Liberty To SoHo NYC

Braving the masses, we took in the sights at Liberty Island and then made our way over to Castle Garden in the Financial district of NYC. Making our way through Wall Street, we stopped and explored the history at Trinity Church. This is by far one of my favorite destinations in NYC. The history of these hallowed grounds is unbelievable. Taking a stroll through the grounds, you’ll quickly understand why. Leaving Trinity, we made our way to Chinatown in search of Hello Kitty memorabilia for Bailey. Dinner was had in a tiny little alleyway next to a row of small restaurants and it was absolutely amazing! After dinner we made our way toward Hook & Ladder #8 and stumbled upon The Bean, which Bailey was ecstatic about as she still hasn’t stopped talking about the Bean we visited in Chicago on a previous trip. With the sun setting, we finally made it to Hook & Ladder #8 to see the home of, you guessed it, The Ghostbusters. While we were there we did get to meet some of the awesome people of FDNY too. With the sun fully set we made one final stop for the evening at the 9/11 Memorial Pools. I have visited these both in the day and at night and it hits in a completely different way at night. It truly is a spectacle to behold and a fitting memorial to all of those who lost their lives that day and in the years to come….

Friends Whom Travel

One of the most difficult things we’ve found about having close friends whom share our passion for Adventure Travel, is that they’re always traveling and are rarely in the same place that we are! October of 2020, we were finally able to meet up with one such friend and we had a blast catching up and traveling all over the Black Hills and Colorado with him. Looking back through our photos, it sure does make it hard not to wish that we were right back at this very moment in time. It was such a memorable trip for all of us and we’re so glad that we were able to coordinate and spend a good chunk of it with our great friend Chris. How about you? Do you hang with your friends every week? Or are you all traveling in different directions too, only to rarely run into one another along your travels?

Camp in the Rockies

Chris doing what Chris does best!

Parkour!

Plenty of deadfall in Spearfish Canyon. Perfect for an evening campfire

Our beautiful creek side campsite the South Dakota State Forrest campground

Pole Mountain Jeep Trail

Views from outside of Buena Vista, Co

Camp outside of Buena Vista, Co

Power Wagon coming down from Pole Mountain Jeep trail

Conquering Personal Boundaries

Bailey here, was pushed slightly out of her comfort zone on the way into camp. Nothing dangerous, but it pressed firmly past her preconceived limitations in her mind and did not make for a happy ride. After arriving at camp, it was like a whole new Bailey emerged. She was running around exploring everything with Fiona, happy as could be. Sure, I know what you’re thinking. The poor thing was probably scared and of course she was happy to get out of that truck.  You’re exactly right and wrong. She was scared because she had already decided the outcome of the event before she/we had even tried. We’ve all done that, haven’t we? But her happiness was not to because she got out of the truck. It was because she was pushed past her comfort zone and discovered the world didn’t end because she thought it would. She discovered life. So happiness can be directly related to life. Who would’ve thought. Sometimes we need to push our boundaries to see what lies on the other side. To grow into better, stronger versions of ourselves. 

Overland Expo East 2021

Just a couple of photos that we took at @overlandexpo East 2021. Admittedly we didn’t seize the opportunity to take a lot of photos this year. We were consumed by amazing conversations and being able to meet everyone in person. We’ll never complain about that because all of you are amazing! So many great stories and travel tips. Believe me, our list of places to visit and things to do grew exponentially this year and we’re as excited as ever to get out there and see it all. As usual, the event seemed to fly by and we weren’t able to sit in on any of the classes or round tables that we would’ve liked to. I guess there’s always next year. (We’ve been saying that for four years now.) Seriously though, you all rock and we much prefer the one on one conversations around the campfires/meals with you all anyway!

The “OG” Sportsmobile that camped next to us. Fell in love with this rig as soon as we laid eyes on it.

Saturday night camp vibes!

Meeting new people in the showcase area

Walking through the vendor area

Love this Chinook Camper!

Exploring Blackwater

Jennifer and Bailey look over the powerful Blackwater River

Nature’s power on display as the Blackwater River cascades over the rock face

On the days leading up to Overland Expo East 2021, we visited a few of the more touristy area’s in the beautiful state of West Virginia. One of those places being Blackwater Falls near Davis, WV. If you haven’t been, we highly recommend adding it to your list of attractions and places to visit. Yes, there’s a trading post (aka tourist shop/trap) in the parking lot, but don’t let that deter you. Nor the masses that you’ll come upon while making the short journey to the falls from the parking lot. It’s worth it, trust me. We recommend visiting the historical markers and info stations along the short hike down to the observation decks. We found them very interesting and they allowed us to see the falls from a different perspective. You’ll understand what I mean if you take the time to read them. We won’t spoil that for you. No bother if you choose to bypass the info centers and head straight to the falls though. Nature’s power, showcasing the beautiful waters of the Blackwater River, cascading over the rock face is by far the main attraction here and is enough to keep anyone petrified with awe. 

Creating History

For 107yrs the Stingray Point Lighthouse stood tall above the shoals and marked the entrance to the Rappahannock River and Deltaville Harbor. In 1965, in the name of “Forward Progress & Modernization”, the lighthouse was deconstructed in favor of a steel skeleton tower bearing an automated light. The remains of the lighthouse were sold to a local boatyard owner whom intended to reconstruct the lighthouse on their property. That project never materialized and the lighthouse was all but relegated to a memory of the past. Not one to stand idly by and watch the history of this locality fade into oblivion, the owners of Stingray Point Marina decided to bring the lighthouse back by recreating an exact replica of the historic structure. The structure that you see here is the result of that venture and was built using the original 1858 engineering blueprints. Which, by the way, still hangs on the wall just inside the main entry door of the lighthouse. The recreated lighthouse was erected in the middle of Stingray Point Marina, in Deltaville, VA, for all to enjoy. The inside of the lighthouse is viewable by appointment only and can be arranged by calling or emailing the marina. Lee, an employee of the marina, was gracious enough to give us a guided tour of the lighthouse and share his vast knowledge of the surrounding area and its past. Did you know that Stingray Point received its name from none other than Captain John Smith himself? Legend has it that Captain Smith was fishing in the nearby waters and was stung by a passing Stingray, which are plentiful in the area. Hence the name, Stingray Point. I bet you didn’t know that piece of history!

By definition, history is about past events and experiences. Our family had an amazing experience taking in this piece of the past and the knowledge that Lee shared with us. Now this place and this experience is a part of our own history. Something we will forever cherish. We can’t thank Lee and the owners of Stingray Point Marina enough for preserving this piece of history and allowing us the privilege to experience it.