TJ ADVENTURE
Travel notes you can actually retrace
Half guide, half family story. The goal is simple: help you start planning instead of letting another saved post collect dust.
Reader Path
Start with highlights, filter by destination, then read the full route notes.
Coverage
41 posts across US / China and more.
Publishing
Every post uses validated frontmatter so the archive stays easy to update and refactor.
Seasonal Highlights
Three stories worth opening first right now.
US · Hawaii
Maui 2025 | Six Days With Family
A six-day Maui family trip from Kaanapali to Kihei and Haleakala sunset, with snorkeling, a partial Road to Hana, coastal drives, and clouds above the volcano.
2025-10-13 · 14 min
US · National Parks
Teton & Yellowstone 2024 | A 9-Day Road Trip
A 2,500-mile round trip with five real park days in Grand Teton and Yellowstone: bears, elk, bison, Old Faithful, Morning Glory Pool, and a few honest restaurant hits and misses.
2024-08-04 · 11 min
US · Bay Area Family
Halloween At The Jobs House 2026 | A Robo Industries Robot Factory, And Seriously Generous Candy
Trick-or-treating at the Jobs family home in Palo Alto: this year the whole yard became the Robo Industries robot factory, with live performers, fog, stage lights and a REBOOT: 2076 launch stage, and the candy bag came with a full Tony's Chocolonely bar.
2026-10-31 · 4 min
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US · Sierra Nevada
395 Fall Color 2026 | Over Sonora Pass To The Eastern Sierra: Late Leaves, Perfect Reflections
Two days chasing fall color along 395: June Lake Loop, sunset at Mono Lake, Mammoth's Twin Lakes, Convict Lake, and Lundy Canyon. We were a bit late and many trees had already dropped their leaves, but there was no wind all weekend and every lake was a mirror.
2026-10-17 · 8 min
US · Road Trip
Redwood & Oregon Road Trip 2026 | Redwoods, Coast 101, My Alma Mater, And Crater Lake Again
From Redwood National Park up the Oregon Coast on 101, back to Oregon State and the town where our older son was born, dinner with old friends in Portland, and one more look at the impossibly blue Crater Lake on the way home.
2026-09-26 · 10 min
US · California
Castle Rock 2026 | A Hike To The Ridge Overlook With The Boys
A short hike with three boys at Castle Rock State Park, logging 3.3 mi, 682 ft of gain, and 1h44m on Strava - from a giant redwood root sculpture to a ridge overlook.
2026-09-07 · 4 min
US · California
Golden Gate 2026 | A Clear-Sky Afternoon At The Bridge
Back at the Golden Gate three months later, this time under a clean blue sky - from a quiet beach to the bridge sidewalk, plus a viral photo-challenge moment with a textbook cover.
2026-09-06 · 5 min
US · Bay Area
Bicycle Sunday San Mateo 2026 | A Lakeside Ride Along Cañada Road
Our family of five joined San Mateo County's Bicycle Sunday, riding the car-free stretch of Cañada Road past Crystal Springs Reservoir with a stop at the Pulgas Water Temple.
2026-08-23 · 5 min
US · San Jose
San Jose Municipal Rose Garden 2026 | A Midsummer Afternoon Among the Roses
Thousands of roses in full bloom at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden — white, pink, red, and yellow rows stacked so densely that one afternoon of photos wasn't nearly enough.
2026-07-26 · 5 min
US · Los Angeles
The Huntington Library and Gardens 2026 | A Day Through Japanese, Chinese, And Rose Gardens
From the art collections in the Huntington mansion to the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and Liu Fang Yuan, we covered three very different gardens in a single day.
2026-07-19 · 7 min
China · Nanjing
Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo 2026 | A Full Day Of Animal Watching
A day at Hongshan Forest Zoo moving from hippos and orangutans to flamingos and tigers, capped off with an evening stop at Mochou Lake Park.
2026-07-14 · 7 min
US · Running Event
Stars and Strides 5K 2026 | A Summer Run Through Downtown San Jose
A trio ran the Stars and Strides 5K-10K Run through downtown San Jose, with a friendly course, a lively mood, and a celebratory drink after picking up the medals.
2026-07-11 · 6 min