Ordinary Sherpa

Not a bad place to be stranded for the day.

In case you didn’t see the story we were rerouted due to wildfires in Brotish Columbia and ended up needing to take the “scenic” route which because of the smoke weren’t able to enjoy. It was a very winding and steep road of 11-15% grade. The husband pulled off to cool the brakes and noticed a fire on the dolly axel. The brakes were so hot the melted the seal on bearings and started a fire. He was able to act quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and get it out before major damage occurred.

So today we are in Pemberton, British Columbia in an adorable quaint and delightful town. Our first stop is the with crossiants and coffee. Library and park to follow.

Sometimes the most unexpected adventures allow us to experience the best untourist destinations.

Ordinary Sherpa inspires families to connect through adventure. We are a family of 5 on a gap year traveling North America in an RV.

Simple Adventure Win: See if you can find a rock shaped like a heart.

Adventure doesn’t need to be an epic summit, it just needs to be something new and little different to help desire your brain to seek and explore things outside the norm. Simple adventures with kids are a practice in building resilience skills, experimenting with different, and navigating unknowns.

Side benefit you end up with 3 heart shaped rocks.

Share your simple adventure win in the comments.

It’s Christmas in July 🎄

Each year we gift experiences for the holidays. The kids gets 3 small gifts from us (and many other from extended family). Their big gift is an experience of their choice. This year each got to choose a thing that they want to experience on our gap year. My little man chose a fishing guide in Alaska.

The boys had a great time fishing these sockeye on the Kasilof river along the Kenai peninsula.

A resource to help you with experience giving is Episode 101 of the Ordinary Sherpa podcast title Start Here | Less Stuff, More Experiences. (Ordinarysherpa.com/101)

You can still want and seek success but have it k very different than the status quo. Lifestyle design is about getting clear about what that looks like for you and experimenting with the options.

Dawn from talks about this on episode 121 and through her book Lean Out. You can find this podcast episode on Ordinary Sherpa on any of your favorite podcast players.

Our favorite stops along the Alaska Highway (previously known as the Alcan) from Dawson City, BC (Canada) to Tok, AL (USA)

1. Playing in the Mud Flats in Silver City
2. Seeing a number of Grizzlies (several sow and cubs) the stretch North of Kluane National Park to Destruction Bay. Our total count thus far is 8.
3. Learning about Dall Sheep at the north visitor center of Kluane National Park
4. Skipping rocks and morning hike to Kathleen Lake in Kluane National Park.
5. Exploring the south Kluane National Park visitor center and Da Ku Cultural Center (same building) in Haines Junction. By far one of the wheat visitor centers we have ever visited. The kids did not want to leave!
6. Trying Namino bars (a local Canadian recipe) from the Watson Foods grocery store.
7. Scrambling driftwood along Teslin Lake (PS this was 10 PM)
8. Finding our friend’s sign from Sign Forest in Watson Lake
9. Taking a relaxing soak in the Liard Hot Springs. One of our top 5 hit spring experiences.

Save this post for Alaska Highway stops or visits to British Columbia or Yukon Territory!

Have you ever traveled the Alaskan Highway? Which of these stops looks like one you’d like to experience?

Chess is a good analogy for life. A constant experiment, adapting the plan and making adjustments to position you for the next big move.

When the idea of a family gap year was the vision, it was 3+ years to get the parts and pieces figured out to make it work for our family. Not just the money but also health, social, learning. It was a series of moves figuring out which piece to move where.

June 19th marked 5 months on the road as a family of 5 exploring North America in our RV with our dog. It still feels like we are playing chess ♟️

We spent 10 days in May at home with doctor appointments, friends and family meet-ups and loads of laundry. We have since been back on the road exploring Glacier National Park and then in Canada on our way to Alaska.

In this episode I walk through our transition and the definition of bittersweet was that comes with change.

The Joy Audit I refer to in this episode can be found in the link in my bio. The full episode is available on the Ordinary Sherpa podcast on any of your favorite podcast player platforms or by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/119

On Day 2 in Glacier National Park we explored Many Glacier area. We hiked as far as we could to Grinnell Glacier, unfortunately on June 1 the bear activity combined with snow melt made the last 1.5 miles unsafe.

We started at Many Glacier entrance and parked at the Swiss Alps inspired Many Glacier hotel parking lot. We hiked the the north side of Josephine Lake Trail (which is where our family picture was shot).

The trail splits to Grinnell Lake (read flat) or you can look the lake and take the Grinnell Glacier hike. I highly suggest getting up even a bit to see the lakes from above. The blue turquoise hue is even more rich from above!

The hike to Grinnell Glacier had many waterfalls, sone created a stream crossing in the trail. At the 3.5 mile mark the rain picked up pretty heavy and we decided to head back to complete the 7 mile hike. Trekkiypiles we’re not required but nice for the Grinnell Glavier portion of the trail.

🥾Hikes to consider from Many Glacier Entrance are:
- Grinnell Lake (3.5 mi one way with minimal elevation) *there is a boat that cuts hiking distance in half, but I wouldn’t recommend. It is coded as a challenging hike but mostly because of the distance. It’s mostly flat with some roots and uneven ground.
- Grinnell Glacier: details above
- Ptarmagin Falls 2.6mi one way (and the split to Iceberg Lake is 4.8 mi one way) have much steeper elevation but if you have an extra day and want to do one challenging hike this is the one I’d suggest. Trekking poles in June are suggested as the trail sometimes still has snow cover in places.
-Fishcarp is an area you should ask about at the visitor center. There is usually good wildlife viewing.

Noteworthy: a vehicle reservation is required from July1-Sept 15 at Many Glacier. Passes are released months in advance on recreation.gov There are passes released 24 hours before the arrival day as well. Reservations are needed from 6 AM-3PM.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with our review of the Two Medicine area!

Follow as we travel to Alaska for the summer.

Adventure is a mindset as much as it is an action. Whether it’s business, parenting, trying a new hobby…being willing to step outside of your comfort zone and try something you might not be good at can be hard.

Rich shares adventures from being an artist to an optimist, from take his first hike to hiking John Muir Trail to running the Zion Traverse. He talks us through finding a tribe of people to help help move forward with becoming a host to a unique short term rental.

The lessons learned from this episode are spectacular and worth listening to the entire episode. You’ll be a better person on the other side. (Plus it’s hard not to smile as he chuckles). You can listen to episode 116 of Ordinary Sherpa on any podcast player or through direct link ordinarysherpa.com/116

The reason a family gap year is so hard to imagine I’d because it doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional life with kids.

Adventure is the act of taking risks and trying new things. Allowing ourselves to meander beyond the comfort zone. It’s not knowing the answers and enjoying the journey.

Follow for inspiration on living an adventurous life with kids.

The down side of being an RV family is that sometimes we fall in a love with a place. A place where we feel at home, where the kinds are so happy together and we don’t want to leave. While we can delay the inevitable, eventually this too will come to an end and we will move on.

It’s days like today, frolicking in the stream at our boondockers welcome host, that I hoped for when imagining our family gap year. Spontaneous simple adventures that bring us closer together as a family that we remember this slice in our life story.

(Discount code to Boondockers Welcome in Bio)

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Episode 114 shares the story of Diane and the how adventure has always been a part of her life it just looks different at different points in life.

“My kids inspire me, I get this from them. I hope to inspire the 60+ crowd to know there are so many opportunities for adventure throughout your life. I am still mesmerized by what others even older than me are doing.”

What steps are you taking towards your expansion?

Simple adventures have been the foundation of our family gap year experiences. Yesterday we successfully geocached while biking a portion of the eastern trail. It was a fun new experience that we have attempted several times before but never found one. It felt like a adventure win doing something simple like finding a geocache and broke up the 10 Mi bike ride.

What is a simple adventure you could do this week? She ideas in the comments. Let’s inspire a weekend of simple adventures!

Happy Earth Day from Acadia National Park. Share in the comments something you did today to celebrate, appreciate and take care of the amazing world we live in.

Untourism Tip to see Cherry Blossoms in DC with kids

Let them Climb!

Instead of fighting the hoards of people at Tidal Basin head to one of these locations and have a much more playful and fun experience.

• Washington Monument grove near Constitution Ave.
• National Arboretum
• Anacostia Park
• Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown
• Stanton Park
• Oxon Run Park

I know Cherry Blossoms seem iconic to DC but there are also great blooms in Philadelphia at Fairmont Park - forest of Sakura.

Cherry Blossoms typically bloom from late March to mid-April.

Save this post for a future visit.

As much as we love to explore and be out adventuring, we also love days like today to reset and regroup.

Some activities we hide away so seems special when we bring them out (such as this bin of Legos). We also have a box of art supplies, and a few board games that are usually started away for what we call “reset days” like today.

Regardless if you are traveling or homesteading, reset days and stashing fun activities keeps them special and offer an element of surprise. Bonus top: If you can take it outside you’ll get added natural benefits of fresh air to support the physiological reset.

What do you do for reset days?

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Travel rewards have saved us over $4000 in expenses in 3 months! (That is also $4000 savings of taxable income I might add). And only with regular spending and maintaining a great credit score.

When I started travel hacking in 2012, I just wanted to supplement our travel budget and take a few more family vacations. Learning the rules and figuring out how to 10x our travel as a family of 5 has been a fun challenge ever since.

But the rabbit hole of travel rewards can be overwhelming. I wanted to help families cut through the noise and figure out how to make travel rewards transform your vacation dreams into dates on the calendar l. This membership is designed around members questions and designing a strategy that works for you! How can I help your family travel more for less?

I have a current offer for $43 off a yearly membership using code HAPPY43 at checkout. (You’ll make your investment back with your first redemption which is usually within 3-6month)

Did you know there are hot springs in US with milky water like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland?

Our approach to travel has us exploring deeper and finding hidden gems like this one. It was 8 mi round trip, rolling hills on snow and ice AND we didn’t have spikes which means it was the hardest hike I have done in a long time. But the time in the hot springs was very rejuvenating.

A couple of tips:
- There is no place to change. We brought large towels to cover each other up. There were some bare bums visible but it was still family friendly on the Sunday afternoon we went.
- get spikes to put over your shoes if you go in the winter. It will make your life easier. I was really grateful I had trekking piles but those with spikes were walking right past us.
- the water carries a bacteria that can make you sick. I don’t suggest taking small children. Change out of your suit to hike back, and make sure to shower once at your accommodations. None of us got sick but there were several trail reviews from hikers who weren’t as lucky.

Untourism requires you to do a little research. I gave you a clue in the photos. If you search on you can find this trail in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah.

It might feel like you know where you want to go or what you want to do with your life but things keep getting in your way.

When we considered a family gap year there were LOTS of things in our way from where we were and where we wanted to be. One by one we worked through each of those “things” until I couldn’t find anymore reasons not to move forward with our dreams.

If you want help working through “the things” send me a DM or check out the link in my bio. I’d be happy help!

Follow for help and ideas on living an adventurous life with kids.

On this International Women’s Day I ask, how are you making space to support the collective while also creating an amazing life for yourself? Tell me more in the comments!

My new slogan for Wyoming is “Welcome Wyoming, where the views don’t suck!”

This view never gets old….the Tetons in winter with a cloudless bluebird sky.

What is the prettiest winter view you have ever seen? While I appreciate beach shot, I’d really prefer majestic snowscapes.

A huge shout out to (an ASTC reciprocal member) who kept my kids engaged and entertained for hours. I though this was going to be a quick stop (my kids are sometime “too big” for children’s museums) but they had a high-quality play experience for HOURS and still missed some of the stations.

Often I see us (adults/communities) planning elaborate experiences for kids. In hindsight it takes the creativity out of it. Seeing my kids (even the 12 YO for a while) solving problems and creating stories and experiences through play are so important even as they age. My 10 yo daughter still talks about this place as one of her favorite stops on our family gap year.

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One of the best scenic drives…and we’ve seen a lot traveling the US. This one is just south Thermopolis, WY

📍Wind River Canyon
Save it, Drive it, and then wipe the drool from your face 🤤

(RV insider note: we drive a 31 Class A with Tow and this drive was very accommodating for larger vehicles. The tunnel is has over 15’ clearence)

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How do we find hidden gems?
(Swipe all the way to the right)

Follow the Brown Signs.
Get curious and be willing to take time fife the adventure to unfold.

This was another hidden gem in Thermopolis, Wyoming that is managed by the Hot Springs State Park.

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We survived -30 temps in an RV and have all kinds of learnings to share on the blog. 10 Winter RV Camping Tips (an Insider Guide to Camping & Skiing). The topics I cover are:

🥶 Insulating a Camper for Winter Living
🎿How to pack all the gear that is needed
🦺what gear to pack to help with winter safety on the roads
❓ what questions to ask when looking for campsites in winter
🏕️ what to expect from campsites in the winter
💧 how to find water while winter camping
🧊how to keep rv pipes from freezing while camping
🥰staying warm and comfortable
♟️ strategies for getting out of the rv when it's really cold outside
❄️ other tips when winter camping in an rv

See the link in comments or bio for the full article.

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Happy Valentines to the man who has always been up for an adventure.

The first picture is one of the first pictures of us in 2006. We had been dating 4 months and he mentioned he would like to go to Sturgis, SD for the bike rally (he owned a Harley). I think was meant someday. I started planning to go now. It was two weeks away and I only had 3 days of vacation but we did it. We drove 3 states away (nearly 4) stayed in crappy hotels along the way, camped in a tent in a field while we were there, and packed everything in the saddle bags of his bike. Ironically we ended up buying a bigger motorcycle while we were out there, which we just sold last year.

This year we celebrate 15 years of marriage and on our trip through the Black Hills in 2021 we attempted to recreate the photo as we explained to our kids how much that area has changed since we were first there. We swapped out the bike for an RV and are currently on phase 1 of our family gap year skiing across the country with 3 kids and a dog. 😍

Often valentines focus on the person you love, and I think we can also celebrate what we love about our life. I love that I have a partner that is always up for an adventure and helps brings my dreams to life.

What do you LOVE about your life? Tell me in the comments !

We love when friends, family and listeners offer to have us park in their driveway. A fellow podcasting friend, Kat from was a blessing in Minnesota. She invited us in to play on her big floors and share a meal.

Part of the reason for this journey was to allow us the time and space to connect with others we don’t typically get to meet.

We will be in most states over the next year if you want to meet up or have a spot for us to park so we can connect with you send me a DM!

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We appreciate finding unique places to stay through that provide a unique experience. The near St. Paul was one example.

Not only did we learn about Mead, the environment was family friendly with an authentic Viking flair. To come into this ambiance after winter camping was warm and fun. The kids really appreciated the photo props and the kids corner.

Part of untourism is finding what make the community unique. I realized in visiting that I know very little about the Viking heritage. I am curious to learn more.

If you are curious about harvest hosts it’s a great option for road trips. I have a discount link for you in my bio.

What does school look like on the road? It’s a variety of things. Each kid has different interests and be learning styles so we try to have various things available. Here are a few examples:

🎹 Piano Practice at the Minneapolis Central Library

🧑‍🔬Interactive exhibits at the Museum of Science in St. Paul (tip: free entrance thanks to our ASTC museum membership back home)

🧩 Games like banana grams and word puzzles to help with vocabulary

It has been interesting to see what they naturally are drawn to working on. We do have traditional worksheets available, and each kid has an account with Khan Academy. Our February project is to write 28 Letters to send to friends and family.

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With week one of our gap year complete a key learning has been that proximity to each other has been a good thing. It has led to spontaneous reading, playing games, or just seeing how each person processes information.

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If you listened to episode 103 | The Refreshing Benefits Cold, you will know we are intentionally starting this family gap year in the north and embracing winter ❄️

These are a few of the magical winter scenes at Gooseberry Falls State Park in Northern Minnesota

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Our first experience on the adventure list was perfecting skills in winter camping. There is so much snow!

I have a blogpost coming on winter camping. What questions and concerns do you have with winter camping?

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And we’re off! This seems like the most fitting family picture for now. 3 kids and a dog in an RV winter camping across the Midwest as we make our way west to continue skiing resorts.

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While I was away the kids took another ski day. 3 lifts in 7 days. These are from

Wisconsin is headed into a cold spell and these kids are anxious to find some good pow. Getting our ski legs ready for 25 season.

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Yesterday, I got VIP access to learn more about and interact with team at the 2022 World Cup championship in Park City, Utah. What an experience!

The luge is an open air sled that races down an ice track. The only tracks in the US are Salt Lake City and Lake Placid.

The World Cup races featured the senior team of male singles, female singles, male doubles, female doubles and single sprints. Collectively the United States had about 15 athletes competing this weekend in the senior division.
There is also a junior division.

* It is free to be a spectator to these events
* The USA Luge team does slider searches across the country to get kids interested in the sport. Follow them and consider participating in an event.

Check out my stories for more behind the scenes! I am looking to bring a member of the US Luge team on the podcast…what questions do you have about Luge?

Night skiing or Day skiing? Which do you prefer. I grew up night skiing probably because this little hill was all I knew. It reminds me of the Friday night lights of high school football vs. the Saturday day games of college football - just different.

It’s our second time skiing in 3 days, we are aiming for 3 in a week. It feels so good to get our ski legs back on. Even if it is manmade Wisconsin ice snow 😂❄️

The sheer excitement for snow has them out shoveling before school to make the beginning stages of their backyard ski run. All 3 kids woke up and exclaimed “oh yay, snow” and made a plan to get outside.

Our love for snow and winter is genuine and I can’t wait for our first ski trip. Fingers crossed it will be sooner than later!

Lessons in unschooling. As we approach our family gap year the kids are finding ways to explore what they are interested in. This morning without any direction they landed on:
Tying flies: it seems to be the perfect combination of his artistic details and appreciating for science and the outdoors that inspire him.

Surface Tension project: following the instructions from a Science Activity book to create sone artwork while learning science principles.

Razor focused: yes I gave a 7yo a razor blade kit. He has been making and cutting out money for his restaurant. He discovered that regular paper doesn’t hold up and he needed a thicker material, which led to him finding a paper plate.

Our kids are drawn to learning by what interests them. I am not telling them what to do, they are naturally discovering what works or doesn’t work. Recognizing this a key mindset shift in growth. While learning can happen in a one-direction format with lots of repetition, it also can happen with a curious mind and the environment that nurtures discovery.

These principles are a part of our everyday adventures. Simple ways to get outside of our comfort zones. They are equally important for adults as they are for kids!