December 2019 O’Leno State Park near Gainesville is one of Florida’s oldest state parks. We camped here close to Christmas and debuted our van’s Christmas light display. Well, we didn’t exactly light up the night, or provide a beacon in the darkness, but it somehow helped us ease into our first Christmas without a traditional house. We hiked the park trail along the Santa Fe river to its “sink,” the spot where the river disappears and continues underground, resurfacing miles…
January 2020 It had been ages since we’d seen our friends Phyllis and John, but as is often the case with great friendships, it felt like we picked up right where we left off years ago. We spent time catching up and exploring their neighborhood, including a lovely visit to Naples Botanical Garden. A bonus was that Phyllis’ sister Lucretia and her husband George joined us. We giggled, explored the gardens, had a yummy lunch at the garden cafe, and…
November 2019 A day trip from our campsite at Red Top Mountain State Park brought us to The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Late November is off-season for visitors; the park was quietly gearing up for its holiday display of lighted snowmen and angels. This quiet, uncrowded time was perfect for us. We hiked a trail, took in the view from a tower high above Spanish-moss draped trees, and enjoyed the guided boat tour along the stream leading to the Suwanee…
We’ve been on the road since late October 2019. Traveling has quickly become a lifestyle for us and we are enjoying exploring new territory, meeting new friends, and coming to love our little house on wheels. We’ve been staying in parks, mostly state and national, and spending some time at friends’ homes along the way. We decided that bikes would provide an easy way to explore large parks without having to “break camp”. We found Townie bikes by Trek, which…