WELCOME TO SAVING TIME IN A BOTTLE
Hi there! We’re Curtis and Jess, and we use this site as a way to document the memories we’ve made together, and to share our adventures with family & friends. After 10 years in the Navy and moving all over the US, we started our journey as nomads, living in a self-built van, working remotely, and traveling wherever work takes us. We most enjoy spending time in the outdoors along with our basset hound, Charlotte, doing things like hiking, kayaking, camping, and more. Thanks for visiting, feel free to stick around!
RECENT POSTS
- Hiking Red Mountain / Patagonia AZ
Hiking to Red Mountain Lookout with Friends | Patagonia, AZ | January 2025 A visit to Tucson wouldn’t be complete without hiking with our old friends. We wanted everyone to have some time with each other, and after some back and forth and discussion on which peak would be the best to for our limited… - January 2025 in Tucson
Quartzite to Wilcox, AZ | Visiting Friends in Tucson, AZ | The Sandhill Crane Migration in Wilcox | January 2025 When we left Kofa NWR, we drove North on US-95 to Quartzite to take I-10 East. Before today, I knew that this area was a popular spot with nomads in the winter, and expected to… - Hiking Signal Peak / Kofa NWR
Hiking & Camping in Kofa NWR | Hiking Signal Peak | January 2025 Jess: After crossing into AZ from CA, we got gas in Yuma then began driving North on US-95, which was a new road for us. Every time we’ve returned to AZ since moving away in 2015, we’ve managed to visit places that… - The Salton Sea / Last Days in California
Palm Springs to the Salton Sea | January 2025 After our week spent apart, it was time for Curtis to fly back across the country and for Charlotte and I to leave the campsite we had occupied for the week. I drove us into Indio where we would hang out until Curtis’ flight arrived. Usually… - Solo Vanlife in the Desert
One Week Apart | Camping near Joshua Tree National Park | Work Trip to NY | January 2024 After we said our goodbyes to Sarah, it was time to prepare for our next week ahead, which we would be spending apart. But unlike in October when Curtis was unexpectedly called out to the East Coast,… - Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
Hiking in the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve | Visiting Pioneertown | Hiking the Friendly Hills Trail | Joshua Tree, CA | January 2025 This morning while discussing what we wanted to do today, I remembered that Sarah had mentioned she had never been to a ghost town before. I know it’s not quite a ghost town,…