Destination
Outdoor Wanderlust recently visited Carter Caves State Park. We had a great time at a lesser known Kentucky State Park even with heavy rain. This park should be on your to do list if you’re passing through eastern Kentucky. Here is the full report of the lodge, nearby hiking trails, rock bridges, and Cave Tours. Read more “Carter Caves State Park Trip Report”
Camping
I have a confession to make. When the other half of Outdoor Wanderlust said we would add the Grand Canyon to our itinerary, I envisioned every cliché road trip from the comedy movies of my childhood. I lacked the wisdom at that time to understand why clichés are developed. Our stop along Hoover Dam on the way did not disabuse me of the idea the canyon would be underwhelming. I found Hoover Dam to be an impressive feat of human engineering. But, that much concrete just did not impress my outdoor loving soul. I was a fool to underestimate the Grand Canyon, however, and I’m not too proud to admit it. Read more “Exploring the Grand Canyon’s South Rim”
Destination
Just outside of Columbus, Ohio lies Hocking Hills State Park, a diverse outdoor destination with waterfalls, caves, rock features, and beautiful hiking trails. We took a trip here with our two dogs this past summer and had a great time. The unique rock formations and waterfalls were awesome but the crowds during mid-day were not. Read more “Exploring Hocking Hills State Park”
Destination
As with many of our adventures, a spontaneous idea quickly transformed into an amazing experience. This particular time the idea landed us on top of Mount Colden in sub-freezing temperatures during the tail end of the winter season. The idea to bag a peak in the ADK came up while planning a sales trip to New York for my job with one of my colleagues who was pursuing the Adirondack 46ers. Hanging around for the weekend after our planned work events gave us the single overnighter we needed to bag a peak, play in the snow, and visit Lake Placid. My wife snagged a Friday evening flight and met me in Albany, NY for a late night gear check and pre-hike logistics. A hearty crew of seven met up early in the morning to drive north so we could leave the trail head by sun up.
Read more “Winter summit of Mount Colden in the Adirondacks”
Camping
We travel so much, that sometimes I struggle to keep everything straight in my mind. I am much more likely to remember moments and then work to place them in time and location. Several of my most cherished are from our trip to the Indiana Dunes State Park and Lake Michigan.
We drove up for a relatively short trip over an extended weekend, with our two dogs. We don’t often get to travel to truly new places with our dogs, and it has been a long time since we took a non-backcountry trip with them by ourselves. Since discovering mountain biking usually the dogs tag along on group bike trips. I love traveling with my dogs. Despite Ripley’s carsickness and resulting human stress, I always feel better when my dogs are with me. This trip was extremely dog friendly, we never had to leave them in the car while we ran into a restaurant or went for a ride or a hike. Read more “Dogs on the Indiana Sand Dunes”