are making me want to go back and recreate our dream adventure. But for now, here is our trip in a nutshell. And maybe a few things to think about if you decide to plan a visit.
Posted in Asia, Destinations, Uncategorized
Tagged Ghorepani, ghorepani poon hill trek, Himalayas, Kathmandu, Nepal, Pokhara, Poon Hill, travel with kids, Trekking
Leave a comment
Mount Motherload
When our fiery wills met to build Sage, they didn’t cancel each other out as two similar forces should. They quietly grew for 23 months and then on a dark and stormy night they colluded and turned my soft cherub into a pocket sized … Continue reading
Cedar’s Homebirth
Given that Cedar’s birth happened at home, it seemed fitting to include the story on our family adventure blog. As it was, in its own way, our family’s biggest adventure. My hope is that with this post, we can raise awareness about birth choices and inspire informed and empowered decisions about childbirth. A woman’s experience deserves respect. She matters and birth matters. Here is our story.
Posted in Lifestyle and Parenting, Uncategorized
Tagged birth matters, doula, home birth, midwife, natural child birth
12 Comments
Climbing in Red Rocks
We love Las Vegas but maybe not for the obvious reasons. Our favorite part of Vegas lies just outside of the city. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a climbing paradise. It’s also a great place to bring your kid! We found an area of Red Rocks where our 2 year old (at the time) had a blast climbing and swinging. Continue reading to find out where it is and to see how much fun it was.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
The Next Chapter
On our first date, before the waiter spilled a beer on Peter, we spoke about our dreams. Our conversation exploded into all our hopes for traveling the world. Climbing Kilimanjaro (✓), sailing to Australia, rock-climbing Thailand (✓), trekking the Himalayas, visiting … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
Lake Lopez
This summer’s Lake Lopez kick off
Posted in Camping/Outdoors, Roadtrips, Uncategorized, windsurfing
Tagged camping, San Luis Obispo, windsurfing
Leave a comment
First family hike and camping trip!
Four weeks after Sage’s birth my body finally felt good enough to go on our first family hike.
Sedona, Arizona
Because Christmas landed on a Sunday this year, Peter had Monday off! So, we decided to take a road trip to Sedona.
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
Joshua Tree, Biking, Sailing, Vegas
This fall has been exciting and busy. September-October was filled with some wonderful weekend trips but due to being in the throws of weeks 9-17 of my pregnancy, I felt too sick to blog about most of it.
Pre Gorgonio Mountain Hike
It’s 4:30am and I know I need to kick my own ass again before we attempt Kilimanjaro
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Maui Engagement photos
We are in fervent anticipation for our wedding pictures so to stop our nail biting, Mike our photographer sent over the pictures we took the Friday before we were married.
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
Santiago Peak 1 point. Liz 0.
Peter and I, both sick with colds, decided this morning at 6:00am that we were still going to attempt getting to the top of Santiago Peak. Standing at 5,689 feet, Santiago Peak is the highest peak in the Santa Ana … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
Laguna Beach Bachelorette weekend
After this weekend, I have caught myself in daydreams, reflecting on family, reflecting on friends and more keenly, on friendship.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Thailand: Made it Railay
Hi! We are in Railay in the south of Thailand. I have so much good stuff for my next unofficial blog post but it will take some time for me to put it all together. Nothing like an “off the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
