Healthy on the Road

I'm leaving tonight for a mini-vacation with the family to go to -- what else -- a family reunion. The whole clan is meeting up somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and I hear there will be plenty of opportunities for embarrassment excitement and adventure. 

I'll be trying my hand at white-water rafting, the high-ropes course and a couple other activities. Hopefully I'll come back with loads of photos for ya'll to laugh at. While there, I also hope to trail run in the mountains. My method will be: Go easy and avoid encounters with bears.

The one nagging worry I have about the 14-hour car ride ahead of me (other than regression into sullen teenage behavior) is food.  I don't want to eat fast food, so I'm planning ahead and bringing a small cooler of snacks. Here's my list so far:

• Almonds and walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds (raw)
• Bananas
• Peaches, plums, apples and oranges
• Those lunch-box-sized organic chocolate milks (lots of packaging, regrettably)
• Carrots and hummus
• Pita with almond butter sandwiches

Any other ideas for this intrepid traveler? I'm bringing my stainless-steel water bottle to refill along the way.  I'm also bringing an iPod loaded with podcasts and plenty of reading material.

I was inspired by our recent feature on sticking to your fitness routines while traveling ("Have Body, Will Travel"), and am planning to throw my resistance bands into my suitcase. Maybe I can even convince my family to do some strength training with me (I just heard a collective groan). I hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend. Catch you next week!