Athens, GA

Ugh, rain and traffic getting out of Atlanta today after having to say goodbye to my cousins and their families and putting my mom on a plane back to CA. On the bright side, my "road quesadilla" invention of rolling a stick of string cheese in a tortilla and keeping it closed with a rubber band has been a big hit for kid lunch in the car. Well, it had been the last few times anyway... Unrelated, does anyone know how long it would take a four year old to "pass" a rubber band. #truestory #notaskingforafriend #willtryredonesnexttime #airstream #airstreamintherearview #liveriveted #myrivetedlife

"Now I gotta carry this friggin' ball all the way back up the hill just so it can... aw, crap, there it goes rolling back down. I'm on it!" #toddlerlife #againandagain #childhoodunplugged #airstreamwithkids #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #watsonmillbridgestatepark #georgia Hey! Anyone have any favorite things to do in Athens, GA??

One of the best skills our kids could learn out of this lifestyle is from frequently having to get up the nerve to walk up to another kid and say, "Hi, what's your name? I'm Wynne. Would you like to dance with me?" Even better if they're at the great Athens Farmer's Market and the Georgia legend Reverend Connor Tribble is the musical act. #athensga #athensfarmersmarket #farmersmarket #travelwithkids #familytravel

It's easy to fall into the trap - whether driven by other parents at the park, other travelers you see on Instagram, or even just yourself - of always looking ahead towards the next thing, sometimes at the expense of the present.

So instead of, the second it seems like Wynne is comfortable on the balance bike, scrambling to figure out a pedal bike to replace it, even trying a few that have led to tears, why not just let her actually enjoy the new freedom of riding as she continues to develop balance and awareness?
#balancebike #wanderlust #keepingupwiththewhatever #childhoodunplugged @striderbikes #striderbike

I have a confession to make, and it might just result in the powers that be pulling my fulltimer card, but here goes: We've never actually camped in a Walmart parking lot. I know, I know. It's shocking, but hear me out.

When scouting for campgrounds near Athens the morning we left Atlanta, there were two state parks, one 30 minutes west and one 30 minutes east of town, and one private campground about 20 minutes south. Then, there was a Walmart about 7 minutes from downtown.

When we're visiting a town, we like to be as close as possible to minimize car time for the kids on non-drive days, but for some reason, just haven't done the Walmart thing, so I called the private CG first. They had one site which they said *might* fit a 25' trailer but then decided they didn't think we'd fit (which in my experience means it's probably about 40' long and they don't know what they're talking about). A call to the western state park found that it was full, but the eastern said it had one site available, but we needed to call Reserve America. I got on the RA web site and confirmed that there was in fact one site available for Fri but not Sat. Oh well, we needed something for the night so I tried to book it. Nope, 2 night minimum stay required for weekends. So I called the 800 number where I heard the same thing. Well, I'd gladly book two nights if two were available! (I had to say this about 5 times.) Finally, we stumbled on a loophole that we've actually used a few times lately; If there are no other sites available, you can reserve the ADA accessible site. So we got it for two nights. Of course, when we arrived, they didn't really care what kind of site we'd booked and told us to pick any open site.

Oh, so Walmart. Well, they're cheap, ubiquitous and probably a welcome relief after a long drive, but for now, our streak is intact. Oh and you can't exactly argue with where a little persistence landed us!

#watsonmillbridgestatepark #watsonmillbridge #georgia #childhoodunplugged

"Daddy, where do Corvettes come from?" "Well, honey, there's this covered bridge in Georgia, and, well... you see, when a man loves a car very much..." #watsonmillbridgestatepark #watsonmillbridge #corvette @lsxatlanta

Athens just "gets me." A Creature Comforts Brewing Company Tropicália on an outdoor patio, the smell of wood fired pizza in the air and a 30'x10' sandbox full of toys. Now where are my children? Thanks to @leskeuss for the rec! #athensga #tedsmostbest #familytravel #travelwithkids #beertravel #beertourism

Okay, last one from Watson Mill Bridge State Park. And tho we may get some crap for planning a little more than some other fulltimers, this stop was not planned, nor was the extra day we decided to stay, and it was a great one. Heck, the entire side route into Atlanta came together in the last month because we stayed flexible, and we're going day by day for the next bit up to Wilkesboro for Merlefest. I know, we're craaaaaazy. 😜 #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #rvlife #georgia #watsonmillbridgestatepark

The other morning I was lying in bed checking FB and started down a rabbit hole of Prince tribute videos. Wynne heard the music and crawled into bed to watch a few. Then, for the first time in months, she said, "Let's get out the instruments!" I pulled the uke, a little keyboard and my guitar from the storage compartment behind the lounge and asked her what she wanted to play. She said, "How 'bout the 'Purple Rain' song?" Needless to say, I nearly blew the roof off the trailer with my moving, powerful rendition of "This Little Light of Mine." #airstreamwithkids #kidsmusic #princetribute #dovescried