Nashville 2020

We decided to visit Nashville in June.  

Our first stop was Lost River Cave which was actually across the border in Kentucky.

The girls panned for gems before our cave tour.

Time to go on a cave tour. 

Our tour was on a boat that meandered through the cave. 

There wasn't really enough light to take pictures.

At the mouth of the cave, in the 30's and 40's, they used to hold dances. 

That is the original chandelier that hung over the dance floor.

Here was the stage where the band performed.

We hit a famous ice cream place afterward.

There are so many places to go on beautiful walks around Nashville.

Joey and Brittany told us about this restaurant and we loved it.

The next day we went to the Nashville Parthenon where we saw the gold statue of Athena.

I just thought this was funny.

We went to the Grilled Cheeserie because it's owned by someone we know.

Super fun park!

We thought it would be fun to do a ropes course. It wasn't. For me. It was scary. 

Even Mia got scared and ended up stuck at the top and needed the help of an instructor.

But it was fun to go to a restaurant where you grilled your own pancakes at the table!

We went to the Belle Mead plantation and took the slavery tour where we learned 

about how young slaves were forced to be jockeys and race thoroughbreds. 

This is something I had never heard before.

For some nature we went to Edwin and Percy Warner Parks. 

They were beautiful and gave the girls some kits for looking at creatures in the water.

We did try to go down Broadway and listen to some of the bands but 

they were so loud Anna wasn't having it. 

The Grand Ole Opry was still under Covid restrictions so we didn't visit there either.

It was still a great trip.

When I plan trips I have a formula: 

The trip must include at least one activity from each group: history, nature, fun for kids, and exercise. 

Most of the time the activities fall into more than one group but we never skip a group if we can help it.

The airports were eery with very few people in them. 

We saw men in hazmat looking suits all coming off a plane together.

 

 

Camping 2020

 Our neighbors like to camp a lot. We visited them at several campsites and

 I and the kids even stayed in a tent on their site one night.

Tent camping is not our things...so....we decided to bite the bullet and by a motorhome!

And by camping we mean eating out a restaurants with amazing views!

And at a separate table from the kids. 😂

Avery's 8th Birthday

 Avery turned eight on May 28th. She had an outdoor party, 

kind of a hybrid drive thru / walk up party. 

The kids had so much fun!

Slushy truck was a big hit!

Graduation 2020

All of the senior activities were canceled during Covid, even graduation. The local community wanted to give the seniors some sort of graduation activity.  They came up with a parade that wound through the community. Our house was the second house on the route. 

There were over 500 cars in the parade!!!

I hope this becomes a yearly tradition!

Arizona Trip 2020

 Arizona lifted their Covid restrictions so we decided it was time for a family vacation!

Our first time in a restaurant in two months! 

The parking lot was full of cars with California license plates.

We stayed at an Airbnb in Flagstaff and did day trips.

Our first stop, Grand Canyon Deer Farm in Williams. 

,

Any time animals are involved, these two are happy campers.

Anna was very apprehensive about feeding the carrot to the camel but she 

eventually was able to do it!

Mia has zero fear of animals!

Next stop, Bearizona, also in Williams. This is a drive through place. 

No feeding carrots to bears! The girls loved it so much we went through twice!

The had some other animals, such as bison.

The next day we went to Sedona for the Pink Jeep tour! This was my favorite. 

The landscapes were beautiful.

We saw this jeep going down and we were next. Nail biter!

Looking back at where we've been. Scary!

We stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's built right into the mountain.

Art????

We spent some time at Slide Rock State Park. It was fun but the water was FREEZING! 

This is about all Anna did.

Mia, in yellow,  spent a good amount of time sliding.

The next day we were off to Winslow. 

First stop, Meteor Crater, which was pretty fascinating to us old folks.

Sorry Anna, I'm terrible at selfies.

Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.

Flat-bed Ford.

Last stop for the day is Lava Flow Trail in Flagstaff. 

Hiking on the side of a volcano, what could be better?

Trees were a big casualty of the eruption.

Lava flow.

We left very early to get home on our last day. Covid restrictions were still in place for National Parks and the Grand Canyon was only open from 

an hour before sunrise to about two hours after. I'm not sure about the reasoning behind those hours but we made it for sunrise. Thirty six degrees! We didn't stay long! Of course, the pictures don't do it justice. This is my third time seeing it and it's still awe-inspiring.

We finished off the trip with a speeding ticket leaving the Grand Canyon. :(