Our Favorite Places of 2016

Last year we chronicled some of the favorite places that we visited during our first year of full-time traveling. We thought we might try that again for 2016, as we look back over the best and most memorable places we visited during our second year on the road. Since we love to hike, bike, and kayak, we tried to come up with a short list of things in those categories that we would definitely recommend to other travelers. Mark added a few pictures to remind us of some of our favorite places.

Best Bike Rides:

Virginia Creeper - VA (17 mile ride all downhill!)

Jekyll Island - GA

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - TN
Cuyahoga Valley National Park - OH 

Bartram Trail - GA

Best Kayak Trips:

Wakulla River - FL (Nice float with a close-up encounter with a manatee!

Vermilion River to Lake Erie - OH

Presque Isle State Park - PA

St. Joseph's Peninsula - FL

Best Short Hikes:
Watkins Glen State Park - NY (One of the most picturesque canyons in the world!)

Seneca Rocks - WV
Crooked Island Beach - FL
Raven Cliff Falls - GA
Gorges States Park - NC
Sam Knob Trail - NC
Magazine Mountain State Park - AR

Best Long Hikes:
Hocking Hills State Park - OH (Actually six different hikes within the six sections of the park with grand caverns and canyons)

McAfee Knob - VA
Little Green Mountain - NC
White Rocks - Cumberland Gap National Park - VA
Seven Hollow Trail - AR
Cumberland Island - GA
Tallulah Gorge - GA
Grayson Heights State Park - VA

Besides getting some good exercise, we also enjoyed some amazing experiences that don't fit into the categories above. So we had to add the following two lists to help round out some of our favorite things from 2016. Many of these were special surprises that we stumbled onto on a daily basis. 

Best Festivals:
Mardi Gras - LA (We went to city parades and small town events for a week-long festival)

Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival - FL
Scottish Festival - SC
Plowin'  Days - NY
Zucchini Festival - OH

Best Experiences:
Elk of Cataloochee Valley - NC (When the elk came out, so did the bears!)

Shells on Holly Beach - LA
Fall Foliage and Dolly Sods - WV
Pennsylvania Dutch Country - PA
Factory Tours of York - PA
Roadside Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Stands sprinkled throughout the east

After we assembled our list, it was fascinating to see that our favorites were spread throughout our journey this past year. We had favorites in almost all of the states we visited, which reminded us that there are great things to see and do everywhere we look! We have been blessed to wander into some of God's great wonders in 2016!