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Showing posts from July, 2020

Cumberland Gap - Hike to Tri State Peak

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  Today was a great day exploring the Cumberland Gap area. We hiked the Tri State Peak trail located in the Cumberland Mountains where Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia all meet  I never was much of a history buff- short facts is all I need to stay entertained, but I admit I learned a lot today about history in general in the area. To think that the Cumberland Gap was the main way to get from point A to point B, and that it was considered a relatively flat and easy way to get there, is crazy to me. Clearly, I am far lazier than those before me!  Between 1760 and 1850, almost 300,000 people walked, rode, or were carried through the Cumberland Gap.  The hike to Tri-State Peak is a moderate 2.4-mile out-and-back with quite an elevation gain. I had read that it was 0.6 miles one way. So when the sign said 1.2 miles, I assumed that meant round trip. Well, halfway up, there was a sign that said 0.6 miles to the peak. I guess math never was a strong talent of mine either!!!  While the majority

The Motorcycle Rider Course: How to kick your nerves/fear/anxiety aside and go get your MC license!!!

Summer is upon us and I have had a lot of questions and heard a lot of fears around getting a motorcycle license - specifically walking into the rider course with zero experience.  I went from riding on the back of my dad's Honda Goldwing to taking the motorcycle class and getting my license. I didn't "study" ahead of time. I didn't try to get on someone else's bike ahead of time to know what side the clutch is on vs the brake. I just went for it and signed up for the class and let the skilled teachers do their job and teach me how to do it!!  I was nervous to take the class - thinking everyone else will already know how to ride, or they will know how to use a clutch, or that I would be the 'dumbest' one there and hold the rest of the class up. There were a few moments where I questioned what I was about to do, but yet I really wanted to ride my own someday, so I really had nothing to lose. Worse case, I don't pass the class. Either way, I will lea

Algona Freedom Fest - My first time was an absolute BLAST!!!

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Algona Freedom Fest was an absolute blast!  Met up with a ton of great friends there and left with many new friends! Yes, I know there is CoVid out there. No, we were not social distancing. Yes, I will be avoiding people for awhile now. Yes, it was all worth it!! Plus, I am now an ABATE member!   It was a scorcher - every day was well over 85 and humid with zero cloud cover. Tent camping was not as miserable as I expected it to be - I came prepared with lots of water, a frog togg cooling towel to sleep on, and even a mini fan, which was pretty bulky, but well worth the space it took up. Just having a bit of breeze on my face gave me the false belief that it was cooler than it actually was! They had ice trucks going around often to keep the coolers chilled. There were food trucks and lots of vendors throughout the day and well into the night.  Went to bed with a roadway outside my tent, woke up with a mini city!  There were bands, bike contests, butt contests, drag pulls, foam pit, stun