First Experience Rafting the Moab Daily (Without a Guide)

We’ve been living in the West for almost 5 years now, seeing people going on incredible adventures in the big mountains, through the vast deserts, and of course down the stunning rivers. And though we’ve been on a river trip here and there, my wife and I wouldn’t consider ourselves river folk, which is a totally different breed of mountain living. That is, until, we finally dipped our toe into the rafting life, when we bought our first big whitewater raft, a STAR Outlaw! And with little to no whitewater experience, we decided to just go for it, and headed …

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Backpacking the Escalante River Trail with Dogs

First off, I had no idea a backpacking route like this could ever exist here in the Utah desert! A trail that snakes below the steep walls of the desert plateau along a winding river. And over the Memorial Day weekend, a group of us decided to do an overnight backpacking trip down the Escalante River trail, and it couldn’t have been a more adventurous trip! We experienced everything from high energy to exhaustion, and dried river beds to wading through waist deep water! The Escalante river originates in the town of Escalante, UT, flows nearly a 100 miles through …

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SCUBA Diving Key West, Florida

Despite the sweltering heat of a Florida summer, we chose to take a dive trip to the Florida Keys this July and I couldn’t have been more excited. The day after we landed and drove the four hours from Miami to the last Key in the Florida Keys, Key West. Once we got settled into our place, the next day we headed down to Front Street to Southpoint Divers Dive shop to get checked in and head to the dive boat which was parked in the nearby harbor. From there, we hopped on and headed onto the boat and headed …

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YETI SB 130 LR Review | My Dream Mountain Bike

As it turns out, a new bike, with components from 2022, will ride a whole lot better than a top of the line bike from 2015. Who would have guessed?! But it all seriousness, each year I’d see the new bikes get released with incremental improvements and I could never really justify spending all that money on a new bike. Well after waiting and saving for 3 years, I finally pulled the trigger and bought my dream mountain bike, a Yeti SB 130 Lunch Ride. Overall, I was looking for a do-it-all trail bike to handle the long days on …

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Paddling From Moab to Canyonlands on the Colorado River with Packrafts

Until now, our weekend trips to Moab focused around mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and generally just trying to escape to nicer weather.  This pst weekend, we decided to try something new and challenging. We made plans to paddle the flat water section of the Colorado River from the town of Moab to the border of Canyonlands National Park. So we loaded our packrafts into the truck and set out for another adventure. Distance: 12 Miles Put-In: Wall Street Area Take-Out: Potash Boat Ramp Flow: 5,000 Time: 6 Hours Difficulty: Easy (Flat water) Dog Friendly: Yes! Shuttle Difficulty: Easy (Rode …

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Learning to Ride a Snowmobile

Okay, normally, I’m the guy who is always pushing for human-powered activities. You know, biking, hiking, running, etc. Not exactly a proponent of getting in a 4-wheeler, driving far, and calling that an adventure. Well, that may have all changed this winter when we took our snowmobile, a.k.a. sled, out in the neighborhood. With one squeeze of the thumb, you are sent nearly flying off the back of the sled, holding on for dear life, as you rip around the snowy trails in the mountains. Needless to say, ripping around on a snowmobile is pure fun, but also ends up …

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Skydiving in Last Vegas | First Time Experience

For Courtney’s 30th Birthday, I wanted to make sure it was an unforgettable time. So this year, we headed down south to the desert metropolis of Las Vegas. We head down there for a few reasons, but mainly, because you can go skydiving year round! Being that Courtney’s birthday is in the winter, this was sort of a big deal! So we packed up Jeep and headed down I-15 for a wild adventure, both on the chaotic strip and being dropped out of a perfectly good airplane! And let me tell you, going skydiving was some of the most adrenaline …

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Video | Renting Cruise America RV to Sedona, Arizona

As far back as I can remember, the highways on every road trip were littered with the Cruise America Rental RVs. They were even more all over the place when we moved out west, every campground, every dirt road, every trailhead, these Cruise America RVs seemed to be everywhere. We always thought how fun it would be to finally rent one and drive it around on a trip of our own for once. For one trip, we trade in the truck and tent for the glamping experience inside a heated RV with a real bed, bathroom, and kitchen table! And …

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Backcountry Skiing Couloir off Lake Peak in Wasatch

This season has been wild so far, with regards to our snowfall and snowpack her in Utah. We got dumped on in October, which is never a great start for any snowpack to prevent a season-long persistent weak layer. November followed with not a single flake of snow, which lead to a rotting snowpack from the early season snow. Then came a record-setting December which gave us nearly 10 feet of snow in some areas. But then a freakishly dry January rolled in, where it hadn’t snowed past the 7th and combining with warm temperatures, we had incredibly safe avalanche …

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Backcountry Skiing Gear Recommendations | Gloves

As a heads Up, this is not an extensive list of newest backcountry skiing gear, but rather a recommendation on the type of gear to get and an explanation of other versions out on the market. This is basically a jumping off point for gear recommendations. My philosophy in the backcountry is that you need to prepare for the uphill, when your body is generating heat, and the downhill when you’re moving fast and not generating much heat. Beyond skis, I really do think gloves are the most critical piece of equipment that I bring into the backcountry. Simply put, …

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