Category: Uncategorized

Homeward!

As we made our way home today we stopped at Target, Walmart, Costco, Wegman’s and Fingerlakes Premium Outlets to stock up on our favourite American goodies.

Trip in review:

Keeping up with tradition, I asked everyone some questions in the last few hours of our trip:

Best food:

Isla: Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina

Caleb: Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina or the blue crab at Surfin’ Crab in Lewes, Delaware

Joel: Bon’s Street Food in New Orleans

Tracy: Kill Devil’s Frozen Custard and beach fries in OBX

Best View:

Isla: Old Rag Mountain Summit – the blue ridge mountains

Caleb: Old Rag Mountain Summit – the blue ridge mountains

Joel: Caleb, Isla and Tracy swimming in the ocean at Henderson Beach in Florida as the sun set

Tracy: Watching the moon rise while we had a campfire on the beach on Assateague Island

Favourite Hike:

Isla: Grotto Falls in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Caleb: Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park

Joel: Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park

Tracy: The Grand Avenue Hike/Tour in Mammoth Cave National Park

Favourite thing about America:

Isla: The mountains

Caleb: All the Bass Pro Shops

Joel: How open people are about their faith and how there is lots of Christian values spoken about.

Tracy: The selection of gluten free items in some grocery stores. The variety and plentifulness of stores everywhere. The local pride in their area and their people.

Least favourite thing about the USA:

Isla: The Trump stores.

Caleb: The amount of inconsiderate people.

Joel: The amount of apathetic National Park staff which is the exact opposite of our experiences elsewhere.

Tracy: The disparity. Some things are crazy expensive but other things aren’t. Some staff are amazingly helpful and kind while others are completely indifferent. There is just such a big extremes.

Most surprising thing about the trip:

Isla: When we were leaving the Old Rag hike and people were just starting it so late in the day. How loud fighter jets are.

Caleb: The price difference between gas and diesel. The range of fuel prices from state to state.

Joel: How much money is being spent at National Parks with infrastructure upgrades and new buildings.

Tracy: How many times Joel and I said to Caleb “Can you stop please?” How much I love fighter jets.

Favourite drive:

Isla: Florida beach towns along the panhandle.

Caleb: Going through the blue ridge mountains

Joel: Chesapeake bridge bay/tunnel

Tracy: Louisiana bayous

Favourite Animal we saw:

Isla: the baby alligator

Caleb: Bear by the coffee shop in Gatlinburg

Joel: the baby alligator I got to hold

Tracy: Alligator on our airboat

Favourite Moment of the Trip:

Isla: hanging out at the Henderson Beach

Caleb: Walking through the biggest Bass Pro Shop – the pyramid in Memphis

Joel: Walking down Broadway street in Nashville taking in all the live music

Tracy: Watching fighter jets take off and land at Oceana Naval Base

Least favourite moment of the trip:

Isla: Having to say goodbye to everyone before we left.

Caleb: Walking through Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Joel: Finding no easy gluten free options in Nashville.

Tracy: Trying to listen to the Hunger Games audiobook and Caleb complaining

Favourite campsite:

Isla: Henderson Beach State Park in Florida

Caleb: Assateague Island National Seashore

Joel: Henderson Beach State Park in Florida

Tracy: Henderson Beach State Park in Florida

Least Favourite Campsite:

Isla: Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park

Caleb: Cracker Barrel in Pennsylvania

Joel: Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park

Tracy: Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park

Favourite State:

Isla: North Carolina

Caleb: Tennessee

Joel: Florida panhandle

Tracy: Tennessee

Favourite thing to listen to while driving:

Isla: The Hunger Games

Caleb: Dave Ramsey Satellite radio

Joel: Dave Ramsey Satellite radio

Tracy: The Hunger Games

Most interesting person you met:

Isla: The lady who ran her electric bike into the fence in the Great Smoky Mountains

Caleb: The lady at Lewes barbecue who kept giving me brisket samples

Joel: Captain of the airboat tour

Tracy: The nice park ranger at Henderson Beach State Park

Best Smell:

Isla: trees on our hikes

Caleb: barbecue

Joel: pine trees in Tennessee

Tracy: The trees on our kayak in Congaree National Park

Worst Smell:

Isla: Washrooms at the trailheads

Caleb: Marijuana

Joel:

Tracy: parking lot of bass pro shop in Memphis stank of hot pee

What was the most super touristy thing we did that was surprisingly awesome: 

Isla: Airboat tour in New Orleans

Caleb: Airboat tour in New Orleans

Joel: The Grand Ol’Opry and Naval boat tour in Norfolk

Tracy: Dolly Parton’s Stampede

Was there something we did that didn’t meet your expectations?

Isla: I expected to see more wildlife on the Cades Cove bike loop

Caleb: Mammoth Cave – I thought it would have more cool looking stuff

Joel: The park rangers in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia – they were just reading a script and checking the boxes

Tracy: The visitor centers at Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains – they need to go to Utah to learn a few things

One thing that would have improved this trip:

Isla: Swig!

Caleb: Having a 12 volt splitter so we could run our trailer camera and our dashcam at the same time.

Joel: An additional week

Tracy: It not being so hot and humid…but we did go to the south in June. More time in Florida and Louisiana.

What we missed most about home (other than people and the animals):

Isla: air conditioning

Caleb: my bed

Joel: Tim Hortons

Tracy: Silence and soccer

Where do you want to go on your next vacation?

Isla: Saguaro National Park

Caleb: Banff 

Joel: That is not on my mind yet

Tracy: Canadian West Coast and Northern USA loop 

Would you take such a long trip again:

Isla: Yes

Caleb: Yes

Joel: Yes, if not longer

Tracy: Two weeks felt way too short

If you could go back to one moment and do it again right now:

Isla: being in the ocean

Caleb: Stand on the peak of Old Rag Mountain. Skiff boarding in the ocean.

Joel:  Nashville

Tracy: The boat ride back from the naval boat tour in Norfolk with us all snuggled up on the front deck watching the world go by.

Next time we should pack more:

• Jeans
• Power cords for the truck
• Plastic cutlery

We left our campsite at 4:30am in order to make it to the Old Rag Mountain trailhead before it got too hot and busy.

Old Rag Mountain

“Located in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, Old Rag Mountain is famous for its grueling 10 mile circuit hike and 360-degree summit views. The iconic trail features a challenging 1-mile boulder scramble requiring class-3 climbing. The area is notoriously demanding and requires a specialized day-use permit.

Key Hike Details

• Elevation: 3,284 feet (1,001 m)
• Distance: ~10 mile circuit loop
• Difficulty: Extremely strenuous (requires upper-body strength and navigating steep crevices)”

The goal of our camping road trips is to show the kids highlights of each province and state… and a highlight of Virginia and Shenandoah National Park is hiking Old Rag!

Isla’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was so much fun with all of the rock scrambles we got to climb up. It was really nice that we started early because there wasn’t very many people. The temperature was really nice. On our way out we saw a bunch of people coming in and we couldn’t help but think they were going to overheat and they were starting too late. Overall it was a very fun hike with all the rock scrambles. The view at the top was amazing.”

Caleb’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was really cool and windy at the summit. It was a fun hike. I loved the rock scrambles. It was really long hike. It was a nice temperature. I enjoyed how difficult it was.”

Joel’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was a very fun hike. The rock scrambling was a fun challenge. There was a lot of walking before and after the fun parts.”

Tracy’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was a gorgeous view at the summit. The trail, especially the rock scramble, was very well marked which I appreciated. The whole hike was always doable – I never felt scared but I felt exhausted most of the time because of the heat, elevation gain, and length of the trail. 16.3km mountain hike completed before lunch is a lot. Am I happy we did it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I do it again? No – once is enough.”

We planned on spending two nights in Shenandoah but after our hike, lunch, and a nap we decided we’ve seen and experienced everything we wanted in Shenandoah. We packed up and headed north back home.

We boondocked in a Cracker Barrel north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Blue Mountains of Virginia

The “Blue” Haze: The famous bluish hue of the mountains is caused by isoprene (C₅H₈) naturally released by the dense oak forests, which scatters light and creates a distinct, rolling mist.

There was a lot of construction and detours on the Blue Ridge Parkway so we had to skip that part of the drive.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

When we arrived at the Harry F. Byrd Sr Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park it was closed because the power was out. The rangers were set up outside the building just wanting to go home (which they did early when we stopped back in to get Isla her Jr Ranger badge).

We went to an evening Ranger program at the Lewis Campground. It was about segregation within Shenandoah National Park. The National Park Service was against segregation in 1940’s but Virginia demanded segregation so Lewis Campground was only for black guests.

“Shenandoah National Park operated under a system of racial segregation from its establishment in 1935 until 1950. Under local Jim Crow laws, the National Park Service (NPS) maintained segregated facilities across the park.”

“Desegregation
Sparked by federal pressure from the Department of the Interior to align with civil rights and boost African American morale, Shenandoah officially desegregated all of its facilities by 1950. This made it one of the very first public facilities in the state of Virginia to desegregate.”

Today is all things Dolly Parton! Dollywood Theme Park and then Dolly Parton’s Stampede.

Dollywood Theme Park

Isla’s review on Dollywood: “I love the rollercoasters. My favourite one was Lightning Rod. It went 73mph. It was really fun with the water rides we went on.

Caleb’s review on Dollywood: “I think it was really cool. There was lots of rides I think I would die on. I learnt that I don’t do as well as I thought I did on roller coasters. Dad and I had fun on our little rides and some of the big rides. We got a refillable souvenir cup and I drank so much pop I think I had to pee over 25 times.”

Joel’s review on Dollywood: “I loved seeing the joy in Isla and Tracy’s face as they came off the rollercoasters – especially Lightning Rod. That was a very hot day. I appreciate that the merchandise was economical.

Tracy’s review on Dollywood: “I loved Dollywood! Lightning Rod is one of the best roller coasters I’ve ever been on. Isla is such a fearless cowboy and rides the roller coasters with her arms up. The food was super good and easy enough to find celiac safe options. We all shared a refillable souvenir cup which was the best decision ever because I cannot remember ever being so hot and sweaty for so long in my life. The temperature yesterday without humidity was 34 degrees. There was such variety within the park – coasters, live music, sit down restaurants, different stores, craftsmen (blacksmith, glass blowers), historical buildings (church), and interactive museum experiences. I loved the live music – they were all extremely talented. It was interesting that there was so many security guards everywhere in the park and they all carry guns like police officers. Americans appear to like the idea of guns offering security while my first instinct is that guns are a potential risk. I’m incredibly relieved no one got heat stroke or sunburnt. Dollywood and Disney (land and world) are extremely different. Disney is magical and Dollywood is kind. Both are great. You need a university course to do Disney right while you could take a workplace training seminar to do Dollywood right. Disney’s app and photo pass is far far far superior to Dollywood’s. I would joyfully do both again.”

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

This was the best food we’ve ever had at a dinner show! Amazing music and very entertaining show.

Isla’s review on the Dolly Parton’s Stampede: “I really liked the little piggy race and when the buffalo came out. I liked when Buttercup the highland cow came out. I got a flag and to talk to the horses are their riders. The food was really good.”

Caleb’s review on the Dolly Parton’s Stampede: “I thought it was really cool. The food was great. It was not what I expected. I expected more of a stampede like barrel racing and stuff but it was really good.”

Joel’s review on the Dolly Parton’s Stampede: “The food was delicious and the pyrotechnics impressive.”

Tracy’s review on the Dolly Parton’s Stampede: “Everything about it was well thought out impressive. From the parking lot to the layout of the building to the captivating show to the food it was all a very well oiled machine. The chicken and pulled pork was some of the best I’ve ever tasted. I loved being able to just sit back and enjoy the whole experience. I think Canadians need to learn how to be proud Canadians just like how Americans are proud Americans without thinking that their pride is taking away from someone else’s pride. Everyone should be proud to no detriment of anyone.”

We spent the whole day in The Great Smoky Mountains. We started with an early morning hike called “Grotto Falls” which was 5.8km.

Grotto Falls Hike

We found a cute place to pan for gold. My issue with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is how much land was expropriated… but never really talked about. When you ask rangers they don’t have anything to say about it.

“The creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park required acquiring over 500,000 acres. While a significant portion was purchased from large logging companies, governments utilized eminent domain to condemn and seize land from approximately 6,000 people and families who lost their farms, homes, and generational communities.”

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Next we made a pit stop in Gatlinburg for breakfast drinks. Looks like a fun town to return to for sure!

Clingman’s Dome AKA Kuwohi Hike 3km

“And it became land”

Driving around The Great Smoky Mountains and Visitor Centers

Cades Cove Loop Bike Ride

On Wednesdays they close the Cades Cove area of The Great Smoky Mountains for only biking or walking. We biked 20.5km. It was very hot and humid out. We went for a swim in the river part way through to cool down. There was a visitor center halfway through with a mill and boiling place.

Evening Swim in Little River

The kids spent the evening catching fireflies and Joel and I finalized our plans for Dollywood!

Isla’s review on The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: “I liked seeing the bear. I enjoyed the creeks that we swam in and the waterfall. I really enjoyed it.”

Caleb’s review on The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: “I thought it was really good. I liked the mountains and the water. I liked our campsite.”

Joel’s review on The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: “The drives were beautiful. I enjoyed our swims after hot bike rides.”

Tracy’s review on The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: “There is a sweet homey vibe being in the Smoky Mountains – I’m not sure if it’s because of Dolly Parton’s brainwashing me my whole life or if it’s the super green forests with perfect creeks cascading down pretty rocks. I’d be happy to come back with a few books and just sit by a creek. The views of the Smoky Mountains are so classic with the layers of slightly more faded mountains going on forever. It really didn’t feel like a national park to me – there was no “real” visitor center that educates on the land and its history. The visitor centers just felt like small stores. The “rangers” lacked the love of the area and its history that National Park Rangers usually have. You also have to pay for the Junior Ranger program books and park or trail maps which I have never seen before.”

I’ve decided that I’m old enough to start using pet names with strangers how everyone does in the south and in the mountains – I don’t think I can pull off “baby doll” but will give some others a go because I love it.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/NC

Supper in Townsend – The Abbey

Low key vibes and beautiful church to eat delicious food in.

Caleb’s Autobiography

Caleb had to do his autobiography for his English class on this trip and submit it by June 10th. I’ve learned that Caleb needs to work on his time management and focus. I’ve also learned that being in a National Park with no wifi or cell service on the few days before and when a major assignment is due is “not cool” and “poor planning”. I did not enjoy helping Caleb. Caleb did not enjoy me helping him stay focused. Isla thought it was a mix of hilariousness and terror. I think Joel was scared for Caleb and me equally. Long story short, the assignment was submitted on time but definitely not to the best of anyone’s standards.

Look Rock

Today we have a short drive to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

It started down pouring rain as we crossed the state line into Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the world’s longest known cave system, thousands of years of human history, rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Region.

Grand Avenue Cave Tour

“At 4 hours long, this lengthy tour explores the geologic diversity of what Mammoth Cave has to offer. Going through slot canyons, tubular passageways, tall canyons, and tunnels sparkled with gypsum, this tour is the longest walking tour we offer. This tour also encounters hundreds of steps and ascends and descends many tall, incredibly steep hills. Covering a wide variety of the history and geology of Mammoth Cave, this tour is ideal for those wishing for a lengthy, half-day hike inside of the cave. This tour has 1521 mandatory stairs with an optional 98 stairs in the drapery room.”

Isla’s review on the Grand Avenue Tour: “I really loved it. The stalagmites and stalactites were my favourite. It was cool seeing the cave crickets. I liked all the stories of the 1800s cave wars.”

Caleb’s review on the Grand Avenue Tour: “The frozen Niagara was cool. The cave was really big.”

Joel’s review on the Grand Avenue Tour: “It was a fun tour. The ‘optional’ extra steps was well worth it.”

Tracy’s review on the Grand Avenue Tour: “I loved going through slot canyons in a cave – it was exactly like some slot canyons we have been in in Utah but in a cave. I really enjoyed the variety of the cave tour – massive rooms, then a tube where you can almost touch all sides at the same time, then a slot canyon, and then a massive amount of stalactites and stalagmites. I wish the tour group was a lot smaller. An amazing experience and the time flew by.”

Our Campsite at Mammoth Cave National Park

Visitor Center at Mammoth Cave National Park

Star Chamber Cave Tour

“An evening tour in Mammoth Cave by lantern light, this tour winds its way to historic Star Chamber. Described as more of an experience tour than a sightseeing tour, Star Chamber explores historic sections of the cave in the lighting of the earliest explorers, emerging from the cave in late evening. Focusing on early history of Mammoth Cave, this tour includes a trip into Gothic Avenue. This tour is ideal for visitors wanting a unique way to experience the cave and its history. Please note that this tour in 2.5 hours”

Isla’s review of the Star Chamber cave tour: “I liked how we got to experience what people did on the tours in the 1800’s in the tour. It was funny when the guides took all the lanterns and left us in the complete dark.”

Caleb’s review of the Star Chamber cave tour: “It was cool but I think it would have been better if the lights were on because we didn’t get to see as much with only the lanterns on.”

Joel’s review of the Star Chamber cave tour: “I really enjoyed the acting of the two rangers and how they really played characters of the time. I would like to add to my review of the previous tour and we made friends with a couple who spent the weekend at a running retreat and Tracy quickly jumped in and said “those two words don’t go together”.

Tracy’s review of the Star Chamber cave tour: “I think the Star Chamber cave tour was an excellent compliment to the Grand Avenue cave tour. The Grand Avenue tour gave us a good feel for the expanse and variation of the cave while the Star Chamber helped us feel the history of the cave. I liked the history on the tuberculosis huts and Mummy’s.”

Some interesting things about Mammoth Cave:

In the early 1800s, Mammoth Cave was a major industrial saltpeter mine. Enslaved laborers dug calcium-rich cave dirt to extract potassium nitrate (saltpeter), the key ingredient for gunpowder. The booming demand during the War of 1812 sparked this operation.

In the fall of 1842, Louisville physician Dr. John Croghan brought 16 tuberculosis patients to Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, believing its constant cool temperature and pure air would cure the disease. The experiment failed disastrously; five patients died in the caves, and Croghan himself died of tuberculosis in 1849.

The “Cave Wars” refers to a fierce, cutthroat period of tourism rivalry in the 1920s around south-central Kentucky. Rival cave owners in Edmonson County aggressively competed for tourists visiting Mammoth Cave—the world’s longest known cave system—ultimately leading to the tragic death of explorer Floyd Collins and the creation of Mammoth Cave National Park.

Enslaved tour guides at Mammoth Cave used tips from visitors to buy their freedom and learned to read by tracing traveler signatures left on the cave ceilings. They transformed the subterranean frontier into a world-renowned destination while securing independence for themselves and their families.

The famous “Fawn Hoof” mummy was discovered in 1813 in Short Cave, KY, and relocated to Mammoth Cave by the cave’s owners for public display. Named for a necklace of young deer (fawn) hooves, her remains were later relocated to Gothic Avenue. For 59 years the American Antiquarian Society paraded her remains around America. Her remains currently reside at the Smithsonian Institution. I hope someday the local indigenous group are able to get her remains and lay her to rest respectfully.

Today we start heading North to complete our travel loop. This trip should be called “The trip of Bridges”. All these coastal cities are full of bridges.

Memphis, Tennessee

When I gave the kids the choice between stopping at Graceland or the largest Bass Pro Shop in the world they picked Bass Pro Memphis.

Nashville, Tennessee

We started our Nashville experience at The Grand Ol’ Opry for the Sunday Morning Church.

Caleb, Isla and my favourite singer was Aubrey Nicole. This is her: https://youtu.be/pTEBCLCVtb8?si=n_30iUj7ocbFtYDx

Caleb’s favourite was Cutter and Cash and the Kentucky Grass. This is them: https://youtu.be/aXsYzRTt9w0?feature=shared

Broadway street in Nashville

This was way better than we expected! Amazing music in every bar. Each side of the street is lined with pubs whose band is right in the wide open doors.

Tennessee Capitol Building

We love national and state capitol buildings!

Twin Rivers Campground, Nashville Tennessee

Today we keep heading west to New Orleans.

We really like Henderson Beach State Campground. It’s Old Florida vibe of my childhood. We would definitely come back here. The beach is very fine white sand that squeaks when you walk in it.

We drove along the coast to Pensacola Beach Florida. The area looks old school tourist fun.

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

“The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, located just north of New Orleans, is exactly 23.83 miles (38.35 kilometers) long. The Causeway consists of two parallel bridges that cross Lake Pontchartrain, connecting Metairie (in the New Orleans metro area) on the South Shore to Mandeville on the North Shore (where our campground is). It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge over water (continuous). Driving across it takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and for a roughly 8-mile stretch near the middle, you lose sight of land completely.”

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Airboat Tour

Isla’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “I thought it was really cool. I liked when the boat would turn fast. I liked being able to hold the 9 month old alligator named Squirt and learning about how they gather the alligator eggs to incubate, raise, and release back into the wild. Normally 1% of alligator eggs survive but when taken into incubators 96% survive. They release 4% back into the wild and sell the remaining for meat etc. the best part was when the alligator got into the boat.”

Caleb’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “I thought it was really really fun. I loved when he went fast around corners. I loved holding the baby alligator and when he was feeding the big alligators marshmallows. I really like our captain.

Joel’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “it was interesting seeing how the bayou system works. It’s almost like streets and roads. It was interesting hearing the captain’s stories learning about different shrimp and the area.”

Tracy’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “It’s amazing how an airboat can glide over anything. I really enjoyed seeing what the bayou was and how it felt. I liked watching the alligators watch us… they knew the boat meant treats. I liked the kids reaction to it all – Caleb loving the boat ride and Isla watching the alligator come up on the boat.”

The French Quarter, New Orleans

We spent the evening touring around the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was very warm and humid. All the roads were very sloped in order to drain the heavy rain and flooding.

We ate frog legs, shrimp and grits, shrimp po’boy, beignets, and gumbo tacos.

It was exciting that they closed part of Bourbon Street for Gumball 3000 Rally of DDE “Daily Driven Exotics”. We saw a lot of fancy cars and celebrities I don’t know except I definitely recognized Michelle Rodriguez from Fast & Furious.

Isla’s thoughts on the French Quarter: “I thought it was cool to experience all that. The beignets were really good.”

Caleb’s thoughts: “I didn’t like it all. There was too much drugs, drinking, people, vaping and gross stuff. It was bad.”

Joel’s thoughts: “it was so fun getting to experience what downtown New Orleans is like. I love all the live music and all of the live events going on. The food was great.”

Tracy’s thoughts: “Bourbon Street was what I expected. Interesting people and a party. I was not expecting Caleb to be as grumpy and judgmental of the people but it’s all good learning for him. I enjoyed all the different music. It was very cool seeing Michelle Rodriguez – we had Fast & Furious DVD and I watched it a million times.”

We left Charleston around 5am to travel down the coast.

It feels incredibly weird to be in Florida in the summer! It feels nice to be warm and away from all the wind of the Atlantic Ocean.

Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna, Florida

“Florida Caverns State Park is one of the few state parks with dry (air filled) caves and is the only Florida state park to offer cave tours to the public. The cave has dazzling formations of limestone stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, flowstones, and draperies.”

Isla’s Review of the cave tour: it was really cool. My favourite section was the section with the Christmas trees. I liked the tiny bat. It was really funny when the tour guide accidentally hit a stalagmite with his flashlight. I liked that they had a “sacrificial column” that everyone was allowed to touch (you aren’t allowed to touch anything inside the cave normally because the oils from your hands kill the stalagmites because the minerals can’t stick anymore.

Caleb’s Review of the cave tour: I thought it was really fun. The tour guide was funny. It was cooler than expected because of all the stalagmites and stalactites.

Joel’s Review of the cave tour: I enjoyed the personality of the tour guide. I really like the museum building – it was made out of stone and square timbers.

Tracy’s Review of the cave tour: It was shocking to me how many stalactites and stalagmites there were! It was gorgeous and magical in the cave. Everyone enjoyed having to wiggle through the tighter areas. It is interesting that the water in the cave is coming from the aquifer rising and the surface water filtering down. It was clear that it is a Florida State run park and not a National park as it wasn’t to the same educational and passion level as the National Parks. It’s shocking to me that the cave was only discovered by accident in 1937 when a severe storm uprooted a tree, exposing a hole in the limestone. There isn’t a long history of various using of the cave because it was already state land when it was discovered. I really loved the cave.

Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, Florida

Home to Florida’s tallest waterfall.

Henderson Beach State Park Campground, Destin, Florida

We found this gem of a campground along the Florida panhandle. It’s got a gorgeous beach and private campsites right close to everything. It’s loud with helicopters and planes (coastline tours) but that’s kinda fun too.

We spent the evening swimming in the ocean – it maybe the warmest Ocean water I’ve ever been in. The beach is just a short walk from our campsite.

We hit the road at 5am as we have a lot of ground to cover today. Joel drove (obviously) and the kids and I napped.

Congaree National Park

Kayak on the Cedar Creek through Congaree National Park

We booked a kayaking trip through Carolina Outdoor Adventures.

“Cedar Creek is a beautiful black-water stream running through Congaree National Park. Our trip is a 3 hour “out and back” guided trip. You will see Bald Cypress, Tupelo, Pine and Willow Oak trees along this slow-moving creek. Some of the trees in Congaree National Park are record holders!”

Isla’s review on the kayaking trip: “it was super cool. I liked all the snakes we saw. I really liked all the trees”

Caleb’s review: “It was really fun. The trees were a lot different than I expected. They were a lot skinnier.

Joel’s review: “I enjoyed learning about the floodplain and the history of the park. I think it’s wild how the water will raise 13 feet higher than it was today. Tracy was the least annoying woman on the trip.”

Tracy’s review: “It was a very unique experience to be able to kayak through the cypress trees. I loved how it was a mix of so many trees in the floodplain and how certain ones adapted to get their sun by growing taller while others wider over the creek. The cypress trees have needles like Hemlock trees. For some reason I assumed they had big leaves. The Loblolly Pines are the biggest trees and the trunks look very similar to Ponderosa Pines. It was fun kayaking amongst the trees (and watching the kids kayak around the trees). My very favourite part was the cypress knees. They look eerie and I like it for reason.”

The Campground at James Island County Park, Charleston, South Carolina

Charlestown, South Carolina

We found an amazing BBQ place called “Lewis Barbecue”. It was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025.

A Michelin Bib Gourmand is a designation from the Michelin Guide that highlights restaurants offering excellent food at good value.

It’s different from Michelin stars:

• ⭐ Michelin stars reward the highest level of culinary excellence, often with higher prices
• 🍽️ Bib Gourmand focuses on quality + affordability

Charleston is definitely a place I would like to come back to and have time to roam around looking at the interesting buildings and eat the interesting food.

This is the first time in the trip we are staying two nights at a campsite.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse – they are refurbishing it. Due to erosion they moved the lighthouse inland 800 meters.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

We went back to the Cape Hatteras Light Station to do the Junior Ranger Program

The roads especially from Bruxton to Hatteras has drifts of sand that they use a loader to clear

Driving around OBX has lots of variety. The more south we go the more I like it.

Bodie Lighthouse

We climbed Bodie lighthouse. They only allow 8 people every 20 minutes because only 1 person can be on each set of stairs.

Fort Raleigh: England’s First Home in the New World

“Amongst the shallow blue waters of the Outer Banks lies Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. Shaped by constant winds of change, Fort Raleigh has become a focal point of American history. From the first Algonquian-speaking people to the first English colonies, from formerly enslaved people starting anew to an inventor testing new radio technology, this island continues to be a place to forge new paths.”

We think we must be missing something about “The Lost Colony”. The majority of the museum was devoted to the mystery behind the lost colony in the 1585-1590. There was a group of over 100 people who “settled” the land by murdering the North Carolina Algonquian people and taking their land. Then when the main guy went back to England for a supply run and came back everyone left behind had disappeared. They either changed their ways, became good neighbours and tried to mend things with the locals OR they kept trying to murder people and the locals won.

North Carolina Wildlife Refuge

We didn’t have enough time to explore Alligator River in the refuge but we checked out the visitor center.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is home to the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast.

Isla has become the best at finding where to eat! She researches the area and reads reviews to find the best local food. For supper tonight she found Kill Devils Frozen Custard and Beach Fries and it was so so good! Kill Devil Hills is the name of the town.

Kill Devil

We spent the evening playing on the beach at our campsite.

We packed up the trailer and headed out to Virginia Beach to checkout the boardwalk.

Virginia Beach was very windy with rows and rows of the same mini golf/t-shirt shops/candy shops. The beach was very clean. There were fighter jets flying overhead. We love watching the fighter jets but never ever want to see them outside of the training area!

We headed down the coast of Virginia to the Outer Banks (OBX). The drive was a mix of farmland with old subdivisions with big trees.

The Wright Brothers mastered controlled flight by inventing a 3-axis control system: roll (banking), pitch(climb/descent), and yaw (side-to-side nose movement.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge/tunnel. Opened in 1964. 28 km long, alternating between tunnels, bridges, and manmade islands. Often called “one of the engineering wonders of the world”.

It was odd being on a bridge, then under the ocean in a tunnel and then on a bridge and repeat.

Isla thought “it was really cool how it looked like the road just stopped and we drove into the ocean”. Isla also liked the signs in the tunnel saying “keep speed up”.

Caleb says “I had a good attitude”. But then said “the days not over yet”.

USS Wisconsin

The USS Wisconsin is in Norfolk and is one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy.

The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) was one of the most accomplished battleships in U.S. Navy history. Some of its biggest achievements include:

World War II

• Entered service in 1944 and participated in major Pacific campaigns.
• Supported operations in the Philippines, Battle of Iwo Jima, and Battle of Okinawa.
• Conducted bombardments of Japanese home islands before the end of the war.  

Korean War

• Recommissioned in 1951 and served as flagship of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.
• Provided extensive naval gunfire support against North Korean targets along the coast.  

Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

• Served as a Tomahawk missile strike commander and launched cruise missiles during the opening attacks of the war.  
• Fired its famous 16-inch guns in combat for the first time since Korea.  
• Its Pioneer drone was involved in the first known surrender of enemy troops to an unmanned aircraft, when Iraqi soldiers waved white flags after spotting the drone overhead.  
• Fired the last battleship naval gunfire mission in history, making Wisconsin one of the final battleships ever to see combat

Nauticus Museum

Naval Base Boat Tour in Norfolk

Things we learned: Deperming- getting rid of the magnetic field of a ship so less detectable by others. “Deperming is a naval defense procedure that permanently erases a ship or submarine’s magnetic signature. By wrapping the hull in heavy-gauge copper cables and pulsing thousands of amperes of electricity through them, navies “reset” the vessel’s magnetism. This prevents detection by enemy magnetic mines and Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) equipment”

Naval Air Station (NAS) in Oceana

We got Chick-fil-A for supper and tailgated at the end of the runway to watch fighter jets. The Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana is the U.S. Navy’s only East Coast Master Jet Base, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It spans nearly 6,000 acres, supports a community of around 20,000 personnel, and is the primary hub for Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter squadrons.

We had a terrific morning exploring Cape Henlopen State Park. We biked 13km around old Fort Miles. We did a guided tour of Battery 519, a 15,000-square-foot fortified underground bunker. Fort Miles was a key piece of the nation’s coastal defense during World War II. Using triangulation they would determine where the incoming ships where so they could shoot the cannon in the right place.

Cape Henlopen State Park

Assateague Island National Seashore

Afternoon on the Atlantic Ocean

Assateague Island is a 37-mile (60 km) long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean.^[1] The northern two-thirds of the island are in Maryland, and the southern third is in Virginia. The entire island is designated as Assateague Island National Seashore.

Barrier islands are a coastal landform, a type of dunesystem and sand island, where an area of sand off the coast has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast.^[1] Barrier islands are commonly formed in long, narrow systems parallel to shorelines and are shaped by waves, tides, sediment movement, and sea-level change, which cause them to shift, grow, or erode over time.^[2] They protect coastlines by absorbing energy, and create areas of protected waters where wetlands may flourish.

Hickory Run State Park

How the Boulder field was Formed:

The field is a textbook example of periglacial (near-glacier) activity:

• The Freeze-Thaw Cycle: During the last Ice Age, massive glaciers came within a mile of the park. Though the ice sheet didn’t directly cover the area, the extreme freezing and thawing caused water to seep into the cracks of the surrounding ridges.
• Breaking the Bedrock: The freezing water expanded and shattered the erosion-resistant Catskill Formation sandstone into angular blocks. 
• The “Stone Sea”: Gravity, flowing water, and soil creep eventually moved these separated blocks down into this relatively flat, east-west oriented valley. Because the valley has a nearly flat gradient of 1 percent, the rocks were deposited rather than carried further away.

Mobility Command Museum

We crossed the border into the States at Hill Island. There was no line up and the border agent was lovely and quick.

Everyone knows that once I (Tracy) start something I find it hard to rest until it’s finished… little did I know that our Canada/USA map on the trailer door would dictate our travel plans for the next few years!

Our plan on this trip is to fill in the south eastern part of the map but we only have 17 days to do it!

The Route:

We plan on leaving May 29th and returning on June 14th. We will be missing our family, friends and soccer but will be home in time for all the graduations and end of year celebrations!

National/State Parks and Attractions we are planning on visiting:

1. Hickory Run State Park, Pennsylvania
2. Air Mobility Command Museum, Delaware
3. Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware
4. Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland
5. Norfolk Naval Base Boat Tour, Virginia
6. Nauticus and Battleship Wisconsin Tour, Virginia
7. First Landing State Park, Virginia
8. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina
9. Wright Brothers National Monument, North Carolina
10. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
11. Charleston, South Carolina
12. Florida Caverns State Park, Florida
13. Henderson Beach State Park, Florida
14. Fontainebleau State Park, Louisiana
15. New Orleans, Louisiana
16. West Memphis, Arkansas
17. Grand Ol’ Opry, Nashville, Tennessee
18. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
19. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee
20. Dollywood Theme Park and Stampede, Tennessee
21. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia