Author Archives: GoVivs

We enjoyed Labor Day weekend with family and September was officially upon us. September is arguably the best month of the year here in northern Michigan. Think sunny days in the 70’s, low humidity and cool crisp evenings by the fire. Yep, thats September for you. Although September is an amazing month it can provide a bit of foreshadowing on what October will hold. For example, we see in the forecast that 40 degree mornings are on the horizon. Just as one hundred degree days in AZ is a sign for us to head north, 40 degree’s marks the time when we need to pack it up and head south to AZ. We are in no hurry and Ridge will be sad to leave but we have our itinerary all set for our fall sojourn. Come October we’re headed to: Harlan, IA, Denver, CO, Ouray, CO and Telluride, CO before heading back to Scottsdale. Stay tuned for details, pictures and video from Colorado in coming weeks.

This summer was not unlike summers before, long sunny days and amazing sunsets, star filled nights punctuated with farm fresh fruits and vegetables from the area. The summer starts with asparagus followed by strawberries, blueberries, cherries and then peaches, corn, tomatoes and finally apples. This year we had a good mix of rain and sunshine so the harvest and quality noticeable.

Hello Cleveland it’s good to be back in the area where Tony’s parents, brothers and sisters live. We were able to celebrate Tony’s sister’s milestone birthday and get some quality time with everyone. It was great to reconnect and long overdue. One highlight was that Nick Perry, Tony’s nephew book Hello Cleveland was launched just weeks before we arrived. If you haven’t read it yet we encourage you to pick up a copy! After several days in Cleveland, we packed up and headed to Detroit. We stayed at the amazing Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit and dined at San Morello. Then we headed to the Aretha Franklin Ampitheater to see Lord Huron and First Aid Kit. The seats and the show were amazing.

We look forward to the next opportunity to see everyone again…including Lord Huron!

Summer is a great time for us to reconnect. We had visitors come from near and far to take in all that northern Michigan has to offer. We went on walks on the beach, hikes in the woods, wine tours, brewery visits and sunset cruises on the lake. We often refer to this as nature bathing and is a welcome change of scenery for visitors who are coming from more urban settings. After the fourth of July week was over we settled back into family mode with the kids. After the kids left we prepared to get back on the road to travel to Cleveland to see Tony’s family and Detroit to take in a concert.

After spending a several days on the road we rolled back into Frankfort Michigan in late May. We were met with mild temperatures and spring in full bloom. The first order of business was to get to the beach and take in the view of Lake Michigan and the surrounding dunes. Over the next few days, we settled back in and began to reconnect with family and friends. By the end of the week Tony was in the emergency room after flipping off of his gravel bike. Over the next several weeks of physical therapy and laying low he was back on the bike only to crash again on the road. The road accident was easier to recover from but a setback nonetheless. Things settled down by the fourth of July when friends and family began to arrive.

It was time to head back to Michigan The temps were consistently in the 100’s which usually is the sign to head north for the summer. Before we left we had some new equipment added to the Van. Our friends at #TommyCamperVans installed a new #WeBoost Signal Booster, an #Owl.Van.Engineering Expedition Box and a #FiammaUSA awning…thanks to Mikey and Nate for getting all those upgrades done for us. We had a lot more gear than usual so we added a #RightLineGear roof top carrier for over flow and a #1UpUSA bicycle rack for our #myCanyon Mountain Bikes. In addition we added a #Verizon JetPack to give us Wifi in and around the Van.

Our first stop is in the Flagstaff forest near Lower Lake Mary. We had a couple spots picked out and we landed a nice one in the pines. Once we settled in Tony took the dog for a short hike and Shelly made vegan hot dogs with all the trimmings plus her famous Potato Salad. We took the dog on another hike but it was getting dark so we packed in in for the evening.

Tomorrow we head to #Moab.Utah bright and early. And the adventure phase of our trip begins.

Does anyone have a name suggestion for the Sprinter Van? Let us know.

First night of camping on the way to the Grand Canyon.

On the drive up the scenery on 17 N was amazing. It made me think that there is so much to see just a couple hours from home. The Van drove well considering the windy conditions.

There was a point where I realized that there is so much to see you just have to go see it. You can’t see and experience it from your home a video or a book…you have to go. Yes it’s challenging and uncomfortable but to experience the sights, the sounds and even the smells is to what it means to live.

We found our campsite for the night at around 6:30. Shelly made dinner and I made a fire from wood that was there from previous campers…thanks. I lit the fire with lint that Shelly’s been saving for weeks now. It was the best fire started I have used.

We had vegan sloppy joes, our favorite potato chips and Tower Beer from Flagstaff. Shelly cleaned up and I looked for more wood and set up the camp chairs. We then sat by the fire, drank some flavored whiskey and tried to keep warm. The fire had a sweet pine incense smell that was a bit intoxicating. The stars then popped out of the sky and we called it a night.

I’ve been skeptical yet excited about what life with a Sprinter would be like. It’s been pretty good so far…much more of an adventure than staying at a hotel.

Roll on…

Big Cottonwood Canyon | March 2022

In late March I joined a friend of mine for a few days of skiing at Brighton and Solitude in Utah. I have always loved skiing in Utah. We use to take the kids to Park City several years ago when they were much younger. My friend and his son were on Spring Break and I invited myself to crash their two bedroom condo at Solitude.

The first day of skiing was at Brighton and was decent at best. The snow was pretty crusty since it hadn’t snowed in a couple weeks. That evening it snowed and we walked outside our room and over to the base on Solitude. We took a couple lifts to get as high up as possible however the run we wanted was closed…and had been closed for the past 3 weeks. We were told to check back and after a couple of runs the lift opened up and we went up Summit Express and carved up Dynamite. The snow was awesome and we rode as hard as we could. We had that feeling that you get when your skiing fresh powder…you know like you felt on a snow day when you were a kid. We rode as long as we could and eventually had to go down the hill and ride something a bit more tame. After a handful of those we packed in for the day. The next day I decided to pack it in early. My knee needed a break and my snowboard boot was blown out.

The trip was short but sweet. I wish I could have stay longer but I got to experience two mountains in two days which is more that I’ve skied out west in many years. The takeaway is I need to go back and ski more of Utah. In addition, I was inspired to ski in Flagstaff since its only a few hours away. Until then I’ll be looking forward to more riding in new places in 2023.

Tuscon, AZ | March 13, 2022

Back in September of 2021 I made the decision to sign up for Camp Vertical in Tuscon, AZ. The Camp was to include 6 days of climbing in the mountains around Tuscon. I was joined by friends who I knew would make it fun despite the tough itinerary. Come April the boy’s showed up at our Scottsdale home and we headed south. We arrived at a large home that the camp had rented close to the Catalina Mountains. We were assigned on large room and bathroom. We settled in grabbed dinner and sat down for the evening briefing. Day one was Gates Pass, a short ride with a steep climb. We turned in early and and woke up early the next day.

Gates Pass was tough but the scenery was spectacular. The camp staff had mulitple support vehicles that helped riders with flats, refilled water bottle and provided plenty of encouragement. Once we reached the top we greeted by a lunch spread that include items we chose the night before. We feasted on PB& J’s, fritos and pickles then refilled our water bottles and headed back down.

The Next several several days followed the same pattern, up early, coffee and breakfast, suit up, ship out and ride. The staff continued to provide first class support (SAG) and photographed all of us riders every step (crank) of the way.

We climbed Mt. Lemmon, Madera Canyon, Kitt Peak and Mt. Graham. I ended up only riding Mon – Thursday due to an important work obligation but 4 hard days in a row was perfect and I was able to enjoy the weekend with my wife upon our return.