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Beastie

The desire to explore the unreachable led Stef to buy a used 2013 Toyota 4Runner in August of 2014. Car modifications have always appealed to her and this truck was as basic as you could get and ready for some tweaks. Sliders, roof rack, tent, awning, suspension, tires, ladder, front bumper, dual swing arm rear…
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14,202 FEET & WORTH EVERY STEP

Blame it all on my roots…or possibly just geography, but growing up in Colorado lit the fire for my love of hiking. I’ve never had a goal of summiting all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers, but over the years I’ve managed to knock out a handful. Some more than once. In college, I spent a summer…
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Marmots, Mountain Water, and Mont Blanc

Stef and I have spent countless hours dreaming about trekking in the Alps, and on July 29, 2026, that dream finally became reality. We left Albuquerque, New Mexico, and roughly 16 hours later found ourselves in the bustling city of Geneva, Switzerland—slightly dazed, a little confused, and very excited. We wandered the city trying to…
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Kon’nichiwa, Nihon

Stef and I, along with her mom and brother, had an unforgettable trip to Japan that ended all too quickly! From the serene beauty of Kyoto to the majestic Mt. Fuji, from the charming town of Nikko to the bustling streets of Tokyo, each destination offered a unique and incredible experience. In Kyoto, we immersed…
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BUEN CAMINO!

In June 2024, six adventurous, resilient women said yes to an idea that had been taking shape for more than a year: meet in Porto, Portugal, lace up our shoes, shoulder our packs, and walk the Camino de Santiago together. On June 10, 2024, we took our first steps along the Camino’s coastal route with…
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A Magical Place Called Lapland

Roughly a year ago I gave Stef four itineraries to choose from for her big initiation into 4-0. To my surprise, she chose a trip to Finland. We spent the next several months planning…and paying for this journey into winter wonderland. On November 22 we flew to Rovaniemi, arriving at 5 pm into a dark,…
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Kongeriket Norge

My great-grandmother was from Bergum, Norway and sailed to America when she was a teenager. When I was a kid, we heard stories of her growing up in Norway. Through her deep Norwegian accent we learned about our Scandinavian heritage. She had such a vitality for life and had a great influence on my childhood.…
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Traversing the Gila

Stef and I packed up Beastie and headed south to the Gila this past weekend with a rough plan and a Delorme map. We drove I-40 west out of Albuquerque to highway 117 and found Apache Creek campground a couple of hours later. Along the way we had a bear run across the road right…
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TURASgirls versus The Volcano

Hawaii has always been a special place to me. My parents met on Oahu in 1976, while my dad was stationed there in the Navy and my mom, on a whim, moved there and worked as a nurse while going to school. You can surmise the rest of the story. In college I also spent…
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Pacific City

Stef and I are both Perfusionists and met working together in the Pacific Northwest. I moved there in 2008 and fell in love with the lush, green landscape and the plentiful outdoor opportunities. When Stef moved there in 2009 from central New York, she fell into step with my admiration for the area. Stef eventually…
