There's No Place Like Home

It was after Florida that Brian and I had "The Talk."  I was the one who brought it up, but we both agreed.  It was time to go home.  We were tired of driving, weary of living in an RV, and ready to get back to our friends in San Francisco.

Suddenly things about RV life that were manageable or even fun had become annoying.  The shower was tiny and had no pressure.  The toilet needed to be dumped regularly and cleaned via buckets of water we hauled in from the spigot.  We were constantly lost and always wondering whether our destination would be worthwhile or disappointing.  Confederate flag spotting was getting old.  We longed for the particular convergence of redwoods, Pacific Ocean, and foodies that is San Francisco.

Of course, we didn't have a regular life to go back to.  We had no house, no work, and no school.  Once we agreed that it was time to go back, I no longer cared much about our return route.  Instead I was planning our new life in SF: searching for apartments online, re-establishing relationships with work contacts, and calling preschools about mid-year openings.

We rushed back home along the Southern Route, taking mostly Highway 10.  We had some great times along the way.  But we were in a hurry, so I'm going to be brief in my blog notes as well.

New Orleans


The French Quarter was within walking distance of our RV park.  I was in love with the historical houses, but didn't keep my eyes off the sidewalk for too long for fear of stepping in a pile of puke.

Halloween in New Orleans is a big deal!  Sarah (a close friend since junior high) showed us the right neighborhood for trick or treating in the Garden District, then we walked to Bourbon Street for the real party.

Sarah (the creative one) as the night sky

Mules pull tourists along the cobbled streets in carriages.  Our tour guide was a native of New Orleans and used to be a history professor.

The animals at Audubon Zoo were really active: the white tiger brothers were licking each other's faces, the orangutan baby was swinging on the ropes, and the silverback gorilla ate most of the group's Halloween pumpkin before leaving a few scraps for the females to fight over.

The RV park shared a wall with St Louis Cemetery Number Two, and St Louis Cemetery Number One was only a couple blocks away.  Lukas and I visited Number One, and possibly found the above-ground tomb of renowned Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

  

Highway 10 through Louisiana is mostly raised because much of the state is a swamp.

Texas


Galveston was our last stop on the Gulf of Mexico, and definitely the worst.  It had a long stretch of beach, but it was dirty and cars were using it like a parking lot.  We went out to a Japanese Steak House for dinner and Lukas loved watching the chef throw knives around.

Seawall, Galveston, TX

On the outskirts of Austin, we drove through miles of burnt forest caused by wildfires over the summer.  We meant to spend some time in Austin, but the place we wanted to stay only had one night available.  It was in a great location walking distance to Zilker Park and numerous restaurants, including a semi-permanent food truck stop.  Zilker Park is massive and includes a spring fed river.  Part of the river is funneled through a public swimming pool the size of a football field.  If one doesn't want to pay, there is a free swimming area just outside the pool gates.

Flip Happy Crepes, Austin, TX

Junction, Texas was a dot on the map in the middle of nowhere.  We arrived to find a quaint town on the banks of the Llano River, population 2,600.  Pecans and hunting seemed to be the main tourist draws.  Most of the storefronts in town were empty, but the few that had businesses were closed up tight by 5 pm.  This was one of my favorite stops on the route home.  We picked up pecans from the grove in the RV park, visited the neighbor's calves and horses, and watched snowy egrets and anhingas settle down for the night in trees hanging over the river.  The down home Texas feel to the town only added to the experience.

View out the back window

Llano River, Junction, TX

Junction is the gateway to the West Texas hill country.  What that means is that the desert begins just outside of Junction.  The desert doesn't stop until you hit the Pacific Ocean.

New Mexico


Carlsbad was a pretty depressed little town.  I sort of wanted to see the Caverns, but they were an hour from the RV park and we had just driven three plus hours in the RV.  The desert landscape and the petroleum smell from nearby oil rigs was getting me down.  Lukas and I took an afternoon trip to the Living Desert Museum and Botanical Garden.  It cost three dollars to get in.  It was mostly a botanical garden with a few native animal enclosures.  It was kind of chilly and most of the animals were nowhere to be seen.  However, there was a pissed off rattlesnake, shaking his tail and hissing at the glass.  I was very glad he was confined.

The route west from Carlsbad took us up to 8,700 feet over Cloudcroft Mountain.  At the top of the mountain were evergreen trees and a two lift ski resort.  It was a beautiful drive, and we even saw some aspen trees in the desert valleys that had turned a golden yellow for fall.

On the backside of the mountain there were views of the White Sands National Monument, 275 square miles of pure white gypsum sand.  The dunes seem to be glowing in the distance.

My main motivation for staying in Alamogordo was to visit White Sands.  The day we arrived there was a storm brewing, but I dragged Lukas out to see the dunes anyway.  

For six months while driving around the US, we had hardly a hitch with our equipment.  But once we were headed home, everything started to fall apart.  The slide motor broke in Alamogordo.  We pushed it back in manually and secured it with a clamp, then arranged for a real fix in Tucson a few days later.  The next morning, the Mini Cooper was grinding in reverse.  Luckily it was just a bent piece of metal from all the gravel roads we'd been driving on.  After a quick tweak at the gas station we were on our way again.

Our last stop in New Mexico was Silver City, a high desert town on the edge of the Gila National Forest.  The fact that the Silver City RV park was the first place to have recycling since New Orleans should say it all.  Pair that with a cute town and desert walking trails, and I'd call this stop a winner.

Tucson

We had to drop off the RV for a couple days in order to get the slide motor repaired.  The shop owners offered to hook us up to electric and let us sleep in their parking lot next to the busy main road in the bad part of town.  Instead we decided to treat ourselves to two nights in a hotel near expansive Reid Park.  We were definitely ready for a break from the RV.  But by the end of two days, we missed being able to cook our own meals and skip town whenever we wanted.  

View of the Catalina mountains from our room at Lodge on the Desert Hotel

Tucson was a little hippie oasis, especially over at the Epic Cafe.  Molli, a SF friend from Tucson, gave us the cafe rec.  I felt at ease when able to order a veggie breakfast burrito.  I also enjoyed the regular customers, including a man with pigtails in an ankle long orange leather jacket and pink roller skates.

Reid Park Zoo is a small AZA accredited zoo with a tiny elephant enclosure and construction for their new elephant area in the works.  The best part of the visit was watching the elephant keepers clean and prep the exhibit for the evening.  It took the staff at least twenty minutes to change enrichment and hide food in the various contraptions around the yard.  Even if the space was small, you could tell these ele girls were being well cared for.

Great idea for giraffe feeding, Reid Park Zoo

California

We had planned one more night in Arizona, but just before we got to the mediocre RV park Lukas fell asleep.  Brian and I were more then ready to get out of the desert, so we kept going for another two hours.  We finally stopped after crossing the Arizona/California border in the town of Blythe.

The campground was next to the Colorado River, under a large gas pipeline, and within eyesight of the border patrol unit on the freeway.  It was far from great, but we were still happy to be back in California and near water.

pipeline over the Colorado River from California to Arizona

Our final Southern stop was in Desert Hot Springs.  The whole place smelled like sulphur from the thermal wells.  We stayed two days.  The first day it rained, but that didn't stop us from hanging out in the hot tubs all day.  It also put a nice coat of snow on the nearby mountains.

Bumpy road to Desert Hot Springs

Kid's warm mineral pool

In order to break up the trip to San Francisco, we had two overnight stops.  The first was in an orange grove, the second in garlic country.  Then we had our triumphant return to San Francisco!  Where we are now living in a parking lot in the Bayview.

A new life is coming together.  Lukas was accepted to a preschool out in the Sunset.  We found a place to live with a view of the Pacific Ocean.  And work will take me back in mid-January.  San Francisco is a really special city, the only one we want to live in right now.  It is wonderful to see our friends again.  We are also ready to have a stable routine.  But what a journey it has been!  Thanks to everyone who has supported us during our travels.

RV PARK REVIEWS


French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans, LA: A
  Small park between a cemetery and a housing project.  Paved roads, large sites, nice pool with hot tub waterfall, exercise room, friendly folks.  Main perk - walking distance to the French Quarter.


Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, Lake Charles, LA: C
  Large crystalline lake. Lots of skeeters.  Mostly empty, but still got yelled at for exceeding the 5 mph speed limit.  Next to a mine.  Closest grocery store was Walmart.  Backwoods Louisiana, here.


Dellanera RV Park, Galveston, TX: B
  RV park next to the beach.  Water murky, sand brown.  Galveston very built up with chain restaurants.  Long cement seawall for walking.


Pecan Grove RV Park, Austin, TX: A
  Mostly permanent RV park in the middle of the city.  Twelve tight spaces for overnighters.  Great location, friendly people.  Located in a pecan grove as per the name.


Morgan Shady RV Park, Junction, TX: A
  Next to the Llano river under several large pecan trees.  Family operation.  Walk to town past cow pasture, horse corrals, and woods filled with deer.  Rope swing on a large tree.


Hilltop RV Park, Fort Stockton, TX: B
  RV park in the middle of the desert.  Well kept.  Desert themed murals throughout park.  Very friendly owners.


Carlsbad KOA, Carlsbad, NM: B+
  Out of town near several oil rigs.  At night the petroleum smell was really strong.  Nice hot tub next to a koi pond.  Menu and delivery to RV.  Small playground.


Boot Hill RV Resort, Alamogordo, NM: B+
  On main road, noisy.  Mountain view.  Nice sites, well thought out desert cowboy theme.  Horse corrals, store with native american jewelry, open air space for live music and church services.  DVDs for rent, fee benefits local school.  Half hour drive to White Sands National Monument.


Rose Valley RV Ranch, Silver City, NM: A
  On the edge of town, cemetery on one side, open desert on the other.  Walking trail out into the desert.  Huge RV site.  Recycling!!!  Cute town only a ten minute drive.


HOTEL: Lodge on the Desert, Tucson, AZ: A-
  Historic hotel near Reid Park.  Feel of the Southwest with exposed beams, low buildings, muted colors.  View of the Santa Catalina mountains from room.  Pool with waterfall, good restaurant, bar with friendly bartender, nice cactus gardens.  Water turned off without notice, kept off for several hours which warranted the downgrade in rating.


Blythe/Colorado River KOA, Blythe, CA: C
  Site next to Colorado River.  Also under huge gas pipeline and next to highway inspection station.   Small playground in the permanent trailer area.  Young kids driving golf carts around at high speeds.  Very narrow spots, dog poop in our site on arrival.


Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort, Desert Hot Springs, CA: B
  Huge park in the desert.  Lots of permanent spots, plenty of open overnighter spots.  Large mineral pool courtyard with lush foliage, large bird aviaries, pond with waterfall, four hot mineral pools, large heated pool, good sized kiddie warm pool.  Store, pool tables, ping pong, playground.  Great views of the Santa Rosa and San Bernadino mountains.  Lots of cat poop on the playground and dog poop on the streets.  Crowd a bit raspy.

Orange Grove RV Park, Bakersfield, CA: B
  In an orange grove, encouraged to pick oranges but unfortunately they were not ripe yet.  Playground with well used toys.  Freeway noise.  Large pull through sites, laundry room, pool.

Gilroy Garlic USA RV Park, Gilroy, CA: B-
  Smelled like garlic.  Freeway noise.  Paved sites, nice staff.  Behind a large strip mall.


Candlestick RV Park, San Francisco, CA: C-
  Across the street from Candlestick Park football stadium, short walk to the Bay at Candlestick Point state park.  Laundry, TV room, free fortune cookies in office.  Hard working family business.  Small sites that require leveling.  Basically a parking lot.

Florida Part 2: West

I was SO excited about the Everglades.  More so than the Keys, more so than the beaches.  I wanted to get out in the swamp and be with the alligators among the mangroves.  After much research I found an RV site in Big Cypress swamp, right smack in the middle of the Everglades.  As luck would have it, the owner was a Skunk Ape Hunter and had a menagerie of exotic animals.

In case you are not already familiar with the skunk ape, it is Florida's version of Bigfoot or Sasquatch.  Skunk ape hunters believe that this humanoid creature lives in the swamps, walks bipedally, measures about six feet tall, has shaggy orange hair similar to an orangutan, and has an intense smell reminiscent of rotten eggs or methane.  I don't believe anyone is interested in actually bagging one of the creatures, the hunt is more about proving its existence.

I made vague plans with the owner of the "zoo" to take a tour in the morning, planning to ask about Skunk Apes at that time.  While in the shop I should have taken more notice of the abundance of bug spray for sale.  Instead I was gaping at the alligator tooth necklaces and trying not to stare at the two redneck locals sitting in front of the fan.

I paid for two nights and we drove into the park.  Another employee came out to show us our spot, so we had to roll the window down to talk with him.  Fifteen mosquitos must have flown in during that brief conversation.  We parked and commenced killing mosquitos.  About an hour later I worked up the guts to take a walk around the property and look for alligators in the swamp.  I sprayed a thick layer of high concentrate DEET mosquito spray all over myself and Lukas, then we headed out.  The mosquito attack was immediate and relentless.  After a brief foray toward the pond I could think of nothing other than the skeeters cloud surrounding us.  I was so caught up in swatting mosquitos that I would not have seen an alligator unless I stepped on it.  Lukas buried his head in my shoulder and I ran back to the RV.  Feeling somewhat hysterical, we showered off the bug spray while Brian killed the mosquitos that had followed us in.

It was then that I decided to abandon the swamp.  In early October we were in the thick of mosquito season, too early for the buggers to have died off in the cooler autumn weather.  All night the mosquitos crept in through some unknown hole in our defense.  By morning the walls were covered with blood stains and mosquito smears.  Lukas awoke with bites all over his face.  Soon after daybreak we drove the hell out of there and didn't look back.  Nature girl was defeated by a tiny army of blood suckers.  But we did see a stunning sunset from within the confines of our RV.

By nine in the morning we had reached the posh seaside village of Naples.  There were no mosquitos in sight, thank goodness.  In contrast, the beaches had beautiful white sand and coquinas aplenty.  Orange stucco mansions surrounded the understated public beach access.  Brian had his pick of at least ten golf courses in the immediate area.

Lukas and I spent the afternoon exploring the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens.  Naples Zoo is a small AZA accredited zoo set in a botanical garden.  The native flora was the perfect tropical setting for viewing animals.  I particularly enjoyed the orchid epiphytes that were anchored about thirty feet up in the crevasse of a tree trunk.  The highlight of the zoo is its animal programs, such as the boat tour around the primate islands and the giraffe feeding.  I thoroughly enjoyed the animal presentation at the theater, during which the keepers played at putting a hedgehog and a scorpion head to head in order to determine which animal was the fiercest.  They also showed us a sloth that had to be hand raised after mom abandoned it.  As everyone knows, sloths are absolutely adorable and I had to add to the chorus of "ooohs" in the audience.  

Our next destination was the place we called home for almost a week.  Dunedin is north of Clearwater and St Petersburg, both popular Gulf of Mexico beaches.  Brian's parents were meeting us in Dunedin for a vacation.  Five of us in the RV would not have made for a good vacation, so instead we made reservations at a combination hotel and RV park.

We showed up in Dunedin a day early in order to get some work done on the RV.  During that severe storm about a week ago a tail light had gone out.  It was also time for our third oil change in six months.  We've put almost 10,000 miles on the RV since April!  While at the shop, we hit up another white sand beach, then visited a cute little nature center with a pond chock full of turtles.

Riding the "fire engine" at the nature center

Lukas was so excited to see Nana and Papa!  Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, so we couldn't beach it as much as we were hoping to.  Instead we explored the sleepy little town of Dunedin, attempted to play in a sandstorm in Clearwater, and visited the home of Winter, the famous tail-less dolphin.  One day we went to the Greek town of Tarpon, known for its sea sponge collectors.  We saw some Greek people and ate some greek food.  I also peeked into the Tarpon Aquarium, which had a sketchy live shark feed that entailed a diver going into the tank and hand feeding four foot long sharks.

Sponge collecting vessel

Then finally, the day Lukas had been impatiently awaiting... his third birthday!  Lukas helped me make a cake and we had a little party in Nana and Papa's hotel room.  The boy was thrilled to be the center of attention and very pleased with his birthday loot.  As Lukas played with his new toys, Brian and I snuck out for a rare date night.

We had one sunny day with Carol and Don, so we visited the Honeymoon Island State Park.  This is another barrier island with white sand and clear water.  We happened to hit the beach when there was a large tidal pool perfect for Lukas to swim in, and also handy for filling up his new water cannon.  That evening we had a farewell BBQ with fresh black grouper, corn and asparagus.  Thankfully it won't be too long before we're back in California to play with the gramps once more.

In order to head west back to SF, we would have to drive through the panhandle of Florida.  Our hopes were very low for this area.  But first, we picked out a lesser known spot on the "Nature Coast" called Cedar Key.  The two block town had several good restaurants, a bit of coast, and a very slow pace. We had a lovely brunch overlooking the water, then set off in search of manatees.

Manatee Springs state park was about an hour away.  Brian took the back-roads and it was tropical forest the whole way, interspersed with a few mobile home parks and some hunting land.  The ranger at the entrance kiosk scoffed when I asked about the best manatee viewing spot, assuring us we wouldn't see any.  But we wandered down the boardwalk anyway, and the walk itself was worth it.  The spring fed creek was clear and blue.  It was so surreal that I half-way expected to see mermaids, if manatees weren't in the cards.  Just as we got to the end of the boardwalk, a baby manatee surfaced next to a family in a canoe.  What a treat!  Lukas was whining on and on about wanting to go on a canoe and could not grasp how exciting it was that there was a large sea cow twenty feet away from us.  Brian dragged the sniveling child back down the boardwalk while I snapped a few pics of mother and babe.

Back at the mouth of the spring, we got Lukas interested in riding the manatee statue and prepared ourselves for the ride back.  Just then, Lukas slipped (not unusual) and gave such a howl that I knew something was not right.  There was a giant lump on his head, growing larger by the second, and blood around his nose.  Brian and I went into triage mode: ice from the family barbecuing nearby, ditch the stroller because it's a ways back and half-way broken, determine location of the nearest hospital, try to keep an exhausted Lukas awake in the car, try not to pass out or throw up myself, keep the speeding Brian from getting in an accident or getting stopped by the police.

Our GPS was set for the Tri-County Emergency Hospital, and it led us to a tiny driveway into what looked like an elementary school.  On closer inspection, we saw an emergency room sign and pulled into the mostly empty lot.  The staff greeted us warmly as we came in, gave Lukas a lollipop and whisked him off to see the doctor.  What?  Is this really an emergency room?  I was expecting a three hour wait in a dank room with about thirty other people, several of them bleeding profusely.  Mom of the year that I am, I wasn't carrying Lukas's proof of insurance card.  "No problem!" I was assured by the staff. "We'll fill out the paperwork without that info and work it out with your insurance company."

Twenty minutes later Lukas was back in the car.  The egg on his head was the size of a chicken egg, and colored a beautiful shade of purple and red.  Lukas was allowed to watch Sesame Street for the rest of the night.  His parents kept a closer eye on the boy for the next week or so, then let him go back to his old risky ways and hoped for the best.

Our next drive took us to the "Forgotten Coast."  We followed the Sopchoppy Highway past numerous Confederate flags, wound through bear filled forests fringing the Gulf of Mexico, and finally stopped for the evening in Carrabelle.   Our RV park was right across the street from the ocean.  I brought Lukas over for a swim only to find that the beach in Carrabelle has brown sand, murky water, and lots of jellyfish.  However, the beach was long and it was low tide, so I ended up taking a lovely evening walk.

There were anemones all over the beach, brought up from the seafloor by Hurricane Ike.  The tidal pools in the wetlands area were filled with life.  I slid through the detritus in my bare feet, enjoying the feel of it squishing through my toes.  I found two hermit crabs involved in a battle to the death, one clasped to the other's claw.  It's grip would not be shaken, no matter how I tried to shake or prod him.  Finally I had to allow nature to take its course and simply left the duo as I had found them.  The sun was setting as I sauntered back down the beach, listening to the local fisherman and trying to understand what they were saying beneath that thick accent.

Later that evening I went to go look at the stars on the beach.  Only I didn't get to the beach, because I suddenly remembered all the signs with bears on them.  I looked at my flashlight with the dying batteries and decided to watch the stars from the RV park.  And from my spot outside the RV I was treated to the most amazing shooting star I have ever seen - super bright, with a long trajectory, and an extra burst of light as it fizzled out of existence.  I giggled in glee and clapped my hands, silly girl that I am.  Our stop in Carrabelle was an unexpected gift, beauty where I expected none.  Could the rest of the panhandle surprise us as well?

We left Carrabelle the next morning and continued around the Gulf coast toward Panama City Beach.  As we crossed the Apalachicola Bay, we ran into a cloud or migrating butterflies and dragonflies.  Streaks of orange, yellow, and brown whizzed by, and a few unlucky ones hit our windshield.  It was a beautiful drive until we hit the high rises along the Panama City beach and the accompanying chain stores.

After getting a wee bit lost, we ended up staying at the funky, older end of Panama City Beach.  This may have been the strangest RV park I've ever stayed at.  After surveying the playground and the goofy golf course, I think the park design process happened in the seventies and the architect may have been on acid.  One of the best features is that it is walking distance to the beach via a dirt road which has houses tucked away in the dense forest on either side of the path.  As you emerge from the forest, you are greeted by ten foot tall day-glo dinosaurs and a water slide replica of the Matterhorn.  After passing the snow cone shack, you walk past the dumpster to enter the white sand, clear water paradise of the beach.

The psychedelic experience didn't end there.  On the beach a man was strapping himself to a chair with a giant fan attached to the back.  He started up the fan motor, fluffed up his parasail, and went zooming into the sky.  Then we saw a forty-something well toned man running down the beach, USMC cap on his head, and an American flag waving in his hand.  The runner caught sight of Lukas and came over to deliver the flag to my boy, barely stopping as he did so.  Does this man run with a flag every day, hoping to find a young recruit?  Lukas was smitten with the flag and waved it proudly the rest of the day.

Our final stop in Florida was a state park on the very tip of a barrier island near Pensacola.  In order to get there we drove along a thin strip of land covered in white dunes, surrounded by crystal blue water.  From our campsite we could walk down a boardwalk through the dunes to a huge white beach almost completely devoid of people.  This is hands down the nicest beach I have ever seen.  After a trail run in the morning I took my coffee and cereal out to the beach.  I could see about a mile in either direction down the beach, but I was the only person in sight.  While it was exhilarating to have the place to myself, I felt uncomfortable going in the water alone, especially since I had seen two sharks close to shore the day before.  It was a quick swim in the perfect water, and a longer stretch on the perfect beach, savoring this perfect moment.

RV PARK REVIEWS

Trail Lakes Campground, Ochopee, FL: F

  Paid for two nights but the mosquitos were so intense that we left after one, miserable, night.

Neopolitan Cove RV Resort, Naples, FL: A

  Anything without skeeters would be great after our Everglades experience.  Small park, nicely cared for, friendly staff, paved sites, clubhouse.

Dunedin RV Resort, Dunedin, FL: B

  Motel in the front, transient RV sites in the middle, permanent RV and mobile home sites in the back.  Pool and laundry facilities were nice.  Near a noisy road.  Swamps on either side of park.

Cedar Key RV Resort, Cedar Key, FL: A-

  Set up as a buy your own lot, but nobody bought so mostly deserted.  Well cared for.  Nice pool and clubhouse.  Old fire engine to climb on.

Carrabelle Beach RVC Outdoor Destination, Carrabelle, FL: A+

  Beautiful sites, nice pool, playground and clubhouse.  Across the street from beach.

Raccoon River Campground, Panama City Beach, FL: B

  Brian called it the Rabid Raccoon.  This place was rustic and kooky.  Huge roots across our site and poor hook ups.  Clean bathrooms covered in graffiti.  Crazy cable bride connected to cement bridge over stagnant creeks.  Great playground which included salvaged items, possibly from a traveling festival.  Meandering/confusing road/path that led to gorgeous beach.  Awesome "goofy golf" course near beach also owned by campground.  Two pools.

Fort Pickens Campground, Pensacola, FL: A+
  State park at the end of a barrier island.  Wide white sand beaches for miles, super clear water, very few people.  Large sites, walking trails, tree cover.

Florida Part 1: East

Florida: a state full of contradictions.  Confederate flags and rainbow flags flying side by side.  Alligator zoos next to restaurants serving gator tail.  Sun worshippers and skunk ape hunters.  They all coexist in this environment which is defined by water.  There is water on all sides and water in the middle.  As far as I can tell the whole state is sinking.  Tiny islands dot the coasts.  Barrier islands are the norm.  The key islands are connected to the mainland by a hundred fifty mile overseas highway.

We spent three weeks in Florida, a longer stay than in any other state.  I wish I had a better feel for the people of Florida.  Instead we found ourselves among the aged.  We arrived in Florida in October, before the real tourist season of November through February.  The snowbirds start arriving then, but there are plenty present already.  They are fleeing the Northeast winters, transplants for the winter.

Who are the real Floridians?  I think we met one deep in the Everglades.  He was tall, tanned, bald, imposing.  He was the founder of the Skunk Ape Institute and had an exotic animal park out back.  I would have liked to talk with him, but the mosquitos were so fierce that I could not bring myself to leave the RV.  Meanwhile he sat there calmly in the heat, barely batting at the clouds of feasting skeeters.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We entered Florida along the Atlantic coast and stayed near St Augustine on a barrier island.  On one side of our campground was North Beach, the ocean raging from an approaching tropical storm.  A quarter mile away, on the other side of the campground, was the North River, as serene as the manatees that live within its waters.  The RV park had a floor of white sand and the roads were tunnels through the tropical foliage.

Atlantic

River

The town of St Augustine had lots to offer.  We took a trolley tour at Lukas's request and learned about the town's bloody history filled with Spanish voyagers.  Much of the early city, including the fort of Castillo de San Marcos, was built out of a sedimentary rock made from crushed shells, known as coquina.  The town has some touristy walking streets filled with restaurants, and also hosts the world's largest cross at 208 feet tall.

Lukas and I checked out the St Augustine Alligator Farm, which is an AZA accredited zoo that houses all twenty-three species of crocodilians.  Maximo, the zoo's famed fifteen foot saltwater crocodile from Australia, was having a birthday the day after our visit.  All of the alligator tanks were getting a cleaning for the upcoming event, so we saw the crocs roaming about on land more than in the water.  If one isn't thrilled enough by the teeth on these guys, there is an adventure course above the zoo.  Adventure goers can take the zipline over the open air alligator enclosure which houses at least thirty large gators.  It's a small zoo, but very well done.  They have a few birds and small primates, but mostly stick with the crocs.  It would be great to see more accredited small specialty zoos like this one, rather than the standard mid-size zoo with a little of everything.

Maximo

Life-like zebra carcass in the vulture exhibit

After St Augustine we headed down the coast toward Port St Lucie, a town near the water.  Well, the rain and wind were fierce so we stopped a little further inland.  Lukas and I had an epic swim in the pool while the storm swirled around us.  Next to the RV park was a swamp and we could hear the frogs all night.  At low tide we could smell the sulphur from the swamp, a feature we found throughout Florida.

We planned a night in Key Largo to prepare for our journey down the Overseas Highway.  The highway is a hundred fifty miles of road which connects all the tiny islands, also known as keys, off the tip of southern Florida.  Key Largo is the first of the island chain.  At the end of the highway you have reached Key West, only 90 miles north of Cuba.  Along the Overseas Highway runs the old Overseas Highway, which is kind of creepy because the old highway will look like a regular road then suddenly there will be a large gap in construction where it has been washed away by a storm.  Power lines travel through the water as well.  As expected, the water is clear and aquamarine.  It's a gorgeous drive.

I made a planning error in Key Largo and chose a dump of park.  After navigating the seaweed covered stairs of their advertised swimming area, we literally found a dump floating in the crystal clear Gulf water.  Just up the street was the state park and I made a mental note to stay there on the return trip.

When we made it down to Key West we had an incredible RV park waiting for us.  The site had its own dock and a personal tiki hut with an outdoor kitchen and TV.  There was also an iguana living on top of our tiki hut.  As the story goes, iguanas were introduced to Key West during Hurricane George.  Since then they have taken over and it is common to see three foot beauties basking on the side of the highway.  Unfortunately they are wreaking havoc on the local wildlife, as introduced species usually do.  We celebrated our arrival in Key West with mimosas.  The iguana declined his invitation to join us.

The most fabulous part of the Keys was that we we were basically on a Caribbean island, and yet we had driven our home there!  The Bluewater Key RV Resort was supposedly in Key West, but it turned out it was actually on a smaller key fifteen miles north of downtown.  That was a good thing, because downtown Key West was over run with touristy kitsch: bars, shops, mediocre restaurants.  It was fun to walk around for a day, but not somewhere I would like to stay.

Did you know that Florida is the only state in the US with a coral reef?  As the coral erodes due to weather and nibbling fish, white sand is created.  Thus, the white sugar beaches of Florida.  Thank you, coral reef!  One day I went out on a snorkel boat.  Visibility was "limitless" and waves were up to one foot high.  It was clear as day and flat as a pancake.  The picture below is taken while on the boat and you can see the bottom, thirty feet below.  It was incredible.  I saw all of my favorite species of parrotfish and angelfish, and much larger than I'd seen on previous snorkel trips.  It was so cool to be floating next to a two foot long parrotfish who was crunching away at the vegetation on the coral, totally unconcerned about my presence.

What else did I learn about the Keys?  That gulf shrimp is mighty tasty.  Black grouper is yummy on the grill with blackened seasoning.  Key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen on a popsicle stick is too much.  Crabbing is popular in the Keys - blue crab and stone crab are the species caught in Florida.

Other highlights: being in my pajamas at the water's edge, watching the full moon rise at night and the sun rise in the morning.

It was also pretty special to be licked by an endangered Key deer.  I didn't feed the deer, but obviously someone else had since it came right up to our car.

On our way back north we stayed in Key Largo again.  This time we had a reservation at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  True to their name, the park includes the waters out to the coral reef.  Since Lukas and Brian had missed out on the snorkel trip, I insisted that they take a glass bottom boat tour of the coral reef.  We saw lots of jellyfish, a hawksbill turtle, and a couple sting rays.  Visibility was okay, but it was impossible to get a good picture.  At least they boys had a chance to get out on a boat and get a sense of the wonders beneath the water's surface.   

The land part of Pennekamp park was also worth exploring.  Of course since we were in Florida the land part of the park was also mostly water, as in swamps, lakes, a sulfur spring, and the shoreline.  White ibises were moseying around in flocks or pairs, poking in the sand for possible food bits.  Mosquitos and no-see-ums were biting.  And some ants started invading the RV, even bringing their eggs with them!  But none of this got us even remotely prepared for our next adventure: the Everglades.

RV PARK REVIEWS

North Beach Camp Resort, St Augustine, FL: A+

  Atlantic beach access, North river access, two restaurants in walking distance, playground, pool, white sand roads, lots of foliage, friendly staff.

Treasure Coast RV Park and Campground, Ft Pierce, FL: B+

  Paved roads, nice sites, pool.

Riptide RV Park, Key Largo, FL: D

  Construction work.  Semi truck parked in the dock area with a resident and his pitbull. Small sites, dirty.  Dog log in the swimming area!  Beautiful sunset, friendly folks (after a couple beers).

Bluewater Key RV Resort, Key West, FL: A+

  Private dock, tiki hut with outdoor kitchen and TV, pool and laundry, resident iguana.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, FL: A

  Site next to mangrove swamp, nature trails, swimming area, boats to coral reef.