My family and I returned from our Great Western Adventure on Friday evening - we are exhausted, and have had to jump into autumn full speed, but the trip was fabulous and full of memories! Mount Rushmore (Black Hills are gorgeous), Devil's Tower (boulder climbing), Big Horn Mountains and Cody, Wy (fabulous museum in Cody), Absoraka range, Yellowstone (loved the Canyon, and almost fell in) and the glorious Tetons!

As for my travel capsule --- here's what I learned

1. Hats with little chin straps may look silly, but they serve a function on a windy canyon ridge, and stay on your head when you tumble forward on a descent, dropping your legs into the canyon. Yep. (See photo#2)

2. Stable hiking shoes are your friend when hiking over rock strewn paths perched beside cliffs. I suddenly developed an arch-throbbing case of plantar fascitis on the trip out --- I paid for climbing up a hill in my birkies after sitting in a packed car for 13 hours. It was so frustrating! I think I had been lax about stretching calves and achilles tendons in my pre-trip training. The upshot? I was glad I had 6 pairs of shoes with me, particularly my Clarks' booties. They have good arch support and tread and were "cuter" than my hikers. I wore them for shorter, less technical walks and hikes, when I was in and out of the car. My crocs (ballet style flats in black and leopard) were awesome camp and car shoes. While they don't support the foot, they do cushion it and protect it from camp rocks and rain.

3. Layering is the bomb. We camped in campgrounds without electricity. 3 or 4 mornings we awoke to temperatures at freezing. Yep. I wore every layer -- once I had on 5, and then stripped them as the daily temps climbed into the 60's. We had little rain, but one night of rain in the Tetons left behind stunning snow on the peaks! I loved layering my fleece pullover under my fleece moto jacket -- far better than a heavy, single jacket.

4. I coined a new phrase -- "Semi-Chuck." Much of the trip had us in "nature," but also in "public." I found that combining important gear elements (technical base layers on top, for example) with casual staples like BF's with a belt, helped me look presentable, but also kept me ready for the changing weather and terrain. In biking terminology, being "Chucked out" means to be clothed in expensive, highly technical gear. It is a big faux pas to be decked out beyond your riding ability. Most days, this blend helped me feel appropriate, comfortable and (less) conspicuous.

5. My kids and I made up the new phrase , "JSE" which stands for -- Just Safe Enough. Devils Tower, Yellowstone's Canyon, Cascade Canyon in Teton --- they're not like the rubber-mulched playgrounds my kids grew up playing in. There is an expectation that visitors will use their heads and make wise decisions. Of course, we regularly saw people flouting common sense, doing things like getting out of their cars and walking up to bison. This one required a ranger to yell like yo' mama, "Get back in the car! Can't you hear the bison snorting?" It is a valuable lesson to be reminded that we must use the brain God gave us to stay out of danger. The lesson is applicable, in different ways, in the suburbs, too!

On a side note, I checked in with Angie's posts while away, but mostly fasted from social media. It was a great break! I had the fall "In Style" mag with me, but found that thumbing through glamour-sexy adverts was just not relaxing when surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature. Fashion took a holiday! Now, I'm far more excited to see your posts than some Gucci purse draped over a pouting model's arm!