Texas-Ranger Travels

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day 2020, Olivia and I spent an extended weekend at Wrightsville Beach with friends and family. I did my best to recap everything and film as much as I could, but I inevitably missed a good percentage of the weekend just relaxing and enjoying the great company. I will do my best to describe some of these experiences in this blog entry. For the visual highlights, be sure to check out the video below:

We arrived at the beach house on Thursday afternoon and I immediately got changed to head to the golf course with my dad. He is a member of Landfall Country Club, an amazing private club just on the other side of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge. My parents have been members of Landfall for about 30 years now, and some of my earliest summer memories involve a myriad of activities at the club–swimming at the pool, playing tennis with my family, watching fireworks on 4th of July, and of course playing golf on their two beautiful courses.

Since we had a late start to the day, we decided on nine holes at the Pete Dye course, actually teeing-off on number ten. Landfall features two top-notch tracks: the Nicklaus featuring three individual nines (Marsh, Ocean, and Pines) and the aforementioned Dye Course with another incredible eighteen holes. Although I prefer the Nicklaus course–Marsh to Ocean in particular–the Dye course is great in its own right and has some iconic holes. This afternoon, we were lucky enough to have the course to ourselves and breezed through the back nine.

We had to start the weekend with dinner at our favorite local burger restaurant, Poe’s Tavern. This place never disappoints–the food is always fantastic and the atmosphere is awesome for the beach. We can walk to the restaurant from my families’ place, and it is always our first choice when an important game is on. They have a great bar area with plenty of large TV’s for viewing. After starting off with a delicious order of chips and queso (standard), I had my go-to “Pit & Pendulum” burger with cheese and bacon. Delicious as always, and the shoestring fries are the perfect complement. They absolutely load you up with these bad boys. Washing both down with a Tropical Lightning (local Wilmington Brewing IPA) makes one of my absolute favorite meals in town. Not to mention the rotating flavors of Nye’s ice cream cookie sandwiches that we typically take to-go. We landed on vanilla-chocolate this evening and the food coma commenced.

Friday was a workday for both us–Olivia doing her schoolwork for her Master’s in nursing while I was working my full-time spec engineering job. By five o’clock, we were ready to unwind and grab some dinner. We decided to go casual and change it up by checking out a new place–Wild Wing Cafe in Landfall shopping center. Although the food took some time to come out, everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. We started with six honey barbecue wings–immediately wishing we had ordered at least six more. For my dinner, I went with a Buffarella, their take on a buffalo chicken wrap. It was so tasty and one of the best buff wraps I’ve ever had. They use a jalapeno-cheddar tortilla that really set it off. The tots on the side were crispy and plentiful. With plenty of sports on and live music playing in the background, this place checked all the boxes for us!

We got a special surprise on Saturday with a visit from our good friends Mike and Michelle. I worked with Mike for two years at Nomaco before he moved up to Richmond to be with Michelle while she finishes up dental school at VCU. Mike and I have been on a few trips together (both work and personal travel), but we all enjoyed a weekend in Nashville together March of 2019 to see the town and watch our Canes play the Predators in hockey. We had such a great time on that trip and have been trying to link up since, so this was a welcome surprise for the afternoon. Mike and Michelle were in town to shoot their engagement photos at Airlie Gardens, so we were able to have lunch together prior to their photoshoot.

For lunch, we checked out one of our new favorite spots that is also within walking distance from the rents place. The place is called Shark Bar and its right up the street from Johnny Mercer’s pier, adjacent to the Palm Room that’s been around since my mom was a kid. We discovered this place on our last beach weekend and it has not let us down after two visits. Although it is slightly on the smaller side, they do have a second floor area with it’s own separate bar and additional seating. It also has a view of the ocean from the wraparound windows–pretty hard to beat that. My cheeseburger was as good as the first time and we began the walk back home super satisfied.

Saturday also saw the arrival of my aunt and uncle, Cyndi and Dale, around 1pm. After saying our goodbyes to Mike and Michelle, the fam had a nice afternoon together relaxing and getting some sun in the backyard. Around 5pm, my mother fired up the over to prepare dinner for the whole group. My uncle Kip and his girlfriend Kathryn ended up coming out as well, and we all sat down on the back deck to a delicious home-cooked meal. Complete with BBQ ribs and a slew of side options (my favorite of which being my mom’s mac and cheese), I loaded up my plate two or three different times. It was great spending time with family while indulging in some delicious food.

Sunday started early with another round of golf for me and my father. This time around, we had a 9:30 tee time for the Nicklaus course. Instead of the typical nine hole combos that we play, we decided to play the Pines course twice around because it was absolutely empty. We had a blast and finished eighteen holes in just over three hours–exactly my style of golf.

The afternoon featured a family boat ride to palm tree island for Ellie to stretch her legs a bit and for the adults to get some sun. Although the sun never really wanted to come out, Eleanor had a blast socializing getting to swim with all the other pups. This is the highlight of her beach weekend and it’s awesome to be able to let her off the leash and get some good activity while the adults hangout in the water. After going all out the previous evening, Sunday was a bit simpler with a couple of pizzas from Mellow Mushroom. So filling and delicious, we were all in bed early after this long day.

Olivia and I were back to work Monday morning, and by lunchtime we were saying goodbye to Cyndi and Dale. While the afternoon turned out beautiful and sunny, we decided to make a return trip to palm tree island. This is where most of the footage from the recap video came from. Ellie was tearing it up and loving all the action going on at the typical Labor Day party spot. Although a slow holiday in comparison to recent years, it was a welcome change for us “locals.”

Monday’s dinner was decided earlier in the weekend as we always have to work it into the trip somehow. This evening it was the delicious baja-mexican restaurant K38, the sister restaurant to the legendary Tower 7 in the main downtown area of Wrightsville. The food here at K38 is just as delicious and always so filling. I went with the shredded chicken enchiladas this time around, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied. Super tough walking out of this place because I am always so full!

We finished off the long and fun-filled weekend with a round of mini golf at Jungle Rapids. Jungle Rapids is a family fun center in Wilmington that has been a staple of the Detweiler family for some time (to say the least). In addition to mini golf, it features a badass go-cart track, a large indoor arcade and rock-climbing wall, laser tag, and even a large outdoor waterpark. Although we used to be regular visitors to the waterpark when we were younger, we mostly stop by now and again for a round of mini golf and a few laps on the go carts. It had been awhile being back so it was super nostalgic to play eighteen on this awesome course. Olivia’s first time and she ends up beating me, can you believe it?

Tuesday was a classic return home day as we woke up to dark storm clouds and wet weather. We spent the morning working and the afternoon getting packed up for the drive back to Raleigh. It’s always so tough leaving the beach, but with an already short week it was time to get back to the grind. It was a relaxing Labor Day and one that I was happy to capture on video, so be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to stay tuned for future adventures. Thanks again for reading and I’ll be back next week for an update on our next journey: a weekend with friends in St. Louis!

– Walker

Jumping Out of a Plane

To kickoff Olivia’s 27th year of existence, I decided to surprise her with an experience we will never, ever forget. I booked reservations for us to go skydiving at the beach! If you want to see evidence of me falling out of the sky from a perfectly good airplane, check out the video below:

I scheduled our jumps about a month out with Coastal Carolinas Skydiving out of Southport, NC. They had stellar reviews online and happened to be a short 45 minute drive from my family’s beach house in Wrightsville. Although originally scheduled to jump on her birthday (Sunday the 16th), we ended up pushing back a day due to bad weather. This happened to turn out for the better as Olivia’s brother Austin arrived in Wilmington that Sunday afternoon, so he was able to accompany us on this adventure.

We arrived at a small airfield with very simple signage indicating the entrance to the tarmac. No security, nothing–just walked straight through the door in the fence. Following arrows pointing us in the direction of “SKYDIVING”, we found the hangar for Coastal Carolinas. After scoping out the planes for a minute, we headed over to the check-in to begin the safety spiel. This is when we found out there was only room in the plane for two jumpers, so Austin would unfortunately have to jump before us with a random guy. He, of course, was not phased by this in the slightest.

Slightly unassuming skydive operation. SKYDIVE!

After getting geared up and watching the few jumpers ahead of us (Austin included), we were squeezed in the small Cessna and began the ride up to 10,000 feet. The plane was very small and the ascent was by far the most nerve-wracking part of the experience. Once in the jump zone, the door was whipped open and we were immediately met with a blast of wind. I somehow managed to put my two feet on the pedestal outside the plane, and with that we were outta there. The freefall was short lived but the experience was nuts. The sensation of speed was incredible. We came out upside down as well so that definitely added to the craziness. After falling for about 40 seconds, the chute was pulled and we were safely under canopy. The ride down was super enjoyable and the views were stunning. A few minutes later, I was relieved to be safely on the ground.

We had to celebrate our momentous occasion, and we did so with lunch and drinks in downtown Wilmington on the return trip home. We landed on Copper Penny for our meal as I had heard nothing but great things, specifically about their wings. Thankfully, they did not disappoint. After cruising around downtown for a bit, we checked out one last bar called Pour–a spot I had heard about but never actually been to myself. It is a self-serve beer & wine bar that ended up being a ton of fun. I was able to sample some new local beers and enjoy some old favorites in a super cool environment. With that, we headed back to the beach house to conclude our exciting afternoon.

Cooper Penny in Downtown Wilmington. We loved it!

I am so happy with my decision to do this for Olivia’s birthday. It turned out to be even better that Austin was able to join, and I’m grateful we were able to experience something (together) that we will truly never forget. A one of a kind thing for sure, I can’t say I’m jumping to do it again but am glad I did. Until the next adventure, stay tuned!

– Walker

Check out some more images of our jump below:

Florida Road Trip (Part 2)

The third and final leg of our epic week-long road trip included a stop in Orlando on our return trip back to NC. Check out the action in our recap video below:

The adventure began when we arrived at our hotel on Tuesday afternoon around 4pm. With a decent amount of Hilton Honors points to burn, I decided to book a brand-new Home2Suites property within walking distance to Universal. Home2Suites is always one of my go-to’s when traveling for work as they tend to be newer and cleaner than most other brands. The fact that they allowed Ellie to stay was all the more better!

After unloading our things quickly into the room, we hustled over to Universal for the last hour of park opening. Since we were planning on purchasing annual passes instead of day tickets, we decided to make the short walk over to Universal (about 1.2 miles). Parking is included with the purchase of an AP, but not until the second visit (go figure). We drove over to the parks the remainder of the trip but for this first time we decided to beat the system by walking over. Take that Comcast/NBC!

Olivia and I lookin’ like we’re about to rob the joint.

This first afternoon was hotter than hell–we were drenched in sweat after the walk over. It was much easier to deal with this time around since we were only planning on a short visit (with dinner at CityWalk to follow), but I cannot imagine a full day in the heat with a mask on your face. Just not feasible without breaking up the day somehow.

Upon purchasing our annual passes, I was sadly told that my comfortable neck gaitor would no longer be an acceptable face covering beginning the following day. That stung a bit, but we sucked it up and scanned our tickets to get in the park. We only had time for a few rides so we headed straight to one of our favorites, Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-It. The line was a quick 10 minute wait including putting away and retrieving our loose articles from a ride locker. The staff was doing a fantastic job of limiting capacity in the locker areas and making sure every rider had a hit of hand sanitizer prior to boarding. It was very comforting to see the necessary protocols being enforced.

Hollywood RRR was great as always but unfortunately we only had time for one more attraction with the park closing at 6pm that day. We decided to make the short walk over to my favorite attraction on the Studios side, Revenge of the Mummy. We were able to get one of the last trains of the day and the ride kicked ass per usual. We actually got stuck on the turntable before the main launch for about 90 seconds. Never have had that happen before so that was a bit interesting.

After our slow walk out of the park, we decided to head to one of our favorite drinking spots in CityWalk, the Porch of Indecision at Margaritaville. We cooled off a bit with our margs then chose to head back to the hotel to find some dinner close-by (and for much cheaper than CityWalk).

Olivia and I enjoying our margs on the Porch of Indecision.

After a meal from Chick Fil-A followed by a quick rest at the hotel, I somehow convinced Olivia to accompany me to Fun Spot Amusement Park ten minutes south in Kissimmee. This place was much more crowded than I anticipated, but thankfully the two coasters that I wanted to get on had relatively short (or no) wait times. Not much mask-wearing going on at this park unfortunately, with essentially no enforcement of social distancing from what we saw. We tried our best to stay away from others and be as safe as possible; thankfully the one line we waited in was only five minutes long.

The first coaster was Mine Blower–one that I have ridden before but wanted to give another shot. I ended up enjoying it just as much if not more than my first trip. It is such a wild and out of control ride, but that only adds to the thrill factor. I think it has the perfect amount of roughness for a woodie, albeit one that is only a few years old. Mine Blower is on the shorter side but it definitely packs a punch with the steep drop, sharp turns, and incredible zero-g roll over the station.

A view of Mine Blower from across the lake.

The next was a new credit for both of us called Hurricane–a coaster Fun Spot has added within the last year. While definitely nothing special, I was excited to try it out. The ride is actually in a completely separate area from the rest of the park so we had to do a bit of searching to hunt it down, but when we came upon it we were the only ones waiting to ride. The ride operator was actually in charge of four attractions in this separate area (the other three being kiddie flat rides), so we had to wait our turn as their were kids on the carousel he was currently operating. After their ride was over, he walked over to fire up the Hurricane for our private ride. It was a cool experience and the back row did offer a bit of airtime and lateral forces, so I was pleasantly surprised with the little coaster. We finally decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel to get some much needed rest for our next full day.

The first drop on the new Hurricane at Fun Spot.

Wednesday morning started bright and early with a visit to SeaWorld! I was able to use my recently-upgraded premier Busch Gardens pass to get free entry into the park for myself in addition to booking a regular day ticket for Olivia. With the premier pass, they also gave us the added perk of upgraded parking that turned out to be maybe 20 feet from the front gate. How awesome is that?

We were out of the car right at opening at 10am and were met with minimal crowds–always a fantastic sign when visiting an amusement park. After a brief sorting out of our ticket situation we were in the turnstiles and heading for our favorite coaster: Mako. This ride is actually my favorite coaster in the state; it really is a special one for me. Not only is it a world-class coaster, but it was also the first for Olivia and I together, so I will always remember it for that reason. Airtime-filled and butter smooth, this one is always such a blast to ride.

From there, we headed over to the newest attraction in the park and one that I have yet to ride, Infinity Falls. This rapids ride was SeaWorld’s new for 2019 attraction. Olivia is not a huge fan of water at amusement parks, and turns out this ride was no different than any other river rapids as both of us proceeded to get soaked. However, the elevator lift & subsequent splashdown this ride incorporates really sets it apart from others, and I thought it was a great addition to the park lineup. Thankfully, Mako was right next door for another lap for us to cool down and dry off.

After one last lap on Mako we swung by Kraken for a spin on the OG floorless coaster. In addition to being the original floorless model, it was also the very first in SeaWorld’s fantastic collection, opening in the year 2000. Although a bit rougher in spots than the first year she was open, Kraken still holds up as an intense, inversion-filled (sea) monster. Riding in the front is a must for this type of coaster, and the experience on this one was incredible. This beast will always have a soft spot in my heart.

The new entrance to Kraken is nice, but not as good as the original.

A busted attempt to ride Journey to Atlantis later (down for mechanical issues), we made our way over to the last coaster at the park, Manta. After what turned out to be the longest wait of the day (around 25 minutes), we were assigned the very last row. Per usual on these flying coasters, the pretzel loop was absolutely bonkers and by far the best part of the ride, especially in the back of the train. The flowing wing-over inversions and water interactions towards the end of the ride are also nice elements. Another absolutely fantastic B&M at a park with one of the best lineups around. From there, we made the quick 5 minute walk to our vehicle to head back to the hotel for a lunch break.

We devoured our Firehouse sandwiches and took a much needed rest with our pup at the hotel. Some clouds started to move in during this time and a quick rainstorm ensued. This turned out to be a blessing for our afternoon plans to hit Universal’s water theme park, Volcano Bay.

Since our annual passes blocked us out from arriving before noon, we showed up right after the rain moved through the area around 2pm. The park had cleared out, and all of the attractions were “ride now” with minimal standby waits. What a treat!

Our first visit to VB last year was much more relaxed and we took our time exploring the park (in addition to snoozing in our lounge chairs). Not this afternoon, as we were content to get on as many slides as possible with the non-existent wait times. In total, we got on about six or seven different slides, including the tallest drop slide that Olivia made me do by myself (again!). We also rode our unanimous favorite, the Krakatau water coaster that loops around the interior of the volcano. We finished off the day with a few laps in the fearless river, VB’s take on an intensified lazy river. A great finale to a fun-filled afternoon.

Our Wednesday evening was not terribly eventful save for a return to Margaritaville for a delicious dinner and round of drinks. We enjoyed a bit of shopping at CityWalk but were too full to do much more. We called it an early night and departed for the hotel.

The final day had come, and Olivia and I were not ready to get back in the car to head home. Well, at least I wasn’t, so we decided to make one last trek over to Islands of Adventure to attempt to get a virtual queue for the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures coaster. Our mission was successful as I was easily able to get a return time for 10am as we were walking though CityWalk. A fantastic start to the last morning!

With the virtual queue in-hand, we decided to take advantage of rope drop and head straight to the Incredible Hulk Coaster. We were lucky enough to snag a front row ride before any of the crowd had made it over. The ride is just as intense and fun as ever; it will always be a classic in my book. From there we decided to head a little closer to Hagrid’s and see what was going on in the Hogsmeade section of the park.

As we had a few minutes to spare for our virtual queue return time, we figured we would see what was going on at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Hogwarts was absolutely empty and it seemed like we were getting a private walk-through of the castle. It was an incredible experience and one that we would certainly wish for on all of our visits. I know its a tough time to visit parks right now but the low crowd levels were definitely a consolation.

As our time slot approached for Hagrid’s, we decided to head over to get in line. With our virtual reservation, the wait ended up being a short five minutes–essentially just walking through the queue. We waited 65 minutes for the ride when it opened this time a year ago–a very welcome change. The ride itself was even better than I remember. Forceful enough to be enjoyed by thrill-ride enthusiasts, but not too crazy where the whole family can’t enjoy. The length of the coaster is also definitely a plus, as it feels like you are traveling through a long and cohesive story. While not my absolute favorite, it is certainly one of the best attractions in all of Florida.

As the end of our trip drew near, I wanted to close it out with one of my favorite attractions at IoA, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. This is another one of those rides that will always be special to me. Growing up riding it (among the other amazing attractions in Orlando) will always be something that I am grateful for. I will never forget some of those experiences as a child, and I am so happy rides like these are still around and hope they stay for a long time to come. It would be incredible to experience them with my children someday. Unfortunately, Olivia does not feel the same way that I do about water rides, so this was a solo trip for old Walker!

Before exiting the park, we had to hit our favorite snack spot and grab some pretzel nuggets from Auntie Anne’s. This is one of the staples we always get at either Universal or Cedar Fair parks. Nothing better than pretzels with plastic cheese dipping sauce, and a very fitting way to end our short vacation in Central Florida.

The ride back was a bear, but somehow we made it home. It was so worth it for the week of family and adventure that we were lucky enough to experience. Even more special that we were all together in our vehicle and had Ellie along for the ride. It was a amazing road trip and I can’t wait to plan the next one. Until then, stay tuned!

– Walker

Check out some more photos of the second part of our trip below:

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Florida Road Trip (Part 1)

Back in mid-July, Olivia and I made a semi-spur of the moment decision to head down I-95 to visit her family in Boca Raton, Florida, with a few scheduled stops along the way. Check out the video recap of part 1 of our trip below:

We have been looking to get on the road in some capacity for awhile now and the opportunity presented itself with Olivia having nearly a full week off of work. We had originally planned to make a trip down to Savannah GA the last weekend of June but had postponed due to COVID spikes. This time around we included it as our “mid-point” destination on the drive south.

A beautiful city square in Savannah, Georgia.

I’ve visited Savannah twice before and each time left me excited to return. Such a beautiful city that is chock full off history and culture; it is a treat to visit. You know you’re in an special place when all you need to do is walk around to take in the sights. Every block is adorned with 100+ year old buildings, towering live oak trees, and countless historic events to learn about. It is definitely one of my favorite places to visit in the south.

Half the reason for the long drive (as opposed to getting on the plane) was to be able to bring our little golden Eleanor along for the adventure. Because of this, I booked the Residence Inn nestled within the heart of the historic downtown. The hotel turned out to be the perfect choice, as it was within walking distance of everything we wanted to do. Even more so during the age of COVID, the hotel seemed extremely clean and we felt very safe staying with all the extra safety measures they had in place.

We arrived in Savannah around 2pm on a Saturday afternoon and immediately got on our walking shoes to head down to the City Market area, just a short 10 minute stroll from the hotel. Of course, the first stop in the 90+ degree heat was a visit to Wet Willie’s to get a frozen adult beverage–just what we needed to cool off in the heat. Upon entering the main area of City Market, we immediately noticed a few differences in how others were treating the presence of COVID. The mask wearers were somewhat few and far between (except for inside bars/restaurants where the city had just mandated mask-wearing), and it just seemed super lax and casual considering the current state of things. It was a little unnerving but we did the best we could. At Wet Willie’s (our only stop) they were doing a fantastic job of mask enforcement, social distancing, and even a temperature check upon entry. Nice work Willie!

From there, we decided to continue down to the beautiful riverfront area, chock full of beautiful old buildings, cobblestone streets, and just an all-around old-school feel. Definitely one of my favorite places to people watch as well. After nearly sweating out everything we had in our bodies, I opted for one more frozen drink (necessary) and we took off for the hotel. We did, however, stop for a delicious slice of pizza on the way back at Vinnie A Go-Go’s. Amazing thin crust pizza that was just the snack we needed to get us to dinner.

After a quick nap at the hotel, we ventured out again to find something to eat for dinner. Most of the places we initially checked out were either closing early or did not have any availability. We were told a similar story at our 3rd stop at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, but Olivia somehow managed to snag a last minute reservation online. Score! We had 30 minutes to kill–just enough time to grab drinks (across the street) at one of my favorite spots in Savannah: Rocks on the Roof.

View from our table at Rocks on the Roof.

Rocks on the Roof is an awesome rooftop bar right on the Savannah river on top of the Hotel Bohemian. The bar has some downright beautiful views, and it was a great place to take in the sights and get us warmed up for steak.

Ruth Chris did not disappoint, as my filet was cooked perfectly and the service was absolutely excellent. We had one of the last reservations of the night, so between the spread out tables and lack of people nearby, we felt like we had the place to ourselves! Of course, we had to do dessert, and the cheesecake that I ordered was delicious. A great was to end our one night stay in Savannah.

The next morning, we were up early to find some breakfast and get on the road. We landed on a local favorite that happened to be close-by the hotel called J. Christopher’s. I had my signature chicken and waffles that turned out to be pretty good. Definitely not the best chicken I’ve had but the waffle was superb. After devouring our food and heading back to the hotel, we packed our things and grabbed the dog to hit the road for Florida.

Ellie enjoying the backseat of our vehicle.

We were able to get to South Florida with no issues whatsoever, also managing to pick-up Olivia’s older brother Austin from the Palm Beach airport on the way. We enjoyed a great meal that evening, spending time with Olivia’s father, step-mom, and grandmother. Upon catching-up on everything going on in our lives and scarfing down our dinners (takeout from SmashBurger, mhhmm), the group decided to make the short walk to the local frozen yogurt store. Nothing better.

The next day started early with a breakfast at one of our favorite french bakeries called Saquella Cafe. This place is super legit and everything I’ve eaten there has been amazing. This time around I kept it simple with a bagel and cream cheese, a side of fruit, and, of course, a nice helping of bacon. It was plenty for me and a great way to get our morning started.

After a few hours at the hotel catching up on work and sending emails, we decided to grab an afternoon drink at a local German spot called the Bierhaus. About thirty minutes into our drinks, Olivia randomly received an email stating that she had been accepted to a master’s of Nursing program at UNC Chapel Hill. This is something she had been looking forward to after being placed on the waitlist a few months prior. It was so incredibly perfect for her to get this news when we were there with her family. She has worked so hard for this and I am so incredibly proud of her. I know she is gonna kill it!

After another fantastic dinner with Olivia’s family at her favorite restaurant (Season’s 52), we decided to call it an early night back at the hotel. Tomorrow, we would hit the road once more to head to one of our favorite places in the world, Universal’s Studios Orlando.

Olivia and I at dinner our last night in Boca.

One last tasty breakfast with the fam on Tuesday morning and we were saying our goodbyes. It’s always tough leaving because we always have such a great time together. We will certainly be back to visit soon. Until the next time, stay tuned for part 2 of our epic road trip: Orlando!

– Walker

Check out a few more photos from the first part of our trip below:

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In Memory of O.K. Pridgen

A celebration of life was held for my grandfather on Friday, July 10th. The service took place at the beautiful First Baptist Church in Wilmington, NC. My grandfather spent every Sunday at the church with his Sunday school group, and I have many memories of meeting him after to attend the regular worship. My grandfather, who we lovingly called Pawpaw or “The Sheriff”, was an incredible man. He lived a long and full life and had such an impact on those around him. He will certainly be missed by many.

I put together a quick video tribute of my grandfather, from submissions given to me from my mother, my aunts, and a few of my own. Check out the video below to see a quick glimpse of this great man’s long and loving existence:

The service, the first in the sanctuary since the beginning of COVID, was absolutely beautiful and a fitting way to send off my grandfather. My brother and I said a few words and memories of our PawPaw, and while it was very emotional, it was a great experience to be with pretty much just our close family. After heading a few minutes down the street to Oak Hill Cemetery, we laid my grandfather to rest, just adjacent to his parents. Rest in peace PawPaw! We love you.

– Walker

Beach Escape

After our original travel plans were scrapped, Olivia and I made an impulse decision to head down to the beach for the weekend. It turned out to be a great choice as we had an epic two days. Check out the vid below:

As stated, our original plan was actually to head down to Savannah, Georgia for the weekend. With the recent spike of Covid cases, particularly in the southeast, we decided to nix our plans to road trip. More and more of the restaurants and things we wanted to do were announcing re-closures, so we thought it was best to stay away for the time being. We are tentatively rescheduled to visit in July, so we’ll see how that goes.

Our beach weekend was an excellent alternative. We were super active; biked, ran, swam–we did it all. We are very fortunate to have this beautiful home to escape to, and I am super thankful for my parents for letting us stay.

A beautiful sunset the last night of our stay.

We will be back at the beach for 4th of July weekend, so stay tuned for some more content from the NC coast!

– Walker

Check out some more photos of our trip below:

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Father’s Day Weekend

I was fortunate enough to be around some of my favorite people this past weekend. We had a large group down at the beach house in Wrightsville–Olivia’s parents, my brother Rhett and his girlfriend Logan, Logan’s parents, my cousin Garrett and my uncle Kip, and of course my mom and dad. It was a full house for two fantastic family meals, both to celebrate father’s day and a belated Rhett’s birthday. This year around was a little bittersweet as I lost my granddad (my mom’s father) three weeks ago this Wednesday. A loving father himself, it was great to have so many good friends and family together to remember his life and celebrate him–exactly like he would have wanted.

I was able to crank out three videos from this past weekend; however, one would end up being blocked by YouTube’s copyright claim system. That was a bit disappointing as that was my favorite cut of the three, but I’m definitely still learning here. The weekend was filled with boat rides, cookouts, beach games, and a whole lot of quality family time. It was a great way to celebrate all the dad’s in our life, in particular the one who was no longer with us.

Hopefully I won’t be overloading you all with beach videos, but between the 4th of July approaching and more family coming down, the majority of my next content will be beach related. Sorry in advance for that, but you have to agree some of these images of the boat and sunsets I’ve captured thus far have been sweet. So I shouldn’t be complaining! Until the next update.

– Walker

Check out a few more pictures from our weekend below:

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Getting Outdoors

The second weekend with the new gear is in the books, and I was able to crank out two new videos. The first entry is from a Friday afternoon trip to the local track to play some golf:

I ended up playing pretty well besides getting slightly distracted on the back nine (drone might’ve been involved with that). Our group loves playing Wil Mar in Knightdale. Not the nicest club by any means but the course is always fun and in decent shape. Plus the rounds are typically pretty affordable–I think we paid $29. Not bad for a Friday afternoon. Unfortunately I think that low price was due to them aerating greens on Monday. They weren’t horrible but definitely a bit bumpy.

The second video is from an adventure to a random swimming hole on the Eno River in Durham. The spot was appropriately called the Turtle Hole:

We were invited out by my brother Rhett and his girlfriend Logan. They had discovered the spot just a day before with one of their friends. So we packed up the car and took off for Durham around 11. After a few minutes of locating parking followed by a quick hike to the pond, we found a good spot to set up camp. All said we were there about 3 hours. Swam a bit, hiked, floated down the river–it was a blast. We even packed a lunch to enjoy with our couple of adult sodas.

I’m getting a bit better with the drone and understanding how to be more efficient when the thing is in the air. At first I was excited just to explore and didn’t so much think about the shots I was getting and the outcome. After a few tries at it, I already feel much improved. It is a work in progress though and I will only continue to get better with each vid. Thanks again for watching and following along!

-Walker

New Tech Toys

A new dimension has been unlocked. We are now airborne here at TR Travels. Last week, I received my new GoPro Hero8 action cam and DJI Mavic Mini drone. Pretty pleased with my decision. Check out the recap vid from my first weekend w/ the gear:

I’m going to keep this post short as I would like to have some more time to play around with both items and formulate a better opinion. But I will tell you this–I am having a blast thus far and I have so many more places running through my mind that I can wait to shoot from above. In terms of most anticipated–the beach house/boat will definitely look unreal from the sky. We are planning a trip down the weekend of the 19th (with Olivia’s family) so that will be a great test of each camera’s capabilities.

Funny enough, shortly after seeing a good friend’s drone in person, the straw that broke the camels back was a random boat with a drone following along from above. The drone was being flown by a kid from the stern, and it looked super sweet. This was about three weeks back, and the second I saw that, I knew I needed one in my life. I have great self-control.

As mentioned, just gonna keep this post short. I have plenty more learning and experimenting to do, and I feel like I need a bit more time to give each product an accurate review. Until then!

– Walker

Coronavirus Update

Well…what else can I say? What an unprecedented time to be alive. I never would’ve seen this coming after my last trip to Montreal (last blog post) when the restrictions were just being instituted, but here we are. With all this travel on hold and a bit more time on my hands, I figured I needed to post some sort of update as to what’s been going on these days.

Besides working my spec engineering job from my comfy desk at home, I have been spending most of my time getting healthy. I have been trying my best to eat well, exercise more (which is undoubtedly tougher with gyms closed), and abstain (mostly) from alcohol. I can honestly say I have been doing well with each. I feel very good and have cut a decent amount of weight. I’m actually excited to run again for the first time in forever. Having a couple aches and pains here and there but nothing too excessive, especially for how much exercising I’ve been doing.

Olivia and I have spent a decent amount of time at our apartment in Raleigh, but we have also been fortunate to escape to my parent’s beach house on a frequent basis. The house is on Harbor Island at Wrightsville Beach, NC–an incredible spot on the sound with a dock and 22′ boat.

Olivia and I on the boat with El looking super photogenic.

That in itself is plenty to keep us occupied; not to mention the kayaks, paddle-boards, floats, bikes, and other fun beach toys also at the house. It is one of my favorite places to be, and perhaps one of the most incredible sunsets of anywhere in the world. I may be a bit biased.

An epic sunset game of cornhole in my parents backyard; Lee’s Cut in the background (Harbor Island).

We had a nice family weekend two weeks ago when my dad was honored for a lifetime achievement award in his field of Radiology. Unfortunately, we had to miss out on what was looking to be an incredible trip to DC for him to accept his award at a national convocation, but we’re hoping the trip is just postponed for a year and he can partake in 2021. Instead, we had an awesome weekend at the beach with the whole family (most dogs included, were missing one). They had a nice online awards ceremony for my dad and it was great for us all to be together for it. I know he really enjoyed the weekend, as well he should because that is a hell of a recognition.

They selected his submitted quote (one of 4) to display at the end of the ceremony.

Back in Raleigh, my group of friends have been going through some random phases of new activities. The first lockdown trend is/was the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare release. Towards the beginning, we pumped some time into this multiplayer, sometimes having up to 6 in a party at one time. It was such a blast–an excellent reminder of the heydays of gaming in high school and college. We still play every now and then but not nearly as religiously as those first few weeks.

The next trend we’ve picked up has been roller hockey. We’ve skated about 4 times now and most of our group has picked up a pair of wheels by this point. We play at Marsh Creek Park (sketchy), mostly on the weekends. The rink is nice enough but I finally gave in an purchased a 60″ net with shooter tutor. We typically just play ODR style with small sized goals, which is a good time all the same. I used to skate so much in school as I lived adjacent to the on-campus roller rink, so I’m glad my buds in Raleigh finally got into it. I also enjoy not playing goalie for once, as I am a pretty decent forward. It’s a good time (and workout).

In addition, I’ve been trying to play as much golf as possible; getting psyched for an upcoming CGA event with my dad. We have played a father-son tournament in Pinehurst for the last 3 years, so we’re excited to get back down there on July 17th.

Other than that, I’ve been spending a lot of time at home with my two girls Olivia and Eleanor. Olivia graduated from college herself back in early May and we had a nice virtual celebration for her as well. Ellie is growing like crazy, swimming for the first time, and just being an all around awesome puppy. It’s been so great being able to stay at home with her. All in all, it’s been a nice period for me, and a time I’m sure I’ll be asking to get back to once this situation has played out and we’re back to normal (whatever that normal may be).

Ellie looking extra pathetic on a swim with dad.

The last thing I’ll sign off with is my most recent (but definitely not the first) lockdown purchase: a GoPro Hero8 Black and a DJI Mavic Mini. They have just arrived in the mail and I am so excited to test them out. I will report back on how I like them, with plenty of footage to follow I’m sure.

I hope everyone is staying safe and sane! I’ll be back soon with a review on my recent tech gear. In the meantime, feel free to check out some more lockdown pics below. Stay tuned!

– Walker

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