Sarah Ryan’s favorite state of being is “in transit.” She feels most alive when she’s on a journey—via train or plane, on a trail or a river, in the mountains or the desert. She loves writing and reading about travel as well, and has found that one of the more rewarding challenges of life is to plan (and document) her next adventure.

For Sarah, the best adventures include friends and family. A few years ago, she piloted a single-engine airplane around South Africa and Botswana with her husband and parents. Closer to home, she enjoys long cycling trips in Colorado and New Mexico, skiing to huts in the Colorado Rockies with too much food and lots of friends, and her annual Thanksgiving canyoneering trip. Her favorite playground is the one out her back door—the Poudre Canyon—where she can go hiking, biking, fishing, and skiing, all within an hour or two of home.

Sarah’s next big adventure is introducing her daughter to the outdoors. She’s grateful for her community of “monster mommies” who will help her learn how to change diapers in a snowstorm and keep a two-year-old in a raft.

Sarah lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband and daughter. She writes novels, short stories, essays, and screenplays. She’s currently working on a travel-adventure-romance novel that’s inspired by The Tempest. She is as grateful for her imaginary expeditions as her real ones.