Catching up

I can't believe how much time has passed since the last time we updated our blog. Right now we are camping in Everglades National Park which is at the southern tip of Florida (not counting the Keys). This morning, Brian and I rode our bikes for about 10 miles. We saw 3 alligators up close, a diamondback rattlesnake which was being harrassed by a mockingbird, a green garter snake which I gently caught and removed from the road, a black racer snake which was being harrassed by a silly human, a beautiful but dead corn snake, a yellow orb weaver which was 4 inches long, lots of beautiful birds, and a variety of fish (such as florida Gar and large mouth bass). We watched an Anhinga (a water bird) swim under water and catch a couple of fish. We are happy to be back in the Everglades.

Here's a quick synopsis of our travels since we left Ramblin' Pines:

We spent 5 days in D.C. where we visited museums, monuments, and friends. Then, we camped at Chesapeake Bay campground in Virginia which hosted a great weekend festival and had a wonderful hiking trail through the woods. The friends (Jason, Monica and Hunter) we made in Hershey, PA met up with us in Chesapeake and we all had a great time visiting again. We all took a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg which was educational and fun. After saying our goodbyes, we headed off towards Asheville, NC and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were very fortunate to arrive in the mountains during the peak of the fall foliage, and it was truly spectacular. We enjoyed a couple of gorgeous days and 32 degrees nights (we put our faux fireplace to good use during those cold mountain nights)! Unfortunately, due to the limited amount of time we had left to get to the Everglades, we had to rush through North Carolina. So, after a couple of days we headed off to Georgia to camp with Brian's sister, Deayne, and her family. We camped on Lake Lanier Islands, and it was one of the nicest surprises we have had on our journey. The campground was beautiful and mostly empty. The hiking was fantastic! There were lots of pine trees and it was possible to hike along huge sections of the shoreline which alternated between sand, rocks full of mica, pyrite and quartz, and red earth. One day while we were on the island I went on a four hour hike by myself along the shoreline of the lake and through the woods. When it was time to leave Deayne, Paul, Kavi, and Gyan, we had less than a week to get to the Everglades, and a lot of miles to cover. We drove each day for three days straight, and then on a Wednesday stopped at a campground on the Peace River about 60 miles east of Sarasota. While we were there we saw a couple of alligators (one was a mother with her babies!), and lots of red shouldered hawks. We also discovered that Obama was holding a morning rally in Sarasota the next day. Excited (and nervous) about the upcoming election, we all decided that it was worth it to spend another day driving around if it meant we could show our support for Obama in person.
On Thursday morning, with the kids in their pj's, we headed out just after 7am. As we approached the stadium, we found the whole area buzzing with excitement. Sarasota is traditionally a Republican stronghold, but 12,500 people showed up for the rally (the stadium capacity was 10,000 but since some people stood on the field everyone got to go in). While we happily waited in line the crowd noticed a wild bald eagle perched on a tower just outside the stadium. The eagle's presence seemed auspicious and I think everyone felt like it was a good omen! Everyone was in such high spirits that we all cheered as Obama's plane flew overhead. The thing that struck us the most about the rally was the diversity of the crowd and the feelings of joy, unity, and hope that everyone seemed to share. After the rally, as we made our way back to our car, the bald eagle repeatedly soared overhead. Someone handed us a postcard for a Columbian/Mexican restaurant which ended up leading us to the best meal we've eaten out since we left Austin. We spent the rest of the day at the nicest beach any of us have ever been to. The beach is on Siesta Key and is 99% quartz which makes the sand extremely fine and white (so the sand stays cool even on hot days). The beach also has a very gentle slope which makes it super kid friendly. As some of you know, Vashti has been proclaiming that we are going to the beach since before we even left Austin. She finally got her day at the beach, and now she can't wait to go back!
After one more day of driving, we made it back to the Everglades. For now, it feels as though we have come full circle since this is the place that inspired us to sell our home and begin this journey. We will be here for at least two months, and then we will gradually head west where we look forward to visiting our friends in Austin and beyond.