On Friday, May 24^th, six humans and two dogs squeezed their way into a van, already filled from top to bottom with supplies, to make a journey down to a remote area in Kentucky. It’s a trip I’ve made three times before, but this time was set to be a whole new experience. For the first time in three years, I was able to take part in Hidden Cove’s Memorial Day weekend family festivities.

We arrived late and went to work getting our camper equipped with electricity and running water. After a bit of settling in, we made our way down to The Lodge and joined our family for conversation and drinks; there’s really no better way to decompress after a four-and-a-half-hour drive (at best).

Saturday morning I awoke to see the transformation Hidden Cove has gone under since my last visit. The Truitt family camper, has come to rest upon the hillside of The Sanctuary (tentative name), steps have been sculpted into and around the hillside, the area’s utilities are more permanent and desire paths connecting many points of interest are becoming well-trodden. The Lodge is a charming work of art, still in progress, that flows seamlessly with its surroundings. Everything has its place and works with the natural beauty of the land. It’s a lot to fathom, the amount of thought, time and effort that’s gone into creating such an exciting yet relaxing destination.

The unveiling of the 2013 commemorative Hidden Cove Memorial Day t-shirts took place Saturday night. It was a heartfelt moment while receiving a depiction of the Hidden Cove Founding Fathers portraying Mt. Rushmoore forever immortalized on a t-shirt. The design is well thought-out and timelessly stylish.

Thank God beer doesn’t stain cotton quickly because most of the family then gathered to play a marathon game of flip cup: a Hidden Cove Memorial Day weekend tradition. There was fierce competition but in the end someone had to be force-fed a well-aged bourbon cherry… most likely more than once.

 For me, Sunday was a lazy day filled with recuperation, relaxation and hydration. There couldn’t possibly have been better weather for this weekend. Not at all humid, a cool breeze kept me comfortable by an afternoon bonfire built specifically for s'mores. Structure leisurely worked its way into the day with the First Annual Hidden Cove Beer Tasting. From IPAs to specialty beers, there was a large variety to choose from. My favorite was between Victory Brewing’s Summer Love Ale and Hoyt's homebrew; both are excellent for future reference in crafting a custom Hidden Cove beer in my opinion. We spent the evening chatting together about many things including our beer palates until tasting became drinking.

There’s much I could say about my trip to Hidden Cove for Memorial Day weekend but you really just need to be there and experience it yourself to understand. I look forward to future visits, hoping to help with the ever-transforming topography and memory of the land.

The sense of support, loyalty, acceptance and love make us all a family; something this destination wouldn’t be the same without.

This one time at Hidden Cove I....

...Played Flip Cup for FOUR!! hours ... seriously that was Flip Cup on a whole other level.

...Lived dangerously, climbed  a boulder in the middle of the lake, and practically plummeted to my death... I mean I jumped into the lake with no lasting complications.

...Saw a Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Summer Tanager, White Breasted Nuthatch, Indigo Bunting, and Red Bellied Woodpecker.... I'm a novice birder so that was a total highlight!

...Learned that if I were to be a James Bond villain, I might give Odd Job a run for his money. Sorry about the lost frisbee, Blake!

...Got a super sweet, official, Memorial Day t-shirt that really impressed my grandmother and mom when they came to visit me last weekend. Charles, you may find yourself overwhelmed with T-shirt design requests. You've been warned!

...Hiked around Hidden Cove National Park, saw some waterfalls, a huge hemlock tree, home grown mushrooms, and just general natural beauty that is Kentucky.

...Experienced the overwhelming awesomeness that is ANY event or activity hosted by the Moores. I can't say I expected to help color the beer tasting sign, but I'm guessing the cooler full of extra craft beers was payment for my ability to stay in the lines!

...Learned that Hidden Cove has a logo, official font, website, blog... so fancy! Like the Grey Poupon of rustic, family getaways! Did I just come up with the unofficial slogan of Hidden Cove?!

Some blog followers and family members might be wondering who this crazy lady is blogging about Hidden Cove?!

 Here's a brief backstory.... I have known the Moore Family for a long, LONG time. I knew Lauren way back when we were teammates playing softball at a very young age, and Charles and I were very good friends in high school. Lucky for me, Charles is one of the few people I have kept in touch with from high school and I was pretty surprised when he invited me a few months ago. I assumed that our lengthy chats about music, sharing said music on Dropbox, the blog we started about music, and the fact that I live in Kentucky may have had something to do with the invite. I agreed to go because who doesn't like hiking, drinking, catching up with friends, and chillaxin' on a boat? I also figured if I didn't have fun, I could always just high tail it down to Mammoth Cave for some hiking and bird-watching.

Needless to say, I did not make it to Mammoth Cave because Hidden Cove was a BLAST! During the introductions, I was overwhelmed with like 100 names and 50 pets. I think it ended up being more like 20 names and 10 pets but you get the picture... I cannot believe the cabin. It's awesome. I know it is still a work in progress, but what a cabin it is shaping up to be! I think my favorite part of the cabin is that porch. It is perfect for some high-quality bird watching. The tour included a trip to Cathedral Falls. The falls provided an enchanting trickle that was so pretty. The walk was also great because I had the resident Poison Ivy spotter to protect me from those pesky plants. Thanks Lauren! I was poison ivy free when I left!

A bit later, some of us went on the boat and Jet Skis. Let me pause my reflections to warn future visitors. Should you find yourself driving over the Nolin Dam, please get an accurate estimation of the number of boats on the water. If you do not, you might want to double back or just confidently make something up. If you waiver, you will not live it down and can expect a few jokes. The best part of being on the lake was watching everyone ride the jet skis. Hilarious! A bit later was Wine Hour and the presentation of the t-shirts. At this point, I learned that there were three previous designs and they were all pretty bad a! But I think that this year's was the best! After everyone put their t-shirts on, more wine was drank, a delicious Shrimp Boil was prepared for dinner, and then it was time for Flip Cup.

Flip Cup is a big deal! It lasted four hours and it may have lasted longer if there had not been a shortage of beer. The most clear memory of Flip Cup was bourbon cherries. This picture clearly depicts my feelings about bourbon cherries.

Sunday was a pretty slow-moving day. I nerded it out with my binoculars and bird books, got the rest of the tour and saw Holly Falls, and enjoyed a delightful beer tasting.  I discovered a few IPAs that I really enjoyed at the tasting and one I did not. Stone Ruination is on the same level as bourbon cherries to me. ICKY. But Hoyt's Homebrew was surprisingly my favorite beer. I can't wait to see what the official brew of Hidden Cove will be!

Monday might have been my overall favorite day. It was another day of perfect weather. We went back out on the boat to have some more fun. Swimming and jumping from giant rocks was awesome once I got past my fear of heights. But the best part was having some fun with my waterproof camera. Video importing still in progress... but there are some good videos! Like Cory's selfie flip. It's pretty sweet!  We also saw the Bald Eagle while boating and then saw the Great Blue Heron right by the dock when we were coming back for lunch. To top the weekend off, we ended it with a porch sit, nice visit, and I tried to convince Charles to become a fellow bird-watcher. Only time will tell if he's converted...

The whole weekend was just wonderful. Hidden Cove is an amazing place but it was the people that made it so much fun. Thanks Moore Family for such an awesome, fun, great time!