Trip reports, national park guides, and van life stories from the open road.
18 posts
by sprintermom|Oct 19, 2025
Earlier this year, our wayfinding carried us through the desert heart of northern Arizona — from the wind-carved mesas of Pipe Spring to the volcanic ridges near Sunset Crater, winding our way toward ...
by sprintermom|Aug 31, 2025
The Black Hills of South Dakota (Pahá Sápa in Lakota) are a landscape shaped by wind, time, and story. From the winding passageways of Jewel Cave, to the towering granite monuments of Crazy Horse and ...
by sprintermom|May 31, 2025
Lavender Springtime Blossoms Springtime is always one of the most magical seasons in the National Parks. Blossoms start to open, wildlife is active, and every Junior Ranger badge feels like an adventu...
by sprintermom|Aug 31, 2024
Onward bound on our Great Lakes adventure! From Ontario to the heart of the Midwest and into the East, our journey wove together lakeshores, battlefields, historic homes, and memorials — each offering...
by sprintermom|Jul 31, 2024
Spring is a season of awakening in the Great Lakes region. Rivers thaw, forests glow with new green, and the air is alive with birdsong. On this adventure, we traced history, culture, and wilderness a...
by sprintermom|Jun 30, 2024
Every adventure tells a story, and this one felt like crossing eras of the Earth itself, deep into the Cascade Range. This is where ancient forces shaped the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, from t...
by sprintermom|Mar 12, 2023
If you love stunning, towering monumental rock features, then both Zion and Yosemite National Parks are two of your must-see National Parks. Located in Utah and California, both National Park are fill...
by sprintermom|Oct 23, 2022
Vast forests, stunning waterfalls, alpine temple mountains; the enchanted forests of Northern California invoke a state of wonder. I've talked in previous posts about living off-grid on Mount Shasta a...
by sprintermom|Jun 24, 2022
I split our journey to the southwest into two categories: historic ruins and the extravagant red rock natural wonders. It's true, the National Parks of the Great American Southwest are bursting with h...
by sprintermom|May 24, 2022
The National Parks of the Great American Southwest are bursting with \"the people of long ago\" historic ruins. Called \"the people of long ago\" by First Nation People, and also termed the Fremont Cultur...
by sprintermom|Mar 31, 2022
We love our National Parks so much we fused our two favorite things into works of art: education and adventure. Our National Park Junior Ranger Adventure NFTs bring the best of both. Collect the Educa...
by sprintermom|Dec 1, 2021
After visiting 10 National Parks in 2019 and collecting Junior Ranger badges at each one, we have set some future real adventure goals. As there are hundreds of Junior Ranger programs in the National ...
by sprintermom|Mar 29, 2021
Bend, Oregon is great, be a tourist here. This post is all about how we lived the locals' life for a ski season, and our takeaways. Completely piggybacking the popular bumper sticker Bend Sucks, Don't...
by sprintermom|Aug 24, 2020
The prolific Pacific Northwest is home to the largest temperate rainforest on planet earth. It's pretty magical. Not to mention the spectacular contrasting ecosystems, just take Olympic National Park....
by sprintermom|Aug 24, 2019
The National Parks of the charming Upper Midwest region are where you'll find living legends, sacred rocks, and mysterious caves. On our family adventure to catch some magic in the National Parks we a...
by sprintermom|Jul 14, 2019
It was a complete accident that we ended up traveling Beartooth Pass out of Yellowstone's Northeast into Red Lodge, Montana. Montana's Highest Highway: All Hail to Beartooth Pass We wanted to find a q...
by sprintermom|Jun 7, 2019
If every corner of the world is creating their own dream, then the dream of Ashland nestled in the Rogue Valley, is a pretty lovely one. Ashland is a peaceful town filled with nourishing food and gath...
by sprintermom|Apr 24, 2019
In November 2017 we rented an RV from Cruise America, and it was this experience that culminated into Van Life and beyond. Magic land at Emigrant Lake How the Van Life Adventure Began At the time, we ...
