Must Have Outdoors

Getting to travel around the country quite a bit, it can be easy to forget about the fun you can have in your own back yard.

Andrew and I went on a little vacation with his family and friends this past weekend at the Rainbow Trout Ranch in Rockbridge, Missouri. With Rockbridge only a few hours away from where we live, we were able to get plenty of fishing time in over the weekend.

Andrew’s family and friends have been visiting Rockbridge for over 30 years. The little ranch tucked away on a spring fed stream is a great place to relax, stick your feet in the cool stream water and catch trout, after trout, after trout. We rented a beautiful cabin close to the water and were able to walk everywhere we wanted to fish. Andrew grilled some fresh trout Saturday night and we enjoyed the company of fellow anglers as we sat around the cabin. A young couple who are friends of Andrew’s family got engaged that night at the Old Mill on the ranch, and we were able to celebrate with them. Congratulations Samantha and Josh!

Although we did not win the biggest trout contest, Andrew and I had great luck fishing, and enjoyed every minute of being near (and in….) the water.

For pictures of our adventure, check out our Facebook Fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Must-Have-Outdoors/157151972483

6:00 AM came early as we loaded Katie’s car and headed out on our camping adventure. Katie and I were looking forward to a little vacation time as well as trying out some

products from Browning Camping. We headed north and drove across Missouri and most of Nebraska. We enjoyed the changing scenery as we left Missouri. Our first campsite was on the Niobrara River in Northern Nebraska. Weather reports gave us warnings of severe thunderstorms and tornado watches, but we survived the night and headed out early to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The scenery is amazing, but Katie was more impressed with the thousands of hay bales we saw on the way up.

We reached the badlands and were amazed with what the Almighty had created. If you are ever in the area, I strongly suggest visiting the park. That afternoon we headed to our next destination, Custer State Park. We were happy to see clean campgrounds with even cleaner restroom and shower facilities. The entire park is very well maintained and has a great family atmosphere. We set up camp and enjoyed some food by the campfire.

 

The next morning we headed to see Mount Rushmore but our progress was slowed down by some of the parks Buffalo herd. It was awesome seeing these amazing animals so close and took some pictures and continued on. Mount Rushmore is truly incredible. What those workers were able to create with the technology they had is a testament to their craftsmanship.

 

Touring Custer State park was next on or agenda and the park had excellent roads and hiking trails to enjoy wildlife and habitat the park offers. That evening brought rain but we stayed high and dry in our Browning Camping tent.

 

The next day we headed to Winner, SD to the farm I pheasant hunt at every year to check on the farm. By the looks of the crop and how many pheasants we saw, it should be a good pheasant season this year. That night we camped on the west side of South Dakota and enjoyed seeing a movie in the local small town of Platte. After a 10 hour drive the next day we made it home safely. The trip was fast and fun, check out pictures from the trip on our Facebook fan page.

  - Andrew

What a year! It seemed like yesterday that Andrew and I started on this new adventure of Must Have Outdoors.

We have been so blessed to have been able to take part this opportunity to share Must Have products with other Outdoor Enthusiasts just like us.

July 3^rd had been on our calendar for quite some time because we knew that would be the first time Must Have Outdoors would hit the airwaves. Unlike Andrew, the 3^rd on my calendar was circled in red and highlighted in yellow, but nonetheless we both knew what a big day that would be for both of us and Must Have Outdoors. As time drew closer, we became more excited, and were able to see our ideas and hard work mold into a television show.

The Must Have Outdoors debut party couldn’t have been on a more beautiful summer day in Missouri. All of our friends, family, co-workers and mentors came and we watched the first episode together. We had fresh movie-style popcorn, a red carpet (yes, that was my idea), and great Missouri BBQ by my brother who was fully equipped with his camo apron sporting the Must Have Outdoors logo. We had a great time and enjoyed being able to share the finished product with those that had been with us from the very start.

To all of our family and friends, thank you for supporting us and Must Have Outdoors!

Make sure to tune in on Saturdays at 5:30 pm EST, Sundays at 6:30 am EST, and Thursdays 11:30 am EST on the Pursuit Channel! You can also view our segments on our website, www.musthaveoutdoors.com, our Facebook Fan Page, and our YouTube Channel.