About Us

Who We Are & How We Got Here

 John and I were both born in California but met and started our family in DC after years spent moving around to a few different states and countries. We were pretty adventurous before the kiddos arrived!

Muddy Buddy John
Our first (and only) Muddy Buddy race. John and I had different interpretations of what it meant to race. I was happy to participate, he wanted to place! We didn’t.
Hiking Glacier Grey, Patagonia
My first experience solo traveling led to an hiking Glacier Grey in Patagonia. I’d love to return someday with the family.

In the summer of 2018, we moved back to my hometown in Silicon Valley with JJ, Bug, and El Brody, our somewhat neurotic wonder-pup who revenge poops when he doesn’t get to adventure with us. We’ve been aiming to enjoy our home state through their eyes ever since.

Playin in the snow in Yosemite
Our first visit to Yosemite ended up being right after a surprise snowstorm. Bug loved it!
Brody on dog-friendly West Beach, Santa Barbara
El Brody enjoyed Santa Barbara’s dog-friendly beaches! This is our happy pup, playing in the sand on West Beach.
JJ getting into the cowboy spirit at the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo
A road trip through Amarillo isn’t complete without a stop at The Big Texan. JJ just loved the free hat.

Once upon a time, before we moved back to California, I worked in art and museum education and John studied filmmaking. Basically, I enjoyed talking about art and he liked to actually make it. As we began to rediscover California with the memories of locals and the perspectives of tourists, we found that our creative pursuits were a helpful way to inspire nature connections and share our stories.

 In 2020, I found myself out of my museum education job. Spending time outdoors became an increasingly important part of our daily routine. We experienced the many benefits of being in nature first hand, whether walking the trails near home or hiking a volcano at a National Park.

This site is where we share our favorite finds and our lessons learned. We tell you about the places that inspire us, the experiences that have challenged us, and how we’ve learned to make active family travel a bit less stressful for everyone.

We hope you’ll join along for the ride and find your own new favorite adventures along the way!