Given the intense cold weather that has plagued most of the U.S. this winter, I suppose it wasn’t really fair for Florida to escape unscathed. But we certainly never expected to spend nine days on the Ochlockonee River in early January with temperatures dipping down into the low 20’s, sometimes barely creeping above freezing during […]
Midway up the Gulf Coast of Florida is tiny Cedar Key, a bohemian fishing village two miles square with a population of 700. Decorated with wildlife refuges, Victorian homes, ramshackle shacks, fishing boats, and clam farms, Cedar Key is populated by old salts, artists, clam farmers, and refugees from city life. Although it was once […]
From an airboat ride to a safari tram tour to a walk through the treetop canopy, our two days at Myakka River State Park were filled with (tame) mini-adventures. Located about 100 miles north of Sanibel Island, the park is only a short distance from Sarasota and civilization, but feels like “Old Florida,” with vast […]
We’re hoping 2014 is off to a glorious beginning for you! We’re currently freezing in North Florida. Seriously—the temperature is dropping to 19 degrees tonight. That’s just not right. We’re sitting in the trailer on this chilly evening, drinking hot whiskey toddies, and trying to warm up after an Arctic bike ride this afternoon. There’s […]
If someone had asked me where I wanted to spend my birthday, I doubt that I would have said, “How about a swamp?” Nonetheless, that’s where we found ourselves in mid-December. After leaving the Keys, we traveled about 100 miles to Big Cypress Swamp, a wild natural preserve that nestles against the eastern edge of […]
You don’t think we went to the Keys without visiting Key West, do you? Of course not. In truth, I feared that the quirky and charming tropical village of my memory might have become tarnished beyond recognition in the 25 years since I last visited. But we couldn’t resist the siren call of the southernmost […]
The Florida Keys are a tropical paradise—turquoise waters, endless blue skies, palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, abundant fresh seafood, and a laid-back island lifestyle. The motto of the Keys is “Come As You Are,” and they mean it. We planned our visit for mid-November, when it’s still warm enough for swimming but the […]
I naively thought that given a year to travel, we would never feel rushed. But the first week of November, in the middle of Texas, we looked at each other and said, “We need to get rolling.” We had reservations for the Keys starting mid-November, but first, we wanted to spend a week with my […]
I don’t mean this as a rallying cry—(Texas Forever!)—but more as a protest—(Oh my God, Texas goes on forever!). Invariably in our cross-country journeys, we find ourselves at the border of Texas. We steel ourselves for the crossing, knowing that it will be DAYS before we see another state. There is a lot we like […]
When I was 19, a college friend invited me to drive from Tallahassee to Santa Fe in her Volkswagen camper van. I didn’t go—(it took me a while to grow into my adventurous spirit)—and I regret to this day that I passed up that opportunity. In the ensuing years, I’ve tried to remember the maxim, […]
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If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!