Reversing Course

Posted on April 28, 2025 by womanwifemotherchild

We spent a few days in eighty-degree weather in Naples, Florida, a couple of months ago, but had to head home eventually. You can read about the beginning of this trip in Escaping the Snow and Warmer Weather. The trip home saw the temperature slide lower and lower the farther north we went.

But our first stop, less than an hour northwest of where we stayed in Naples, was one of my favorite places ever. Corkscrew Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary. While Mark went for a run, I spent more than two hours wandering the boardwalk, listening and looking for birds. It was a little crowded. With people, not birds. But I did manage to see at least one bird I’d never seen before: a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. So, it was a good day. The photos might not be museum quality, but they prove that I did see some wildlife. 🙂

From there we headed northeast to a KOA in Crystal River, Florida. Somehow, in all our trips to Florida, we’d never been in that area and had never stopped to see any manatee. But that’s what we did the following day. At Three Sisters Springs we caught glimpses of them as they swam, surfaced, and rested in the warm waters. One even sported a clumsy-looking tag on its back resembling a miniature buoy. At times, it was hard to tell if we were seeing large boulders in the water or living creatures.

That afternoon, despite a menacingly dark sky, we stopped at Seven Mile Loop Trailhead for a walk/run.

The Harvest Hosts site we’d booked for that night looked a little sketchy, so we moved on to a KOA in Kingsland, Georgia. The following day was basically a travel day, though we did stop for a walk/run at White Oaks Trailhead in Woodbine, Georgia. The trailhead was actually at a small post office.

As we headed toward Charlotte, North Carolina, the next day, we made a stop at Santee Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. Mark went for a run while I checked out the wildlife. I found quite a few birds, although some were well-camouflaged in the brush. I’ve included a few of them here.

We spent the weekend with our friends, Cathy and Don, in Charlotte. We visited the Carolina Raptor Center and Latta Nature Preserve and saw several large beautiful raptors. They were all in cages, so I didn’t take any photos. Our walk through the nature preserve was nice but chilly!

The next morning, we went to mass at the Basilica at Belmont Abbey College and had lunch at Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse Grill downtown. The food and the beer both got a stamp of approval.

We left Charlotte on Monday morning, stopping at New River Trail State Park for a walk/run.

That night, we stayed at a KOA in Natural Bridge, Virginia. And, of course, had to go see the Natural Bridge the next day. Formed by water that has long since receded, the height and breadth of the bridge was mesmerizing. It was cold and early in the day, so we had the place to ourselves for the most part.

After a bite to eat in the van, we travelled a short distance down the road to Blue Ridge Trail so Mark could get a run in. And I took in the view of the mountains and the local wildlife. 🙂

As we headed north from Virginia, it was hard not to start thinking about getting home. We stayed overnight in Pennsylvania, then made a stop at Fidens Brewing in Albany, New York, for an early dinner the next day. Three hours from home doesn’t feel like much when we’ve been on the road for any length of time, so we made the trek after dinner, arriving home two weeks and two days after we’d left. And home is always good to come back to.

Warmer Weather

Posted on February 25, 2025 by womanwifemotherchild

We did find warmer weather, eventually, as we drove south from Massachusetts to Virginia and on to Florida. You can read about the chilly start to our trip in Escaping the Snow. After leaving Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, we set our sights on North Carolina.

Last March, we took a similar route south and discovered The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina. You can see some of the photos I took of the huge outdoor whirligigs in last year’s post, Homeward Bound. Last year, we visited the park on a Monday—the day the store/museum is closed. So, we thought we’d stop by this time on a Wednesday to get the complete experience.

The museum was small, but it held many small whirligig creations by Vollis Simpson. They made me want to go home and start tinkering with something! One sculpture was covered with pieces of old signs made of reflector material. When flash photography is used, it appears to light up in the photograph. You’ll see what I mean in the photos below.

Of course we had to visit Casitas Brewing again, which is adjacent to the park. They’re under new ownership and management. We met the new owners and Mark enjoyed one of their regular beers. The buildings nearby sport some very colorful murals, which is always fun to see.

That night, we landed at Old North State Food Hall in Selma, North Carolina, through our Harvest Hosts membership. The Food Hall was like a large food court you’d find in a mall, but without the mall. The place was clean and bright with nice bathrooms and good wifi. We parked overnight in the back lot where only a couple of other trucks and one RV were parked. They were opened late enough at night and early enough the next morning to make it a very convenient stopover.

The night was a little rainy and the next morning we stopped at the Dunn-Erwin Rail Trail in Dunn, North Carolina, for a muddy walk/run before driving farther south to Richmond Hill, Georgia. There, we stayed at the Savannah South KOA. We happened to park right next to some fellow van travelers, Lucy & Larry, who had also taken a trip to PEI last August. Small world. We exchanged Instagram IDs and they were gone early the next morning.

Before we left, we discovered a bit of wildlife at the KOA.

Since we were so close to Savannah, and this was our second time passing through the area without spending more than a few hours there, we thought a trolley tour of historic Savannah would be a nice idea. It was interesting. But because it was a bit chilly, our driver left the plastic barrier up over the open trolley sides, so we couldn’t take any photos. And his heavy southern accent, layered with slurring over an obviously practiced script, made it hard to understand much of what he said. Oh, well.

We were back on the road by lunchtime and heading into Florida. We stayed that night at a KOA in Fort McCoy, Florida. Beautifully peaceful scene behind our camp site.

The next morning we found the Florida Trail Land Bridge Trailhead—a popular place for biking and horseback riding, apparently.

After a great hike and a run on the trail, we hit the road again and arrived in Naples, Florida, in time for dinner with my Dad. Naples would be our southern-most destination on this trip and a welcome stretch of beautiful, warm, sunny days.

Homeward Bound

Posted on April 8, 2024 by womanwifemotherchild

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…

Posted on March 25, 2024 by womanwifemotherchild

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

Posted on March 23, 2024 by womanwifemotherchild

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… 🙂

February Fling: Part II…

Posted on March 8, 2016 by womanwifemotherchild

Did you catch February Fling: Part I? I escaped to sunny Florida to visit my Dad, leaving New England in its semi-wintery state and my home with its recently repaired furnace.

After spending a couple of days enjoying the wildlife of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and walking along the beach near Dad’s condo in Naples, I decided to visit the Naples Zoo. There, I took a short boat ride to their “Primate Islands”, caught the keepers feeding the alligators, and enjoyed watching others feed the giraffes. While the sun warmed me and the occasional bird sighting made it a pleasant trip, I came to the conclusion that I really don’t like zoos — too many caged, bored-looking animals. I’d say “sad animals”, too, but I don’t know if that’s true or if it’s just me projecting my own feelings on them. Anyway, here are a few shots from the zoo (click on any photo and view them as a slideshow):

After the zoo, I went back to the condo for lunch and a quick check-in with Dad. Then, I was off to Naples Botanical Garden.

A beautiful orchid display greeted me just inside the gates:

Walking the paved paths, surrounded by stunning flowers and foliage, I couldn’t help smiling to myself (and to anyone I passed).

In among their varied garden displays were awesomely intricate LEGO sculptures — an added bonus! Much better than the zoo, in my humble opinion. 🙂

In addition to these outings, I managed to accompany Dad to a couple of medical appointments, go out to lunch with him, watch a movie with him, and walk down to the beach once, too. Then, it was time to fly back home.

Back home, I dragged my suitcase in the front door and was immediately struck by how chilly I was. Must be because I just came home from Florida…I thought. But, no, the thermostat in the living room registered 59 degrees. No heat!

Luckily, the temperature outside was fairly mild, but the forecast for the next few days was for colder weather. I left my suitcase in the front hall and called the same heating company that “fixed” the furnace before I left. They were able to come by, proclaim the first thermocouple burned out, replace it with a heavy duty one, conclude that they couldn’t get the pilot to stay lit, and declare that I needed a new gas valve, if not a whole new furnace. Sigh!

The furnace is twenty six years old, after all. Maybe that would be the smarter choice. A new gas valve for my old furnace would take three to five business days to ship…so no heat for the weekend! A new furnace could be installed in a day or two. How convenient! I told them I’d discuss the options with my husband and give them a call.

As soon as they left, I got a few recommendations from a Townie Business Referral Facebook page and made a phone call. Don K., from a local heating company, showed up, rebuilt the pilot, got my furnace running again, conceded that we should replace the gas valve, offered to do it for less than the first company’s quote, and didn’t charge me for his help! Whew!

So, exhausted, but warm, I dragged my suitcase upstairs to my bedroom and left the unpacking for the next day. 🙂

Winter Break…

Posted on March 10, 2015 by womanwifemotherchild

I flew south for a few days to escape the snow and the frigid temperatures and to visit with my Dad. Despite turning eighty last month and dealing with bouts of chemo-induced exhaustion, he insisted on scouting out some local venues for bird-watching during my visit. I do my best to try to identify the birds I see, but I need help with some of them…