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If you have followed us up to this point, you know that I have been making a clickable point on the map for each of our stops. However, I am going to have to change that for a few places as we move forward. I’ll explain: along this journey, the duration of our stops has ranged from 1 to 3 weeks. After leaving South Florida though, we have assigned an actual date that we’d like to arrive back home in Colorado to escape the crowds of campgrounds and parks in the summertime. To accomplish the goal of hitting that date is going to require us to move quite a bit faster than we have so far. We are now going to be staying in some places for 1,2 or 3 nights and moving on. So, having a clickable point on the map for all these small stops would be unbearable for me and for you. Instead, I am simply calling this stop, “The Florida Gulf Coast” and making it a collection of all our stops along our path of escaping Florida.
If you have followed us up to this point, you know that I have been making a clickable point on the map for each of our stops. However, I am going to have to change that for a few places as we move forward. I’ll explain: along this journey, the duration of our stops has ranged from 1 to 3 weeks. After leaving South Florida though, we have assigned an actual date that we’d like to arrive back home in Colorado to escape the crowds of campgrounds and parks in the summertime. To accomplish the goal of hitting that date is going to require us to move quite a bit faster than we have so far. We are now going to be staying in some places for 1,2 or 3 nights and moving on. So, having a clickable point on the map for all these small stops would be unbearable for me and for you. Instead, I am simply calling this stop, “The Florida Gulf Coast” and making it a collection of all our stops along our path of escaping Florida.
5/20/2019 Desoto National Park. This National Park sneaks out of nowhere and surprised us a little bit. You literally drive through a residential neighborhood and at the very end of the street is the entrance to this little-known park. I thought Garmin might have been sending us on another wild goose chase, but there it was! Anyway, I find DeSoto a tad hard to memorialize and/or celebrate with his own, tax dollar funded, National Park. His exploration of America is nothing short of amazing, but the brutal manner in which he accomplished it is nothing short of tragic. It was a good learning opportunity for all of us and the park was beautiful, but we certainly had many talks about what a “Jerk” DeSoto was while trying to find gold and explore America. Whew…..off the soap box now, sorry about that.
5/20/2019 Desoto National Park. This National Park sneaks out of nowhere and surprised us a little bit. You literally drive through a residential neighborhood and at the very end of the street is the entrance to this little-known park. I thought Garmin might have been sending us on another wild goose chase, but there it was! Anyway, I find DeSoto a tad hard to memorialize and/or celebrate with his own, tax dollar funded, National Park. His exploration of America is nothing short of amazing, but the brutal manner in which he accomplished it is nothing short of tragic. It was a good learning opportunity for all of us and the park was beautiful, but we certainly had many talks about what a “Jerk” DeSoto was while trying to find gold and explore America. Whew…..off the soap box now, sorry about that.
They had excellent replicas of the protective clothing and armor that the Spanish wore while exploring. Here Dylan is in the chainmail shirt and one of the helmets. The shirt was brutally heavy!
They had excellent replicas of the protective clothing and armor that the Spanish wore while exploring. Here Dylan is in the chainmail shirt and one of the helmets. The shirt was brutally heavy!
This will be Grace’s “fall look” this year. It says “I’m sporty, but functional….in a medieval way”.
This will be Grace’s “fall look” this year. It says “I’m sporty, but functional….in a medieval way”.
Grant is having none of it! The helmet was as far as we got him to participate.
Grant is having none of it! The helmet was as far as we got him to participate.
Dylan goes for the 55lbs “full meal deal”!
Dylan goes for the 55lbs “full meal deal”!
Part of earning your junior ranger badge here is using a compass (that they give you) and then starting at the flag pole, you have to take direction readings as you find landmarks in the park.
Part of earning your junior ranger badge here is using a compass (that they give you) and then starting at the flag pole, you have to take direction readings as you find landmarks in the park.
In case you couldn’t tell from Dylan’s face, it’s a tad on the “warm” side today.
In case you couldn’t tell from Dylan’s face, it’s a tad on the “warm” side today.
Bear is introduced to this creature that we call "turtle". He was positively confused as to what to do!
Bear is introduced to this creature that we call "turtle". He was positively confused as to what to do!
Rainbow Springs State Park. We’ve heard stories about the natural springs in Florida for quite some time, so there was NO WAY we were leaving Florida without experiencing at least one of them.
Rainbow Springs State Park. We’ve heard stories about the natural springs in Florida for quite some time, so there was NO WAY we were leaving Florida without experiencing at least one of them.
They are quite remarkable too. The water is shockingly clear and while they love to brag about the year-round temperature of 73 degrees, you’d NEVER get into your local rec center’s pool if they told you the water was 73 degrees. In other words, it is pretty darn cold……BUT, when the ambient air temp is in the 90s, it’s VERY refreshing and amazingly tolerable.
They are quite remarkable too. The water is shockingly clear and while they love to brag about the year-round temperature of 73 degrees, you’d NEVER get into your local rec center’s pool if they told you the water was 73 degrees. In other words, it is pretty darn cold……BUT, when the ambient air temp is in the 90s, it’s VERY refreshing and amazingly tolerable.
……and now is when I tell you that there are ZERO places in this “swimmin’ hole” where you can actually touch the bottom, even on your tippy-toes. So you better be able to tread water or have something that floats!
……and now is when I tell you that there are ZERO places in this “swimmin’ hole” where you can actually touch the bottom, even on your tippy-toes. So you better be able to tread water or have something that floats!
This was an “odd” little stop for us that just so happened to be DIRECTLY on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We really just needed a place to stop and break up a long drive, so this place came up during some Google searches and we gave it a try. There was not much around in the first place, but this is an area that was absolutely decimated by hurricane Michael in October of 2018, so it was still being cleaned up in places.
This was an “odd” little stop for us that just so happened to be DIRECTLY on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We really just needed a place to stop and break up a long drive, so this place came up during some Google searches and we gave it a try. There was not much around in the first place, but this is an area that was absolutely decimated by hurricane Michael in October of 2018, so it was still being cleaned up in places.
The single most amazing thing here? The temperature of the water. After all the places we have been and all the beaches we’ve visited and oceans we’ve been in, it REALLY felt like there was something “wrong” here. The water was TOO warm. Like, “what nuclear reactor is melting down RIGHT now?” warm! Like, I’ve taken bathes that were NOT this warm! It was crazy!
The single most amazing thing here? The temperature of the water. After all the places we have been and all the beaches we’ve visited and oceans we’ve been in, it REALLY felt like there was something “wrong” here. The water was TOO warm. Like, “what nuclear reactor is melting down RIGHT now?” warm! Like, I’ve taken bathes that were NOT this warm! It was crazy!
This is Val’s “Are you SURE the water is supposed to be THIS warm” face.
This is Val’s “Are you SURE the water is supposed to be THIS warm” face.
We’ve moved again and now we’re are in Gulf Shores, Alabama! Think of it like Pensacola’s drunken party friend that lives right next door…..what I am trying to say is that it’s clearly a party/beach town. However, there is a National Park here and it goes by the name of Fort Pickens. It was a beautiful place and I took VERY few pictures here, but we liked it A LOT. Also, it was another example of us being in a pretty deserted National Park and also being closing time, so we get to help fold the flag again!
We’ve moved again and now we’re are in Gulf Shores, Alabama! Think of it like Pensacola’s drunken party friend that lives right next door…..what I am trying to say is that it’s clearly a party/beach town. However, there is a National Park here and it goes by the name of Fort Pickens. It was a beautiful place and I took VERY few pictures here, but we liked it A LOT. Also, it was another example of us being in a pretty deserted National Park and also being closing time, so we get to help fold the flag again!
Pop quiz: Pensacola is the home of……..come on, you can guess this one………The Blue Angles! That’s right campers, Naval Air Station Pensacola is where the Blue Angles are stationed. Here’s a fun fact for you, they practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Bet you didn’t know that….and nether did we until we got a surprise air show! Another fun fact, the National Naval Aviation Museum is in Pensacola as well and it is AWESOME…..and it is FREE! Awesome _and_ free?! Heck yeah, we’re going in there!
Pop quiz: Pensacola is the home of……..come on, you can guess this one………The Blue Angles! That’s right campers, Naval Air Station Pensacola is where the Blue Angles are stationed. Here’s a fun fact for you, they practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Bet you didn’t know that….and nether did we until we got a surprise air show! Another fun fact, the National Naval Aviation Museum is in Pensacola as well and it is AWESOME…..and it is FREE! Awesome _and_ free?! Heck yeah, we’re going in there!
The bugs keep getting bigger and bigger as we go......
The bugs keep getting bigger and bigger as we go......
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