Wanderlust 2019

5,818 miles, 15 campgrounds, 8 states, 55 days...an epic adventure.  Instead of satisfying my wanderlust, it just encouraged it.  I am already thinking about where I want to go next summer!

The purpose of the trip was to travel to see the family in Ohio.  We took 3 weeks to get there, a little over a week visiting and 3 weeks to get back.

We stayed at a variety of campgrounds...state parks, private campgrounds and RV Resorts.  We like full hook-ups (water, electric, sewer).  But will settle for electric and water with a dump station.  When picking out a campground, I focused on size and hook-ups.  Then we spent a week with limited cell phone service, no Internet and no TV.  If you know Brian and I, you will understand how much we depend on our cell phone and Internet.  That was our version of "roughing it".  From now on, I check reviews to see if there is any mention of those services.

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THE PLANNING

I enjoy planning these trips almost as much as I enjoy the experience.  Brian gets to pick the general route.  Then I start finding places that are about a 3-hour drive apart.  I want a location with some sightseeing opportunities.  Next I look for a nearby campground.  I check out the campground reviews from several sources.  I want to know if it is safe, has level sites and has friendly management.  Now I also look to see if it has good cell service.  I put all the stops together and then Brian and I look it over.  In the end I have a notebook with the confirmations, maps and excursion info.

We had a plan for the first half of our trip.  Since I didn't know how long we were going to stay in Ohio, I didn't make reservations for the trip back.  The idea of winging it was a little scary, but it worked out.  I still feel more comfortable having all the planning done before we leave.

For me, the benefits of camping is that I am staying in my own home each night and cooking in my own kitchen.  Our 30' Shadow Cruiser travel trailer is just right for Brian and I.

Inside there is everything we need...bedroom, bathroom, kitchen.  We swapped out the RV sofa for two recliners, directly across from a big screen TV,  Outside, we have two very comfortable reclining chairs, often a beautiful nature view and a fire pit.  In a small space I have the best of indoor and outdoor living.

ON THE WATER

Brian and I enjoy kayaking and we bought new Vibe kayaks in Ohio.  I was reluctant to let go of my first kayak, but the comfort of the Vibe took care of my hesitation.

We kayaked in the St. George Sound, in the Davis Bayou, on the Ouachita River at Catherine's Landing,  on Winton Lake near Cincinnati, on the Mogadore Reservoir in Ohio and on the James River in the Powhatan State Park.  As much fun as all these were, I still like kayaking in the Florida springs and streams the best.

A highlight of my trip was white water rafting on the Youghiogheny River with White Water Adventures in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.  Brian, Mallory, Michelle and I did this trip over 15 years ago.  It was a family bonding adventure.  This time, Brian took a pass.  I scheduled a guide in my raft and ended up with a private guided tour.   My guide, Riley, made the trip fun and safe.

In Biloxi we took two boat tours in one day.  The Biloxi Shrimp Boat in the morning and the Betsy Ann Riverboat in the afternoon.  Both tours talked about the consequences of releasing fresh water from the flooding Mississippi River in the Gulf.  It helped New Orleans, but was devastating to the sea life in the Gulf.  The captain on the Biloxi Shrimp Boat Tour did a great job teaching about shrimp and how to catch them.

HIKING

I enjoy walking in the woods.  I wouldn't be so bold as calling it hiking...more a meditative walk in nature, with lots of picture taking.  It goes along with my obsession with the colors and textures of nature...trees, rocks, fungus.  I can't stop taking pictures of the outdoors.  I have 5000 pictures on my phone and I bet 3,000 are of trees.  Don't be surprised when I write a blog of TREES.

I enjoyed walking on the beach on St. George Island.

Spring Hill State Park in Indiana had beautiful trails with creeks, caves and an old growth forest with trees over 150' tall.  You can imagine how impressed I was.

The steepest hike I have ever done was while staying at the Endless Cavern Campground, at the foot of the Massanutten Mountain range.  I didn't walk far that day, but my Fitbit measured 51 flights of stairs.  Oh my.

The trails at the Garvan Woodland Garden and the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens in Fayetteville were the prettiest.  Both had beautiful combinations of manicured gardens and natural woods. 

HISTORY LESSON

We visited many historical sites with most set in the 1800s.  Near St. George Island, we toured the Orman House, an antebellum home built in 1838 by Thomas Orman a cotton merchant.  The Panhandle of Florida was very important in the shipping trade.  

We also visited the John Gorrie Museum.  Gorrie invented the first ice-making and refrigeration machine in the mid 1800s.  He used this discovery to help cool rooms for yellow fever patients.  You would have thought it would be a big hit in HOT Florida, but he was never able to turn his machine into a commercial success.  

Brian and I visited the City of Vicksburg.  The city was an important cotton shipping port before the Civil War, was important to both the North and South for controlling the Mississippi during the war and has lots of history after the war during the Reconstruction.  The Civil War Vicksburg Campaign started in 1862 and lasted 18 months.  We drove through the Vicksburg National Military Park.  The park has over 1300 statues from North and South states.  We also visited The Lower Mississippi River Museum and the Civil War antiques at the Old Courthouse Museum.

Hot Springs Arkansas has history and nature blended together.  Brian and I visited Bathhouse Row in the National Park.  The bathhouses were built in the late 1800 for the rich and famous.  The area became a National Park in 1921.  We soaked in the mineral pools and drank the water at the Spa at Quapaw.

Roscoe Village in southern Ohio is a restored 1800 canal town.  We toured the living history sites on Main Street of the blacksmith shop, the weaver, the schoolhouse and the doctor's office.  And finished up with a horse drawn canal boat ride.  The Ohio Erie Canal was 230 miles long, connecting Lake Erie and the Ohio River.  It was constructed between 1828 and 1831.  The system was operational for only 30 years.  Flooding and railroads caused the decline of the canal system  The canal came through my hometown of Akron, Ohio and many canal sites are featured in nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Even though I was familiar with the canal history, this was the first time I road in a canal boat.

We visited Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello in Virginia.  It was another history lesson...this time in the 1700.  The home and plantation are lovely.  The Foundation does a great job keeping everything authentic.

We visited another famous home...Falling Waters in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvannia.  It is a beautiful example of designing a home to fit the landscape.  The surrounding Laurel Highlands may be a destination for a future trip.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

In addition to the hikes, kayaking and history lessons, Brian and I found some interesting local attractions.

We saw Lunaro, a cirque-type show at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.  

We were at Hillman Ferry Campground in the Land Between the Lakes during the hummingbird migration.  Several places had feeders where I watched dozens of hummingbirds.  We also drove through the Bison and Elk Drive, where we saw elk, but no bison.  And spent some time at the Kentucky Dam.

While staying near Cincinnati we visited the Trammel Fossil Park.  It is a small park in an industrial area where you can collect fossils.  The will be a fun place to take my grandkids.

The Jungle Jim's International Market in Cincinnati is a unique place.  The store is huge with crazy displays everywhere.  Brian and I split up.  He spent most of his time in the beer department, trying to pick up a few brews from the selection of 4,000 beers.  I enjoyed the Produce Department the best.  The fruits and vegetables were fresh and the selection of international produce was amazing.  

The "artist" in me enjoyed the Alan Cottrill Sculpture Studio in Zanesville, Ohio.  I appreciated the sculptures visually, but I also enjoyed seeing the process of making these beautiful pieces.  There are hundreds of pieces of all sizes in the studio.

Brian and I toured an Amazon Fulfillment Center.   We are both fans of ordering off Amazon.  During the tour we watched how orders were processed.  Lots of technology at work there.  If you are an Amazon customer, I would recommend the tour.

HEADING HOME

As we got closer to home, the planning got more adventurous.  First we had to plan around the Labor Day holiday.  It is a big camping weekend.  Then we spent a few days hiding out from Hurricane Dorian at A. H. Stephens Historic State Park near Augusta, Georgia.  We celebrated the end of our Wanderlust 2019 sitting by the campfire all day.

  

Camping...the Real Florida

Winter in Florida is the BEST.  Brian and I take advantage of the great weather to explore the award-winning Florida State Parks.  The parks offer camping, hiking and kayaking...a trifecta for me.  All the other activities (fishing, birding, beaches and freshwater springs) are a bonus.  

We started our 2018-2019 Winter Adventure at Myakka River State Park.  I can't say enough great things about Myakka.  I enjoyed bike riding all over the park, stopping to take in the natural beauty...wildflowers in bloom, birds and deer in the woods.  

I enjoyed hiking on the trails and visited the canopy walkway every day.  I guess I am getting over my fear of heights.  

We visited the Birdwalk several times.  Not only did I see a variety of birds, I saw lots of wildlife photographers at the park...big cameras, tripods.  I noticed that some photographers came in pairs.  One to photograph and one to spot the birds.  They were as much fun the watch and listen to as the birds.

Kayaking on the Myakka River was an experience.  Lots of alligators, Roseate Spoonbills...not only are the birds interesting, I love saying the name.

I got adventurous and took the 2.2 mile hike to Deep Hole to see more alligators.  Most of the hike is open prairie, with very few signs.  Deep Hole is a sinkhole on the edge of Lower Myakka Lake.  For some reason alligators are attracted to the sinkhole.  Only 30 permits are given out each day to hike to Deep Hole.  I didn't get close, but I saw lots of alligators and buzzards.

We took a side trip to nearby Siesta Key to see the Sand Sculpting Festival.  What a beautiful beach...white sand, blue water.  An added bonus was the Siesta Key Drum Circle.

Our next trip took us to the east coast, Sebastian Inlet State Park.  I enjoyed the off-road biking and walking the beach...while Brian did some fishing.  As he says...the fishing was great, the catching wasn't so good.  I saw a fish bone that looked like a crucifix.  It is a head skeleton of the hardhead catfish.

Brian and I took a day to explore the area outside of the park.  We explored the Old Florida Charm by taking a drive down the Jungle Trail, visited the Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum and learned about the nearby sunken treasure.  I hike a trail in Captain Foster's Hammock Preserve.  As a reward, we stopped at Crab-E-Bills for a seafood meal.  I had grilled shrimp and stone crab claw with champagne mustard sauce...yum.

My fondest memories of the park are the sunsets and dolphins in the inlet.

In December, we headed back to the west coast to Oscar Scherer State Park.  I got to hike and bike, but the weather didn't cooperate and we didn't kayak.  I did make a couple trips to Venice Beach to collect fossilized sharks teeth.

In January we went to Tomaka State Park near Ormond Beach.  I enjoyed kayaking on the Halifax and Tomaka Rivers.  I took a solo kayak trip (while Brian fished) and saw dolphins.  I tried to keep up with the dolphins, but they just played with me.  I was so busy paddling, I didn't get any pictures of the dolphins.

I like a lot about being outdoors, but I really LOVE trees...old, new, big, small.  I will do a blog just on my tree pictures.  So, I had to stop at the Bulow Creek State Park to see the Fairchild Oak, a 500 year old live oak.

We stopped by to see friends, Don and ET in Flagler Beach.  What a fun time, we had a nice visit and a campfire on the beach.

In March we stayed in central Florida and camped in Hillsborough River State Park, a little over an hour south of home.  Lots of hiking and biking at this park.  But the best part was kayaking on the Hillsborough River.  It is a perfect waterway for Brian and I...smooth water and wildlife.  Our campsite was across the street from the launch area and we could carry the kayaks back and forth.

We took a side trip to Parkesdale Market in Plant City for their World Famous Strawberry Shortcake.

Often camping involves bugs.  But this camping trip had an unusual visitor, furry caterpillars.  They were everywhere...hundreds...dropping from the trees.  It made sitting outside uncomfortable.  Even with these pests, this park was Brian's favorite.

Our last camping trip of the season was to Colt Creek State Park, on the south end of the Green Swamp.  Not far from Hillsborough State Park...and not far from home.  It was our first camping trip without our lovable cat, Lizzie.  Lizzie was the reason we started camping.  She was a spoiled, loved, older cat that didn't do well when we left her to travel.  A camper was the solution...we could travel and take her with us.  She loved the cozy, close quarter of the trailer.  She even handled riding in the van.  Sadly, she died of kidney failure.  Brian and I have had 3 lovely cats and 25 years of great memories.

Colt Creek is a new state park...just a couple years old.  All of the facilities (bathhouse, camp sites) are clean and spacious.  There is a pond on the property but we didn't kayak there.  The first day we kayaked on the Withlacoochee River in the Withlacoochee River Park near Dade City.  The water levels were low and both ends were impassible.  We ended up paddling up and down about a mile stretch.  We checked out the observation tower in the park and I picked up a great shrimp and avocado salad at Mallie Kyla's Café.

The next day we went back to Hillsborough State Park and kayaked on the Hillsborough River.  It is a favorite of both of us.  I fell in love with an old cypress tree.  I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.

We drove to the west coast for our last day to kayak at the Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park.  Even though we brought our own kayaks, a lady from Paddling Adventures was very helpful and loaned us dollies to cart our kayaks over the boardwalk to the launch site.  The springs are not clear, boiling springs...just deep murky holes.  But kayaking the inlet and the mangrove bayou was nice.

Our winter adventures are over and we are preparing for our 2 month 2019 Summer Adventure.  The Florida State Parks live up to the advertising.  They truly are "The Real Florida" and award winning.  That also makes them very popular.  You can make reservations 11 months in advance  The best parks and best sites are difficult to book.  It is easier for Brian and I because we camp during the week.  But I don't take any chances and I have reservations for the next 11 months.  Most are parks we have not visited before, but I have reservations next year at our two favorites...Hillsborough State Park and Myakka State Park.  The rest will be a pleasant surprise.