My BHAG: To go to all the places!
Current Status: We now have an RV and will take up part time RV Travel. We are starting small and visiting all the Tennessee State Parks. After that? Maybe full time RV Travel. Visit all the National Parks and ton of cities across America. After that? Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, Moon, Mars, Etc. Somewhere in there I’ll probably die (I guess). Regardless, there is a great big world out there and I haven’t seen most of it! I intend to do my best to change that.
What Are Our Goals?
See All The City Parks (Nashville)
Nashville is my favorite city in America and it is because of this list. The city has the best park system in the nation! Change my mind!
See All The Tennessee State Parks
There are over 50 it them so it will take a while.
See All The National Parks
This is THE goal. The United States has 61 national parks. I’ve been to only a couple of these so far. It will take many years to accomplish this goal but if fully accomplished I believe it will be very satisfying and quite an accomplishment. There are also many more National Monuments along the way (and National Memorials). While we are traveling the country we’ll hit all the state parks that interest us along the way. We’ll hit those too!
See All The States (and a TON of Cities)
As we explore the US we will surely visit every state at some point (and many, many cities). We’ll keep track of them and force rank our favorite ones along the way!
See Canada
We’ve hit a few spots in Canada already and will likely hit a few others before we get to this goal. But once we see the entire US we’ll go north and see that big old country. It looks like my kind of place!
RV The World
Pick a spot on the globe and do the same thing. We can rent/buy an RV once we get there and do the same thing on other continents. This is obviously a large commitment and an extreme end of the full-time RV endeavor.
Travel Related Posts
Visiting Kennedy Space Center – Cape Canaveral, FL
From Vero, we ‘launched’ north to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL for my first visit there. “One small drive from man”…err. The night before we’d caught a Space X launch through the clouds to get us hyped up for it. After a slight delay in our ‘liftoff’ (women) we finally ‘touched down’ for…
Revisiting Apalachicola, FL and St George Island, FL (and the St. George Lighthouse)
It had been 15-ish years since we’d been in the Apalachicola area. The Indian Pass Raw Bar had received a major upgrade. I wasn’t feeling too hot so the girls went shopping in town before we ate at the Owl Cafe. It was just as good as I remembered. We stayed one night on the…
Revisiting Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe Florida (After 15 Years)
We spent a ton of time on Cape San Blas when the kids were little. On our Spring Break road trip this year we looped through there again and spent a day revisiting the area (near Port St. Joe, Florida). It had been 15 years since we’d been there. It had changed, but not too…
Visiting White Oak Pastures (I Met Will Harris!)
It has been a year since I started learning about regenerative farming (and White Oak Pastures). In a stroke of serendipity, our Spring Break road trip this year took us right by their farm in Bluffton, GA. It would be crazy to not stop by for a quick visit?!? As we drove I made the…
Sunrise and Sunset at Natchez Trace State Park
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan when traveling to a new place. We were winter camping but the weather was beautiful and not too cold at all. I planned a big hike, but we punted on that when we got to the campground. We had a great lakeside spot. I decided we needed to…
Winter Camping at David Crockett State Park (Lawrenceburg, TN)
We headed down the Natchez Trace Parkway to Lawrenceburg, TN for some winter camping at David Crockett State Park. There was beautiful ice in the trees on the way down. The weather cooperated all weekend and we got our first trip of 2023 completed. This one had all the staples with hikes, waterfalls, a campfire,…
Christmas Debacle(s) And An Unplanned 1,400 Mile Drive!
Over Christmas, we celebrated Max’s 21st birthday (several times actually). We barely survived rolling blackouts and some single-digit temperatures (Deano marked himself safe). We survived but the pipe inside our wall didn’t and flooded our kitchen. Then we got to take an unplanned 1,400-mile round trip to Orlando to get Emmaline back home because we…
Thanksgiving At Hogdaddy’s
Games, 4-Wheelers, Cows, Guns, and Golf Carts…Oh My! And good food too but I was too busy stuffing it down my gut to capture any of that.
Biking Music City Bikeway + Centennial Park + TN Bicentennial Mall
The Music City Bikeway is my favorite bike ride in the area. It had been a few years since I’d been biking on it and it called me. The last time I rode it I’d ridden my bike 1,500 miles that year. This time I’d ridden my bike 55 miles prior to riding the 33-mile…
What We’ve Learned RV’ing For 3 Years (Weekend Warriors In Our RV Travel Trailer)
So, you want to go camping in an RV. Great, we did too! We’ve been doing it for three years as weekend warriors in our RV travel trailer. We’ve made 19 trips and towed our travel trailer 6,500 miles to 34 TN State Parks, and 2 National Parks. I’ve made 116 videos along the way.…
Epic Hike Fail! Our First Hiking Injury! Which One Makes It Back?
We had our first epic failed hike, so we biked instead. Always have a plan B! Numerous people have commented on Emily always hiking in sandals. I don’t advise it, but each to their own. On this day she came to the hike (at Denny Cove) with a sour attitude about the AllTrails app hike…
Quick Visit To Booker T Washington State Park
We are simply checking the box for some parks on our Tennessee state park list. This was one. I’m sure Booker T Washington State Park is a fine park. It was pretty, but we were staying right next to it on Harrison Bay. This park is a day-use park and we stopped by while in…
Red Clay State Historic Park
We started the morning off this day by stopping by Molly’s work and having her make me a delicious cup of coffee. This was no typical coffee order. I put her to the test! I’d have her job if she messed it up! Emily got a double dose of historic parks in one day. We…
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
In our many visits to Chattanooga, we’d previously visited parts of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. We’d visited Point Park at the top of Lookout Mountain. I’d never been to the visitors center for The Battle of Chattanooga which is located there so we did that on this trip. There is a ‘high tech’…
Exploring Fort Loudoun State Historic Park (in Vonore, TN) + Raccoon Mountain Caverns
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park (in Vonore, TN) has a reconstructed English fort from the mid-1700s used during the French and Indian War. Emily had us on a tight timeline (due to her dog’s potty schedule). She said we had 10 minutes to explore the whole thing. It took much longer! Ha! Later that afternoon…
Choo Choo Trains of Chattanooga, TN
Choo Choo Trains! While in Chattanooga, TN for fall break we kept things on a similar TRACK. See what I did there!?! I must have been reliving my childhood because I was as excited as a little kid about all these trains! We visited the Tennesse Valley Railroad and Museum. We rode the Missionary Ridge…
Sunsets At Harrison Bay State Park – Harrison, TN
For fall break we headed down to the Chattanooga area. Molly is finishing up nursing school in a few months at UTC. We are trying to finish seeing everything in the area while Molly is down there (bonus…we get to visit with her while we are there). Day one was a travel day that started…
Johnsonville State Historic Park – New Johnsonville, TN
We drove across the lake (from staying at Nathan Bedford Forrest SP) to visit Johnsonville State Historic Park. Nathan Bedford Forrest was who attacked Johnsville during the Civil War. I guess that interconnects these two state parks in some way. We visited the interpretive center (which I highly recommend) for a quick movie. Then we…
Hiking and Kayaking Nathan Bedford Forrest SP – Eva, TN
We headed to the lake to visit two different (but related) Tennessee state parks for some kayaking and hiking. We stayed at Nathan Bedford Forrest SP in Eva, TN. We visit Johnsonville Historic Park across the river while we were there. Both parks have Civil War history galore. We loaded the kayaks on the truck…
Hiking Long Hunter State Park – Hermitage, TN
2 lakes, 3 hikes! With trails around a small lake (Couchville Lake) and a large lake (Percy Preist Lake), Long Hunter State Park has plenty to explore. The TN state park is just outside Nashville, TN (in Hermitage/Mt. Juliet). It doesn’t have any place to RV camp so we made a few day trips there…
Summer In Telluride, Colorado
We ended up our trip out west in Telluride, Colorado for some summer fun. We stayed up the mountain in Mountain Village. The gondola ride from there to town is pretty spectacular. It rained a lot while were there including on our hike up to Bridal Veil Falls (Colorado’s biggest waterfall). It never rained enough…
Driving Rim Rock Drive In Colorado National Monument
Today was a family vacation drive day from Vail, CO to Telluride, CO. I’m always looking for a National Monument in the neighborhood when I’m traveling. Colorado National Monument was about the halfway point of our drive. It had a scenic drive that looked super! Rim Rock Drive is the best way to see the…
Summer In Vail, Colorado
After a ridiculous day of air travel, we made it to Vail Colorado. Getting there I was reminded why I travel in an RV the vast majority of the time. We took the gondola up Vail Mountain. After many selfies by the kids, they rode the mountain coaster. We hiked a little bit over to…
Kayaking (Funyaking) The Hiwassee River 2 0 – Reliance, TN – Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park
We had so much fun kayaking/funyaking on the Hiwassee River (in Reliance, TN part of the Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park) that we went back and did it again two days later. The first time (our first time) was with Molly. The second time was the day after we’d rafted the Ocoee River and was with the…
Rafting The Ocoee River (with Ocoee Rafting in Ducktown TN)
Family rafting trip! Some had been rafting before and some had not. No one except Emily had been on the Ocoee before. Tennessee has a couple of whitewater rafting rivers. One of them, the Ocoee River, has to be the best in the state. We did the Upper and the Middle Ocoee for a full…
Kayaking The Hiwassee River 1.0 (Funyaking Actually) – Reliance, TN – Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park
I got to mark something off my list that has been on it for many years with our visit to Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park near Reliance, TN. I’ve wanted to float the Hiwassee River and wrote down “Webb Brothers” many years ago. Webb Brothers is a float company that has been in business for many, many…
Savage Falls – Savage Gulf SNA
This was our last day in Savage Gulf. Today was a drive day (from Manchester to Reliance TN). On the way, we hiked to Savage Falls in Savage Gulf State Natural Area (part of South Cumberland State Park). This was our 6th waterfall in our four days of hiking in Savage Gulf. We didn’t get…
Suter Falls and Horsepound Falls – Collins West Trailhead – Savage Gulf SNA
We spent 4 days in Savage Gulf State Natural Area and my favorite day was when we hiked up to Suter Falls and Horespound Falls. We entered the trail at the Collins West Trailhead and headed towards Suter Falls. The area that Suter Falls is in is absolutely stunning (and massive). It didn’t feel like…
Greeter Falls at Savage Gulf State Natural Area
We spent a few days exploring Savage Gulf State Natual Area. This is part of South Cumberland State Park which has to be my favorite Tennessee State Park. Today’s hike was short and sweet. We hiked to Blue Hole, and to Greeter Falls (both upper and lower). We’d planned to go to Boardtree Falls and…
Hiking Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park – Manchester, TN
Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, in Manchester, TN. was our home base for about a week as we hiked in the surrounding area of Tennessee. One afternoon when we got rained out of our plan we explored this state park’s 2000-year-old earthworks Native American fort, two rivers (Duck River and Little Duck River), and…
Stone Door + Laurel Falls + Ranger Falls at Savage Gulf State Natural Area in South Cumberland SP
This video is SAVAGE…Savage Gulf State Natural Area that is! We headed up to Beersheba Springs, TN for a few days of hiking in the Savage Gulf part of South Cumberland State Park. This state park is already way up my favorite Tennessee State Park list and this hike just solidified it further. We hiked…
Cloudland Canyon Georgia State Park
Emily and I finished out our Spring Break trip with some walk-in tent camping at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia. We survived our first joint tent camping experience (cold). The next day we explored the park’s trail system and beautiful waterfalls. Many great views, a couple of waterfalls, and many steps made for a…
St Augustine, Florida To See Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
On our return trip of Spring Break, I wanted to mark another National Monument off my list. We visited St. Augustine, Florida to see the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. This fort was built in America’s oldest city which was settled in 1565. I got more than I bargained for when we hit downtown…
Kayaking Wekiwa Springs State Park – Apopka, Florida
Wekiwa Springs State Park was the second Florida state park we visited on this day. We were in Orlando visiting Emmaline (and Sebastian) on our Spring Break tour with Molly. We stopped in Apopka, Florida for some kayaking. It was a very pretty trip. We should have planned to spend longer here and gone on…
Manatees at Blue Spring State Park – Orange City, Florida
Molly, Emily, and I road-tripped it down to Orlando over Spring Break to visit with Emmaline. We fueled up and headed to Blue Spring State Park (in Orange City, Florida) to see some manatees! We saw many along the Boardwalk Trail. We also saw some of the prettiest water I’ve seen in some time and…
Stone Mountain Park (near Atlanta Georgia)…Climbing Stone Mountain!
We started our Spring Break with snow and freezing temperatures. We were supposed to tent camp at Stone Mountain Park (near Atlanta, Georgia) but we canceled that and opted for indoors (and heat). On the way there we stopped off in Chattanooga and picked up Molly for our week-long road trip. We didn’t let the…
Fort Donelson National Battlefield
I’ve been to Fort Donelson National Battlefield a few times. Usually just passing through or with a bunch of kids in tow. I’ve never taken the time to take in the history of the place. We have a goal of visiting all the national artifacts and this is one (a national battlefield). So, I went…
Paris Landing State Park + Paris (TN?!?)
I don’t know if Emily has always wanted to go to Paris. Regardless, I took her. I’m like that! I make dreams and wishes come true! [record scratch] Paris, TN! We did some more winter camping at Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake. Hitting a state park on a lake in the middle of…
Big Cypress Tree State Park – Greenfield, TN
I feel like I got punked?!? We went to a state park named for a huge, 1,300-year-old, bald cypress tree. Big Cypress Tree State Park…BUT…NO TREE?!? I actually knew the tree had been struck by lightning back in the late 70s. I thought if I drove out to the middle of nowhere I’d at least…
Eagles at Reelfoot Lake State Park – Tiptonville, TN
We took a winter camping trip out to northwest Tennessee to see the eagles at Reelfoot Lake. We saw 55 on our tour. According to the ranger, that is a lot! It felt like it and was pretty awesome. We also hiked on the very pretty boardwalk trail at the park. It was evidently so…
Everglades National Park – Flamingo and Royal Palm Area
This was my favorite day in the Everglades. We were at Flamingo campground, which is the southernmost part of the continental US. I started off earlier than the rest of my crew with some sunrise solitude. Another reason I was up early was to be at the ranger station to get ranger-led kayak tour passes…
YouTube Famous! 100k Views Comments Review!
Seen out in the wild! 100k views! In case you didn’t know…I’m a pretty big deal. YouTube Famous! HA! NOT! Only 68,999,500 subscribers until I catch Justin Bieber! [Joey contemplates taking his shirt off and dancing more in his videos…then, quickly stops thinking of this] I enjoy making videos about our travels (and other things).…
YouTube Famous – Recognized In The Wild!
The day I created my YouTube channel I told Emily “one day we’ll be walking around and people will recognize us”. She looked at me with a very common look I’ve seen many times over the years we’ve been married. Many, many hair-brained schemes later I know the look very well. It is kind of…
Everglades Alligator Farm + Ernest F Coe Visitors Center + Travel Day
Everglades National Park is a big place…1.5 million acres of wetland. We explored the north and west side from Everglade City, FL. For the rest of our trip, we moved to the southernmost point, Flamingo. On this travel day, we packed up the RV and made the 130-mile journey to our new location. Once we…
Shelling and Boat Touring in Naples, Florida and Beaching in Marco Island, Florida
We started off a foggy morning with a boat tour to go shelling on Keewaydin Island off the coast of Naples, Florida. Emily wanted to go shelling while we were in south Florida and this is a great spot. We saw awesome dolphins and a nesting pair of eagles. The boat tour then showed us…
Big Cypress National Preserve – Swamp Buggy Tour and Night Flat Bottom Pole Boat Tour
What a fun day (one of the more unique days I’ve experienced in a while)! We were in the neighborhood on our visit to Everglades National Park so we spent a day exploring Big Cypress National Preserve. We explored by land…by water…by day…by night! It was quite an adventurous day! We started off on a…
Everglades National Park – Shark Valley Area (Airboat Ride and Shark Valley Tram Tour)
On our second day in Everglades National Park, we visited the Shark Valley area. We met up with Emmaline at the Everglades Safari Airboat ride. I saw plenty of airboats while in the Everglades area but these were the best ones for this redneck. Two huge V8 motors on an extremely large airboat was impressive.…
Everglades National Park – Gulf Coast Area (Kayaking and Boat Tour)
Our first day in the Everglades National Park was in Everglade City, Florida. We visited the Gulf Coast Visitors Center of the Everglades National Park. The Gulf Coast Area leads into the 10,000 Islands. We took a boat tour into this area and out to the Gulf of Mexico. Everglades City is the Stone Crab…
Hiking The Fiery Gizzard Trail To Raven’s Point – South Cumberland State Park – Tracy City, TN
The Fiery Gizzard Trail up to Raven’s Point is one of Tennessee’s finest hikes. I also think it is one of the harder ones. The trail is part of the South Cumberland State Park, near Tracy City, TN. I have hiked part of this trail before with my friend back in 2015. I remembered, from…
Hiking Foster Falls (and Climber’s Loop) – South Cumberland State Park – Sequatchie, TN
We got into town for our hike on the Fiery Gizzard Trail (the next day). We drove up to the south end of that trail and visited Foster Falls (since we wouldn’t be making it to that point on our long hike). We hiked to the bottom of the falls (beautiful) and then took another…
Rock Island State Park – Rock Island, TN (REDUX!?!)
We went to Rock Island State Park…again. We got rained out on our first trip there. REDUX! We rebooked and went right back. We started off heading up Eagle Trail to Blue Hole Trail. The Blue Hole Trail was probably my favorite trail in the park. It is a very unique trail and an unexpected…
Aspen, Ouray, Denver and New Mexico – Family Vacation 2015
Throwback 2015! Our family vacation this year involved a summer visit to Aspen, Colorado where we hiked up the ski mountain. Then we headed over to Ouray, Colorado. We visited the hot springs fed swimming pools (Ouray Hot Springs Pool) and a neat waterfall overlooking the city (Box Canyon Falls Park). We headed up the…
Cumberland Trail State Park – Grassy Cove Segment – Black Mountain Section (Crossville, TN)
I had no idea this was a thing. It is kinda like a little mini Appalachian Trail (for front country hikers). Hey…that’s me?!?! The Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park manages the Cumberland Trail (a State Scenic Trail). The Cumberland Trail follows a line of high ridges and deep gorges lying along Tennessee’s Cumberland…
2 Year Update – Camping In Our RV Travel Trailer + Our Longest Trip Yet (2000+ Miles)
Collecting Experiences! We’ve been doing travel trailer camping as weekend warriors for the past 2 years. Since our first RV trip in early 2020 we’ve taken 13 RV trips. As we ended 2021 we were about to set off on our longest trip yet to date (2,000+ Miles). RV camping (with a truck and travel…
Gatlinburg, TN – Our Family Vacation (2016)
Throwback 2016! We did several “tourist-ey” things on our family vacation to Gatlinburg, TN. Gran made a picnic for us and then we waded in the river at the Greenbrier Picnic Area (in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). We went to Dollywood and Ripley’s Aquarium. Kailey made me eat a vomit-flavored jelly bean so…
Ozone Falls State Natural Area (Crab Orchard, TN)
This 110-foot tall waterfall has a pretty quick hike down to the bottom. For the more adventurous there is a 7-mile hike (as a part of Tennessee’s Cumberland Trail State Park) over to Black Mountain (where we hiked the next day). We opted for less adventure this afternoon but the waterfall was spectacular, regardless. If…
Oregon – Family Trip 2016
Throwback 2016! We flew into Portland and headed to Hood River, OR on the Columbia River. We went hiking on the Indian Creek Trail and I ate blackberries from the hillside. The next day we visited Multnomah Falls (we hiked to the top of it), Vista House, and then over the Bridge of The Gods.…
Cumberland Mountain State Park (Crossville TN)
Cumberland Mountain State Park (in Crossville, TN) was our first stop on Emily’s Fall Break. I almost lost her (not really) at the very beginning of our 12th RV trip (when our trailer unexpectedly shifted while unhooking). Molly came up from Chattanooga to join us for an afternoon (in between class/work). We hiked around the…
Spring Break 2016 at The Moorings
Throwback 2016! Spring Break! Paddleboarding, Casey’s eating, Easter egg hunting (with at least one grumpy teenager), very windy bike riding, bike riding with no hands (like a BOSS), beach walking (also very windy), pool swimming, and golf carts with the batteries run down?!?
Cumberland Caverns (and Rained Out Rock Island State Park)
I had a weekend trip all planned out at Rock Island State Park. Nature didn’t agree with my plan and unleashed a monsoon on us. We had to change our plan and Emily suggested we go to Cumberland Caverns. Cumberland Caverns was 1) dry and 2) awesome. It was a very large cave and had…
Seattle, Washington
Throwback 2017! We finished up our tour of northwest Washington in Seattle. We took a ferry on the way from Port Angeles to our hotel in Seattle. We toured the Washington campus (so far no grandchild has opted for that college option). We toured the Boeing factory (no pics or video from that…top secret). The…
Percy Warner Park – My Favorite Park In Nashville, TN
Nashville is my favorite city in America because I believe it has one of the best park systems in the nation! Change my mind! Emily and I have hit all/most of these over the years. Our favorites are Percy Warner Park, Edwin Warner Park, Radnor Lake, and Beaman Park. If I had to pick an…
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Throwback 2017! We rode the ferry from Port Angeles, Washington up to Victoria, British Columbia. The ferry ride to Canada takes about an hour and a half. We rode over and explored around the beautiful city for the day before returning that afternoon.
First Bikepacking Trip – Land Between The Lakes
I’ve never gone bikepacking but wanted to give it a try. I’d spent a good part of the winter learning about it. Max decided he’d go with me (his first time too). For my first bikepacking trip we went up to Land Between The Lakes to ride on the 28-mile North-South Trace: Canton Road to…
Getting Ready For My First Bikepacking Trip
I’d spent a bunch of time during the winter months learning about bikepacking. With my first trip planned and fast approaching it was time to get everything together. I had not been doing as much bicycling as I have in the past so I needed to get my body ready for the trip (and not…
Olympic National Park – Ruby Beach, Crescent Lake, Marymere Falls, and Hurricane Ridge
Throwback 2017! This trip included the moment where I decided I was going to figure out how to travel more. We spent a few days in different areas of Olympic National Park. The reason I needed to figure out my travel situation was that I left feeling like a few days didn’t do this park…
Pendaries Village – Rocieda, NM
Pop’s has taken us to his family home in Pendaries Village (near Rocida, NM) many, many times over the years. The boys have played lots of golf here. I learned how bad I am at golf here (and subsequently stopped playing forever). I spent some time with them while they played today, however. There was…
Astoria, Oregon – Family Vacation 2017
Throwback 2017! On our family vacation around the upper northwest US we started off in Astoria, Oregon. We hiked up to the 125 foot tall Astoria Column for awesome panoramic views. We walked on the Astoria Riverwalk to the Goonies House. We searched out great bowls of chowder before visiting the Columbia River Maritime Museum.…
Carson National Forest (New Mexico)
The Carson National Forest covers 1.5 million acres in northern New Mexico. Part of it is near the family cabin that we visit often. We’ve visited the area many times over the years. On this day we had a picnic (at Flechado Canyon) and then hiked about 4 miles up the Indian Lake Trail No.…
Bell Smith Springs – Shawnee National Forest (Ozark, Illinois)
Throwback 2017! During Thanksgiving, Hogdaddy took us on a hike around the nearby Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area (a national natural landmark) in the Shawnee National Forest. There were pools, sheer rock walls, some giant boulders, and a natural arch that we explored around. Young Max took control of the camera and shot most of…
Fort Union National Monument (in New Mexico)
While out in New Mexico we were “in the neighborhood” so we drove out into the middle of nowhere to Fort Union National Monument. In the neighborhood in New Mexico means “within a pretty long drive.” Fort Union was a fort along the Santa Fe Trail (near Watrous in Mora County). I couldn’t believe how…
Canoeing (and Kayaking) The Caney Fork River
Throwback 2018 (and 2019)! Our family vacation took us up to Center Hill Lake and then onto the waters below the dam, the Caney Fork River. We went in 2018 and had such a fun day that we did another section of the river in 2019. Both days were very fun days. Both times I…
Petroglyph National Monument and Pecos National Historical Park
We were headed to Albuquerque to drop Molly and Olivia off at the airport [sad face emoji]. The charge for their taxi service? I made them stop at Petroglyph National Monument (in Albuquerque, New Mexico) for a quick hike. We saw hundreds of petroglyphs carved into the stone. After a successful dropoff, Emily and I…
Universal and Disney World (7 Parks In 7 Days / Spring Break 2018)
Throwback 2018! We’d been to Disney World several times. This was our first trip to Universal. We went with my sister’s family. We visited both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We also hit 2 parks in Disney World with them (Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom). After they went home we stayed a few more…
Bandelier National Monument – Cliff Dwellings, Scary Ladders, Alcove House + Shopping in Santa Fe
We visited the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument. This place is a pretty fascinating lost city of the past. We’d been here before a long time ago. We’ve never been up to Alcove House before, however. 4 very tall ladders (also very scary) later we reached the top (140 feet above the canyon floor).…
Ziplining in Mega Cavern (Louisville, Kentucky)
Throwback 2019! Like most 70-year-olds I know Hogdaddy wanted to go ziplining for his birthday?!? He did go too…and invited all of us to come along. We met in Louisville, KY at Mega Cavern. It is an old limestone mine and is actually classified as the largest ‘building’ in Kentucky. There are 17 miles of…
Valles Caldera National Preserve + Meow Wolf + Santa Fe, NM
Emily and I got up early one morning and drove up from Santa Fe, NM to Valles Caldera National Preserve. We took a quick hike and drove through this massive volcano valley. It wasn’t a long hike but it was a beautiful one. The sunrise combined with the valley being filled with fog made the…
Tsankawi Ruins (Bandelier National Monument) + Manhattan Project Nat’l Historical Park (Los Alamos)
On our visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico we drove up to Los Alamos to visit the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. This was a bust! COVID had the operating schedule fouled up and we didn’t get to see a lot. We completely salvaged the day, however, when we stopped at our next stop, Tsankawi…
Nashville Zoo – Deano’s Day At The Zoo
THROWBACK 2019! Emily was babysitting and they were going to the zoo. I hadn’t been to the Nashville Zoo in a while so I used it as an excuse to go be a kid. While there I contemplated which animal I might want to be. Hmmm!?!?
TN KY Thresherman’s Show – Adams, TN – I Took My John Deere Tractor
I used to go to this show with my granddad and cousins when I was little. I’ve not had my John Deere at the TN KY Thresherman’s Show since I was in high school (in the late 80s). Since that time I’ve restored the tractor my grandfather gave me (watch that video too). I’ve had…
Henry Horton State Park – Kayaking the Duck River (AKA The Dirty Duck) – Chapel Hill, TN
We visited Henry Horton State Park, near Chapel Hill, TN. Our main goal was to kayak on the Duck River (which runs right through the state park). We soon learned the locals call it the Dirty Duck…even though it isn’t dirty at all?!? Weird?!?. We also explored the Tennessee humidity on bikes (as well as…
Kayaking The Harpeth! – Harpeth River State Park – Nashville, TN
The Harpeth River State Park covers almost 40 miles along the Harpeth River. There are 10 access points to put in/take out all along the west side of Nashville, TN. Our plan is to kayak the entire stretch (not all at once). We started off by doing two legs for about 10 miles. We started…
See Rock City! Rock City Gardens in Lookout Mountain, GA
We went down to visit Molly in Chattanooga and decided to “See Rock City”. Rock City Gardens up on Lookout Mountain (in GA) are pretty interesting. To think they used to be someone’s backyard?!? It had been several years since we’d been there. The last time we went it was cloudy and rainy (but not…
Hogrock’s 25th Anniversary – Behind The Scenes 2.0
I haven’t worked at all 25 of them but I was there for this one. Lots of rain and even more people! This year’s Hogrock was absolutely packed. I tried to capture things from behind the scenes. Things I learned: 1) it is hard to park large RVs in the rain, 2) the show must…
Burgess Falls State Park – Sparta Tennessee
On our family vacation, the entire extended family headed out for an afternoon at Burgess Falls State Park. We were the last few cars to make it into the parking lot before they filled up. Part of the adventure on a very busy Memorial Day weekend was finding a parking space. Once we accomplished that…
Cummins Falls State Park – Cookeville TN
During our Memorial Day family vacation with my family, Emily and I ventured out to Cummins Falls State Park. We hiked up the river to the bottom of the spectacular waterfall. We’d gone with the kids years ago but we didn’t wade up the river to the bottom on that trip (only saw it from…
Warriors’ Path State Park – Kingsport, TN
We are adding kayaking when we can to our trips from now on. We visited Warriors’ Path State Park for hiking, biking, and kayaking. There are also several other activities that we didn’t even get to do (mountain biking trails, horseback riding, golf, etc.) There is a very pretty lake with some great views at…
Davy Crockett Birthplace Historic State Park + Travel Day Food Adventures
On our way home from East Tennessee we stopped by Davy Crockett Birthplace Historic State Park. Humble beginnings for such a great American figure. We also stopped at a bunch of places to eat. We, obviously, do this very often but travel days evidently ramp up the intensity of our food search.
Hiking Roan Mountain – Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge Bald
We saved the best for last! This was my favorite hike of our trip to East Tennessee (and one of my favorite hikes ever!). It is 360 degrees of absolute gorgeousness at around 6,184 feet elevation. We hiked from Carvers Gap up to Round Bald, over to Jane Bald, and then onto Grassy Ridge Bald.…
Roan Mountain State Park
When we travel we usually have a schedule that keeps us moving. Midway through our trip to East TN, we slowed down a bit. Roan Mountain State Park was our home base for much of the trip. We planned a day there to see it…and it alone. The truck wheels barely spun this day. We…
Rocky Fork State Park + Erwin Linear Trail
We spent the day at Rocky Fork State Park. We started in the morning hiking up the Whitehouse Cliffs Trail. This is a pretty short trail but also a pretty steep one. On our lunch break, Emily picked up some ‘road treasure’. Joey would call it trash (each to his own!?!). Then we headed back…
Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park + Jonesborough, TN + Elizabethton, TN
On our second day in East Tennessee, we visited Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton, TN. They have an exhibit, a recreated version of Fort Watauga, and a trail along the beautiful Watauga River. While in Elizabethton we also went to see the covered bridge, Carter Mansion (oldest frame house in TN), and Sabine…
Overnight Backpacking Alone (My First Time)
I went solo backpacking on a 13-mile hike and camped overnight alone in the Wildcat Shelter at Montgomery Bell State Park. It was my first time overnight camping in the woods. It was also my first time doing it all alone. I survived by drinking from streams, eating with a toilet trowel, producing fire from…
Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail (Ashland City, TN) – Biking
We rode bikes on the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail. It is just up River Road in Ashland City, TN. It is a rails to trails conversion that runs alongside the Cumberland River with an awesome bridge. Oh…and I almost lost my drone (because I didn’t check the wind conditions). That was a fun near heart…
Montgomery Bell Park State Park
We went to Montgomery Bell State Park to hike and bike. The boys joined us. We biked on a few of the trails on the extensive mountain bike trail network. We hiked to all three of the lakes on the 3700-acre property. We also saw all the iron ore pits from when was mining was…
Vero Beach Florida – Spring Break 2021
We joined up with the extended family in Vero Beach, Florida for the back half of our Spring Break. We did a lot of eating (that was the main priority actually). When not stuffing ourselves we played PG-13+ rated games, hit the beach, went on boat rides, and explored up and down the coast to…
Biking Fall Creek Falls State Park
We ditched the car to explore the Scenic Road Loop of Fall Creek Falls State Park via bike. Biking is better than driving…always!
Hiking Fall Creek Falls State Park
We kicked off the 2021 RV season with a visit to spectacular Fall Creek Falls State Park. I was positive no Dean child would ever come with us on a trip but Max proved me wrong (on our 8th trip). He and Arden joined us over Spring Break. I planned a full day of hiking…
Backpacking Preparation – Getting and Testing My Gear In Nerd Fashion
I spent the winter months ‘nerding out’ learning about backpacking. I’ve always thought it would be interesting to head out man vs. trail. I’ve never done it, however. For me, part of the fun in most things is in the planning. Ultralight, backcountry, backpacking provides plenty of opportunity for that. Researching, making checklists, taking measurements,…
Breckenridge, Colorado – Summer Fun (Ziplining and Mountain Biking)
We visited Breckenridge, Colorado for a few days back in the Summer of 2018. The boys and the girls ziplined on a stunning course. The boys did some mountain biking. This was the easy kind of biking. It was all downhill without all the annoying sweating and panting involved in pedaling up the mountain. Pops…
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DeanoRolls (@deanoroll5) 