A family on the road living fulltime in an RV.

Tag: Food

Playing in Portland

When we got to Portland I posted on Facebook asking for advice on things to do. Almost every reply involved food! So we headed to downtown in search of the…

When we got to Portland I posted on Facebook asking for advice on things to do.

Almost every reply involved food!

Walking Portland OR

So we headed to downtown in search of the food trucks.

Powells Bookstore Portland OR

But first we had to stop at Powell’s. Priorities!

Line at Voodoo Doughnuts Portland OR

After grabbing lunch at a food truck we headed to Voodoo Doughnuts but none of us were willing to wait in that line.

Brothers Salt and Straw Ice Cream OR

That’s okay because after dinner we went to Salt and Straw to get our sugar fix with some handmade ice cream.

Farmers Market Damascus OR

We would have loved to eat our way through Portland but we live on a budget so a trip to a farmers market was in order.

Sunset Camping Portland Oregon

And a night eating in really isn’t so bad when you are with the one you love.

Airplain OMSI Brent OR

Airplane Omsi OR

There is more to Portland than food. There is science!

OMSI Museum Portland OR

The boys had a fun afternoon exploring the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, OMSI.

Jenn Rola Portland OR

While the boys went to OMSI, I caught up with my friend Rola. Rola and I used to hang out with our babies almost 12 years ago. It had been that long since we had seen each other.
Friends at Voodoo Doughnuts ORFortunately, it hadn’t been quite that  long since we hung out with some special friends, Greg and Michelle, and their kids.

It is such a joy to hang out with old friends when it feel like it was just yesterday you hung out even though it has been a few years.

It’s also fun to finally get to try Voodoo Doughnuts in the company of good friends without having to wait in line all day.

Doughnut Case Voodoo OR

Por Que No Portland Walking OR

While we were out and about why not go  to Por Qué No?Por Que No Portland OR

Portlandia loves its bikes.
Families Por Que No Portland ORAnd we love our Mexican food. Por Qué No did not disappoint.

Nims and Russingers Portland OR

We finished the night laughing and goofy off with Greg and Michelle at their house.

Family Portland OR

Fun times playing in Portland.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Dixie-RV-SuperStores

 

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Experiencing Island Life on Orcas Island

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to raise a family on an island with lots fresh fish, play dates at the beach, and calypso music. Since I don’t…

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to raise a family on an island with lots fresh fish, play dates at the beach, and calypso music. Since I don’t think we will be moving to an island anytime soon, the next best thing is visiting a family who lives on an island.

Family life on Orcas Island was everything I imagined minus the calypso music. Orcas Island is part of the San Jaun Islands off the coast of Washington. It is accessible by boat or sea plane. We took the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes. You can take your car on the ferry but since Brent’s friend, Ryan, was picking us up we left the truck.

It was a gorgeous day spent exploring and learning about life on an island. Brent enjoyed catching up with old friends and the boys and I enjoyed making new ones. Ryan and his brother, Matt, own the Deer Harbor Inn and restaurant. That evening we enjoyed a most delicious meal on the patio with Ryan and his family. (There was fresh seafood just how I imagined island life.) Seriously, the food was amazing!

After dinner Ryan took us back to the ferry with homemade blackberry pie and we watched the sunset from the ferry. A lovely ending to a lovely day.

Orcas Island Ferry Terminal WA

Carpenter Family WA Friends Orcas Island WA

Ryan and Son WA Ryan and Son Washington

Tide Pools Orcas Island WA

Old Friends Orcas Island WA

Dessert and Sunset Ferry from Orcas Island WA

Moon from Ferry San Jaun Islands WA

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Hiking in North Cascades National Park

While we are searching for a new RV and before we get busy taking on next year’s adventures, I’m going to finish catching up on our travels from over the…

While we are searching for a new RV and before we get busy taking on next year’s adventures, I’m going to finish catching up on our travels from over the summer.

July was a perfect month to spend in Washington. The skies were blue, the weather mild, and the foliage lush.  And what better way to take advantage of the spectacular weather than by spending a day exploring North Cascades National Park.

North Cascades is home to over 300 glaciers, approximately 1/3 of all the glaciers in the contiguous 48 states. We were surprised to learn that there are more glaciers in North Cascades National Park than in Glacier National Park. Although many of the glaciers can’t be seen from the parts of the park that are easily accessible.

We spent our day driving the North Cascades Highway with stops at the visitor’s center for a ranger talk, Diablo Lake Overlook to take in the sweeping vistas and to hike Thunder Knob Trail.

Sunlight North Cascades NP WA

Hiking in North Cascades National Park WA

Family North Cascades National Park WA

Hiking with my Boys North Cascades NP WA

Cascade National Park WA

Cascade Farm WA

It was a beautiful day and to put the cherry, or rather the blueberry, on top, we passed Cascadian Farm on the way home where we picked over 8 pounds of organic blueberries and raspberries as the sun set around us.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Savannah, GA

Savannah is a beautiful name. It’s a perfect name for one of the prettiest towns we’ve stepped foot in and stepped foot we did. Self-guided tours seem to be the best…

Savannah is a beautiful name. It’s a perfect name for one of the prettiest towns we’ve stepped foot in and stepped foot we did.

Self-guided tours seem to be the best option for our family. It gives us the freedom to set our own pace and allows time for pitstops like watching the taffy machine at the Savannah’s Candy Kitchen in the City Market. It also allows more room in the budget for eating out. Our Savannah splurge of the day was at Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady and Sons.

The bookstore in the Visitor Center sold a lovely walking tour guide that included four different easy to follow tours with historical descriptions and color photos. We did the “Along the Riverfront” and “The Booming West Side” walking tours. The boys held up really well but by the end of the day they were spent. We decided to ride “The Dot” for one last look at the town before calling it quits for the day

While in Savannah, we stayed in nearby Skidaway State Park. We enjoyed biking along the trails (I only got us a little lost this time.) and walking under the trees. While on a walk one evening, we met another family who was en route to Bahai Honda on a three month adventure with their two boys. A few hours later, we were sharing a meal in our camper over stories and laughter.

Unexpected things like this are, by far, the best part of living fulltime on the road.

Before we left the Savannah area, we visited Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island. Fort Pulaski was built to protect Savannah from a river approach. We took a Ranger Guided tour and explored. The boys completed their Jr. Ranger booklets and earned new badges to add to their growing collection.

Our Savannah GA Experience at a Glance

Where we stayed:

  • Skidaway Island State Park – Skidaway Island State park is beautiful, reasonably priced, and not far from historic Savannah. We had a strong internet connection and cell service.

What we did:

  • Toured Savannah by foot using a walking tour guide we bought at Savannah Vistor Center. Savannah is the perfect kind of town to explore by foot.
  • Rode the Dot, a free bus. We rode the entire line to get a good view of the town and got off once to see The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and I was excited to see Flannery O’Connor’s Childhood on the same square.
  • Rode the free Savannah Belles Ferry (Part of the dot system) – It was a short ride but offered a different perspective of Savannah. It was fun to imagine what it might of been like coming into the town by boat.
  • Visited Fort Pulaski National Monument  (I wish we would have had time to visit nearby Tybee Island.)

Where we ate:

  • The Lady and Sons – Unfortunately, Brent and I didn’t think it was worth the price or the wait. At the suggestion of our waiter, I ordered the chicken pot pie. I disliked it so much that Brent, always the sweetheart, offered to trade me for his crab cakes. The crab cakes were just okay. The boys ordered the buffet and after stealing a few bites from their plates, Brent and I wished we would have ordered the same. The chocolate butter cake, however, was divine.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The Florida Keys: We love you Bahai Honda State Park

Road tripping is in my blood. Some of my favorites childhood memories are roadtrips with my family. One particularly memorable experience was when our family vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama…

Road tripping is in my blood.

Some of my favorites childhood memories are roadtrips with my family. One particularly memorable experience was when our family vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama suddenly, due to an unfavorable weather forecast, took a detour to the Florida Keys. I mean what is 800 miles except two days more driving?

I hope our boys remember the six days we spent in the Florida Keys as fondly as I remember childhood vacation.

We almost skipped visiting the keys because the Florida State Parks, which are significantly less expensive than private campgrounds, were booked solid. The private parks are $75 a night and up during peak season. Being the obsessive compulsive determined person I am, I checked the Florida State Park site for cancellations 3-5 times a day. Persistance paid off and we got four nights at Bahai Honda State Park. I was ecstatic.

Brent and I agreed Bahai Honda State Park is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we have ever visited with miles of uncrowded beaches surrounded by aquamarine water. It has to have the best beaches in the keys. You can still see and walk out on the old Bahai Honda Bridge for a stunning view of the island. The bridge was part of the Overseas Highway built by Henry Flagler and finished in 1912. One of the ranger talks was a retelling of the railway’s history by “Henry Flagler” himself (an impersonator). It should be noted that the bridge from Calusa beach makes a stunning  backdrop for some of the most gorgeous sunsets I have witnessed in my life. In. My. Life. Dramatic? Yes. But true. I’m still dreaming of those sunsets.

We enjoyed wading out to the sandbar located at Loggerhead beach where I found a large hermit crab living in a conch shell. The boys and I sat in the shallow water for nearly an hour waiting for him to come out of his shell. I named him “Hermie” which Thing 1 informed was “generic”. Humph. Thing 2 was in paradise, quite literally, as he charged down the sandbar, searched for bits of coral, and made “drizzle” castles out of sand.

One evening, we drove over to Big Pine Key to visit the National Key Deer Refuge. The refuge is home to the Key deer which is an endangered animal that only lives in Florida keys. We didn’t have to look long or hard until we spotted the small deer grazing in lawns. We drove a little further out to No Name Key, yes that is it’s name, and found Key deer wandering along the edges of the road. Don’t worry everyone was driving really slow. The deers, living in close quarters with people for many years, have lost their fear of humans. This isn’t good for the deer but let’s be honest, it’s good for a 9 year old animal loving boy. We were delighted when they came up and sniffed our hands. I’m quite certain it was my Snow White-like charm that drew them near and not hopes of food.

Bahai Honda is about an hour’s drive from Key West. We spent the afternoon walking around the streets of Key West taking in the sites, sipping coconut water, and dodging spring breakers smoking cuban cigars. I very much wanted to go into Ernest Hemingway’s home but due to being on a budget, I settled with a picture and my imagination. Our walk ended at Mallory Square. The sunset was less than spectacular due cloudy weather but the street performers more than made up for it. Our favorites were The Catman of Key West who I remember being mesmerized by when I visited Key West as a kid and The Red Trouser Show. Thing 2 was chosen as an “assistant” for the The Trouser Show proving he may have a future as a street performer. Our evening ended with an excellent dinner of Cuban food El Siboney which I still crave.

The one thing the boys wanted to do in the Florida Keys was snorkel. Unfortunately due to windy conditions, the snorkeling trips led by the states parks had been cancelled. We were about ready to give up when John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park had a campsite cancellation the day we were leaving Bahai Honda. (It pays to have a touch of OCD.) We decided to stay one more night in the keys at John Pennekamp hoping conditions would change and there would be a snorkeling trip in the morning.

Our last morning came and at 8:00 am, breath held, I called the snorkeling tour office to find out if they were going out to the reef. They were! After a week of cancelled tours, conditions has improved enough to snorkel. The boys were thrilled. I was scared. Scared of barracudas, sharks, and sting rays. As it turned out I should have been scared of getting seasick. I spent the majority of the time curled up on the boat deck wishing I would have been eaten by a shark. It was worth it though because the boys had a wonderful time.

Our Florida Keys Experience in a Glance

Where We Stayed:

  • Bahai Honda State Park –  Private spots, gorgeous beaches, internet service with Verizon and AT&T, close to Key West. (Our favorite of the two campgrounds) They have snorkeling tours but it’s a longer boat ride out to the reef.
  • John Pennekamp State Park – Very well maintained campground (the showers were nicer than the ones at my house), great mini-aquarium, very professional snorkeling trips, internet with Verizon and AT&T. There is a beach but it isn’t nearly as beautiful as the beaches at Bahai Honda.

The Highlights:

  • Key Deer National Refuge on Big Pine Key
  • The Catman at Mallory Square, Key West – A must see especially for cat lovers.
  • The Red Trouser Show at Mallory Square, Key West
  • Snorkeling at John Pennekamp State Park – I recommend going with the state park snorkel tours as they send someone out to check the conditions of the sea and visibility. In the very least call and find out if they are going out. If not then it’s unlikely that you will be able to see

Where We Ate:

  • El Siboney – (On Key West) Loved. This. Place. Very affordable and worth every minute of the wait.
  • Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen – (On Key Largo) Very good but a bit pricey for what it was.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Newschool Nomads on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Like food and fitness? Follow along as I film a workout in every state and explore finding a healthy balance on the road at Girl Heroes!


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New Memories in New Orleans, Louisiana

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and after four marvelous days in New Orleans I could write thousands and thousands of words. I could write… About the…

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and after four marvelous days in New Orleans I could write thousands and thousands of words.

I could write…

About the artists, musicians, and street performers like the funny robot man or the homemade Transformer at Jackson Square.

About muffalettas, mules, meltdowns, and Mississippi River sunsets.

About beignets and the mounds of powered sugar that stuck to our finger tips. Our favorite was Cafe Beignet. (Thanks Lynn!) The atmosphere was quaint and the beignets delicious. Cafe du Monde was good but overrated in comparison.

About how much fun it was to sit in the more than a century old building of the Napoleon House for lunch. It didn’t even matter that the food was mediocre.

About, despite what you might think, New Orleans is great for kids as long as you steer clear of Bourbon StreetTrust me, you won’t truly enjoy a whimsical street performer until you enjoy him or her with a child.

About the WWII museum and how Thing Two was dressed ready for “battle” the moment he heard we were leaving. I learned more about WWII in three hours than in all my years of school combined. You don’t want to miss the movie Beyond All Boundaries.

About walking on sidewalks cracked from tree roots in the Garden District where houses that have as much history as beauty line the streets.

About how an all day Jazzy pass for the streetcars is the best $3 you’ll spend. Make sure to ride the St. Charles line to the end and back.

About how after a long day of walking, the streetcar we were riding broke down. So we walked back to the ferry only to be passed by the trolly at our would-have-been-stop. Thing One and Thing Two were troopers that night.

About the pralines and how eating a freshly made praline from The New Orleans School of Cooking is nearly ecstasy and the ones we bought from a lady in the Algiers terminal come in at a close second.

About how our boys practiced haggling in the French Market. Thing One bought a clarinet was a man wearing a beret.

About how Jambalya and pizza should always be served together.

About how much fun it was taking the Algiers Ferry (it’s free!) everyday from Algiers Point to The French Quarter

About the Hurricane Katrina exhibit in the Louisiana State Museum.

About the music but my words would could never express the magic that filled the streets.

About the armadillos that waddled through our campground every night bringing huge smiles to two boy’s faces.

About how our campground, Bayou Segnette, was a perfect place to stay. It was close enough to the city to be convenient but far enough away to experience a different side of Louisiana. A bit of beautiful bayou, bustling city and free laundry. Yes, FREE, laundry.

About how I will never forget our family trip to The Big Easy.

New Orleans, thank you for the wonderful memories.

I’ll leave it at that and 80 pictures.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Days 36 – 40: Austin

Austin feels like home. Brent works the days away. The boys are leaving dishes in the sink. Meow Cow is owning the bed. The dogs are leaving paw marks on…

Austin feels like home.

Brent works the days away. The boys are leaving dishes in the sink. Meow Cow is owning the bed. The dogs are leaving paw marks on the the back door. I’m yelling at my kids in the front yard.

We are comfortable. Too comfortable, perhaps.

This week has been filled with late night conversations with my best friend on the couch. A playdate with new friends at Zilker park. A breakfast with an old friend. Thrifting at Thriftland. Dinners at home. Dinners out. (The Salt Lick, G’raj Mahal, and Chuy’s) A trip to the Texas State History Museum. (A must see if you are in Austin and love history.) And much too much Bluebell Ice Cream.

It’s been good. No it’s been a wonderful mix of work and play. Old and new. Ordinary and extraordinary.

But…

As hard as it is the road calls us.

I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye. My lip trembles just thinking about it.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Day 33 : A Not So Black Friday

Breakfast tacos with my best friend and our families. Cowboy hats? Getting candy exploring the funky shops on South Congress Avenue in Austin? Celebrating the coolest 9 year old’s birthday…

Breakfast tacos with my best friend and our families.

Cowboy hats?

Getting candy exploring the funky shops on South Congress Avenue in Austin?

Celebrating the coolest 9 year old’s birthday party with TRICK CANDLES?

Yes, please.

Give me tacos, friends, children and sparking candles over long lines and crazy people any day.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Day 6: Santa Maria Style BBQ

Today, I wanted to try Santa Maria style BBQ right off the streets of Santa Maria. I have a thing for street food.  So Brent and I headed out for…

Today, I wanted to try Santa Maria style BBQ right off the streets of Santa Maria. I have a thing for street food.  So Brent and I headed out for one last “date” (clearly I’m a cheap date) while we still have family around to keep an eye on the boys.

In years past, clubs and organization used to line up the huge oak pits in the parking lots on Broadway during the weekends.  To raise money, these organizations would cook hundreds of tri-tips or chickens and serve them with beans, salad, and garlic bread.  Unfortunately, due to city regulations most of the oak pits are gone.  This particular Saturday we saw 3  BBQ pits.  This one we stopped was run by a very nice Filipino family and it had a bit of an Asian flair.   Not exactly, what this wannabe cowgirl had in mind, but delicious nevertheless.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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