“A man must find time for himself. Time is what we spend our lives with. If we are not careful, we find others spending it for us. … It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, “who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?’ … If one is not careful, one allows diversions to take up one’s time – the stuff of life.” – Carl Sandburg

The Kintzes are a family of five based in Nashville, Tennessee. This is our story of sabbatical – a search for adventure, freedom, new connections and concentrated family time away from the rigors & routine of the every day.

Predictability is to most – and to us – a great comfort. But there comes a time when the heart needs the wilderness, be it the wildness of a natural place, or the freedom of simply traveling without a tether to that which one’s left behind.

This summer, we’re leaving the comfort of home and work to take our children, aged 8, 5 and 4, into the wilderness of National Parks and great American cities. Our trusty minivan, Bessie, will get us there, and this journal will record our adventures.