Road Tripping

My spouse and I just returned from an 8-day road trip to the U.S. and back. We drove south through Alberta, crossed the border into Montana, drove through Idaho, Nevada, and reached California. We stayed in Auberry, CA for three nights where we learned how to ride dirt bikes through Rich Oliver's Mystery School (if you've ever wanted to try dirt biking, I would highly recommend going to Mystery School, Rich and his wife, Karin are wonderful hosts and teachers). We drove back up through California, along the coastal highway in Oregon, across Washington, a little ways through Idaho again, across the border into British Columbia, and then back home to Alberta.

It was a trip of three seasons: we drove through snowstorms on the way down as well as beautiful fall colours and experienced summer again in California. On the way back, it was the reverse until we reached winter again in northern Washington.

Why would I write about my road trip on a blog about being barefoot (or it's alternative of minimalist footwear)? Because sometimes it's hard to pick the best shoes for travelling. I often find it a dilemma picking which shoes to pack before going on a trip; I'm often limited in space. This trip I brought my Soft Star Moc3s, the VIVOBAREFOOT Evo, and the VIVOBAREFOOT Boxing Boot (they just arrived to review).

So what did I wear? Mostly the Moc3s. I find they are really very comfortable for road tripping. They feel like slippers and have plenty of room to wiggle my toes wide. On the occasions where we got out of the car to see up close what we usually drove by at 70 m/hr, I enjoy the extremely minimal sole and their amazing ground feel. I loved being able to feel the squishy ground at the Redwood National Forest in Oregon and the beach beneath my feet at the ocean. They were even fine in the snow as long as I didn't need too much traction. :)

And here are some pics of our trip:

Yes, I'm actually barefoot! The ocean is a little cold this time of year but I did manage to run along the beach and into the cold water. This picture was taken after the dip.

A little further along the coast from the dip. The Soft Star Moc3s are perfect travelling shoes.

You can't tell, because I'm so small in the picture compared to the enormous redwood tree, but I'm wearing the Moc3s. The ground covered in redwood needles was wonderful to feel through the minimalist soles.

Introducing Barefoot Banter

Al and I decided to try something new with The Living Barefoot Show recently. I had such a great time talking with Caity McCardell at Run Barefoot Girl (check out the link for her interview of me here), that I wanted to include Caity more in The Living Barefoot Show. Therefore, the idea for Barefoot Banter was born. It's a new format of show where Al, Caity, and me talk about interesting topics in the barefoot world. It's not investigative reporting by any stretch, it's more three friends chatting about topics that interest us. If you've ever wanted to hear me try not to sound like an idiot, check out the first of our Barefoot Banter episodes. There are plenty more to come.