Mr. Foot Goes to Middle School

Bigfoot with 6th Grade Science Teacher Ms. Pieper!!

We've always heard that Bigfoot likes to hang around in the Pacific Northwest, but this week he came out of hiding to visit all the 6th graders at South Middle School in Grants Pass, Oregon! He cleared some time out of his busy schedule, typically filled with tromping around the woods without leaving footprints, skipping out of blurry photographs, and generally Leaving No Trace in his path, to visit seven different science classes in two days. Bigfoot wants to give a shoutout to the teachers there for getting the students excited about going outside and Leaving No Trace! When reached for comment while he was ambling back into the woods, Mr. Foot simply said "mumble mumble mumble....Leave No Trace."

Seeking the 'Squatch,

Quinn & Frank

38 and counting

Heading west from Phoenix, AZ, the city we affectionately dubbed 'the oven', to the California coast, the cool, crisp Pacific breeze greeted us as we jumped on board the Island Adventure to go explore Channel Islands National Park. A visit to Santa Cruz Island marked the 38th National Park we have adventured in! The day started with an hour boat ride from Ventura, CA to Santa Cruz Island, 20 miles off the coast. As soon as we left the hustle and bustle of the mainland, we were met with the beauty of an abundance of marine life, including sea lions, seals, and humpback whales. The boat docked at the island and immediately we felt a sense of solitude and relaxation. We had only 5 hours to explore the island to be back in time to catch the boat back to mainland, so we hustled along and hit the trails! No sooner than we left a busy boat full of school field trips and other visitors, that we were 'alone' on the island and hiking by ourselves. It was amazing to not see many others the entire day as we explored the bluffs and caves of Santa Cruz. This was a fabulous way to take a break from driving and stretch our legs. We are heading up to Oregon from here...Pacific Northwest here we come!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy