We are a family of five that decided to leave our normal lives behind and travel around the world for 180 days. Joey and I are both physicians back home in Lexington, KY and our kids are Wilson (a smart, funny, pragmatic 14 year old who approaches life with the wisdom of an 80 year old and the mischievous grin of someone who gets the inside joke), Bailey (an opinionated, strong-willed, compassionate 12 year old who never misses anything and may rule the world someday), and Gus (an energetic, passionate 9 year old who lives every second of his waking life with everything he has and would give the shirt off his back to ease the suffering of an earthworm). We love traveling, trying new things, meeting awesome people, eating good food, and adventure sports. In this blog, we will be sharing the stories of the places we experience along the way. We will share our successes and our failures in hopes that this is inspiring, helpful, and entertaining to our friends, family, and anyone else who happens to discover us. For more on why we decided to do this, see our blog post on “Traveling is my favorite thing”. Read More About Our Philosophy.
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10 Reasons to Visit Taos Ski Valley with Kids: The best affordable destination for a family ski trip with great food, art, and culture.
Hiking the Auxier Ridge Trail With Kids, or Without?
If your kids are old enough to be hiking on their own two legs, but cannot be trusted to follow directions carefully, do not hike this trail. There are steep drops on each side of certain portions of the trail and the ridge is approximately 20 feet wide at its narrowest point. Even if you can trust your kids to not fall off a cliff, you might still want to hold their hand as you cross this part. But if you like sweeping views and your kids are either old enough to be trusted or still confined to a carrier, this is a great trail!
The best hike for kids in the Red River Gorge: Rock Bridge and Creation Falls
If you are hiking with small children, the Rock bridge/creation falls loop trail is the ideal introductory hike in the Gorge. It has a unique arch (the only arch in the gorge that spans a body of water) and is long enough to feel like you are really in nature, but is still nice and easy. It follows Swift Camp Creek for most of the trail, providing ample opportunities for young ones to play in the water, look for crawdads, and skip some rocks. It is a great trail for all four seasons and is one of the only enjoyable hikes in the gorge when it is hot outside. We like to hike this one in our bathing suits and take a dip in the pool below Creation falls on hot summer days.
How Tyler Childers helped me remember how much I love Appalachia
Every time I read an article about Tyler Childers, and I have read several since he has been neck and neck with Taylor Swift as my favorite artist over the last seven years, I think “I could do better.” Shockingly, since I have absolutely no authority as a music critic, no one has asked me to write one. After listening to his new single “In your love” on repeat for two hours yesterday, I have decided it is time to put these feelings into words. So here is my attempt at explaining why I love his music so much, why he sold out two nights at Rupp Arena in a matter of minutes, and why going to his concert where every single person around you knows all the words too feels like going to church
72 hours in Yosemite with kids: planning a smooth and memorable visit
There are so many amazing National and State parks in the US that it is impossible to rank their beauty, but one park that undeniably deserves a spot near the top is Yosemite. When you first drive through the Wawona tunnel and see the towering granite walls surrounding the lush, green valley of the Merced river, it is spectacular. I always imagine what it must have felt like as a Native American or an early settler to crest the top of the valley walls and gaze into that mind blowing landscape. If you want to see some of the most spectacular natural beauty of the US, add Yosemite to your must-visit travel list. The one problem with Yosemite is that everyone wants to see it, resulting in large crowds and a lot of traffic. Below are my tips on how to plan a pleasurable experience for your family in Yosemite.
On Mushroom Hunting: “The Art of Stillness” and the Morel
If you aren't from Eastern Kentucky, you might think that mushroom hunting involves some sort of weapon, such as a bow and arrow, but you would be wrong. Mushroom hunting is what we call foraging for morels. Morels are a wrinkly, rare and delicious fungi that only pop up for a few weeks in the spring, when conditions are just right. Technically, the morel is the fruiting body of a much larger mycelium that lives underground in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. One of my most clear and fond memories of my childhood is searching the hillside with my Mamaw Mary in the spring looking for morels.
Hiking the Pinnacles in Berea, KY
What are The Pinnacles?
The Pinnacles are rock outcroppings located on the Eastern and Western portions of Indian Fort Mountain just outside of Berea, KY. They are a part of the Knobs region of Kentucky that forms a horseshoe around the more low lying Bluegrass Region. The Knobs are composed predominantly of sandstone which is more resistant to erosion than the nearby limestone of the Bluegrass Region. Beyond the Knobs region to the south and east lies the Cumberland Plateau. The hiking trails to the Pinnacles are located within The Berea College Forest, owned and managed by the college forestry department.
14 days in Italy with Kids
There is so much to see in Italy and you could easily spend months there and still feel like you hadn’t seen it all. From picturesque beach towns along the coast to bustling ancient cities, massive snow capped mountains in the Italian Alps, and the fertile rolling hills of Tuscany, there are endless beautiful and vibrant places to visit in Italy. Given the time it takes to get there from the US, I would plan on spending at least …
Tips for a smooth family ski trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Steamboat Springs is a quaint ski town in the Yampa River valley with ample lodging and a great selection of restaurants and shops. As a ski destination, Steamboat has a few perks over other Colorado resorts.
1. You can fly directly into Steamboat and avoid the drive on I-70 from Denver.
2. Kids under the age of 13 ski free with a 5 day adult ski pass.
3. Since it is a solid 3 hours from Denver, it doesn't get as much weekend traffic as resorts closer to Colorado’s most populated city.
4. It’s a decent sized city with a wider selection of amenities than other ski towns.
5. They get good early season snow and are known for their “champagne powder.”
Hiking to Copperas Creek Falls with Kids
This is an unofficial and unmarked trail in the Red River Gorge Geologic area. I don’t usually recommend trying unmarked trails with kids, but this one is hard to get lost on because you are following the creek bed for the entire route. It is also a moderately popular hike and well-worn. The giant rock house with Copperas fall spilling 42 feet over its roof into a cool pool below is a great payout for kids. In the summer, the water, which comes mostly from underground springs, is still surprisingly…
Hiking to Gray’s Arch with kids: the out and back and loop trail options.
Why this is one of my favorite hikes in the RRG:
With a span of 79 feet, Gray’s Arch is the largest arch in the RRG Geologic Area. It is actually 1 foot longer than the Natural Bridge arch but doesn’t get as much credit. I love this hike for several reasons. First of all, I love how Gray’s arch is tucked into the forest and hidden until you are right beside it. Secondly, the rock amphitheater that you pass as you approach the arch is just as cool as the arch itself. Finally, the trail is long enough to feel like you got some exercise, but not as hard as the trails to the Natural Bridge. If you want to do the shortest possible hike, you can hike to Gray’s Arch as an out and back trail. I prefer to...
General Info for Hiking in the Red River Gorge: All of the areas explained
The first thing to know is that the Red River Gorge is a geological feature and the area lovingly referred to as “The Gorge” or the “Red River Gorge” includes the actual gorge formed by the Red River as well as a surrounding amalgamation of public and private lands available for recreational use. It is quite complicated really. While it isn’t important to understand the history and complexity of the many areas that make up the RRG, it is important to know where you will be hiking, climbing, or camping because each entity has its own unique set of rules and regulations. Below are some quick and dirty guides and links for more information on each.
The Sun Rising over Kauai from Poipu Beach. January 23rd, 2022