Video links are posted first on this page, followed by some photo galleries of places we have been.
Video Links
These are posted on our YouTube channel with the links below. Strictly amateur videos of some of the hikes, snorkel and paddleboard adventures we have had. The ones out West really give you a sense of scale and wonder. Check out the growing list of CRUISE videos for some fun.
Kentucky and Ohio Caves, Caverns and Hikes, 2024
Horn Hollow Cave, Carter Caves SP, Kentucky
Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky has some amazing caves to explore, most as a paid tour with a guide. But there is one you can hike through with a permit: Horn Hollow Cave. We took the trail to the mouth of the cave, changed into water shoes because of the stream that runs through it, and in we went. It is maybe a quarter mile long, cold air and even colder water, but a really fun, dark tunnel of a cave to explore. Once on the other side we decided to go back through and rejoin the trail back to the parking area. Some of the trail loop was a challenge, but there were plenty of wildflowers along the way to make it interesting.
Hiking Carter Caves, Carter Caves SP, Kentucky
Of course there are more caves and hikes in Carter Caves State Park and this video features us on a tour through X Cave, a dry fissure that resembles an “X” and Cascade Cave that has some larger rooms, pools and some dripstone. Also, there is a 30 foot waterfall to visit at the end.
Kayaking Gorge Underground, Natural Bridge State Park and Red River Gorge, Kentucky
How about a kayak adventure through an underground, flooded mine? Certainly not something we have ever done before. As we paddled along the 40 degree water that went as deep as 12 feet, we saw some of the large rainbow trout that were stocked and fed in the waterway. This wasn’t a wild, natural cave system, but it was certainly a unique experience that we loved.
Hiking Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky
Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge area is a very scenic spot and has some great hikes. This is just one of them. It’s pretty cool that there is a chairlift/skylift to take you to the top of the mountain, if you choose, and it can be either a one-way trip or roundtrip. We opted to take the skylift up and hike back down to the parking lot – but it was a lot more of a hike back than we expected. At least we got to enjoy the Mountain Laurel in bloom and lots of other wildflowers along the way (plus plenty of rock walls, cliffs and caves). There were a few trail surprises along the way, too (and a tight squeeze! Enjoy.
Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
There are some amazing hikes in Hocking Hills State Park, with cliffs, overhangs, waterfalls and gorges. We tried to hike them all and I compiled them into two videos for you:
Caves and Cliffs in Hocking Hills – Old Man’s Cave is the most popular hike in the park by far. This is a one-way hike through the gorge to view waterfalls and the amazing Old Man’s Cave.
More Cave and Cliff Hikes in Hocking Hills – there are plenty more caves and cliffs to explore, so I combined these into a video that showed us hiking to Whispering Cave, Conkles Hollow Gorge, Ash Cave and Rock House Cave and Gorge. These were a lot longer and a bit more of a challenge than was described, but well worth the return trip up the stairs and slopes each time.
Western Trip to Utah and Colorado, 2021
Exploring Canyonlands Island in the Sky
It is hard to describe just how vast and beautiful the landscape of Canyonlands National Park is, even pictures don’t fully capture the breathtaking beauty. Our Western adventure in October 2021 took us to the Moab region of Utah to camp in an amazing campground: Dead Horse Point State Park. We explored the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands in this video, with a snippet of our drive down the Shafer Trail in our Jeep.
Camping at Dead Horse Point State Park in Moab, Utah was an unforgettable experience for us. This stop on our October 2021 trip to Colorado and Utah was the highlight for sure, with 4-wheeling adventures on Long Canyon Road, Shafer Trail and Potash Road plus grand overlooks and hikes across the mesas and slickrock. This is but one of the videos of that adventure in Canyonlands and more.
While camping at Dead Horse State Park in Canyonlands we booked a half-day rafting adventure on the Colorado River. It was a pretty amazing trip between the red sandstone cliffs as our guide navigated the muddy rapids and our raftmates had a wet and wild time.
Snow Day in Colorado (Crawford, CO)
An afternoon sleet storm followed by an overnight snowstorm caught us by surprise in Colorado, but it also made for a picture perfect time. We explored the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Crested Butte and the Kebler Pass that day, all covered with a couple inches of snow (but not everything made the video, right Kodi?)
Shafer Trail / Potash Road (Canyonlands, Moab, Utah)
This was an amazing down-the-canyon drive even the video can’t fully capture. A trip from the Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park to the Colorado River outside Moab, Utah. The GoPro Hero9 is so good at image stabilization that it looks like a smooth ride – and it was anything but. No guard rails, either, so you had to hope you didn’t run into someone coming the other way!
Long Canyon Road (Canyonlands, Moab, Utah)
Another “bucket list” off-road drive not to be missed in Canyonlands outside Moab, Utah. Who wouldn’t want to experience “Pucker Pass” and this massive chunk of rock you drive under … very slowly. Watch for Jackie to jump out for a closer look (that I missed on editing). We love our new Jeep.
Bryce Canyon Hike (Utah)
An otherworldly landscape that we experienced on a beautiful, crisp fall day. The day was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking – literally, since we were huffing and puffing our way along the 3 mile hike that dropped down about 600 feet at the 8,000 ft. elevation — and then back up again along some challenging switchbacks. You don’t want to miss the Wall Street section of the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop trail. The next day we left the area in a snowstorm that dropped about 6 inches of snow, so our day turned out to be the best chance for hiking.
Cruise Videos and Excursions
We Cruised Utopia of the Seas
Yes, we are aboard the brand new, second-largest-in-the-world ship: Utopia of the Seas for a fun family cruise. This is an amazing adventure onboard with our family and our two wonderful grandsons. This 4-night cruise fit perfectly during their fall break and was easy enough for us to reach in Port Canaveral. And of course the unofficial cruise director (me) had the typed agenda all set – after all, this was a big ship with much to see and do – we wouldn’t want to miss anything.
Ever since our first cruise to Alaska we have wanted to return to this wonderful place, filled with snnowy mountains, icy glaciers, unique fishing towns, elusive wildlife and great food. We missed the big salmon run and didn’t see bears, so this trip was planned in late August to catch that season. High hopes for bear spotting, plus we planned an extension into Denali that involved wilderness trains, wildlife bus tours, helicopter flights and lots more. Did we spot bears? Did we get to see Mt. Denali? Watch to find out.
Yes, that’s right, we are back on the high seas again – this time it is a wonderful family affair aboard the Carnival Mardi Gras, a darn big ship that just launched in 2021 with a passenger capacity of 6,500. I actually booked this one just before our cruise on the Carnival Sunshine last year, hoping that our first-time cruisers Karina, Jason, Wyatt and Owen would want to sail again. And they did, joined this time by Bethany and Alex. It was truly a magical time for everyone as you will see from the video.
A new ship to explore and new adventures to experience, this was a great celebration of our 70th birthdays. Ziplines, drop slides, bobsled runs, sky lifts, snorkeling and go karts — what more could you ask? Check out the newest Norwegian Cruise Lines ship Prima – see what the Indulge Food Hall has to offer and just a few of the onboard activities (honestly, I was having too much fun to capture everything on video). Don’t miss the wild end to our snorkeling adventure!
This was a blast of a short cruise with family out of Charleston, SC aboard the Carnival Sunshine. We had great rooms up front on the Lido Deck, which made it real easy for the grandsons Wyatt and Owen to get to the food and fun. It was a first time cruise for Jason, Karina and the boys and we were joined by awesome cruisers Aunt Linda and Uncle Norm! We made a port stop in Nassau (stayed aboard) and Half Moon Cay for some great fun splashing around and enjoying the tropics. It isn’t a complete tour of the ship, just the fun stuff.
How We Did Harmony of the Seas . . . Again!
After you watch our first video of the Harmony of the Seas you ought to check out this new adventure from our Easter 2022 family cruise. Yes, 14 of us, most of the family, set out from Orlando and visited St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Perfect Day at Coco Cay. It was a blast, as you will see (I was having too much fun to catch all the action on video).
How We Did Harmony of the Seas
This is a funny video of how my family enjoyed just some of what Harmony of the Seas has to offer – we cruised twice on the Harmony in 2019 and had a blast. Not everything made it to video, but what did was a lot of fun.
What a great time following some gray whales off the coast of San Diego in January. We spotted several spouts, saw some fluking and were surrounded by dolphin on this “high seas adventure.” It was part of a great trip to visit my sister Linda and her husband Norm.
Alaska Whales and Wildlife 2018
An Alaska cruise is amazing on many levels, but most especially if you catch some of the native wildlife. Jeff, Vickie, Jackie and I took our first Alaska cruise June 2018 and had a blast. Our trip started in Anchorage where we rented a car and drove along the coastline to Seward to catch our ship, the Celebrity Millennium. Wildlife along the road, sea otters and whales in the ocean, and plenty more whales spotted on excursions. Icy Strait Point and Juneau were our whale watching departure ports, but we really enjoyed the harbor at Seward, too. I juggled my 35mm digital camera and my Gopro to catch what I could on camera, but it still wasn’t enough. The best memories are ones you just experience.
Without a doubt, the best reef I have snorkeled. Such a colorful collection of coral, fans and sponges on the ridge. This was an excursion of our Western Caribbean cruise aboard Harmony of the Seas.
Snorkeling Cozumel just off shore is an easy float, as the current takes you across reefs that go from 10 to 30 feet deep. I added some fish identification to this one, to the best of of my research. This was an excursion of our Western Caribbean cruise aboard Harmony of the Seas.
This really wasn’t reef snorkeling, but we did see some cool ballyhoo and the clear waters of the sandy French side beaches were awesome. This was an excursion of our Western Caribbean cruise aboard Harmony of the Seas.
Backyard Wildlife
Fawn’s First Days This was a pretty stunning surprise that happened right in front of our backyard trail camera. Fawns in the backyard is an annual occurrence for us, but not on film like this!
What Happens at Night? See how our backyard comes alive!
More of What Happens at Night See more of our backyard antics at night!
Georgia Mountains
If you want to see what it’s like from the driver’s seat going down the road from Black Rock Mountain, watch the new video “Leaving Black Rock Mountain” – but hold on tight, it is a wild ride.
Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia
Amicalola Falls State Park (GA) Zipline, Part One
Amicalola Falls State Park (GA) Zipline, Part Two
Videos of our various adventures:
Clear Creek Campground, Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama
Custer State Park, South Dakota
Bison and Elk in Custer State Park
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Hiking Notch and Saddle Pass Trails, Badlands National Park
Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming
Hiking to Heron Pond and Swan Lake
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Hiking Mt. Washburn Trail, halfway, from Dunraven Pass trailhead
Hiking Pelican Valley Trail, partway, Yellowstone National Park (with grizzly)
Glacier National Park, Montana
Hiking back from St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park
Highlights of hiking Hidden Lake Overlook Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana
Highline Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana (the ledge at Logan Pass)
St. Andrews State Park, Florida
More Snorkeling in St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida 2017
Snorkeling in St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida 2017
Paddleboarding at St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida 2017
Zion National Park, Utah
Hiking the Angel’s Landing Trail, Zion National Park
Hiking the Narrows, Zion National Park
Arches National Park, Utah
Double Arch Rainy Day Hike, Arches National Park
Delicate Arch Slickrock Rainy Hike Return, Arches National Park
Park Avenue Hike, Sunny Day, Arches National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Bright Angel Trail, up from the Mile and a Half Rest House, Grand Canyon South Rim
Unicoi State Park, Georgia
Zipline Adventure at Unicoi State Park (short clip)
Some of the places we have visited . . .
Georgia Mountains, Neels Gap to Blood Mountain
Key West and the Florida Keys
New York and some of our old neighborhoods in New Jersey
Washington, DC and my old neighborhoods in Delaware and New Jersey
Topsail Hill State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, FL (2016)
St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, FL (2016)
Hike Inn to Appalachian Trail, Amicalola Falls, GA (May 2016)
Bahamas Cruise to Nassau (April 2016)
Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia (April 2016)
Spring around the Neighborhood 2016 (I can’t help but shoot pictures this time of year!)
Caribbean Cruise (December 2015)
Grand Turk
St. Thomas & St. John
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Half Moon Cay
New Orleans, Louisiana (Fall 2015)
San Antonio, Texas (Fall 2015)
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico (Fall 2015)
Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Arizona (Fall 2015)
Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona (Fall 2015)
Lake Meade and Hoover Dam (Fall 2015)
Zion National Park (Fall 2015)
Grand Canyon North Rim (Fall 2015)
Glen Canyon and Lake Powell (Fall 2015)
Arches National Park (Fall 2015)
Rocky Mountain National Park (Fall 2015)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Fall 2015)
Golden, Colorado (Fall 2015)
Kansas (Fall 2015)
St. Louis, MO (Fall 2015)
Charleston, South Carolina (September 2015)
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (September 2015)
Lawrence Shoals, Lake Oconee, Georgia (August 2015)
Harrison Bay State Park, Chattanooga, TN (July 2015)
Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Georgia (June 2015)
St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida, 2015
St. George Island State Park, Florida, 2015
Manatee Springs, Florida, 2015
Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine, Florida, 2015
Adventures with Doug and Jackie 
Wow, livin’ the dream! I am jealous…lol.
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Hey Chuck. Not too long before you can set out on your own, too. I posted some more pictures and updates in the blog tonite – finally got some reliable wifi.
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