Wherever you go, go with all your heart. - Confucious
Our Camera Gear
Over the course of time, we have been building a quiver of camera gear for us to capture those special moments and tell our stories. There are not a lot of areas to try out these items before you buy, so we spend many hours watching Vlogs or reading reviews on the gear we purchase. There are many options out there that have similar functions for each one of these items, so please do your research. Please leave a comment for any recommendations or tricks on using the gear better.
Here is an overview of the camera equipment that we now use.
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Camera Gear
Camera Assessories
Editing / Controller Equipment
Tips on how to Teach Yours Kids How to Paddleboard
Looking for ways to get your kids to go outside and play? Getting your kids into stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is great way to do that. Introducing your children to SUP gets their foot in the door to a healthy activity that the whole family will enjoy.
In this blog on tips on how to teach your kids how to paddleboard, we will review our tips on teaching safety, skill and having fun!
Tips to teach your kids and yourself to have a safe paddleboard (SUP) adventure each time.
Safety first and Always.
Anytime you’re dealing with water, you need to think safety first and at all times. Especially as your kid gets more comfortable and able to do this sport, they can become too confident in the water and if they or you become complacent things can go wrong. This is not to scare anyone from the water as we are a family that loves the water, but we always want to teach our kids to be responsible and safe while having fun.
Safety Basics
The most important thing you can do for your child is make them wear a life jacket at all times around the water. Especially when you are teaching them to fall in the water.
Teach them proper stroke, steering, and how to get back on the board.
Now you can start to teach your kid some of the techniques used to paddle.
To prevent unwanted falls into the water, while your kid is learning to paddle have them practice on their knees. Kneeling gives them better balance and helps prevent developing bad paddling habits.
The key to paddling is making sure every stroke is done with your kid’s top hand on the paddle and the blade facing forward. Have your kid hold the paddle with their lower hand just low enough to have leverage for an efficient stroke. Have your kid paddle by rotating their torso, not by using their arms.
After they’ve paddled around for a little bit on their knees, have them start to stand.
While standing teach them how to turn the SUP in every direction, forward, reverse to the left and to the right.
You will want to teach them how to move from standing to sitting on the board to work on balance. Ride along with your kids and switch places with your child a few times (one of you sits and the other stands). This is always fun balancing ha-ha as you learn a lot about having 1 person move at a time or you rock the SUP and all fall in. Which brings me to….
Teach them how to get back on their paddle board. Take this opportunity to show them that it’s okay to fall in the water. This is best to rinse and repeat, we like to stage different experiences for them as they fall in the water (obviously with us with them). Getting back on the board is easier said than done when trying to mount two people back on the board.
Location is important: Teach them in calm waters
You need to give your kid the best chance to succeed. If the waters are too choppy, your kid might get discouraged. Take them out on a calm non-windy day to mellow waters where they can work on the basics. Ideally, you’d like to find a spot where the waters won’t be too crowded, and there aren’t any boats.
They need confidence, and you need patience
Like with any new skill, your child needs to build up confidence. Be sure to encourage them and let them know how great they’re doing. Riding with you lets them focus on just balancing and gives you a chance to coach them up close. Practice having them paddle you around the water and switching places. They will love being grown up and getting to take you on a ride. The key thing to remember when teaching your kid to paddle board is, like with anything it’s going to take time.
So be patient, have fun, and stay adventurous!
How to teach your kids to hike
So, I really should title this blog post “How to get your kids to LIKE hiking”, as that is a challenge. Hiking with your kids can be extremely rewarding for your kids and you. There are a lot of benefits of hiking that include of course exercise, family bonding, teaching your kids to push past their limits enabling them to be mentally and physically stronger, growing love for nature and instilling an adventurous spirit.
Hiking can be anything from a flat walk around a park to hiking mountains with yours kids. We enjoy every part of hiking and I can tell you it is not about just walking from one point to the next as that is boring.
Our 5-year-old daughter still dislikes hiking but will go with us. She says she likes to hike down but not up 
So, make sure you are always having fun on your hikes. I like to say I am sauntering and not hiking.
I want to share our tips on things we have done and still do to get our kids to like hiking.
- Gradually Every kid is different, and some will need more exposure to different trails and will take time for them to like it. Enjoy short hikes and walking.
- Play games along the hike. “I Spy”
- Make it more about exploring then it is about reaching the destination. Remember to go with the flow. The destination may not be at the end of the trail and rather, may end up being only 5 minutes in when your child finds an area to explore and play around in. Obviously if you need to get to the end of the trail, get them motivated to keep going.
- Don’t let your kid give up easily. We don’t push for unrealistic goals, but with hiking it helps to develop kids as well as they push themselves past the point of wanting to give up and that gives them a real sense of accomplishment.
- Teach them about the surrounding areas i.e. plants, animals, soils etc.…. After a while they will start teaching you about the area.
Dress Appropriately for the weather.
We did not have the warmest clothes when hiking Mt. Sherman, so the kids did not summit. We had to turn around once we reached the saddle as the wind was freezing!
- Wear comfortable and supporting shoes.
- Find good hikes that are scenic.
- Depending on their age and ability, don’t go further than you can carry them back.
- Find hikes that are the right distance and difficulty for you. Check out the REI Apps.
- Pack water and snacks. Kids love to stop and enjoy snacks!
- Mike’s rules #1 Patience, #2 Don’t force them to go further; convince them.
Most importantly have fun, enjoy nature and stay adventurous!
Bucket List- Zion National Park
Prior to exploring an area, we like to plan out all the activities that we would like to do. Listing and researching ideas ahead of time helps us to enjoy the area and know that if we do the items on our bucket list we will be fulfilled.
We want to share with you the planning of our bucket lists. Hopefully this will help you gather some ideas for visiting these areas as well. If you have been to these areas and know of anything thing missing or a different hierarchy level on list, please send us a message. We love receiving recommendation from those who have experienced, read or heard about these places.
Please help us determine what we should have on our bucket list.
Bucket List- Zion National Park
We plan on visiting Zion National Park in February, so we expect it to hopefully be less crowded and probably snowy and cold 😊
Here is our Bucket List of things to do and see in Zion National Park:
- Visit the Zion National Park Nature Center
- Hike The Narrows
- Hike Angel's Landing
- Hike Angel’s Landing
- Stargazing at Checkerboard Mesa and Watchman Campground
- Explore Kanarra Creek
- Hike the Subway Pools- Must make reservations.
- Hike to the Emerald Pools
- Bike ride Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
- Bike the Pa’rus Trail
- Drive the scenic Highway 9
- Drive to Zion Canyon
- Watch the Sunset at The Watchman
- Rock climbing
For my own planning purposes, I always like to have a visual map of all the activities that we want to do. There is nothing like realizing you were right next to another bucket list item and missed it.
For planning purposes, we will also utilize the REI Projects apps. We like to map out the attached hiking and biking trails prior to arriving. One of the best features is that you can download the trail maps ahead of time and if you lose service in the park you will still have access. Check out the REI Apps here..
Do you have any must do activities in Zion National Park for us to do?
Click here if you are interested in seeing what we ended up doing when we visited Zion National Park.
Gift Ideas for Adventurous Kids
Gift Ideas for Adventurous Bound Kid
The holiday season is upon us and along with the inevitable feeling of being lost in the aisle while searching for that perfect gift. Below is a list of recommended items for kids on the go and those who want to be outside. We like to find gifts that either have more than one use, can be shared or something that can be continually used. The list is made up of items across a wide range of monetary values, but please remember the best gift for any adventure kid is anything that keeps the fire in the soul to continue on with their adventure.
Kid's Bike & Helmet - Specialized Riprock 20 & Giro Tremor
Brayden and Taylor both love biking and want to spend as much time on the dirt as possible. Most of our riding is done on trails or in bike parks. So, after trying out other bikes and letting them get the feel for the bike, our top choice is the Specialized Riprock. This bike comes in many variations and sizes. The kids started off on coaster bikes and are now moving up to a geared bike with disc brakes and front fork suspension. Also, don’t forget the helmet. I don’t need to preach any further on the importance of a helmet as science only continues to prove the need of always protecting that noggin. We searched for a light weight helmet with protection at the back of the head and room to grow so we are not buying a new one every six months. Our choice helmet is the Giro Tremor. Click the bike photo to be directed to the manufacturer’s website.
Hydration Backpack - Osprey HydraJet 15
Hydration packs for the kids takes the weight off your shoulders literally. Taylor loves the freedom of having access to her ow water, snacks and whatever else she feels is important to carry along our hikes. These Camelbak Scouts are great for the kids to handle and not too bid for an adult to carry along with their pack to give the little one a break.
Hiking Shoes / Boots - Merrell Kid's Moab FST Mid
There are so many options out there for hiking boots. These Merrell Moab boots are rugged, light ant water proof. We bought these for our oldest son and now are daughter is creating dust with these bad boys.
Cold Weather Jacket - Loki Kid's Mountain Hoodie Extreme
As seen in the photo below. This jacket is awesome!. The jacket has built in gloves and a face mask i the hood. It has served its purpose while skiing in the middle of winter and chilly summer nights while camping. Brayden is starting his second ski season with this jacket. Click the photo to be directed to the manufacturer’s website.
Practice Fly Rod - Redington Form Game Fly Rod
I love it when my kids can tag along with me in my hobby adventures and it is so much better when I’m not spending my whole time untangling fly line for them. There are a few options out there for a practice rod, but the Redington Practice Rod caught my daughter’s attention. The rod is very responsive to the motion of your cast and gives an authentic feeling to multiple casting methods. I found myself setting up obstacles and having a blast landing the fly around the backyard.
Graphic T-Shirt
A good gift for any kid would be another t-shirt to add to the quiver. They constantly outgrow or demolish their shirts, so its always good to have something fresh. My kids usually gravitate toward a graphic tee that depicts super hero’s, dinosaurs or any other random objects that they find to be cool.
Kid's Climbing Harness - Petzl Macchu
After looking at a few options for kid harnesses we chose this Petzl Macchu harness. The choice was made due to the standing reputation of Petzl gear and the ability for my kids to grow with this harness.
Biking Gloves - Specialized Kids LoDown Gloves
These things have been amazing. The kids are riding with confidence with these gloves. They are easy for them to put on or take off. There have been many spills on the trails with these things and followed up with a high five and no tears. Save there palms and give them gloves. Click the photo to be directed to the manufacturer’s website.
Ski Lessons
Acoustic Guitar - Yamaha CGS102A Half-Size Guitar
Here is the Yamaha 1/2 size acoustic nylon string guitar. The local salesman said to stay away from steel string to preserve the little fingers. This has become an educational adventure both myself and our kids as we learn together. I hope they continue to grow with music in their soul.
Head Lamp - Petzl Tikka+ 110 Lumens
The kids love having their own light at the camp site. I first let them run off with lanterns, but when hey turn them off in the dark and walk away, they no longer serve their purpose. I wanted to give the kids a hand free way for them to explore, so I bought them a similar light to mine. It has withstood two camping seasons so far, so for purpose, user-ability and resilience, I recommend the Petzl.
Best of All - Go on an Adventure
Kid Friendly Activities in Moab
Here is our suggestions on a few activities to do in Moab with kids. These features are spread out through Moab, Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands National Park. I am sure the list is exhaustive of all the activities to do with kids in this area as it is a big outdoor playground.
In no particular order….
Visitor Center’s (Arches, Canyon Lands, Dead Horse State Park)
I almost didn’t add the visitor centers to our list, but these are a must do with kids. I would highly recommend stopping when you first get into the park. Kids will learn so much at the visitor centers and each one is different than the other. Plus, these National Parks (Dead Horse is a State Park) have free Junior Ranger packets that involve the kids in the learning process. Kids must fill out so many pages based on their age and then they can turn it back into a Ranger at the Visitor center to be sworn in.
Here is the Junior Ranger guide for Canyonlands.
Corona Arch (Moab)
Corona Arch Trailhead is just a short drive from Moab down Potash Rd. On the road down you will probably see lots of people climbing as the road is very popular place to climb with the steep cliffs. You can also see some petroglyphs along the way that we include in the list as well.
Once at the trailhead, the trail is 2.3 miles and moderately easy. There are a few technical areas, but there is rope there to help guide you and a ladder in another section. I would highly recommend doing this trail in the morning as the weather is not as hot and there are not as many people hiking at that time. However it is probably just as nice to do it later in the day to catch the sunrise we haven’t done that yet but will have to try that out next time.
Petroglyphs (Moab)
There are a few places that you can see petroglyphs around Moab. Our favorite location is along Potash Rd on your way to Corona Arch trailhead. Along Potash rd. you will see a sign and a paved pull out on the side of the road. This is an easy viewing area for everyone to enjoy.
The rock art is about 25 feet up on the sandstone walls. Archaeologists believe that most the petroglyphs were done by Indians of the Southern San Rafael Fremont culture, which flourished between 600 A.D. and 1300 A.D. The Fremont art includes older portrayals of animals, lines of hand-holding men and triangular figures with horns, spears and shields.
The more modern petroglyphs, including the horsemen and many of the hunting motifs appear to be the work of Ute Indians in relatively recent times. They show less weathering and less attention to detail than the Fremont rock art.
These petroglyphs are fragile and easily marred. Please help preserve them for the enjoyment of others.
Moab Giants Dinosaur Museum(Moab)
This museum was a favorite for our kids, especially because they are obsessed with dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are visible from the road, but it is not as fun as experiencing them while walking through with your kids. The museum has camps set up like the paleontologists did in the area. Check it out here
Inteprid Trail Kid Friendly Bike Trail (Dead Horse State Park)
There is a plethora of biking in the Moab region, but we picked this trail as it is great for beginners to advanced and the views are spectacular. We have taken the kids on this a few times now with the first time being their first-time off-road biking. It is also a very easy trail to follow along and walk if you are teaching your kids to bike for the first time. This trail does vary in difficulty and the longer you follow it will increase in skill level but if you are with younger kids the first stretch is easy enough and they will be ready to head back after the first 2 miles (and you too if you are running along 😊 )
To get here you will park at the Dead Horse State Park Visitor Center and the trail starts at the north end of the parking lot. I would also recommend stopping in the visitor center to gather some maps to show you this trail and any other trail you would like to try out as they are very resourceful in telling you details of all the trails.
Dead Horse State Park Overlook
While visiting Dead Horse State Park continuing driving past the Visitor Center to the end of the road where you will find an amazing overlook.
Whale Rock (Canyonlands)
Located in Canyonlands National Park this made our list as it is a great place to catch the sunset with the kids. It is pretty easy hike that is 1 mile and the kids love it because they get to hike on top of the “whale.” Canyonlands is located 32 miles from Moab, UT and is worth the trip to spend the time in Canyonlands enjoying all the park has to offer. A bonus is that it is typically less populated than the nearby Arches National Park. We hiked to the top of Whale Rock and watched the sunset and didn’t see anyone else on the trail or nearby the whole time.
Mesa Arch (Canyonlands)
Mesa Arch is also located in the Islands in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park and is a must see when going to this park. A popular spot for the sunrise, however we have not made it at this time yet though had hoped to. A pretty easy and short hike you will be rewarded with an amazing photogenic arch.
Gateway Canyon Resort on a Budget!
Gateway Canyon Resort on a Budget!
A few things we recommend to do if you are on a budget at the Gateway Canyon Resort.
Gateway Canyon Resort was founded by the creator of the Discovery Channel, John Hendricks. Gateway Canyons Resort is located in the red rock canyons of western Colorado, just 1 hour southwest of Grand Junction, Colorado.
We recently visited Gateway Canyon Resorts in October as we were lucky to win a weekend vacation from a raffle at the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. Before going here I would have said that I would never get to experience it because of the price of the rooms and did not think it would be worth it. Having been there now I would definitely say that the price they charge for rooms is worth it as it is such an amazing experience to visit this resort. Not only do you get to enjoy the amazing scenery, the resort is set up in such a way that you don’t see a lot of the guest staying there and is pretty serene.
We planned our trip for our anniversary in October and it ended up being the best weekend as far as weather. A little chilly in the mornings and evening but with the heated pools and falling leaves we loved it. We didn’t book any of the adventures they have at the resort as honestly we just really wanted to go with the flow and relax. We have been traveling a lot with the kids and we usually have so much planned out on our trips because we don’t want to miss a thing and that was the last thing we wanted to do on this trip. If the only thing I saw was the heated pool, I would be good .
The experience starts well before you arrive at the resort. We headed over from Grand Junction and as soon as you hit the canyon on the drive you are taken away by the beauty that surrounds you and it changes around each bend. There are massive rocks walls, agricultural fields, canyons and rock formations. By the time you reach the resort, you turn into a small looking resort to park right at the lobby.
We checked into our room and were amazed by the view from the large windows. This was an amazing sight to see in the evening as the sun fell behind the cliffs and in the morning as it rose.
To be brief here is an overview of the activities that we chose to do. However, if you are wanting to take full advantage of this resort, I highly recommend you researching all of the activities they offer prior to your trip and booking at least one activity.
Activities on a Budget
Gateway Canyon Resort Spa- Ok, so we are really frugal and didn’t do anything at the spa except for the free amenities, but looking at their rates they were not as high as I would have expected. I would highly recommend you doing this when you first arrive at the resort as it helps you relax and get out of the travel mode. You can use the steam room, sauna and private hot tub. These are separated so if you are planning on going with your spouse know that you will be separated.
Resort Hikes– We thought prior to going there that we would find a hike to go on during the day, but surprisingly to us we did not find a lot on the REI Hiking Project app. The resort has several trails from the resort that are all pretty short in distance and we were somewhat disappointed before hiking as we didn’t think we would get much out of it. We were pleasantly surprised with the hike as it was pretty nice hike with some hills for exercise and great views.
Restaurants
We went in October, so not all of the restaurants were open but they had the Paradox Grille, Entrada and Kiva Café open. We had most of our meals at the Paradox Grille and enjoyed breakfast at the Entrada on Sunday. While we were there the Paradox was open for Lunch and Dinner and the Entrada was open for Breakfast or Dinner. The Kiva Café offered a small selection of either grab and go breakfast with a coffee to go.
I ate the same meal twice at the Paradox Grille as it was such an amazing meal. I had the Vegetable Roadside tacos that came with roasted vegetables, arbol chile salsa, pico de gallo and sides. I have never had a taco that was so amazing before and believe me I have eaten some tacos.
Gateway Canyon Automobile Museum
Full disclosure, I wasn’t too thrilled about going to a car museum, but hey it was free if you were staying at the resort. I was pleasantly surprised that I loved the museum and spent a lot of time there. It was so neat how they set it up by different eras. When you walked into separate rooms you really got a feel for what was going on during that era and the cars that were built during the times were incredible. My personal favorite was the 1914 Form Model T. To me, to be able to think of this type of car during that time was remarkable. Going through the cars in each era you notice the impeccable craftsmanship, innovation and quality that these cars were made of. This is the type of museum that if you walk in not being a car enthusiasts and you will walk out being one.
Check out more on this museum here.
This weekend was just what we needed to get away and really relax for the weekend. The staff is amazing and I would highly recommend that you plan a trip to this resort.
These are only the ideas that you can do on a budget here but check out the array of amazing adventures you can partake on while at this resort. They range from guided hikes, rockclimbing to heli-fishing. Check out all the adventures here.
REI’s Adventure apps help you navigate the outdoors
REI has a whole suite of mobile apps to help plan your next outdoor adventure. I first stumbled across the apps in 2017 while searching for some local climbing areas. I was greatly surprised to find them and how useful and user friendly they were.
REI’s Adventure apps have been very useful in different situations. Mostly they really help plan out different routes depending on the time frame we have and level of difficulty that we can do with the kids. It is also very helpful in that you can download the routes to use while offline as a lot of these sites are in remote areas.
With five apps available, they all share similar functionality and are designed to help users find places to take part in their favorite outdoor activities. The Hiking Project, MTB Project , and the Powder Project each help their users find trails to hike, mountain bike, and ski, respectively, while the Trail Run Project and Mountain Project do the same for trail runners and climbers. Each program uses your phone’s GPS capabilities to find the best options nearby and they also have searchable databases for destinations. These apps provide access to hundreds of trails across the U.S., making them essential for any outdoor enthusiast.
A final option includes the National Park Guide and Maps app. It offers trail maps, photos, and other data from America’s national parks, making it a must-have for anyone who likes to visit those wild places. You can download this one as well from Google Play Store or Apple itunes store.
All in a day- Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands and Moab Giants
April 2018
Sometimes I am amazed what we can fit into one day. We are usually pretty exhausted, but in the best moods as a family after a day like this one.
We started out fairly early packing up and leaving our campsite by around 7:30 in the morning, so we wanted to take advantage of the whole day. We (probably just me) had originally planned to wake up and leave around 4am to catch the sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, but ended up sleeping in :).
First, we headed back to Dead Horse Point to hike around since the day before when we had visited it was pouring rain. The kids explored and did a little Yoga on the side of the cliff.
After Dead Horse Point, we headed back to the Visitor Center. We got to the Visitor center around 8:30 which was nice as there was plenty of parking and not a lot of people on the trails yet. From the Visitor Center, there was a nice bike path for the kids to ride, as they had not done a lot of off the road biking we figured this trail would be perfect and we were right. They loved it and it helped grow their love for biking.
After biking, we ventured over to Canyonlands National Park (we dropped our camper off on a dirt pull off outside of the park as we were not sure if we would have difficulties inside Canyonlands). The hikes we went on did not have parking for a camper at the times we showed up, so I am so glad we did this. First, we headed to Mesa Arch which was a very short but still good hike to a beautiful arch.
After Mesa Arch, we headed over to Upheaval Dome trail.
After this hike, we needed to start making our way home. We went back to hook onto our camper while I made lunch inside. After we were fully hooked up and fed, we took the kids to a surprise trip to the dinosaur museum, the Moab Giants, and boy was that fun.
Until next time Moab…..
Short pitstop at Frisco Adventure Bike Park -Colorado
We were just recently driving home from a weekend of camping at the Prospector’s Campground in Dillon, CO and came across Frisco Adventure Park. So, we decided to stop and check it out and we were not disappointed, wow. There were a lot of different activities there and we were drawn to the bike park. No better way to exhaust the kids before shoving them back into the car for a 3-hour ride. The bike park seemed to have everything for all different ages and abilities of riders. The Adventure park includes a Pump Track, Slopestyle Course, Dirt Jump Facility and Dual Slalom Course. The kids played on the dirt jumps and pump track.
If you are around this area and have 20 minutes to a few hours to spare stop by here and play around. Here is a short clip of the kids playing around at the park.