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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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.
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.
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.
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.
How to walk the Caminito del Rey with Kids
What is the Caminito del Rey?
Once known as one of the deadliest routes in the world, the Caminito del Rey is a walkway that was built along the sheer stone walls of the narrow gorge of the Rio Guadalhorce in 1901 for workers of the two adjacent power plants to travel between them and transport materials. It was completed in 1905 and King Alfonso XIII walked the path in 1921 to inaugurate the adjacent dam. It later became known as El Caminito del Rey (the King’s little path). Over time, the path, constructed of steel beams anchored to the side of the cliff and concrete, fell into disrepair. In the 1990’s, it became a famous route for daredevils who would walk the dilapidated route
Hiking the Megalithic structures in Roses Spain
“Megalithic” is a generic term referring to structures made out of large stones. Stonehenge is perhaps the most well-known of these but there are thousands scattered across Europe. They generally date back to the Neolithic period, between 5000-2000 BC. These structures are particularly fascinating and leave the observer wondering how humans could have moved and lifted these massive stones without machinery. Many theories exist but there is no way to prove exactly how they did it
Hiking to Far de Cala Nans in Cadaques with kids
Cadaques may be the most perfect town I have ever visited. One of my favorite things we did in Cadaques was spend a day hiking to Far de Cala Nans and relaxing at the secluded pebble beach, Platja de sa Sabolla. This trail starts on the southwestern edge of town, winds along the rugged coast, passing by a few beaches along the way, and ends at a lighthouse on a point jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. It provides amazing views looking back at Cadaques and out at the Mediterranean Sea while hiking through the beautiful wind-battered desert shrub along the coast.
Hiking the Calanques of Port Miou, Port Pin and d’EN Vaut with kids
The Massif des Calanques is a national park in southern France that stretches 20 km from Marseille to Cassis and extends 4 km inland from the rugged coast line. A Calanque is a “narrow, steep-walled inlet composed of limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata found along the Mediterranean coast.” The national park is crossed by multiple trails of varying difficulty. It only took a few images of the Calanques d’En Vaut to motivate me to check out one of the easier trails that begins in Port Miou, passes by Port Pin, along the cliffs of d’EN Vaut, and ends at the gorgeous…
Vlachatta Loop Trail, Meteora Greece
After 3 hours on a winding mountain road from Delphi to Kalambaka, I rounded up the troops for a sunset hike on the Vlachatta Loop trail. For some reason, they had forgotten who they were travelling with and thought we would spend the evening resting, but, in the end, everyone was happy that we hiked this trail instead.
The Trail: This is a nice varied trail with some sections in a lovely shaded oak forest, beautiful views of the limestone formations and the valley below, and an abandoned monastery. The trail is technically a lollipop trail rather than
Hiking the Footpath of the Holy Spirit (Agio Pnevma) in Meteora
It was 6:00 PM and the kids were tired after a day of visiting the Monasteries of Meteroa, but Joey and I were still looking for more action and wanted to get off the beaten path to see the massive limestone towers up close and personal. Compared to our experience in America, finding the less travelled trails abroad has been very difficult. The trails are generally unmarked, unmaintained, and criss-crossed with dirt roads and livestock paths. After a deep dive into the internet, I found a trail that I thought we might be able to find and follow and we set off for a quick sunset hike…
The Sun Rising over Kauai from Poipu Beach. January 23rd, 2022