Bring the Family

Recently, Meagan wrote a really terrific analysis of her desire to rely less upon a car while living in a major city. I have friends who have lived in Chicago for decades who do so without a car, but it becomes complicated when you have family or a job that fall outside the reach of [...]

Continue reading “Car-Free Families?” »

Mother Earth News has a great narrative piece by writer Pat Stone about how one backpacking couple gradually tamed their backcountry wandering ways when their family grew from two to five over the years. Even though I wasn’t as much of a hard core backpacker, I can definitely see my own experiences reflected in Stone’s [...]

Continue reading “Elsewhere: Outdoor Choices Shift When Kids Arrive” »

The winner of the Bring the Family photo contest for April (”signs of spring”)? The seriously talented Matt Hamilton’s image of his son enjoying the heck out of spring. Congratulations, Matt! The vote was unanimous this time around, so feel free to strut around as we bow before you a la Wayne and Garth,  proclaiming [...]

Continue reading “April’s Photo Contest Winner!” »

A brief intermission as voting continues for April’s spring-themed Bring the Family Photo Contest. Don’t forget to vote!

A great driving tune, blast from the past, sound proof that They Might Be Giants were pretty much born to one day make great kids’ music (because they pretty much started out doing so anyway), AND a fun [...]

Continue reading “Road Trip Tune: TMBG “Don’t Let’s Start”” »

A friend turned me on to this web site today: MapMyRun.com, where users can plot routes for running, bicycling, hiking, and other ways of getting around just about anywhere. You can search for your home town and see what routes other users have plotted, map your own personal route, and log your training efforts and [...]

Continue reading “Elsewhere: Tools You Can Use” »

Did anyone do anything special or even just ordinary to celebrate Earth Day? Have you set any green goals for the coming year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section here. Our family spent it picking up garbage around the yard (the kids’ idea), gardening (mine), and recycling magazines from 2006 that [...]

Continue reading “Your Earth Day Stories” »

Found a handful of regional reports on this here, here, and here.
That last article pitches (get it?) camping as an affordable travel alternative. I agree; once you’ve got the right gear, it’s far less expensive than a hotel room, and often there are great local campgrounds a short drive away.

Continue reading “In the News: Gas + Economy Might = Localized Travel” »

Recently I was a guest blogger at away.com’s family travel blog, Are We There Yet?
Read the post here; I talked about finding outdoorsy things to do in the Midwest when the weather isn’t cooperating. If you have some other ideas, please head on over and post your comments at the entry; I’m sure they’d [...]

Continue reading “Elsewhere: Guest Blogger at Away.com” »

Or intend to travel?
Gas prices and our current economic situation are definitely making me think differently about how, where, and for how long we travel. My dream trip used to be a two-week (or longer) road trip, covering as much ground and as many natural wonders as my traveling companions would allow. Whether that was [...]

Continue reading “Have Gas Prices Altered How You Travel?” »

So as I mentioned in my last entry, I traveled to New York City for the first time last week for a writers’ conference. I was lucky enough to have dinner with colleagues with whom I’m close but who live in different parts of the country three nights in a row. There really is something [...]

Continue reading “Traveling Without the Family” »