The amazing Cloudland Canyon State Park – part 1

I’ve heard good things about Providence Canyon State Park in central Georgia but guess what? RV camping isn’t offered there so as much as I’d love to spend a few days exploring, I had to look elsewhere for part of my trip heading north from Florida to Nashville. I’m so glad I found Cloudland Canyon State Park on the northern border of Georgia, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Chattanooga, TN. Folks, it’s a not-so-hidden gem!

The views alone are worth checking this park out but along with that there are waterfalls, great hiking (and by great, I should instead say steep, rooty, and rocky!), and *ahem* it has trailer campsites.

As I was hiking around the West Rim Loop, I was so impressed with how well the hiking path is set up and marked. I thought about the men and women who must have put in a million hours to make the park easy for visitors to navigate. They’ve got trail markers, signs, and hundreds of steps (down to… or up from?… the pretty waterfalls) that are just so impressive. Thank you to all those people who put in such effort to make this a top notch park. Here’s a sneak peak at a few pictures I took while camping… to see more check out my portfolio of images here. I’ll be posting again tomorrow with a few more pics because one post just doesn’t do the park justice!

If you have the chance, definitely visit Cloudland State Park, you won’t be disappointed. See you all tomorrow and if you’re itching for more camping stories, take a look at my Camping Stories for everything from hiking in Texas to snorkeling in the Florida keys.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Heineken Viking Commercial – I Think I’ve Had Enough

Hello all of you commercial watchers! I guess you’re here because you’ve seen the funny Heineken Viking commercial featuring a viking dad, his daughter, and his daughters boyfriend. You might have thought to yourself as the commercial plays, “I feel like I’ve seen this before.” It’s like deja vú all over again, right? Well, you’re not wrong… the commercial is airing A LOT. Either it’s airing too often or I’m watching too much TV but I’ve just about had enough of the commercial. For using the slogan “No Bitter Endings,” they’re sure starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth with how much the commercial pops up on TV.

I definitely laughed the first few times I watched the commercial. How quickly the viking dad goes from tough, bitter guy to letting by-gone’s be by-gone’s is funny. But as much as I love repetition as a form of humor, this ad airing over and over and over is a classic case of overkill, as explained in this post. Heineken came up with a clever idea. I’m sure we all agree on that. But too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Now I get annoyed when the ad comes on, much like viewers felt when Amazon was airing their woman with a mustache commercial too frequently.

On a totally unrelated note, the viking dad reminds me a lot of Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Great movie that, in my opinion, doesn’t air nearly enough on TV, unlike the Heineken commercial. 🙃

RIP Mr. Rickman! The Heineken ad would be total gold if you were the bitter father. How do you viewers feel about the frequency of the commercial? Has it run its course, and if so, why is it still airing? Let me know in the comments!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Hyundai Tucson Lion King Commercial – Cats, Canyons, and a King

Hakuna Matata means “no worries,” and that’s the idea behind Hyundai’s new commercial for the 2023 Tucson. Also, the song’s going to be stuck in your head for the rest of your days, my bad. Here’s the commercial, then scroll down for more…

The Music. Obviously the song is from The Lion King, one of Disney’s best animated movies. If the song isn’t already playing on repeat in your mind, here’s the full track. Hey, at least it’s not “Let It Go,” right?

Disney Again. Perhaps the Tucson ad featuring the Disney song is setting the stage for another big reveal from Hyundai. Apparently they’re introducing a new SUV named after a Lion King character… it’s the Hyundai Mufasa (which means “king” in Disney language).

Will the SUV survive or go plunging off a cliff for an early discontinuation? Time will tell but for now, be on the lookout for the king to make its grand entrance while you go out and test drive the 2023 Tucson. Evidently it’s a problem-free SUV.

The Canyons. The final clip in the ad shows the family driving their Tucson through beautiful canyons so I’ll leave you with some photos of my own from camping in top-notch Cloudland State Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia.

-Out of the Wilderness

Can Garth Brooks Save Bud Light?

Garth Brooks is in the news because of a comment he made regarding his bar on lower Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. He said he’s going to carry a lot of different brands of beer, including Bud Light, and let the customers decide what they want. In honor of that risky business decision, I’ve updated lyrics from one of his songs to reflect how he MIGHT feel with wall-to-wall cases of unsold Bud Light.

“Is the money I made in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If customers never come.”

The truth is, though, Garth Brooks doesn’t need money. He could be callin’ Baton Rouge from a pay phone and talk for 30 years straight without a hiccup in his bank account. From tight control of his music to a residency in Vegas, he’s doing just fine. Unless he’s blowing it all on pai gow poker, of course. What he said specifically regarding the threat of backlash is very true: “It’s not our decision to make.” The public will decide, which is one of the great things about the good ol’ free market. If customers decide they ain’t goin’ down to his bar because of Bud Light, I doubt Garth will go crying to his friends in low places. He’ll just stop offering it in favor of another beer that sells better. Of course, he might not have friends in lower Broad places after he called most country fans “a*holes” if they keep up with the Bud Light boycott.

Maybe his callous comment wasn’t the best response from a business perspective but at this point, he can’t really take it back. This isn’t his first rodeo, anyway. Plus, he’s probably too well-established to be cancelled outright so is there really a risk in offering Bud Light? Probably not for the long-term. But if things go south for his bar, 2023 will be a year he’ll always remember that summer he made a colossal mistake. It will forever be more than a memory.

Speaking of country music, there’s another country act that might not fair well after subtly endorsing Bud Light. A well-known summer anthem is featured in this Bud Light commercial, and it may backfire for the band behind it.

Does Garth’s comment about serving Bud Light leave a bad taste in your mouth? Instead of Bud Light, are you drinking two piña coladas, one for each hand?

-Out of the Wilderness

The EV Volkswagen Commercial – The Music, the Location, and More!

The copilot in one of VW’s latest commercials rides around… and around… in an electric vehicle called the ID.4, which features long turn signals. Maybe those people who leave their blinker on accidentally will not do so anymore. Here’s the commercial, then scroll down for more info…

The Music. If you guessed this song is called “Tiger Dust” by Yello you’d be exactly right! Also, I’d be super impressed. It’s from an album released in 2003. Here’s the psychedelic video…

The Location. Going in circles just north of Los Angeles, this little VW stars in the commercial filmed in Glendale, California. Below is a screen grab from Google maps, the corner of Western Avenue and Victory Blvd.

Final Thoughts. Cute pup. Volkswagen must’ve done research on how dogs just make people feel good. Decent commercial, although I don’t know if a spending oodles of money and just highlighting the turn signal is going to pay off. What do you think about the ad? Does it make you want a VW or even better, do you want to adopt a dog?

*If you’re looking for the latest Volkswagen commercial, check it out here*

-Out of the Wilderness