Today we found a most magical place. We made it to Georgia last night and explored Jekyll island. I had my sights on a special beach called driftwood beach. This isn’t your average beach covered in driftwood. This beach is experiencing erosion, so it isn’t just pieces of driftwood, but entire bleached trees uprooted and strewn across the sand as far as the eye can see. It is incredibly beautiful and a natural playground for children. A bonus is the…
With mixed feelings we have come to our last day in Florida. We first entered Florida January 30th, so this is certainly a record for us! It has provided many friends, beautiful weather, and a break from the busyness. But we are ready to move on, see the last of what is in store for us this trip. Which feels like it’s coming to a quick end. We spent the morning with Deon working and kids doing schoolwork so we…
We couldn’t leave Florida without seeing manatees, so on the agenda today was blue spring state park. We convinced our friends to join us at this beautiful location. There was a long boardwalk you could see the manatees from, and walk to the end to see the actual spring. There was Spanish moss hanging from the trees and crystal clear water. The best part of the day though was renting a canoe. We were able to paddle out into the…
Sometimes, as us California folks know, you just have to take a beach day. 😉 We met up with some rving friends near coco beach, fl for some sun and sand. Enjoying our last few days here in Florida.
Jupiter. The one in Florida! We have been stymied by a number of poor weather days, which haven’t been bad, but have kept us out of the water. It also led to the canceling of the release of a (now) healthy sea turtle we were going to watch. Instead we headed to the Loggerhead Marine Aquatic Center. It is a hospital for sea turtles of all kinds. It was an amazing place. There were about 25 turtles currently in residence…
We started our day in the parking lot of a Home Depot. Actually, deon and I were woken up at 5am by talking right out side the rv that didn’t stop. We can sleep at a truck stop through cycling engines, generators, etc, but not talking. I got out to walk into Home Depot and was weirded out by a number of groups of men hanging out in the parking lot. Loitering. Just standing around in groups of 3-4. Really…
We attended church at 10. Well, a little late since we had a lot to do before we left. We had showers to take, made crepes, and had to hook up. Church was good. Deon and I have been working on my family history, so that is interesting. We headed to biscayne national park, hoping to snorkel but it was too windy. We spent some time in the visitors center learning and hanging out with the rangers. Then we headed…
Today we set ourselves up for a long day in the Florida keys. We got up early and hit the road, stopping for donuts from Krispy Kreme to motivate. The keys are otherworldly. It feels like you have left the USA for a tropical paradise. The water was beautifully colored. Our first stop was in marathon. A failed beach attempt, a stop at Kmart for snorkeling gear, then lunch at keys fisheries. The setting was beautiful-the food not so much….
Beautiful, amazing nature! Today we walked the gumbo limbo trail and the anhinga trail. If we hadn’t seen enough gators yet, this did it! The gumbo trail is through a hardwood hammock. Beautiful and shady. We did buy bug spray. The mosquitoes are fierce down here! But it is with great reservation that I use it. When I accidentally got some on my lips they went numb, which is disconcerting, to say the least. Neurotoxin indeed! Anhinga trail was full…
Big cypress national preserve is the little known neighbor of the Everglades. We spent our first night in south Florida at this park. Most of the sightseeing part of the park is accessed via a number of boardwalks. We spent some time at the visitors center, the kids earning a jr ranger badge, then hiked 4 boardwalks. We saw our first gator today! As well as birds, soft shelled turtles, and an incredibly beautiful crab.