Traveling from Florida to Pennsylvania & the 2011 NRA Convention

I did run into some pretty crazy, windy, severe thunderstorm weather after heading north out of Florida, but I am thankful I missed the tornados and made it safely as far north as I have. My current location is near Cleveland, Ohio, and I spoke too soon in my last post regarding my van running so smoothly. I did get alot of miles in before a breakdown, but my van started overheating yesterday (Saturday), shortly after leaving Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.... So now my van has been towed and parked at a repair shop for a day and a half now, waiting for them to open Monday morning. Hopefully they can help me out... My coolant overflow tank located behind the license plate filled up to the top with coolant - for some reason it got forced out of the lines and won't suck back in or cycle thru. Perhaps a bad thermostat? Or maybe my fan isn't running? I REALLY hope it isn't a head gasket problem. Either way, AAA saved the day yet again. They towed me 70 miles and will reimburse me for lodging and food for upto 72 hours following the breakdown. So really, I'm feeling pretty blessed right now. I'm in a cozy hotel which AAA's "Trip Interruption Protection" service will pay for, and I've got a hot shower, a poofy white bed with 5 fluffy pillows, tv channels galore, a refrigerator, wifi, exercise room access, continental breakfast, a pool/hot-tub to use, and nowhere that I need to be! I'm not used to such luxurious living. lol. I am so completely relaxed right now.

After leaving Jacksonville Florida last week Thursday, I then spent a couple days on Amelia Island - there was alot of metal-detecting fun to be had there. I also did a bit of horseback riding on the beach at Amelia Island State Park, which was a lot of fun too, although my horse didn't particularly like to listen to my directions. Apparently I wasn't rough enough with the reins. Horseback riding is something I really haven't done that much of yet, but I sure would love to. Horses just make me feel good, although I will admit, I'm a bit intimidated by them. They are obviously just so much bigger than me. Anyhow, from Amelia Island I headed north up thru Georgia, and man did Georgia smell nice. I drove thru Georgia at night with the windows down, and every breath I took was just saturated with the thick scent of beautiful wildflowers. I was amazed at how fresh and floral the night-time air smelled there. Since it was dark, I couldn't see whether or not there were actually flowers everywhere, but I'm assuming that Georgia must just be speckled with them. I took very deep inhales and really appreciated the state's overwhelming scent of flowers. I spent the night at a rest area near Thomson, GA, and the next day headed north up through South Carolina, right along the Georgia border.

There were some really cool little towns along that western SC side, and alot of very scenic pull-offs along Hwy 81. The Calhoun Falls area is particularly memorable to me because I took the time to check out the Richard B. Russell Dam, went on a long hike thru Calhoun Falls State Park, and did a bit of swimming in a very warm portion of Russell Lake. It really was a great day that I spent checking out Calhoun Falls, and I had never even heard of that town until I drove thru it and pulled off the highway to check out some signs. My route north was from looking at an atlas and saying, "hmm, that way looks like it would be scenic and fun." :) I had absolutely zero cell phone reception all along that western edge of South Carolina, but that was ok. I had an atlas and a camera, and I had no one that I needed to call.

After South Carolina came North Carolina, where I just happened to be on an AMAZINGLY cool road. If you are ever in western North Carolina, take Hwy 28/64 from Highlands to Franklin, and then keep going all the way to Sylva on 23/441, right towards the Great Smokies. It was mountainous and beautiful throughout the Nantahala National Forest. I pulled off and hiked up "Sunset Rock" in Highlands, NC, and the view was breathtaking... and then I happened to drive by several big waterfalls, one of which I drove behind. It was so cool. It was getting dark upon my arrival into Sylva, NC, so I spent the night parked at Walmart, where I had my very first run-in with the cops. Like I ALWAYS do, I had called Walmart before parking there, just to verify that they DID in-fact allow overnight parking. And they said yes, I could park alongside the lot, so I really did not think I would be hasselled... I never have before, and I've parked in Walmart lots very very very many times. But for being woken up by alot of pounding and various flashlights being shined into all of my windows, the incident was actually pretty funny.... I was half asleep and naked, so I opened my small, screened slider window in a daze and said something like "I'm not dressed, could I just throw on some clothes really quick?" I threw on a shirt and shorts, opened the slider door, and all I could see were lights. I immediately said, "Walmart said I could park here overnight for one night, I'm just on my way back up to Michigan..." They asked me a couple questions like where I was coming from, what I did there, yadda yadda, and then of course they asked to see my drivers license. Half asleep, I grabbed my wallet and pulled out my Visa, which I've been so used to doing everywhere I go, and proceeded to hand it to him. He said "Mam, we don't accept Mastercard." It was hilarious! I can't believe the cop cracked a joke. I laughed and then actually gave him my license, and eventually he came back and told me that he just wanted to make sure I wasn't a wanted felon or whatever, and also to sleep well. :)

From there, my next few days were spent in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park... I got a backcountry camping permit to stay overnight in the park, and did a bit of driving, hiking, and exploring. The Great Smokies and their blue haze just takes my breath away every time I see them. It was extremely foggy on my first drive thru, from Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN, but on my 2nd drive back up into the park, the views were alot more scenic.

The van did surprisingly well up thru the mountains, back and forth, about 3 times or so. Sure, I only went about 25 mph, but there were alot of pull-offs to let people pass me, and I was then able to take a lot of photos.

 

At one point, I even pulled off and took a shower inside my van, using Smoky Mountain river water (mixed with heated river water from my butane stove), a solar shower, and an inflatable 4-foot kiddie pool. I hung up a towel on a tension curtain-rod between my two front seats for privacy, and got all cleaned up, right alongside the road. Refreshing!!
 

When finally heading out of the Smokies, it was extremely windy .... a tree blew over, blocking all traffic on 441 (the only main highway thru the Great Smoky Mountains), but luckily a guy had a chainsaw in the back of his truck, and also there were a lot of guys willing to get out of their vehicles to help carry the tree out of the road. After exiting the park, back on the North Carolina side, I decided to spend a little bit of time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, for some more scenic vistas. The only problems were, my van seemed to be going even slower, and I was in the middle of a huge black cloud. After turning on the radio, I learned that a tornado had been sighted somewhere nearby, wherever the radio station was located. It was raining and obviously just not the best parkway driving day, so I got off around Waynesville, headed thru Asheville, and drove over to Morganton, NC to swim a little bit at their aquatic center. I had been there once in the past and knew that I liked it there for a quick swim and a shower, so that is where I went. I then headed more east over to Winston/Salem, where then started north towards Virginia. Passing "Pilot Mountain" in North Carolina on the way up 52 sure was incredible to see. I didn't even know it existed, but it really looked like a huge castle in the sky.

Driving thru Virginia and West Virginia normally would have been quite beautiful... I'm sure because I've been there before and just loved them! But this time, there was nearly zero visibility. It was dark, windy, and raining so extremely hard that my windshield wipers couldn't even keep up. Absolutely terrible driving weather. Ended up finally stopping to sleep in a Walmart lot near Logan, Ohio.

Yesterday, before breaking down, I thankfully made it to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the NRA 2011 Annual Meetings & Exhibits, and it was SO MUCH FUN. It was free for NRA members to enter the exhibit, and I spent the entire day checking out different booths, picking up free swag (gun keychains, pins, magazines, stickers, patches), and meeting some incredible individuals! I met and got my photo taken with: Mark Craighead & Trent (both of Crossbreed Holsters), Hickok45 & his son John (popular Youtubers), Julie Goloski Golob (incredible professional shooter), and Jim Scoutten (of Shooting USA). I also saw R. Lee Ermey (aka Gunny) at the Glock booth and Ted Nugent. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark & Trent (of Crossbreed Holsters) are SO GREAT! Two of the nicest guys you could ever meet:

 

 

Julie Golob was also incredibly nice. One of the sweetest, and best shooting ladies out there!!

Have you heard of Hickok45 and his son (and camera man) John? If not, check them out on YouTube.

R. Lee Ermey - The line to get his autograph was endless. So I just took a photo.

So glad I made it to Pittsburgh before my breakdown. Now I just need to get my van fixed.

Sightseeing in Florida (in my VW Van)

It doesn't feel like I just typed that last post yesterday morning. While traveling, it is almost like I'm not even part of the world anymore. Days blur together and I hardly think about anything other than my present moment at any given time. If only we never ever had to work. Life could be a permanent vacation. Someday I will figure out how to financially support permanent fun, but for now I will just enjoy my highly fulfilling and essential days of new experiences, until I need to go clean some more houses back up north. My busy summer cleaning tourist-season awaits me, come June - September.

After washing my load of laundry yesterday in Brandon, Florida, I believe it was, I spent several hours back at Lithia Springs Park, sunbathing next to a tiny toad who was cooling off down in the sand, floating on my back around the crystal clear spring, and snorkeling around with lots and lots of fish. It was so relaxing I could have stayed there forever. But, it is hard for me to stay in one place for long (unless I'm working), so I only swam until 2:00 and then headed northeast across the state, thru Orlando, and ended up in Daytona Beach. The last time I was in Daytona Beach it was because I was having van trouble and getting a AAA tow from Ormond Beach to New Smyrna Beach. It seems like I got towed right thru Daytona during the middle of bike week, or perhaps it was right as it was starting. On this Florida trip, however, I have had no van trouble what-so-ever. :-) Knock on wood! My van is finally giving me plenty of love back, after years of me pouring so much love into her. So this time, instead of being towed, I purposely headed to Daytona, popped a few dollars worth of quarters into a parking meter, and spent several hours metal detecting on the beach and just enjoying the cooler evening hours. I really like the feel of Daytona Beach - very laid back atmosphere, extremely soft sand, and a very nice, welcoming beach area. I ate some mahi-mahi, rice, and steamed broccoli at the Big Kahuna Bar & Grill off Atlantic Boulevard/A1A, and also took a ferris wheel ride to catch a spectacular night-time lit-up view of Daytona.

Sometimes I wonder if people realize that you can have an amazing trip without pouring money into hotel rooms, expensive paid parking lots, and super-duper dining reservations. My time spent at Daytona Beach was extremely relaxing and well worth every bit of pocket change that I put into that meter. I feel like I got a steal! Once it got dark around 9pm, I just hopped into my van and drove up to St. Augustine, Florida, where I spent the night at a Flying J truckstop, next to two other obvious travelers in their little RVs.

Today I'm in Jacksonville, Florida, and I'm pretty darn hot. Going to have to get a shower soon, probably tomorrow. The Lithia Springs campground had nice bathhouses, so that is where I showered last, early yesterday morning. Today I basically drove around Jacksonville and stopped at several thrift stores, trying to find myself a new article of clothing. I ended up with a pair of striped pants and a nice red, sleeveless top. I really didn't buy much today, but I definitely enjoyed browsing thru air-conditioned stores. And I also really enjoyed dinner at Qdoba - I love their naked taco salad and chicken quesadilla. I could probably eat there every single day.... and although I wore sunscreen throughout the week, I got quite a bit of a sunburn on the tops of my shoulders, so I've really tried to stay completely OUT of the sun today.

Florida Isn't Flat!! (more exploring with my VW)

I really thought Florida was totally flat until Monday, when I first set foot in the Torreya State Park area (between Panama City and Tallahassee). Hiking along the nearby 3.75 mile "Garden of Eden Trail" was amazing - I really did not feel like I was in Florida. Across a sandhill, through a slope forest, across ravines, and through an upland mixed forest that resembled middle earth, with a cherry on top: a breathtaking scenic bluff overlooking the Apalachicola River. Want to work up a bit of a sweat and actually hike in the sunshine state? I highly recommend seeking out the "Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve."

Near the top of the overlook, a giant lizard lives inside the hole in the middle of this crazy tree. If I were a lizard, I would live in this tree, too - It had an amazing view of the river.

Covered in bug repellent and sweat, next was Torreya State Park itself, where I hiked some lower trails down near water-level of the Apalachicola River. Although only a few miles down the road, the trails were totally different. That area resembled more swamp and jungle. It was pretty darn cool. I felt like a jungle explorer. Big slimy looking algae bubbles were everywhere on the water... little schools of fish were hanging out along the bank, and there was a lot of buzzing, chirping, and tweeting to be heard in all directions.

And yet another trail in Torreya State Park led on to the Weeping Ridge waterfall - A beautiful spot with some incredibly amazing tree growth...

So to any of those like myself, who also believed Florida to be flat - See it with your own eyes at both the Garden of Eden Trail and Torreya State Park.

After a full day of hiking, I drove down to Chiefland, Florida, and spent the night at another beloved Walmart. They informed me that overnight parking was allowed near the Garden area. In the morning, made some tea and headed on down to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, at the recommendation of others :)

After a couple hour drive to the south, Tuesday was mostly spent enjoying the warm weather with a Weeki Wachee Springs riverboat ride and several mermaid shows! lol. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life, and I must say, I enjoyed it immensely. The mermaid shows were in an underwater theatre, and the mermaids were just incredible to me. To be able to do what they do, underwater, with the occasional use of air tubes to breathe... it blew my mind. Not to mention, it was incredibly beautiful and relaxing to watch.

I will definitely be going back to Weeki Wachee in the future, hopefully taking someone with me that has never been there before.

Gotta run! Laundry is done. I've been at a laundromat near Lithia Springs all morning. Gonna grab my laundry and head back to Lithia Spring Park, where I spent the night last night, to do some more snorkeling and fish chasing. Looks like another beautiful Florida day. So glad to be missing the snowstorm in the north right now! 

Tennessee, Alabama, Shooting Guns, and Geocaching

The title pretty much sums up my day today :)

Woke up in a sunny Walmart parking lot on a beautiful Fayetteville, Tennessee morning. Headed south into Alabama, found a geocache alongside the highway, and spent a gloriously fun two hours shooting guns at Larry's Pistol & Pawn near Huntsville, Alabama. Only ten bucks for range time. No cost to try different guns, just had to buy the ammo I wanted to shoot. I shot the Springfield EMP (1911 style 9mm) for the first time! I'd been wanting to shoot that gun forever - and let me tell you, you can sure tell it is a $1,000+ gun. It is amazingly accurate and a pure pleasure to shoot. I had a blast. Also shot a Ruger Mark III (semi-auto 22) and several Glocks (9mm & 40), although the Springfield EMP was the highlight of my day. lol. Then just spent the entire day driving south through Alabama on scenic highway 31S, enjoying the trees & greenery. Pretty much reminded me of Michigan, only warmer. Stopped several times to find some geocaches, and currently outside a McDonalds near Mobile, using their wifi inside the van. Going to head out now and find a place to park for the evening. It's been a long day of driving thru Alabama.

VW Road Trip Briefs - MI, IN, KY, TN

On iPhone, tedious one finger typing... No wifi around. Will update better when on regular computer in a few days.

Yesterday - Took I-69 South out of MI. Drove thru Indianapolis, Indiana, then onto 65 South. Was snowing in MI when I left, but no snow in Indiana. Pretty purple flowering trees and warmer air already. Drove straight to the southern Indiana border. Slept at busy rest area near cop car. Very safe lot. Bad headache, fell asleep early at 10pm.

Today (Friday) - over Ohio river early, into Louisville Kentucky. I love the Ohio River. And I adore Kentucky.... So green, always makes me feel so good. Want to eventually spend a good month driving around Kentucky. To Mammoth Cave this morning. Arrived at 11am MI time but was actually 10am in Kentucky. Gained an hour, yay for Central time zone. Got cheap hot shower at Mammoth Cave National Park (2.00 shower token at camp store). Took "New Entrance" cave tour for twelve bucks. Very very cool. 280 step descent into the cave on an over one-million dollar staircase. At one point lights were turned out and I was in COMPLETE darkness for possibly the first time in my life. Can I live in the cave please? Lol. So peaceful. Beautiful rock formations. Perfect temperature. Although I did see lots of big creepy crawly critters. Sent a few postcards, then back on 65 South... Detoured myself east, for fun, over to Glasgow, then south, onto 31E/231. Soooooooo beautiful. Loved the area, very scenic.. Rolling lush green hills, twisty unique roads, rivers, lakes.. Thru Scottsville then on into Tennessee. LOVE Tennessee too. Kept heading south on 231 south, east of Nashville. Very cool town square area in Lebanon. Thunderstorm hit, so stopped in Murfreesboro and geocached a little in the rain. Got utterly soaked, but the rain was warm, and the air smelled good. Wet clothes are now hanging all over inside my van. Headed more south on 231, incredibly scenic between Shelbyville and Fayetteville (TN). I can't describe how much I love the rolling green hills and water in KY/TN. Spending the night in Tennessee and on thru Alabama in the morning :)

Found a geocache in every state gone thru so far - they are especially common at rest areas.

Going to heat up water now on my portable butane stove for tea and read a book by the light of my Petzl headlamp. Night night

Key West, Florida

I didn't have many opportunities to post while I was recently down in the Keys for a week, and I've got some more pictures to share before too much time passes... Enjoy!

A Psychic Reading business in the middle of the Keys. It had a solid concrete roof! I bet they could predict a hurricane in their future and took preventative measures :)

Also in the middle of the Keys, this foot-bridge (the old bridge) runs parallel to U.S. 1.

I thought the giant tree growing on it was pretty impressive.

In Tampa I saw some pretty obscene bathroom artwork, but check out this bathroom that I came across in Key West! Definitely the opposite:

(in my stall)

(by the sinks)

(and on the door)

The next photos are of my favorite performers this year in Mallory Square, right during the nightly Sunset Celebration. Other misc. performers included fire breathers, a juggler on a super high unicycle, excellent fire jugglers, dog tricks, a bagpipe player, all sort of wild stuff. These particular guys had the whole package. They were funny, well rehearsed, professional, and utterly amazing. One of them could juggle knives while standing on one leg, on top of the other one's head. He also balanced upside-down, on his own head, on top of the other one's head.

The final image for today is headed away from Key West... I wasn't driving, this was when I was eagle-eyein for alligators.

Hundreds of Alligators!!

The frigid weather followed me right on down to Key West, so yesterday I decided to drive north and sneak up on some warmer weather elsewhere. Instead of taking I-75 (aka "Alligator Alley") back across the state, I took Hwy 41 (Tamiami Trail) west from Miami towards Naples.

I have REALLY been wanting to see alligators roaming around in the wild for quite some time now, and I always keep an eye out for them any time I am near the Everglades. I didn't see a single alligator on this trip heading over to the Keys, so on the way back I kept my fingers crossed and looked even harder.

Let me just say that I was finally in the right place, at the right time. Not only did I see one alligator, but I saw HUNDREDS of them. Once I spotted my first one, I started spotting them just a few feet apart from eachother....and for miles! and miles! and miles! They were laying on rocks, relaxing in the water, and also hanging out on the shore next to a little stream running along-side the road. Every time I pulled over I was seriously close to them. It was just awesome. Such huge reptiles...

I really expected them to be greener, but they were really dark, almost black. I highly doubt that so many of them normally hang out along-side the road, but it was extremely chilly yesterday, so I think they must have been trying to soak up the sunshine next to the shore. It was perfect timing driving by, since the sun was nicely high in the sky. And since they must have been cold, they were moving really slow yesterday (I was very pleased about that). I hear that May is the time to stay away from them (mating season).

To-Do: See an alligator in the wild

Alright, I can finally cross that one off the list!

I love Key West

It is 9pm and my laptop battery power is down to 37%, so I'm going to hurry and try to crank out a photo-filled blog post before my computer dies. Mission = Speed. Then I will find a place to charge my laptop tomorrow, probably either at a laundromat or the library, and I will post again as soon as I can after that.

I just took a shower at my secret spot here in the Keys, went and filled up our water jugs at Publix, and am currently snacking on yummy organic crackers in my van. I pulled into a random parking lot here along North Roosevelt Blvd (aka U.S. Highway 1) which heads right into Key West, and I've lucked out. Tons of unsecured wi-fi signals. I connected right away to one called "KeyWestDonut," although I don't see any donut places nearby. Just big chain stores like Home Depot & Walgreens. This part of Key West is called "New Towne," I think, and it is right as you head into the island. This part of town is all built up with the traditional stores that I don't feel belong here, which is why I don't spend any of my daytime hours up this way. All of my time lately has been spent either at the beach or down in Old Towne.

Heading down thru the keys, on the only road to Key West:

Upon arrival in Key West:






Yup, I sure do love it down here. I'm only 90 miles from Cuba and enjoying fresh Mahi-Mahi in a place where Coconuts fall from the trees, Aloe grows alongside the road & Volkswagen Vanagons are everywhere. Yikes, sorry, I do have alot more to share, however, I'm down to 5% on my power meter... Guess the rest will just have to wait until later.