Our 5 Adventurers experienced a very similar South Dakotan weather day as yesterday. The morning began in the tent at the Mt. Rushmore camp site quite chilly. Mom and Dad had more complaints about chilly feet than the kiddos who claimed themselves as snug as bugs in their sleeping bags. Once the sun came outContinue reading “Driving Day to Rapid City, South Dakota”
Author Archives: brianfjohnston
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
Today was Day 2 of a drive to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. We have now reached 4,709 miles on our travels from San Clemente, California. Wyoming has a marvelous diversity of land. One of the more unique places that we have visited thus far was Devil’s Tower. This feature rises up overContinue reading “Devil’s Tower, Wyoming”
Driving to Buffalo, Wyoming
Today was the first of two driving days for the family. We expect to find ourselves in a campground outside of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota before nightfall on the 19th. Ole Wheezy has attracted several one-finger salutes from Montanans and Wyomingites during the day’s journey. Brian thinks that Wheezy’s limited top speed is theContinue reading “Driving to Buffalo, Wyoming”
West Yellowstone, Montana; Day 4
We checked out of our high-cost/ low-amenity motel in West Yellowstone and drove straight to Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern part of the Park. Yellowstone was established in 1872 as the first national park. There was no precedent for the idea of reserving land to remain wild so the first park superintendents had seriousContinue reading “West Yellowstone, Montana; Day 4”
West Yellowstone, Montana; Day 3
Our aspirations for the day took us into Yellowstone National Park to visit several key spots. Our first stop was at the Norris Geyser Basin which produces some of the oldest and hottest springs in the Park. Steamboat Geyser shoots spray up to 300 feet into the air and had a significant eruption just 8Continue reading “West Yellowstone, Montana; Day 3”
Jackson, Wyoming
The Adventurers began the day early and left West Yellowstone for Jackson, Wyoming. We had been forewarned that Jackson was going to be super busy during this high season so we were glad to get there mid-morning. The family walked around a bit, had a snack, and shopped. The kids discovered a park at theContinue reading “Jackson, Wyoming”
West Yellowstone, Montana
Today, we have embarked on the Yellowstone leg of the journey. We are going to spend four nights in and around this majestic area. Our first order of business was to swap Ole Wheezy with some wheels that could take us up and down the mountains in Northwest Wyoming. The kids were somewhat chagrined toContinue reading “West Yellowstone, Montana”
Bozeman, Montana
We made our way over the Continental Divide this morning and found ourselves in Bozeman, Montana for lunch and a visit to a wonderful museum. The Museum of the Rockies is a terrific place for anyone that has an interest in dinosaurs. Montana is a primary location for dinosaur fossil hunting and paleontology. The MORContinue reading “Bozeman, Montana”
Butte, Montana; Day 5
Today was our last full day in Butte and we resolved to do some of our favorite things. The kids played at Stodden Park once again and then spent some time in the pool practicing their underwater handstands and somersaults. Tiffany finished the puzzle with one missing piece and oddly a duplicate one as well.Continue reading “Butte, Montana; Day 5”
Butte, Montana; Day 3
As some of you are aware, we have a long list of vaccinations necessary for some of our global destinations during this year of travel and we did a terrible job getting all of them taken care of before we left CA. What you may not be aware is that some multi-dose vaccinations need toContinue reading “Butte, Montana; Day 3”
Butte, Montana; Day 2
The intrepid travellers remained in Butte for their adventures today. We plan to stay here until Monday the 12th before moving on to Billings, Montana. There is a very pleasant spot in Butte named Stodden Park where the kids played on large mining-themed playground equipment. It’s an homage to the copper mining that made thisContinue reading “Butte, Montana; Day 2”
Butte, Montana; Day 1
The kids and Mom went to the pool at the Copper King Hotel in Butte, Montana this morning while Dad dropped off the car at the Toyota dealership to look into a check engine light which came up during yesterday’s drive into town. Tiffany and Brian have been well prepared to expect the unexpected duringContinue reading “Butte, Montana; Day 1”
Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 5
We were able to make one final visit to Glacier National Park in the morning after packing up and clearing out the camp site. Our target today was Two Medicine Lake in the Southeastern area of the Park. The kids continued to refine their rock skipping technique and discovered many skipping stones among the sedimentaryContinue reading “Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 5”
Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 4
Today was our last full day at Glacier National Park. We would like to visit tomorrow morning prior to leaving for Butte, Montana but we will need to pack up and assess our driving day. Once again we saw some new wildlife today in the Park. Uncle Jeff did not get to see the BighornContinue reading “Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 4”
Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 3
Day 2 at Glacier National Park. Yesterday, we traversed the Park from one end to the other by car (with a boat ride in between). Today was a hiking day as we marched over four miles across a few trails with the 5 Adventurers and 6 Stewarts. We saw a number of amazing waterfalls andContinue reading “Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 3”
Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 2
We awoke in the tent at our campground just outside of Glacier National Park after a comfortable night with minimal wind. Mom got the camp stove running before Dad was out of his camp cot. The kids tried to be helpful for breakfast prep but mostly stayed out of the way. Dad seemed most excitedContinue reading “Glacier National Park, Montana; Day 2”
Just A Little (Fiction) Story from Suaram
It had been a long drive, and it was 10:00, though it didn’t look like it. The sun had gone down over the mountains, but the sky was still the color of burning flames. The rest of the sky was indigo. Tall trees and leafy bushes looked flammable enough to immediately catch fire if aContinue reading “Just A Little (Fiction) Story from Suaram”
Driving to Glacier National Park, Montana
Today, we leave Tanya & Jeff’s house in Eastern Washington for a 5 hour drive to Glacier National Park in Montana. We are all very excited to see the park and camp out for 4 nights. If you notice some missing updates in this travel blog this weekend, it will be due to cellular serviceContinue reading “Driving to Glacier National Park, Montana”
Spokane, Washington; Day 2
We had a fantastic day in Liberty Lake with Brian’s sister Tanya and her family. Liberty Lake is just east of Spokane in Eastern Washington. All four of Tanya’s kids were home to see their cousins. We started the day with a board game, which is a treat for the 5 Adventurers. We learned thatContinue reading “Spokane, Washington; Day 2”
Spokane, Washington; Day 1
We got back into the minivan and left the Columbia River Gorge for Brian’s sister’s family home in Spokane. This brought us to visit more family and also back into the “heat dome” which recently left West Oregon. It was 105° in Spokane but is expected to cool off before the weekend when our twoContinue reading “Spokane, Washington; Day 1”
From Suaram – Bears In Yosemite- A True Story
This story takes place on the twenty-second of June 2021. Please remember that while it is funny now, it wasn’t funny when it happened. The kids were trying to go to sleep in Yosemite National Park. We had had a great day in the park. If you want to see what we did, please goContinue reading “From Suaram – Bears In Yosemite- A True Story”
From CreeperPuppy-
I’m having a great time in Cascade Locks. I suggest families having a world trip. It’s awesome. I just love the sounds!
From Suaram – Life in the wilderness
The campfire blazes. The forest seems quiet. This is life in the wilderness, and it’s what we have to get used to on day 11 of our World Tour. It’s Tuesday, June 29, and most of us are missing home. Most of us. We enjoy the pool and we’re splashing around in it. There’s aContinue reading “From Suaram – Life in the wilderness”
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
The unusual heat and the adventurous family departed Portland this morning. We traveled upriver to the Columbia River Gorge driving for only about an hour and half to our campsite. So, not really an official driving day. Our first adventure was stopping at the Multnomah Falls to see one of America’s longest Falls. Mom andContinue reading “Columbia River Gorge, Oregon”
Portland, Oregon; Day 2
Record-breaking day in Portland, Oregon today. 114° meant that some of our original plans for exploring the great outdoors was nixed. In fact, the pool was closed due to the inhumane conditions for the lifeguards. One resident of the cousins’ house here is better built for this weather. Adam is a Bearded Dragon. Adam wasContinue reading “Portland, Oregon; Day 2”
Portland, Oregon; Day 1
Driving Day. We drove to Detroit. Detroit, Oregon that is. Actually we were only driving through Detroit on our way to our next destination. We have arrived in Portland and have now logged 1,498 miles on the road. Cousin Melissa prepared a fantastic Sunday meal for the entire family at Jessica & Kevin’s house inContinue reading “Portland, Oregon; Day 1”
Crater Lake & Bend, Oregon
The 5 Adventurers are in Oregon which is currently experiencing record- breaking high temperatures. The locals have experienced the rare 100 degree day but no one can remember having several June days in a row like these. We traveled to Crater Lake National Park today. This lake is the deepest lake in the United StatesContinue reading “Crater Lake & Bend, Oregon”
Driving to Bend, Oregon
Driving Day. We are now driving toward our next family/friend destination in Portland, Oregon. Did You Know: There are 58 counties in California. Our 5 Adventurers spent time in many of them on this leg of the journey. How many California counties can you name? We examined our route through California and learned that weContinue reading “Driving to Bend, Oregon”
Nevada City, California; Day 2
Our college friends Dave & Aimee designed and built a gorgeous home in the woods of Nevada City 14 years ago. There are many thoughtful and unique aspects to the home and it integrates into the land wonderfully. We spent an easy morning swinging softly in their hammock considering our options for the afternoon. OneContinue reading “Nevada City, California; Day 2”
Nevada City, California; Day 1
Our driving day took us from Yosemite Valley to Nevada City, California. On the way we stopped and had lunch with our Best Man (Keith) and his family. We also delivered the “Space Car” to him which saved us a lot of trouble with listing and selling this vehicle prior to our overseas portion ofContinue reading “Nevada City, California; Day 1”
Yosemite, California; Day 2
The family treated Dad to a special day in the Yosemite National Park. We are staying in Curry Village and walked over to the Ahwahnee for a breakfast in the Dining Hall. The family took most of the day hiking the Valley. We logged about 6 or 7 miles on mostly uncrowded trails to seeContinue reading “Yosemite, California; Day 2”
Yosemite, California; Day 1
Today was primarily a driving day. Our next destination is the amazing Yosemite Valley where we intend to spend two nights at Curry Village. We arrived at the end of a long day (the longest actually as daylight lasted 14:42 at this latitude) into the valley. The crowds weren’t as daunting as feared as everyoneContinue reading “Yosemite, California; Day 1”
Monterey, California; Day 2
I enjoyed a very pleasant Father’s Day surrounded by the family. We spent another day at the Aquarium in Monterey and were able to see a Red Octopus (another Mom favorite) and some of the tide pool animals. I was treated to a round of golf today in Monterey but it wasn’t exactly Pebble Beach.Continue reading “Monterey, California; Day 2”
Monterey, California; Day 1
Today was our first real day on the road. Yesterday, we arrived in Monterey very late after finishing final clean out of the San Clemente house. (Bye fixed address!) We spent part of the afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium which the kids loved. We had to make reservations but arrived at a time whenContinue reading “Monterey, California; Day 1”
From CreeperKitty
Today, we are at Disneyland and we are waiting for hot chocolate at pacific wharf.
Last Trip to Irvine Lagoon
The family had one last trip to the lagoon at Woodbridge in Irvine. We were able to see Grandma and Grandpa who graciously hosted us with food and beverages. The kids spent much of the day on their bellies. In the water and on the sand.
Last day of school celebrated with shots
No, not those kind of shots! School got out today and we got our travel vaccines! Now we can prep for any foriegn diseases. -Suaram
Kids Blog
“I always get asked at my school, ‘What are you most excited about ?’ I’m excited about seeing so many things I’ve never seen before, like the Great Wall of China. There are so many things that I am looking forward to. I hope you stay tuned!“ One of the lucky kids, Suaram
“When did you decide to travel the world?”
This is the most common question we have gotten about our plan for long term travel (along with variations like: Have you always wanted to do this? Have you traveled a lot before? How do you manage logistics for a year of travel? Are you crazy? And other things like that). The answer always feelsContinue reading ““When did you decide to travel the world?””
5 Adventures Together 