That Old Car/ New Car Feeling…

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A few months ago, we celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. And last month it dawned on me that I’ve been driving the same vehicle for half of my married life. Twenty Januaries ago I received that phone call every parent dreads: “Mum, I crashed!” Thankfully, my teen was fine. But my minivan was not. It was totaled. We replaced it with a brand new Toyota Sienna. And 200K miles later, it still gets me where I want to go.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s dinged, scratched, and sporting a fairly new patch of rust. There are a couple of cracks in the dashboard, the driver’s door creaks, the steering wheel squeaks, and the radio display screen looks like hieroglyphics most days. The molding around the inside of one of the sliding doors keeps coming unglued. It scared the #@%*! out of me one day when I opened the slider and thought a black racer snake had stowed away in the back seat. My Sienna is getting older. But aren’t we all?

There’s much more to love about it, though. The driver’s seat fits me like a glove. It’s got a lumbar support and controls to adjust the seat, tipping it slightly forward so I can reach the pedals. I’m shorter than the average person, but I can adjust the seat to reach those pedals while still maintaining a bit of distance between my face and the steering wheel. The sloping front end and large windows afford me an uncompromising view of my surroundings.

The seats are cloth-covered, so they don’t reflect the extreme temperature swings that vinyl and leather seats do. The cargo space is ideal. The second row of seats is removable and the third row stows nicely into the floor. It’s been more than a little handy for college dorm, apartment, and whole house moves, as well as for those necessary trips to Home Depot and IKEA.

But my absolute favorite feature is the fold-down table between the front seats. With the squeeze of a small lever, the tabletop swings down flush with the side of the driver’s seat. This leaves a good amount of floor space for walking between the front seats to get to the back. It also makes keeping a purse or a small cooler within reach while driving possible. I’m so not ready to give up this convenience. I hate driving cars where I need to throw my purse onto the passenger seat where it can’t be reached, and where it will slide off upside-down in the event of sudden braking.

But, as I said, my Sienna is getting older. And one of these days the decision to move on will probably be made for me. So, I thought I’d check out the new minivans out there. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. I actually test-drove a Chrysler Pacifica, a Kia Carnival, and a Honda Odyssey. And I sat in a new Sienna. Some of them don’t have removable seats. Most of them don’t have cloth seats. The seats themselves are shaped for hunching over while driving, similar to most airplane seats, with headrests that force themselves into my personal space. Ugh! And the seat adjustments: why would someone who needs to tilt forward in order to reach the gas pedal want to be elevated just before reaching their target? But that’s what happened when I tried to adjust the driver’s seat enough to reach the pedals and also see over the steering wheel. In the new Sienna I literally had to pull myself up using the steering wheel in order to see over it. Who are they designing these vehicles for? And the front end on most of them (the Pacifica being the exception) is so big and boxy that I don’t know how anyone can see the road in front of them.

But worst of all, all the new minivans have consoles between the two front seats. No option to remove them, either. So disappointing! Just sitting in the driver’s seat brings out the full manifestation of my claustrophobia. Unfortunately, the same is true for every new car out there. I’ll have to bite the bullet someday. But not today. I’ll keep my trusty Sienna going as long as I can and appreciate every mile.

PEI and Nova Scotia

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It’s been several months since we traveled to Canada for our fortieth wedding anniversary, but it’s better late than never to finish up the story of our trip…

In my last post, A Taste of Canada, we had just crossed the Confederation Bridge onto Prince Edward Island. What we hadn’t realized was that it was Old Home Week, a local ‘family fun’ celebration that originated over a hundred years ago.

On our first morning there, we had planned to visit nearby Charlottetown. It looked to be a charming city with a boardwalk and plenty to keep us busy. But as we drove toward the city, we could tell something was up. People were parking along the streets and walking toward the downtown area. Up ahead we could see road closures. Apparently a parade was about to start. We pulled over to re-group and quickly turned around and headed to the north shore of the island instead, away from the crowds.

We found a bike trail in Morrell and spent the morning biking from there to St. Peter’s — about a seven mile trip. We stopped for lunch and then biked back. Such beautiful, peaceful scenery! And a surprise bird encounter along the way. (I should also mention a few other surprise encounters: several other Massachusetts residents spending time on the bike trail that day.)

After our bike ride, we traveled west, following the northern coast, to check out Brackley Beach in Prince Edward Island National Park. Apparently, a rain shower had just passed through, even though we encountered nothing but sunny skies on our way. The rain made the dark sand even darker, almost muddy. Very different from the Cape Cod beaches we’re used to.

We rounded out the day with a stop at P.E.I. Brewing.

The next morning was my birthday. And as a special treat we’d booked a ride on the ferry from P.E.I. to Nova Scotia. This would cut off several hours of driving. We’d never taken the van on a ferry before. I’m not a huge fan of boats, so I had mixed feelings about the whole idea. At least we got to drive through Charlottetown on our way. While we waited to get in the ferry line (we were so early that the ferry before ours hadn’t left yet), we checked out a nearby lighthouse.

The ferry trip lasted about seventy five minutes, but felt much shorter. Before we knew it, we were disembarking in Nova Scotia. We scoped out our reserved campsite before heading to quaint downtown Pictou for an early dinner.

Our campsite backed up to an inlet and offered a beautiful view. The photos aren’t great, but they’re evidence of the Short-billed Dowitcher, the Lesser Yellowleg, and the Great Blue Heron right in our backyard.

The view behind our van was nice, but the campground itself felt more like someone’s hilly backyard and the bathroom facility was extremely ‘rustic’. We decided not to stay a second night.

After realizing we didn’t have enough time to enjoy a coastal drive around Cape Breton, we thought a night in a hotel in Halifax might be a nice change of pace, along with another ferry trip back to New Brunswick. To make a long story a lot shorter, that didn’t work out. We made a ‘non-refundable’ reservation at the Marriott Harbourfront, only to discover that our van couldn’t fit in their parking garage and the parking lot they sent us to, blocks away, was closed. It took a little pleading at the front desk to cancel the reservation. And there was no room for us on the ferry, either. Oh, well.

But before we arrived in Halifax, we stopped in Antigonish for a walk and a bike ride. And a quick peek at St. Francis Xavier University.

We also stopped at Good Robot Brewing in Halifax, right across the street from Halifax Common, a large green space with recreational fields, facilities, and walking paths in between and around them.

We ate lunch and took a long walk around the Common. After leaving Halifax with no place to say for the night, we found a KOA close by. With room for us. Whew!

The next morning we aimed the van toward New Brunswick. After a stop in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for a hike around Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary, we took a detour to check out a monarch sculpture in Dieppe, New Brunswick (thanks, Tricia S.), before landing back at Rockwood Park in St. John, which we’d left a mere four days earlier.

It was drizzling and foggy the next morning as we headed west for one last stop before crossing the border into the U.S. St. Andrews did not disappoint. We first visited Kingsbrae Gardens.

After the gardens, we drove downtown to have lunch in the seaside town.

We left Canada mid-afternoon that day with a bucket-load of memories and a camera card full of beautiful images to help us remember. We spent the night once again parked in our son’s Maine driveway before heading home the next day. And of course, we made a couple of stops on the way: Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary in Freeport for a walk/run, Mast Landing Brewery, and lunch at Bissell Brothers in Portland.

A Taste of Canada

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We spent two weeks on the road recently, traveling north through Maine and into Canada. You can catch up on the first few days of our trip in Northbound! and Forty Years…and Counting.

After hiking Cadillac Mountain, the rest of our stay at Blackwoods in Acadia was a little more tame. We found a trail just down the road at Sieur de Monts for an easy walk, went back to sit on the rocks at the ocean again, and did some birding along the way.

The day we left Acadia and headed for the Canadian border, we first stopped at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Baring, Maine. We checked out a few trails, including their Woodcock Trail, but, unfortunately, didn’t spot any woodcocks that day.

We left Moosehorn and before we knew it we were at the border and heading for St. John, New Brunswick. The campground was nestled in beautiful Rockwood Park in St. John. We had to drive through the city of St. John to get to the park. And city driving in a large vehicle is not fun. We didn’t feel especially motivated to go back into the city after that.

We spent the rest of our time in St. John at Rockwood Park. There were walking trails, birds, a pond, and even a restaurant. And the food there was some of the best we had on our whole trip. I’m not one to take pictures of my meals, but oh, those lobster potato skins!!

Along one of the paths around the pond, we spotted a series of monuments that had been erected celebrating the provinces of Canada.

Our plan was to spend two nights each in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Neither of us had been to these provinces, so we wanted at least a taste of each.

After two nights in Rockwood Park, we drove from the campground toward Prince Edward Island, making our way through Fundy National Park.

We stopped at Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy, an attraction recommended to us by more than one person. The tide was receding, so we were able to go down onto the beach to see these huge rocks up close. Apparently, when the tide comes in, the water rises as much as fifty feet! So, our timing was perfect.

From Hopewell Rocks we drove to P.E.I. over the eight-mile long Confederation Bridge. Later that afternoon, we arrived at our Campground in Harrington, P.E.I., just north of Charlottetown, which we intended to explore the next day.

But when we pulled into Pine Hills RV Park, we discovered we’d arrived in the middle of ‘Old Home Week’. It felt a little like landing in someone else’s neighborhood back yard where everyone knew each other and were ready to party. Oops!

We adapted and revised our plans the next day. But more on those new plans later… 😉

Forty Years . . . and Climbing

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We hit the road for two weeks recently to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary. You can read about our first stop at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in the previous post, Northbound!

That night, we parked in our son’s driveway in Winterport, Maine, before heading down to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park the next day. It was a rainy drive over the bridge onto Mt. Desert Island. We drove to Bar Harbor and walked around a bit in the drizzle before checking in for a night at the Bar Harbor KOA campground.

It rained overnight, and the van rocked most of the night in the strong wind gusts. I kept waking up wondering if the next gust would tip us right over! In the morning, we drove through the fog toward Blackwoods Campground. It was early and check-in time wasn’t until noon, so we pulled over at Seal Harbor Beach to stretch our legs.

With a little more time on our hands, and as the fog lifted, we found Canon Brook Trail just down the road from the entrance to Blackwoods.

We checked in to our Blackwoods site a little after noon and found the Cadillac Mountain trailhead that starts inside the park.

We planned to do a sunrise hike the next day, on our anniversary. Starting inside the park would add 0.7 miles to the hike in each direction. So, in the end, we decided to skip the extra part at the beginning and drive out to Route 3 where hikers park along the edge of the road to do the South Ridge Trail.

We went to bed at 8pm and set our alarm for 2:45am. We actually woke before the alarm, dressed quickly, ate a breakfast snack, and drove out to the road. We weren’t the first vehicle there, nor the last. After donning our backpack, camera vest, and headlamps, we started our Garmin watches at 3:20am to record the climb.

Hiking in the dark is an experience like no other. I thought I’d be totally stressed out by the possibility of running into a bear. But the concentration it took to keep up with someone whose legs are a lot longer than mine, while making sure we could find the blue trail markers ahead of us, left no room for imaginary bears.

At times, we could see headlamp-light from other hikers in the distance, behind us and ahead. We ran into a couple of pairs of hikers who were struggling like we were to find the trail in certain places and we managed to help each other along the way. There were only a couple of extra-challenging spots but the two-hour, 3.5-mile climb was a good workout. The sky began to turn red before we reached the summit and I was worried we’d miss the sunrise.

But we made it to the top with time to spare. As we neared the summit, we could see headlights from cars that were driving up the mountain road. The parking lot was almost full and people had chosen their spots along the rocky summit to view the sunrise. We found a spot and waited, using the time to eat our second breakfast.

After the sunrise, I overheard a young couple nearby wishing each other a ‘happy anniversary.’ I had to say something. Turns out they were celebrating their first anniversary! When we told them we were celebrating our fortieth, they wanted to know our secret. We offered some wisdom, but really, as anyone knows who’s been married for a long time, love is a day by day decision.

The hike back down felt like we were on a whole new mountain. We could see where we were going and we could take in the view that had been hidden from us in the dark.

We took it easy for the rest of the day. The ocean was just down a short path and across the Park Loop Road. The rocks were warm and the water’s calming rhythm was mesmerizing. We even caught a glimpse of a few birds along the way.

Early risers get sleepy pretty early in the evening, so bedtime came soon after an early anniversary dinner at Galyn’s in downtown Bar Harbor. And that gave us a chance to dream of the next adventure to come. 🙂

Northbound!

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Forty Augusts ago, we travelled north to Canada as a newly married couple, visiting Quebec and Toronto and coming back home by way of Niagara Falls. To celebrate the last forty years, we’ve headed north again.

But this time we’ve veered northeast through Maine instead, on our way to New Brunswick and beyond.

First stop, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. . .

It was a beautiful day and the trolls were calling. If you’ve never been there, you may not know about the five (troll) art installations by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. We only saw three of the five, but they were impressive.

Before we found any of the trolls, though, we visited the butterfly house. It’s almost magical standing in the midst of countless butterflies flying overhead, all around, and even at your feet.

So many of the flowers were at their peak of color. Everywhere we turned, the landscape made me smile.

In addition to the troll sculptures, we found some stone creations and other interesting artwork.

We even found evidence of fairies at the end of the Back Woods Trail near the river.

It was a beautiful, relaxing afternoon. I highly recommend you put a stroll through the gardens on your to-do list this summer. And try to find those two trolls that eluded us.

After our visit, we headed to our son’s house in Winterport, just south of Bangor. We spent a rainy night parked in his driveway and the following rainy day visiting downtown Bar Harbor. It’s off to Acadia National park after that. A story for another day.

Birds, Bears, Beer…and Another Wilmington

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Last week, Mark and I managed to squeeze in a five day van trip to Vermont by way of New Hampshire. Originally, the plan was to visit just Vermont. But we heard that a couple of former members of Town Meeting band were playing with their new band, Medium Bear, at The Range in Mason, New Hampshire, on Saturday evening. It sounded like the perfect way to kick off our trip. Medium Bear was actually opening for another band, so we knew they’d be on fairly early. We headed north about midday, stopping first for a walk around Andres Institute of Art Sculpture Park in Brookline, New Hampshire. What a treasure!

Founded in 1998 on Big Bear Mountain in Brookline, the Institute installs large sculptures all over the mountain. They host symposiums for visiting artists and are constantly adding to their collection. We hiked the steep paths for over an hour and saw only a fraction of the art. Along the way, we met Master Sculptor John Weidman at the Studio/workshop. He gave us a brief history and a fascinating overview of the Institute.

After that we headed to The Range. As the name suggests, it’s driving range, but it’s also a concert and event venue. Good food and a great spot to enjoy a show.

We left The Range before dark to check in at our Boondockers site in Jaffery, where we’d spend the night. We passed a beautiful little stone church right around the corner from the private driveway we’d be parking in for the night and decided we’d walk there in the morning for mass. But it was pouring the next day, and one of us forgot to pack a rain jacket, so we drove there instead.

After mass, we drove to Brattleboro, Vermont, arriving just as the rain was beginning to let up. We ate lunch in Brattleboro, browsed in a few stores, including a breathtakingly expensive art gallery, and bought a unique, handmade rocking chair. We couldn’t fit the chair into the van, so the store owner graciously volunteered to deliver it to our home himself.

From Brattleboro, we made our way to Wilmington, Vermont. Being from Wilmington, Mass., we’ve made it our side-mission to visit all the other Wilmingtons in the country. You can read in previous posts about some of the others we’ve already visited. Along the way we found Molly Stark State Park and stopped for a hike.

We drove for another hour after that, passing Hogback Mountain Country Store, which we’ve visited before and a brewery across the street from it that we hadn’t seen before. We only stopped long enough for a few pics.

We arrived in Proctorsville, Vermont, at a friend’s house, just before dinnertime. I’ve been watching them build their own home in stages via Facebook and Instagram posts and was looking forward to seeing it in person. We got a tour of the gardens and their former tiny house, as well as the new house, before sharing a meal and settling in for the night parked in their driveway. Thanks, Tricia and Jay!

The next morning, our plan was to visit two places in Weston and then find a place to hike. The Vermont Country Store was our first stop. Cute country store full of throw-back toys, candy, sundries, and anything else you can think of. I bought myself a sunhat and a souvenir canvas bag. Then, we walked along a short trail behind the property where I found a warbler I’d never seen before: a chestnut-sided warbler. I could hear a red-eyed vireo in the trees as well, but it remained elusive, much to my disappointment.

Our second stop in Weston was the Weston Priory. Of course, our timing is often a bit off, and the monks of the Priory were on retreat. The place was beautiful, but completely empty of people.

From Weston, we drove northwest toward Lake Bomoseen. We had reservations at the Lake Bomoseen KOA (Kampgrounds of America). Along the way, we saw signs for the Clarendon Gorge Appalachian Trailhead. We had to stop, of course.

The Lake Bomoseen KOA was a bit rustic, but it was nice to hook up the van to water and sewer, take showers and do some laundry. The laundry was a challenge, though. None of the dryers would work and we had to leave the wet laundry overnight until the staff opened up the front office in the morning. A visit to our campsite from what looked like an adolescent bear, plus a sighting of a brown creeper (bird), took our minds off our trouble for a while.

In the morning, the KOA staff helped us get our laundry dried and we were back on the road before 10 AM. We headed for Shelburne Farms, just south of Burlington, Vermont. It was a gorgeous sunny day. We walked a four-mile loop around the farm and finished up at their store, buying some tasty aged cheddar and blue cheese.

After Shelburne Farms, we checked in at our Harvest Hosts spot, Sam Mazza’s Farm Market in Colchester. Then we drove to Burlington for dinner at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill. There’s always something interesting on their menu! We stopped in at Foam Brewers after dinner, getting back to our van with about three minutes to spare on the meter. We only stopped at Burlington Beer Company to take a few pics. So many breweries, so little time!

It was just us and the goats at Sam Mazza’s overnight. In the morning we did a little shopping in the market before checking out the trail around Colchester Pond nearby. It turned out to be a great place for birds. Mark completed the loop around the pond while I did a lot of slow walking and searching for birds. Perfect for each of us!

We left the pond before lunch and drove mostly east toward Stowe, arriving at The Alchemist Brewery in time for lunch. Our final destination before heading due south toward home was Hill Farmstead in Greensboro Bend.

We left Hill Farmstead around 3:30 PM and managed to get home before dark—always a plus when we have time to unpack the van before the end of the day. Another trip in the books and already looking forward to the next one…

Day-Tripping . . . For the Birds!

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With no long van trips planned in our immediate future, day trips have been calling to us. And the Mass Audubon Spring 2024 newsletter enticed us with its recent article, ‘What in the Warblers?’ So, we ventured north to Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary the other day and were not disappointed.

The weather was perfect. The birds, especially the warblers, were plentiful. We identified between fifteen and seventeen species in a span of a few hours. I took photos—mostly blurry ones—to help with identification. I’m not good at identifying many on the spot, so it helps to sit at my computer afterwards with the Peterson Field Guide, zooming in on the images. Here are some of them. They won’t win any photography awards, but at least they’re proof of what we saw. Enjoy!

In case you’re interested, here’s the list. The ones marked with an asterisk (*) are ones I’m not sure I’ve identified correctly.

  • Ovenbird
  • Chickadee
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Catbird
  • Mallard* (f)
  • Bay-breasted Warbler
  • Common Yellowthroat
  • American Redstart
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird (m & f)
  • Black-throated Green Warbler
  • Northern Parula
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak (f)
  • Black-and-White Warbler (m & f)
  • Hairy Woodpecker*
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • White-throated Sparrow*

Homeward Bound

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We left home in mid-March, and you can read about the first part of our trip by clicking here and here. As we approached the last full week of March, we turned our van around and headed north.

Before we left Florida, we found ourselves in St. Augustine again. The first time through we climbed the lighthouse steps and visited the rookery at the Alligator Farm. This time we drove to the historic downtown.

First stop, Castillo de San Marcos. We took the free version of the tour. In other words, we walked around the grounds outside.

Next stop, the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. What beautiful grounds, church, and chapel. And what a great image of Mary as a nursing mother!

In the afternoon, we drove over the distinctly beautiful Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, before entering Georgia.

In Georgia, we found an interesting community park in Richmond Hill for a walk/run. At J. F. Gregory Park we discovered sprawling grassy fields, a large pavilion hosting an artisan fair with live music, and miles of biking and walking trails. My camera battery ran out of juice, so I wasn’t able to take pictures of any of the birds I saw along the way, but that gave me a chance to just walk and enjoy.

We stopped in Savannah around suppertime, ate at a small, very average burger place, walked around a little and then left. The next day was basically a driving day from the campground in Yamassee, South Carolina, to the another in Lumberton, North Carolina. We broke up the drive with stops at Buc-cee’s and South of the Border in South Carolina. And I actually ran into a friend from home in the middle of the restroom line at Buc-cee’s! I think if we’d planned to purposely meet there we’d never have found each other in the crowded chaos of that popular rest stop. So weird!

At the Lumberton KOA, there was a nice 1.3-mile nature trail beside the campground that made for a peaceful walk after supper. And a great place for a walk/run in the morning.

By this time, we were thinking more about home than about having any other adventures. But a quick Google search of interesting stops along I95 listed a whirligig park in Wilson, North Carolina, that sounded intriguing. So we drove to Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park for a peek. Unfortunately, the nearby whirligig museum and store was closed for the day. But, fortunately, we discovered a great little brewery across the way.

From North Carolina, we headed to The Veil Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia, one of Mark’s favorite breweries. We found that they’d moved to a new location and offered food from their Noko Ribi kitchen. I left Mark to enjoy the food and drink while I made my own dinner in the van, parked down the street and around the corner.

We stayed in Richmond that night and left early the next morning in search of a place to walk/run. It was the morning after the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and we didn’t know what kind of traffic we might hit driving past the area. Our RV GPS took us on an unexpected route through DC. We ended up in bumper to bumper traffic without a lot of gas. It was a bit hairy, but we got through it and made it to a gas station.

We drove all the way to our next scheduled campground in Clarksboro, New Jersey — the same one we’d stayed at at the beginning of our trip — arriving in early afternoon. There, we walked/ran along the street in front of the KOA.

Since it was still early, there was time to do laundry and make plans to visit a local brewery for dinner. Unfortunately, the parking lot at Death of the Fox Brewing Company was packed. No room for an over-sized van. We found out the next morning that we’d tried to visit on their open mic night. Oh, well. Luckily, they’re not only a brewery, but a coffee roastery, too. So, we stopped there in the morning on our way out of town for a cup of tea, an espresso, a couple of cans of beer, and some merch.

On this (our last) day, we drove about four hours to Albany, New York, to another of Mark’s favorite breweries, Fidens. After an enjoyable dinner, (best sweet potato fries ever!), a couple of beers, and the purchase of some cans to bring home, it was my turn to drive the final few hours home.

With another adventure under our belts, we were home in time for a quiet Easter weekend. Plenty of time to dream of the next trip. 🙂

A Bit of Birding Heaven…

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In case you missed it, we hit the road in the middle of March and headed to Florida in our van. You can read about it here: A Week Or So On The Road.

On our last day in Naples, Florida, we visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, one of my favorite spots in that city. I’ve been there in March before and found it full of wildlife. But this time there were fewer large birds, no visible alligators, and most of the smaller birds were well-hidden. I did manage to see a white-eyed vireo for the first time, though, so I can add that to my lifer list. 🙂

That night we met up with our North Carolina friends, Cathy and Don, who were in Florida visiting their sons.

We snagged a campsite near theirs at Magnolia Park Campground, about twenty miles northwest of Orlando. To our delight, we were greeted by their resident peafowl (peacocks and peahens).

In the morning, while Mark went for a run, I tagged along with Cathy and Don on a wildlife drive near Lake Apopka. It did NOT disappoint!

I’m guessing that’s enough about birds for one blog post! I’ll leave you to scroll through again if you haven’t gotten your fill or to finish here and patiently wait for more news of our adventures! Until next time… peace. 🙂

A Week Or So On The Road

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We left home on a mid-March Monday morning, the van packed with warm-weather clothes and all the essentials. But the first few nights were still chilly. The heat in the van, set at fifty-nine degrees, blessedly kicked on during those nights.

Monday night we spent at a KOA (Kampground of America) in New Jersey. The next morning I took a walk along the road in front of the KOA, while my husband, Mark, ran.

Tuesday night we stayed in Emporia, Virginia, and headed for the Santee Lakes region of South Carolina on Wednesday. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Buc-ee’s along the way! We first came across the Buc-ee’s chain in Texas, but didn’t know they were so far east.

The Santee National Wildlife Refuge was the perfect spot for a walk/run Wednesday afternoon— even though the thought of alligators crossing my path kept me on high alert. 🙂 It was also the site of Fort Watson, a key stronghold taken from the British during the Revolutionary War.

After trekking through the Wildlife Refuge for the afternoon, we checked in at the Santee Lakes KOA in plenty of time for a beautiful sunset.

We returned to the Wildlife Refuge early the next morning before heading off to St. Augustine.

On Friday morning, we walked the grounds around the St. Augustine Lighthouse, then climbed to the top—all two hundred nineteen steps of its metal spiral staircase. I could feel my stomach flipping out and my legs getting shaky, but all was good as long as Mark stayed behind me on the way up and in front of me on the way back down. 🙂

At the top of the lighthouse—surprise! surprise!—Mark found a fellow lover of Treehouse beer. They talked for several minutes while I took in the view.

I spied a tree down below full of birds and asked the guide what I was looking at. He told us there was a rookery nearby at The Alligator Farm. So, we headed back down the spiral staircase in search of birds.

We drove around the block and found the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. But it didn’t seem worth the $35 apiece to enter. So, we walked down the sidewalk to find that the trees we’d seen from atop the lighthouse. They were just on the other side of a fence. We had a much less expensive, but very satisfactory view from the sidewalk. We saw plenty of wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and egrets coming and going.

Mark still needed to get a run in that day, so after the rookery we drove to the St. Augustine State Trail at the Vermont Heights Trailhead. He ran in one direction while I walked in another. A peaceful spot for exercise with the added bonus of restrooms on site.

Friday night, we stayed at a KOA near Kennedy Space Center. Little did we know, a Spacex rocket was scheduled to launch that night. We joined a small crowd gathered at the right spot (according to those in the know) and, sure enough, a fireball shot into the sky just after 8:20 p.m. Too far away for decent pictures, but we all took them anyway.

In the morning we stopped at Brevard Zoo Linear Park in Melbourne, Florida. Mark went for a run while I attended my monthly Poetry Circle via Zoom. After my Zoom meeting, I squeezed in a short walk before we hit the road again.

We spent the weekend with friends in Boca Raton, arriving late Saturday afternoon in time for dinner. Cliff and Susan were gracious hosts and we enjoyed walking/running in their neighborhood, relaxing by their pool, and eating out in Delray Beach on St. Patrick’s Day.

We said goodbye on Monday morning and travelled Alligator Alley (I-75) through The Everglades to Naples where we spent a few days with my dad.

My dad’s condo is right on the water, so I took my morning walks along a 1.25-mile paved path at the edge of the sand. Mark used the path, but ran along Gulf Shore Boulevard, as well. We also walked down the street to the Village Shops on Venetian Bay, went out for dinner at Mr. Big Fish one night, saw Cabrini at a brand-new fancy cinema nearby, and watched the sunset on our last night in Naples. Mark was able to visit with a couple of old friends who were staying in Naples, too.

All in all, we enjoyed the people and places we visited and the wildlife we encountered. We left Naples on a Thursday morning and headed back north, stopping at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary on the way. But that’s a story for another day… 🙂