adventures

We’re Still Here!

October 23, 2020 by Caitlyn

Hello All!

I wish I could tell you all about a grand adventure that we took. I’m currently on fall break and took some days off to allow for an adventure but alas, we have been too busy doing the adventure of every day life to go any where. This does not mean that we haven’t done any thing or not been kept on our toes. By no means at all! We do have Grant.

Concert Together

Tyler did manage to get a few hours of work at a concert. IU put on a few outdoor concerts that were only open to IU students and only allowed like 100 people to attend. Tyler worked the load in and load out. We were supposed to go out that night since we were kid free, but when he gets work as a local, he needs to take it. Starting a new company does take time, so in the meantime work local as much as you can. Tyler being Tyler, came up with the idea of me meeting him there and watching the concert from the outer edge. This was a great night. We got to enjoy each other’s company and then about half way through the show they let us come on in and move closer. Clayton Anderson put on a great show!

Hanging Pots?!

Tyler has also been working on the house as much as he can in his free time. He recently got some new hardware and rope to put these hanging pots up in our kitchen. I was not 100% on board with the idea at first honestly. I was not able to visualize how it would look. Tyler reassured me that it would look fine, that his mom had hanging pots there when they were living there. Safe to say, I really love having them now. They are a great addition, help to fill such a big space. Hopefully soon we will have tomatoes, and spinach. We also put my spider plant in one to allow it more room to grow.

Kitties!

Lucifer and Tubby on wall outside our door, waiting to try to run in.

Tubby in Caitlyn's sweater while playing darts

We have also had the pleasure of three kitties moving into our garage. They have become some of the most spoiled cats I’ve ever had. Mostly my fault but don’t let Tyler fool you, he loves having them around too. He likes to describe them as farm dogs, the three musketeers, his office staff, and the worlds worst dart partners. They will follow you around where ever you go outside, they get along well, and keep any small critters away. Momma Kitty (inside cat) has not enjoyed having them around. She is very concerned about making sure they stay outside and do NOT come in. Grant also loves having them around, no surprise there. They have been great to help teach him about being gentle and have now given him a daily chore. Feeding them every morning and at night when they get closed up in the garage. Speaking of Grant.

Pumpkin!

This past Sunday, while I was sitting on the couch enjoying a lazy Sunday, Grant comes up to me and says “mommy, I wanna go DO something.” Um….okay. We could go to the store, I need to get some things. OKAY! So away we went. Got to the store and saw the pumpkins out front and thought perfect! We bought a pumpkin and some things to make Halloween themed cookies. He wasn’t as on board with the decorating part of cookies and just wanted to eat them. When it came to the pumpkin, he wanted a T-rex. Kid, I can’t draw that well. Spider. Nope. How about a face. Fine. Proud to say that at 3 years old he is finally willing to at least stick his hand in the pumpkin with a spoon. Still won’t touch the pumpkin guts but it is progress!

Ducking

I have also been trying to make sure to place a duck on every Jeep I see. I am waiting for the day Jackson gets another duck but for now, Kyle gets to ride front and center. One day, I ducked a Jeep at our favorite ice cream place here in Bloomington, Bruster’s. It turned out to be the general manager! I wrote A Man, A Jeep, No Real Plan on the bottom of all of them and he found our Facebook page with the post about the ducking. These little ducks may end up being a great advertising for the blog. So if you are here because we placed a duck on your Jeep, welcome! Stay awhile and share with your friends! I hope we made you smile when you saw it.

More to come soon, hopefully

That is basically the highlights of what has been going on. Busy growing in our own ways. Him, creating a business. Me, finishing up school and looking to future careers. Together we have been focusing on Grant and creating a home. Hopefully soon things will settle down at home some so that we can take an adventure, even a small one. Until then, please share with your friends.

Now, go on your own adventure!

-Caitlyn aka Pretty Lady

We went adventuring again. Without Tyler!

August 5, 2020 by Caitlyn

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, me and Grant left early Wednesday heading for the Smoky Mountains for a long weekend. We didn’t go alone though, thankfully. My aunt, Danita, my older sister, Briana, and her three kids all piled into a big SUV. It was hard to leave my Jeep, Jackson, behind but this was one adventure where he would have to get left behind. Tyler also got left behind.

For a couple reasons. 1. He has been home way to much. Hahahaha, I doubt you guys would buy that. I enjoy having him around, he is my best friend and the one person I get a long with all the time. So, 1. He did start a new job that he needed to stay at home to complete. 2. We had original planned to do this trip on spring break while he was still touring, therefore it was just going to be a girls plus kids week, but we ended up having to cancel because of COVID.

Danita was able to get the trip rescheduled though for this past week and away we went! Unfortunately, in my mad rush to leave I completely forgot not only my phone charger but also my camera. The pictures I got were with my phone and are very lacking! My deepest apologies to anyone who loves the pictures!

Wednesday

We left super early Wednesday morning that way we could do something before heading to our cabin, we agreed to go to Wonder Works. Or as we all refer to it, the upside house. It is really cool! See pictures below for the outside view and of the lobby. The rest of it is kind of a mix between an arcade, fun zone, and a museum. It is kind of hard to explain to anyone who has never been before.

I didn’t get any pictures on the inside because Grant had me on my toes. I did have him on the leash though. That leash has been a life saver for us, makes going and doing things with him so much easier. Wonder Works had something for everyone though. We even left and ate dinner at the Apple Barn and then came back for more. When you buy a ticket you can use it for that whole day, allowing you to leave and return if you want.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday we spent the day hiking, and playing in the creek. Grant loves the water! I should’ve known better and brought his swimsuit with us that day. He was soaked by the end! Every where the cousins went, he was right there with them. Made bedtime a breeze though, poor kid would be out like a light within 5 to 10 mins of good nights and I love yous.

Friday we spent the day playing mini golf. I did get two hole in ones (I’m a little proud of myself for that). We went to Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini Golf. It had two courses that you could play. Lots of different levels, water included, some holes had a challenge wheel you had to spin, and even a fort that you played through. It was really cool course. We all had a really good time, lots of laughs. At ourselves and at each other.

Grant also did surprisingly well. He didn’t try to throw the club or the hit the ball as hard as he possible could. He was trying very hard to hit it right and would play through till the ball went in the hole. Also stayed with us for the most part, a few times he would get excited and go to next hole. I told my aunt that the next time me and Tyler wanted to do a day thing with Grant I would need to keep mini golf in mind.

Saturday

Saturday morning Briana and her kids decided to make the hike up to Rainbow Falls. As a refresher for some, Rainbow Falls is the trail/falls that me and Tyler did a few months back when we went to the Smoky Mountains. Remember how that almost killed me and I swore I would never go back…WELP!

I most definitely did NOT go back up! No, thank you! When they told me that, I laughed and said have fun and no Grant is not going with. Danita decided that she would also not make the hike. So while they (The Crazies!) hiked, the three of us enjoyed the hot tub at the cabin, having the whole cabin to ourselves, and did some hiking around the cabin. Briana and the kids made it back early afternoon, she claims it only took them an hour and a half to get up the mountain…. I don’t know…. probably actually. They are all in pretty good shape and jog for fun (like I said The Crazies!). In all seriousness, when she told me that, that was my okay I probably should get more serious about mine and Tyler’s health. We’ll keep you updated on that.

After lunch was had, we headed to Cades Cove to do some last ditch attempt at bear hunting. I am proud to say that we did manage to see two bears! They were also little ones. It probably could have been three bears but then someone in the front of the line, honked and scared it away. At least that is what we are thinking happened since the line started moving again once the honk happened.

Time to Journey Home

Sunday morning, we all got up and started the packing to head home. I was getting out of the shower when there was a knock at my door, it was Danita. “Cat, there is a bear outside.” “A what?” “A bear!” I grabbed my towel came out into the kitchen, let out a yelp and went right back into the bathroom to get my phone. There was a bear sitting outside our cabin. I didn’t get out fast enough with my phone to get his face, but here is him getting up walking away.

Therefore, our grand total of bear sightings for the week was three! It just doesn’t feel like a successful Smoky visit if you don’t see a bear. Once the bear finally decided to leave we finished packing up the SUV and homeward we went. I was so glad to be home and be back with Tyler. Having him home for the last 5 months have spoiled both of us. We have gotten used to each other always being there. I’m not sure what I am going to do if he ever gets the chance to go back on the road touring.

What’s next?

We don’t have any adventures planned for August because this introvert told Tyler that I need to hermit for the month. I just want to go to work and then come home and only interact with people I have to. Knowing him though, I won’t be able to get away with that. So stay tuned for more adventures! Together or apart!

xoxo

-Pretty Lady

We climbed a mountain and lost the nuggets. Our Stumble home.

July 18, 2020 by Tyler

Hello folks! Sorry for this update taking so long, life came at us 1000 miles an hour last week and I am just now catching my breath.

Or last adventure in Mineral County was to take the 4 wheel drive trails up to the top of Mt. Bristol Head. Instead of cramming all of us into Jackson, Mom and Dad rented a friend for Jackson to play with.

The drive up was beautiful! We wove through the high meadows and the spruce groves. Granted the groves were littered with dead spruces that were killed by beetles years ago, but it was nice to be in an area untouched by the fires.

We stopped just shy of the tree-line for a picnic. Caitlyn spent most of it taking pictures. Grant spent most of the time playing in the soft, sand-like dirt. I fed my face like a fat kid. We all did exactly what we wanted.

As you can see, the top was absolutely breathtaking. Both Pretty Lady and I got some amazing photos!

I’d like to take a moment to talk about this one in particular. While Caitlyn and I were taking photos, my mom kept an eye on Grant. I absolutely love the above photo. They were standing close to the edge and they were talking about everything from birds flying to why the mountains looked so small. When we get the shop up and running I am calling this photo “Grandma Why?”

The Drive down was just as beautiful as the drive up. I drove most of it and Caitlyn kept having me stop so she could take photos. We also may have sent Grant ahead in the other jeep… There were just too many artistic opinions in the vehicle on the way up…

At the end of the trip, we stopped and took turns driving across the river. I am pretty sure this is another one that we’ll end up with in the shop. I just love the way that the water is interacting with the tires, the open sky with enticing clouds, and a very happy woman enjoying feeling like a badass who can’t be stopped. I think I’m going to call this one “Try and Stop Me”

Last weekend we finally started our stumble home. Our first stop was the Great Sand Dune National Park. It is exactly what it sounds like, they are massive piles of sand. When I say massive… I’d like you to note that the photo of the dunes above is taken from about a half mile from their base and they are blocking the mountains behind them… They are big.

Our first night was camping in Colorado Springs. We also had a lovely evening doing a socially distanced visit with my friend Hannah, her husband Zach, and their daughter Ari. It was great! We hung out in their back yard, had dinner, caught up, and watched the kids fail to social distance. That being said, it was an amazing time and Hannah has set the bar high on being a gracious host.

Next stop was in Kansas City. On our way to Kansas City, Grant could not keep ahold of his chicken nuggets to save his life. We tried twice and both times he got 1 bite, and then lost all of them on the floor. The first time I notified Caitlyn that the nuggets were down. I have to tell you, if you have never driven 1300 miles with a 3 year old, it truly turns everyone’s brain to mush and the phrase “nugget down” will make all parties involved laugh hysterically.

Once we arrived in Kansas City, We stayed at KOA (against my better judgement). We had breakfast the next morning with my friend Amanda, her Husband Jake, and their Daughter Liz. Once again it was a pleasure the Adults talked and the kids destroyed Amanda’s living room. Breakfast was great and the added bonus was that it wore Grant out so he slept a bit more on the drive than we would have expected.

Speaking of Grant sleeping in the car. How the hell does he get comfortable in some of these positions? I mean I understand that young children are more flexible than us adults, but it’s not fair that I wake up hurting if I spend too much time asleep with my arm under my head, but he can sleep slumped over with both of his feet above his head and a blanket covering his entire body. It’s just not fair.

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Fishing, Golfing, Hiking, and a Drive Through the Mountians.

July 8, 2020 by Tyler

Hello all! Sorry I have been radio silent for a few days, but it is really hard to generate content when you spend 5 hours trying to stay awake and not catching any fish. To be fair, we hit our bag limits on trout by hour 7, but prior to that the only thing I caught was a sun burn.

The following day I went golfing with my father. To be more specific, he golfed and I stuck to what I’m good at: drinking, driving (golf cart only), and heckling. I must admit, I only had one beer, but I was as aggressive with that golf cart as one dares to be when the course is literally built on the side of a mountain. I was certainly not as aggressive with my heckling though… I mean yes I did have to comment when he donated golf balls to the Rio Grande, but when he mulliganed four balls off the side of the mountain in a row… I just didn’t have the heart… or was it that I couldn’t stop laughing… Regardless a good time was had by all!

July 3rd was my mom’s Birthday. I am unsure (probably by design) of her age, but she has celebrated her birthday in Creede, CO pretty much every year of my life. She always celebrates her birthday with a meal at a particular establishment. Covid-19 made this a challenge this year, but I am happy to say that the tradition was continued and once again, a good time was had by all!

Post birthday celebrations, Caitlyn, The Little Man and I went on our own adventures. We started at the Mining Museum, which we all failed to get any pictures of. That being said, the Mining Museum is awesome! They literally drilled and blasted out tunnels in the mountain to build the mining museum. The guided tour is led by an old timer who used to work in the local mines before they closed. The exhibits start with the old school hammer and hand drill method of drilling holes for dynamite to modern day techniques. I highly recommend it!

After the museum we went on a drive and found the Upper Clear Creek Falls. they were beautiful!

They also were the location of alot of the photos Caitlyn posted in her last update.

Dad and I decided to take the little man on a hike this past Sunday and let Mom and Caitlyn go shopping. We selected one of the few trails that Dad has not done in this area before. The average hiker covers about 2.5 miles an hour. We managed to get Grant about 3/4 of a mile in an hour and half. The Tiny Terrorist was more interested in looking at every ant hill, chipmunk hole, and oddly shapes rock than walking. Eventually Dad and I gave up and we just stopped for lunch and then headed back.

Grant was even less cooperative on the return trip to the car. So Dad and I took turns carrying him back. Once we got back to the car we strapped him in and he was out cold as soon as the car was rolling.

At this point Dad and I decided to drive into the mountains and find the other side of the trail. This was the begining of us formulating a plan for the next day.

The plan was simple, we talked our wonderful partners into taking us into the mountains and dumping us on the up hill side of the trail. They and Grant walked with us for the first mile and then we were on our own. I want to go on record stating that I firmly believe the ladies are witches, because witchcraft is the only possible explanation for how they got Grant to hike further than Dad and I did. They didn’t even have to carry him… (Or have to carry his pack. He lead the way the whole time. -Caitlyn)

At any rate, for Dad and I, it was a 9 mile downhill stumble that we did in about 3.5 hours and dear god am I out of shape. I mean we didn’t really stop other than short pee breaks, and long enough to drink some water. It was a strenuous hike, but dear god did I hurt the next morning.

Yesterday we drove over to Lake City. The drive was amazing, the city not so much. I won’t blast individual businesses, but they were openly hostile to the concept of mask wearing, to the point that one business asked me to remove mine. I declined and then was hurried out the door. There was also a business with a confederate flag with the message, “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone” printed on it… yeah, I have spent my last dollar in Lake City.

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7/1/2020 We’re on an Adventure!

July 1, 2020 by Tyler

There is almost nothing that can phase me while I’m on an adventure. Jeff can break down, storms can blow in and try to kill me, I can end up sleeping in sketchy truck stops… Doesn’t phase me a bit.

However the youngest member of my team needs 45 minutes to adjust to the idea that the seats fold down in Jackson. That being said, last Friday we packed up Jackson for his and Grant’s maiden road trip with A Man, A Jeep, No Real Plan.

This adventure stays true to the spirit of this blog. We have a rough outline, but nothing set in stone. We also are being joined on this trip by my parents, who normally go to the cabin this time of year anyways. Luckily the also embrace the “winging it” mentality…

So, on Saturday morning we embarked on what ended up being a 32 hour long stumble westward.

According to google, the trip is about 20 hours of actual driving. How did we spend the other 16 hours? Well there was some time spent betting my father that he couldn’t fit through holes in random objects. As of writing, he has not gotten stuck yet.

We also spent a good chunk of time trying to find open businesses that also have open bathrooms. I knew going into this trip we were going to have some issues due to covid-19, but I didn’t expect it to result in driving over 100 miles while having to pee because literally no where had a freaking bathroom.

The only other notable thing is the fact that it is damn near impossible to find a hotel with 2 rooms in Kansas on short notice. When it was determined that it was time to stop for the night, I started calling hotels in a town about 50 miles ahead of us. according to google there are 15 hotels in this town. The first 13 of them I called didn’t have a single room available… Hotel number 14 had exactly 2 rooms available, so I booked them from the road. Upon arrival at this establishment we were greeted by a loud party in the parking lot. Thankfully the walls in this hotel were more sound proof than one would expect.

On Sunday evening we arrived at the cabin just in time to unload the vehichles and put Grant to bed.

Monday was spent getting used to the altitude. In the morning we took Jackson out and got some dust on him in the morning. When we stopped Caitlyn got a bunch of photos, I only got two. The above one I am falling in love with. When I get my act together and start selling prints, this one is definitely going to be available.

The other one photo I got is also likely to be available. Once Caitlyn was done with her photos she came and found Grant and I as we explored the various different types of bugs found at high altitude. He loves the grasshoppers up here. Caitlyn does not… At any rate, I snaged this photo as they were walking away and he was telling her all about the grasshoppers.

Monday afternoon we went into town for lunch and to find better wifi. While Caitlyn worked on her school stuff, Grant and I went exploring the beautiful town that is Creede. There was a distinct lack of tourists and some of my parents favorite shops were closed due to Covid-19 (some of them temporarily, some permanently). Luckily for Grant, the old train is still in the small park, and that is all of the exploring he cared to do. Mom and I ended up tag teaming who’s turn it was to play on the train and who got to go look in the shops.

Tuesday morning Caitlyn and I left the Tiny Terrorist with my parents and took Jackson out to play. We drove him on several 4×4 trails, the most challenging of which was up to Ghost Lake. I am proud to say that Jackson was able to go everywhere I wanted him to, even a few places that Caitlyn would rather I hadn’t tried. That being said I am still confident that Jeff can kick Jacksons ass. Eventually we will let them play together and find out.

Jackson wasn’t the only one to get to play on Tuesday morning. I wasn’t at 100% yet, but I was close enough to do some climbing. Nothing too major, just climbing ontop of some 20 foot bolders… It took the wind out of me…

You see, the cabin sits at about 9,000 feet above sea level. To give you some perspective on that the tree line (altitude where the air is too thin for trees to grow) is around 12,000 feet above sea level. So the air is a bit thin around here to say the least and over doing it before your body adjusts is a legit fear.

Another fear up here is wildfires. On Tuesday afternoon we picked up the little man and headed towards the scorched remains of The West Fork Fire Complex of 2013. This fire consisted of three seperate fires that were started by lightning. The individual fires were the West Fork Fire, Windy Pass Fire, and Papoose Fire (between the three fires over 110,000 acres was destroyed).

I have to tell you, walking through the destroyed forest 7 years afterwards is eary, as you can see above, its beautiful but unsettling. If I were to have an exhibit of these photos it would be called “Remains of the Temple”. My words just can’t do justice to what I saw.

On our way back from the fire area we stopped at this beautiful lush lake and hiked around a bit. I think the best part was watching the look on mothers of small children as the realized the genius of putting a bell on your preschooler while out in the wild. It’s great, Tiny Terrorist gets to free range in the wilderness, and we always know he is within ear shot and where he is without needing to hover.

At any rate, as the moon started to rise over the mountains, and the sun still beat down on us, we decided to call it a day and head back to the cabin.

Stay tuned for Caitlyn’s takes on our adventures and for the rest our adventures. We will be here for another 10 days and I think we all know that is plenty of time for me to have a few adventures!

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adventures

Concert Together

Hanging Pots?!

Kitties!

Pumpkin!

Ducking

More to come soon, hopefully

Wednesday

Thursday and Friday

Saturday

Time to Journey Home

What’s next?

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