It was March—the month that so many educational institutions set students free for a week, causing crowds at every warm vacation spot in the country. But we had made plans and were itching to drive south anyway. One of the goals for this trip was to make it all the way to the Florida Keys. We’d driven to Florida a few times before and talked about going there “someday,” but schedules and the long drive deterred us from getting that far south. This time we decided to make reservations well in advance; we were committed.

As usual, we took plenty of side trips, some planned and some chosen on the fly. Our first stop, which is often our last stop at the end of a road trip, was Fiden’s Brewing in Albany. We then crossed into Pennsylvania and stopped at the Bushkill Trailhead of McDade Trail for an afternoon walk. We met a local man there who shared stories of his roadtripping days in the seventies.

The next day, as we drove from Pennsylvania through a corner of West Virginia and into Virginia, we visited Shenandoah Caverns in Quicksburg, Virginia. There were several caverns along the way to choose from, but it was late in the afternoon, so we stopped at the first one we came to. We had a private tour. Stunning cave formations!

We arrived at our campsite in Broadway, Virginia, around suppertime. A little time to relax and observe the wildlife. I spotted one woodpecker that didn’t look familiar, either a juvenile Downy or Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, maybe.

The next day, we found one of several trails at New River State Park in North Carolina for walk.

Later that afternoon, we arrived at our friends’ place in Charlotte, North Carolina. We planned to stay with them for one night (and to deliver some sought after New England and New York brewery favorites to them) on our way to Atlanta, Georgia. We’d eventually catch up with them again at the end of the week for some shared camping in Georgia and Florida.

It rained off and on that night and was still raining when we left them in the morning. But the sun was out by the time we entered Georgia. On the recommendation of our friends, we parked outside of Atlanta and used public transportation. The MARTA system was surprisingly easy to figure out and to use. It did add a bit to our travel time, though.

First stop in Atlanta was the Center for Puppetry Arts. I’d first learned about it from a Facebook post in a writing group I belong to. The Center has a permanent collection of Jim Henson creations. I was intrigued. The exhibit was so informative. Henson’s imagination was mind-blowing! I found myself smiling through the whole exhibit. Muppets, Sesame Street characters, The Dark Crystal, and more.

After that, we walked through Olympic Park and sat outside for lunch. Next stop: Georgia Aquarium. We’d heard so many good things about the aquarium and there were some great exhibits, but it was a bit pricey and overcrowded, so some of its appeal was diminished for us. It felt like being at a Disney theme park during school vacation.

On Saturday, we met up with our friends from Charlotte at a campground in Blythe Island Regional Park, in Brunswick, Georgia. We camped for a night there and then moved on, with our friends, to Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka, Florida, for two more nights. Both campgrounds were great places to walk and discover wildlife. Even ticks, unfortunately.

The following Tuesday, we left Apopka and drove to Naples, Florida, to drop in on my Dad for a night. We went out to Mr. Big Fish for an early dinner, took advantage of the free laundry facilities and hot showers.

We left Dad’s the next morning, heading for our southernmost destination. But, of course, we had to stop at Everglades National Park on the way. A Swallow-tailed Kite flew right past us as we drove. That was the second time I’d ever seen one and both times were from out the van window. No pictures. 😦

We decided to bike Shark Valley Trail at the National Park. It felt safer to me than walking next to the alligators. Mark actually rode out farther than I did and had his own intimate moment with an alligator (see pictures below) before riding back to meet me. We saw a Purple Gallinule for the first time. And so many Great Blue Herons and alligators that I didn’t stop to photograph them all. The ride out was easy. Piece o’ cake, I thought. And then we turned around. The headwind was formidable. I could barely go a mile at a time without a rest.

We pulled into our campsite in Summerland Key just before seven in the evening. The place was crowded and hopping. Karaoke in the pub, kids on electric scooters, and hot food in the camp store. The beach, a strip of sand behind some bushes was deserted, probably due to the chilly breeze blowing through.

The National Key Deer Refuge was not too far up the road, so we visited the Upper Sugarloaf Trail in the morning. Key deer are an endangered smaller version of the white-tailed deer we see up north. One crossed our path as we drove to the trailhead. Then we walked (ran/biked) almost the whole, mostly deserted, paved path without another deer sighting. Until we were almost back to our parking spot. A lone deer stepped out to the edge of the woods along the path and started munching on leaves. We watched it for a good five to ten minutes before it crossed the pavement and disappeared into the brush on the other side. The only other wildlife sighting was a single Palm Warbler. At least I think that’s what it was.

On Friday, we took a day-trip to Key West. We’d planned a walking tour in the morning and a glass-bottom boat tour for the afternoon. Parking in Key West is an adventure in itself when you’re driving an oversized vehicle. Luckily, a local woman directed us from an illegal spot to a private lot around the corner where we were given a nice shady spot to back into.

We hadn’t read much about Key West and had no idea that the place was overrun with feral chickens. What a hoot! They wandered the streets and sidewalks, randomly crowing. We encountered quite a few, along with one hawk, during our walking tour of all the historic sights.

The walking tour ended at the southernmost point of the U.S (and also the southern end of Route 1). A large monument in the shape of a buoy marks the spot (or maybe the fictional spot) and is a tourist attraction for photo opportunities.

Our tour guide left us with a suggestion for lunch, so we walked about a mile to Salute` On the Beach for a seaside meal. During the walking tour, we’d received word that our glass-bottom boat tour was cancelled due to high winds. Disappointing. But that left our afternoon free for wandering around town and searching for our parked van.

After three nights at our Summerland Key campground, we left, with plans to make a few stops on our way back to mainland Florida. The Turtle Hospital in Marathon was interesting, but there was a lot of talking before we got to see any turtles. I think I was more impatient than the kids that were visiting. But we’d booked another glass-bottom boat tour in Key Largo, so we were in a time crunch. We saw a few turtles and then left early.

The line to get into John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo was long and moving slowly. We were anxious that we’d miss our boat. But we made it in with time to spare. Saw some birds on the way out to the reef and some fun sea life through the glass bottom. I only felt mildly nauseous staring at the ocean floor through the windows.

We arrived at our campground in Hollywood, Florida, around suppertime. It was one of the worst campgrounds we’ve stayed in. It felt like we were in a small neighborhood. The sites were small. The first site they gave us was next to an oversized rig whose awning stuck out into our site. We’d have hit it if we backed in. The second site was smaller and closer to the tiny bathrooms. And we had a perfect view of the trash dumpsters out our front window. The only redeeming sight in Hollywood was the impressive Hard Rock Cafe Hotel built in the shape of a guitar.

Needless to say, we left early the next morning. Less than an hour later, we stopped at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach. It was a welcomed change from the Keys and Hollywood. We spent a few hours enjoying nature and the beautiful weather. We saw more Gallinules, a Barred Owl, a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks, a Limpkin, and the bonus: a Prairie Warbler. Little did I know until later, that Mark had spotted a Sandhill Crane, too!

We left around noon and headed for Civil Society Brewing Company in Jupiter, Florida, for lunch. We’d never been there before, but it came highly recommended by our friends in Charlotte.

Back on the road, we made an obligatory stop at Buc-ee’s, before arriving in St. Augustine for the night.

The next day was one of the warmer days on our trip and the beginning of our last week on the road. We visited Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in Hardeeville, South Carolina, and took their five-mile wildlife drive before parking at a second trail for a walk. We saw, among other creatures, a Snowy Egret, an American Coot, a Common Gallinule, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet who was hiding its crown, making it hard to identify at first.

On Tuesday, I caught a Pileated Woodpecker at work before we left our Yemassee, South Carolina, campsite. Then, we re-visited one of our favorite spots, Santee National Wildlife Refuge. Like other wildlife refuges, it’s a big place. We visited the Bluff Unit in Summerton, South Carolina. The walk through the woods was nice, but the birds were all hiding that day. And something was burning in the distance, blowing smoke in our direction for a while. But we were rewarded that evening at our next campsite in Enfield, North Carolina, with a few avian visitors.

Wednesday was our “let’s get around DC and Baltimore without getting stuck in too much traffic” day. We did enjoy seeing all the cherry blossoms along the highway, though. And after passing Baltimore, we found the Jerusalem Mill Trail in Kingsville, Maryland, part of Gunpowder Falls State Park. It turned out to be a historic piece of town with a covered bridge, an old mill, and a small museum. The walk through the covered bridge and then into the woods was relaxing. Only one bird crossed my path, though: a Brown Creeper.

We got on the road early Thursday morning and aimed for Hudson Valley, New York. The valley is home to a number of great places to visit including a few of Mark’s favorite breweries. We decided on a couple, and since Plan Bee Brewing is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, we settled on Hudson Valley Brewery in Beacon, New York, and Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, Connecticut. The plan was to then drive to my cousin Betty Ann’s house and park in her driveway overnight. But at the end of a long trip, when home is not that far away, plans change. We stayed for supper and a good visit and then drove less than two hours more to get home that night. It always feels good to come home, no matter how much we’re enjoying our adventures. And it didn’t hurt that all the snow had melted while we were gone!