To the First Explorer I’ve Known in Real Life

Father’s Day was a day I always celebrated most with my grandfather, Danny.

A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War turned entrepreneur and lifelong civil servant, my granddaddy also helped me learn to ride my first bike without training wheels and introduced me to fun road trips. It was like he KNEW I was destined to wander.

You see, Danny was also passionate about caravanning. He was known for his small personal fleet of RVs and vans.

After my great-grandfather (his father) passed, as the eldest of his siblings, Danny became the head of our family’s annual summer trips. These were trips most often to Northern Michigan for reunions with our extended family, which I absolutely loved.

Memorial Day Weekend was usually the jump off of our summer travels each year. Whether coming together for celebrations or remembrance, there’s a few things you could always count on:

• a cookout, often after returning from fishing - the men grilling to their heart's content and making this incredible BBQ sauce, and the women baking and preparing the savory side dishes

• good music with some karaoke and card games (the latter I never picked up on so NO I CANNOT PLAY SPADES, and what?!)

• and a grounding church service.

It was a special time that peaked my childhood curiosity beyond my everyday surroundings. Each trip left me wanting to do more, wanting to see more, and anxiously awaiting our next journey!

My granddad carried on the tradition until he departed our physical world at the age of 86 but his traveling spirit lives on through me (and my son, but that’s a whole other story).

I believe my granddaddy would’ve been SUPER excited to know that my Memorial Day weekend this year was spent on the beautiful island of St. Kitts. (Although I can’t imagine what his thoughts might have been visiting the military fortress at Brimstone. The extroverted socialite he was might’ve actually been speechless for a change!)

One thing I DO know ...

He’d love knowing that I published my fifth writing journal to celebrate the island in its incredible scenic glory — which you can purchase here on Amazon to capture your very own travel memories or for the wanderer in your life.

So in honor of Father’s Day, I dedicate this blog to Dan - the first explorer I’ve personally known and loved, and to all the men who invest time cultivating the love of travel and exploration in their families.

If you want to learn more about St. Kitts and my experience, you’ve absolutely got to check out my St. Kitts playlist on YouTube. Still more videos to come so make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the channel & click that notification bell so you don’t miss out!