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
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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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). …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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. …
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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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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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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Recapping Our First Year RV’ing – Reviewing our RAM 1500, Heartland Mallard, & cameras (+ Upgrades)
We finished up our first year of RV’ing last year. We just cranked up our second season. We learned a lot in our first year as new RV’ers. So far we are happy with all the decisions we made in our equipment choices. Our RAM 1500 Bighorn, Heartland Mallard trailer, and camera equipment have worked …
Hiking Harpeth River State Park
The Harpeth River State Park is pretty unique. It spans multiple locations over many miles. It is mainly for relaxing canoeing and kayaking with 9 put-ins / take-outs along 40 miles of the river. We plan to do that this year. There is also great hiking here. There are 3 places to hike that we …
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Edwin Warner Park – My 2nd Favorite Park In Nashville, TN
I love the Warner Park system (Edwin and Percy). I have chosen my last two homes based on proximity to these parks. We recently moved to Bellevue and now live closer to Edwin Warner Park. We spend a ton of time in this park hiking and biking. Edwin Warner Park is my 2nd Favorite Park …
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Our 1500 Mile 3 Kids Visiting Fall Break
We hit the road on Fall Break to visit 3 of the far-flung little ones. We were going to see Emmaline in Orlando and decided to swing by Knoxville to see Max and Chattanooga to see Molly along the way. 1,500 miles later our fuel tank was empty, our wallets were empty from resupplying the …
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Hiking Charlies Bunion on the Appalachian Trail (Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Day 8)
On the final day of our 25th anniversary trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, we hiked to Charlies Bunion mountaintop. I didn’t realize I had a touch of vertigo until I was sitting on the edge of this rock. The view was worth it! It was a great hike to end up our trip that …
Viva Las Vegas – Deano Goes To Vegas!
[Throwback] We spent a day in Las Vegas before flying home from a family vacation in the area. I came home with a little extra cash in my pocket! Because I’m a winner! Some might even say a shark! Too bad Emily came home with less cash in her pocket! Oh well, Vegas isn’t really …
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Hiking Andrews Bald and Mingo Falls + Mingus Mill + Oconaluftee + Newfound Gap (GSMNP Day 7)
On day 7 of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we set out to hike to Andrews Bald. We detoured up the Newfound Gap Parkway to see Mingo Falls too. We made several unplanned stops along the way that were also fun including Mingus Mill and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. 8/7/2020
Edgar Evins State Park – Hiking Merritt Ridge and Millennium Trails
We spent Halloween at Edgar Evins State Park to hike the 7+-mile Merritt Ridge and Millennium Trails. This was a pretty hard hike and also one of the less-traveled trails we’ve ever been on. At times it felt like we were just wandering along in the open forest. The views of Center Hill Lake hiking …
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Abrams Falls + Elijah Oliver Place + The Sinks + Tuckaleechee Caverns (Great Smoky Mtns. – Day 6)
The goal on our 6th day in the Great Smoky Mountains was to do the hike to Abrams Falls (our final waterfall hike of the trip). We hit the road early with Emily helping with filming (after some quick training). We made a quick pitstop at The Sinks. Then we got to the hike via …
Hiking Cades Cove – Full Time-lapse (Great Smoky Mountains – Day 5)
14 miles…hiking…not driving…not biking (although we tried). I time-lapsed this very peaceful hike (all 14 miles in 12 minutes). Every time I’ve ever been on the Cades Cove Loop (in the Great Smoky Mountains) it has been a bumper to bumper traffic jam. They close it to auto traffic on Wednesdays during some parts of …
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Cedars of Lebanon State Park
We took our 5th RV trip to Cedars of Lebanon State Park in September. We hiked almost all the trails in this state park (6 trails in 2 days). There are so many things to see along the way. There are caves, sinkholes, rock formations, and more cedar trees growing in the thin, rocky soil …
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Hiking To Rainbow Falls + Laurel Falls + Foothills Parkway (Great Smoky Mountains – Day 4)
We spent the 4th day of our Great Smoky Mountain National Park trip hiking to Rainbow Falls! I cannot say enough good things about this hike. We hiked six waterfalls on our 8 days in the park and this one was, by far, my favorite. Later in the afternoon, we hiked to Laurel Falls (which …
Hiking To Grotto Falls + Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail + Ogle Farm (Great Smoky Mountains – Day 3)
We waited out the rain on our third day in the Great Smoky Mountains to hike to Grotto Falls. Before going, we fueled up at Crockett’s 1875 Breakfast Camp (very good). Then we headed towards the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. On the way, we stopped for a quick (and unexpected) hike at Ogle’s Farm. …
Hiking Chimney Tops Trail + Gatlinburg Trail and Cataract Falls (Great Smoky Mountains – Day 2)
After a big hike on day one of our trip (in the Great Smoky Mountains) we were looking for a shorter hike the next day. The Chimney Tops Trail is shorter (check). It is not an easy recovery hike by any means (not check). It is steep and has lots of steps (lots and lots …
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Our 8 Day Hiking Adventure
8 days of hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains! We did 78 miles and 2 1/2 miles of elevation gain hiked over 8 days inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park! We saw most of the big waterfalls and a couple of mountain tops. I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend our 25th …
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Sunrise and Sunset While Hiking Clingmans Dome (in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park)
We’ve hiked the trail to Clingmans Dome (in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) several times over the years. It is a quick, steep hike. We did it a few fairly spectacular times. One time in 2014 for a sunrise which was one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen in my life. This year after …
Hiking Mt. LeConte (Via Alum Cave Trail)
Mt. LeConte (Via Alum Cave Trail) @ Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee – 8/1/2020 – 13.98 miles, 2,937 feet elevation gain. We spent 8 days hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for our 25-year anniversary. We started off day one on the longest hike of our life. It is one of the …
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Chattanooga, TN – Moving Into UTC and Seeing A Cool Town
Molly is in her 3rd year at UTC in Chattanooga, TN. She started nursing school this semester. We make this short drive from Nashville often and have fun every time we are there. This little town in Tennessee is a favorite of mine (and one of my favorites in the nation). There are fun activities …
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Visiting Winter Park, Florida
Visiting Winter Park, Florida (in Orlando) and Moving Into UCF (University of Central Florida) We visited Winter Park, Florida (in Orlando) last year while moving Emmaline into college (at UCF – University of Central Florida). It was off the regular tourist path which was exactly what we were looking for. We did all our very …
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Hiking Winding Stairs Trail (Red Oak, Milk Pail, Jacob’s Ladder, and Cascades) in Lafayette, TN
We drove up to Lafayette, TN (while up at Bledsoe Creek State Park) for what we thought would be a short, mile and a half long hike. Our target was Winding Stairs Trail. 5+ miles, a couple of thousand feet of elevation, and almost 3 hours later we finished a very enjoyable hike! There were …
Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
We spent a fun-filled, jam-packed, day in Bryce Canyon National Park in the Summer of 2019. This is my favorite National Park that I’ve visited so far. It is so beautiful! We drove down from Park City, Utah, and explored the park before heading on to Zion National Park. I might have cut it a …
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Zion National Park – Our Two Day Adventure
Zion Canyon, The Narrows, Riverside Walk, Weeping Rock, Emerald Pools, Big Bend, Pa’rus Trail, South Entrance, Cable Mountain Lodge, Zion Canyon Shuttle, Swimming, Hiking. We saw all that but two days at Zion National Park wasn’t nearly enough to see everything! Phenomenal! If you have not been…GO! Zion National Park is currently duking it out …
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Bledsoe Creek State Park (Gallatin, TN) Hiking Shoreline Trail and High Ridge Trail
Camping in the blazing hot Tennessee Summer without working AC?!? Not advised! In July we went to Bledsoe Creek State Park (in Gallatin, Tennessee). This was our first state park camping in our RV. It was extremely hot on the weekend we went. It was 98 degrees (the hottest weekend of 2020). We hiked the …
Clarksville (TN) Greenway + Fort Defiance + Old Glory Distilling + Adventures Of The Stinky Slinky
Back in the middle of June, we traveled back to Clarksville, Tennessee to check out a few things on our list! This was our second RV trip so we spent part of the weekend still getting set up and acquainted with our new RV. The rest of the time we visited all the things we …
Hiking The Narrows (and the Riverside Walk Trail) in Zion National Park
The Narrows @ Zion National Park, Utah– 7/26/2019 – 6 miles, 335 feet elevation gain. We only had two days on our visit to Zion National Park and made sure to get The Narrows hike in. We went during the monsoon season which is not the best time to go hiking in the Narrows due …
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Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville (Our Second RV Trip)
Back in the middle of June we traveled back to Clarksville (our second RV trip) and checked another Tennessee state park off our list, Dunbar Cave State Park! This was our second RV trip so we spent part of the weekend still getting set up and acquainted with our new RV. The rest of the …
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Hiking Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park
After spending a day in Bryce Canyon National Park, we found a trail that looked interesting. So, we hiked it. We are sure glad we did!!! The Navajo Loop Trail wound up being the highlight of our day in the park. It was a short hike and not terribly difficult. What made it rank so …
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Hogrock! Behind The Scenes
Every year I help run ‘the family business’, Hogrock! My father-in-law has been running this biker rally for over 20 years. I’ve been helping run the front office for 5-6 years. I take vacation from my real job to go work at this one. Some might say this is a horrible waste of time. Over …
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Summer Fun In Park City, Utah
We visited Park City, Utah for a few days (last Summer). We checked a lot of boxes from our cabin in the mountains. We did tourist activities at the Utah Olympic Park (where we saw cool athletes fly through the air). We visited Park City Mountain (where we did the alpine slide, zip line, and …
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RV Trip #1 – Port Royal State Park
We took our very first RV trip once the COVID quarantine lifted back in mid May. We went to go see Port Royal State Park in Clarksville, TN. We hiked around and explored it fully. While we were in town, we also hit a few other places on our list (including Liberty Park). We hiked …
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Our First RV Trip!
We are fast approaching an empty nest. We bought a Heartland Mallard (M210RB) RV travel trailer and a Dodge Ram 1500 Bighorn to hit the open road. We think our ultimate goal is to visit all the National Parks. We are starting smaller (and closer to home) and going to visit all the Tennessee State …
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We Went Survival Camping!
Was Max’s Red Rider BB Gun able to keep us alive? One of my favorite television shows is Alone. It pits man against nature one on one. The Dean Men decided that we would test our abilities and go out into the wild to test our mettle! We prep our gear, shoot guns, ride bikes, …
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Spring Break 2020 In Vero Beach (Coronavirus Edition)
We’ve spent many Spring Breaks in Vero Beach over 14 years. See what makes this our #4 Florida city (out of the 14 we’ve spent time in)! Video is rated PG-13 (at least)?!?! We braved the Coronavirus this year and went to Vero Beach, Florida for our Spring Break. We’ve spent Spring Break (and other …
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We Bought Our First RV!
After doing a good deal of research on my own I decided to get more help. Back in January I put out a call for help from friends and family to learn as much as I could about the RV lifestyle. https://deanorolls.com/2020/01/26/why-i-think-the-rv-life-is-for-me/ I had some great responses that were super helpful. I took what I …
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Why I Think The RV Life Is For Me!
“That There Is An RV…” – Cousin Eddie Cousin Eddie had a ‘really nice’ RV…why can’t DEANO?!?! I had always had a grand vision of packing all the kids up and going on a big RV trip. We never did it. I never could rally the troops. I guess we/they had watched the movie ‘RV’ …
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Exploring Austin, Texas Outside!
We went to Austin, TX for a Deadmau5 concert (that my wife didn’t want to go to at all). To make it up to her I tried to show her a good time exploring Austin outdoors. Austin, TX is a fun city and reminds me a little of Nashville (where we live). We like Nashville …
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DeanoRolls (@deanoroll5) 