Adventure Travel Photography Blog
As I mentioned in my previous post, I never made it to a Walmart parking lot last night. Instead, I camped right next to the Loveless Café across from a Shell gas station. I entered the restaurant just after opening at 7 am. I wasn’t that hungry, but coffee and heat lured me to a table quickly after a three dog night in VANilla. Brrr!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
With the snow accumulation complete, the temperature forecast to reach the low twenties, and a few icicles on VANilla, the dogs and I spent a leisurely morning at Connie and Ron’s before venturing south to the Pennyroyal Region of Kentucky. The three day forecast called for another wintery blast, thus with the roads in fair condition, I aimed to get ahead of the next storm.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I awoke to the wind swirling, snow falling, and a phone call from my Louisville hosts. They are stuck in St. Louis. No house for me this evening! OK, I got a little flustered. Countless thoughts spun through my mind. Could I drive the roads? Could I survive the 5 degree temperature? Should I stay south and wait out the storm at Walmart? Should I go northeast to Lexington in hopes it would hit there later or should I book it to Louisville, Kentucky and email one of my blog readers who I’ve never met and try to stay with her?
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
After yesterday’s long drive, I began the morning at Noccalula Falls Park in northeast Alabama. Bobby, a park worker, was the only one at the 250 acre facility when I arrived. A petting zoo and miniature golf course stood to the left of the entrance while a pioneer village, lit with Christmas lights, lured me to the right. The winter attraction was clearly the replica 1863 C. P. Huntington train ride through the festive village, not the waterfall tumbling into Black Creek Gorge. Legend has it that Noccalula Falls, once called Black Creek Falls, is named after the Cherokee princess who chose to leap to her death rather than marry a man she didn’t love.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I’m curious to know the population of the Miami Metropolitan Area. I have never seen so much traffic. I feel like I can say I successfully drove in New York City while being in South Florida. The eighteen toll booths decreased to four lanes and later two. I would have happily participated in an alternating merge, but I quickly learned the word “merge” is not in the Hispanic dictionary. I wondered if the next part on VANilla I might have to replace would be a bumper or my steering wheel squeezed into pieces by my white knuckled grip.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We began our morning in St. Augustine, Florida. After my visit to the oldest house and school in Florida, I stopped by the Castillo San Marcos National Monument. This fort, built by the Spanish, was never defeated in war, but changed hands by treaty. The fort built of coquina walls, between 1672 and 1695, replaced wooden structures used to protect St. Augustine against the French in 1565. In 1702 and again in 1740, the fort successfully survived a siege by the British.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I thought it might be the afternoon before the dogs got a good, long walk, so we made a short stop at a roadside park called the Marshes of Glynn Overlook Park where where we stretched our legs as we took in the view of expansive salt marshes. Salt marshes surround the area, and we passed over several as we crossed the bridge to St. Simons Island, part of the Golden Isles.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We got a very late start to the morning today. It was almost afternoon by the time I left my cousins as both the dogs had belly aches. It must have been the rawhides I gave them. Regardless, I had to do a little washing and drying before we left for Georgia’s colonial coast!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I got an early start to a day that included mostly travel and maintenance. I knew I wouldn’t make it all the way to Bluffton without having to get my oil changed within the 5,000 mile requirement to keep my warranty, so I planned a stop in Charleston. I found a state park on the way, so the dogs could have some play time as I presumed they’d be cooped up thereafter.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Today was full of travel. I left Walter’s house around 9am and drove over 360 miles to the Outer Banks. For most of the drive, the day was damp and misty. It was a good day to hang out in VANilla. Of course I needed gas and the dogs needed a break every once in a while, so we stopped twice before reaching our destination, and one stop was a pleasant surprise.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!