In July 2019, we decided to contribute our own personal 21st century addition to the Icelandic Sagas with an epic family trip to a Iceland. As our family grew, Jess and I had kept our commitment to continue traveling and exploring the world along with our kids. We had also set our sights on Iceland…
Category: outdoors
Isle Royale National Park
In July 2022, my friend Brian Headlee and I drove up to Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior for a few days of outdoor adventures, including an excursion to Isle Royal National Park and fishing for the elusive muskellunge. After a long drive from Des Moines, we reached the North Shore and had a great…
Hiking Glacier Gorge
In July 2021, my friend Andy and I woke early and began the hike up Glacier Gorge Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our ultimate goal for this 12.4 mile hike was to reach the 13,500 ft. summit of Pagoda Mountain that connects to Longs Peak via the Keyboard of the Winds. Hiking so early…
The Russian and the ZombieSat
This is the sort of nerd obsession that my family has to put up with. On my birthday in 2019, I knelt down on a grassy hill on Antelope Island jutting out into the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and pulled from my pack a stack of electronic gear and snaking cables. Although the clouds…
Autumn Musings
Some are impressed by the exuberance of spring or the radiant joy of summer. A few even have fallen in love with the quiet beauty of winter. While I love all of the seasons, it is autumn that strikes a chord in my soul. It’s a season in which transition is subtle and yet compelling….
National Balloon Classic
Jessica and I worked as crew members for two hot air balloons during the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, Iowa from July 29th to August 3rd. The National Balloon Classic is a week long hot air balloon competition that has been taking place in Indianola since 1969. The balloon pilots compete both for points and…