Projects & Preparations
With the Moho finally in the driveway, we finally begin RV projects while managing winter weather, two rambunctious boys, and painfully slow package delivery to Roseburg.
United States
Traveling to the U.S.?
Here, you’ll find all of our USA travel tips, posts on family travel, hiking, national parks, road trips, train & rail adventures, and top sights.
Focusing on the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington) and Central Coast & Southern California.
Things to do in cities like Portland and San Diego, off-the-beaten-path places to visit, and more.
Oregon Winter
So, what do four warm-climate-accustomed visitors do in the depths of an Oregon winter with a bit of time on their hands? First off, let’s be honest. February in Southern … Read more
Is This Our New Home?
An unexpected winter visit back to the PacNW to find our next home-on-wheels, spend time with some family and friends, and maybe even introduce the boys to snow.
California Stretch
Heading south to our final summer destinations in the U.S. for some long-overdue time with family and friends in Redding and Los Gatos.
Oregon Coast Camping
Winchester Bay camping at Tugman State Park, a couples night away in Florence, and catching crawdads round out our summer in Oregon.
Portland 2021
Continuing on our progressive West Coast summer visit, we hop a train to Portland for time with family and to begin our Mexico residency process.
Seattle Tourists
Seattle proves the perfect first stop on our West Coast summer visit. Big boats, big projects, and the big city never disappoint.
A New Chapter Begins South of the Border
Our move to Mexico is upon us! No international move would be complete without a few last hiccups to contend with…some more serious than others.
Waiting on a Passport
Watching autumn creeping in and our planned departure date come and go, as we continue to be held captive by the glacial U.S. passport renewal process during Covid.
Pacific City
A midway meetup with Lori’s brother and sister-in-law in another coastal location after nearly two years apart. And fun with Oregon’s unpredictable coastal weather.
Socially-Distanced Outdoor Birthday in the PacNW
Seizing upon a window of clear skies and low Covid numbers, we set out to explore an overlooked corner of our own backyard.
Safe Harbor
Fleeing fire and smoke-ravaged inland Oregon for coastal breezes and a much needed change of scenery.
Apocalypse Now
Devastating wildfires join forces with Covid to push us deeper into our protective bubbles, as we concoct creative ways to keep 2 young boys and 6 adults sane in captivity.
Reunion
Reconnecting with both sets of grandparents in Oregon, following two weeks in captivity (i.e. quarantine), and 20 months apart.
Quarantine
Adventures in self-imposed isolation with two young kids in the Pacific Northwest. Do we make it out alive? Find out!
Breaking-in Baby (Pt.1): Riley’s First Flight
40 hours, 3 flights, 9,000 miles, 10 pieces of luggage, a 2.5-year-old, and a 3-month-old with his first cold. Here’s the first leg of our journey as a newly-minted expat family of four.
Welcome Riley Ernest
Yep, that’s right! The wait is over and Baby #2 is finally here. And — surprise, surprise — IT’S ANOTHER BOY!
The Waiting Game
With Lori’s brother’s wedding behind us, the countdown begins until Baby #2 decides to grace us with his/her presence. But not before daddy reclaims his own birthday for himself.
Late Summer ’18 Update
We’re quickly approaching the one month mark Stateside and thought it was time for an update. Fun times with family and friends, and awaiting the arrival of Number Two.
Summer in the USA: Path of Totality
Venturing into the Path of Totality as Eclipse Apocalypse grips the nation in the final days of our 2017 visit to the U.S.
Summer in the USA: Oregon Coast
Soaking up the sunshine in and around Florence, Oregon with Grammy and Grampy.
Summer in the USA: Tahoe Road Trip
After two weeks in Portland and Roseburg, it was time to road trip it South with Nanny and Poppi.
Summer in the USA: Portland & Roseburg
Shaking off jet lag with a full schedule with family and friends in Portland, then south to Roseburg for quality time with the grandparents.
Portland to Brussels
By his seventeenth it was pretty clear that Noe was starting to get bored with wineries, so we got on a plane and moved to Laos. While that might not be entirely true, the weather leaving Portland was a good sign it was time to move on.
Month Two with Noe
Wow. Noe’s already 2+ months old! Well, that’s what everyone keeps saying. When he hit the two month mark last week we couldn’t believe he’s only been with us for such a short period of time. […]
Momentum
I was steaming mad. Well, probably more exhausted than anything, but symptomatically I was presenting as pretty darn perturbed. Lori and I found ourselves on this sweltering […]
First Month with Noe
We’re here in Roseburg now and will be for another six or seven weeks. We’ve got some big news to share in terms of next steps, so stay tuned. Last Thursday, Noe celebrated his one month birthday […]
It’s a Boy!
Our sweet baby boy, Noe Owen (rhymes with “Joey”), was born on June 21, 2016 at 6:38am (6lbs.5oz.). Contractions began Saturday night, water broke early Father’s Day morning, laboring […]
Leach Botanical Garden
40 weeks + 4 days. My question to Lori today, “Do you ever feel like you’re just waiting around for something to happen?” Since Lori wrapped up work a week ago — and particularly since […]
Trekking Portland’s Alameda Ridge Stairs
We set out to conquer Alameda Ridge of NE Portland and its 400 stairs spread out over 30 blocks.
Southern Oregon’s Wildlife Safari
A few weeks back we joined my parents on safari through a game reserve featuring over 70 species of exotic animals, including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, […]
Riding the Rails in the PacNW
We cover two of the Pacific Northwest’s best rail adventures in this post: The Mount Hood Railroad and the Seattle-Eugene portion of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight […]
Hiking Northwest Portland’s Balch Gulch Loop
Exploring Northwest Portland’s Wildwood Trail and Lower Macleay Trail along the Balch Gulch Loop.
Portland’s 4T Trail
Taking advantage of a beautiful May morning to explore Portland by Trail, Tram, Trolley & Train via the 4T Trail.
Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake: Hike Report
Our Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake Hike report — a worthwhile alternative to Columbia River Gorge hiking at the foot of Oregon’s majestic Mt. Hood.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Southeast Portland is a local secret that is worth the time and effort to visit. Here’s our detailed trip report.
The Grotto
View of downtown Portland from Mt. Tabor. Lori’s parents came up to Portland a few weeks back in mid-April to hang out and check on the status of the belly […]
Bend: River Walk & High Desert Museum
In addition to visiting Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne (near Redmond), we also made a few trips into Bend. We walked about three miles of Bend’s one-of-a-kind Deschutes River Walk […]
Smith Rock State Park
We took a last-minute weekend trip to Central Oregon to take advantage of the abundant sunshine and warmer temps forecast there […]
Hiking Tom McCall Point & Rowena Plateau
Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Point hike offers Gorge-ous views year-round an hour’s drive from Portland. Our trail report.
Hiking Coyote Wall and the Labyrinth
We took a drive out east to tackle Coyote Wall and the Labyrinth. Just an hour outside of Portland, the landscape changes dramatically, offering countless […]
Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden: Guide for Visiting
Lan Su Chinese Garden is a peaceful and evocative oasis in the bustling heart of downtown Portland. Here’s what to expect plus helpful tips for visiting.
Welcoming the Monkey at LanSu
Happy Year of the Monkey! This month marks one year in Portland for us, and our second Chinese New Years celebration at Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland […]
San Diego: Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Point Loma
The last day of our California Coast Babymoon road trip began in San Diego and ended 200 miles and 4,000 feet in elevation on the summit of the notorious Grapevine, covering 95% of the mileage after sunset. It would have been a […]
San Diego: Mission Beach, Old Town, Coronado
Ah. San Diego. Good to be back. It’s been about 12 years since my last visit and to my eyes the city has changed very little — which is a very good thing. Why mess with perfection, right? Of course […]
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded twice, about a year apart from one another. Yet, it was a significant year that saw a collection of 13 British colonies form an independent federation […]