Entry the Last, part I

So there's that expression, "better late than never". I've decided to adopt that mantra in order to write this last entry, a whopping two weeks after Andy and I arrived back here in New York. Yes, many of you have seen us since then and have heard the stories right from our mouths, but this historical account of our adventure deserves a proper ending, dammit, and here it shall be!

So. For a time on the way back north, we did travel along the same route as we did back in December, and in South Carolina, we even visited the same historical plantation site, adjacent to plenty of worry-free parking in Francis Marion National Forest. Visiting places in early spring that we'd previously seen in bleak wintertime was something we were both curious about, and little sights like the early purple blossoms on the side of the road were a nice welcome back.

Ranking in at one of the most memorable times of the trip north was the most harrowing, windy driving experience, ever. I thought it was peculiar enough when we were merely parked in the Dolphin and the wind was enough to rock us constantly, as if on a boat. But we had yet conquer the North Carolina Causeway of Doom, too long and open for our liking, the fierce wind causing Andy to grip the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. Once the crossing was over, we were as thankful as we've ever been to have the choppy, churning water of Albemarle Sound no longer beneath us. We also had a ferry ride where we both got splashed with water on the deck, but this time we were able to just laugh rather than fear for our lives....

More water views were in store when we tackled our next "first", the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, in Virginia. It was nice cutting out miles by sticking as close to the coast as possible from this point on, and paying our first visit to the Delmarva peninsula, thus adding Delaware as the fifteenth state on our list. The highlight of Eastern Virginia had to be the long-abandoned motel complex we stumbled upon and couldn't resist exploring as much as we dared, cautiously treading on territory that was undeniably being used by some new "tenants". There were phones hanging through ceilings, birds' nests in bathroom vanities, and crumbling floors a-plenty. Shame we couldn't find out the history or any further information!

Next was the first of a few bordering-on-sad empty seaside towns, Ocean City, Maryland, parking at a former village shop claimed by fire, and driving out of our way to visit the quaint village of Milford, Delaware. Needless to say, this was an opportunity for much "pride" in my boyfriend, and we even treated ourselves to a big breakfast at the Milford Diner (have to be honest, disappointingly sub-par) before heading to Lewes, to board the ferry to (gasp!) New Jersey.

This particular ferry ride was our longest (90 minutes), and most expensive (not hard however, as all the others were free), but particularly nice because the ride ended in a favorite childhood destination of mine, Cape May, NJ. I was more content than I'd been the whole trip back as I crouched on the beach searching for Cape May Diamonds (tiny, near-transparent rounded quartz specific to the area), roaming downtown recognizing landmarks I thought I'd forgotten, and buying delectable fudge right on the boardwalk at The Fudge Kitchen. The last leg of our trip also included crazy-colorful amusement rides on the not-yet-open piers of Wildwood, the ridiculously huge but much sought-after Lucy the Elephant just south of Atlantic City, and a craving for good old New Jersey pizza that was finally sated, our last night on the road. Ah, satisfaction with the simple things in life :)

The Movie

All the photos from the adventure that were posted on flickr, squashed close together to encourage the illusion of speed.

Thanks to Randal for the inspiration!

highlights and ho hums

Oh gee, who can remember all of the things that've happened since I last cozied up to this blog?? Apologies, apologies- we've been seeing people, had dodgy internet connections, and were distracted by the glories that are the southernmost bits of Florida: the Keys and of course, Everglades National Park.

First, I must extend a note of thanks to John and Leslie, who we visited for several days in Coconut Creek, Florida, for their kindness and generosity. We went to the Greek restaurant where she belly dances, and some strange force somehow possessed me to get up and shimmy along, as per her beckoning. O, the things we'll do when faced with intimidation and humiliation! Fortunately, no one spat or booed, so I returned to my seat with a modicum of dignity. We also went to Deerfield Beach and frolicked in the waves (I know, I know, you're thinking when will these two lay off the ocean already?), Andy and John worked in and on the Dolphin, cleaning, repairing and the like, and the laundry and pool facilities were taken advantage of. Yay!



I also saw my parents and some extended family for a day, which was a nice change of activities. Thank you Mom and Dad, for your gifts and generosity as well :)

Cruising further down the coast brought us through Miami, and a few noisy and bright Wal-Mart nights later, Andy and I found ourselves in the southernmost point of our trip, Key Largo. Honestly, there's not much to see as you're driving along Route 1, and just wasn't the vibrant tropical oasis we'd pictured in our minds. Ah, but not until we ventured into John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and we treated ourselves to snorkeling, something Andy had never done before, and I had done previously in Hawaii. It was fun, despite some murky water and blurred vision on my part, not to mention bafflement over a man-made wreckage re-creation that I was exclaiming over when I "found" it.



Everglades National Park did not disappoint, with alligators at our feet, swimming in the water, and hissing at us to leave their babies alone. The advisory is to stay at least 15 feet away, for your own safety, but I do have to say that we got quite a bit closer, and were chastised with only the tiniest bit bit of aggression on the part of our reptilian friends. In addition, as we drove from visitor center to visitor center or "hiked" along the various short trails, we saw plenty of ospreys, turkey vultures, ibises, herons, and egrets, plus the occasional loggerhead turtle and a frog or two. It was quite pleasant, spending a night in a park campground and being surrounded by total darkness and only the hum of a nearby camper's generator rather than street lights or landscapers or racing cars disturbing our sleep.

The only guided/adventure-y activity Andy and I participated in was our last day in the Everglades, on the Gulf side: a four-hour-long ranger guided canoe tour amid the Ten Thousand Islands. We were with about six other pairs, and I couldn't even remember the last time I'd canoed, so it took us a while to work with each other, but it was a beautiful day and we appreciated the opportunity to explore where we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Those sore shoulders the next day were worth it, especially since I got to see my first ever in-the-flesh dolphins (and have since seen more, this morning in St. Augustine).



Our Everglades wildlife forays being the culmination of our trip, we're now headed north, and praise jesus, out of Florida. Yes, there were highlights and some nice beaches, and we did spend over a month there, but it is still, to me, one large retirement community with nary the character and personality I've found in most other states. The sameness of the scenery becomes grating after awhile, and no sooner had we crossed the border earlier today back into Georgia then we were greeted with the quaint villages and abandoned buildings that we'd come to appreciate and miss. Alas, whilst in the Sunshine State, there were no sightings of panther, bobcat, or manatee, as numerous signs informed and warned us about, but our animal tally wound up being quite satisfying nonetheless.

One last little tidbit: If you ever find yourself on Route 17 northbound approaching Brunswick, Georgia, please stop at the Goasis rest stop. I have just visited the nicest, cleanest, most private on-the-road restroom that I have ever seen, and there've been many.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying their March!

Dive In

What better way to spend a cold winter day in New York than splashing about in the ocean in Florida! Yay! :)

general on-the-road complaints

ah, florida, with your partly cloudy/partly sunny demeanor, your barrier beaches with "no parking" signs left and right, migratory senior citizens, paragliders, and funny looking aquatic birds, how doth we count the frustrations?

1. public restrooms with automatic flushers/sinks/etc
okay, i understand the trend toward a less germy bathroom experience. in fact, usually, i appreciate it. yay, i don't have to touch a faucet that's been touched by countless people before me! yay, i don't have to grasp the flusher/level/button that may or may not contain someone else's poo! but sometimes, these facilities just end up doing more harm than good, i.e. when the automatic flusher operates on a *timer*, and while i sit there doing my business, the damn think flushes four times, thereby disrupting my momentum AND sending down the drain gallons more water than necessary! then there are the sinks, whose sensor apparently likes you to have superlong arms, for even as i stood several feet from the actual faucet, the water gushed out with more pressure than i had in my last shower. now, as my current lifestyle demands a finite water supply, i've learned since being on the road how much water is adequate at any given time, and how much is just a waste. all in all, systems such as these restrooms i've encountered are nothing if not infuriating.

2. florida state park fees
here it is, the middle of february. andy and i have been on the road for over two and a half months and clocked in well over 5,000 miles on our darling flippermobile. we've grown accustomed to pulling into state parks, stopping at the entrance booth, and inquiring about dump stations and water hookups only, no campsite necessary. and we've also become quite fond of the friendly employee saying "oh sure, here's a map, drive right in!" or giving just $1 to use said facilities and then be on our merry way. however, in this portion of our trip, in the home stretch, the southernmost, tourist-infested, anomaly of a state that we now find ourselves in has exorbitant fees for each person, for merely entering the park, plus filling up the water tank, showering, plus using the dump station...yikes, said we. so, the random townsperson's garden hose has come in handy from time to time-- no, no, don't worry, just kidding there.
nay, this has merely caused us to be more frugal with letting water from things such as tooth brushing and dish washing go down the drain, plus using public restrooms (meh. see aforementioned gripe) whenever possible rather than our own funny lil toilet.

3. there's steam coming from the engine!
hey, who here has a car that's ever overheated? isn't it such a fun time...? ah, no. it's especially not fun remembering your AAA gold membership card, calling up, and being informed that rv coverage is not included, then having the tow service call you and say it'll be $200 plus $5 per mile towed...ha! who can afford that?? a "we'll call you back", fitful night of sleep, driving a mile or two at a time, letting the engine cool for three quarters of an hour, and a trip to advance auto parts later for a new fan belt, and we're good to go. yay for a garage open on a sunday and them being out of fan belts so they had to use ours! yay for the battery now being charged properly and no more embarrassing squeal coming from the engine! yay for saving a couple hundred dollars!
so this last one started out as a gripe but turned into a yay. we should have more of those :)

also, yay for marinas that have free wifi.

Atlantis launch

We're happy to report that the Shuttle made it all the way up!

Sunny Delights :)

No making you wait another month for another drowsy four-page post, faithful ones. Thought I'd make this one shorter-- Florida hasn't been bad to us at all since we've been here. We've had peaceful nights, in that we haven't been asked to leave anywhere in quite awhile. Yay! But we have had some loud firecrackers, and some crazy mysterious creature lurking outside the Dolphin in the pre-dawn hours, only to discover that our noisemaker was actually only a twig brushing against the window. Oh, disappointments.

Ocala National Forest, in central Florida, afforded us some nice, mostly private nights parked at public piers and boat launches, where we thought to ourselves, gee, haven't we been sedentary lately. So we started throwing the frisbee around more and doing assorted strength training, wheee. The brochure for the forest warned us of the possibility of black bear, manatee and bobcat, but I'm sorry to report that the most unusual wildlife we've been encountering lately has been the assortment of birds, which can be quite entertaining.

The two of New Smyrna Beach was next, our first ocean stop since South Carolina in early December. Hello again, Atlantic! The water's still quite chilly, but some splashing around barefoot was still in order. Andy and I were the youngest ones on the beach here, walking amidst one gray-haired couple after another, and trying to dodge the cars that are permitted to drive on the sand. Cars on the beach! What's the world coming to? Complete with a speed limit and traffic lanes...who wants to have their beach become a roadway? Plus, this means no parking lots to hide away in, except for the large "Unregulated, park at your own risk" lot with the blaring radio from the nearby barbecue restaurant. At least it was free.

Culinary specialties by yours truly have lately included such things as Mexican stew (hey, leftovers cooked with rice and cheese can be yummy!), baked ziti (baked cheese with some pasta thrown in is more like it :), and the old favorite, eggplant parmesan. Of course, now that we're in the final stretch, much more budgeting will be under way and it'll be back to plain old rice and beans and the like.

The Daytona Beach area is where we are presently, being hosted by Jim, of the 2007 Omega Cafe, his very nice friend Judy, and her dog, Dexter. Jim thought he'd take us our for drinks by the shore the other night, only to be bombarded by a Daytona-style Mardi Gras parade down Main Street, complete with the tiniest taste of what Bike Week is like down here. We're so grateful for your generosity and wonderful tour-guide manner, Jim, and certainly glad to act as drinking buddies for a couple nights :) Also of note in the area was a huge flea/farmer's market, and of course the Daytona International Speedway. We could hear the cars racing around the track while sitting here in the backyard, but of course when were just on the other side of the stands, nothing was going on.

We're hoping to view the upcoming shuttle launch from the nearby town of Titusville, and visit with some more Omegans as we make our way down Florida. And of course, yay sun!

ruminations, superlatives, and floridian life

hello there, faceless void. any and i are currently in hawthorne, florida, and i'm not going to tell you about the weather. if you want to win the most boring blog award, you talk about the sun and rain...well, friends, i'd like to refer you to http://www.weather.com for all your meteorological needs.


moving on! since last we spake, our route has taken us considerably further south. we drove straight through mississippi and alabama, and the former shall take the trophy for most irritable (read: least helpful) road signs, not even a "welcome to mississippi" sign as we crossed the border from alabama. sometimes our "free campgrounds" (which really means sometimes free, mostly $16, $12 or thereabouts) book takes us so many miles and wrong turns off of our route that we end up paying anyway in the gas, but hey we have a nicely deserted and wooded area in which to spend the night, with perhaps even a body of water thrown in to liven things up a bit! we've been taking advantage of the isolation of national forests, which allows us a worry-free night, secure in the knowledge that the cops aren't going to roll on in and question us, but balanced out by hunters and their gun shots, pointedly reminding us that we are in their territory.

ah, and then came our longest stay thus far, in the much-touted, musical, hopeful city of new orleans! thanks to the generosity of fellow omegan carl moeller, andy and i had an apartment for a week, where we came and went as we pleased. wary was our arrival, for andy had regaled to me the stomach woes he'd endured on his previous two visits here, but he ended up feeling prefectly normal, and all i ended up with was headaches and and nausea after eating. um, yippee? new orleans was also where, consequently, we ate out more than ever before (burritos! nachos! delicious pizza!), and were treated to a night on frenchman street, where there's too much music and live entertainment going on to keep track of it all (the eccentric characters we encountered, a "dr. love" among them, were quite amusing as well ;). we also visited the new orleans museum of art, the waterfronts of both the mississippi river and lake pontchartrain (from which the flooding came and devastated so much), the french quarter, and took a free ferry ride across the river to the town of algiers.


now, i was hoping to like new orleans more. when i first heard news of hurricane katrina, isolated in a tiny german town two and a half years ago, i immediately regretted not visiting the city while it was still in its glory. and experiencing it now only reinforced that desire-- i caught glimpses of what it used to be, saw the prettiness in the tree-lined streets and architecture, but more than anything i saw the crumbling sidewalks and construction happening all around us-- the water lines from the flooding are still visible on the buildings that haven't been repainted or resided. overall, and in much of the city, i felt a sense of staleness, wishing, wishing, wishing, that'd i'd been here before. i do appreciate the spirit of new orleans, its music and history, the mardi gras celebratory parade we went to the night before we left truly was one of the most crazy, raucous scenes i've ever witnessed. and i'd glad we navigated the crowded maze of tiny tables under a tent that is cafe du monde and treated ourselves to coffee and beignets (amazing french-style-powdered-sugar-blobby-doughnuts) on the day of our departure, taking part in a crazy dining experience that you don't see much on this continent. oh, new orleans. good luck, with everything you're trying to do, good luck to all the people who've been displaced, good luck to the victims of the inevitable next big disaster, that they won't find themselves as floudering and lost.

i might add that it seems this leg of our trip as been the junk food leg- in january alone, i've gotten cravings for french fries and shakes, and andy as acquiesced-- sampling burger king, sonic, wendy's, checkers (his favorite fries have been burger king's). and yesterday- such a highlight!, we just happened upon the grand opening of a winn dixie supermarket and were treated to a box of six apple fritters. free, free, free, how we on the road love that word! i'm sure andy thought i looked a bit too much like a crazed six-year-old at the ice cream truck as the woman at the bakery handed over our delectable delights, but what can i say? i love me some sugary dessert!


from new orleans, i insisted we go across the Longest Bridge Ever (actually a causeway, across lake pontchartrain, 24 miles long), causing me to think back on other superlatives of our trip. in pennsylvania, we saw the biggest pile of logs ever (sadly, no picture), the roadsides of mississippi gave us, horrifyingly, the most dead dogs ever, the biggest gorilla ever was in front of an amusement park on the coast of south carolina , loudest kid award goes to a little girl selling kumquats in front of her house near houma, louisiana, and our scariest night was in new orleans, as carl, andy and i lay awake, listening to the sounds of violent, angry men and things banging, and wondering is someone being beaten up, or killed? fortunately, we heard no news the next morning and as there were no body parts or blood in the vicinity, we decided the worst had been avoided. for andy, the area most changed since last visited award goes to the biloxi-gulfport region of mississippi, also completely wrecked by katrina. however, in biloxi, we did get up to close to the largest guitar ever, outside the hard rock cafe and casino.

museums! the new orleans museum of art, we both felt was a bit lacking. it was also a bit dark and dingy in areas, and the sculpture garden outside failed to impress. it was also $8 each admission. however, thanks to our sometimes-helpful let's go roadtripping usa book, we discovered the *FREE* national museum of naval aviation, outside of pensacola, florida. this is where we learned about and saw more planes and helicopters than we'd ever dreamed imaginable, not to mention sitting inside several helicopters, seeing a moonrock, going on a tour outside with a guide pushing marine propoganda, and a general sense of looking everywhere and marveling at the scale and volume of all the large museum's exhibits. of course, every impressive museum must be followed by what can only be referred to as a damp squib. the t.t. wentworth museum, in pensacola, was free and had a collection of "oddities", as well as some historical exhibits that reminded us of something put together for a grade school science fair. and the most weird things we saw were a dessicated cat, and a room full of match-less gloves, courtesy of "the glove lady". why andy didn't take a picture of this, i haven't the faintest. needless to say, we left this particular free attraction let down and eager to get further into florida.

daily life for us consists of wondering where we might have our next bowel movement (only using our own toilet for such things when nothing else is available), and whether or not we want to sneak into the nearest state park in order to sneak a shower. so far, florida state parks have succeeded in keeping us away due to their unusually high fees (hmph). no sooner had we cut my hair, showered, and filled up our water tanks when the nice man with the clipboard came along and asked what we were doing. oh, to be driven to coming up with some flim flam story of merely investigating and moving right along, have a nice day sir! (andy likes to think of it as improv, so good he believed it himself...whichever)

at this juncture, i would like to sincerely thank you if you're still reading, and offer you a virtual hug, even, if you leave a comment (or donation, andy pipes in). florida has next in store for us perhaps another national forest, hopefully a cheaper thrift store than goodwill so that i might procure some more paperbacks, the atlantic coast, probably witnessing a shuttle launch at cape canaveral, and eventually, the everglades, waaay, waaay south.

and dammit, still haven't seen any alligators, but we are seeing other things of note-- armadillos on the side of the road, a plaque on the side of a radio shack building that read "praise god", "vote republican" signs...oh, and yesterday at a park with nice people fishing and us playing frisbee: a disturbing domestic violence scene between a mother and her boy of about five, curses, cries, threats and all. yikes. (to quote ani difranco: it's the little things you do, it's the little things you say, it's the love that you give along the way...)

hope everyone is well, much love to all of our friends and family, across this country and across the pond!

We're Still Alive!

Howdy. A broken laptop and rural living have kept us off line for many a day. Full report to follow (we promise). Currently in Lake Charles, LA. Should be in New Orleans in a few days! Stay tuned.