Posted by Tagged with Artists, Family travel, family US roadtrip, parenting, rest, roadtrip Posted in Uncategorized

Thanks for the Memories

A Year of Travel

Ocean waves crash against the towering cliffs                                                                    

Saguaro cacti raise giant arms to thank the setting sun 

Under cold ground, I pause in wonder at cathedral canyons 

Mountain top drives give new perspective and make me feel small 

The Grand Canyon brings tears to my eyes 

What could I have done to deserve such beauty

I have done nothing, for it is all a gift 

Soft sheets, slow mornings, and plenty of time 

Surprises in the form of beach houses and a Marriot vacation club 

Tiny houses, smelly casitas, creaky cabin beds, and deflating air mattresses 

A wide range of experiences made for a most memorable year

Time for petting horses and watching a rodeo parade 

For watching seabirds on the beach and waiting in anticipation for the daily sunrise and sunset 

Painting, journaling, knitting, watching Wheel of Fortune, and trying new recipes 

Learning about time zones, jellyfish, desert plants, aquaponics, civil rights, and redwood trees 

Eating étouffée, beignets, grits, a crab boil, clam chowder, charcuterie, BBQ, and sweet tea

All of the packing and unpacking helped me know the sweetness of a closet to come home to 

Growing up with cold made a winter of warmth feel extravagant 

What a gift to have so many daily walks to cross the bridges we needed to cross 

So many reunions with family and friends on the story hunt of a lifetime 

Sweet souls gave up their beds and their towels; made us meatloaf, and opened their hearts

We took a leap and the net appeared 

A crazy dream to travel the U.S. for six months became a reality 

Now that we are home, it feels like a dream 

An expansive catalog of memories that I never want to forget       

Posted by Tagged with Family travel, family US roadtrip, South Dakota Posted in Uncategorized

South Dakota….our LAST stop!!

We did it! We traveled for 6 months and made it across the whole Southern United States from Florida to California. I’m getting excited to sit back and reflect on the trip as a whole, but before that…One More Stop. The beautiful, yet often overlooked state of South Dakota.

We stayed in Rapid City for two nights at the Fairmount Inn (thanks to John and Julie Goos for sharing their hotel points 😊). The girls loved the water park attached to the hotel. We also enjoyed a couple visits with Mark’s aunt and uncle, Kent and Deb. They took us out to their favorite pizza place and also to their house for some lefse and more visiting.

We visited Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. We saw deer, buffalo, donkeys, and prairie dogs on our drive through the wildlife loop. We would have driven more of the scenic drives if it had been the beginning of the trip, but we were just too tired of driving.

When it got dark, we drove out on a gravel road away from the city lights to look at stars. The Northern Lights were spectacular. A lot of other cars were parked along the same road looking at the lights. The beautiful night came to a sudden end when Ivy had to pee on the side of the road and we simultaneously somehow set off our car alarm. Worried that we were “making a scene” we headed back to the hotel.

Our last stop in South Dakota was in Sioux Falls. We stayed at another hotel and met up at the Olive Garden with Ben and Ona Duebner and their son. We were incredibly honored that they would drive 2 HOURS to see us!! It made our whole week

Posted by Tagged with Colorado, Colorado springs, Estes Park, Family travel, family US roadtrip, greeley Posted in Uncategorized

Colorado – Part 3

After leaving Boulder, we backtracked to Colorado Springs. On our first trip through the springs, Mark posted something on Instagram about where we were, and a Jr. High classmate from Dassel-Cokato messaged and said:

“You are in my town. Let’s get together!” This classmate offered their house as a place to stay when we came back through the Springs the next weekend. We were able to cancel our airbnb reservation and stay with Chad and Heather instead. This trip has been a series of surprises and blessings. This stay was one of them.
The Behnkens were great hosts. We were able to relax for 4 nights in their beautiful home. They win the award for best view from the kitchen window and the best backyard, with a trampoline and zip-line.

While in the Springs, Malia went to a tennis class, we visited our friends the Housari’s again, and we attended New Life Church where 150 people got baptized on a Sunday!

At this point in the trip, we are all counting down the number of times we have left to pack and unpack our suitcases.
Our next and last stop in Colorado was Greeley, home of Mark’s Bible School classmates, Scott and Rochelle. The Mundfroms were amazing hosts. They rolled out the red carpet for us, taking us out to dinner several times in four nights we were there. Their two oldest daughters are also in college like ours, so we took their empty bedrooms in the basement. Rochelle is a music teacher and has a piano, so it was fun to sit and play a bit. Boy, is my playing rusty after 6 months with no piano! The giant dog, Bogey, kept us company while Scott and Rochelle were at work. The girls took turns filling his bowl with his snack of choice – ice cubes.

Greeley is really close to Loveland, CO where my first childhood piano teacher lives. Her daughter, Becki,met us for an afternoon. She took us to see her mom and dad at the retirement home, and then out to dinner. It was great to see them and reminisce about our childhood days growing up in Marshall, MN.

Our “Friday field trip” this week was to Estes Park. Mark took the girls and I back to the YMCA camp where he spent lots of summers going to AFLBS youth conventions in the 90’s. We walked downtown Estes Park and did all the touristy things like buying taffy and ice cream and touring the Stanley Hotel.

I love visiting old, historic buildings. Walking into the Stanley felt like stepping back in time. There were old postcards displayed, written by guests at the hotel, dating back to the early 1900’s. Reading these postcards reminded me that traveling the country is not a new idea. We have it easy now with modern roads, a great new vehicle, and cell phones to tell us where to go, when to stop, and what to eat. Back when this postcard was written, they couldn’t text their mother in-law the address of where they were staying each night. It was a postcard, a stamp, and a little faith in the US Postal Service.

Posted by Tagged with Boulder, Colorado, family US roadtrip, flatirons, hammondscandies, redrocks Posted in Uncategorized

Colorado – Part 2

After getting the flat tire on our van fixed in Colorado Springs, we headed to Boulder. We were all very tired by the time we got there.
My aunt Nina and her husband, Cathan have a duplex they let us stay in from Monday-Friday. Nina’s adult children (my cousins) Siera and Dwight live next door, and we enjoyed seeing them while we were there. Dwight showed us a bunch of art projects he is working on and let us pick a few treasure to bring home. Siera gave the girls each a new pair of crocs (pictured below)

On the first full day in Boulder, it was 85 degrees. We walked the Chitagua Trail to see the Flat Irons (a nickname for the 5 large, flat rock slabs on the side of Green Mountain).
We got about half way up and decided to turn around because of the heat. That night we drove to Denver for a Colorado Rockies baseball game against the St Louis Cardinals. Mark is always his happiest self in a sports stadium. We came along for the fun.

Boulder is a college town, the largest being the University of Colorado Boulder. It has the feel of a charming small town, but with big city perks such as great public transportation, award winning breweries, and a thriving downtown. We had some really good gelato at Gelato Boy on Pearl Street (a walkable street lined with cute shops, cafes, and art galleries).

We visited the Red Rocks Amphitheater, a world renown concert venue located about 40 minutes from Boulder. We didn’t see a concert, but did go to check out the place.
It was gorgeous. The closest town to Red Rocks is called Morrison.
We met an old college friend, Tony, and his son at The Cow Eatery for dinner. It was a great time of reconnecting after not seeing each other for many years.

Another cool place we found through my favorite google search “Free Family Activities in ___________ (wherever we happen to be)” was Hammonds Candies in Denver, CO. We took a tour of the factory and got to see ribbon candy, candy canes, and taffy being made. Every piece of candy is handmade and hand packaged in this one facility before being sent all over the U.S. Here is a video I made to remember a fun afternoon at this unique place.

We still have some time left in Colorado. We are back in Colorado Springs for a few days and then on to Greeley for a few days before we move on to South Dakota. Stay tuned!

Posted by Tagged with Arizona, devilsbridge, family US roadtrip, hiking, roadtrip, Sedona Posted in Uncategorized

Sedona, Arizona

I had heard that Sedona, Arizona is a great place for hiking. We were originally planning to spend a few days at the National Parks in Utah, including Arches and Canyonlands, but decided to head South to avoid a snowstorm.

I googled “best easy family hikes in Sedona” and got a list of about 10 choices. We chose “Devil’s Bridge” because we have loved taking family photos on bridges throughout the trip. The Internet said this hike was “Easy”.

We got the last open spot in the trailhead parking lot when we arrived. We set out feeling energized and ready for a leisurely walk to see the natural bridge. We walked for what felt like about 2 miles and I thought to myself, we should be getting close. We came to a sign that said Devils Bridge ➡️.


From that sign, the trail started a gradual climb for about a mile. My legs started to hurt, and I began thinking about how we would need to return the same distance back. At least the return trip would be downhill, I told myself, as the trail kept going up.

We asked people returning from the end of the trail how much further it would be and they kept saying, It’s a ways further.
What is a ways? I wondered. Please tell me it’s coming up soon.
We started seeing these gardens of stones piled along the trail. It gave us something to look at and put a little spring in our step. It was as if those who had stacked the stones were cheering us on to the finish line.


The last part of the hike was the hardest because it was climbing and scrambling up rocks. I was very impressed by the man with a baby carrier and the couples with their dogs on leashes scrambling up those rocks. It seemed like everyone thought this was no big deal and they didn’t seem the least bit tired. I was slipping and sliding, huffing and puffing, and whining the whole way.

We got almost to the top and there was a stopping point with an incredible view and people were taking photos. I heard a few people say, “let’s just stop here. This is far enough”. I heard that and said “sounds good to me. I’ll just plop down here and let the rest of you all finish the hike. I’ll be here waiting.”

This is typical of me. I don’t like discomfort and I would much rather quit than go all the way, if given a choice. Lately, I’ve been realizing this about myself. I knew that I had to go all the way to the top. We carried on scrambling up all those rocks until we reached this incredible natural bridge where a line of people were waiting to get their photos taken. I immediately knew that to not go all the way to the top would have been a loss. Those last 20-30 feet of climbing was SO WORTH IT! Now I would have no regrets. We will always remember this moment, but especially me because I know that I pushed myself. Ivy’s comment when we reached the top was just perfect. She said,

“You are turning your fear into fun!”


Here are some photos of our family on Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, Arizona.

Posted by Tagged with Arizona, Family travel, family US roadtrip, Grand Canyon, roadschooling Posted in Uncategorized

Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon

Las Vegas
We spent 3 days at a hotel in Las Vegas.
The last time Mark and I were in Vegas was 12 years ago. I was excited to go back and show the kids the Bellagio Fountain, my favorite spot in the city. We walked from our hotel to the Bellagio, stopping on the way for a slice of pizza. By the time we got to the fountain, Ivy, my 9 year old was holding her tummy and complaining of feeling sick. She was crunched over and moaning, “I need to go back to the hotel. I don’t want to be here.”

At first, I thought it was the pizza, but since none of the rest of us who had eaten the pizza were feeling sick, I wondered if what she was feeling was anxiety. We found a quiet hallway and sat down to take a break. We talked through how she was feeling about the cigarette smoke, walking through a casino, and seeing people dressed up in masks of clowns and Donald Trump. She was able to communicate that she didn’t feel comfortable in Las Vegas. She had a similar reaction in New Orleans. She said it was too loud and there was too much smoking.


The next day, we decided to drive outside the city and see the Hoover Dam and Memorial Bridge. The girls enjoyed that day more than the first. The third day, Mark stayed with Ivy back at the hotel and Malia and I went back to the strip and walked through the Bellagio flower show, Caesar’s Palace, the Mirage, and the Venetian. Two hours was plenty for Malia and I. We share a preference for quiet, outdoor spaces in nature over noise and bright city lights.

Change in Plans

We were all set to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and then carry on to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Mark woke me up the morning we were scheduled to leave and said “We have to talk!” I am not a morning person, but the urgency in his voice woke me up pretty quickly. “The North Rim isn’t even open!” he said. “And it’s going to snow and rain all week at Arches”
I felt so dumb. I hadn’t even checked the website to know that the North Rim doesn’t open until May 1st. Snow and ice are common well into May in this part of the country. We quickly came up with a new plan and headed to Flagstaff, Arizona and the South Rim.

When we got close, we saw that there was a long line of cars waiting to get into the Canyon. Apparently, spring break brings the crowds. We were informed there would be up to a two hour wait just to get into the park. We waited until a little later in the day when the line had died down. We arrived around 2:30pm and only had to wait in line for about 30 minutes.

The Grand Canyon is AMAZING. When I first walked out to Mather Point, I felt my eyes well up with tears. I wasn’t expecting to cry, but the beauty and grandeur of the canyon filled me with emotion. I’d been to the North Rim before, but this was my first time at the South Rim. There were more options for trails to walk at the South Rim and shuttle buses to take you to the different overlooks.

Many people have said a good time to visit the National Parks is in the fall instead of during the summer or over spring break. It was busy, but I didn’t mind that much. It’s such a huge area, and you can always find places off the beaten path if you get tired of the crowds of people taking selfies. Photos really don’t fully capture the Grand Canyon; you really must visit at least once during your lifetime!

Posted by Tagged with california, family US roadtrip, San francisco Posted in Uncategorized

San Francisco

We arrived in San Francisco on Friday in time to pick up Mark’s sister, Traci from the airport. She flew in from Connecticut to visit us for 4 nights. We stayed at the Wyndham Canterbury Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Our first surprise upon arrival was finding out it would cost between $60-90 per night to park our van in the parking garage. Everything you’ve heard about San Francisco being expensive is true. We ended up finding a different option, but then we were holding our breath every night hoping the van didn’t get broken into. Crime and homelessness are very high and parking anywhere in the open is not recommended. What we learned is that this is a city that is best visited without a car. It is much less stressful and probably the same price to take an Uber or public transportation than to hassle with parking.

The Golden Gate
The Golden Gate Bridge was on the top of our bucket list. We’ve had a thing for bridges this whole trip, so we were excited to both drive and walk on this iconic bridge. As you can see from our sunglasses, we had mostly sunny days.

Grace Cathedral
On Sunday morning, we got a workout trekking up one of San Francisco’s steep hills to Grace Cathedral. This Episcopal church is stunningly beautiful inside and out. On the Sunday we were visiting, Bobby McFerrin happened to be doing some of his circle songs as prelude music. If you don’t know Bobby, he is most famous for his song – Don’t Worry, Be Happy. He is an incredible vocalist and musician. Here’s a short clip of our time with Bobby on Sunday morning.

Chinatown
We visited Chinatown and ate at Yees Restaurant. We ordered 4 dishes to share. The portions were large and we had leftovers. The fried tilapia was brought to the table as a whole fish. After devouring this perfectly cooked dish, drowning in a delicious sauce, we noticed the aquariums of live fish next to the kitchen. This fish was as fresh as it gets.

Another meal I will remember fondly was at Cajun House. Traci was given the task of choosing the restaurant and she found a winner! Everything we ordered was amazing and we cleaned our plates. Traci got the mussels, Mark ordered fried rice, Malia had gumbo, and Ivy and I had garlic noodles with shrimp and crawfish. At the end of the meal, Chef Ben came out to our table to say hi. As we were complimenting him on the amazing flavors, he suggested we look on our phone for “what is best Cajun food in San Francisco?” Traci said, “I would, but my phone is dead.” To that he laughed, “No problem. I have a charger.” He was just great. We visited for awhile longer and he brought out more wine and refilled our glasses on the house. It really felt like going to someone’s home more than going to a restaurant.

Another highlight of our stay was visiting Muir Woods, home of the giant redwood trees. This National Park felt like a picture out of a fairytale. The boardwalk path through the towering trees, beside a bubbling stream was magical. We kept expecting a fairy or a dwarf to emerge.

When we left the park, Traci suggested we take a different route out of the park and drive about 20 minutes to Stinson Beach. The hwy one that led us to the beach had some amazing views. We were squealing with delight the entire drive over the winding mountain road. This video is one of the places we parked and got out to take in the view.

One thing that surprised me (besides the cost of gas and parking) was how green it was in March. The flowers in Golden Gate park were blooming and green grass was plentiful. They have had record rainfall in California this year after a long drought, and it felt like the earth was singing “Thank you!”

Posted by Tagged with california, family US roadtrip, los Angeles, Santa cruz Posted in Uncategorized

California Pacific Coast

There have been a few times over the past 4 months of traveling when I’ve been tempted to turn around and go back to Minnesota, but my daughters have said, “Mom, what about California? We’ve got to make it to California!” Seeing the cliffs towering over the ocean, the giant redwood trees, and the scenic drive up the coast on Hwy 1 have been a long-time dream of ours. After the past 2 weeks on the California coast, I’m so grateful we made it all the way to the west coast.

Our California adventure started and ended in Palm Desert. Sandwiched in between this beginning and ending, we saw Joshua Tree, San Diego, Los Angeles, Pismo Beach, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and San Francisco. In this post, I’ll focus on LA and Santa Cruz. In my next post, I’ll move on to San Francisco.

Los Angeles

The traffic and cost of parking in large cities has been something I wasn’t prepared for. We got our first taste in LA, but were only there for one day, so it didn’t really sink in until we got to San Francisco. Having a van with a luggage topper makes parking in most parking ramps impossible. We lucked out when our friends Tony and Tiffany had a parking space that fit our vehicle. I am now realizing that free parking is something I’ve taken for granted up to this point.

We met Tony and Tiffany through our mutual friends in St Paul. They moved to LA to pursue Tiffany’s acting career about a year ago. Tony was a great tour guide. He showed us Griffith Park, where we got a good view of the Hollywood sign and did some hiking. Ivy was thrilled about the Hollywood sign and wanted to take a lot of pictures. She kept asking where all the pop stars were? Unfortunately, we didn’t run into anyone famous.

After our hike, Tiffany joined us for a walk through their neighborhood and dinner at a great restaurant. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I was living in the moment and completely focused on our conversation.

Santa Cruz

We had two days in Santa Cruz. We spent the night at a hotel in the neighboring town of Watsonville. At the time of our stay, the hotel was a temporary home to those displaced by the recent flooding in Monterrey county. It was the only pet friendly hotel in the area, so almost everyone seeking shelter had a pet. It was sad to see the loss and grief in the faces of the folks sitting in the lobby whose homes had been lost or damaged by the flooding.

We met Mark’s DJ friend, Andy Acker, at a place called Natural Bridges State Beach in time for the sunset. I instantly fell in love with the waves crashing onto the rocky cliffs. We admired the multi-million dollar homes along Cliff Drive and noticed the contrast between those homes and the surfers living in their vans parked across the street. “Van life” was something I’d heard about, but had never seen up close. We saw a lot of groups of 3-4 young people sitting on the rocks overlooking the ocean, playing their guitars and waiting for the sunset.
Andy showed us his favorite taco truck next to the Humble Sea Brewery, and we caught him up on our trip. He and Mark swapped old DJ stories and made us laugh. By the end of our short time together, the girls were calling him “Uncle Andy”.

Here is some video of the waves near Santa Cruz so you can get a better feel for the beauty of the coast.

Posted by Tagged with california, family US roadtrip, San Diego Posted in Uncategorized

San Diego, CA

After less than 24 hours in San Diego, Malia said “I’m moving here!” Ivy has also been enthusiastic about the state, but she wants to live in Hollywood so she can “see pop stars!”

After a 2 1/2 hour drive from Palm Beach that turned into a 4+ hour drive because of traffic, we arrived at our friends’ house in El Cajon (a suburb of San Deigo). Our girls were excited to be back in a house with other kids besides each other. The Larsons have 4 kids. Their youngest was about Ivy’s age and they hit it off almost immediately. Mark had fun catching up with his Bible school buddy, Jeremiah. It was their first time seeing each other in over 20 years and my first time meeting this really awesome family. They were great hosts and we loved getting to know them.

Our family day in San Diego included watching the hundreds of Sea Lions at La Jolla Beach, watching surfers at Pacific Beach, and taking in the views over Sunset Cliffs.

To get the full experience of seeing the pile of sea lions relaxing on the shore, you need a video with the sound on. They really make a lot of noise.

And here is a video of the surfers. It was cool to watch them from up above.

Mark and I had a date (no kids) walking the Coronado Beach and admiring the historic Coronado Hotel. We decided we would like to stay there someday….maybe for a future anniversary.

Thank you, Larson family, for a great weekend in San Diego! We loved it!

Posted by Tagged with Arizona, Family travel, family US roadtrip Posted in Uncategorized

Disco in the Desert

We just finished a month stay in Vail, Arizona at Solquest Retreat. Vail is a small town within driving distance of Tucson. We were able to explore Saguaro National Park, Sabino Canyon, Madera Canyon, Mount Lemmon, the Desert Museum, Medella Vina horse ranch, and the Tucson rodeo and gem show.

It snowed 3 times during our month stay, which is unheard of in Arizona. Many days were cold enough for us to need our winter coats. It was still much nicer than back in Minnesota though. Our family back home experienced record snowfall and blizzard conditions on and off all month.

I went into this month seeing it as an intentional personal retreat. I joined an online group to go through the book The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. One of the assignments was writing “morning pages”. These handwritten journals entries helped me uncover some harmful thoughts that have been hindering me from living my best life. I was able to recognize and release some fears and forgive myself for things I regret. Mark and I had some good talks that were important in strengthening our marriage.

Lisa Kindle, who we stayed with, is an artist. She supplied us with art supplies and a space to create. One of Lisa’s passions is the power of words through affirmations. You can learn more about Lisa’s work here.

Lisa Kindle Arts

She encouraged me to create my own personal affirmation cards and gave me the cutest little box to put the cards in. The front of the box says: “Give it to God” and the inside says “She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future”. Proverbs 31:25

Here are some examples of my affirmations.
I will speak these aloud to myself until I begin to believe them and live them out.

Being able to walk outside the front door and be surrounded by mountains was a great feeling. We drove up Mount Lemmon and took pictures at a place called Windy Point.
It was spectacular.

Another new experience was walking a giant prayer labyrinth right outside our door.

On our last weekend here, Dean and Lisa hosted a Disco in the Desert with Mark as the DJ. There were costumes, a photo booth, yoga with Kaeli Hines, fondue, and tie dye cookies. It was a fun night!

Mark did an awesome job, as always, bringing the music and lights.

As our time in Arizona comes to a close, we are so grateful. Our next stop is California. We have been on the road traveling for 4 months now! It’s hard to believe that we will be home in St Paul on May 1st. If you’d like to cheer us on toward the finish line, you can join our Patreon. It’s a $6 gift that will go straight to our gas money fund, and we will send you a postcard as a thank you! The Patreon will end when the trip ends so there is just one month left if you’d like a postcard.

Join the Postcard Club

Thanks for following along. We would love to hear from you if you’d like to host us in your state. Especially if you live in Oregon, Idaho, or Colorado.