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flyingarnolds

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Sometimes all you need to do is wander around close to home and you will find beautiful things…
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#familyadventures #exploringfamilies #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingarnolds #weekendathome #madlyoffinalldirections #fallcolors #fallcolours #fallcolourstoronto #fallcolourscanada #etobicokecreektrail #etobicokecreek #exploretoronto

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We recently came across this picture we took of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and fondly remembered our trip there in the spring of 2018. We did an adults-only weekend trip with friends. H happily stayed with his grandparents and didn't seem to miss Daddy and Mama one bit!
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Check out our NEW BLOG POST for more details. The link is in our bio.
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This was actually our second visit to Fallingwater. Our first visit was in September 2014, when H was not yet born and was still new "news". The Fallingwater house and surroundings are breathtaking. And, did you know that there are 3 other Frank Lloyd Wright houses that you can tour that are not too far from Fallingwater?
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #haveplanewilltravel #weekendgetaway #madlyoffinalldirections #fallingwater #fallingwaterhouse #franklloydwright #franklloydwrighthouse #explorepennsylvania #exploretheusa #discoverusa

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Just over an hours drive from Toronto is Canada's biggest wine-production area located in the Niagara Peninsula. There are close to 100 wineries along the northern portion of the peninsula starting just east of Hamilton and continuing along into the Niagara-on-the-Lake area.
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It is a great weekend getaway and we try and get there at least once a year.
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In addition to all the wine, there are fantastic restaurants in the region, with several of them located at the wineries. Great food and wine, what more could you want!
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #weekendgetaway #niagarawine #niagarawinecountry #wineriesofniagara

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#throwbackthursday to our very first sailing adventure as a family of 3 and with Kurtis as captain. H was 2 months old and we rented a catamaran for a few days from St Petersburg, FL as a trial run.
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A few months prior we had spent 1 week on a catamaran in the Bahamas with a captain so that Kurtis could get certified to captain a boat himself. I was 7 months pregnant for that trip, so I was just along as the “lazy mate”!
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Both trips were a lot of fun. Hopefully there will be more family sailing trips in our future, now that H is older.
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #sailingfamily #familysailing #sailingbaby #catamaransailing #floridasailing

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This is one of our favourite pictures from our 2018 flying adventures. H managed to slowed down long enough to let someone hold his hand 🥰. This was H’s 4th EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, WI.
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In 2018 there were 40 or so Cessna 195’s in attendance all parked together. And there were around 20 to 25 kids (ranging in ages from 6 months to 16 years old). It was amazing to see so many young families with children arriving in a 70 year old airplane. The kids had a blast running and playing together!
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #cessna195 #c195 #vintageairplane #vintageaviation #generalaviation #eaa #eaaairventure #airventure #holdinghands

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Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for.
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We got up early this morning to do a local flight-seeing tour of the fall colours. The forecast called for the winds to pick up around noon so we got our flight in before it got too windy. It was worth getting up for!
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #cessna195 #c195 #vintageairplane #generalaviation #vintageaviation #viewsfromtheair #fallcolors #fallflightseeing #colorsoffall #happythanksgivng

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Flying with friends is always more fun! Kurtis loves flying but he loves formation flying even more…
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether
#flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #cessna195 #c195 #vintageairplane #generalaviation #flywithaopa #vintageaviation #formationflying #crevecoeurairport #madlyoffinalldirections
@andysharpe @cessna195club

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As we departed St. Louis we were able to fly by the Arch. Although we didn’t do the tram ride up the Arch to see the views from there, we were able to get a great view from our airplane!
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether
#flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #cessna195 #c195 #generalaviation #madlyoffinalldirections
#usnationalparks #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #exploretheusa #stlouis #gatewayarchnationalpark #stlouisarch #gatewayarch

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This past weekend we were in St. Louis, MO for the International Cessna 195 Club’s Will Fly For Food event. It’s fun to have an excuse to fly somewhere to be with friends and eat great food. We had a wonderful time!
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We didn’t quite spend all of our time eating…
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We spent part of one morning at Gateway Arch National Park. It is located in downtown St. Louis next to the Mississippi River. The Arch was built in the 1960’s as a monument to Thomas Jefferson for his efforts in expanding the United States westward through the Louisiana Purchase. The Arch is as wide as it is tall at 630 feet.
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In addition to the Arch there are 91 acres of park land along the Mississippi River, underneath the Arch there is an excellent museum and the Old Courthouse is just west of the Arch. You can also take a tram ride inside the Arch to the small viewing area at the top. Since our time was a bit limited and our son was getting "hangry" we opted to skip the tram ride and go find some toasted ravioli!
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#travelingfamily #travelingtogether #familytravels #familyadventures #exploringfamilies #travelwithkids #travelmoreoften #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringtogether
#flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections
#usnationalparks #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #exploretheusa #stlouis #gatewayarchnationalpark #stlouisarch #gatewayarch

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I can’t believe it was a month ago that we were in South Dakota! It was one of those places that blew us away with all there was to see and do. We absolutely loved it. If you have a bucket list of places to visit in the U.S. you should make sure the Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota are on it!
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For those interested, I’ve put together a new Blog post to summarize all the things we did on our trip (link in Bio). I’ve also included some things we didn’t get to do but want to go back for. Happy trip planning!
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This is a shot of my fearless 4 year old happily climbing the 250 foot high log ladder on the Notch Trail in Badlands NP. It was a fight for Daddy to go first because as always H wanted to go first!
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #badlandsnationalpark #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #southdakota #exploresouthdakota #exploretheusa

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Last fall the little man stayed at home with Grandma & Grandpa and Daddy & Mama went on a weekend trip to NYC. We love traveling with our son but we also enjoyed this mini trip immensely. We could talk, eat our meals without trying to entertain someone, take our time at museums, sleep in, etc 😜.
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This was not our first trip without H. We had gone on a couple short trips without him the previous couple years but those trips were always with other couples. This was our first trip just the two of us and it was amazing! We have now made this an annual must do for us.
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Do you like traveling with others or alone? If you have kids have you taken any trips without them?
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #generalaviation #cessna195 #c195 #viewsfromtheair #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #statueofliberty🗽 #newyorkcity #explorenewyorkcity #exploretheusa

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As we worked on some Fall cleaning at home this weekend we were remembering some of the wonderful places that we have been fortunate enough to discover on the trips we have taken with our Cessna 195.
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Austin, TX was a highlight for us. The city had a great food, music, arts and nature culture. One of the beautiful nature centers we visited in the city was the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It was founded by Lady Bird in 1982 and was renamed after her in 1997. The mission of the Center is conservation of native plants. The grounds and gardens were just gorgeous.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #austintexas #ladybirdjohnsonwildflowercenter #exploreaustin #exploretexas #keepaustinweird #exploretheusa

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So, as I said a couple posts ago, we are not really the "all-inclusive" resort type. We are more independent and "off the beaten track" type. And thanks to our Cessna 195 we have been able to explore several "off the beaten track" places in North America that would have been too expensive to fly to by airline.
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Ithaca, NY is one of those places. It is in the Finger Lakes region of New York state and is home to Cornell University. There are over 150 waterfalls within Ithaca and the surrounding area. The hiking trails are great for families. Most are maintained gravel with some sections of paving/stone. And the nature and scenery is breathtaking.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #letstakeahike #hikingfamily #kidsthathike #ithaca #ithacanewyork #ithacawaterfalls #buttermilkfalls #buttermilkfallsstatepark #exploreithaca #explorenewyork #explorenewyorkstate

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One more from Hotel Xcaret. This is a view of the lagoons that are between the ocean and the pools. Although man-made the landscaping is stunning. There are numerous inlets to the ocean so the lagoons provide a safe place to swim for little ones, in ocean water but without the waves.
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The other thing that was different about staying at Hotel Xcaret is that all the affiliated parks were included in the all-inclusive price. You could visit any park you wanted for free and there was even regular shuttle service to and from the parks. At the time we visited our son was only 2 1/2 so we only visited one of the nearby parks on one day. And we just loved the resort so much that we didn’t want to leave!
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #familyvacation #hotelxcaret #hotelxcaretmexico #hotelxcaretméxico #playadelcarmen #xcaret #xcaretmexico #xcaretméxico

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We are not “all-inclusive” resort type people. But with a little one we have found it necessary to do a trip every once in a while where you just show up and relax. And that is just what we did in February 2018.
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We had never been to Mexico before and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the eastern coast of Mexico is in the Eastern time zone. So we started looking for deals and kept coming across Hotel Xcaret. It was a new resort scheduled to be completed in December 2017. As a result there was very little information prior to us booking and no reviews, which made us a bit nervous.
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Hotel Xcaret was absolutely amazing. We would highly recommend it to anyone. It was an absolutely gorgeous resort that exceeded our expectations and we can’t wait for the opportunity to go back.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #familyvacation #hotelxcaret #hotelxcaretmexico #playadelcarmen #xcaret #xcaretmexico
@hotelxcaretmexico

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Up close and personal with giraffes! Last fall we visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Centre. We did the Safari Tour and would highly recommend it. We had two opportunities on the Tour to feed the giraffes. They are gentle giants.
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During the Tour we also learned a lot about the conservation side of the Centre which was impressive.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #fossilrimwildlifecenter #fossilrim #fossilrimgiraffes #exploretheusa

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It’s not very often that something seems bigger from the air than it does from the ground, but the Badlands sure did! The landscape was expansive and seemed to go on.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #generalaviation #cessna195 #c195 #viewsfromtheair #flightseeing #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #badlandsnationalpark #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #southdakota #exploresouthdakota #exploretheusa

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“Let sculptors come to the Badlands. Let painters come. But first of all the true architect should come. He who could interpret this vast gift of nature in terms of human habitation so that Americans on their own continent might glimpse a new and higher civilization certainly, and touch it and feel it as they lived in it and deserved to call it their own. Yes, I say the aspects of the Dakota Badlands have more spiritual quality to impart to the mind of America than anything else in it made by man's God." - Frank Lloyd Wright 1935
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #letstakeahike #hikingfamily #kidsthathike #badlandsnationalpark #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #southdakota #exploresouthdakota #exploretheusa #franklloydwrightquotes

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Another hike! This time it was the Notch Trail in Badlands National Park. The expansive eroding landscape in the Park is like none we’d ever seen before. It was wonderful to get out and hike amongst the towering pinnacles and spires.
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #letstakeahike #hikingfamily #kidsthathike #badlandsnationalpark #nationalparksusa #exploringusanationalparks #notchtrailbadlandsnationalpark #southdakota #exploresouthdakota #exploretheusa

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One thing we love to do when traveling to new places is to find local independent coffee shops to grab our morning caffeine fix. While in Rapid City, SD we discovered a great café. Harriet & Oak was an excellent find. And it even has a retro VW van outfitted with a table and seats to climb inside to enjoy your latte and pastries!
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#travel #adventure #explore #travelingfamily #travelmoreoften #familytravels #familyadventures #adventureiscalling #letsgoexplore #exploringfamilies #exploringtogether #flyingfamily #flyingarnolds #whywefly #aviationlife #haveplanewilltravel #madlyoffinalldirections #capturinglife #lifeisgood #rapidcitysouthdakota #rapidcitycoffee #harrietandoak #southdakota #exploresouthdakota #exploretheusa @harriet_and_oak

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