I cannot believe how quickly this year is flying by. I know that people say this all the time so it feels like a cliche, but holy cow it’s crazy how much faster time goes every single year. August has been a full month. I’ve traveled in a lot of different styles this month: a girls trip, a kid-free trip, a father/daughter (plus my kids) hiking trip and ending on a big family trip (the Wunders this time) to Moab with some fun stops along the way.
Trip Planning This Month
I did a little planning for my father/daughter trip (plus, my kids) to Mammoth Cave National Park. So, I dove into finally mapping out some of that.
We’ve done a lot of trip planning for our Moab trip – I cannot wait to get there. It’s one of those special places that make me feel like I’m at home.
I also am newly obsessed with trying to see the Thomas Dambo trolls any time I’m near them after seeing my first ones in Kentucky. They’re so cool and I love the collaboration of art and nature. It just feels really organic and they’re so beautiful.
Travel in August
I kicked of the month on my girls trip with Stacey, which we spent in Southern Illinois bouncing around Shawnee National Forest, Giant City State Park and Ferne Clyffe State Park! It was so good to get away with Stacey. This was the first time we’ve been on more than a day trip together since we went to Costa Rica in 2019. So having almost 3 full days of uninterrupted time with her felt so good, and we saw some really beautiful sites! Also, she asked me to be part of her something blue for her wedding next year and I can’t wait!
Matt and I were kindly gifted a weekend away without kids. So, we went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We already had this weekend on the books, but it was so much fun to get away without the kids. Of course, we missed them, but love getting to do what we want when we want! Matt was feeling a little under the weather, so it was a pretty chill trip compared to normal. We had a cozy evening in, we put a puzzle together and we had a little mini binge of half of the 4th season of Trying. But we did also go to our favorite brewery in the area: GotAHold Brewery, ate delicious food at New Delhi Cafe and Twisted Tacos, we did a little hike at Lake Leatherwood and strolled through downtown hand-in-hand. Just simple things but simple things, together.
Mid-month, my dad and I did our sixteen annual father/daughter hiking trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. My dad wanted to find a national park relatively close by to get his copy of my National Park Journal stamped on our trip. I loved this idea! Knowing my kids were coming, it’s fun that they get to hit up a new national park for them too! We went to Bernheim Forest and Arboretum our first full day. It’s a really beautiful area and we did 3.04 miles of trails and saw the three Thomas Dambo giants/trolls that are on the grounds there. This is the beginning of an obsession for me… look out trolls, I’m coming for ya!
Then, we headed over to Mammoth Cave National Park for the rest of our trip. We did a few hikes above ground, went through the Visitor Center and Charleigh got her next Junior Ranger Badge (she’s up to six Junior Ranger badges now!) and then we did the Domes and Dripstones Cave Tour. Honestly, I was so very proud of my kids. Charleigh walked all of the tour, Liam walked all but the stairs, and they were so brave and so curious. I really loved having that experience with them. We ended the trip with a short evening trail before grabbing dinner and hanging out at our AirBNB. My dad was a total rockstar this trip and helped me wrangle a 1-year-old and 3-year-old. He was definitely the glue that held the circus together. This was my first time traveling with both without Matt, and whew, it was not easy. Haha
At the end of the month, we kicked off our trip out west with Matt’s family. We spent a few days in Colorful Colorado and fell really hard for it. We’ve been through many times before, but this time we found out that Frisco and especially Breckinridge were two towns that kinda stole our heart – we’re thinking of spending some extra time here next year. We strolled around town, visited the Thomas Dambo troll on the Illinois Creek Trail, strolled through town and took the kids to a sweet playground. Around Vail/Avon we strolled through town and did the East Vail Waterfall Trail which was absolutely beautiful!
Travel Laughs and Mishaps
Murphy’s Law definitely applied to my girls weekend with Stacey in Shawnee National Forest. We had so many different little things go wrong. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes (like, hundreds of mosquito bites each); it was so bad that we didn’t even really enjoy the beauty of this hike. The cool part of the Rim Rock Trail was closed, making it just kinda a meh hike. Then, we tried to find another overlook that we drove forever out of the way to find only to eventually get there and it also be meh. We learned that Garden of the Gods was closed – seriously – but that one we found a workaround for it at the Outpost there that turned into a 5.32 mile hike to see Garden of the Gods.
On our Eureka Springs trip, we had a couple minor camper mishaps. Matt ripped the door off of its fixed door-hinge thing that holds the door open and we had to unscrew it from the door and the doorframe because it kept catching. It should be an easy fix. Then, we noticed that there was a leak in our bathroom floor. We got really lucky, though, and the only thing that was messed up with that plumbing was that the hot water hose needed to be tightened at the faucet. But it’s always so nerve-wracking when something goes wrong on the road. We were just thankful that it was a quick and free fix.
Blog Posts from August
Monthly Recap: July 2024 – This is a monthly recap, just like this one, but from last month. Check out what I got into, read, ate and more in July.
Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas – This is our trail guide from Santa Elena Canyon; the massively deep canyon carved by the Rio Grande. One wall is Mexico and the other is the US. It’s such a unique hike.
Things to Know Before Visiting Big Bend National Park, Texas – This is a list of helpful hints that we think people should know before visiting this specific national park based in far West Texas.
Things to Know Before Visiting Arches National Park, Utah – This is our list of tips for Arches National Park specifically we think any first-time visitor should know! This is my favorite national park, so I’ve got lots of tips!
Local Adventures in August
I finally went to the Smallin Civil War Cave. It’s in the town next to mine, and we just haven’t made a point to go there. My brother’s family was on a stay-cation and asked us to join them on a tour. It was a beautiful cave and stunning land surrounding it. It also has a unique history. I personally think the tour was a little pricy for the hour experience, but it’s also family owned and operated, so I get that too. Charleigh had a little struggle with it – didn’t love the dark, and it was storming. So, just a lot going on, but she was still pretty brave, and that’s all part of taking adventures with toddlers. We also went to Wonders of Wildlife with my brother’s family. It’s always so fun to watch our kiddos interact, especially in a place that instills a sense of wonder. I hope that we get to all travel together more. My last local adventure was one just for me. I got to take a rooftop yoga class in Springfield, which was really fun. I’ve never done a rooftop class before, but we were so lucky with a beautiful fall-like summer day. I’ve also been continuing solo hikes, but cut down because of the heat back home, but I’m looking forward to picking it back up as the temps go down. Matt and I went rock climbing this month too, for a date night, and it was so much fun! Last little adventure was our first bike ride out of our neighborhood with the kids in their Burley Bee on a local greenway!
Best Thing I Ate in August
Honestly, the very best thing I ate this month was an incredible salad at City Coffee and Creperie in Clayton (St. Louis area). It had the perfect blend of craisins, strawberries, apple, candied pecans, red onion, mozzarella cheese and a cranberry vinaigrette. I’m not usually a salad-is-the-highlight-of-a-meal-out kind of girl, but this was the highlight of all the things I ate all month long!
What I Read in August
I finished the latest of the Discovery of Witches novels: The Black Bird Oracle. I’ve wanted more of this world for a few years now, so I was so excited to have this novel and even more excited to have it end on a cliffhanger meaning I get more of this world eventually! I’m still trucking through my audiobooks of the Outlander series – it’s such a “comfort read” and I love being able to listen to it while I’m doing other things too.
I’m still reading Devotions by Mary Oliver, a collection of her best poetry. I’m slowly but surely making my way through Braiding Sweetgrass – not out of a lack of interest, but out of a lack of time to truly sit and read. I actually am pretty obsessed with it. I’m looking forward to a month of new and exciting adventures and revisiting some of our favorite places as well. Lastly, I’m still working on Hot to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, which I am also in love with. I’m just pulled in so many directions and interests. The joys of being a mama.
Most Popular Post and Reel on Instagram
I have a problem of being really motivated to consistently post on IG and then dropping the ball. It’s a goal for the rest of the year, though, to be more consistent posting our adventures, travels, experiences and even a lot more about camper things. This month, I barely posted at all, but these are the most popular of the few posts I uploaded.
Life Updates in August
Charleigh moved up in school and started back this month. We love having her in a Montessori school and seeing how she thrives. Liam is talking and moving more and more and is still exceptionally fearless. I’m just endlessly proud of my babies.
This month was all about yard work at our house – almost completely driven by Matt! He finally found some of our blue star junipers to finish off some landscaping and pulled a million weeds out of our back beds. We had beautiful bulb beds for 4 years that I replanted each fall, but honestly, it’s just become too much work. I was hoping we’d have more of them just re-bloom each year. But, alas, that didn’t happen for us, so we’re planning out a new layout for those beds that we’re going to try to finish getting in as soon as we’re back from Moab.
What’s Coming in September
We’ll be in Moab, Utah for the beginning of the month! We also have a concert we’re going to enjoy (kid-free, again!!!) in Kansas City, and another day trip to the Exeter Corn Maze – our favorite local fall adventure! Then, we have two weekend camper adventures in the month as well: Ponca, Arkansas for some fall adventures close to home and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin for a long weekend and my parents are joining us on this one! A lot of adventures ahead, which always makes my heart feel full. I hope everyone has a smooth transition from summer into fall next month and that your days are filled with adventures, big and small!
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