Outdoor Adventures | 2013 edition

2014 was a year of in-betweens for us... We were living in Chattanooga during the week and in Alabama on weekends. We still managed to do some exploring – mostly in the form of biking. This year did include a couple of visits to highest points as well as a few firsts for Jack.


January
Indian Falls | DeSoto State Park, AL

March
Devil's Racetrack | Huntsville, AL

April
Jack's First Camping Trip | Cheaha State Park, AL
Alabama's Highest Point | Cheaha Mountain, AL

May
Jack's First Bike Ride | Hays Nature Preserve in Huntsville, AL
Blevin's Gap | Huntsville, AL

June
Paddling the Flint River | Huntsville, AL

July
Rainbow Lake | Signal Mountain, TN

August
Biking at Hays Nature Preserve | Huntsville, AL
Biking at Hays Nature Preserve, again | Huntsville, AL
Biking at Hays Nature Preserve, off trail | Huntsville, AL

September
Florida's Highest Point | Lakewood, FL
Biking at Topsail State Park | Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Crow Creek Pumpkin Patch 2013

One of my favorite things about being parents is that we do stuff that we would never consider doing when it was just the two of us. 

Last year was our first year to go to a pumpkin patch (we actually visited two, Crow Creek and Burt's Farm) and this year we decided to use Daniel's day off for Columbus Day to go back to Crow Creek.

I kind of hope that going on Columbus Day becomes a tradition, 1) because Daniel has the day off and the farm wasn't very crowded and 2) it was nice to do something on a day that also happens to be Canadian Thanksgiving. I hope that as Jack gets older we are able to celebrate this Canadian holiday even if it is in a smaller capacity.

The pumpkins at the farm this year were kind of small, but we still enjoyed the experience. The Crow Creek Pumpkin Patch includes a hayride out on the farm to the pumpkin patch to pick up your pumpkin as well as a corn maze, a small petting zoo and several play areas.

Jack wasn't so sure about the animals and was actually nipped by one of the donkeys. If I recall, I got nipped last year. Overall I think he enjoyed the experience.

I am looking forward to growing our traditions as Jack gets older. 

For dinner tonight, Jack helped me make a pumpkin pie. I wanted to have something that reminded me of Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to going to Canada this weekend for my cousin's wedding and seeing a lot of my relatives. 

On a sad note, three different people I know lost loved ones today; including my Nana whose brother, my Great Uncle Dean Hotchkiss, passed away. He is the first of my Nana's six siblings to pass, so she and my other great aunts and uncles are on my mind today.

Biking at Hays Nature Preserve and Playing at the Terrame Natural Playground

Back in May we experienced our return to biking at the Hays Nature Preserve. 

Since then, Jack and Daniel have been taking weekly bike rides at Goose Pond Colony (while I did my weekly kickboxing class). On occasion, I have been able to join them.

Today we went back to Hays Nature Preserve and explored some new dirt trails in addition to the paved greenways we rode on last time.

One of our trails took us to a Giant Tupelo Swamp. We didn't stay stopped for very long since the mosquitoes were thirsty.

Halfway through our ride, we stopped at the Terrame Natural Playground where we checked out features like teepees, a fort with a climbing wall, a music center and digging pits. 

The playground is made of all natural materials and in 2012, it became the first Arbor Day Foundation certified Nature Explore Classroom in Alabama. 

The temps during today's ride were perfect, and since we were moving most of the time, the humidity didn't really bother us (except for that stop at the playground).

After our time on the trail, we went to Chickfila for lunch. While we ate, we realized that the bottom had fallen out of the sky! I am so glad we weren't still on our bikes. I'm not sure what Jack would have thought about being caught in a rainstorm.

I am really grateful that we were able to spend some time together doing something that we all love. Especially since Daniel will be traveling for work for part of this week.

If you enjoy biking and live in the Hunstville area, we would definitely recommend checking out Hays Nature Preserve for biking (dirt or paved) and running. They also have trails for horseback riding if you happen to have horses. 

Today's ride was just under 9 miles, about a third of which was on dirt. 

A Four Hour Tour: Paddling the Flint River

 

I have a confession to make. This week (really this month) has been long and stressful and yesterday, Daniel and I were secretly hoping that it would rain and we would be able to cancel our canoe trip.

Horrible, I know, but life is just crazy. Daniel started working at a new location. Jack and I have been busy traveling to visit with family. And we have been in the process of preparing for Daniel's dad's wedding tomorrow. Life has been busy.

As much as we considered bailing on a trip we had planned, we are so thankful that it didn't rain. We really need some time to relax, cut up with friends and just be together. It was a much needed diversion from the chaos that is currently our life.

Fun Facts of the Day: 
Only one person fell out of their canoe. Though it wasn't a true fall. Paul got out into what he thought was two feet of water and was surprised and lost his footing when he realized it was deeper. I am sure his wife, Courtney, was thankful he didn't tip their canoe over when he fell in the water.

Kyle wins the award for the most random and sneakiest exit from a canoe. I don't think his wife, Karissa, even had a clue he was in the water until after it happened. Kudos, Kyle, for your mad skills at getting in and out of your boat.

Aaron did a fantastic job for being in a canoe for the first time. Most first-timers spend the entire trip zigzagging all over the river. Aaron only zigged and zagged a couple of times. We were impressed with his abilities, especially for his first time!

Many turtles were spotted, and then Allison went and spotted a 9-inch snake when we banked for lunch. I think there was a consensus that it was a water moccasin... time to get back in the boats!

At the end, four of our boats got snagged on a tree when we bottle necked. Fun times. Thankfully no one flipped their boat and we were able to get everyone unstuck.

It was a gorgeous day to be on the river. Like I said, we are so thankful it didn't rain and that we were able to spend some time with our friends.

Paddling Stats:
River: The Flint, on the east side of Huntsville, Alabama
We put in at Ryland Pike and took out at Little Cove Road
Outfitter: Northa Alabama Canoe and Kayak (NACK). 
This is our second time using this outfitter and we really like them.
Total miles paddled: 7.3 miles
Total time on the water: around 4 hours

We're looking forward to our next paddling trip.

Monday Funday

Things have been so crazy lately that we haven't had a chance to take Jack to the local Splash Pad in Scottsboro. After seeing how much he loved the fountains at Bridge Street in Huntsville, I thought Monday would be a great opportunity to introduce him to the Splash Pad.

 

I hate that Daniel didn't get to be a part of this first experience for Jack, but it was nice to have a local activity to take my mind off of the fact that Daniel is gone for the week. Of course, Jack had an absolute blast. I had to drag him away when it was time to go.

Lowe Mill Docks Concert Series and a Hike

We finally made it to a concert at the Lowe Mill in Huntsville. Unfortunately it is the last one of the season and we have to wait until September for it to start back up.

Before going to the concert, we made a pit stop at Blevin's Gap for a 1.5 mile hike in the woods. We love that there are trails so close to civilization. If we ever have a chance to move to Huntsville, we will try to buy in the Jones Valley area – it has Hays Nature Preserve for biking, trails at Blevins Gap for hiking or running and the Flint River for paddling. We LOVE this area.

After our short hike, we made our way over to Lowe Mill. We were starting to doubt the GPS, when Daniel said, "I see razor wire... we must be close." Sure enough, Lowe Mill was right around the corner. Why are art districts always in sketchy areas of town?

Anyways, we unloaded our camp chairs and blanket and settled onto a grassy spot in the back with a full view of the stage. The event was very relaxed. Most people brought their own food and drinks. We had water and snacks and Daniel went inside the Mill to score some sandwiches from Happy Tummy. They were delicious, but because of the concert, it took him 40+ minutes to secure our food.

   
Thankfully Jack was too busy enjoying the concert and people watching to notice.

Our boy loves music. He would bounce up and down to the music and he clapped after every set.

Can you spot Jack and Daniel in the crowd?
 

There was a 30 minute intermission at 7:30 and I wandered through the Mill to look at the various art galleries. It made me nostalgic for college... the smell of turpentine and linseed oil was strong from all of the oil painting studios. There were graphic design studios, painting studios, a print shop, a used book store, and even a theater for local filmmakers. I was impressed. If we ever live in a city again and I am in the mood to expand my business, I would be very tempted to rent studio space somewhere like this.

Overall it was a great family date night. Jack held up well for the evening -- we left about 8:30. He was mesmerized by the water tower that changed color after dark. He chatted the whole way home and went to bed without a hitch. I am so thankful he is easy going and we can do fun stuff like this.

Our First Bike Ride in Two Years

Two years ago Daniel and I took our last bike ride. I was 3 months pregnant and we did 10 miles on the roads close to our home. It was the last time I was on a bicycle.

Two months ago I found a baby carrier for a bicycle at a consignment sale that had all of the parts with it. For $15, I snapped it up. It had barely been used. Unfortunately we have had a lot of other things going on and Daniel needed to fix one of the shifters on his bike before we could hit the trails again.

Today he finally had the time to fix his bike and mount the baby carrier. So we took the opportunity of the gorgeous day to head to the Hays Nature Preserver in Jones Valley – about 45 minutes from our house on this side of Huntsville.

Before leaving the house, we did a practice run to make sure that Jack would tolerate being on the back of a bicycle. We stuck him in the carrier and he cried. I took a quick picture before Daniel took off down the driveway. Within moments, the tears turned to giggles. He loved it. 

They rode down the road and when they came back and dismounted, Jack cried because he was no longer sitting on the back of the bike.

Feeling confidant about a longer ride, we loaded the bikes and our gear while Jack anxiously tried to climb into the car.

We made it to the Hays Nature Preserve about 4:30pm and spent an hour and fifteen minutes exploring all of the connecting greenways (Big Cove, Hays Nature Preserve and the Flint River Greenways) as well as part of the horse/mountain biking trails that were throughout the preserve. 

We weren't planning on going off road, but the trails were too well maintained to not test the waters. 

We made it through some good mud pits and no one wrecked, so that is good :)

Jack had a blast. I think his favorite part of the experience was when Daniel went really fast. Daniel was impressed that he barely felt the bike carrier on the back of the bike. 

We were both thankful that Jack didn't balk at wearing his helmet for the entire trip and I'm pretty sure he was bummed when the ride was over.

We managed to bike a total of ~10 miles. It was a great way to end our long weekend and we can't wait to go back.