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
- Black Hawk State Historic Site
Visiting Black Hawk State Historic Site | Rock Island, IL | March 2024 With the change of plant from La Salle to the Quad Cities came a change of pace. We would be here longer, but I would also be working less: I had two weekends off and a couple of fatigue days during our… - Hennepin Canal Trail / Sylvan Island
Ottawa, IL to Davenport, IA | Hiking a Section of the Hennepin Canal Trail | First 2 Days in Davenport, IA | Hiking Around Sylvan Island | Hiking a Section of Duck Creek Trail | March 2024 Curtis’ third assignment this spring brought us to Davenport, IA and the greater Quad Cities area. We were… - French Canyon / February 2024 in Ottawa, IL
Hiking to French Canyon in Starved Rock State Park | Spending 2 Weeks in Ottawa, IL | February 2024 Returning to Ottawa, Illinois this spring felt a little bit like returning to a home, a place we once lived, even though it had only been for a month. We arrived at the same hotel as… - GA to IL / Ferne Clyffe State Park
Driving from Vidalia, GA to Ottawa, IL | Camping in Land Between the Lakes, KY | Hiking in Ferne Clyffe State Park, IL | February 2024 When our time in Georgia was coming to a close, we were so excited and ready to move on and return to a place we knew we loved. The… - Two Weeks in Southeastern Georgia
Spending Two Weeks in Alma and Vidalia, GA | February 2024 When Curtis first accepted his job, we were told that we would usually know his schedule about 6-9 months in advance. Coming from the military where it seemed like we had several last minute changes to our plans, whether that be with the submarine’s… - Hiking Scaly Mountain
Hiking Scaly Mountain | Highlands, NC | Nantahala National Forest to Oconee National Forest, GA | February 2024 This morning, we packed up and set off for our last hike in the Appalachians for this trip. We had 2 days before Curtis needed to show up for his next assignment, which was about 6 hours…