Family Adventures

The Joy of Riding, Outdoors, Mud and a Little Boy

Ride on little Axel! #Axelove
Riding a bike, how much is there to riding a bike? One might think that riding a bike is just that, but it is not, it is so much more.  It's something that I stopped doing for a few years but recently started riding again and it reminded me of the freedom, terror, joy, anger, energizing feelings I once had of riding a bike.

I've met a lot of people through social media and one amazing outdoor blogger I have met is Jennifer Charrette of Velo Mom.  A little over a year ago, her family went through a horrible tragedy and lost their youngest son Axel while on a trip in Mexico.  There are no words, but no family should go through anything like that.  Even though Axel was only on this Earth for a little over two years, he lived life to the fullest on his balance bike.

Over the last year, I have seen how the outdoors, and in particular riding, has helped the Charrette family grieve the loss of a family member and through all the pain this wonderful family has started a great non-profit organization, The Axel Project, in memory of their little boy who LOVED his balance bike. The Axel Project mission is "To introduce and nurture a lifelong passion for cycling to children and their families."  One of their main ways of completing their mission is to providing balance bikes and instruction to children in need.


The most recent effort of The Axel Project is Zoom! a picture book about "A little boy rides his balance bike to discover the desert, mountains, mud puddles and more."  This story follows the adventures of a little boy, his balance bike, and his dog, which was written by Axel's mother, Jennifer Charrette, and Marcia Kenne and illustrated by Kellie Day.  The Zoom! project is being funded through Kickstarter and I have also kicked in to support Zoom!


Let's keep spreading Axel's joy of riding to all families! Will you please join me in supporting Zoom!? Click here to Zoom! Kickstarter page.


The #OutdoorFamilies bloggers have come together to support Zoom! and the Charrette Family in their new endeavor.

  1. It’s a Delightful, Dazzling, Dream-Filled, Dirty World by Rocks and Sun
  2. Zoom! The Healing Power of Two Wheels by Expect Adventure
  3. Making Lemonade Out of Life's Lemons by Mommy Loves Trees
  4. Zoom! The Story of a Boy and his Balance Bike by Tales of a Mountain Mama 
  5. Today is Zoom! Day: The Story of a Boy and His Balance Bike by On The Beaten Path
  6. An Amazing Kickstarter campaign for Zoom & The Axel Project by Active Kids Active Family
  7. Let's Give a Kick Start to ZOOM! The Story of a Boy and His Balance Bike by Mommy Hiker
  8. Zoom! Remembering Axel’s Love of Biking by Colorado Mountain Mom
  9. Zoom Day - Let's Get The First Balance Bike Book Published! by Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies
  10. Bloggies, Bikes and Books by Velo Mom


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

Outdoor Families! This #OutFam Twitter Chat is for You!



Announcing the newest addition to Twitter chats....#OutFam

One of my main purposes of starting Chasqui Mom blog was that I wanted to help other families whether new or experienced outdoor families, enjoy the outdoors.  Low and behold, a year and a half later and thousands of tweets later I have made so many connections with other outdoor family bloggers!

An amazing group of outdoor family bloggers has come together to share their expertise in a new Twitter chat focusing on outdoor family adventures.  We've been sharing our stories and insight through the #OutdoorFamilies hashtag for awhile but now we're taking the next step and opening up the conversation through the chat-friendly hashtag #OutFam.  Not only am I thrilled to be a part of this group, but to be able to connect these inspiring adventurers from all over North America is a true testament to the power of Social Media.

I hope you'll join us on Twitter to share your ideas and experience as well as learn from this collection of adventuring families who really know their stuff.  Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, there will be something for everyone.

Each week we will be having a different topic related to the families being in the outdoors but for our inaugural #OutFam Twitter chat, I'm happy to announce that I have teamed up with the great outdoor family blogger, Val in Real Life to talk about "Love of the Outdoors".


How do you participate in #OutFam Twitter chat?
  1. You must have a Twitter account.  If you do not have an account, sign up here: Twitter.com
  2. Follow the Co-Hosts: @valinreallife and @melissabravery
  3. Join in on the conversation! Every Wednesday at 4:30 pm EST/1:30 pm PST (30 minutes) starting February 12th.

 Until then, please share with other families about this great new chat, #OutFam.

 If you have any questions please leave a comment here. You can also join in on the conversations on Chasqui Mom's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that is updated daily with outdoor activities and other wonderful posts and links from #OutdoorFamilies!

Wave Crashing Family Camping & Mavericks at Half Moon Bay

What a way to start the new year! Family camping by the beach and a phenomenal California surf competition, all before January even finished.  It all started a few weeks ago when we decided to take advantage of our unseasonably warm weather and camp for a night near the coast.  I tried a few other California State Parks but Half Moon Bay State Beach reservations were half empty and it was as close as camping on the beach as one can get.

The Stars (more like the waves) Aligned....

A few days before our quick camping trip, I scanned through my Twitter feed and saw "Mavericks [Surfing] Competition might be held this Friday!"  I literally start going into hyper sonic mode and try to tell my husband what I just read.  I stalked news media for the next two days until it was confirmed that the Mavericks Invitational 2013-2014 was going to be held a few miles from our campsite.  Joy!

Green means, Go! Surfs up!

I'm not a surfer, nor will I probably ever surf but that doesn't mean I'm not fascinated with it.  I'm a California girl, born, raised and I'll probably die here.  I LOVE the beach, it's my happy place and it's a world of wonder especially the once a year 40-60 foot waves where they hold the Mavericks Invitational.  Ever since I found out about this competition I've wanted to attend but it just never happened, so I was beyond thrilled that it happened during our camping trip.

Mavericks Festival: Oceano Hotel & Spa Grounds

A few years ago the Mavericks audience was able to see the competition from the Pillar Point Beach/Cliffs near the area marked as "Mavericks" on the map.  Unfortunately in 2010, a HUGE wave came onto the shore and took down bystanders and media personnel, so now it it prohibited to watch from the shore.  Sadness.  I understand why it is prohibited now but it would still be really cool to see with my own eyes.

The Oceano Hotel & Spa now hosts the Mavericks Festival, here's a quick review on it:

  • Jumbo Tron Viewing ~ There are two huge Jumbo Trons on the opposite ends of the festival, lots of room for everyone to view.  The general audience brought chairs, blankets and set up for the day but there was a VIP area which was more expensive of course.  The viewing was a live feed that occasionally would lose signal but the announcer would jump in to fill the gaps.
  • Mavericks Competition ~ The competition it self was really fantastic to see, each "round" was called a heat and we quickly learned some surfing terminology, like "Air Drop" and of course "Wipe Out".  I didn't know any of the surfers but Grant "Twiggy" Baker from South Africa became our favorite real quick, who eventually won the competition.  I know...there were many Bay Area local surfers in the competition but Twiggy was awesome and no one could deny it.  I loved how the audience would go into a lull but  the energy would pick up along with the waves.  There was a local band playing "beach music" from Pacifica which was entertaining to listen too, GoPro was doing a giveaway which we signed up for but left before they announced the winner.
  • Logistics/Cost/Parking ~ The festival is located in the Oceano Hotel & Spa Parking Lot, no real view of the ocean but it's walking distance away. There were FOUR levels of tickets ranging from $15-1,000/ticket, we purchased the $15 tickets online the night before.  I had read in other reviews that the festival had sold out online in the past years so I didn't want to risk it and purchased it online.  I was able to download all our tickets on Eventbrite App and the ticket hostess just scanned my phone at the entrance.  Parking is available at the Half Moon Bay Airport but we parked for free about a mile away on Pacific Coast Highway 1 and walked along the Coastal Trail to the festival.  There is a bike valet if one decided to ride your bike to the festival.
  • Family Friendly Activities ~ There was only one real family friendly activity, the Skate Park, which is geared more towards older children who can skateboard.  My toddlers were a little bored because they wanted to go to the beach and there weren't toddler friendly activities.  They were only partially interested in watching the surfing competition on the Jumbo Tron.  Hint, hint....maybe more kid-friendly activities (rock climbing, a portable playground or inflatable slides, etc)!  I saw lots of families with younger children, so family friendly activities might be a great addition.
  • Food/Beverages ~ There were food trucks galore!  In particular, The Sanguchon a Peruvian food truck that I've been dying to check out.  It was was DELICIOUS by the way!  I was so fixated on The Sanguchon truck I can hardly remember the other food trucks but other foods included paella, garlic fries, burritos, grilled sandwiches.  Cliff Bar and Red Bull were also there giving out free samples as well.  There was a free water station as well as a a Sierra Nevada station on every corner.

Overall, we had lots of fun at the Mavericks Festival watching the competition and eating delicious food.  We left in the middle of the festival to walk around Pillar Point Harbor and found a little beach and creek for the kids to run around before returning to watch another heat.  News media was all around Pillar Point Harbor, from CNN to NBC with helicopters flying all around Half Moon Bay.  I am definitely going to return someday to the Mavericks Invitational/Festival but maybe when I have enough money to charter a boat out to the waves so I can see them myself!!  Truly amazed by the surfers physical strength, expertise and courage to go out in those enormous waves.

Wave Crashing Camping at Half Moon Bay State Beach ~ Francis Beach

We left the Mavericks Festival before the Final heat and walked along Coastal Trail to our car on Pacific Coast Highway 1.  We couldn't check into our campsite until 2 p.m., so the Mavericks Festival was a good way to spend the day.  My original plan was to hike around Pillar Point but all roads were blocked off due to the competition.

Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail

The First of Many Camping Trips

As I mentioned earlier, we just wanted to get away for a quick camping trip and not spend time driving far away for a one-night camping trip, so Half Moon Bay State Beach was the perfect place to start our camping adventures for 2014.  

Half Moon State Beach

 is actually comprised of four beaches, Francis Beach being one of them, 52 campsites and it feels far away from the city even though it a few blocks away from downtown Half Moon Bay.  We are not RV campers and probably will never be, but I must mention that this was primarily a RV campground, yet with a few tent campers interspersed around.

Mi Casa - ALPS Mountaineering: Three Room Camping Tent

We had reserved Campsite #40, which was an RV/tent site with partial shade, a picnic table, fire pit with a grill and the road ran behind it.  Not my ideal location but cars hardly drove by and in the morning we were able to see all the horseback beach tours ride by, which added the "California Factor" to the campsite.  

NOTE: There are Tent-Only sites which are almost on the beach (near the bathrooms), which I'm assuming must be reserved way in advance.

The campground was pretty quite overall, there was close to no RV noise which was hardly noticeable over the crashing waves.  Once darkness rolled around, all the RV campers went into their homes and it seemed like we were the only ones there.  Nice.  I think we were the only ones in our area with a fire going, which we cooked Chicken Shish Kabobs.  After dinner, our toddlers fell asleep (Yay!) and we waited for my friends' husband to arrive.  Once he arrived we all proceeded to have second dinner, one of the many reasons we like camping.  It was a chilly night and we all ended up smelling like smoke because we huddled so close to the fire for the rest of the evening.  Fun times.

Crashing Waves at Francis Beach

Francis Beach is just down a few steps from the campgrounds but be warned it isn't a swimming beach due to its strong currents.  Plus nobody really "swims" in the Northern California beaches because they are too cold.  My toddlers concept of the "beach" is playing in the sand vs. swimming in the ocean.  They like to roll down a sandy beach dune [Cue Video]....

We spent a little while at the beach before setting up camp so the kids could burn off some energy!  I loved being able to still see the waves at Mavericks/Pillar Point from Francis Beach but the waves right in front of me were strong and large as well.  All night we heard the waves from our campsite, but at some point in the middle of the night the waves sounded like mini-explosions which was really neat to hear.  While the night brought crashing waves and a strong wind, they disappeared with the sunrise.  Everyone slept well, except when the winds became so strong that my son woke up to ask what was all that noise, it's just wind little buddy.....

The morning came, breakfast and packing commenced before we went down to Francis Beach. Our camp neighbors had children similar age to ours and they played together in the trees.  Camp friends are nice because we could easily clean and pack up without major disruption.  We spent the rest of the morning playing in the sand and splashing in the water until the kids got tired of the waves knocking them down.

Thus ends our great first camping adventure at Half Moon Bay.  Surfing competition, giant waves, camping at a great California State Park, family, friends and being in the outdoors.  I love California.

What's your favorite California outdoor adventure?

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

Related Posts and Links

  1. The Excellent Año Nuevo State Park
  2. Half Moon State Beach - California State Parks
  3. California State Parks Website
  4. Mavericks Invitational 2013-2014

Confessions of an Outdoor Mom

Bonbon Break

This is a little bit of a rant, joke and plain honesty about my life of an outdoor mom.  Just like any first time mom I read all the books, tried my best to do everything in the "correct" way with my kids but let's face it, I just do what I can to survive with two toddlers.  A lot of people think I have always been outdoorsy, but as a matter of fact most of my life I've been a "Mall Rat".  My toddlers have actually molded me to be an outdoor mom because of their personalities.

Hiking Mama on the Pacific Crest Trail - Vasquez Rocks

I have been blessed with one SUPER energetic child and another child that LOVES getting dirty and being outdoors.  Over the last four years of my new life of motherhood, my children have pushed me into embracing the outdoors even more (for my sanity) and with that here are my confessions of an outdoor mom.

Confession #1: "Mall Rat" converted to "Gear Junkie"

I used to spend hours and hours on end at the mall (prior to marriage/kids) shopping for clothing, shoes (stilettos in particular) whatever I could find on sale.  I still have that shopping tendency but now at our local outdoor gear store.  I mean the employees ask about our kids all the time.  From

backpacking

,

camping

,

hiking

and our recently added family outdoor activities of

rock climbing

, snowshoeing and

biking

means more gear for the family.  My mall rat persona was more selfish in nature but my gear junkie habits are for the family.  I'm always on the search for outdoor kid clothing and gear that I love getting on Super Sale.  I'm a sucker for sales.

Confession #2: Playgrounds are Not My Favorite Place

Don't get me wrong I love playgrounds, a good portion of my childhood memories are at playground parks but my kids always end up leaving in tears because they don't want to leave or they have some other playground drama.  I prefer to take them to the trail where nature is their playground, we sit by a creek or lake and they can entertain themselves.

Nature's Sand box and Monkey Gym

At playgrounds, I constantly need to watch where they escape to and my children want me to be interacting with both at the same time and frankly it tires me out more than my kids.  Which defeats the point of taking them to the playground, I want them tired not me! When I do go to playgrounds with my kids, I choose:

  • Smaller less popular and visited playgrounds, where I can keep my eye on both.
  • Make playground dates with my children's friends to avoid less playground drama.
  • Go during "school hours" to avoid the after-school playground rush.
  • Visit on chilly days because it tires my children quicker and there are less people.

Confession #3: Coffee is our Family Fuel on the Trail

It's sounds awful but in my Latino culture kids drink coffee....well more like "Cafe con Leche" with sugar.  I remember my parents giving me some growing up and I wasn't addicted as a child but now I am...  It's more difficult to prepare coffee than chocolate when backpacking with only a restrictive amount of cups, so I just pass my "Cafe con Leche" along to my little one.

Cafe con Leche on the beach

My daughter is a huge fan of coffee, my son is not since he's just "naturally caffeinated!" I confess I have given them caffeinated soda, chocolate covered coffee beans as well as tiny dregs of my energy shots so they could finish hiking.  Mother of the Year award, thank you very much.  Please don't call CPS on me.

Confession #4: Not So Perfect Trail Etiquette...

As an outdoor loving family we try our hardest to follow all the trail rules and etiquette, especially "Leave No Trace".  Try hiking with a toddler going through potty training, a screaming child wanting wild blackberries along the trail or wild flower.  Here it goes, I confess...
  • Small bladders = no wait time, my kids pee almost anywhere on the trail.  I try to make them hold it to the bathroom but it sometimes doesn't work.  Now I have to train them that it's not ok to do it in front of a store or in a line in Disneyland....
  • I have a picky toddler that sometimes doesn't eat for days, so when he asks to give him food to eat, I do!  He loves blackberries and when blackberries are plentiful along the trail, we pick and eat them.  He's actually learned to identify blackberries and looks for them every time we hike! The land's original inhabitants are no longer eating them....that's how I justify it.
  • I pick wildflowers for my daughter.  She loves flowers, absolutely loves flowers and sometimes it's the only way to stop her from crying on the trail.  One time while backpacking she yelled half asleep "STOP!!! I see flowers!!" as we walked through a wildflower field.  I just make sure she leaves the flower back on the trail so the seeds can be re-planted in the same general area.
  • Gross Factor Confession: I clean up after my kids messes all the time and when I see other people trail trash I will pick it up 99.9% of the time, except on one occasion.  While hiking at a National Park, I saw a wet, dirty men's underwear on the side of the trail, I'm sorry but that's where I draw the line.  Why would ANYONE do that?!?! Someone else can clean that up.  Gross. Period.

Confession #5: Escape from the House to Not Clean

I confess, I escape from my house to the outdoors because I don't want to clean up sometimes.  I could tell you why, but Alyssa from

The Kid Project

beautifully explains my feelings exactly in her post "

I am a Half Dirtbag Mommy

".  I'm not the only one but it is still my personal goal to try my best to clean up!

Check out other great Outdoor Parents Confessions!

  1. Jen of Adventurous Moms confesses how she's a little bit squeamish of creepy crawlers.
  2. Sometimes little trail meltdowns happens as Jennifer of Mommy Hiker experienced.  It's ok!
  3. I love Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies brutally honest confessions of being a "far from perfect mountain mama".  Tanya's confessions are some that I've experience first hand too.
  4. "On occasion I've failed to notice the clothes my boys had picked out for a day in the mountains.  When we went to Chester Lake in the fall, I didn't notice that they were in shorts on grey [rocks] close to zero temps until we started hiking.  One of the other dads said something about my sons being true Canadians or something..." confesses Ken of Big Grey Rocks.  No one lost any digits to frost bite!
  5. Amelia of Tales of a Mountain Mama confesses "I get outside for ME first.  I am a terrible mom if I am stuck inside all day and therefore I see it for their benefit too.  Oh and everyone drives me CRAZY inside - it's all just a sanity thing!"
  6. "I'm a stay at home mom but that doesn't mean I stay at home" says Alyssa from The Kid Project.
  7. Gayle of Sometimes Eventfulconfesses that she likes to think outside but also likes "chocolate mixed with reality TV every now and then".  Chasqui Mom is also a fan of the certain reality shows!
  8. In The Adventures of Parenthood Project, Meghan talks about "The Transition to Parenthood: 5 Things I Didn't Consider."

I have many more confessions that will come in some other future posts but until then these confessions are why I love being an outdoor mom.  No one is perfect, we are all "work in process", what I'm learning is to follow my instincts to keep my household happy both on and off the trail.

Confessions are good for the soul! Leave a comment below with your outdoor confession.

Join in on the conversation by leaving a comment here! You can also join in on the conversations on 

Chasqui Mom's Facebook

,

Instagram

 and 

Twitter

 that is updated daily with outdoor activities and other wonderful posts and links from #OutdoorFamilies!

This Hiking Mama is Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is the season of reflecting on what we are thankful for and I'm endlessly thankful for ALL the aspects of my life but here's a little list of what this hiking mama is thankful for!

An Outdoor Loving Family


My crazy energetic son and my dirt loving daughter, truly push me to go enjoy the outdoors with them on a daily basis.  You might think many of our crazy adventures are my ideas but in reality the majority of the ideas are from the great guy I married!  I might be "Chasqui Mom" but he's truly a mountain man that loves the outdoors!

Local Parks: East Bay Regional Park District


The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is this family's hiking ground!  With 65 parks, 98,000+ Acres, 1,150 park trail miles, 3,789 picnic tables, 13 water features, and 277 camping sites, who says you can't enjoy the outdoors in the urban area of the East Bay-San Francisco Bay Area!!

Hard Adventures


Every outdoor adventure with toddlers is hard but this year has brought a ridiculous level of "Hard" on our outdoor adventures.  From extreme heat, below freezing temperatures, howling winds AND coyotes, sickness and wildlife encounters, you would think I would want to give up. I'm not going to lie there have been moments when I cried and lost it on the trail but all those moments have passed and I have been left with a stronger love and motivation to continue going to the outdoors.

Nature


Nature can be found everywhere, you just have to learn to find it all around you.  I love open fields surrounded by mountains but Nature is all around us from a little lady bug flying around in your backyard to the mountainous Rocky Mountain National Park.  We just have to learn to see it and I thank God for creating such a magnificent place for my family and I to enjoy forever!



Want to see what other Outdoor Families are thankful for.....


What are you thankful for this season?

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!