We're Finally Doing It!

Two of our goals in moving to a full-time RV life were to simplify and to travel. It took awhile to get to these goals, much longer than expected. Repairs were needed, a parking spot needed to be found, more repairs were needed, my pregnancy became high-risk, our baby was born, and so on.

Last week, we took a trip to Eugene, OR to get solar installed. After the install, we headed to Waldo Lake, where we got to enjoy a beautiful, quiet lake, warm temps, some mountain biking, and campfires. We also got to test out our new solar system and found it worked great.

throwing rocks

muck monster

on my 6-week post-c-section date, 

I hit the trail for a lakeside jog...

the boys out on the paddle board

testing his mtn biking skills 

Both B and I managed some actual mountain biking on a trail that went along the lake. It was a perfect ride to get back into the groove after a long time off the bike.

Mackenzie River Bike Ride

About a month ago, I decided it was "now or never" (or at least 'long time') for me to tackle one of my bigger outdoor adventure dreams. So I hatched a plan to ride, with my friend Holly, the Mackenzie River trail in Oregon, touted as America's #1 mountain bike trail.

The drive down was long and uneventful. We arrived at Horse Creek Lodge in the evening and found it to be perfect: a full kitchen and bath, large deck, two single beds, and within one mile from the bottom of the trail.

We planned on starting early on Saturday morning, but without toddlers and alarms to wake us up, we were surprised to find we slept until 8:30am without even budging. It was great to sleep in and enjoy some coffee without being needed by anyone. We hit the trail a bit later than expected but settled in for a full day's ride.

[Much of the trail was like this, right next to the river.]

Our goal was to ride to Trailbridge, approximately 14 miles up-river, and then back down again. Upon arriving at Trailbridge, we felt pretty fresh and decided to add some more mileage on. We rode to just one mile short of Blue Pool (17 miles), where the trail became mostly big, volcanic rocks, unrideable for us. We turned around here and rode back down. It wasn't super fast and did involve a fair amount of pedaling, but it was more downhill than we realized. After 6+ hours in the saddle and almost 35 miles, we were happy to arrive back at the lodge. Even better, we walked into the aroma of pork that had roasted all day in the crock pot. We ate dinner and turned in fairly early, tired from a full physical day.

On Sunday, we drove to the walking trail to Koosah Falls and began riding there.

[Koosah or Sahalie Falls...can't remember which!]

The waterfalls were lovely, of course, and then we followed the trail further to Clear Lake and beyond to trail's end. There was another interesting volcanic rock section at Clear Lake that was unrideable for us, but we were fine walking our bikes through it as it wasn't long (1/2 mile?).

 [Clear Lake, Holly riding around it]

 [on the first bridge near the top/start of the trail]

The trail was much more technical on day 2 (from the falls up), but still not overly challenging. After turning around at trail's end and riding past the waterfalls again, we continued down the trail to Blue Pool, our turn-around point the day before. The pool really is an unbelievable blue color, hard to catch on the camera. 

[Sahalie Falls -I think- from the other side]

 [Blue Pool]

We rode about 20 miles on day 2, completing the Mackenzie River trail both directions for a total of 55 miles. Most people shuttle to the top and ride the trail down in one day; our idea was different and it was cool to have completed the whole thing on our own, with no vehicle assistance.

I can cross a life dream off my list, now that we have ridden the Mackenzie River trail. I enjoyed the scenery and some of the riding was good fun. I will withhold the "#1 mountain bike trail in America" award however, as I prefer mountain bike rides in the actual mountains, it turns out. My preference is to work really hard for 2-3 hours, with significant elevation gain, enjoy some lovely mountain views at 'the top', and then free flow all the way down single track, the reward for your hard work up. This trail, while lovely, felt like work the whole time. It wasn't ridiculously hard work but it was unrelenting. Even the downhill wasn't steep or sustained enough to just let go and ride; after 10-20 feet or so, it was time to pedal again.

So, after completing the ride, we got back in the car and drove through I-5 traffic until we were home.  Once home, I snuck into K's room to peek on him sweetly sleeping. The trip was good but I missed those guys too! Turns out the boys and daddys hung out a good bit, having a 'Dude's weekend', which involved pizza, ice cream, hiking, staying up late, and TV. Sounds pretty awesome.

The Way Home: Bozeman and Butte

With no open camping in Yellowstone, we loaded Kye up in his carseat after watching Old Faithful and drove to Bozeman, crossing our fingers that our favorite dispersed camping site would be open (on a Friday night, chances were slim). Pulling in around midnight, we were pleased to see our site was completely open!

Kye plays in the creek near our camp

We each got to ride to Emerald Lake, a trail we had to turn-around on a few years back due to snow and incoming lightning. This time, a storm threatened but never really came. It was a fun ride with a pretty lake and beautiful wildflowers.

 Emerald Lake

 I know, it's wrong to pick wildflowers, but I couldn't resist 

and they made a lovely camp arrangement.

 Monster truck & bus take a bath...

 ...and drive some heinous terrain.

We made the short drive from Bozeman to an area called 'White Hall', near Butte, for an overnight and a couple mountain bike rides. 

I rode a loop from Beaver Pond to the Continental Divide trail; it was pretty fun but, for some reason, I was creeped out about bears and cougars and didn't enjoy myself that much as a result. One thing about riding in Montana is that you often go without seeing a soul on the trail. It's pretty great to ride without having to dismount all the time, however, it does give you a sense of vulnerability and wildness, which is both good and scary. 

B left camp early to ride the next day. The second he left the camper, it started to downpour and didn't stop for quite some time. He was hating the ride, but then the rain let up and he got on some awesome single-track and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Helena Mountain Biking

After visiting with B's grandparents, we headed to Helena. We heard there might be some good riding, easily accessible from town and camping. We camped at the top of a mountain pass, about 15 minutes out of town.

[From Camp]

There was no riding directly from camp, but the riding we did was really enjoyable, particularly the further you got from town. It was pretty handy that you could ride into and from town as well.

 [Helena Ridge trail]

 On a day that B did a ride, I took K to the city pool and splash park. He had a good time, of course.

Being Responsible, continued

We enjoyed a sunny ferry ride over to Orcas Island. Kye thought the ferry was really cool and ran around the deck looking at seagulls flying over the 'big puddle', as he called it.

On the island, we camped at Moran State Park on Cascade Lake. It was pretty and very quiet camping. We were lucky to have good weather for most of the time, only one day of rain. Kye enjoyed throwing rocks in the lake and running around on the trails with sticks.

One day, we hiked the short walk to Cascade Falls, in the background here.

Then we took another short hike to a secluded beach called Obstruction Point Beach. Kye fell asleep in the pack on the way in and remained napping on the beach for a little while. It must've been a great setting for a nap: water lapping up on a pebble beach and warm sun.

Brandon did one bike ride out of camp up Mt. Constitution on one of our first days there but wasn't that impressed. He thought he must've missed the proper trail. So, on another day, he decided to park at the top of Mt. Constitution and ride down (hoping to find the best way down), and then back up again. 

[Kye and I from the top of Mt. Constitution]

[B enjoyed this ride a bit more, but it was short.]

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling that well the whole trip and so opted not to ride my bike. It sounds like I didn't miss incredible riding so that's okay.

We ate two amazing meals while on the island, worth mentioning. If you go to Orcas Island, be sure to enjoy a meal at The Kitchen, described as 'fast, asian food'. It was fast and high quality, with super fresh ingredients and amazing flavors. We heard there was a pizza and open mic night at Doe Bay, so we went there and had some of the best pizza I've ever had in an incredibly beautiful setting.

 [Kale pesto with crimini mushrooms and asiago cheese; pickled onions and gruyere cheese; 

Manny's  Pale Ale and milk on tap :)]

Getting Outside with Baby

Before we had Kye, I worried that having kids would mean we wouldn’t be able to continue in our outdoor adventures. In our area, there aren’t that many examples of mothers that ski tour, climb, or mountain bike, so I wondered if it just became too hard to continue. Or, was it that those moms just weren’t that interested in these activities in the first place?

After 10 months with baby Kye, I have learned some things about continuing with outdoor fun after a baby joins the family, so I thought it’d be fun and maybe interesting to highlight those lessons. Of course, I can only speak from the perspective of a parent of a single baby. I’ll keep posting as he gets older as I’m sure there will be different points for the toddler years and so on. And if we have another, my guess is it gets much more complicated.

I'm not even sure who looks at this blog, so this post might be more for my own reflection (and something to make fun of myself for later). I do hope that someone thinking about starting a family reads this, though, as I searched the internet for stories and tips about continuing in outdoor recreation with a family. It is possible to continue hiking, skiing, and biking, but it is also a lot harder and less frequent. For my family, it's still worth it.

• Take turns- Sadly, I know many women who discontinue their outdoor fun while their husbands keep getting out. I’m lucky to have a super supportive hubby. This winter, we took turns ski touring, lapping our local hill and even getting out in the backcountry a bit. We also had some fun lift-skiing. I’d go for a few runs then come back and let him go. Now that summer is here, we’re doing the same thing with running, mountain biking, and hiking. 

• Plan, plan, plan!- Obviously, life gets a lot busier with a baby, especially if both parents are working. If we don’t make a plan for outdoor fun, it can get pushed aside for other things. We used to adjust our plans with the weather or our mood. Now, if it’s on the calendar to go skiing and the snow sucks, we go anyway. I’ve heard it said and it seems true: ‘Even a bad day in the mountains is a good day.’

• Be spontaneous- Occasionally, you get a moment of downtime you weren’t expecting, so it’s important to allow spontaneity and get outside. A few times this winter, I came home from work to find dad and baby napping together. I grabbed all my ski gear quietly and slipped out the door for a 45-minute lap up the local hill. In the past, I might’ve been more reluctant to go for an unplanned outing, but now I take any moment given me to do the things I love....

• ...Make it a priority if it is one- leave the house a mess, your car unwashed, the laundry unfolded, the yard full of weeds, and so on. Trim your ‘to do’ list down to the most essential items every day. Obviously, you have to do some laundry, make meals, wash some dishes, and pay your bills. Everything else will probably wait for you, and you’ll do it some day. Or you won’t, but it just doesn’t matter that much. (I write it easily here but this is still a struggle for me).

• Take baby outside- This is super complicated and also very easy at the same time. We have a baby that doesn’t sleep well, not for naps or night. The obvious downside of this is that we are exhausted and irritable. However, given that he doesn’t have a sensitive routine, he is very flexible. So, we take him hiking, skiing, climbing, and bouldering. We do try to build nap-time into our day, either on the drives or in the pack while we hike. Kye LOVES being outside. He coos at the dogs we meet on the trail, giggles at the streams we cross, touches the trees that overhang our path, and babbles on and on in his pack. It makes sense to me that babies would love the natural world. It is fascinating and beautiful and I’m thrilled to share it with him.

• Do it anyway- When you are caring for a little one, you are exhausted, bone tired. You have so much to do and no time to do it in. You are overwhelmed and stressed. It is hard to find the energy to go out hiking or skiing. It isn’t what you ‘feel’ like doing, often. There were many times this past 10 months when sitting in front of the television sounded like the best way to spend my downtime, but I managed to drag my body out the door for some ski touring or running and I always came back exhilarated and energized.

• Go alone- It used to be great to do outdoor stuff with friends. Now, that can be too hard to coordinate, especially if they have little ones who are on different nap schedules, etc. I still do it, now and then, but I don't make it a requirement to getting outside. Most of the time, I am willing to head out the door to hike, bike, or ski all by myself. If it happens to work out that a friend can join, even better!

• Ditch the guilt- A weird phenomenon occurs when you become a parent: an insane guilt threatens to take over your mind and soul over every little decision. I watched friends go through it before me and thought, from an outsider's perspective, "I won't do that." Ha! You are responsible for this little creature that you love immensely and, often, have no clue what he needs. You can feel guilty for taking time to yourself when he so needs you. You can feel guilty for the fact that you are already gone all day at work and now want to take another 1/2 hour to run. You can feel guilty for biking instead of washing your filthy kitchen floor. You can feel guilty for leaving papa at home with baby alone (even though he got his downtime turn). Here's the one that invades my mind most often, as it is quite common in our culture: shame on you for wanting to have a identity outside of mom, an interest other than baby. You get the point so here's the tip: make an intentional, constant effort to combat the guilt that creeps into your head. It is healthy for you to get outside, take time to yourself, and get exercise. I am a better mom and a better example to Kye for taking a little time now & then to ride my bike fast in the woods, ski a little fresh powder, and pull on rough granite.

Kye and I cooled off at Denny Creek natural waterfalls yesterday.

Fruita

You might say we are slow learners. Or, to put it positively, we are perseverant people. After the looooong car ride home from the Grand Canyon this fall, which involved a lot of baby crying, I vowed to NEVER AGAIN take a long car trip with a baby. That vow lasted a couple months. Some acquaintances suggested a mountain biking/camping trip to Colorado and we thought, "Let's do this. It'll be a fun adventure!"

The drive down wasn't horrid but it was ridiculously slow. In order to keep Kye from screaming (and thus stay sane), we stopped often and for long periods of time. To make that a bit clearer, what I mean is that we stopped every 2 hours and hung out for 3 hours. The drive time was 14 hours. You do the math...the whole 'journey' took us 40 hours, one way. Of course, we were eating and sleeping some of that time but still...

When we arrived, weather came in and we were disappointed to be camping in a state park in the snow/wind/rain. We were reluctant to head out to the camping on 18 road because we heard it is not fun in bad weather. We rode in the cold and wind one day, then hung out and relaxed for another. 

[The view of camp from Joe's Loop]

Finally, the weather cleared and it was sunny and even warm. So, we headed out to 18 Road and set up camp. Over the next few days, we traded rides (guys ride, girls back with babies, and vice versa) and did most of the loops on 18 Road, which were a ton of fun.

Carly drove out from Jackson, WY!

Ellie & Carly waving to the boys back in camp

Carly on Zippity Do Dah

One of the 'steeps' of Zippity

Auntie Carly & Kye, enjoying dinner outside

Let's take a moment and discuss the craziness of sleeping in a camper with a nursing baby. Let me rephrase that...there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping going on for us adults. Kye didn't see why he couldn't nurse all night long.

Kye had his first 'girlfriend' in Finley, a super cute 3 year old that we shared camp with.

First pair of sunglasses, which he mostly threw all around.

Super cute pic of Kye, mom looking exhausted/murderous.

We ended our trip riding at the Kokopelli area, which we found to be the best, most aesthetic riding in the area. 18 Road rides are fun and convenient, but these were much more scenic and natural, less contrived.

Our favorite ride, hands-down, was Horsethief Bench.

[Yes, we 'camped' in Walmart parking lots while on the road. 

I must say, there are some benefits: free, bathrooms, and easy to find.]

You must all be dying to know how the trip home went. A stroke of genius occurred to me somewhere in those long hours on the road to our destination: we could fly home! And so it was. Kye and I took a flight out of Salt Lake City and were home in a jiffy. He was thrilled as he could be held the whole flight and also socialize with everyone on the plane. Brandon drove home on his own and we were all cozy in our own beds that night. 

Best decision ever. Seriously. Well worth the airline miles used.

Now, please don't let us be convinced to take another long road trip anytime soon. If I start talking dumb again, I grant permission for a full intervention.