Current State: A Family Road Trip With Dylan Fauver

After moving to a new city with his family, Dylan Fauver was excited to explore the area —and the simple pleasure of time spent together. So he set out on an easy EV road trip with Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging.

Every drive starts (and ends) somewhere different. The Current State series with Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging is about where you are — and what moves you forward. This time, we connected with content creator Dylan Fauver to get his thoughts on family, fatherhood and the perfect two-hour road trip. His Current State? Exploring the outdoors near his new home while giving his kids the gift of uncomplicated time together.

When we asked Dylan Fauver to map out a perfect road trip for himself and his family, simplicity and connection were key.

Being near one another, he tells us, isn’t the same as being together. “There’s always so much going on at once, and it’s easy to get distracted by TVs, iPads, phones — all that stuff.”

So he kept his road trip plan simple. That morning, he and his wife, Emily, woke up 7-year-old Ella and 2-year-old Nash and told them they were driving to Ozone Falls a few hours away to see a waterfall — the kids’ first.

Beautiful landscapes and, especially, family togetherness had been big reasons why Dylan and his wife decided to relocate last year to Tennessee. For most of his adult life, Dylan didn’t get to choose where he lived. He went wherever the Air Force sent him. He and Emily spent more than a decade adapting to assignments, new towns and temporary versions of home.

When that chapter ended, they decided to make Nashville their new home. Soon after, Dylan’s parents moved nearby, as did his brother and his family. More relatives are planning to follow. “Having everyone close truly is the best thing,” Dylan says.

Now that his young family has settled in, Dylan has prioritized exploring more of the area together.

Keeping It Simple

When Dylan was growing up in Oregon, his parents and brother would take the same vacation every year: two weeks at a lake. They camped, explored and spent the day outside without much of a plan. There was a waterfall there, too, tucked into the woods. He and his brother would hike up to it.

Back then, the days weren’t filled the way they are now. No screens, no schedules. Just each other, time and whatever they chose to do with it.

That was a gift, Dylan now realizes, one he wants to share with his kids. And inspiring other families to spend that kind of time together is why he decided to become a content creator. “This is the kind of thing anyone can take their car and just go do.”

Charging Up and Having Fun

On the way to Ozone Falls, Dylan stopped at Buc-ee’s in Crossville to plug in at Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging. Once he did, he and the family — including the dog — piled out.

Inside Buc-ee’s, Dylan says, Ella beelined to the snacks and candy, while Nash stuck with his mom to eye the oversize beaver mascot. Dylan grabbed a brisket sandwich and more snacks.

But beyond serving as a snack and restroom break, on a deeper level, the time spent charging added an extra element of fun and togetherness to the day. “On a family road trip, my wife usually falls asleep the minute I start the car, and the kids sleep or play with their toys and devices,” Dylan explains. So the charging stop gave them a chance to reconnect and make a few memories before they even reached their destination. They didn’t need to rush, or wait — they could focus on having fun.

In just over 20 minutes, when they headed back outside, “the car was like 90% charged,” Dylan says. “We stayed in the store together longer than we needed to.”

A Day That Stays

After their stop, they continued on toward Ozone Falls. As soon as they arrived, Dylan recalls, the waterfall — a 110-foot drop cutting through the rock — immediately captured everyone’s attention.

They started hiking down, taking in the scene from different angles. When they reached the bottom of the falls, Ella stopped, looked up and said, “This is actually really cool.”

They found a place to sit. The dog stretched out on the rocks.

Dylan says he had imagined they would stop, eat and move on. But when he asked Ella if she was ready to leave, she said, “No, I want to stay.” So they did.

Ozone Falls wasn’t a big trip, Dylan explains. Unlike some of the splashier travel the family does for his work, this didn’t need an elaborate plan or a big budget.

It was just a day with family. One he’ll never forget.