Even with the hardships and struggles that come with travel and camping I find myself disappointed that it is over.

Not going to miss the leaky air mattress though…kind of reminded me of my parents old waterbed but without the fun water.

Red River Gorge in Kentucky won me over with the first hike.

The woods felt earthy, deep, and wonderful. And I knew I would miss them.

Mountain Laurel abounded as well as magnolias, giving the place a rainforest and magical feel.

Thunderstorms came which lead to a lot of “keep away from the sides of the tent!” But also falling asleep to the sounds of rain (and let’s be honest kids complaining of rain leaking in).

Tearing down and setting up the camp is stressful and not my favorite but the endless possibilities to explore make it worth it.

I missed our RV but enjoyed being closer to the forest. I did not enjoy being closer to loud neighbors that liked to stay up until 2am though…

Cumberland falls took me back in time and I reread “Moonbow Inn” by Laura Frantz while we stayed there. Seeing the places described in the book made it come alive.

Cumberland Falls State Park Campground was a letdown after the beauty and peace of the Koomer Ridge campground. The spaces were smaller, tons of light flooded our tent all night, and the heat and bugs were pretty oppressive but I loved the falls.

Next time I would just stop for the day. But I am glad we got the chance to hike out to Dog Slaughter Falls ( my kids were concerned about taking our dog to such a tragically named place though). Hardly anyone was on the trail and the hike and falls were breathtaking.

I feel like we went at a great time of the year, bugs were not too bad, the weather was pretty good although it got a bit hot once or twice, and the crowds were non existent.

I would not mind going in early May again!