- I'm Emily Jackson.

- And I'm Nick Troutman.

- And this week on the "Great Family Adventure," we're exploring our own backyard right here in Rock Island, Tennessee.

(upbeat music) My family's an adventure family.

We're always looking for the next fun thing to do.

You know, anywhere we go and we park our truck and trailer, we're just wondering what that area has to offer.

- [Nick] We travel all over the country and all over the world.

We have this freedom to go wherever we want and kind of do whatever we want.

And when you have that freedom, hard to be anything but stoked.

- [Emily] A lot of times we don't know until we get there.

And that's kind of the exciting part.

You arrive, you're like, hey, what's cool to do in this location?

Whether it's hiking, biking, kayaking, you know, anything that involves snow, water, you know, we love it all.

- [Nick] It might look a little wild or a little different.

Weird maybe, but we love it.

(upbeat music) Funding for Great Family Adventure is provided by Discover the World.

Collette offers small group explorations, tours, destinations and local experiences designed especially for small groups.

Explorations by Collette Guided travel since 1918 [Exciting music] In4Adventure.com inspiring, educating and encouraging outdoor adventure for 20 years, we've been fueling innovation on the water.

Our commitment is to improve the quality of life for people all around the world.

At ISLE We believe life on the water is a life better in balance and by these additional sponsors.

(upbeat music) (gentle music) - So the Jackson family obviously started with when I married my wife Kristine, and that was in 1988.

So, a long time ago.

What sealed the deal for me was my whole life I wanted to be a whitewater kayaker.

And everybody that I knew in my whole life, even my coach was like, you need to get your degree because what are you gonna do after kayaking?

And then she goes, you only seem to be happy when you're kayaking.

Why don't you just kayak all day and then like, wait tables at night or something?

And I was like, that is unbelievable.

Like, I gotta hold onto this girl.

- He really envied a guy named Dan Gavere who just traveled around in an RV full time.

One day he just expressed that, he's like, man, I wish we could do what Dan is doing.

And I said, we could totally do what Dan is doing.

Let's do this.

Let's just sell everything.

- And she handed us each these Tupperware containers, you know, pretty big ones, and said whatever you want, it's gotta fit in there.

And the next day, as soon as we loaded up, my parents just opened the doors to the house and people came streaming in and bought everything.

And cash in hand from that yard sale, we loaded up with our Tupperware containers and we hit the road.

- You know, we lived in an RV full time.

One of the challenges we had was Emily, she's like 12, 13 and you know, she'd be interested in boys and stuff like that.

And it's like, well how do you have, you know, how does your daughter socialize or have ever have a boyfriend when you're literally just traveling, there is no home base.

You're a full-time RVer and you don't ever stay in the same place more than a couple weeks.

And then we met this kid Nick up in Canada and he was 15 at the time.

Nick was just like this small town, super happy-go-lucky, awesome kid, loved kayaking.

He wasn't that good at the time, but he really liked it.

And Emily seemed to really like him and we're like, Kristine thought, hey, why don't we invite him on tour for a little while?

So she asked him, then parents let him go.

Well, he never left (laughing).

(upbeat music) - During that year, I was pretty aggressive in trying to get his attention.

It really didn't work as well and I did not understand why.

I mean, he was aggressively pushing me away.

And later I found out that my parents made a rule.

He could paddle for Jackson Kayak and live in the RV or he could date me.

But no way in this world could he do both.

- I was like, dude, I'm focused.

I am like laser focused on kayaking.

Trust me, no girls are getting in the way.

- Eric was always thinking, oh they'll get married.

(Eric laughing) But Nick became a part of the family long before he and Emily ever started dating.

- Here are some things I need to remember if I wanna get Nick to like me.

(laughing) Number one, don't talk about other guys.

(laughing) Spoil him, compliment him, reveal your dreams, spell it out, go public, surprise him, lure him in.

(both laughing) And then about a year later, he went to my dad actually and said- - Hey dude, I probably didn't call him dude.

I was like, hey E.J., I'm willing to like, I really want to date your daughter and if that means, you know, I can't be on Team Jackson Kayak, then so be it.

But I'd really like to date your daughter.

- And my dad was like, I've been waiting.

You see, like she's been dating these awful people.

I've been waiting for you to say that.

And he was like, what?

And so my dad and Nick actually high fived.

- And then after that we just, they built their house here in Tennessee, this awesome log cabin at the top of the hill.

They kinda like made a room for me in the basement that they called Nick's room.

- We actually built in the basement.

We finished the basement and we built Nick's room.

And he used it most of the time.

(Nick laughing) And he obviously grew up and he went from not a very good kayaker, to being a really good kayaker, to beating me in the world championships in 2009.

I got second to him and marrying my daughter all in the same time.

So he took my daughter and my World Champion title in 2009 and I still like him.

(laughing) (cheerful music) - The lifestyle that I grew up in, which is one of traveling around in an RV, was so special to me that I really wanted to emulate it as much as I could with my own family one day.

My parents fell madly back in love in the RV, which is really fun as a kid to watch.

And it was just a really healthy, happy home.

Something that I'm really excited to pass on to my kids.

And one of the reasons we get into the truck and trailer every year is 'cause I wanna open as many doors as possible, so the kids can just see, you know, what is available for them out there.

- [Nick] We made it, buddy.

Knuckles!

(Nick mimicking explosion sound) (cheerful music) Rock Island is our hometown here in Tennessee and it's where Emily and the Jackson's kind of grew up or at least kind of put their roots after they had traveled around in the RV for seven years - And then in 2006, we built our dream house.

It's the only house we ever plan on building.

Up on top of this knoll, it's like an epic spot.

- [Emily] Huge waterfalls and great kayaking just down the road.

Not to mention the biking and the hiking and everything else that comes with this really small, unique town.

- Then Emily and Nick, they built this house a couple years ago.

So we got multiple generations, which is a lot of fun in our little compound here.

- So being a parent and getting out on adventures can be tricky at times.

Luckily we have kind of figured out the high five method where each one of us kind of tag teams watching the kids while the other one goes out and has a lot of fun.

And I think it's my turn to adventure with the kids while Emily gets to go for a quick run.

Let's trampoline it!

Tramp!

- [Child] We're going on the trampoline?

- We're going on the trampoline!

- [Child] Bouncing like this?

- [Nick] I don't know if we'll bounce like this.

Woo!

(upbeat music) - Up until just recently, we hadn't really figured out the mastering of swapping between the parents.

You know, Nick and I both had very different ideas on what our responsibilities were and then I eventually, I just cracked.

I was like, what is happening?

And I, you know, realized that we needed some routine and we needed to write down like, these are the things I'm doing every day.

So kayaking for both of us is on there.

Work for both of us is on there.

Exercise for both of us is on there and doing things with the kids for both of us is on there.

(upbeat music continues) - [Nick] Good job, knuckles!

(Nick mimicking explosion sound) So yeah, we've got my son Tucker who's seven years old, who's a lot like Emily.

Looks like Emily, acts like Emily.

Very calculated.

Nice work, buddy.

Somewhat risk averse.

And then we've got my daughter Parker.

Do you need help?

- No.

- No?

Has my same personality of kind of the, I'm gonna jump and learn how to fly on the way down.

Show me your front flip.

Let's see it.

Ooh, careful!

Doesn't even process it.

More like I'm gonna just go for it and we'll see how it turns out.

You gotta roll, you gotta tuck and roll before you jump.

Who's jumping on?

- [Parker] Me.

- [Nick] We just got the one today?

- [Parker] Yeah.

- Let's do it!

Let's go hit the river.

What do you think, Parker?

- [Tucker] We're going kayaking?

- We're gonna go kayaking!

(gentle music) - We try to get the kids out, you know, once the weather's warm, you know, a couple times a week.

But really like, as long as we're doing it once a week, given the weather, it's kind of what we like to do.

It's just consistency of getting them out makes them have a lot more fun.

You know, it's more they recognize it and they've been here a lot.

It's a great environment for it, you know, down by the beach.

So it's very controlled.

There's nothing intimidating, so they just have a really good time.

Ready?

Show us how to do it.

(water splashing) Woo!

How cold is that?

- (laughing) Is that cold?

- Cold!

She didn't say about this.

(gentle music continues) - [Nick] Once the kids came into the picture, it totally changed the whole mentality and it wasn't so much that I needed to focus on doing the biggest, hardest thing ever.

Now I can go back and relive all these easier rivers, fun locations, gorgeous spots, and have the same amount of fun by just sharing that experience with my children and have as much fun as I ever could running class five before.

(Nick laughing) (Nick and Emily screaming) (Nick laughing) - Here's towel number one.

We just got off the water.

We went and did some kayaking and Mommy got tortured a little bit, 'cause Tucker flipped me over.

- And Dad flipped us over.

We're now a team!

- We're a team.

But now we are getting some ice cream.

Are you excited for some ice cream?

- Yeah.

- Yeah!

(Emily laughing) - What's better, ice cream or kayaking?

(upbeat music) Today was kind of a standard Rock Island day.

We woke up, I got a run in, then we took the kids kayaking, did a little bit of cleaning, organizing around the house.

Yeah, it's only 8:15, but bed's calling.

So I think we're gonna all gonna pass out.

- Let's get ready to go to bed!

(Parker laughing) What an awesome day we had today, getting the kids out on the water, enjoying just some great weather that we've been having recently and last couple days before we hit the road.

So, let's see what we're up to tomorrow.

Ready?

- What's up?

This is my channel.

I'm the best person in the world like no one else.

And today we will be doing nothing, bye.

(upbeat music) - [Emily] When we're home in Rock Island, we do have a little bit more of a routine, which basically goes completely out the window when we hit the road.

But we wake up, I wake up extra early, you know, I try to get up around five and then the kids wake up and then I'm in mom mode and we go straight into breakfast, getting their school out.

And then once we wrap that up, I'm back into work mode usually for a little bit.

Emily is more of the fine tune details - [Emily] So if you're listening, you're about to have a test on this stuff.

- [Nick] What she's able to do in her boat as an athlete, as well as a businesswoman, a wife, a mother.

I mean, she blows me away.

She really is incredible.

- Yeah, all right, well I will go ahead and get that meeting scheduled and then we'll go from there.

Nick is one of the most driven, hardworking people that I know.

He constantly has a new dream.

He dreams really big and he always makes sure that he's having a really good time while climbing for it too.

(upbeat music continues) - I also still try to have my me time where I can focus on, you know, doing some workouts, going for a run and still trying to be the best athlete that I can be.

And then I've got this whole dad life and husband life that I've gotta do as well.

And for me, family is number one.

- [Emily] Together we can usually come up with plans that make just about anything work.

- [Parker] Dad!

- [Nick] Yes, Parker?

- I did it.

- [Nick] Good job, buddy.

- [Parker] Dad!

- [Nick] Yes?

(upbeat music fades) - All righty.

It's a gorgeous day.

We're gonna load up the kids into the car and take them to the overlook so we can watch daddy do some kayaking.

(upbeat music) Here in Rock Island, we have a lot of different kayaking disciplines that we get to do.

Whether it's running waterfalls, which is considered creek boating, or whether it's surfing waves, which is considered play boating.

You know, often when the water's high here, Nick will wanna go off the falls, but also wanna do some play boating.

So we switch it up.

Sometimes we get to do both together, but there's a lot to offer here.

And then some days we just wanna float downstream and that's just river running.

(upbeat music continues) - [Nick] I still want to be the best athlete that I can be and just be a role model and example to my kids of what you can accomplish with hard work.

But at the same time, my family and my kids have now reached the priority in my life.

And kayaking has, you know, gone down the ladder just a little bit.

I still am extremely focused on kayaking and love it as much as ever, but there's no way that kayaking is gonna come before my family.

(upbeat music continues) Let's roll!

Parker, can you stick on please?

Parker.

- Going mountain biking with kids can be really fun, especially for me, because I am not very good at mountain biking and I've kind of taught my son Tucker that he is like the pro 'cause he bikes a lot more and I run behind him.

And so it's really fun for me to go mountain biking with him because often I'll be like, can you show me how to do it?

And he just embodies this whole new person and is like, I'm the leader, mom, let me show you how to do it.

Like this is how you do it, mom, you're doing it wrong.

And I just bite my tongue and go with it because he gains so much confidence in that, knowing that I'm looking to him for advice or inspiration.

But at the same time, you know, there are times.

Hills are hard, you know, it's physical.

And a lot of times, kids, when they hit something physical, their response is just like, no, this is tiring.

- [Nick] Keep doing it bud, you're doing awesome!

- [Kristine] I have two wonderful grandchildren, Tucker and Parker.

They live awfully close to us, so I see them daily.

- I don't have anyone to watch the kids often when I'm out on the road.

So when we're home, I definitely take full advantage and send the kids off to grandma's house.

- [Nick] She's regularly, you know, like making these incredible meals for everybody when we get off the river.

I don't know, she's got a big heart and she's always trying to help other people out.

- Are you, wait a minute, are you Tucker Troutman?

Are you feeling okay?

Yeah, I figured.

My family often describes me as like the glue that keeps everybody together.

So my job has always been just to try to make sure that each member of my family has the tools that they need to make their dreams as much of a reality as they can.

- [Nick] Gorgeous evening here at home, though we're gonna pack up, hit the road pretty soon.

Sure do love this place, but the only thing I love more is heading out on the adventure.

We gotta get this hair outta your eyes, huh?

I know, we should cut it off.

- [Parker] No!

I don't like you chopping it off.

(upbeat music) - You give me a choice between the RV that's parked in my driveway or the house.

The house is worth way more than the RV, but you have to torch one of them and whichever one you torch, you're never allowed to have one of those again.

I'll torch the house a hundred times out of a hundred.

I'll take an RV over a house every day.

And I think ultimately, the kids probably would too.

(gentle music) - Every year we take all of our stuff and we throw it into the truck and trailer and we hit the road.

My parents always said that living in RV and traveling the world is a great way to unlearn.

- The RV living or life, so to speak, where you know, it's not so planned, you know, you can get in an RV and you can just explore, is infectious.

I mean, and both the kids grew up and were like, yeah, that's exactly what we want to do.

That's the kind of life we want to have.

- Not having any doors to close, being together 24/7, just really taught us to understand each other, give each other some space and just, you know, embrace any challenges together.

You know, we were in it all or nothing and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Parker, are you drawing all over the marker box?

Did you pick out any of your coloring books?

Yeah, you brought a marker, but did you bring any of your coloring books?

(gentle music) - So we're about to hit the road, six to 10 months period, destination unknown.

We've got the travel trailer here as our second home.

When we get to wherever we're going, we can pop off the cruiser, cruise into town for groceries, or just take the mountain bike, hit the trails, go have a lot of fun with the kids.

- All right, I'm picking for sure the Barbie.

- No!

- Okay, well then help me.

- Freedom of being able to be at home wherever you go and be able to go anywhere you want.

It's really hard to beat.

- For me it's that freedom that I just love to load up the truck and trailer and hit the open road and search for adventure.

- You have to take all the apples.

- Yummy.

- Mhm.

Are you gonna share with Tucker?

You're gonna eat them all?

- Once the truck and trailer are fully loaded, we've got everything packed up, you know, wheels are rolling and we hit that open road, for me that is the feeling of like Christmas morning.

Like for me it's just the absolute best and total bliss.

(gentle music) Hey, Em?

Do you know...

This is my stuff?

- Every time still, I over pack.

You know, definitely I have too much stuff every time.

I'm amazed by how little we need once we get in there and how resilient the kids are in different scenarios with what you think they need.

And then it's like, oh, I never even touched these for the entire nine months, but that happens a lot.

(gentle music continues) - [Nick] Come on, load up!

Yeah, I don't know what people think when they see us on the road.

We've got this truck, trailer, bikes, boats, all sorts of gear, kids and dogs running in and out.

It probably looks a little crazy at times, but for us it's just normal and we love it.

- [Emily] So that's why I chose to go back into an RV and take my kids on the road is because I want them to be involved in these stressful, chaotic moments and just learn that that doesn't mean that you don't have to be having a really good time.

It's like a light switch, it's a turning point, you know, it's like the buildup to leaving and then all of a sudden you're just rolling and that's it.

And I love the feeling that's associated with, and we're gone.

(gentle music fades) Funding for Great Family Adventure is provided by Discover the World.

Collette offers small group explorations, tours, destinations and local experiences designed especially for small groups.

Explorations by Collette Guided travel since 1918 [Exciting music] In4Adventure.com inspiring, educating and encouraging outdoor adventure for 20 years, we've been fueling innovation on the water.

Our commitment is to improve the quality of life for people all around the world.

At ISLE We believe life on the water is a life better in balance and by these additional sponsors.