Saguaro to Nogales
A short visit to Saguaro National Park and tying up lose ends in Tucson in preparation for our long-anticipated return to Mexico.
United States
Traveling to the U.S.?
Here, you’ll find all of our USA travel tips, posts on family travel, hiking, national parks, road trips, train & rail adventures, and top sights.
Focusing on the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington) and Central Coast & Southern California.
Things to do in cities like Portland and San Diego, off-the-beaten-path places to visit, and more.
Tucson Days
Lazy catch-up days in Tucson, with a hike through Sabino Canyon, and a memorable evening at one of Arizona’s most sought after campgrounds.
Twentynine Palms to Scottsdale
We ditch the interstate for RV bliss and arrive after dark in bizarre-o world.
Joshua Tree
A day well spent, exploring Joshua Tree National Park by RV with two eager Junior Ranger hopefuls.
Orange Grove & Pioneertown
With Rio Vista and Isleton in the rearview, we set out on the long drive down California’s Central Valley to a unique RV Park and an old timey movie set in the desert.
Redwoods to Rio Vista
After a brief overnight in the Redwoods, we continue south to escape the torrential rain and end up in a quirky little corner of California.
Roseburg to Redwoods (The Long Way)
And, they’re off! Finally, after months of planning, weeks of prep, and days of waiting for a weather window, the clouds part and the weather gods smile upon as we … Read more
Waiting for a Weather Window
With storms rolling in from all directions, we’re forced to push back our timeline and hunker down. The upside? More time with family and the boys’ first snow.
Projects & Preparations
With the Moho finally in the driveway, we finally begin RV projects while managing winter weather, two rambunctious boys, and painfully slow package delivery to Roseburg.
Oregon Winter
Fun times and shenanigans in Oregon in February as we wait for the wheels to turn on the RV buying process.
Is This Our New Home?
An unexpected winter visit back to the PacNW to find our next home-on-wheels, spend time with some family and friends, and maybe even introduce the boys to snow.
California Stretch
Heading south to our final summer destinations in the U.S. for some long-overdue time with family and friends in Redding and Los Gatos.
Oregon Coast Camping
Winchester Bay camping at Tugman State Park, a couples night away in Florence, and catching crawdads round out our summer in Oregon.
Portland 2021
Continuing on our progressive West Coast summer visit, we hop a train to Portland for time with family and to begin our Mexico residency process.
Seattle Tourists
Seattle proves the perfect first stop on our West Coast summer visit. Big boats, big projects, and the big city never disappoint.
A New Chapter Begins South of the Border
Our move to Mexico is upon us! No international move would be complete without a few last hiccups to contend with…some more serious than others.
Waiting on a Passport
Watching autumn creeping in and our planned departure date come and go, as we continue to be held captive by the glacial U.S. passport renewal process during Covid.
Pacific City
A midway meetup with Lori’s brother and sister-in-law in another coastal location after nearly two years apart. And fun with Oregon’s unpredictable coastal weather.
Socially-Distanced Outdoor Birthday in the PacNW
Seizing upon a window of clear skies and low Covid numbers, we set out to explore an overlooked corner of our own backyard.
Safe Harbor
Fleeing fire and smoke-ravaged inland Oregon for coastal breezes and a much needed change of scenery.
Apocalypse Now
Devastating wildfires join forces with Covid to push us deeper into our protective bubbles, as we concoct creative ways to keep 2 young boys and 6 adults sane in captivity.
Reunion
Reconnecting with both sets of grandparents in Oregon, following two weeks in captivity (i.e. quarantine), and 20 months apart.
Quarantine
Adventures in self-imposed isolation with two young kids in the Pacific Northwest. Do we make it out alive? Find out!
Breaking-in Baby (Pt.1): Riley’s First Flight
40 hours, 3 flights, 9,000 miles, 10 pieces of luggage, a 2.5-year-old, and a 3-month-old with his first cold. Here’s the first leg of our journey as a newly-minted expat family of four.
Welcome Riley Ernest
Yep, that’s right! The wait is over and Baby #2 is finally here. And — surprise, surprise — IT’S ANOTHER BOY!
The Waiting Game
With Lori’s brother’s wedding behind us, the countdown begins until Baby #2 decides to grace us with his/her presence. But not before daddy reclaims his own birthday for himself.
Late Summer ’18 Update
We’re quickly approaching the one month mark Stateside and thought it was time for an update. Fun times with family and friends, and awaiting the arrival of Number Two.
Summer in the USA: Path of Totality
Venturing into the Path of Totality as Eclipse Apocalypse grips the nation in the final days of our 2017 visit to the U.S.
Summer in the USA: Oregon Coast
Soaking up the sunshine in and around Florence, Oregon with Grammy and Grampy.
Summer in the USA: Tahoe Road Trip
After two weeks in Portland and Roseburg, it was time to road trip it South with Nanny and Poppi.
Summer in the USA: Portland & Roseburg
Shaking off jet lag with a full schedule with family and friends in Portland, then south to Roseburg for quality time with the grandparents.
Portland to Brussels
By his seventeenth it was pretty clear that Noe was starting to get bored with wineries, so we got on a plane and moved to Laos. While that might not be entirely true, the weather leaving Portland was a good sign it was time to move on.
Month Two with Noe
Wow. Noe’s already 2+ months old! Well, that’s what everyone keeps saying. When he hit the two month mark last week we couldn’t believe he’s only been with us for such a short period of time. […]
Momentum
I was steaming mad. Well, probably more exhausted than anything, but symptomatically I was presenting as pretty darn perturbed. Lori and I found ourselves on this sweltering […]
First Month with Noe
We’re here in Roseburg now and will be for another six or seven weeks. We’ve got some big news to share in terms of next steps, so stay tuned. Last Thursday, Noe celebrated his one month birthday […]
It’s a Boy!
Our sweet baby boy, Noe Owen (rhymes with “Joey”), was born on June 21, 2016 at 6:38am (6lbs.5oz.). Contractions began Saturday night, water broke early Father’s Day morning, laboring […]
Leach Botanical Garden
40 weeks + 4 days. My question to Lori today, “Do you ever feel like you’re just waiting around for something to happen?” Since Lori wrapped up work a week ago — and particularly since […]
Trekking Portland’s Alameda Ridge Stairs
We set out to conquer Alameda Ridge of NE Portland and its 400 stairs spread out over 30 blocks.
Southern Oregon’s Wildlife Safari
A few weeks back we joined my parents on safari through a game reserve featuring over 70 species of exotic animals, including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, […]
Riding the Rails in the PacNW
We cover two of the Pacific Northwest’s best rail adventures in this post: The Mount Hood Railroad and the Seattle-Eugene portion of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight […]
Hiking Northwest Portland’s Balch Gulch Loop
Exploring Northwest Portland’s Wildwood Trail and Lower Macleay Trail along the Balch Gulch Loop.
Portland’s 4T Trail
Taking advantage of a beautiful May morning to explore Portland by Trail, Tram, Trolley & Train via the 4T Trail.
Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake: Hike Report
Our Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake Hike report — a worthwhile alternative to Columbia River Gorge hiking at the foot of Oregon’s majestic Mt. Hood.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Southeast Portland is a local secret that is worth the time and effort to visit. Here’s our detailed trip report.
The Grotto
View of downtown Portland from Mt. Tabor. Lori’s parents came up to Portland a few weeks back in mid-April to hang out and check on the status of the belly […]
Bend: River Walk & High Desert Museum
In addition to visiting Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne (near Redmond), we also made a few trips into Bend. We walked about three miles of Bend’s one-of-a-kind Deschutes River Walk […]