I think it’s safe to say 2015 was a summer of adventure for the Cook Family.
The summer started with us kayaking our way through the canals of Marco Island, and ended with us floating down a river on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. In between we’ve been biking, hiking, whitewater rafting and exploring great new outdoor spots in Central Florida. The theme here, most involve water. Which is just fine with me!
We’ve also become pretty big soccer fans this summer. Any time there’s an Orlando City game, you will find us at the game or parked in front of it on tv.
It’s like I don’t even recognize this family.
Here are some of the summer 2015 highlights:
- We’ve almost completed our kitchen renovation!
- We’ve met two new family members this summer. New nephew, Graham and new niece, Robin.
- We hiked up a very steep area of the Smoky Mountains to get to something called Grotto Falls. I highly recommend it. However when you go, wear appropriate shoes, bring some water, make sure you’ve gone to the bathroom and don’t believe anyone who tells you that it’s easy. It’s hard. But pretty worth it once you arrive at the top. You even get to see the backside of water. And thankfully, I smiled most of the way going back down.
- If you go to the dunes – do better research than we did. I expected water to be a reward after a steep climb – that was not the case. Do not go to a dune where water is over a mile away once you reach the top. IT SUCKS.
- Check your cell phone plan before you leave on vacation. We spent a lot of time without access to wifi – and I’m shocked at how high my cell phone bills are this summer!
- Invest in a GoPro or other water-proof camera. I won a GoPro last year at FlBlogCon thanks to Your Southern Ford Dealers. This is the first trip I really put it to good use.
First, here’s a video of our tubing in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
And here’s a video of our whitewater rafting experience in Tennessee. I’m pretty proud of this one.
And here are some other pictures from our great summer!
