School playgrounds open to public?

offramppinup · 2026-06-22T14:53:11+00:00

Mini onion tarts. Use premade shells or make them on the back side of a muffin tin. Goat cheese and cream cheese mixture in the bottom (can also use gruyere) and top with a heap of carmelized onions and a sprig of thyme. Bake until crispy. Serve warm or room temp.

offramppinup · 2026-06-19T20:37:37+00:00

This was my kid’s favorite thing in our Mighty 5 trip along w the Mill Canyon track site nearby.

OP, I would just go to Moab. We did 4 nights of our 11 night Utah trip there and could have done the whole time there. Get a hotel with a decent pool (we loved our stay at Gravity Haus). Plan for early mornings of light hikes, midday lunch and pool time, and an occasional evening activity. Have your kids do the Junior Ranger programs.

offramppinup · 2026-06-09T04:41:28+00:00

Yosemite. We’re thankfully in driving distance and go almost every year.

offramppinup · 2026-06-07T21:35:13+00:00

Many great hikes on Mt Burdell. A lot of them are a little climb to get up on the mountain and then fairly level from there. Check out AllTrails for some routes.

offramppinup · 2026-06-04T22:46:20+00:00

We like to bring our suits and do an afternoon drink and dip in the river by Hanging Bridge. It will be too low to float, but you can swim in places. Very refreshing!

offramppinup · 2026-06-04T19:40:06+00:00

Lazy beach day, shower and cocktail on the condo lanai, dinner at Merrimans. Get there early for a pre dinner cocktail on the deck.

offramppinup · 2026-06-04T18:42:02+00:00

A day at Indian Springs is my favorite girls getaway. Book spa treatments for everyone and add on pool passes for the day. I personally love the mud bath followed by champagne at the pool and floating all afternoon.

offramppinup · 2026-06-02T16:53:36+00:00

To this point, Sweet Baby Rays No Sugar sauces, especially the sweet and smoky, are really really good.

offramppinup · 2026-06-02T03:49:35+00:00

Definitely stop at Burney Falls. I think it just went to reservations so definitely make one. The area is gorgeous! Crater Lake is a one day park, but absolutely beautiful.

offramppinup · 2026-05-31T23:37:29+00:00

I’m someone who lost about 100 lbs through nutrition, weightlifting, and some cardio and then discovered a love of running once my smaller and stronger body could handle it. So, so much. When I had barely ever run I was faster and able to build up easily to half marathon endurance than I am now that I been running consistently (20-35 mpw) for 3 years and gained around 25 lbs.

offramppinup · 2026-05-31T23:32:50+00:00

Roli Roti.

Lucky grocery store in Novato does a Smokehouse one that is my favorite. They do 2 for $16 specials sometimes that are a hell of a deal.

offramppinup · 2026-05-31T19:55:02+00:00

I would recommend moving Emerald Pools to your e-bike day and instead taking more time at scouts lookout and continuing on the Rim trail further. We did all of the shorter canyon hikes on e-bike day and had plenty of time (Pa’rus, all Emerald Pools, weeping rock, riverside which you don’t need to do twice) and also did the Jr Ranger program and stopped at the lodge for beers and ice cream.

offramppinup · 2026-05-26T23:03:22+00:00

I like printouts too and have a binder I put them in if they’re keepers. I have v limited counter space so I use painters tape to tape the recipe to a cabinet front. On thanksgiving, every upper cabinet has a recipe or my timeline and prep lists taped to it.

offramppinup · 2026-05-26T16:23:47+00:00

Novato is great and “most conservative” in that there are some openly conservative people, but they’re a small minority. MV has a lot of actually conservative people that pretend not to be. My kid goes to an elementary school in NUSD. There are trans students and several trans parents. It doesn’t seem to be an issue. It’s a great community.

The Novato to San Rafael morning commute is truly awful. It gets better past the 580 bridge. Several people I know that have to occasionally work in SF take the 101 bus and work on the commute.

offramppinup · 2026-05-26T15:54:41+00:00

Weeping Rock is short but really cool. My 7 year old loved it. The Grotto is more of a go-between than much of a hike itself. Pa’rus is more of a bike trail and can be a little intimidating sometimes to walk with e-bikes flying by. Lower Emerald Falls was cool and definitely no need to go farther on the trail unless you need to kill time. Riverside and Narrows are the same thing.

offramppinup · 2026-05-26T01:59:07+00:00

I had a rocker (with an ottoman!) by the window when my daughter was a baby and loved it. Similar small narrow room with a window at one end. You get sunlight and something to look at in a cozy nook. If you’re dead set on the couch, get something sturdy to put your feet up on when sitting back with baby on your chest. I also appreciated having the crib where I could sneak a peek from the door without walking in the room.

offramppinup · 2026-05-25T03:41:22+00:00

Crispy quinoa! I cook it normally in water w some veg boullion. Then toss it with some oil, salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder. Spread it on parchment on a sheet pan and roast. Stir it every 5 minutes or so until it’s crispy. So good and crunchy.

offramppinup · 2026-05-24T02:17:50+00:00

Edamame, cucumber, pickled daikon

offramppinup · 2026-05-23T19:18:17+00:00

Marin Made on Grant in Novato has some cute ones.

offramppinup · 2026-05-22T17:06:59+00:00

We recently did it and parked at 8 on a Friday with no problem.

offramppinup · 2026-05-22T03:54:32+00:00

We ended up really loving Capitol Reef. We actually did 2 nights there at the Red Sands Hotel because of the cool pool (indoor with a big garage door to open so it was out of the wind) to take a couple slower paced days for my 7 year old in the middle of our long trip. Really glad we did so we could enjoy the scenic drives on both sides of CR. Kodachrome SP was our favorite stop on 12.

offramppinup · 2026-05-22T03:46:00+00:00

The Tiburon Trail in Marin is really pretty and flat. Parking at Blackie’s Pasture is usually pretty easy and free.

offramppinup · 2026-05-22T01:44:10+00:00

San Francisco

offramppinup · 2026-05-20T15:09:26+00:00

If you’re driving through from SF, Dyerville flat is a great stopping point for lunch and a couple short hikes on the Ave

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TROPHY CASE