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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Mother Earth
I wanted to start a new tradition: kicking off the outdoor adventuring season on Earth Day (well, the whole weekend, really). So we did it.
The idea was simple, really: pack up, head for the hills with some friends, sleep outside and enjoy each other.
Of course, nothing is ever that simple, is it? Cue Saturday morning, the day before Earth Day, 2018…
My husband had been out of town all week, I had a 9am photoshoot down the road and though we were mentally ready for a nearby overnight with friends, the weather wasn’t cooperating here in southern Colorado. While the week said sunny and 65 with overnight lights near 30, the fact was, the wind was blowing, the skies were overcast and overnight temps were going to dip into the low/mid-20s. Outcome: we needed a change of plans.
So, I went to my photoshoot and left it up to my husband.
When I got home, we were closing in on 10AM and needed to make some decisions.
Stick it out and hope we didn’t freeze to death in the high country while all the other folks camping with us were in trailer campers? No.
Find another southern CO site close to home (turns out all USFS roads are still closed)? No.
Head over the pass to bike at Phil’s World and camp at a KOA in Cortez? No.
Drive south back to New Mexico (Sam was there all week) and find somewhere worth sleeping? No.
Then, that brilliant husband of mine said “Load the car, let’s go”.
When we pulled out of the driveway, I honestly thought we were heading for Cortez; but instead of driving west, we went north. I asked Sam where we were going? Fruita.
The weather was gorgeous. Sure, we didn’t head out until nearly noon with a couple of crazy cattle dogs and the little dude, but at least we had a destination that we wanted to go to!
The weekend (well, the 36 hours away from home) turned out to be a great research mission with a spectacular stars-filled night, delicious foods, warm sunny bike riding, and new views all around.
We spent Earth Day under blue skies and surrounded by the people that matter most: our family. And I’m ok with that 🙂
Gear Review: Vedavoo W’s Damsel Sling
Postfly: February Box
Fly fishers of the WORLD!
Ever hear of Postfly? They are the original monthly fly fishing subscription box and I’m STOKED to continue for another year as one of their Ambassadors.
I’ll be posting monthly un-boxing, so check back often! And, if YOU feel inspired to join the tribe, visit http://www.postflybox.com and use RYANPFB10 at checkout to save some cash!
kids books
Since my son was born – and honestly, even while in utero – my husband and I have gathered books that we hope(d) he would enjoy. We have been gifted books from classic Dr. Suess favorites to newer publications like the Little Blue Truck.
Whatever the book, we try to support a sense of wonder and adventure, balanced with opportunities to learn new words, lessons and ideas. So, when I heard about the latest book from Andy Weiner, I was very excited to add it to our son’s collection.
Andy’s book Down by the River takes readers on a day trip fishing adventure with Art, his mother and grandfather – and makes me oh-so-nostalgic for the limestone creeks of northeast Pennsylvania where I first learned to fly fish. While it’s a new venture for Art, his mother and grandfather are seasoned pros. Whether it’s packing up the gear, picking a fly, rigging up, or finding the right seam, they have a contagious passion for fly fishing that has trickled down to Art and is ready to blossom.
Chock-full of beautiful illustrations by April Chu, this story was particularly catching to me because if features a young boy and his mother as well as his grandfather – but I love that this little boy ventures into fly fishing with his mother as a role model. So many of us women have been taking our children to the water since day one and to have a book share a little glimpse of that is refreshing.
While my son isn’t quite two, he is a pretty fishy kid and – dare I say – a slight addict; from grabbing rods to helping net my and his dad’s fish, this book is a perfect companion to show him that little boys (and girls) can and do fly fish.
To get yourself, child, grandchild, friend’s child, niece/nephew – you get the picture – a copy, visit www.downbytheriverbook.com!
(Featured Image Credit: http://www.downbytheriverbook.com/)
review: Raingler
Pow
I love a good day on skis – well, quite honestly, I love any day outside, regardless of the apparatus underfoot, but in mid-January, it’s often skis and yesterday was no exception…
If you’ve been breathing since November of last year, you know that the West is experiencing a crazy winter full of poor snowpack from limited storms, unseasonably warm temperatures and blazing sunshine. Thankfully, all of that changed this past weekend with 23 inches of fresh snow falling at Wolf Creek Ski Area in about 24 hours.
While that husband of mine got himself together for a morning skin outside the resort area, I was on kid patrol until noon. With the government shutdown in go-mode, I figured catching some pow turns the day before I received official furlough notice would brighten my spirits. I was right.
In the end, I’m grateful to the snow gods, happy I have a freelance option when it comes to work, and planning to spend today dreaming of those fat powder turns yesterday brought us.
Keep doing your snow dances everyone, days like this shouldn’t be so few and far between.
snow bike fishy time
No, we didn’t catch fish…
but we saw them!! And, we had e a GREAT time riding and attempting to land some trout!! It’s a rare occasion that we can fly fish some of our favorite waters in early January. Though I enjoyed it, I’m definitely praying for snow – and you should, too; for the sake of the fish, of course (and maybe my backcountry skiing addiction)…
Enjoy.
bikepacking, sorta
The 2017-2018 ski season is off to a very slow start. SO, rather than cry (too much) about it, we decided to get the skinny tires rolling…
Bikepacking is essentially longer distance riding with all your gear packed on your bike; which is why this post is called “bikepacking, sorta”…
See, we “sort of” did a bikepacking jaunt. We loaded all of our gear on the bikes, but we only pedaled about 2 miles into the Rio Grande National Forest. The plan is to do a much longer ride along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route – the same route we did this past week – but let’s face it: it’s winter, and we have an (almost) two year old to manage.
But, 2 miles or 20 miles, we learned quite a bit and we had one heck of a good time!
|The Route|
First off, two skinny-tire bikes fully loaded with some Oveja Negra packs were the perfect option, but not if there is a lot of snow on the trail. Though the route itself was relatively clear along the Pinos Road (FR14), there were still sections where I struggled a bit while pulling the Chariot. I guess 15 pounds on my bike and 50 pounds in the Chariot were a wee bit much on the snow…anyway, next time, we’ll do it without snow, and all will be well. I’m sure 🙂 But when we do another winter trip, it’ll be with some Framed Fat Bikes and a Fat Bike Pulk from Ski Pulk – yep, that’s right, we’ve got some ideas up our sleeves!
Anyway, we parked around the Burro Creek Trailhead along the route, loaded up, and pedaled. We traveled about 2 miles, unloaded, setup camp, ate some snacks, and kept on pedaling. I suppose we could have continued up and found another campsite…BUT, since it was going to be a cold night and we were new to this thing (with a kid in-tow), we went the “safe” route, and kept it under 2 miles from the vehicle.
|Camp Setup|
For this trip, we took ALL the cold weather gear you could imagine.
First, we packed in a Seek Outside 8-person tipi/hot tent. That’s right, I said a HOT TENT. This thing is awesome. Seek Outside is based in Colorado and makes a range of tents and tipis. This little bundle comes with a titanium wood stove (also made in CO) and I am in love, with a few caveats/pros/cons:
- + SUPER lightweight. The sil-nylon body with netting (to keep the bugs out in the summer), carbon pole, (I think) titanium stakes AND the titanium stove weigh in under 12lbs. For a large shelter and heat source, I’d say that’s a pretty lightweight option to have some 4-season outdoor fun!
- + SOO roomy! The 8-person tent feels like a mansion. It’s literally huge and probably a little too big for the 5 of us (2 adults, one kid, 2 dogs), but I’d rather go big that small because you don’t ALWAYS have to heat all that space.
- – Stoke that fire. The stove burns hot, but it burns fast; like, DEVOURS wood, fast. We have a wood stove at home for our primary heat source, so we know how to use them and this one was definitely hungry. Anyway, the night ran between 10-15 degrees, so keeping it stoked would have been really nice. However, while I was the nugget snuggler, Sam was the fire keeper, and let’s just say, it got cold in there. Also, make sure if you get one of these puppies, you keep your gear a good distance from the firebox.
- Lesson learned #1: Position is key. If you position the fire keeper closest to the wood stove, they can easily feed wood from their bag all night long without having to get up, put some shoes on,walk over to the stove, add the wood…return & repeat.
- Lesson learned #2: Down sleeping bags melt, FAST. Ya, unfortunately, my Outdoor Vitals bag lost its fight with the wood stove that night…just keep a good distance from the stove, people. I tried, but rolling around at 3AM/fighting one of the dogs for the sleeping bag and being stationed too close to the stove don’t mix. I’m just glad the whole thing didn’t go up in flames.
We packed three down sleeping bags including an Outdoor Vitals 0 degree Summit, a 30 degree Big Agnes Bag and a really old 0 degree bag made somewhere in CO. They worked really well, but it was still chilly because we let the fire go out (I had the expectation of being HOT all night, but we slacked…).
Other items:
- Jetboil Stove and a couple bowls, mugs, fork/spoon
- Aeropress Coffee Press
- Good To-Go dehydrated dinners (Marinara w/ Penne was KILLER! and the Pad Thai was pretty yummy), local ground coffee & lots of snacks (Forest loves oranges, and we brought GORP, Kind Bars, biscotti, tea, raisins)
- LOTS of warm clothes, especially my Feathered Friends “Ellia” down jacket
|The Outcome|
It worked. Period. Maybe it was the gorgeous night sky, or it could have been me forgetting my main camera, or even the fact that Forest has been camping in the high country since he was 3 months old…whatever the combination was, it was in our favor.
- Yes, the fire went out & it got cold;
- Yes, I destroyed a sleeping bag;
- Yes, we had a couple meltdowns due to an overtired kid and underperforming gear (Blackburn needs to stick to hard goods and not make bags anymore because all the clips on their panniers broke off Sam’s bike – ya, the meltdown was ligit.)
- and YES, I’m going to do it again!!!
winter fat biking
We took a moment to get out this holiday break and test out a new pair of Wolf Tooth Components Singletrack Pogie. A full review is coming up, as well as some fishing & winter fat biking adventures 🙂 Stay tuned!
Hey, YOU!
Yes, you: the bride & groom-to-be, the marketing manager, the family cheerleader, the… – I’m reaching out to YOU.
I’ve been photographing weddings, senior and family portraits, special events, and outdoor adventures, and providing marketing material for companies for a while now – consistently for a little less than 5 years. Before that, it was occasional “official” shoots, but a lot of time behind a camera for myself.
Now, with a new year quickly approaching, I’d like to take it to a new level. New assignments, new locations, and new challenges.
I would absolutely Love to be your photographer.
I want to capture your moment and help document and share your story. The wild ride that is your wedding day or special event, or maybe the new product you want showcased to reach audiences. Maybe it’s the pinnacle of your high school time and you need senior photos, or the annual family photo. Whatever your needs, I want to be the gal you call to get the shot.
On my day-to-day, I work for a great agency, but I want to dedicate more time to capturing images – the most memorable moments so that when the memories fade, the photographs are there to brush off the dust and enrich the mental image…the season’s raddest new gear to get everyone stoked to get out and play…and on and on and on.
You see, I never thought I would be the gal that would have the nerve or confidence it takes to have to get “the shot”, but when it happened for the first time, I was hooked – and have been ever since.
The “I do”, the skier hucking off some crazy high cliff, the moment that perfect sun flare hits the season’s newest piece of gear – those are the moments I love!
SO what do you say – you wanna give me a shout?
Gear Review: Nittany Mountain Works Hip Sack
family fat biking
If you follow my blog, you likely know about my fat biking & fly fishing videos earlier this summer…well, due to some unforeseen injuries and travel, we didn’t publish quite as many as I was hoping. Not to fear though, with fall upon us and winter knocking on the door (and my husband FINALLY recovered from his riding injury) we’ve got some ideas in the works!
I hit the river late last week after my mom headed back east in hopes of landing a birthday trout. It was slow, but it felt good to be on the water. But, mid-way into my forth or so stop along the Rio, the wind picked up. And by picked up, I mean it ripped down the river corridor and tangled my tandem rig in ways I’ve never seen – and I’ve seen some serious tangles! I packed up and headed home, promising myself I’d get back on the water once the wind subsided…
So, Sam and I planned to get out with Forest this weekend to hopefully land some fish, eat some yummy food, and enjoy the forecasted sunshine in the valley. Of course, Saturday morning came around and the wind had yet to letup. So, we ran errands most of the day, drank hot tea in the evening, passed out, and I woke up on Sunday with thoughts of big fall browns on my mind; and wouldn’t you know it – 40mph+ gusts were ripping through the neighborhood.
We had a feeling this was going to happen. So, we decided to skip the fishing and celebrate the fact that there is finally some snow blowing it by packing up the fat bikes and exploring some forest roads we had not been on before…
We pulled off at the Poncha Pass Loop along 285 just below the pass itself. 8000 feet, windy and gorgeous! No fishing up here, but the breeze (which is an understatement) kept us cool on the uphill grind – and Forest was bundled up and loving it, too!
The trail is called the Bonanza Off-Highway Vehicle tour, but we ditched the Jeep and Soob and took it on with 4-inch fatties and a soooooped up Chariot instead!
After Forest passed out for a while, he was ready to get out and stretch his legs, so we headed back down – and BOY! that downhill was soooo nice! That’s Sam indulging in a little woopdywhoooop!
Sometimes, I wonder if we’re crazy for dragging that little nugget along on these haphazard outings we affectionately call “adventures” and then I rethink it. I mean, if we get him addicted to things like skis and bikes and being outside early on, hopefully he won’t have any money (or energy, for that matter) left for less healthy habits. I guess we’ll just keep on keeping on and see where it takes all of us 🙂
Alright everyone, that’s it. No fish, but we did get some mud on our big ol’ fat tires, that’s for sure!
if you like what you see, follow along on my Instagram for more adventures!! And if you’re in the market for a fat bike, consider demo’ing/checking out a Framed option – I was riding the Alaskan Carbon Fat with a Manitou suspension fork and Sam was rocking the Framed Wolftrax Alloy Custom Fat setup. There are pros and cons to both of these rigs and we’re hoping to tweak several things before heading out on our winter fishing and yurt/backcountry lodge trips. If you have any suggestions (or questions), leave a comment below!
Adventure on, y’all…
stewardship
When I was in college, I did this “thing” called Outdoor School.
While there, we taught local students all about working together and lessons on natural history, cultural history and all the cool things you can learn while playing outside.
At the end of the week, after all these lessons about conservation and the importance of natural resources, we hosted a scenario where we’d talk to kids about a private landowner coming in to build on public lands that were traditionally being used to explore, experience and learn outdoors (ie: the camp we were at).
We hosted a public hearing, shared the proposed development plans, and talked about how the land owner didn’t really care about the wildlife using that space or natural processes taking place on those lands. Rather, what they cared about was creating an experience for paying customers and paying the bills (logical, right?).
Kids would be in an uproar! They would debate how we need to “speak for the trees” and fight for what’s right for the natural world…and I would be blown away by how emotional they would become. But sometimes, I wondered if we were living in a bubble – if what we were doing would go the distance and stick with these kids so that they would become stewards of the places they know hold more value as natural sites than anything else.
Well, tonight, for the first time in my life, I sat in a public hearing to discuss exactly what our mock scenarios used to cover. And the moment I heard the landowner say “don’t let your emotions get in the way…this is a useless piece of land” I was back at Penn State’s Outdoor School and so much energy came flooding in…
But outside of the emotion I was feeling, I heard a community member next to me say “useless for who?” and another one say “depends on the use – you can’t build on it, but a wetland for a frog is heaven!”. And then the arms and hands start raising – more people wanted to speak out against just how “useless” this piece of land is.
And I realized something: we were not in a bubble and stewardship is alive. It’s alive in ourselves and in our communities.
Then my amazing husband – a voting member of a board that will ultimately make the final decision for the sale of this property – spoke up.
The landowner admitted to clearing the “useless” space and he said we have a bigger issue before us than whether or not a town will sell a piece of public property to a private business: first, clearing a public piece of land without consulting the town is “technically” a trespass, but more importantly, a rare or endangered species could have inhabited the nearly 3 acres that person unlawfully cleared – species that are, in fact, present regionally.
And at that moment, I heard My husband speak for the trees and the birds and give each of the community members in the room an even louder voice than we had for just sitting in that town hall room.
Not only was I amazed that this whole thing was happening, but then I became so proud of someone I appreciate SO much for speaking up and reiterating that the proposed land was, in fact, NOT “useless”.
It’s a wild thought, especially in the way our current world appears to function – that we still have the ability to influence our environment, community, and maybe even our government.
A decision was not made as to the fate of this “useless” piece of land – a piece, might I add, that connects to an existing river walk and could potentially be included in the larger community river walk zone. But our voices were heard, and the town plans to investigate further; and I certainly hope, in the end, that the vote is whole-heartedly in favor of the community and the land.
And to those of you who were with us tonight: thank you. Thank you for coming to the table and representing the space, species and experiences that public piece of land exemplifies. Sometimes, it takes the voices of a few to help a whole community win. Fingers crossed…
season
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth. ~ H.D.T
Tonight, we accepted the passing of a season.
If you were to look out my kitchen window on any given afternoon this week, a few things would be very apparent:
- And pair of skis, a busted home-welded (attempt) bike frame, and other odds and ends nailed to or hanging precariously from our garage
- A fire pit that doesn’t get used nearly as much as it should
- A border collie standing on a wood pile and a blue heeler with her noes to the neighbor’s fence…among other things
However, what you may not have noticed this week were the once-full-of-life, but now sad (yet still green!) leaves of several garden plants – namely, the zucchini, pepper and tomato plants.
About a week and a half ago, our little 7,884 feet above sea level town got its first frost of the season. And by 2PM the next day, the leaves of these three plants were nothing more than shriveled, dangling, blobs. And though we had an amazing zucchini harvest this year – with multiple loaves of bread and countless dinners of sautéed goodness – only 4 small red tomatoes and one green pepper were harvested from our garden.
Growing up in northeast Pennsylvania, I never had a real vegetable garden. In fact, it wasn’t until my husband and I moved back to central PA that I actually felt inspired to start a garden. I had spent the summer of 2009 as a counselor at a science camp and helped build some geothermal garden beds and many summers before that indulging in local produce at famers markets from Scranton to State College – so I knew about gardens and loved looking at and eating from gardens.
So, after living in apartments and having semi-successful potted veggie plants, I was ready for the big leagues; and by 2012, we rented a farmhouse on a 60 acre horse farm and got to work…
In Pennsylvania, you can have zero gardening skill or experience – I mean, like, none, as in, you don’t know zones or growing seasons, spacing or watering techniques, or what the seed you just stuck in the ground will look like when it actually sprouts something edible – and you can STILL be successful!
In PA, we had more volunteer tomatoes in a bed next to the front door than we could have ever imagined (and I didn’t even know that was a thing – volunteer tomatoes?!)! We had dead plants that we stuck in the ground “just in case” that flourished. And even with the bunnies, chipmunks, deer, groundhogs, and who-knows-what-else roaming the property, we had a harvest I could only dream of! Giant green (when ripe) tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, orange and purple tomatoes…and the peppers! Bell peppers, Anaheim chilis, ghost peppers, orange and yellow and purple peppers. And then there were the cucumbers and the beans (yellow wax beans – OH! to grow and harvest yellow wax beans again!) and all the greens we could ever hope for.
But up here, in a high alpine desert at nearly 8,000, my tomatoes just won’t ripen. And my peppers? Forget about it – they barely flowered!! But my spinach, mixed lettuce greens, and kale. Now that’s where the money is 🙂
But I digress…
So today, I finally accepted the fact that the tomato plants, in particular, were done. And if there was any hope, I would need to pick the three dozen green, unripe, hard, tomatoes and bring them inside.
But to do that, I needed help – well, I didn’t know I needed help, but that little boy of mine knew it all along. So, we ate our supper and headed into the garden.
That little boy knows how to pick some tomatoes. Sure! He called them apples, but wouldn’t you?! He knows tomatoes. Yes, this kid knoooows tomatoes. He eats them on the daily. Organic, beautiful, little plump nuggets of freshness (thanks to City Market & our local co-op, of course).
So we picked, and we picked, and we picked, and we thanked the summer for all it gave us. I appreciate that I can stay connected to life-giving plants by growing them in my backyard. Kale, chard, root veggies, squash – all these great things will grow up here. So next year, I’ll be prepared. Sure, I’ll likely stick a couple toms and peps in the ground too, but next year is going to be different than the last few – I promised Forest, too. More goodness planted by our hands and grown outside our home.
For now, I’ll keep sipping my tea, embrace the gorgeous colors of fall and resign myself to the influence of the earth while we wait (hope and pray) for these apples…er, tomatoes…to ripen up.
I am.
Last night, I took a little walk up the local hill. When I got to the top, I set up my tripod, attached my camera, added a few filters to the mix and waited for just the right moment.
And then I waited some more. I snapped a couple shots, wondered what the family was doing down below, and thought about drinking a beer – all as the perfect light I had for the hike up was slowly engulfed by a thick band of precipitation-filled clouds.
And then, it started to rain.
I sat for another moment and figured I might as well accept the situation. And on the hike back down, I think I finally came to terms with what I now know to be fact: that I am not a landscape photographer.
I love shooting. I love photography. But I like capturing a moment that evokes something…more…you know?
I want the unexpected – wildlife on a secluded trail, or maybe the boozy broad in the corner on a street photo scene. I want the passionate holding of hands and gazing into each other’s eyes from a wedding or an engagement couple, or the depth of parental love you can feel when you look at a mother or father and child in a family portrait.
I can climb to the top of a mountain and wait for that perfect moment – that sunset or sunrise or storm blowing in, or make it just in time for that golden hour, and I can click the shutter and capture an image, but I just don’t know if that’s what I want. I mean, I thought I did, but maybe I would rather be spending that time as a mom playing with my child. Instead of sitting on that hill alone in the rain trying to snap a shot of something I thought would be there, but just isn’t, maybe I would rather go outside in the rain and hike that mountain with my wild kid and amazing husband?
I guess I am not a landscape photographer.
I appreciate the way photographers can capture still life in a landscape and how it can make me feel or take me where it can take me, but I don’t think I am very good at being that kind of photographer.
A good friend said to me “you can’t be awesome at everything” and I like that. I’m going to take that. I’m going to put it in my pocket. And I’m going to hold on to it. Thanks friend.
In the end, I’m okay with what I am. I get out and see amazing places. I meet incredible people and I adventure with the best family I could ever hope for. I like being that person, especially when I get to be that person with those people and capture it all from behind a camera. I like that.
FB&FF: Snippets
fall
Fall.
Falling.
Flailing.
Fell: flat on my face this past week.
August has come and gone in what felt like a blink.
I haven’t felt this busy in a very long time. East coast, Front Range, Alaskan travels, wedding and senior photo shoots…phew. It’s been more than a moment since I could take a deep breath. And now, I’m solo mom’ing while my amazing husband fights some wildfires up north. That guy is a rock star. My rock.
With all that, I think (now that August is behind us), I am ready to embrace the cooler weather, shorter days and changing leaves one of my favorite seasons.
Though it feels like I straight up stumbled, tumbled, and fell my way into this season/month, I am so ready for it. Firewood collection, big fall browns on the Rio, hungry trout on the high country creeks…the list goes on! These warm days and cool mornings means added layers and flannels; and cool nights will bring some of my favorite starry skies.
On deck: new gear reviews, new mountain biking/fishing videos on my YouTube channel, and lots n’ lots of family adventures.
We planned to camp near Steamboat Springs this coming weekend, but since Sam has a fire assignment on the very forest we were planning to explore, we will have to hold off on that one. Instead, I think Forest and I will get after it on some more high country creeks.
So much to explore and the dwindling day light makes it feel like we need to rush through the days to get it all in. But, I keep reminding myself to take life day by day, moment by moment, soak it all in and, most important of all: be present.
ride
It’s been and will be a whirlwind of a few weeks.
Work travel, photoshoots, toddler chasing, family trips, wedding attendance, cattle dog management, partner time, friend time…2017 is the year of Go.
But between it all, I am SO thankful to pause and take a moment to indulge in myself for more than an hour or two- an act that happens very rarely, I’ll admit. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to take an awesome ride with one of my closest friends I met since moving to CO.
Fat biking, fly fishing, and some real outdoor gal time is both refreshing and rewarding. We got covered in mud (and probably cow poop), caught fish, and drank some yummy beers…
Every woman/mom should have another chick/mama to let it all out with – whether it be one or a whole crew. Here’s to the women who support all of you through bike rides, beer drinking, or just front porch sitting, may all us mamas have a support system to remind us to decompress every now and then.
shakedown
rY outside 