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Overland Expo: Arizona Journey with Falken Tire

June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by Crismateski (BlkWgn)

Join our friends from Falken Tire and American Adventurist as we Journey through Arizona after Overland Expo

Categories Travel Tags American Adventurist, Falken Tire, offroad, youtube Leave a comment

Youtube Channel? Yeah, we got that!

July 26, 2017 by Crismateski (BlkWgn)

We have started to play with video a bit and that means we have added a Youtube Channel to go along with the Family Off The Map blog. Though we are learning, and the videos may not be as beautifully executed as the Falken Tire video that we posted about last week, they are pretty decent.

Read moreYoutube Channel? Yeah, we got that!

Categories Family Tags video, vlog, youtube 1 Comment

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No neighbors, no problem! We took a quick turnarou

No neighbors, no problem!
We took a quick turnaround around trip out to Couger Buttes to watch the meteor shower. We had the general area to ourselves, with absolutely zero traffic, save for one or two after dark trail runs.

We arrived (on purpose, to escape the heat) after dark, saw an amazing sky show, and read ancient stories about stars and the moon and sun. Then we rose early and headed up to Big Bear for breakfast at @grizzlymanorcafe and made it to the discovery center JUST in time for a nature walk!

Then over to @bigbearcoffeeroasting
for caffeine and down the mountain.

All in all, for a quick little turnaround, it turned into a pretty nice weekend!

We were supposed to go to the park with @wildandfr

We were supposed to go to the park with @wildandfree.foothills today, but it was closed, so @ashleyypashleyy and I pivoted up to the @cerritos_library and boy are we glad we did.

Everything about the Children's Library is designed to feed a child's adventurous imagination, and built exclusively for wee ones. (Down to the teeny tiny toilets)

Hunters favorite part was the life sized T-rex skelleton (lovingly referred to as "Stan") and the massive aquarium, along with the escalators. Who doesn't love escalators?

It pays to be flexible, and I'm super happy we didn't immediately hop on the freeway and head home.

Our @wildandfree.foothills co-op took a field trip

Our @wildandfree.foothills co-op took a field trip to our local state park today. It was absolutely gorgeous and it was wonderful to get outdoors before the next storm. The rangers and volunteers were fantastic and the kids learned a lot about local plants and animals.

*** Mini Fundraiser alert!*** My co-op teamed up

*** Mini Fundraiser alert!***

My co-op teamed up with Home & Haven to promote their Spring Bundle. Every Bundle we sell we receive a 30% commission. Please share with those interested.

Here is our link Link: https://2023-spring-bundle.peachs.co/a/patricia-sawyer

SPRING BUNDLE LAUNCHES MONDAY (Feb. 20th)!
We are celebrating the launch with a FIVE DAY SALE!!!
For 5 days you’ll be able to get our digital Spring Bundle for 50% off!
Our ONLY sale of the season. You will also be able to get the last 2 year’s Spring Bundles as well (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2).

The prices for the sale will be:
Spring Bundle Volume 3: Sale $25 (reg. $50)
Spring Bundle Vol. 2 and Vol. 3: Sale $45 (reg. $100)
All 3 Spring Volumes: Sale $65 (reg. $150)
Swipe right on these slides to see what will be included in Spring Bundle Vol. 3! Which Spring bundles do you have your eyes on?

We appear to have a new tiny Gryfindor on our hand

We appear to have a new tiny Gryfindor on our hands! Hunter created and "sent" a Hogwarts letter "From Professor McGonagall!" Asking if she'd like to come to Hogwarts.

I almost cried. For several reasons. Writing is something we've been struggling with in this season, so I consider a self guided project like this a TOTAL win, since she came up with, and executed, everything on her own.

I adored reading these books when they came out and I'm thrilled she's getting interested in them. We are currently listening to them narrated by Jim Dale (who I think is the BEST) and I hope to be reading the illustrated versions of them with her soon.

Her letter reads:
Albus Dumbledore says that you can go to Hogwarts. Do you want to go? There are four houses, Gryfindor Is the one you'll be in!

And she packaged it like a Hogwarts parcel too.

From San Antonio we streamlined back home so cris

From San Antonio we streamlined back home so cris could make it back to work, but we could not miss stopping at a few more places. Because we were traveling over a holiday, there were some places that were closed but that we added to our "in the future" list. We drove the three mission loop in EL Paso, Hit Saguaro National Park, where Hunter got sworn in as a Junior Ranger for the park, and we were lucky enough to have a one on one chat about lizards with a herpatologist. We spent a few hours wandering the visitor center and park.

We also stopped at the Zoo/ Botanical garden, but as we would need all day to see it, we put it on our list for next time, as well as Old Town Tuscon.

Hunter had been asking to "decorate" her space in the lower bunk so we decided we would start buying stickers from the parks we visit.

And of course, there was the tooth lost as we crossed back in to CA.

Day 5, the whole reason we decided to drive halfwa

Day 5, the whole reason we decided to drive halfway across the country. A few videos and a MASSIVE THANK YOU to @dinosaurgeorgecompany just don't seem to be enough to equal the amazing experience Hunter got at his museum in San Antonio, TX.

Dinosaur George, (also known as El Stinko and Little Georgie Pants to his sweet little fans) is an amazing human who has a traveling museum and does classes for schools all over the country. He started a podcast a few years ago, and Hunter was instantly enthralled, and he fast became someone she admires greatly.

We contacted his staff to make sure he'd be available to say hello to us before we came but he and his amazing staff did so very much more. Not only was he there, but when it was our turn to say hello, he proceeded to take her behind the ropes to touch and get super close and personal to pretty much anything she wanted to in his museum. He spent a good hour or so answering questions and showing her around. We brought a book he wrote to get signed, but he also gave her a signed book as well.

While we shopped in the store and Hunter chose several things, he brought out ChaCha Raptor for the kids to talk to. He is so great with all the kids (and overly emotional grown-ups) who come to see him. Hunter made several dino friends and when they ganged up on him with his own dino toys, he took it all in stride with a huge smile.

We can't thank Dinosaur George enough for being so very kind and lovely to our little future paleontologist.

When we hit Texas on the third night, the one camp

When we hit Texas on the third night, the one campsite we did call ahead of time provided a beautiful, secluded spot along the Medina river where Angus could happily be off leash, and be scared by the deer that wandered through the site. Hunter wanted to herd them and take them home but settled for imaginary sheep instead. We explored the River walk, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time and we even took a riverboat tour, which was our favorite part.

The first couple days of our family Christmas trip

The first couple days of our family Christmas trip, rushing through Arizona and New Mexico on the way to Texas, but not without stops to see The Thing? And Carlsbad Caverns. Hunter had a blast becoming a junior Ranger, and exploring the cases as well as alternate histories at the Aliens Vs Dinosaurs exhibit at The Thing? Museum.

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