All posts
Ichetucknee Tubing and Two Sweaty Nights at O'Leno
July 24, 2025Seventy-three-degree spring water by day, a tent that stayed at 84 by night. A July springs weekend in North Florida, with numbers.
Skidaway Island in Late June: Heat, Gnats and One Great Morning
July 18, 2025We ended the trip at a Georgia state park near Savannah in 95-degree heat. Mostly a lesson, except for one perfect marsh walk at dawn.
What Two Weeks in the Smokies and Savannah Cost a Family of Four
July 11, 2025Eleven nights, about 2,400 miles and $2,940 total. Every category from gas and campsites to the cat sitter, plus what we'd cut.
Two Nights in a Townsend Cabin Saved Our Smokies Trip
July 7, 2025We booked a cabin mid-trip for laundry and showers. Then it rained for two days straight. What it cost and why we'd do it again.
Biking Cades Cove on a Car-Free Wednesday
July 2, 2025The loop road closes to cars on summer Wednesdays. Rented bikes, a tag-along for Nico, an 11-mile loop and the hill that broke us.
Five Nights at Elkmont: The Smokies on a Tent-Camping Budget
June 30, 2025Little River at the edge of our site, rain most afternoons and a $15 parking tag. How five nights at Elkmont went and what they cost.
Nico's First Fireflies and Other Small Wins in the Smokies
June 27, 2025Miami kids don't see many fireflies. A creek, a dark campground loop and a five-year-old who refused to go to bed. Notes from week one.
No-Cook Lunches for Long Driving Days
June 12, 2025Rest-area lunches that survive a cooler, keep kids fed and don't need a stove. What we packed for the two long driving days north.
Packing a Honda Pilot for Two Weeks, Two Kids and a Tent
June 9, 2025A roof bag, four bins, one duffel per person and a hard rule about the third row. Our packing list and the load-out order we settled on.