“Get busy livin’ or get busy die’n”

– Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

We are a family of five from the Driftless Area of Wisconsin that loves to adventure and share the Aloha Spirit.  We have traveled extensively through the U.S., often by car and staying in a tent, which has been incredibly rewarding, and sometimes, challenging.  We are lucky to have a confluence of culture in our family, which has exposed us to an array of interesting and unique experiences that have come to define who we are and how we look at the world.

I was born in Hawaii, like my Father before me, and moved to Wisconsin, where my Mom was raised, when I was young. My Dad was the only sibling of 7 to leave the islands so I was lucky to get back often to stay with ‘ohana (family) and truly experience the beautiful culture of Hawaii and its “aloha spirit“.  My wife and children have followed suit and it has impacted them much the same way it did me.

My wife, Natalie, was raised in the NW suburbs and downtown Chicago, and much like myself, experienced a very rewarding and enriching culture in her youth.  Her parents now live downtown full time and we travel there often, which adds to our family’s diverse adventures and cultural richness. The urban exploration we have done in Chicago is a very interesting contrast and serves as a a very relevant balance to our outdoor adventures.  Nat is an excellent cook and she’s a planner/organizer that is definitely the glue that keeps our together.

We introduced our kids to hiking and camping several years ago and we haven’t looked back.  There have been times when they looked at the prospect of going on a hike as a chore but, for the most part, they now embrace the experience and have also started to get involved by creating vlogs and photography of their own that documents our adventures.

We started this blog as a creative outlet for our love of family adventuring, whether it be a day paddle on the Mississippi River, a long weekend trip to explore downtown Chicago, or an epic two week Americana road trip to Grand Canyon National Park and back.  We love to share our experiences in hopes that others might find what we have found – that disconnecting from the daily grind to get out and explore and appreciating the little things can make a huge difference in your happiness.

Aloha!