My wife Anna and I recently went on a summer roadtrip for vacation. We bought our first travel trailer, after tent camping for 9 years, and then headed down South. Our destination was Tybee Island in Savannah, Georgia. My wife’s family is from Atlanta so we also spent some time with them on the way to Savannah, visiting and helping with some house repair projects.

While in Georgia, I visited a college friend and we climbed the Arkaquah trail to the summit of Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia with an elevation of‬ 4,784′. The view from the top was beautiful. Read my friends hiking report here.

Trips like this are always exciting for me because I get to see a different part of the country. Learning about a state through experiencing its culture and exploring its history is an important part of how I keep up the skills of lifelong learning.

In Savannah Anna and I toured Fort Pulaski, a strategic fort both in the Revolutionary war and in the Civil War. We also got to visit the childhood home of Flannery O’Connor, the celebrated writer known for her short stories. I was in college when I first encountered her works which are some of the best in the genre of Southern Gothic and which have profound things to say about grace, violence, and redemption.

My wife is both a writer and a gardener so after visiting the home of Flannery O’Connor we stopped by a botanical garden to she could learn about the types of flowers and plant. She is writing a novel set in the region and wanted her story to be accurate.

As families go on vacation this summer, take the time to stop, smell the roses and learn about the stories that have happened all around us.