Simplify Explore Learn Together
We stayed in three different campgrounds as we made our way south through the northern California/Redwood area: Hiouchi RV Park, Sounds of the Sea, and Albion River Campground. Here are reviews of all three: Hiouchi RV Park Price: $31/night Location: Just outside the entrance to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, a 10 mile drive from Crescent City Site description: gravel……
What is it about majestic, ancient trees that they seem to embody wisdom? There are abundant examples in literature and film where aged trees become characters in the plot in some way. They are almost always mature, wise, and deeply respected. Walking through a redwood forest, where the tall canopy obliterates any view of sky or sun, gave me a……
Heading south into California, our first stop was at the visitor center for Redwood National Park, which was surprisingly located downtown in Crescent City. What we hadn’t realized before is that, rather than being a national park with clearly defined boundaries, controlled entrances and all that we’ve come to expect from national parks, Redwood is actually a national park and……
Sparkling and radiant blue and surrounded by rugged cliffs, Crater Lake is instantly captivating and breathtakingly beautiful. We visited Crater Lake National Park on a sunny Saturday and spent the day exploring the park and once again marveling at God’s amazing handiwork. We drove the loop around the lake, which seems to be very popular with cyclists, and stopped at……
In Portland we got to visit more friends from Sweden, the Lanns. At this point, about halfway into the trip, we were ready for a break. A sort of vacation from our vacation. Jonas and Greta were so generous as to be our home base for a little travel reboot. We stayed 3 nights (2 full days). The original plan……
Ah, Seattle. Home of the Space Needle, Boeing Airplanes, the original Starbucks, and our good friends, the Christs. Keegan and Becka used to work with us for Young Life in Sweden, and are now working for Young Life in Kent, WA. Their daughter is about 8 months older than Emelie, and their son just 5 days older than Peter. It……
While still camped in West Yellowstone, we took a day trip to Grand Teton National Park. When Staffan took a solo trip out west more than 10 years ago, one of his most memorable moments was when he first saw the Tetons as he drove to Grand Teton from Yellowstone. He describes pulling over and sitting on the hood of……
Most mornings, when Emelie wakes up, she asks the same questions: Is it morning? Did the sun come up today? Where are we? Where are we going today? On the day we were leaving Billings to drive to Yellowstone, she was very excited by the answer to that last question. “Yellowstone! Yay! That sounds very, very fun!” We thought it……
Leaving South Dakota, we continued west into Wyoming. The plan was to drive to Devil’s Tower, spend a little time exploring there, then continue on to Gillette to camp for the night. We had plans to meet friends in Billings, MT for the weekend. Native Americans and other early settlers developed many legends and folk tales around the Devil’s Tower……
Continuing west from the Badlands, we came to the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Starkly different from the arid, rocky landscape of the Badlands, the Black Hills have lush forests and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife. We started our visit with a tour of Bear Country, a drive-through zoo where the animals roam relatively freely and are often……
Any Rich Mullins fans out there that recognize this title as a line from his song “Calling out your Name”? I must confess that other than this song lyric, I’d never even really heard of the Badlands. They weren’t along our original planned route, mostly because we didn’t know they were there. But we’re so glad we changed our route……
For a lot of Swedes, Minnesota is the first state they hear of or learn about. To an American, this seems strange. New York, maybe? California? Texas even? But when you consider that over a million Swedes emigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s and that most of them settled in Minnesota and its neighbor-states, it’s not so……
We’re not exactly mall enthusiasts. This shouldn’t really surprise anyone. But when we happen to be in the area of America’s largest mall, we had to check it out. And when this mall has a program called “Toddler Tuesdays” and we have toddlers and happen to be in town on a Tuesday… done deal. So we decided to brave the……
Though there was an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms the whole day, we spent the Saturday of Labor Day weekend in downtown Chicago, pleasantly enjoying the other 20%. Chicago is a city with a lot to offer… so what to do with one day, during which it will most likely rain, and two little ones? Traveling with toddlers, less……
Thought I’d take a pause from where we’ve been and what we’ve done to talk a little bit about what daily life is like for us these days. If you’re curious, I’m writing this from the Badlands in South Dakota, and still have posts coming about our travels in Chicago, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I’ve started writing this post several times,……
