Our Family Travels and Activities

Dougnuts

Well-known member
The first trip of the year, in April 2019, was a solo trip for me to spend one week at the family ranch, while my parents were performing three weeks of maintenance. This is a trip from Kentucky to Nebraska, stopping in Lincoln to stay with my cousin's family. I was driving my 2018 F150 w/ 3.5TT, sport package, max tow, rear electronic locker and I was very impressed with the fuel economy. :D

Note: The reported economy is about 1mpg high, but I'm still happy with 23mpg.



The next four pictures are from Lincoln, NE. On the way, I had to bypass Interstate 26 due to it being washed out.









LOTS of this.......all the way across Nebraska.




One of my Grandad's many cars around his property.



 
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
As I mentioned, it got cold after that, but here are a few more pictures from the trip and a video I made.












End of trip.
 
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
Our next 2019 trip was tent camping at the Cumberland Gap, over Memorial Day weekend.

We had six college friend families/couples, which had grown into a heartwarming swarm of 29 people, including a 2 month old baby. It was hot, but somehow manageable. We were lucky that the storms missed us on the second night. One thing that worked out very well was that every family signed up to make a single meal for the whole group and either prepared or re-heated it when it was their turn. My wife made a huge batch of breakfast sandwiches and burritos that we wrapped in foil and re-heated over the fire one morning. It took her hours to make them before the trip, but the meal prep idea worked out very well for everyone involved. On to the pictures!

















 
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
On the first morning, we all went canoeing (except the 2 month old and his Mom). This was quite an adventure with the large number of young kids and the heat of the day creeping up on us as we passed the noon hour. I believe we were on the water for around 3 hours.











On the way back to the campsite, everyone was sharing pictures of their sleeping kids....here are ours.


 

Dougnuts

Well-known member
The next day, we all went hiking up to the Cumberland Gap and then on to the overlook, where you can stand in all three states. In typical fashion, the hike was sold to us as "let's go play in a stream", so we all hiked to the top in flip flops, sandals and bathing suits. Partway up the hill, my buddy had to leave the stroller for the 2 month old, but somehow we all made it to the top. After a rest at the top, and a few pictures, we all hiked back down and cooled off in the cold stream, which flowed right next to the iron furnace.









A tree growing over a rock.










 
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
Our next trip was to Scottsboro, Alabama, the town I grew up in. One of my closest friends, since 1987, lives over in Huntsville, while his Mom still lives in Scottsboro. We all met up at Goosepond, where we rented a few cabins. I had only been back a few times since I left, in 1996, so it was great to go back, for a number of reasons. First, I got to take my boys for the first time, and they absolutely loved it. My wife, who is a busy body, was afraid we were going to be bored, but even she had a great time. Another thing about the trip was how absolutely beautiful it is down there on Lake Guntersville, the rolling hills and the water make for some picturesque settings, for sure.

We spent most of our time either out on the boat, fishing, or eating. There were also libations and good games of dominoes after the kids went to bed. :)
When I lived in Alabama, I was a distance runner on the cross-country and track teams - some of my best memories, which shaped who I am, came from these times. It was fitting that during this trip I began running again, in earnest, which lead to me losing about 8lbs over the summer. Now that the holidays are over, I need to get back into that!

















 
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
My buddy is an avid fisherman, so one morning I got up extra early to head out with him. I'm glad I did, as I caught my largest fish ever, by quite a large margin.



















None of us wanted to go home!

End trip.
 

Dougnuts

Well-known member
The weekend after our trip to Alabama (which is where the recent, tragic, dock fire occurred), we went for a mountain bike ride at one of our favorite local trails. Looking back now, the boys have grown a lot in the last 8 months!





 

Dougnuts

Well-known member
Our next big trip was to Hilton Head Island, but that trip is never complete without some stops in the Asheville area. We ate at Sierra Nevada and did some hiking in Brevard.

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From the gardens at Sierra Nevada brewery.
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From Brevard's Triple Falls Trail at DuPont Forest.

Our hike was perfectly perfect. Since a storm was on it's way, the trail was mostly empty and it didn't really begin to rain with any gusto until we were in sight of the truck. There's nothing like a cold rain in the summer time to make you feel alive!
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Dougnuts

Well-known member
On to the beach! Hilton Head has become a favorite of ours and the boys. It was really hot while we were there, but we still had a good time.









What are these guys talking about over breakfast?! :cool:
 

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