Who says you have to rough it when you're on the road or camping out under the stars? Once you've got your basics covered--tent, sleeping bags, camp chairs, cooking utensils, and first aid kit, you'll want to have these luxuries tucked in amongst your gear.     To get you started off on the right foot for your roadtrip adventures, here are the must have essentials we can't live without. I've also noted which essentials work if you're tent camping versus staying in a cabin or traveling in an RV.   What essentials can you not live without when you're camping?  

I didn't always name things or places. Names give a sense of permanence. They imply attachment and commitment. And in my twenties and my thirties, I didn't want to be attached.     Instead, I spent those years running. Restless. I tried on places, abandoning them when they didn't fit just quite right. Wanting to believe it was the place that was somehow wrong and not me. I enjoyed not taking responsibility for my life. It was reassuring to believe everything that happened was outside my control--a destiny.     Then I woke up. I realized I wasn't ever arriving. I was constantly restarting. Wasting effort. So I stopped. And I started naming, beginning with my first new car.   How do you use names? Do names chronicle chapters of your journey?  

Usually I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new restaurants when I travel. The weather in Salt Lake City and my lack of sensible, well-insulated, walking shoes had me staying close to the Grand America Hotel, after Wednesday and nearly slipping on ice and braving 9 degree weather for almost twenty minutes (waiting for TRAX and wandering aimlessly in a seemingly never ending mall).   &nbsp I'm going to share highlights (and two lowlights) from my meals. If I had to stack rank them, I'd say the dinner at Flemming's sponsored by La Crema was the best, my dinner Saturday night at the Garden Cafe, lunch on Wednesday at Finca, dinner at the Clue party, and Saturday's buffet lunch.   &nbsp Over the course of my trip, there was only one night when my stomach was growling and almost left unsatisfied. That was the night of the mini-parties. I got to the parties early when they started and quickly scoped out the rooms. Only one room had dairy-free food. ...

It's not really a secret where I get my clothes. Clothing Swaps (I talked about one a couple of months ago). Thrift Stores. Etsy. Ebay. What's more of a secret is how I consistently find gently worn clothes that look like new and have years (yes, years) of life left.     I'm not cheap. I do, however, like to know I'm going to get more than one wearing out of something I've bought. I hate disposable fashion. I think it's a waste of people's time to make the goods and a waste of natural resources. Bespoke fashion is another story, as are Made in the USA boutiques, such as Nooworks .   Realize that my dislike of disposable fashion does not mean I avoid places like H&M, it just means I'm choosy about what I buy from there. I have half a dozen tops purchased from H&M that are over five years old -- and that don't look like they're over five years old. (My secret to getting my clothes to last? It's actually my mom's secret: nothing ...

It's easy to think Alt Summit is about the clothes, the free stuff, or the photo booths. On the outside, it might look like just another social media, blogging, or marketing conference. That would be the equivalent of saying Burning Man is just a gathering of hippies in the desert. But like Burning Man, Alt is more than its outward appearance. Alt, like Burning Man, is more about the journey than the destination.     I can best describe my first Alt Summit like my first day at Michigan State. One slightly humid Fall day in August 2003, just over a hundred of us arrived from all over the world to study. Our paths that lead to East Lansing, as well as later our paths away from, were very different. We were all nervous. Would we get along with our teammates? Would we be able to keep up with the assigned reading? And then we settled in. We made friends. We learned. We grew. We made memories. We left.   Before I arrived in Michigan, I prepped. I wanted to make the most of m...

In every day life, I put a lot of thought into what I wear out of the house. Ever since having a baby I've become even more hypercritical of my outfits, not wanting people to think "I've given up" or "I was too lazy to do more than throw on a pair of yoga pants." Often I'll change into and out of multiple outfits, even if I'm " just " meeting a girlfriend for lunch. So you can imagine how nervous I was about picking the right wardrobe for Alt.     Wardrobe was a big deal for me at Alt; it shouldn't have been, but it was. But not because of the reasons you're probably assuming. I didn't want to win best dressed; I really didn't. I don't have the budget for it.     Clothes were important to me because I wanted to be comfortable and be "me." Since having Gates last April, I now have a different body shape. Many of my favorite outfits no longer fit. Some are too small, while others are too big. I know? Makes ab...

This Labor Day Weekend Gates stayed at her grandparents while we headed to Black Rock City, Nevada. Unlike previous trips, we didn't plan in advance -- decided a few weeks before the event to go -- and we didn't go for the full week.     We arrived Friday night just in time to see a spectacular sunset and shortly before a windstorm. With the exception of Friday night the weather for the rest of the weekend was mild. Saturday's heat was pleasant in comparison to other years; I was able to hang out in a tank top and pants until early afternoon when I exchanged pants for a skirt.     In 2010, when cubes and I got married on the playa , a friend gifted us the best breakfast I'd ever had: lox with capers on a sourdough baguette. Because we were arriving late we wanted to share something unexpected with our campmates. We picked up Champagne, lox, capers, sourdough baguette, Triscuts, and Cypress Moon Purple Haze Goat Cheese. The nibbles, sans capers which we forgot in our...

On Christmas Eve, cubes and I dined at the C Restaurant + Bar . The C Restaurant + Bar is the second Intercontinental Hotel restaurant we've eaten at - Luce in San Francisco was the first. Let me say this is not your typical hotel experience: the quality of food and level of service are amazing. cubes ordered the three-course Chef's menu, while I ordered an appetizer and an entree. (Full-size photos of our meal are up on Flickr .) Our first courses were a Lobster Bisque (top left photo in the collage) and Monterey Bay Red Abalone (top right photo in the collage). I'd originally wanted the Lobster Bisque - which isn't available unless you order the Chef's menu, but after one taste of my appetizer I lost all interest in the bisque. The preparation of the abalone and pasta was simple - the chef let the fresh ingredients speak for themselves. The abalone was beautifully pan fried and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and oven roasted tomato complimented it nicely. Fo...

Lots of Eden-friendly food was to be had in Monterey. We started each day with breakfast at the C Restaurant + Bar. While most days we wandered down Cannery Row for lunch and snack options (check back tomorrow), we ate in on Christmas. Food at the Intercontinental Hotel was delicious. cubes and I had the same breakfast two out of three mornings. cubes favored The Clement Eggs Benedict (top left photo in the collage above), while I favored the Belgian Waffle (bottom left photo in the collage above). On the second morning, I had the Huevos Rancheros de Marisco (top right photo in the collage above). It was a lighter version of the traditional Huevos Rancheros, with Shrimp and Dungeness Crab substituted for pork or beef. The portion was very hearty - I wasn't able to eat all of it. cubes enjoyed his bite of mine so much that he ordered the dish on our last day. On Christmas, the hotel had a modified room service menu. Luckily for me, my favorite entree was available, Pasta with Marina...

For our babymoon we wanted accommodations that offered comfort and service. We chose The Clement Monterey , an Intercontinental Hotel, built in 2007. The hotel is impeccably kept, the staff polite and incredibly accommodating. Miniature bonsai, orchids, a zen garden, and sea otters graced our room. These were nice touches. I hadn't stayed at a hotel that had plants before; it definitely made the room feel more like a home. On Christmas Day, we discovered a candy cane had been hooked to our door - an unexpected touch. The Clement Monterey was also the first property that actually followed its water conservation policy regarding linen replacement. No matter what I've done at other places, wet towels have always been replaced. Here the room was tidied, but as we wanted the linens were not replaced. There were only two minor nits with our room. The package we chose included breakfast. The only downside with this was that we had to go across the street to the restaurant to redeem th...

I'm super excited about our upcoming babymoon. We decided to follow our friends' lead and not go too far from home. (Early in the pregnancy I hd grand plans of flying to Austin, TX, one of my favorite spots in the US, but our favorite airline Virgin America doesn't yet fly there. And the potential of TSA pat downs while pregnant sends shivers up my spine.) The theme for our babymoon is simple: Pampering and Comfort. Unlike our December 2009 getaway to Jenner, CA, we'll be going to a well traveled tourist destination - Monterey, CA . We'll be staying at a hotel that has 24 hour room service, so hopefully we won't spend the majority of our trip driving in search of Eden-friendly food. The other benefit of room service is that someone other than cubes can fetch for me so he gets a break as well. We've also made dinner reservations - and confirmed them - to avoid being turned away by Maitre d's. Besides food, this trip is all about relaxation. To ensure tota...

I love wandering through old houses, admiring the architecture and furnishings. One "ranch" that I frequented a lot as a child was Hearst Castle. Over Labor Day, cubes and I joined friends on a tour there. Not much has changed since I was a child. Zebras still roam the ranch; we saw some grazing along the edge of the highway as we drove in. The architecture and decor is still larger than life. The tours themselves have changed. All now include viewing the gardens unescorted (a boon for photographers as you have as much time as you want exploring and capturing the details). It was in the 70s when we visited, a little too hot for me to comfortably tackle stairs and explore the grounds while pregnant. The "gardens" include both the outdoor Neptune pool as well as the Indoor Roman pool. (More photos of the Indoor Roman pool - my favorite spot at Hearst Castle are on Flickr .) Getting to walk on the gold leaf tiled floor after years of tours warning you to be careful not...

On our one year wedding anniversary, cubes and I headed down the coast to join friends at the Madonna Inn over Labor Day weekend. For me, coming back to San Luis Obispo and the Madonna Inn was like coming home. Special events, such as my grandparents' 40th wedding anniversary and my grandfather's 90th birthday party were held here. Each room at the Madonna Inn is themed. Our room, the Love Nest, was decorated with birds and hearts. Because it was our anniversary, we were greeted with a balloon and a complementary bottle of champagne. With the exception of the flat screen television, when you stay at the Madonna Inn you step back in time. For dinner, we dined at Alexander's Gold Rush Steak House. The dining room had the animatronic showgirl on a swing that I remembered from childhood. Between booths, butterflies flitted. (If you visit during the Holiday season, you'll see carolers instead.) On Friday, I'll share the rest of the photos (Hearst Castle in San Simeon) fr...