Visiting CA - Petaluma

Trying to take a nice holiday family picture with kids be like... #familyportrait #restlessbodysyndrome #toddlerlife #homefortheholidays

Two and a half years ago, we were feeling a bit "stuck" on our property in Petaluma with an 18 mo old baby and just our first taste of life on the road. We reached out to a young couple on an Airstream adventure around the country to see if they'd like to stop by the Farmlet, and John and Laura (@democratictravelers and @thedemocratictravelers, respectively) accepted.
Sitting on our deck, we told them about a caravan of likeminded Airstreamers heading to Canada that Summer. At the time, we were still wrestling with whether or not we were even going (read the blog post at "The Simple Life: On the Road or On the Farm" - link temporarily in profile) but eventually made a good enough case to them that we convinced ourselves! After traveling with them, @aluminarium, @mali.mish, @worksology and @jessaworks, @weaselmouth, and @wandering_amanda and @wandering_tim for a couple weeks, we were ruined and literally bought a bigger trailer on the way home with plans to go full-time.
Since then, we've managed a meetup for Ethiopian food in Boston but otherwise have missed John and Laura on the road (other than commissioning the incredible "Denali" quilt from Laura's newest project, @vacilandoquilting, to remind us of our Alaska trip!). This morning, they drove up from San Mateo to catch up, meet Mae and share stories from the road and plans for the future. It means so much for us to have met friends like this on the road we know we'll have for a long time.
#airstreamfriends #lifeontheroad #travelingcommunity

Our second car for these two weeks as we "play house" around Petaluma, thanks to the demo program from Petaluma's own @yubabicycles. This Mundo is set up with a Yepp seat in the back for Mae, a padded deck with a wrap-around bar for Wynne and an electric assist for me! Also has room for two substantial side bags, plus a front basket. This morning, we criss-crossed town on errands from McNear Park across the river to CVS, over to the post office for stamps for holiday cards, down Kentucky to Bovine Bakery for a muffin and all the way up to Sunnyslope for a playdate, hitting 20 mph easily on the flats and cruising with minimal effort up moderate hills. This morning's Eco Smug Level in Petaluma was off the charts! #yubabicycles #yubamundo #cargobike #yubacargobike #hybrid #priuskiller

Look who stopped by for some #pastureparking? It's @campytrails! We haven't seen them since last February soon after we officially launched for full-time travel and spent several days in the Mojave National Preserve with a bunch of traveling families. Soon after, we pointed ourselves north towards Alaska and haven't had a chance to cross paths. Glad they came to us while we're "visiting home" for the holidays! #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #moochdocking #doesthisanglemakemyrearendlookbig

That bike I posted the other day was *alright*, but... This is more like it! #xl250 #vintagehonda #vintagemotorcycle

#littleairstreamfriends in the pasture after a day of talking parenting, life on the road, ideal rigs and the next plans with @campytrails. #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #sisterhoodofthetravelingparents

2015 on the road: 14,631 miles, 17 states, 3 provinces, 7 ferries, 12 bears in 3 days, 1 near-death quicksand experience, too many glaciers to count, 2 premature deployments of the primary entrance, 1 flat tire and 1 incredible way to spend a year with your family. Link to a summary of the year's destinations plus the route map and a list of stories temporarily in profile (and always available on the blog). Thanks to everyone following along and who we've met on the road! #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #familytravel #fulltimefamilies #travelwithkids #rvlife #lifeontheroad #roadtrip #doitnow