DESERTS-TREES-SUVS
Date Visited: 12/5/2019 Timing is everything! When we decided to explore Ravine Gardens State Park in Florida it was after a fairly productive hurricane season. Not only that, we were a little to early for the Azalea bloom which is what the Gardens are most known for. However, we weren't going to let that deter... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 5/7/2019 There's is something to be said about those magical places where the unexpected happens. Those mystical little unknown spots where you find the historian, the nature lover and the inner child in you simultaneously satisfied. Today's subject is one such place! We had left the sugar mill ruins in New Smyrna Beach... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 5/7/2019 In past post I've mentioned that my perspective has changed as I get older. For instance, our next daytrip took us to a place I've visited many times as a child on both field trips and family outings. During those long lost years I was more fascinated by the rocks and the... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/12/2019 Our next day trip takes us to the oldest surviving plantation home in the state of Florida. The property is located on Fort George Island and part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve managed by the National Park Service. A Brief and Incomplete History In the late 1700s Planter and American... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/11/2019 After leaving Gamble Rogers we headed north along A1A to Washington Oaks Gardens. Like Gamble Rogers, this park is also on a barrier island and has two distinct destinations straddling Oceanshore Blvd. To the east is the beach and the location of one of the largest coastal coquina formations in Florida. To... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/11/2019 After returning home early from our trip up the Natchez Trace Parkway we had a few vacation days left to enjoy. Over the next several weeks we'll share what we discovered as we traveled around Florida hopping from one state park to another as we find a few gems as well as... Continue Reading →
8 Day Road Trip Itinerary Day 1: Brevard County to Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, Florida - Distance 275 miles - Daily Expense Gas, Food, Camp fees $32.48 Day 2: -Clear Springs Recreation Area, Homochitto National Forest, MS Distance 619 miles - Daily Expense Gas, Food, Camp fees $171.29 Day 3: -... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/7/2019 We were headed south and back to flat land. Although I gave Mr. McGee the option of scheduling the second half of our vacation (he said he wanted to do a vacation on the fly without planning) he realized that he had no idea where he wanted to go. So we headed... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/7/2019 If the kids are reading this they know that I have a little problem with heights. It's not that I'm afraid of them, or of falling, or of the sudden stop at the end. My problem is that I have a bit of vertigo. No matter how hard I try, when I... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 Discovering the campground at Noccalula Falls was another of those wonderful "happystances" that occur when your well thought out plans go sideways. When we left Russell Cave National Monument we were headed to one of the well known caverns in the area to take the tour, unfortunately we took too long to... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 As if our trip in 2018 didn't do enough to inspire us to get out and enjoy our National Park System, our stop at Russell Cave National Monument really did us in. Why? Because after talking to one of the park rangers about our past trips she introduced us to the National... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 We've now reached the last stop (or first if you're headed south) along the parkway: the Double Arch Bridge that crosses over Birdsong Hollow and Highway 96. The bridge was completed in 1994 and spans the 1572 feet of Birdsong Hollow. In 1995 it received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence for... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 Our second to last stop was an unfortunately brief stop at the War of 1812 memorial where we were met by a stone monument inscribed: This monument memorializes War of 1812 soldiers buried along the old Natchez Trace. And it honors the service of all brave volunteers who marched on the Natchez... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 As one of the two remaining buildings associated with the Natchez Trace, the Gordon House and Ferry stop is a must see. The house was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1970s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored to it's 1818 Federalist style.... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 With only 40 miles left on our journey up the trace we decided to take in one more short trail to check out another waterfall. I often wonder at the power of nature's ability to reinvent herself all the time and the sights you see at Jackson Falls is just one of... Continue Reading →
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