Family Adventure Day Tepee

Plan A Family Adventure Day

July 30, 2012COMtnMom

Family Adventure Day Tepee

Every once in awhile, we sneak off together as a family and have a “Family Adventure Day”.  We pack a snack bag and the cooler.  Gather some gear – making sure to bring lots of water, SPF, bug spray, and a variety of clothing layers and hats.  Then we load up the car with backpacks, baby carriers, (sometimes) fishing poles, and the family dog … and head out with a rough idea of a destination.

While Family Adventure Day typically involves a brief road trip at the beginning and end, we try to keep it less than 2 hours travel time each way.  And unlike other road trips of varying duration, we leave the portable electronic entertainment at home.

These brief journeys are about looking out of the car windows and enjoying the scenery, trying to spot wildlife, or a particularly nice view.  Just like the good old days when we were kids.  Ideally, the journey is part of the adventure itself!

Family Adventure Day Deer

Stick With It

I’ll admit, Family Adventure Day sometimes starts out a little rocky, with complaints of boredom from our oldest child.

Or when finding an appealing trail head takes longer than we anticipated.

But after a bit, the day starts to gain its own momentum.  And before you know it – everyone is having fun, just absorbing nature and enjoying each other’s company.

Family Adventure Day Pick Wildflowers

Exploration and Discovery

Much of the allure for Family Adventure Day for us is the exploration factor.  We love discovering places where we’ve never been.  Even if it’s just a trailhead we have never hiked before, or a fruit stand in a town along the way there.

We also enjoy keeping a running tally of how many types of animals we can spot in one day.  And yes: dogs, horses, cows, goats, and chickens count!  Hey, wildlife is obviously the most fun to see, but it’s also fun ending up with that impressively high count for the day!

On our latest adventure, our grand total was 11 animals.  Along with the domestic participants, we were able to also add deer and these fat marmots sunning themselves on a rock (aka “whistle pigs”) to our list.

Family Adventure Day Whistle Pig

The Payoff

It makes me happy that “Family Adventure Day” has become part of my daughter’s vocabulary.

Sometimes it feels like too much work to pack up and head out for just a day.  But even when some, or all, of us start out hesitant and cranky about the idea … we always end up having a wonderful time, and experiencing a day that every one of us has enjoyed.

Family Adventure Day Fishing

These are the childhood memories I want my kids to take with them in life.

Having the wilderness available to us in this way is part of why we wanted to move our family out West.   We try to take advantage of it every chance we get, and hope to never take it for granted.

These pictures were all taken on our most recent Family Adventure on the Grand Mesa, in Western Colorado.

 *o*     *o*     *o*

Does your family have Family Adventure Days?

What do you like to include?

Comments (8)

  • Beth D.

    July 30, 2012 at 11:47 am

    With our little one being just four (and the biggest complainer of the three kids), we haven’t made too many adventures out but we should plan one soon! Luckily, being in NH, we have plenty of wildlife right here in our backyard, so we do make a big deal about observing them (and not petting them!). We also have plenty of trails for hiking around here too. Love your photos – it looks like you have a beautiful area for family adventures!

    1. COMtnMom

      July 30, 2012 at 4:29 pm

      Hey Beth – yes, we have a cool variety of great scenery around here. I’ve never been to NH, I’d love to see it! Neat that you have wildlife and trails close by!

      Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  • Steve Burns

    July 30, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    While we don’t do things like this often enough, we do like to go out on a family adventure every now and then. We usually end up at one of the local Civil War sites, and we have also been to a state park that features Indian mounds. Maybe not always the most exciting thing for our son, but he usually ends up having a good time.

    1. COMtnMom

      July 31, 2012 at 1:13 pm

      That is definitely something the East and South have up on us – history! That sounds so fun and interesting … maybe not the most “exciting” for your son, per se, but I’m sure he does enjoy it. Gotta stop our busy lives sometimes and make sure we are spending time together, right?

      Thanks for sharing your memory makin’ ideas, Steve!

  • My Top Outdoor Posts, plus a Quick Request » Colorado Mountain Mom

    March 18, 2013 at 10:01 am

    […] Plan a Family Adventure Day […]

  • The Pretty Electra has Much to Offer | Live Stonewear!

    May 13, 2013 at 5:30 pm

    […] Read more from Tami on her blog, Colorado Mountain Mom […]

  • Anna

    November 13, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Hi, Loved this post! I’ve been doing this with my sons too. They are young (1 and 3), but love going on adventures. On his last vacation, my 3 year old asked me if we could plan an adventure. I was so happy that he looks forward to them! Sometimes we go on “real” adventures, hiking and so on, and sometimes we try to turn regular things, like a neighboring fishing village, into adventures (that one became a pirate adventure). It keeps us all entertained!

    1. COMtnMom

      November 26, 2013 at 9:24 pm

      Hi Anna,

      I checked out your (gorgeous!) blog, and see that you live in the south of France. Visiting a neighboring fishing village in your area sounds like a FANTASTIC *real* adventure to me!! I’m a new fan 🙂 So happy you dropped by, and thanks for your comment!

      Tami

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Prev Post

Disney Magical Express, from Disney Moms Thoughts

Disney's Magical Express

July 27, 2012

Next Post

Waving at Animal Kingdom Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade

Disney Wordless Wednesday ~ Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade

July 31, 2012
%d bloggers like this: