Floundering in Florida: Part 1

Oh Florida. Florida Florida Florida. We spent close to a week exploring your beaches, islands, state parks, national parks, and campgrounds. You never failed to be beautiful, and yet you are full of extremes that made life for Micha a tad difficult. You were extremely hot and humid, which made sleeping in a little metal box without even so much as a fan a tiresome affair. You harbor extreme amounts of hungry blood sucking insects, many of which found their way to my seemingly delicious California flesh. You are home to a large variety of extremely large members of the animal kingdom including alligators, manatees, Florida panthers, and the biggest spiders I have ever seen. This, in a nutshell, is how I feel about Florida, but I know you all want some details so let me start from the beginning.

We left Savannah and headed straight down into Florida, stopping at a state park on the beach about halfway down the Atlantic coast. The campground was really crowded, and we parked our little teardrop on a slice of property about eight feet wide in between two behemoth RVs. It was about dinnertime when we arrived, and there was not a soul to be seen outside. I scoffed to myself about how locking yourself up in an RV isn’t real camping, we are real nature lovers, blah blah blah. Silly naïve little Micha. Those people weren’t inside watching their televisions because they don’t enjoy nature, they were inside protecting themselves from the Earth’s cruelest creature: the “noseeum.” This tiny little fly is small enough to fit through the screens of the teardrop, and has the bite (and appetite) of a thousand mosquitoes. We spent the evening applying and reapplying our weak bug spray and trying to prevent bites by crawling under the covers, which only succeeded in turning the teardrop into an uncomfortable sauna.

At two o’clock in the morning I announced I’d had enough, and we packed up and headed to the nearby Mega Box Store to stock up on better bug spray. We figured since we were already up we might as well drive down to the Keys and beat any traffic we would have encountered during the day. We arrived at the campground on Key Largo early the next morning and spent the first part of the day napping in a hammock and cooking some breakfast at a picnic table near the beach.

The Florida Keys in October are hot, sticky, and humid. We found a local radio station that specialized in rumba, and we tried to embrace the weather and environment and get into the groove of this tropical paradise. Unfortunately I never really accomplished this goal, although being able to take a dip in the Gulf of Mexico helped alleviate some of the discomfort. Another added bonus to this trip was meeting John and Brenda, a very sweet older couple from Alabama. As they were sitting outside the bathroom waiting for their laundry to dry they struck up a conversation with me, and they are some of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of randomly meeting.

John and Brenda travel in one of the biggest RVs I have ever seen, but they are very down to earth and low-key, and drive a little red Smart Car around when they take day trips. They have three cocker spaniels that live the life of luxury in the RV; poor Zephyr was a little envious as he was just about dead on his feet from the humidity. John showed us a photo album with pictures of his house, family, and toys including two refurbished fire trucks. If Andrew and I ever spend some time in Alabama we are going to look them up and take a spin in one of those trucks. John and Brenda, you have been forewarned!

Our last day in the Keys was spent ambling around Key West, doing the tourist circuit. It was the start of Fantasy Fest, and though we didn’t see anything scandalous there was a street fair with good food and cheap drinks. We enjoyed all the people watching and sight seeing, and then went to the aquarium for a tour since dogs are allowed in the open-air building.

At the end of the day we attempted to check out the daily sunset party that occurs, complete with vendors and buskers and tourists galore. After nearly pulling me through the crowd on my butt in an attempt to escape, it became clear that Zephyr had taken all he could handle with the heat and noise. We left before the sun had set and walked back to the truck, stopping only to take the obligatory photo at the “Southernmost Point” marker. That night I discovered that a combination of alcohol and Benadryl was enough to quell my itching and knock me out, and the next day we hit the road after grabbing some delicious Cuban food on our way out of the Keys.

This colorful fellow was a guest in our campsite. The Green Iguana is one of the many non-native intruders living in the Keys, and they are everywhere. I even had to rescue one that was stuck trying to crawl through a chain link fence at a park. Fortunately I was able to smoosh his legs and tail together so he could finally squeeze through.

Apparently this is what dinner looks like to noseeums. Bully for me.

The campground in Key Largo was full of White Ibises who were thankfully not camera shy

This local beach on the Atlantic side of the Keys allowed dogs, so we took Zephyr for a little swim

A sunset shot of tropical paradise. We were standing on an old bridge and as we were watching the water a gigantic 8 foot long ray of some kind swam underneath us.

Another sunset shot about 10 minutes later

There were several couples enjoying the sunset and we all took turns taking pictures for each other

The body of this thing was bigger than a quarter. Gaaaaah!

I got to pet a baby nurse shark at the aquarium! Zephyr was upset he didn’t get to sniff it.

It looks less cheesy with artistic flourishes, don’t you think?

Spanish Moss & Southern Hospitality

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we must rely on commercial society to get things done on our trip. We do what we can to stay off the beaten path, preferably driving along small scenic roads, staying in National Forests with no real campgrounds to speak of, and generally enjoying a bit of isolation. On the other end of the spectrum we like exploring the big cities and urban areas we come across for a bit of culture. But as we rolled into northern Georgia we realized we needed to visit a few stores (REI for Andrew, Sprint for Micha) so we headed to a suburb north of Atlanta to visit the strip malls. Andrew dropped me off at the Sprint store so he could head over to REI, and I finally upgraded to an iPhone (hallelujah!). As I sat outside the store waiting for Andrew to come pick me up, I fiddled with the phone and was trying to figure things out when a motorcycle cop approached.

“Ooooh, you got an iPhone! I love mine. Here let me show you. Oh hey, you know I have a charger on my bike. You can use it if you want while I’m inside. Just don’t steal my ride, hahaha. Also don’t steal my lunch. It’s homemade chicken soup, I made it from scratch.” He was a very nice southern gentleman, but to this day I still don’t know if he was just being friendly or if he was trying to flirt. Either way I was glad he didn’t come over to issue me a ticket for loitering!

This detour into suburban Georgia wasn’t just for shopping, fortunately. Some of my cousins live in the area and so we were lucky enough to be able to visit with them. They live in a beautiful home and were very generous, cooking us a delicious dinner and letting us do laundry, shower, and sleep in an extra bedroom. I tried to accuse them of showing real “Southern hospitality” but they quickly corrected me. As New York transplants they announced, “This is Northern hospitality in the South.” I stand corrected! Either way, it was a very nice visit and I am thankful for any variety of hospitality I am shown on this trip!

The next day we headed down to Savannah, a city I was very excited to explore. We got into town late, so we headed directly to a state park on the outskirts of the city. This park was covered in gorgeous oak trees that were dripping in Spanish moss, a true Southern sight to behold. We had a nice quiet evening and awoke early the next morning to check out a three mile nature trail in the park. We decided to take our bicycles, which are city bikes not really well suited to sandy trails covered in tree roots. But we did our best and had a great time with Zephyr who ran along side us, stopping to take an occasional dip in the disgusting muddy swamp water. This nature trail was very informative, and within three short miles many interesting sights were crammed in. First up were the “gator holes” which were sadly empty of any visible gators. Then we went to an old fire tower, passed by an ancient shell midden where pre-Columbian Native Americans discarded their shells, rode over an old earthwork mound that was built by the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and finally passed by a rusted liquor still from the prohibition era.

After our morning jaunt we headed into Savannah ready for some city sights. We walked throughout the historic downtown area, which is set up in squares around very old city parks. These parks are full of monuments, statues, and informative plaques covering the history of Savannah. We walked around for hours, checking out various shops and the beautiful waterfront. For dinner we stopped into a restaurant called Mellow Mushroom Pizza, where we felt right at home among the dreadlocked and patchouli wearing clientele. Well, Andrew felt right at home anyway. There is still a small part of me that resists the inevitable hippiness that comes with this type of travel. I indulged in some gluten and dairy-free pizza and beer, and we finally returned to the campsite exhausted from a long day of Savannah fun.

I knew I was really in the South when I saw the trees covered in gorgeous Spanish Moss! A pamphlet from the state park said they used to stuff it into mattresses, and since there were often chiggers hiding within it it lead to the phrase “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

Is this why they named it Savannah? Sadly we failed to find any giraffes (or gators for that matter).

All tuckered out from his morning jog

Andrew reads about the shell midden on our nature ride

Beware the dreaded stinky Swamp Dog!

Those guys must have been desperate for some moonshine to put that thing way out here

Gertie looks so pretty in the wilderness of Savannah!

The architecture in Savannah was awesome

The dome of the capitol building in Savannah is covered in 24 karat gold leaf. Of course Andrew wanted to figure out a way to climb the dome and take some, since he is certain the Fiat money system will soon collapse…

A neat display outside of an antique shop

Obligatory couple shot

Tennessee Sid

In North Carolina we exited the Blue Ridge Parkway and headed into the northeast corner of Tennessee on our way to Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We found an empty campground overlooking a large lake, and set up in a site with excellent views and gusty winds. The first night was peaceful until about 10 PM, when a large family rolled in and set up in a site right next to ours, despite the abundance of available sites all around the campground. They proceeded to make a bunch of noise and I even had to yell at one of the kids who was rudely shining his flashlight right into our trailer! I spent the night grumpily fuming while they tromped around, but fortunately the next morning they packed up and headed out as quickly as they had arrived, and we were back to enjoying the peaceful serenity of Lake Watauga.

The waters of Lake Watauga are warm enough for a quick exhilarating dip, and so we enjoyed jumping into the water and lounging in the sun while boaters and fishermen buzzed by in their motorboats. The campground was only $6 a night (showers included) so we decided to stay another night, thankfully without any further annoyances.

The next day we drove down into the Great Smokey Mountains. Gatlinburg, the town just outside the National Park, is a crazy hodgepodge of touristy nonsense. It was crawling with people who were window-shopping among the hundreds of shops, and included popular destinations like Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, Hidden Caverns, and a Jellystone Campground. Needless to say this wasn’t our cup of tea, so we did our best to get through the town without hitting any pedestrians as they darted across the street.

The park itself wasn’t much better in terms of crowds. In fact, Great Smokey National Park has the most visitors per year out of all of the National Parks. One of the reasons is that park entrance is free, a rarity in the National Park system. We drove through the park in a long line of cars, and stopped at a historic pioneer homestead, where we were able to see how farmers in Appalachia lived in the 1800s. Andrew was interested in the old tools, techniques, and blacksmithing forge, but I was mostly excited to hang out and take photos of the gregarious pigs.

On our way out of the park we passed through part of a Cherokee Indian Reservation. This side of the park was no less touristy, although it was more reminiscent of a bygone era with business names and images that reinforce old stereotypes like “Wigwam Motel” and “Little Princess Ice Cream.” We also saw a man dressed in traditional Cherokee garb performing for some tourists. It’s an odd thing really. In a way it seems like it could be demeaning, and I’m sure many of the tourists only see the reservation as a source of entertainment. On the other hand, this is how the people who live there are supporting themselves among limited opportunity. Now I wish I had spent some time talking to a few of the Cherokee to hear their own opinions on the matter.

That afternoon we stopped in a crowded campground on the southern edge of the park, and as we started setting up camp a nice fellow named Sid came over to look at the trailer. The trailer is often an opening to conversation wherever we go, and so we are normally prepared to tell people all about it. A few times people have asked us how much it cost. This strikes us as a bit forward, but we usually oblige because people are generally just curious having never seen one for sale. In this case it turned out to be Sid’s opening question. Apparently all Sid really needed was a reason to talk, and talk he did! He even made himself comfortable at our picnic table, straddling the bench as we hovered around not sure what to do with ourselves. We discovered that Sid is on disability, and travels around the country going to Chick-Fil-A openings so that he can get free vouchers for their food. We also found out his relationships with his mom and sister aren’t so great, he has medical issues, and that a natural gas company is ruining his life by drilling near his house. It was hard to get a word in edgewise, but at one point I managed to make it clear that we needed to get dinner going, so he left momentarily before he returned with maps of the area for us.

Sid stopped by several times throughout the evening, and it was apparent that he was really lonely and a bit socially awkward, but a really nice guy overall. Our camp neighbors made beef stew for dinner and told us they had extra, so we brought Sid a bowl because it seemed like he didn’t have a lot in the way of food or money. The next morning Sid returned and gifted us some cheese and peanut butter crackers and a small packet of guacamole in thanks. As we drove down into Georgia that afternoon we stopped at Chick-Fil-A in honor of Sid, his ambitious endeavors, and his adventurous spirit. May he continue to earn free chicken vouchers all the rest of his days.

A view of the sunset from our campsite on Lake Watauga

Another shot of this serene lake

They call them The Great Smokies because there are always clouds due to the density of plant life which is constantly releasing moisture into the air

A pastoral scene from the historic homestead museum

A cute and friendly farm cat that roamed the grounds asking for belly rubs

I want one. Or seven.

Here Andrew climbs illicitly into the exhibit to pump the bellows. What a rebel.

We got a little lost but discovered this fun, bouncy walking bridge along the way

This sign probably should have deterred us from jumping on the bridge…

Black and Blue Ridge Parkway

Katie, one of my best friends from my college days, recently moved to a small, middle-of-nowhere town called Cumberland on the north side of Maryland. Cumberland was a good stopping point for us and I hadn’t seen Katie in a long time, so we headed out from D.C. to pay her a visit. There are several cool things about visiting Katie. First and foremost: she lives in an old church. I’m serious! There is even a green strip of carpet in the middle of her house, stained glass windows, and yes, a bell that you can ring by tugging on a rope. Andrew liked that bit a lot. She is also an optometrist, which blows my mind. We walked past her office and saw her name on the outside, complete with the prefix Doctor. Several of my college friends now have illustrious careers as doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc. I’m always so impressed by people who knew what they wanted to be in life, did the requisite work to get there, and then voila! Optometrist. Maybe that will happen to me some day, after I’m done being a traveling hobo. Although there is something quite addicting about this lifestyle I’m leading. Maybe this is my calling after all. Success!

We explored Cumberland via a picturesque walking path that connects Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh, and admired the old dilapidated buildings and remnants of industry that gave Cumberland its start. While much of the town seems downtrodden, we did have a delicious breakfast at a cute and crowded café in the downtown district, and there are several fun shops in the area. Apparently not all of Cumberland is struggling. This café even had soy milk (score!) so I think Katie is in good hands.

After we took our leave of Cumberland we headed south to Shenandoah National Park in West Virginia. Shenandoah is very different from the National Parks in the West. It was primarily set up so that people in the East could get out and enjoy nature. The history of the park is pretty cool; during the Great Depression the CCC was set to work building stone guardrails on the side of the road, which are still standing and are quite beautiful. The road throughout the park winds along the ridge of the mountains, and we had some cold wintry weather as hail and even snow fell at various elevations. We spent a cold wet night in a nearby National Forest and the next day we jumped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, which we drove through Virginia, North Carolina, and the corner of Tennessee.

We spent another night in the National Forest somewhere, driving through dense fog and rain to find a spot we could camp for the night. Andrew cooked pork chops in the freezing rain, (which made them extra delicious!), and then we took cover in the teardrop for the night. The next morning we got an early start back on the Blue Ridge Parkway, driving for an hour or so before stopping at an overlook to make breakfast. As we climbed out of the truck Andrew asked, “Where’s Gertie?” I looked up and lo and behold, we were missing a bicycle. My bicycle! We muttered a few indecencies and backtracked for an hour, looking along the sides of the road for a mangled bike. We went all the way back to our campsite and finally saw her laying in the middle of the dirt road, bent up and bruised. Poor Gertie! She must have caught on a tree as we pulled out and then we probably drove over her with the trailer thinking it was just a big pothole. Andrew reattached Gertie to the roof rack and we went on our way, albeit with less enthusiasm.

In Roanoke, North Carolina we stopped at a local health food store to load up on groceries, and just outside the city limits we found a nice campground for the night. It was one of the rare times we arrived to a campground early in the day, so Andrew worked on putting Gertie back together again and then took a hammock nap while I made a miniature painting of said hammock nap. We enjoyed a relaxed evening by the fire roasting marshmallows, (I have eaten a lot of marshmallows on this trip!), and then crawled into bed, confident that Gertie would make a full recovery.

The next day we turned back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and continued our trip southward, enjoying the local flavor of a bluegrass radio station. The music was interrupted only for the “condensed” obituaries, which included name, age, address, date of funeral, address of funeral, minister present for funeral, where to send condolences, etc. etc. I can only imagine what the full obituaries contain, but I wasn’t willing to listen to the thrice-daily news hour to find out. It’s true what they say: life really is slower down South!

A cool old train station along the walking path in Cumberland, MD.

Taking a break

I really liked the architecture in Cumberland, and how all different kinds of buildings are smashed together in a small area

I spied this old building along the walking path. Beautiful, don’t you think?

Snowfall in Shenandoah…beautiful, but cold!

The picturesque drive includes trees, wildflowers and stone guardrails built by the CCC

The colors of Shenandoah

Andrew gives Gertie a test run after setting her straight

Lucky duck

We found this little cabin after a short hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway

A little friend I made while on our hike

Capitol Offense

When we were in Maine we asked Jonathan for some wilderness recommendations in the New Jersey area and he recommended the Pine Barrens, which is smack dab in the middle of the state. This one million acre “forest” is like no other forest I’ve ever seen. It is full of beautiful pine and oak trees to be sure, but instead of regular ol’ dirt the ground is actually comprised of beachy, soft, wonderful sand! We paid for a campsite, dropped off the trailer, and then hit the trail for some good old-fashioned off-roading fun in the pickup truck.

We had a grand time bouncing, sliding, spinning, and muddying up the truck, and as we careened through the trees I could hear Gertie’s bell occasionally dinging joyfully overhead. I imagined she was enjoying the ride; glad to see something other than the pavement to which she had become accustomed. I still maintain this is the case, despite learning that her handlebars had been twerked 90 degrees from their normal resting place after getting snagged on a branch! Poor Gertie. I wish I could say this easily fixable setback was the worst of her troubles, but she was to experience an even greater misadventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Don’t fret dear reader, you’ll just have to wait and see how that turns out in a future post!

The warm evening was spent in a nearly empty, peaceful campground with a chorus of cicadas, frogs, owls, and geese to lull us into a glorious stupor next to the campfire. We lolled about lazily enjoying the peace, only stirring for a quick makeshift bucket shower under a nearby tree. Everyone should experience such a night at least once a month. Go try it!

The next day we were off again, back into the “civilized” world of Washington, D.C. There we met up with my cousin Mel and her boyfriend Aidan, and we decided to go out for a delicious dinner of overpriced ribs. As we sat at the restaurant on Capitol Hill awaiting our meal, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, so to be silly I asked Aidan to answer it. Thank goodness he did! I saw his face drop and heard the familiar “…a black dog? Yeah…he’s ours…” before he took down directions to the caller’s house. Apparently Zephyr, whom we left “safe and sound” back in the truck, managed to bend the wire grate about eight inches away from the window, bust the screen, and squeeze out into the D.C. streets. He was chased by some girls about eight city blocks before someone finally caught him and tied him up in their backyard. Yes, this dog is going to be the death of me.

Andrew and Aidan set off to reclaim Zephyr (although I tried to talk them out of it), and the rest of the night was spent in the confines of Mel and Aidan’s apartment where we chatted, drank wine, and were treated to Aidan’s wonderful ukulele rendition of America the Beautiful. The next morning we met up with our old San Diego buddies Douglas and Rose, and had a delicious breakfast before setting off to do some sight seeing around D.C. We spent the better part of the afternoon hoofing it to various monuments and significant structures before setting off and leaving our nation’s capitol in the (capable?) hands of our elected officials.