We are documenting our travels starting with this three month trip across the United States (warm areas only).We will be sharing our experiences and recommendations for great places to stay and beautiful things to see.
We got an early start
determined to get out of Florida finally. Unfortunately we quickly
found ourselves in a Burger King parking lot using the wifi to deal
with some problems with Francis's server and the websites he hosts. I
was starting to think we were never leaving Florida! Finally we reached Alabama and then entered Mississippi. The route we
took had us go through a beautiful section of Mississippi along the
Gulf coast. There were miles of lovely public beach on our left and
gorgeous homes on the right. It got to be that time again and we
started looking for a place to sleep. We went to our favorite
website, freecampsites.net, and found a possibility. It was a free place nearby in the De Soto National Forest, Airey Camp. It was nothing fancy but it did have an outhouse
with a sink. We have the setup routine down pat by now so we were
ready for bed in a few minutes.
Early morning found us on
the road again headed for Austin, Texas. We planned to stop there to
visit REI to purchase a canopy. After our long rainy days in Florida
we had decided we needed it for the rest of the trip. It was a very foggy day all the way through the rest of Mississippi and into Louisiana. We drove through New Orleans but with the weather it was hard to see anything. We stayed on Highway 10 through Louisiana and into Houston, Texas. From there we headed up to Austin. To help pass
the time we listened to an audio book called The Life We Bury. It is a murder
mystery with lots of twists and turns. Very entertaining. We made it to REI in the early evening and got a canopy and small table. We somehow managed to squeeze them into the truck.
We got back in the truck and started driving west. We pulled over at a suggested site somewhere around Fredericksburg to sleep but we didn't like the location so we headed to the nearby Walmart. We were told Walmart and Home Depot are fine with travelers sleeping in their parking lots. This was our first time trying it and we saw a lot of RVs and campers there.
We both woke up feeling much
better and Francis was surprisingly rested after his few hours sleep on the asphalt. We left the church parking lot around 7:30 and
continued our drive out of the Keys. We stopped for breakfast at a
Cuban cafe and it was delicious. The price was also surprisingly
reasonable for what we had seen in such a touristy area. Feeling
energized, we were ready to head out of Florida after almost a month.
Big Bend National Park in west Texas is our next destination so we
have a long drive ahead of us. We took a lovely scenic route on Hwy
41 through Big Cypress. A full day of driving brought us as far as
Babcock Web campground near Punta Gorda, Florida. It was a very nice campground with lots
of sites to choose from and a lake in the center. The price was right
too at $3 per person for the whole weekend. We ate my leftover fish
taco from Key West for dinner, got the truck set up and were asleep
by 7:30.
We got up early the next
morning to get back on the road. On our way out, we came to a section
in the road that was completely covered in water from all the
recent rain. We thought about our friend Greg who loves off road
driving and then we made a u turn and went out the other way. We took a scenic route on Casey Key Road. Once again the homes were beautiful. It was
another long day of driving. It seems to be taking us forever to get
out of Florida. Ready to stop for the night, we went to the internet
as usual to find a place to spend the night. We found a place with
hot showers for only $10 a night so we pulled in and drove around
looking for a site. A friendly gentleman with a beautiful black lab
gestured us to the site next to his. Quick showers had us feeling
much better after several long days in the car. We chatted with our
neighbors, Rick with his dog Luke, and Jeffrey and his wife Kay on
Rick's other side. Jeffrey invited us to join them for oysters and
hotdogs at their campfire which we gladly accepted. I skipped the
oysters but Francis really enjoyed them. They told us about the
nearby town of Cedar Key. We had also heard about it from Monica and Irene and Curtis(the photographer from Wilmington, NC). It sounded like a cool place to explore but
we were anxious to get on our way west. Maybe we will visit it on our next trip. We said our goodnights and headed to sleep in the truck again. I am really starting to miss the tent but the truck is so much faster for these short stops.
After
a lovely night sleep, we filled up on the complimentary breakfast and
headed out to spend the day exploring the Florida Keys. We could
still feel the beginnings of a cold coming on but it was not too bad.
We met Greg and Beata and the Brazilian couple they told us about at
a gas station just at the entrance to Key Largo. Romulo and Mirella have been traveling for a year and plan at least another two years. They have a website documenting their trip. We planned to drive
through sightseeing until we got to Bahia Honda State Park. We stopped for pictures a few times along the way. It
was warm and sunny when we entered the park but the predicted clouds
soon rolled in and the temperature dropped quickly. We checked out
the beaches on both the ocean and gulf sides and they were beautiful.
We walked up to the old bridge and the views were spectacular. Greg
was determined to swim despite the cool weather so we found a spot on
the beach for our chairs and Greg and Romulo plunged into the water.
The rest of us watched from the shore. They tried to persuade Francis
to join them but it was too cold for his African blood. After
swimming, we hung out under the picnic shelter for awhile waiting for
the rain to blow over then headed to Key West. We found a parking lot
with a reasonable price. Mirella and Romulo needed wifi to upload some
material for their website so they headed to Starbucks. Greg and Beata headed to the
waterfront to take some photos and Francis and I went in search of
dinner. By this time we were both starting to feel our colds kicking
in, especially Francis. We found a bar with a food truck selling Korean barbeque
and fish tacos. By the time we got our food, our parking time was
almost up so we took it to go and hurried back to meet the others.
Greg had found out there was a parking lot where we could spend the
night as long as we waited until midnight. We were both tired and
feeling crummy by this point so we decided to skip that and head back
out of the Keys. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot and promised
to keep in touch so we could meet up again in the west. We drove
about an hour before we pulled into a church parking lot to spend the
night. It was very hot in the car and got hotter when Francis started
running a fever. We opened the car door a few times to get some air
but we did not want the light in the car to attract attention in such
a public place. Finally, Francis got out of the car and slept on a
blanket in the parking lot to get some relief.
After a long night of mosquito fighting, we were ready to leave the Everglades. The Florida Keys were next up on our list but both of us had some car issues to deal with first. Our jeep was due for an oil change and Greg was having trouble getting his car started. We headed to the nearby town of Homestead to the Jeep dealer and Greg was working on getting some ideas from his mechanic friend in Poland. While we waited for the truck to be serviced, we did some internet research trying to find a cheap place to stay nearby so we could head to the Keys in the morning. We did not have much luck. We headed to the nearby grocery store to met Greg and Beata and make some plans. We were hoping they had found a place.
We all came up empty on a place to stay. Our friends opted for a Home Depot parking lot but we decided to splurge on a hotel room for the night. By this point I was one big itch and I was dying for a soak in a warm bath. We figured we could get our laundry done as well. We found a nearby Super 8 that was within our budget and headed over. The clerk was a lovely young lady who let us in 2 hours before regular check in time and gave us some tips for our trip to the Keys the next day. We walked to the nearby shopping area looking for a place for dinner and found a Caribbean restaurant called O'Deeny's we decided to try. The food was fantastic. We had oxtail stew, ribs, plantains, and rice and beans. The owner and her sister, who came in while we were eating, were incredibly welcoming and friendly. We headed back to our hotel right before the rain came in looking forward to a good night sleep in a bed. It was nice to be back in civilization for a little while except for the fact that we both felt the beginning of a cold coming on.
We headed out bright and early to the Anhinga trail which was supposed to be a must see particularly for alligator viewing. When we arrived, we were surprised to see blue tarps covering all the vehicles. It turns out that the vultures will eat the rubber on windshield wipers and around windows so the park provides tarps and bungee cords to protect your vehicle. We grabbed a couple tarps and set to work covering any exposed rubber. The trail was concrete at first then wooden walkways that took us out into the swamp. We saw some of the same birds we had seen on our kayak trip with Monica and Irene and we were pleased we remembered enough to identify some of them. Towards the end of the trail we did finally spot a single alligator. He was relaxing in the sun and paid absolutely no attention to us. On the way out we saw a large turtle swimming underwater.
We spotted the trailhead for the Gumbo Limbo trail and decided to do that one too. That trail took us into a forested area very different than the swamp we had just been in.
We uncovered the cars and heading south to the Flamingo ranger station to plan our back country hike. Most of the back country sites in the Everglades are accessible only by water but there are some that are hike in. Greg had found a beach site he wanted to try. The ranger let us know that the trail is not well maintained and because of the large amount of rain lately, it could be up to knee deep in water in spots. We decided to do it anyway so the ranger gave us our pass and some warnings about mosquitos and raccoons.
We headed to the trailhead to start our hike. We loaded up our gear and put on plenty of bug spray and some bug repellent patches I found at REI that were supposed to work for 36 hours. The trail started out ok other than some slippery mud in places. Not long into the hike, things took a turn for the worse. The trail was indeed covered in water up to our ankles or higher. We tried walking off the trail but the plant growth was tall and hard to walk through. It was slow going to say the least and the mosquitos were biting. After about an hour, we checked our progress on the GPS and realized we had only gone 1 mile of the 6 mile trek. We decided to walk for another 30 minutes to see if the trail got any better then make a decision about whether to turn around. The trail in fact only got worse. Realizing how late it would be before we made our camp and with sunset only a couple hours away, we decided to make our way back. We took a different route back that was under tree cover and a bit drier. It had a nice view of the water, not sure if it was the Gulf of Mexico or the ocean.
We made it back to the trailhead and headed to the Flamingo Campground office to get a site for the night. They were closed for the day but instructions for late arrivals were posted. We found a site with room for both vehicles. A kindly volunteer came by and we told her what had happened. She said since we had paid for the backcountry permit we did not have to pay again for the campground and she told us if we hurried the solar showers would still be hot. After that long, wet, buggy hike, she did not have to tell us twice. We headed over there and the showers were fantastic.
We started a fire hoping it would help with the mosquitos as it usually did. No such luck. Those things were relentless and did not lessen shortly after dark as we were used to. I finally headed to the car to get some relief. Much to my dismay, the car was full of them. I could hear them buzzing all around me. The noise alone was enough to drive me insane let alone the itchy bites to add to the ones I had already accumulated throughout the day. I smashed as many as I could against the roof of the car but could not manage to get them all. I got out of the car ready to tell Francis we needed to find a different place to sleep. Oh course at 9pm at the southernmost point in the Everglades, there really was no other choice. He got in the car with me and together we killed all but one lone mosquito who kept occasionally buzzing all night. The car was miserably hot but needless to say we did not dare open a door or window! It was a long night.
We were anxious to get an early start so we got the car organized quickly. Our fellow camper, Dan, was supposed to return Sunday but he was still not back. We hated to leave his site abandoned but we had no choice. We took his bike back and left him a note with our number asking him to let us know he got back safely. We said our goodbyes to Joanne and Miss Piggy. Miss Piggy barked a little but I think she secretly like us. Joanne gave Francis some good advice on a scenic route through West Palm Beach to take to the Everglades. She said we would even pass by Donald Trump's home. She gave us some delicious rolls she had heated up in foil on her campfire to eat for breakfast on the road.
The drive was lovely, just as Joanne had promised. It was not the fastest route for sure but so much nicer than taking the highway. The homes we saw in West Palm were spectacular. The landscaping alone was spectacular. I guess now we know how the other 1% of Americans live. I am pretty sure they don't go camping in a jeep Liberty.
We arrived at the Everglades in late afternoon and met up with Greg and Beata at Long Pine Key Campground which is very close to the entrance of the park. I was excited to see showers on the map we received at the entrance. I had read on the website that they were being added to the campground and opening in early 2016. Sadly, the building was constructed but not open yet. There were flush toilets and sinks with running water so it could have been worse. We got the tent up quickly and grilled some steak for dinner.
Between the 4 of us we were able to gather enough wood for a campfire. We split a pint of cookies & cream ice cream ( Our freezer really comes in handy.) and our friends told us about their trip to Miami. They met a Brazilian couple who have been traveling in a truck for a year and plan on doing it another two years. We made plans for an early start the next day to check out some trails and then head to the south end of the park to do a night of back country camping.
Sunset at Long Pine Key campground in the Everglades
