Family Adventures

#OutdoorFamilies Photo Contest on Instagram

UPDATED!! 11/21/2013 ~ See Below for the additional GIVEAWAY by Strider Bikes!

Enter to win the #OutdoorFamilies Giveaways! Simply share a picture of you and your family doing an outdoor activity on Instagram and use the hashtags:

#OutdoorFamilies and #ThankfulForFamilies

Contest runs from November 19-26.  You can share a photo daily (up to 7 total photos) and winners will be chosen at random and announced on Instagram by each participating blogger on their blogs.



Giveaway Entry Rules:
What You Can Win:


 **All prizes with the exception of one (noted) will be open to both US and Canadian residents**

Participating Bloggers:

Who worked hard to round up these great prizes! ~  Make sure you check out all of these great blogs!
  1. Adventure Tykes ~ adventuretykes.com
  2. Adventurous Moms ~ adventurousmoms.com
  3. The Adventures in Parenthood Project ~ adventurousparents.com
  4. Chasqui Mom ~ chasquimom.com
  5. Go Adventure Mom ~ goadventuremom.com
  6. Mommy Hiker ~ mommyhiker.com
  7. The Kid Project ~ kidproject.org
  8. Tales of a Mountain Mama ~ talesofamountainmama.com
  9. Velo Mom ~ velomom.com
  10. Wild Tales Of ~ wildtalesof.com


Remember this contest will be on Instagram only.  Feel free to share on other social media but the only photos that count will be on Instagram.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

 Winners are as follows:
  • @cdnrockiesgirl - Hi-Tec USA: On pair of Shoes
  • @rurris - Travel Chair & Easy Rider Chair
  • @mountainmomyc - DucKsday USA  Rain suit
  • @myhikingadventures - A Children's Outdoors Book: "Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle" by Jennifer Chambers
  • @sheilaras - Honey Stinger - 2 boxes (choc and van) of the new kid's waffle
  • @alocalwander - Education Outdoors board game
  • @twokidsandamap - In Hero Kit - First Aid or bike repair kit
  • @anngagnier - HABA sand toys
  • @mountainmatron - Bani Bands $50 prize pack
  • @claireem13 - Grasshaven Outdoor - donating an Outdoor Wine Glass Set and pair of snack trays
  • @mommylovestree - Kowalli -  winner's choice of color
  • @singlebestidea - ActiveJunky.com - $150 Gift Certificate to spend at any retailer on their site.
  • @outdoorkidsplay - Mountain Baby - donating pair of Bob Skates
  • @expectadventure - Spyder Mini Cubby Long Ski Mitten
  • @suzismartphoto - Oakiwear (Waders)
  • @lscheutz - Ambler Hats
  • @garagegrown - Nixwax Sandal Wash, Freshbase and Polar Proof
  • @victoria_obseussed - Snowstoppers
  • @alittlenaturalist - Strider Bike
  • @hipmeesha - Outdoor Alphabet


Join in on the conversation by leaving a comment here! You can also join in on the conversations on Chasqui Mom's Facebook and Twitter that is updated daily with outdoor activities and other wonderful posts and links from #OutdoorFamilies!

Family Fun at Keller Beach - Point Richmond

Keller Beach is a small beach within the boundaries of Miller Knox Regional Shoreline in Point Richmond.  Over the summer, we headed over to Keller Beach so our kids could splash around in the Bay, after we finished hiking in the hills of Miller Knox as part of one of our 2013 Trails Challenge hikes.

I wasn't expecting TOO much from a a San Francisco Bay beach but I was pleasantly surprised with Keller Beach.  It was a small beach which reminded me a "White Sands" beach that we visited on the Big Island, Hawaii so immediately it brought back memories of our family trip to Hawaii.

I read some reviews on Keller Beach prior to going and visited the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) website to read about swimming in this section of the San Francisco Bay.  Certain sections of the SF Bay are not safe to swim in because of the high levels of bacteria.  Keller Beach is close to the ocean inlet so its more "ocean" water than "bay" water like in the south bay but the EBRPD regularly tests water at Keller Beach.

During our visit the water was safe to swim and when we arrived  people were splashing and swimming in the calm cold bay.  Our children are not really "water babies" but the love the idea of  "swimming" near the water.  They just really like to play in the mud, wet sand, sand dunes etc.  So they spent the rest of the afternoon running away from the waves, getting their feet wet and through mud into the air!

We arrived on a gorgeous, perfect Bay Area weather day....not too hot, not too cold but I can imagine how chilly it would get there when the infamous San Francisco Bay fog rolls in.  The beach must get also very stormy when we get a bad weather storm comes in.

Mount Tamalpais and the San Rafael Bridge

Keller Beach has restrooms, showers and picnic tables, no-fee beach and has FANTASTIC views of Mount Tamalpais, San Rafael Bridge and the rest of the Bay.  Some reviews I read had complaints of "too much" seaweed and how the neighboring residents should clean up the seaweed....apparently these people have never gone to a beach.

Keller Beach is a great place to dip you toes or swim (if you want) on the Bay, especially after a hiking at Miller Knox Regional Park.  Once again an urban EBRPD park has changed my point of view of the urban outdoors.

Do you know of any urban outdoor areas that have surprised you?

Join in on the conversation by leaving a comment here! You can also join in on the conversations on Chasqui Mom's Facebook  and Twitter that is updated daily with outdoor activities and other wonderful posts and links from #OutdoorFamilies!

Related Posts and Links:

  1. Family Urban Hiking at Miller Knox Regional Shoreline
  2. Keller Beach | Miller Knox Regional Shoreline - East Bay Regional Park District

The Alpine Tundra at Rocky Mountain National Park

Never Summer Mountains - View from Fairview Curve
Do you know how it is to go somewhere so beautiful that each corner you turn just takes your breath away? Driving from the West to East on Trail Ridge Road through the Alpine Tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) did this for me, it was one of the most beautiful things I have seen.

Fairview Curve: Never Summer Mountains

Our first stop on Trail Ridge Road was at Fairview Curve (10,120 ft) that had phenomenal views of the Never Summer Mountains, the only volcanic range in RMNP.  I thought "Never Summer Mountains" was a funny name for a mountain range but Summer probably never reaches that mountain range.  The day before we hiked at the Colorado River Trailhead in the valley bellow called, "Kawuneeche Valley".

Continental Divide: Milner Pass

What is the Continental Divide? It is the line that divides the flow of water and snow melt.  On the East Side of the Continental Divide all the water flows to the Gulf of Mexico, part of the Atlantic Ocean and on the West side of the Continental Divde flows to the Pacific Ocean.  To be able to stand at Continental Divide - Milner Pass (10,759 ft), a section of natural occurrence was pretty exciting!




Podre Lake flows to the Missouri then to the Mississippi and ends up in the Gulf of Mexico!


Beaver Creek which is down Ute Trail flows into the Colorado River all the way down to the Gulf of California.


The Alpine Tundra and Visitor Center

The RMNP Alpine Tundra will always hold a special place in my heart.  I felt like I was in another country, I felt like I was back in the place I long to return to, the Peruvian Andes.  The cold, thin air brought me right back to my memories of hiking the Inca Trail.  I instantly fell in love with the Alpine Tundra.


We stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,796 ft., so we could get our "Passport To Your National Parks" book stamped and let the kids run around.  Amazingly my kids had no issues with adjusting to the elevation change, we live at sea level!  This was also a very memorable moment for me as a mother when my son saw "snow" near the Visitor Center.  He turned to me and with a giant smile and eyes as wide open and says, "Mommy!! That is SNOW!! Let's go get our our snowboards and go down the mountain!".  Soon little buddy...





As we left the Visitor Center, I saw a stairway on Alpine Ridge Trail to Huffer Hill.  I wanted to go to the top but we were headed to hike at Glacier Gorge Trailhead. We had already made too many pit stops so we jumped back into the car and headed down to Glacier Gorge Trailhead.  The beauty of the Alpine Tundra didn't stop with the mountains, we also saw many wildlife in particular the North American Elk all over the tundra.



Many elk roamed the tundra in the far distance when we were going to Glacier Gorge, but on the return trip to Grand Lake after our hike, the Elk were so close to the road that we actually had to stop so the cars would let them pass.  The kids were ecstatic to see them from the safety of the car, we had a very close encounter on the trail, story to come!

Chasqui Run: Alpine Tundra Huffer Hill

After a full day of hiking near Glacier Gorge, on our drive back on Trail Ridge Road to our cabin we stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center.  I wanted to go up Huffer Hill but not walk ...RUN up the hill.  My husband told me I was crazy but I wanted to do it so of course he indulged me,he stopped and waited in the car with our sleeping kids.

I took off running the second I closed the car door, I hit the stairs and ran as much as I could and walked until I caught my breath and ran again until I reached the top.  It was mostly dark, terribly cold, the air was thin but I had such a HUGE adrenaline rush.  I made it to what I thought was the top then end of the stairs and I may have done a "Rocky" victory dance....

The end stairs was not the actual top but there was still another 20-30 feet of paved trail to reach the very top so I finished running it.  I'm not going to lie, I was dizzy, my chest was rattling, coughing but it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

I WAS ALL ALONE.



On top of a gorgeous mountain, with the sun barely peaking from behind the mountains. 360 degrees of me and pure mountains.  It was a moment that I will never forget.  I felt so connected to God, so alive, I was on top of the world at 11,938 ft in the sky.  I enjoyed my alone time for a few more minutes and started running down Alpine Ridge Trail.

I was still on my adrenaline high and ran all the way down back to the car.  I got back to the car and my husband turned to me and said, "I saw you running and thought you were going to tumble down!".  I told him, I have now had a "Chasqui Run" in the Alpine Tundra in the Colorado Rocky Mountains an ode to my ancestors.

To my surprise once back in cell phone service territory, I checked my Strava stats on my "Chasqui Run" and I had earned my first Current Record - Queen of the Mountain (QOM) on Old Fall River Road Climb. 



The Alpine Tundra took my breath away....Have you ever experience a place so beautiful that it took your breath away?


 Related Post and Links:
  1. The Colorful Colorado River Trailhead, Rocky Mountain National Park
  2. Dinosaur National Monument, Oh My!!
  3. Summer Road Trip 2013
  4. Rocky Mountain National Park - National Park Service

Outdoor Summer Round Up!

From North to South, East to West, Summer came and is still here for another month but children are going back to school and vacations are ending. So let's celebrate these wonderful outdoors adventures that Summer brought this year!


Author Jennifer Chambers of "Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle" and Hiking Along, recently had a family hike up to the Nubble on Giant Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains, New York.  What a view!
Also visit "Summer's Snapshots Through a Personal Lens" for more Summer Adventures photographs.


Lesly had a Summer internship in Cordova, Alaska through Environment for the Americas, who hired Latino interns to conduct shorebird monitoring and bilingual environmental education.  Lesly kayaked to a Nest Island in the Copper River Delta to monitor Dusky Canadian Geese  Great work for the environment!


Amelia of Tales of a Mountain Mama, and her family have Yellowstone National Park as their backyard.
How fantastic is that!


Jennifer of Mommy Hiker went on a fantastic family camping trip to Sequoia National Park, California.  One of my personal favorite National Parks! 


Michael Byrd and his family enjoyed a beautiful hike at Standing Indian in the Nantahala Naitonal Forest, North Carolina.  Michael is the organizer of the Google+ Thru-Hiking Community and also blogs about his hiking adventures at ATatDusk.


Sharon from Active Kids Active Family and her family took a trip to The Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan, kids of all ages enjoy sand hills! 


Ken of Big Grey Rocks and his family, explored Banff, C-Level Cirque in the Canadian Rockies.  Those are some big grey rocks out there!


Melissa of Adventure Tykes and family enjoyed the fantastic views of Taggert Lake at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.


John of Moosefish and his children explored and camped at Crab Creek in Washington.


As youth leaders, we took our graduating seniors on a their first backpacking trip at Yosemite National Park/Hetch Hetchy.

A big "Thank You" to all my contributing outdoor partners in sharing their Summer adventures and pictures:

Hiking Along
Environment for the Americas
Tales of a Mountain Mama
Mommy Hiker
ATatDusk
Active Kids Active Family
Big Grey Rocks
Adventure Tykes
Moosefish

Visit "Summer's Snapshots a Through Personal Lens" by Hiking Along, for more great pictures!  Here's to a great Summer from all over North America and hoping everyone can squeeze a few more Summer outdoor adventures before Fall and Winter arrive, because we are certainly trying to.   

One Year of Outdoor Adventures...

It has been one year since I started "Chasqui Mom" and it's been quite fun.  Last August, I entered into the world of blogging because I wanted to share about our love of the outdoors with others.  Many times our friends and other hikers would ask us, "Well, how do you hike with a toddler and a baby?" and I'd thought having a blog would be a great way to share with friends and others how to enjoy the outdoors as a family.


Believe me, its been a great growing relationship between myself, the outdoors and parenthood.  Chasqui Mom hasn't always been Chasqui Mom!  Like many new mothers I was very timid about introducing my babies into the outdoors but with the help of my super energetic son and my dirt-loving daughter, my children turned me into Chasqui Mom.


Over the last year, Chasqui Mom and family have spent many days and nights camping, backpacking, hiking as well as starting an outdoor wilderness program with the church youth group we lead .  We have visited six national parks, four California State Parks, two National Forrest, eleven local parks and one international country!


Another great aspect of blogging is that I have found many great outdoor enthusiasts and communities in all social media outlets such as:

One year has brought on 79 posts, lots of outdoor adventures, new friends and great family time.  Here's to the next year of blogging and who knows what other fantastic adventures Chasqui Mom and family will have!

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