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
- Hennepin Canal / Bureau Junction
Week 2 in Ottawa, IL | Hiking the Hennepin Canal Trail near Bureau Junction, IL | February 2025 On our second day off in Ottawa, we decided to drive a little further to go for a walk on the Hennepin Canal Trail, a long distance path that goes from the Illinois River to the Rock… - Starved Rock / La Salle Canyon
Week 1 in Ottawa, IL | Hiking to La Salle Canyon in Starved Rock State Park | February 2025 This was our third year in a row spending February in Ottawa, IL, and we were truly happy to be back here. The hotel is familiar and comfortable, with such friendly hosts, the town is small… - AZ to IL / Return to Winter
Driving from Wilcox, AZ to Three Rivers, NM | Visiting White Sands National Park | Camping & Hiking in Three Rivers Petroglyph Site | January 2025 This morning, we woke up to the sound of the cranes taking off for the day. We emerged from the van to watch them take flight, and enjoyed a… - 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…