Greg and Tina’s Travels Across America

We fly from GSP to Chicago then Vancouver, BC on 5/31/25 to leave on 6/1/25 on the Royal Caribbean ship Serenade of the Seas for a 7 day cruise along the coast and interior regions of Alaska. We met my brother Wayne and sister-in-law Susan who were also going on the cruise staying the night before at the Pinnacle Harbourview hotel, only a few blocks from the pier. Our adventure set sail at 5 pm on Sunday, 6/1/25 and will return the following Sunday, 6/8/25 at 8 am.

Saturday was a relaxing day fishing and also exploring the area. I managed to fish in the morning and then later before sunset and didn’t have much luck. The locals said that they have had so much rain that the fishing has been off, at least that’s my excuse anyway. We did manage to have a great lunch at Nowhere Grill, which was for sure in the middle of nowhere. Today we headed inland to south central Georgia staying tonight at the General Coffee State Park outside of Douglas, GA. Named after a revolutionary war hero, statesman, and planter it is a park in the Sandhills region of Georgia and has a complete replica an 1800s farm. It is also home to the threatened gopher tortoise and indigo snake. Tomorrow we head up through Georgia and will park the RV at our son and daughter-in-law’s (Dave and Faith) tomorrow evening for a visit before heading home on Tuesday.

We were hoping to book a tour of the horse farms around Ocala but all were full for Thursday, so we spent a good portion of the day at the Appleton Museum in Ocala which turned out to be a treat. Established by Arthur Appleton, a wealthy Chicago businessman who also had one of the largest horse farms in Ocala and lived part-time in Ocala, the museum has over 18,000 pieces of artifacts and art from all over the world. Our favorite part of the museum visit was listening to a lecture and conversation from an acclaimed “street photographer” named Billy Joe Hoyle who was also showing his photography. It was interesting to hear about his life and work, as well as his photo techniques, as he captured photographs from around the world. We were able to book a tour at the Gypsy Gold Horse Farm (https://gypsygold.com) outside of Ocala and spent this morning hearing from the owner, Dennis Thompson, talk about the history of the Gypsy Vanner Horse that he raises on the farm. The owner took us on a guided tour of the farm where we met many of his horses. From there we headed north to Keaton Beach, on the Gulf side of Florida, where we are staying at a mom and pop run RV park named Old Pavilion, which is right on the beach. Tomorrow we’re hoping to do some fishing and exploring around the area and will stay tomorrow night and before heading out on Sunday.

Tuesday we left the Everglades headed for Ocala/Silver Springs, Fl. Tina had wanted to visit the area since she lived here from the first through the third grade. Most of Tuesday was a driving day except spending some time along the way in the Big Cypress National Preserve, which is a large freshwater bald cypress swamp northwest of the Everglades. Finally arriving at Silver Springs later in the day on Tuesday we set up the RV at Silver Springs RV park. Most of today (Wednesday), until it began to rain later in the afternoon, we spent at Silver Springs State Park, the home of the famous glass-bottom boats and the amazing Silver Springs River. Formed out of freshwater springs emerging from the Florida aquifer through limestone, the springs form a river that is crystal clear with a blue tint from limestone and home to a diversity of aquatic life from bluegill and largemouth bass to manatees. The area is also home to Rhesus Macaque monkeys living there that were released in the 30s to add to the appeal of the area to tourists and now number over 300 living wild in and around Silver Springs State Park. The springs and river were a sacred place to the Seminole Indians, one of the first attractions and state parks in FL, as well the location for many movies and TV shows such as The Glass Bottom Boat with Doris Day, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, several James Bond movies, boat chase scenes from Smokey and the Bandit, and the TV series Sea Hunt with Loyd Bridges with every episode filmed here. Since Ocala is the horse capital of the US, especially for race horses, we hope to visit several horse farms tomorrow.

Sunday and Monday morning we continued spending time exploring the southwestern portion of the Everglades at Flamingo. We stayed at the Flamingo park area of the Glades and again had no RV hookups or cell signals for our phones. We took several hikes, rode bikes, and took Kayaks deep in to the mangrove water trails of the Everglades. Tina had never been in a Kayak before and was uneasy at first, especially since the area has a good many America crocodiles. Since Kayaks are so low to the water, it puts you at eye level with the Crocks. We did see a good many as well as more manatees. And as I promised Tina, we did not flip the Kayak over and stayed dry (and not eaten by Crocks). After lunch today we headed out towards Naples where we are staying tonight. In the morning we’ll head from here to Silver Springs were well stay several days. Slowing making our way back north and hoping to be back in Clemson around March 3rd in anticipation of Sophia Rose’s birth on March 12th. Then we leave again headed west.

Tina and I spent last night and will tonight at the Long Pine Key campground in the Everglades National Park. It’s located on the southeastern portion of the park, in the drier portions of the Everglades. We are totally off the grid with no electricity or water but self-contained with our RV and generator. After a sausage and egg breakfast, we headed across the southern portion of the Everglades to explore. The life-blood of the Everglades is freshwater which gives way to its rich biodiversity. Freshwater in combination with elevation give rise to various plant communities and associated wildlife. At our first stop Tina was reaching out for a growth of air plants which are growing everywhere only to realize she was 3 feet from a 10 foot alligator 😳. As we traveled west towards Flamingo across the Everglades the transition of plant communities was apparent. Somewhat higher elevations in the vast wet savannas created small islands of trees and shrubs called “hammocks” which provide refuge for larger mammals like the Florida panther. Along the way we took 3-4 hikes, photographed a lot of unique plants, saw a bald eagle, osprey on her nest with young, and manatees where the Everglades touches the ocean. The weather was perfect, with a slight breeze and no hotter than 70 degrees. And no skeeters or biting insects! Tomorrow we’ll relocated the RV to the southwestern portion of the Everglades at Flamingo RV park. It was a day to remember.

Thursday morning we relocated the RV from Key Largo to Key West which was about a 90 mile trip across 47 bridges, the longest being over 7 miles. With the wind coming across the bridges connecting the various islands it was an interesting ride and driving the RV. After setting up and having lunch, Tina and I took a tour of Key West, and took on more of the city and history. Then we headed back to the RV for a nap since we were planning on listening to live music that evening along the historic and famous Duvall Street. We ate at a Cuban restaurant, listened to a great band at Sloppy Joes, the famous hangout of Hemingway, and also several outdoor music venues. Today we left the Keys but before we did we had Key Lime pie, which as it’s origins in the FL Keys. We packed up and headed to the Everglades National Park and setup the RV and unlike other places we’ve been we’re off the grid here with no electricity or water, with barely a cellphone signal. What a great place though with lots of privacy and the closest we’ve come to primitive camping. Tomorrow we explore as much of the Everglades as we can (and luckily the mosquitoes have not been bad – yet).

Things We’ve Learned So Far:

* We have become more familiar with our RV and developed a pattern for setting up and preparing for travel; we’ve learned by trial and error.

* State and National Parks are a better deal usually, a third or more less in price than private RV campgrounds.

* There is a balance between planning ahead and reserving RV sites versus having the flexibility to so stay longer or less in one area.

* Most RVers are very friendly and tend to be on the older retiree side (maybe that’s us 😳) They are usually always eager to share their knowledge, have a lot to share, and we have learned some helpful tips from them.

* Things break and everything does not always go as planned; the key is to enjoy the moments regardless and enjoy the time together and adventure.

* Never be in a hurry.

* While on the road, anticipate ahead since the RV does not stop as fast, go as fast, or fit where your car might.

* Take advantage of the city/area tours, you always learn and see more than what you would reading in a guide book.

Today Tina and I spent most of the day on the ocean 6 miles off the coast of Key Largo on Molasses Reef. It is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and lies to the southeast of Key Largo, within the Key Largo Existing Management Area, which is immediately to the east of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It’s a popular scuba diving and snorkeling location with numerous dive sites. Since the water ranges from 3-30 feet deep it’s the site of numerous shipwrecks. One ship in the 1800s, loaded with barrels of molasses for the local rum industry, crash in to the reed spilling hundreds of barrels of rum on the reef. The locals were devastated with the lost of molasses for rum and hence named the reef Molasses Reef. Having spent most of the day in the sun Tina and I are relaxing tonight with a Netflix movie. Tomorrow we move the RV to Key West then take a tour of the city. Tomorrow night we hope to hit Duval Street in Key West and go to Sloppy Joes, Hemingway’s favorite bar, to hear some local music. Friday we head to the Everglades National Park.

Today we decided to spend a good portion of the day at Theater of the Seas which is about 10 miles down the Keys from Key Largo which features marine animals – part zoo and interactive theme park. Years ago the site was dug up from a coral reef by a railroad entrepreneur trying to create a quarry for mining coral and in the process created a huge crater and the venture was later abandoned. Now it serves as home to a variety of marine life. We watched trained sea lions and dolphins in several performances, but the funniest were the variety of exotic birds, several which were taught to “paint,” which they did for Tina. At the end of the day I managed to get in about 30 minutes of fishing off the pier in front of the RV catching several sea bass that I threw back. Tomorrow we head out in a boat to explore several coral reefs.

Today we decided to chill and relaxed not planning on much for the day. While Tina was back at the RV, I made my way down the Keys to a huge Bass Pro Shop on the ocean specializing in saltwater fishing. Needless to say I was in heaven. Got my non-resident salt and freshwater fishing license and the fishing gear I needed. Tomorrow hoping to try out some of the new fishing lures and equipment. In Bass Pro they had a complete full-size restored replica of Hemingway’s beloved boat the “Pilar” which was named after one of his 4 wifes. The all wooden boat was fascinating. This evening Tina and I went to dinner at the famous local restaurant The Fish House Market and Restaurant and the food was excellent. Tomorrow we’ll spend time doing a little fishing, going to the marine mammal center, and dolphin research center.