<TRAVEL LOG
4/1/22 - Left Moab, UT / Destination Mountain Green, UT
The final push home. We are almost there. We went to bed last night feeling a bit sentimental. After over a month we were saying goodnight for the last time in our cozy little van. Just for this trip obviously, but we have been on a journey. It was a moment to feel some stuff for sure. We woke up, had breakfast on our bed, and took some memory pictures. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes while we situated things. They got pretty excited about a hot air balloon in the sky and ran up a hill to watch it land. We took off after that. We’re going home.
3/31/22 - Santa Rosa, NM / Stop in Albuquerque, NM / Destination Moab, UT
Well Ozzy woke up this morning and let us know he was “SO cold last night!” Nick and I both checked on him and Fitz throughout the night and he never came to us, but I guess he just toughed it it out. We fed the kids and dressed them before taking off to Albuquerque two hours away. We texted next door neighbor friend Peggy to see if we could say a quick hello but she had a procedure at the hospital today and we were just barely going to miss her before she had to leave. We drove to see Nick’s old house and neighborhood anyway and as we passed by, Peggy came outside! She hadn’t left yet so we got to chat for a few minutes before she did. After visiting with her we drove around to see Nick’s elementary school and he told us things he remembered about the arts. We landed at a park for the kids to play at. As we walked across the field Nick realized it was a park he used to have soccer practice at. It was a full circle moment seeing our kids playing at the same park Nick would come to a a kid. We stayed there a while and then left to get fuel and food before leaving Albuquerque. We were back on the road. We wanted to stop by the Four Corners Monument on our way, but unfortunately we realized we would get there just after they closed so we decided not to take that detour. We pushed on stopping only for gas and a couple quick bathroom breaks. We passed through Cortez, CO and picked up a pizza for dinner just passed there and continued pushing on. We decided to go to Moab, UT where we would stay for the night (on BLM land) and then finish with a half day tomorrow. We all cheered when we crossed state lines in to Utah. We’re almost home! Once we made it to Moab we picked up some things to have for breakfast in the morning at City Market and then drove 20 more minutes to our spot for the night.
3/30/22 - Left Dallas, TX / Stop in Amarillo, TX / Destination Santa Rosa, NM
We slept in, I think. It’s hard to keep all the late bedtimes and time zone changes straight. But it was a good night in the hotel. Best of all we all showered! Yay! We took our time with breakfast and leaving the hotel. I need to mention Jermaine Johnson, a boy we met at breakfast. He had Down syndrome and was the sweetest most friendly guy. He asked us questions about ourselves and we learned about him to too. He was there with his mama. Anyway, very memorable human. I just loved him. So, once we left, we passed through Dallas and made one quick stop there to see the Cattle Drive sculpture (which was impressive.) Then we hopped back in the van to keep going, but Nick had a call to hop on so we pulled over again pretty soon after so he could do that. Once we were officially back on the road it was close to noon! A way later start than we meant it to be. We were headed to Amarillo (about 5 hours away) and hopped to be able to go a bit farther after stopping there for a break. We made a couple quick stops on the way (once for lunch, once for fuel) and made it to Amarillo at around 6:00 pm. We went straight to Cadillac Ranch the perfect place to get out some wiggles! It was really cool and the boys thought it was awesome! Once they realized some of the spray paint cans on the ground still had paint in them it was game over. They loved it! I could barely get them to look up. They were so busy painting the cars. It was fun to watch! Nick too for that matter! We probably spent an hour and a half there. As we were walking back to the car they realized how cold it was (48 degrees) It was our first time being cold in a while! We drove back in to Amarillo for dinner. Texas BBQ! We found a place that gave us all the old Texas country vibes. Nick and I shared a plate. It was yummy and a true Texas experience. Back in the van we got everyone ready for bed and then buckled them up and decided to keep going a couple more hours. We chose to go the Albuquerque way to see where Dad grew up. We stopped at a rest stop just shy of Santa Rosa, NM for the night. The temps are cold so hopefully we can stay cozy and warm in the van for the night.
3/29/22 - Left Baton Rouge, LA / Destination Dallas, TX or beyond
We slept in a church parking lot (again) in the outskirts of Baton Rouge and woke up to a misty fog. After breakfast we set off again. We crossed the Mississippi (which we always get excited about) and continued on through Louisiana country and swamp land. Spring has sprung there! Or is currently springing… it was so green. We needed a break in Shreveport, LA so we stopped at a park to play and have lunch. We stayed an hour and a half and then it was back to the road. We drove about 30 minutes and then were diverted off of the highway by police. There was a semi on fire ahead. Firemen were there and it looked to be under control though smoking a lot still. It was during that detour that we crossed state lines into Texas. Crossing state lines is exciting too. We were shooting for Dallas but open to going further depending on how every one was doing. There was only one thing on our agenda while driving through Texas. Visit Buc-ees! I mean we need gas anyway, might as well fill up at a travel superstore Buc-ees. I went to one once when I visited my sister in San Antonio and thought Nick and the boys might appreciate the experience too. We stopped at one just before Dallas. After that we made the call to stop for the night at a hotel!!! We mostly needed showers, but after a month of sleeping in the van a little more space sounded so nice. We will still have a couple more nights in the van before we are home, but a hotel tonight will really help us in our last push home.
3/28/22 Destin, FL / Drove through 30a, FL / Destination Baton Rouge, LA
Bye Florida! 🥲 That makes me sad to type out. But we had a great time, no regrets, and we will be back! I couldn’t have imagined a better last day there either. After waking up and eating yogurt and granola we drove East again along the coastal highway 30a. It was so good! It would have been fun to spend more time there! We’ll add it to the itinerary for next time. So scenic, boutique-y towns, younger vibe, master plan communities, quirky, quaint, blossoming, clean. Very cool. We ended our drive at Inlet Beach. It was a beautiful beach. Emerald water (it is called the Emerald Coast) and white fluffy sand. Not busy. We didn’t take anything with us this time. We just wore our suits and went to take a look. I wasn’t expecting we would stay long but we ended up staying a few hours. Enzo was tired so Nick took him back to the van for a nap. Ozzy, Fitz, and I jumped in the waves for a long time. Then we dug holes in the sand with our hands. We dug tunnels and made drip castles. It was so fun and I felt so happy. We all were happy. It was a great moment. It felt like the perfect way to end our time in Florida. We started making our way back to the van when Nick called and Enzo was walking up. We all showered off, ate some lunch, and then got situated to start the long drive home. Then we left. We’re going home! We drove across state lines into Alabama listening to Lynard Skynard of course. We were over due for an oil change so we stopped at a Jiffy Lube in Mobile, AL. They got right to work on the van and we walked across the street to a pizza place for dinner while they finished up. I also popped in to the grocery store next door for a few things. I think I know one reason it’s called Sweet Home Alabama. The people. We experienced first hand the Southern politeness. Everyone we encountered were out of their way polite and kind. We finally left Jiffy Lube (the stop took longer than we thought) and got back on the road. We somehow got on some back country roads which slowed us down, but it was nice to see more of Alabama. Big grassy lots and modest homes. Blooming pink/purple flowers. Lots of churches. Very Southern. We got back on the highway and soon we were crossing State lines again into Mississippi. The sun was starting to go down, but we did see some open swamp lands that were cool before it was dark. We didn’t get to see much of Mississippi unfortunately before we crossed into Louisiana where we will stay tonight.
3/27/22 - Left Saint Petersburg, FL / Destination Destin, FL
Our first long(er) travel day in a while. We started the day with eggs and muffins and then it was time to pack up camp. It was a Sunday morning and the campground was pretty full for the weekend so it seemed like every one else around us were doing the same thing after a weekend camping trip. I put Enzo down for a nap on our bed part way through packing and we finished he was still sleeping. We waited and waited and he slept and slept. Finally I decided to transfer him to his car seat sure he would wake up, but he didn’t! He gave us another couple hours on the road before he woke up. Fitz also slept. We were headed to Destin about 7 hours away. It’s in the Florida panhandle and our last Florida stop before we start the drive back home! Crazy! The scenery definitely changed as we got further and further North. Much more agriculture and then tree lined highways. No more palm trees. For this stretch at least.
3/26/22 - Anna Maria Island, FL
We started the day as usual with breakfast and then Nick took the boys on a pretty long bike ride. When they got back we headed out for the day. Before going anywhere we had to track down a pharmacy that had insulin in stock and add that to our route. Nick called like three places before finding one that had some in stock. Kind of stressful! Then the insurance and coupon codes we use back home didn’t work here so we had to pay quite a bit for one vial. We’ll just have to deal with that later. After that was worked out we headed towards Anna Maria Island. It was a cute place with a charming and laid back vibe. We spent our time on AMI at Holmes Beach. Sand castle building, kite flying, and bird chasing. It would have been fun to spend more time there to see the rest of town, but we had to head home after a few hours on the beach. We had a bit of traffic both ways. We ended up eating peanut butter and jellies and other food in the van on our drive. When we got back we all showered and went to bed pretty soon after.
3/25/22 - Saint Petersburg, FL
It’s always fun to wake up in a new place you haven’t seen before. This morning was no exception. Our campsite is beautiful. It sits right next to a bayou and the scenery is just perfect. We had a slow morning just exploring around. We like to do that at each new campground. This one has a mini golf course and some fun outdoor games. Ozzy and Fitz also chased a couple of brave squirrels around for quite some time. We had lunch, Fitz took a nap. Then Enzo. Ozzy, Fitz and I went to the pool for a couple hours once Fitzy woke up. Nick stayed back to fish in the bayou on the paddle board while Enzo napped. Then he came to pick us up from the pool. We hopped in went to grab some groceries and a smoothie (we have an actual problem now!) Then it was back to camp for dinner, showers, and eventually bed. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was a really great day.
3/24/22 - Left Naples, FL / Stop in Siesta Key, FL / Destination St. Petersburg, FL
We woke up and were able to drive away from camp pretty soon after. Enzo had a rough night though. He’s pushing through first two teeth! He woke up every 1-2 hours and did not fall back asleep easily so when the morning came we both slept in later than usual. Nick and the big boys got up as usual and took a walk. When they got back Enzo and I were awake. That’s when we left our campground. We treated ourselves to breakfast at a nice place called First Watch. It was delicious. After breakfast we started towards our next campground in Saint Petersburg. It was a couple hours away and we wanted to make one stop on the way at Siesta Key. A friend of ours told us we needed to go there. We’re so glad we listened. The sand on the beach there was incredible. Fluffy, clean, white, like flour. So fun to dig and play in. We flew our kite there too. Both Ozzy and Fitz took turns. Then Nick and Fitz played in the waves. Ozzy, Enzo, and I played in the sand. Our timing and the weather didn’t line up very well so we didn’t get to stay much more than an hour. We could see that a storm was coming and so we quickly packed up our things and ran to the van. The sky turned dark and it started to rain a little bit. We got to the van just as it began to pour. It was kind of fun to get caught in the rain for a change. The storm didn’t last too long, but we had to keep going. We sat in the van and watched the rain for a while before bucking up and continuing on. By this time we were starting to get hungry so we grabbed some dinner and stopped to fill up on gas. While Nick was pumping the gas I entered our destination in maps. What should have been only about another hour drive was estimated to be more than two! There was an accident. We really had no choice but to join the traffic. This was the longest delay . Like people pulling over and peeing on the side of the road kind of traffic. We were not moving much. I even took unhappy Enzo out of his car seat for a break. We were barely moving. I can’t even say how long were were delayed. It seemed like the gps just kept added more and more time and we weren’t really paying attention. It was just long, but we made it through and got to Saint Petersburg just as the sun went down. We were all pretty tired so we didn’t do too much before going to bed.
3/23/22 - Naples, FL
Well, we have no clue of it was too windy to boat around Marco Island because we followed the kids lead and went to the park instead. We went to Baker Park in Naples (a very very nice park) and stayed there for five or six hours I think! That did include a lengthy afternoon nap for Fitz and Enzo in the van. The children’s park area was really unique and had a splash pad too. The rest of the park had tons and tons of trails and open landscaped areas. It was beautiful there. We finally drove away and decided to feed our smoothie addiction on the way back to camp. When we got back, we went to the pool for an hour or so. Then we made/ate dinner. After we put the boys to bed we decided to pack up our things tonight instead of spending all morning packing and juggling the kids needs and entertainment like we usually do. It worked out great! We should have been doing that all along. We’re learning. We had a great day! And maybe we can come back to Marco Island some day for a boat adventure.
3/22/22 - Marcos Island
It was a bit cooler this morning when we woke up, so after breakfast we all put on our suits and went to the hot tub. We had fun but didn’t stay too long because it didn’t take long for the day to warm up. At the van we packed up things we would need for a day away and left the campground not knowing exactly what was in store. We decided to drive to Marco Island. We knew before coming to this part of Florida that we might want to rent a boat to explore the little islands around Marco Island, but we didn’t reserve a boat soon enough so they have been a little hard to find. On our drive there today Nick made some calls and may have secured one for tomorrow, but they let him know that the wind is high on the sea, so there is a small vessel warning (meaning they can’t send boats out.) We’ll just have to wait until morning to see what happens. So for today we found a beach that looked fun called Tigertail Beach and decided to go there. We loaded up the wagon and pulled it out to the beach which actually turned out to be an inlet from the ocean. The ocean-side beach was across that inlet on the other side of a smaller island. There was a spot shallow enough to wade across and we watched lots of people do it. It seemed to be just above waste high for most people. We set up on the inlet side of the beach and Ozzy and Fitz started to blow the bubbles we brought. The wind really did most of the work. We played around there for a while before we decided to go for it. We were going to cross the inlet! We left most of our things behind. Enzo was already asleep in my arms so I took him and Nick took Fitz and Oz. Then we started to cross. It really wasn’t that bad for me and Enzo. I just lifted him up high in my arms and he stayed dry (and asleep.) Nick and the big boys were ahead of me and they seemed to do great! Nick had Fitz on his shoulders and held Ozzy’s hand. Once on the other side we had a bit further to go along a marshy trail before we arrived at the beach. It was beautiful. White floury sand along the crashing waves. It was high tide, so it’s probably even more beautiful when the water is lower (the beach was pretty narrow.) We only stayed a short time. I was worried about Enzo sleeping in the hot sun for too long and we really just wanted to come see it anyway. All of our beach stuff was left behind. So the kids ran around on the sand for a while and then we went back the same way we came. Everything was smooth returning as well. It was a fun as adventure and we were all glad we did it. We were all hungry so we packed up and went back to the van. I fed and stayed with the kids there while Nick went back to the beach to fish for an hour or so. When he came back it was about 5:00 and time to go back to the campsite. When we got there it was so hot we were all a bit sluggish. The kids played while I made dinner. Nick showered and put Enzo to bed. I took the older two for showers after that and tucked them in bed. We’re hoping for another fun Marco Island day tomorrow!
3/21/22 - Naples, FL
We spend the morning at the campground. I made French toast for breakfast with two little helpers. Then I took Fitz to the park, Ozzy worked on new Lego projects, Enzo napped, Nick worked. At about noon we left the beach. This time we found beach access near the Naples Pier. Naples is a very nice and wealthy place. Actual billionaire homes in the downtown area were in today. Perfectly manicured yards. Creative, beautiful, architecture, perfect beach location, and again, massive homes. Parking is difficult near the pier, so Nick dropped us off near the beach, parked, then joined us. We played on the beach, mostly in the sand building castles that Fitz would destroy immediately after or digging big holes to fill with water (Ozzy’s specialty.) Enzo napped on the beach in the shade. When he woke up we left our sunshade and toys and headed toward the Naples Pier. It was about a 10 minute walk from where we were on the coastline. Nick held Enzo in the ErgoBaby and I held Fitz in my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder and fell asleep pretty quickly. Ozzy walked with us and was searching for cool shells to collect. There are so many shells on the beaches here. We arrived at the pier and walked the length of it taking our time. Nick talked to fishermen along the way. We saw a dolphin out in the water too! It was hanging around to steal the fisherman’s fish I’m guessing. We saw someone catch a catfish, then he used that catfish for bait to catch another huge fish. We made our way back to the beach and about half way back on the pier Fitz woke up. It was good timing for him because there was a food stand there so we all got cool treats to eat. Once we made it all the way back to our sunshade/spot on the beach it was getting close to dinner time. Nick went to get the van, I packed everything into the wagon and the boys and I met him at a beach entrance. We drove back to the campground and picked up smoothies (again) on our way. When we got back I took the boys to have showers and then we returned to the van to a nice taco dinner Nick had prepared. I put Enzo in bed for the night. A little more Lego time (Ozzy) and bike riding (Fitz) and then it was off to bed.
3/20/22 - Naples, FL
A day at our new campground. We tend to pack in the fun most days, but sometimes you just need a day to slow down. Today we woke up and planned to go to the pool after breakfast. There was a thick fog this morning, so we waited a bit for that to clear up and did some van chores. We got to the pool around 10:00 am. I swam with the boys while Nick dropped off our mountain of laundry at the laundromat. Then when he got to the pool Enzo was ready for a nap so I took him to the van and stayed with him while Nick swam. It was a hot day! After a while Nick and the big boys made their way back for a late lunch and we folded the laundry. Then Fitz napped. Ozzy entertained himself by making potions in our hydro flasks. Water, dirt, lotion, dish soap, etc. when Fitz woke up I gave him and Ozzy their own Lego sets to work on. I had been saving them for a day like today. Together we sat in the shade and built Lego’s. Enzo took another nap, but it didn’t last long so we decided to pack it up and go find smoothies somewhere. It was hot! We found a great little smoothie shop and enjoyed our smoothies. Nick was craving fries so we drove to another place to get them. We all shared the fries in the van and then had a mini dance party. Then we hurried back home for bedtime. We tucked everyone in, had showers, and called it a night.
3/19/22 - Left Key Largo, FL / Destination Naples, FL
The kids slept in today which rarely happens! 7:45 am felt incredible. Enzo actually woke up earlier, but Nick took him outside to go on a walk (to see the sunrise over the water) so the rest of us could sleep. Very kind. After we all tumbled out of the van we ate breakfast and then it was time to pack up. We are getting much faster and efficient at this and today was our best time yet. We rolled out of there at about 10:30 am. The drive to Naples is about 2.5 hours from Key Largo. You drive back toward Miami, but then turn West and drive strait across the southern tip of Florida. You basically skirt around the Everglades. It was a nice drive and we thought we might stop along the way to experience an airboat ride, but then all the boys fell asleep! So we just passed them all and continued driving. The open land of the Everglades was a definite change from the Florida we have seen so far. A canal of water paralleled the length of that road. We saw tons of sun bathing turtles on the rocks. Nick and I were talking about how we hadn’t seen any alligators in the wild yet (which I was okay with btw.) But not long after that I saw a guy on the side of the road pointing his camera toward the canal. I looked in the canal and sure enough there were two alligators in the water. I gasped. The road was very narrow. We couldn’t pull over, but I really wanted Nick to see them. We continued driving but didn’t see any pull outs. Then the first crossroad we came to happened to have a small parking lot with a boardwalk built specifically to view alligators. It couldn’t have worked out better for us. We parked and walked on the boardwalk immediately seeing several alligators! I am convinced there is nothing creepier than an alligator in the water. There were eight or nine of them that we watched there. There was also a ranger guy who answered questions and educated us about the alligators a little bit. It really was very cool to watch them and understand what they do and why, but they are absolutely soulless creatures to me. Nothing creepier. We spent about 20 minutes there and then hustled back to the van. It has been VERY hot. Like 90 degrees hot and muggy. We drove the rest of the way to Naples and went right to campground. We set up our tent (we use it for storage at each campsite) loaded the totes we didn’t need in there, and then left again to meet up with Gram and Grandpa. We met them at Lowdermilk Beach. Spring break season is ramping up here and the beach was packed! Busiest one we’ve seen. But it was also very beautiful. Soft white sand and gentle waves. We found a spot to set up and all started playing in the sand and water. We had a good time there, but we weren’t able to stay too long. Dinner and bedtime came fast. We decided to meet back at our campground. Gram and Grandpa picked up Thai takeout on the way and we enjoyed that together on the picnic table outside our van. Enzo was already asleep and after Ozzy and Fitz were done eating, they went right to bed too. The rest of us stayed up and chatted until Gram and Grandpa had to leave (they have an early flight home in the morning.) We said our goodbyes and then went to bed. We will miss them!
3/18/22 - Key Largo, FL
Despite the late night yesterday, everyone woke up close to their usual time. Gram and Grandpa wanted to take us to breakfast so we held off on eating and called to get in touch with them. In the meantime we hung out at the campground and prepped for the day. We met them at a café near their place. It turned out to be a Cuban bakery. We misunderstood some things on the menu and when Ozzy and Fitz’s meal came out, the eggs and French toast were thought we had ordered turned out to be eggs and French fries! Lesson learned and we laughed about it. All in all though everything was very delicious. After breakfast we met them back at their place and went to the beautiful beachfront area. Ozzy, Fitz, and I took out one kayak, and Gram and Grandpa took out another. We kayaked out from the shore line. The water was very clear and fairly shallow so we could see fish below us. It was fun to kayak right by the sailboats that were parked out in the bay. There were so many of them. After a while we raced Gram and Grandpa back to the beach (and won of course.) Then we sat on some lounge chairs in a shady part of the dock while Nick went out on the paddle board to fish. The boys ran up and down the dock looking for fish too. Nick was gone about an hour and when he came back he had caught several fish (barracuda, snappers, etc.) and had fallen in the water. Tomorrow we leave The Keys and start moving up the coast on the Gulf of Mexico side ( it’s actually called the Florida Bay until past the Florida pan handle I think.) our first stop being Naples. Gram and Grandpa are headed to Naples today. They plan to take an airboat ride through the Everglades on their way. We will meet up with them again tomorrow. So it was goodbye for now. After they left we went to the campground. We all needed to catch up from so many fun filled days. Fitz and Enzo both took long naps in the van on our bed and I took Ozzy swimming. Nick came too for a while to jump in because it was SO hot (we parked the van next to the pool to check on the nappers often.) I should also probably note that the van was running with A/C the whole time. Nick sat in the van to do some work until Enzo woke up. He brought him out to me, but he fell asleep again while eating for another hour or so. Fitz woke up while Enzo was on nap 2 and came out to swim. By this time Ozzy has fallen asleep on a lounge chair next to me in the shade. His eyes were stinging from the pool and when he woke up he was in a lot of pain. We tried rinsing them with cold clean water, but he was pretty resistant to much else, so he just had to ride it out after that. They were pretty red, but he started feeling better after an hour or so. After doing a quick grocery run, the rest of the night was pretty simple. Dinner, showers, and bedtime. I read to Ozzy from our chapter book tonight which was nice because it has been a while since we were able to do that with all the long days lately. They all fell asleep exhausted and Nick and I weren’t far behind. We are going to miss Key Largo very much, but we’re excited for more adventure in new places starting tomorrow!
3/17/22 - Key West, FL
We started the morning with Lucky Charms and green milk! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! After breakfast I started a load of laundry that needed to be done and while it was running I took Ozzy and Fitz to the pool. Enzo (who was napping) stayed back at the van with Nick. Once he woke up they both joined us at the pool for a short time (once the laundry was done) before we hopped in the van and headed over to Gram and Grandpa’s place. They are staying in a quaint little cottage just steps from the beach. The beach had several docks with lounge chairs at the end, hammocks, etc. it really was so picturesque. We enjoyed the beauty, Fitz stripped down and splashed around in the water, we looked for fish off the docks (saw minnows, snappers, needle fish , a big barracuda) and ate a home made lunch at the end of one of the docks. It was very nice and we plan to go back tomorrow to enjoy it longer and kayak! Today our plan was to drive to Key West which is a two hour drive, so after eating lunch we packed up and loaded into the van. We have already driven sections of the highway down through many of the Keys these last few days, but driving the entire highway 1 from top to bottom of the Keys was incredible. Amazing (long) ocean bridges, tiny strips of land only the highway could fit on surrounded by the turquoise blue water on either side, quirky island hotels/restaurants, boats everywhere you looked, and passing through the beautiful scenery of Key after Key. It’s quite a place! Once we arrived in Key West we didn’t have a very structured plan. Key West was much bigger and established than most of us expected. We started by driving past the Ernest Hemingway house which was beautiful. That sort of led us to a nearby park with a splash pad. We all needed a break from the van so we stopped there. We ended up spending a couple hours there. The park was along the water and there was an old retired naval ship turned museum situated right there. There also happened to be a farmers market so we got some home made chips, salsa, and guacamole from one of the vendors to share. After the park we drove over to see the Southernmost spot in the Continental U.S.A. There is a buoy cemented into the ground there that people can
take pictures in front of. When we got there a line was forming for picture taking so we joined it. The line moved quickly. At that spot you are only 90 miles away from Cuba. It was so SO hot and muggy so we needed to cool down with ice cream. We went to a place on Duval Street called Flamingo Crossing. Homemade, unique flavors, cash only, kind of a place. I got Key Lime and it was very very good. After we all finished we walked in to some shops along the street. I bought Key West sun shirts and a onesie for the boys. They last place we wanted to go to was Mallory Square to watch the sun set. I’m sure everywhere in Key West has incredible sunsets, but this place is the most famous. There is a nightly sunset festival. Street performers, snack stands, more shopping, all right along the coast. It was extra lively because it was Saint Patrick’s Day. The kids got a lot of attention (for being so cute I guess.) After the sunset (which was phenomenal) we walked through this cool park with busts of important people that helped establish Key West. You could read a bio about them , it was pretty cool. Then we went window shopping but accidentally bought a couple shirts for Nick and me. We caught back up with my parents who had watch some street performers acts, and started the long drive home. It was almost 9:00 pm by this time so we were going to get back late! All in all the drive and bedtime went very smoothly though. We all had a really great day in Key West! Very glad we went there!
3/16/22 - The Florida Keys
Today was the day Gram and Grandpa arrived! We woke up bright and early and started the morning as we usually do with breakfast and bike riding. Nick watched the boys so I could go shower and then I hung out with them while Nick went fishing from the marina (in our campground) on the paddle board. He started the laundry on his way there and I took the boys to the pool and switched laundry into the dryer on our way. As we were walking there Grandpa texted “We’re here!” They were just out side the gates of our campground! They parked the car and we greeted them. We were so excited to have them here! They came to help us with our laundry as we caught up. They brought some yummy custard mini fruit pies for the boys. Then they came to the pool with us. Ozzy and Fitz swam for a little while then Nick walked by and joined us. We eventually made our way to our campsite to show them our place while we’re here. They stayed and chatted while Enzo napped and we made a plan for the rest of the day. It was about lunch time when Enzo started to stir. Gram and Grandpa went to their place to change and we picked them up in the van to go on a drive to see more of the Keys. We headed toward 7-mile bridge first about 1 hour 18 minutes away. The whole drive was beautiful. It’s so cool to be surrounded by more water than land on the highway! We arrived at the 7-mile bridge and drove across the whole thing. Then turned around and drove back across it. So cool! Once we were back on the other side we parked and got out to walk a portion of the “Old Bridge” which was another really cool way to see it. Then we all hopped in the van on our way to Sombrero beach. As we were driving we realized we were all pretty hungry so we looked for something to eat. We passed a few Cuban restaurants and thought it would be fun to try one. The first one we stopped at was closed but then we found another one not far away. It had outdoor seating right off the highway and there were chickens roaming around. I haven’t been to Cuba, but at that restaurant if felt like we could have been there. The food was good and the portions were huge! We ate and then drove a few more miles down the road to Sombrero beach. There was a children’s park right off of the beach which of course the kids were excited about. They played there for a while and then we all walked down the coast line on the beach to a dock on the end. Enzo was asleep in my arms. Boats were driving by and the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky. It was beautiful. After a while we decided we better get back on the road because we still had an hour drive back to Key Largo. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep on the drive. We dropped Gram and Grandpa off at their place and then went back to ours and turned in for the night.
3/15/22 - Key Largo, FL / Islamorada, FL
A few days ago, our campsite neighbors recommended we take the kids to Robbie’s Marina to feed the tarpon. We mentioned that we were thinking about going their to our Utah friends (The Spruance’s) last night and invited them to join us. They decided to come and we met them there this morning at about 10:30 am. It was a cute little fisherman’s warf with little shops and restaurants. We went to the dock first. There was a small fee to go on the dock and we also bought a pail of fish to feed the fish. They warned us that the Pelicans get aggressive trying to steal the fish. They were not kidding! It was a little intimidating to Ozzy and Fitz (Pelicans are very big birds.) They were not in to it at first. You had to be on your guard the whole time because of the Pelicans. Nick actually got bit by one (which drew blood) that was trying to grab the fish out of his hands! But they eventually warmed up and chose to be brave and I was so proud of them. I’m glad they did because some manatees also came to get free food. It was so cool to see them up close. They are the weirdest but strangely cute animals. We spend 30 minutes or so out there on the dock. It was a fun experience. It was too early to eat and we weren’t there to shop, so we made our way back to the parking lot. Along the way we found some fun things to look at. They had an old motorcycle to play on and “ride” which Fitz loved and old boat parts everywhere. When we got back to the van and started driving back everyone fell asleep. We had decided to go back to the Spruance’s resort so we were meeting them there, but we stopped to pick up a key lime pie to share on our way. We ended up spending most of the rest of the day at the resort with them. We started on the private resort beach. It was the most calm and beautiful blue water with water toys everywhere to play with. Ozzy and Fitz paddled around on a kayak and also took a ride on a huge water bike with Dad and Clint. We spent a few hours there and had lunch as well (we snuck in Dominos pizza.) Then we headed over to the pool section. It was SO hot so getting in the pool felt really nice. Ozzy of course loved it and Fitz had a great time as well. It felt like we were there for a couple more hours. There was a huge water fall into the pool and it was a fun nice environment. When we were all sufficiently water logged we got out and went to a grassy outdoor games area and ate the Key Lime Pie together. It was delicious! We started to wind down and made our way back to the van after that. We said our goodbyes and then drove back to camp. Back at camp we had some dinner, The boys rode their bikes and then watched a show while Nick and I cleaned up and did dishes. Then it was time for showers, bed, and bath. Everyone fell right to sleep, happy and exhausted.
3/14/22 - Key Largo, FL
Okay, our day wasn’t bad at all! I was only nervous because keeping your kids safe and entertained in a campground is much harder than within the walls of your own home, but the day was pretty smooth and we took it at a slower pace. Nick left for his fishing adventure early this morning, but everyone else slept in until 7:20 which was amazing. I made us steel cut oats for breakfast. After we ate we loaded into the van with beach stuff and snacks headed to John Pennecamp State Park. It seemed like a nice park but the weather was not great. Very windy and cooler than its been anywhere we’ve traveled in Florida so far. We went out for a while on the beach, before running back to the van. This was the first place I had seen Crocodile warnings at since arriving in Florida. We stayed in the van for lunch. Then Fitz fell asleep. We drove back to camp and I transferred him to the bed for the rest of his nap. I put Enzo down for a nap as well. The weather was much nicer at our campsite. Less windy, but it still seemed like a storm was brewing. Ozzy and I hung out until the other two woke up and then we all went to the campground pool. I cannot emphasize enough what a swimmer Ozzy has become. He loves it and his confidence is through the roof now. Fitz does great with his floatie on and I sat on the
water edge with Enzo kicking his legs and feet in the pool. It was a bit stressful for me being at a pool alone with all three of them, but everyone did so well and we had no problems. We stayed about 45 minutes before Enzo needed to eat. So we went back to the van, fed him, changed and started thinking about dinner. Nick called and was on his way home. Clint (and his wife Lori) invited us to their resort to hang out. I made a quick dinner, Nick got back, and then we went to the resort. It had started raining on and off by then. The resort was very nice and the kids couldn’t resist the pool (even in the rain) so everyone took a swim except for me and Enzo. There was a hot tub too! We had a great time, didn’t stay too long. Played some corn hole on our way out. And said goodbye. The kids all fell asleep in the way back (it was about 8:15 and only a 9 minute drive from our place.) We finished off the day tucking our babies in bed and cleaned up camp. It was a good day, but I’m glad we’ll have Nick back again tomorrow.
*Nick will need to update about his day fishing, but he did catch a tarpon, but then lost it reeling it in. The fishing conditions were not great today so that was a pretty good considering.
3/13/22 - Left Miami, FL - Key Largo, FL
Well the vagabond lifestyle finally caught up with us. It overall went pretty well, but the kids needs a home base for a few days and less time in the van so our campground in Key Largo is calling our names! We always have great nights, but this morning was rough. Ozzy and Fitz have slowly been morphing into frenemies to the extreme. They play so sweet together one minute and are bugging each other to tears the next. They have hitting battles now. Both are equally as guilty and provoke each other. It was one problem after another this morning. I finally had to have them sit in their car seats (while Nick ran inside to shop) and put on an audiobook for us to listen too. We pulled out some activity books they haven’t seen since the drive to Florida and that helped as well. Once Nick came back I had a children’s park for us to go to all qued up. We headed straight there and let Ozzy and Fitz play to hopefully get out their angst. They were angels there. We had some lunch in the van before hitting the road to Key Largo. We filled up on gas before we left and an older woman came over to Nick as he was pumping the gas asking him to help her fill up her tire with air. He helped her and came back laughing because they both had the same sunglasses on. The drive was only about 45 minutes and smooth for us.
We got to our campground and Fitz and Ozzy have been riding their bikes around like little machines. So many people have been shocked at their bikes riding skills “No training wheels!” We set up camp. Walked around to see the place. Played at the park. Did laundry. Made dinner. Met tons of campground neighbors (people are so laid back and nice here so far.) Got everyone fed, cleaned, and into bed. Pretty straightforward day. We are so excited to explore Key Largo (and beyond) this week! Nick is fishing all day tomorrow with his friend Clint, so it will be me and the boys. I’m determined to make it a fun stress free day for us (but I’m actually terrified to be alone with them all day, haha.)
3/12/22 - Miami — Hollywood, FL / Coral Gables, FL
We woke up this morning and donuts for breakfast just felt right. Nick used his trusty app Yelp to find us a good spot and it was a winner. Mojo Donuts — not far from where we stayed the night in Hollywood. We enjoyed the Donuts in the van and then made a plan for the day. The beach, fishing, and a park were everyone’s desires. We also need to do some housekeeping items like find a laundry mat and buy more groceries, but our fun list trumped the chores and we headed to Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne near Miami. The drive out to it was so cool! Our first Key experience! Once we got there we parked and walked to see the lighthouse on the point first. It was so beautiful everywhere we looked. Ozzy really wanted to go to the top of the lighthouse so we joined the tour group (perfect timing) and hopped in line. I climbed the spiral staircase with him all the way to the top and then back down. He thought it was so cool. (It was!) We hurried back down to Dad, Fitz, and Enzo and then we all walked back to the van and got some ice cream from an ice cream truck on the way. It was so so hot! When we got back to the van we decided to put Fitz and Enzo down for naps and have Ozzy do something quiet. I stayed with the kids so Nick could go fishing. The napping boys slept for so long! Nick came back and they were still sleeping so he went back out again to a different spot. It was almost 4:00 by the time everyone was awake! We drove to find food. (These past two days we haven’t been fully set up to cook because we’ve been moving and sleeping in new places each night so that means we’ve had to eat more meals from restaurants than we like.) We ended up at Shake Shack in downtown Miami. Kind of an oops, but ended up being kind of fun too! We finished eating and then went on a hunt for a park the boys to play at. We found a really cool one that they ended up loving and stayed there until it started to get dark. Then it was back to the van to find our Walmart parking lot for the night. We found one that ended up being in a really nice area. It is our final vagabond night before we go to our campground in Key Largo for the next 6 nights!
3/11/22 - Left Palm Beach area / Destination Fort Lauderdale area
Packing up always takes much more time than we expect it to. Its a lot to breakdown and pack, plus the time added helping the kids to stay entertained and juggling their needs. Today, we barely got out of there by noon! It is always a struggle no matter how organized we are, but we did it and were on our way… to the unknown. Today was the first time we didn’t really know where we were going. We have no definite plans until Sunday so we headed in the direction of that eventual destination, South, to see where the day took us. Everyone was
hungry when we left so grabbing some food was top priority, but the boys all fell asleep quickly so we just kept on driving. We decided to go to Fort Lauderdale to see what it is all about. Turns out it was not the scene for us. (Although it does have some very cool things about it like these beautiful waterways leading yachts right up to peoples houses.) But we skipped past Fort Lauderdale Beach after doing a drive by on the A1A and found a state park a bit more South. It was called Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania and was a much better fit for a family like ours. The water was bright blue and the beach was narrow and shallow. We spent a couple hours there before everyone got hungry again (we stopped at a Chipotle earlier.) Nick fished and caught one small fish and saw another shark. We chased birds and jumped over waves. While Nick was fishing I took the boys across the street to a park. Before we left, Nick and I had cold outdoor showers because we weren’t able to fit a shower in before leaving the campground this morning. Then we loaded up the van to find dinner and a place to park for the night. We drove past a pizza place that looked yummy, so we had pizza from there, and then found a cozy parking spot at Walmart in Hollywood to post up in for the night. Everyone was asleep before we even set up their beds so we just transferred everyone and had a great night.
3/10/22 - West Palm Beach, FL
It seems like every few days we need a recoup day, and that day was today. We stayed around our home base today so the kids could all nap well and we could catch up on a few things. Days like today don’t usually end up being very restful, but they are productive. We are leaving this campground tomorrow so it was great timing to have a day to prepare. Ozzy and Fitz have both been begging to go back to the pool since we were first there a few days ago, so while Enzo napped, Nick took the big boys swimming. When Enzo woke up we went over to join them The kids have been waking up really early again (just like at home.) So Fitz and Enzo were both napping by 11:00 am this morning (nap 2 for Enzo.) Ozzy worked on pages from his workbook and when he was done I took him to the pool. He is getting so confident in the water and swimming like a fish! He absolutely loves it and is doing so well! When Fitz and Enzo woke up, Nick brought them to the pool and we all had another fun swim together. Then it was time to head back for lunch. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes and stayed busy playing after that. I started a few loads of laundry with Fitzy and then Nick took the boys to the campground store for ice. They came back with ice cream. I gave each of them a cool refreshing outside shower with the rinse kit and then they played an iPad game together while I made some dinner. Then it was off to bed.
*This campground is a little bit further away from the beach, but we have had the whole tent area to ourselves pretty much all week which has been really nice. Lots of space to ride bikes and run around. We are also kind of by a pavilion which hosts dance parties, bingo night, and karaoke throughout the week.
*Every night Fitz has been looking for the moon. When he finds he he says “Moon too high mama. Need a ladder!” Referring too touching the moon. It’s pretty cute.
3/9/22 - Lion Country Safari
We spent the whole day at the Lion Country Safari. It sits right next to the KOA campground we are staying at this week. It turned out to be a lot more than we were expecting! The first thing you do when entering the park is a drive yourself safari tour. It was really cool. We were all pretty impressed with the how many animals there were. The animals were mostly in herds and were all able to roam around in large open areas (which we drove through.) There were too many animals to count! Ostriches, Impalas, Wildebeests, Water Buffalo, Lions, Chimpanzees, Giraffes, Zebras, Rhinos (including a baby rhino) and tons of other animals I couldn’t name. It was very cool. All three of the kids were out of their seatbelts and having a blast looking at the animals and moving freely throughout the van. The end of the Safari lead us to a parking lot where we parked to continue on to the walking portion. It was song lunch time when we got there so we stayed in the van for lunch and then continued on. The walking portion was also very cool. It was all outside pathways leading to more animal exhibits (tortoises, snakes, parrots, alligators, flamingos, etc) as well as to other entertainment. It really was Jan packed with things to do. A kids water park, splash pad, carousel, train rides, paddle board, ferries, pay and then can continue a walking tour. I’m
3/8/22 - Jupiter, FL
Another early start to the day. After breakfast we loaded into the van and headed to the beach. We chose to go to DuBois Park in Jupiter because we heard that it was very family friendly AND there are lots of fish-able ocean inlets. It ended up being the perfect spot for us and such a cool park! We found a place to set up for the day and then Nick took off right from there on our paddle board for a few hours to fish. There were lots of other families there and the boys and I had a great time. We were situated on a sandy ocean inlet. The area was pretty shallow and there weren’t waves, so it was a fun change from our last few beach days. We swam around and played with sand toys. Enzo took his ‘beach day nap’ under the sunshade. We ate snacks and then Nick was back. I took the big boys out on the paddle board while he stayed with Enzo. We came back and Fitzy was getting pretty tired. I took him back to the van and put him down for a nap on the bed. It ended up being a pretty long nap. While he napped I helped Nick pack up our beach things and then brought Enzo back for a nap as well. He slept in my arms. Nick and Ozzy stayed busy exploring the park (and found a crab) while I was with the other two in the van. Once everyone woke up we all took a walk along a sidewalk path and over a bridge to the end of a jetty. Lots of people were fishing and catching all sorts of fish. One guy showed us his catch. It was a sheepshead fish. It was very windy out there so we started back. When we were about to cross the bridge again we heard a man yelling at some teenagers in the water below, “Go that way! There’s a shark!” And sure enough we saw the fins of a large shark swim right by the kids and back out to the main inlet. It was crazy to see because we were swimming with our kids in that same water area only a few hours before. It didn’t seem deep enough for anything like that to be a worry. Everyone was okay, but the water was cleared out for a few minutes before people started swimming again. We got in van and headed back to camp. Our way home was pretty slow because we left during rush hour and had to stop to wait for a draw bridge we needed to cross over. But everyone did great and when we got back we made dinner, showered, and then went to bed. It was a fun and exhausting day. The only kind of Florida day we know!
3/7/22 - West Palm Beach, FL
Everyone woke up super early today. We stayed in the van until 7:00 am and then tried to quietly emerge. Nick made omelets and toast for breakfast. I took Ozzy and Fitz to the campground park with their bikes. They played on the big toy and I pushed them on the swings for quite a while and then we headed back to camp. By this time it was only about 10:00 am but they seemed so so tired already. We stayed around the campsite riding bikes and chasing lizards. Nick was doing some work and needed to make some phone calls and because everyone was pretty tired, I took the kids inside the van and tried to get them to rest. They were too awake though, so I pulled out some card games for us to play and made a snack plate. We played and ate as I rocked Enzo to sleep. Then Fitz started getting tired. He came to lay next to me and eventually he dozed off. I asked Ozzy to lay by me for 15 minutes to see what would happen. He insisted he wasn’t tired enough for a nap, but he agreed, and fell asleep as well. I laid there smooshed in between my three sleepy boys loving every second and dozed off myself. I woke when Enzo started stirring so i quietly took him outside and we took a rainy/ humid walk together while the other boys kept sleeping. Later when they woke up and Nick was finished working we suited up and went to the pool. Ozzy has turned into a little fish in the water and Fitz and Enzo both love the water too, so we had a great time. Nick had one more call to make so we all went back to the van about an hour and a half later and I dressed the boys while he had his meeting. Then we all hopped on the van headed to do a few errands. We grabbed dinner first and then stopped for groceries at Winn Dixie followed by a quick stop at Target. Back at our campsite we turned things over for the night, brushed everyone’s teeth, and all three of the boys were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. I finished my nightly chores. Mostly a few dishes left over from the day (because we ate out tonight 🙌) and cleaning up camp a bit. Then I tucked myself in bed too! I loved the slower pace of today. Another lovely day in the Sunshine State.
3/6/22 - Cocoa Beach, FL / West Palm Beach, FL
Our night in the Walmart parking lot was great. We woke up, turned the van over, got the kids dressed in swimming suits, and then drove to Lori Wilson Park about 10 minutes away. We found a picnic table there and had breakfast. Enzo napped in the van while we ate. We also boiled water to have in our thermos and did a few dishes. When Enzo woke up we packed up the wagon and walked to the beach. We stayed at the beach several hours. Ozzy and Fitz are already so much more comfortable and confident in the ocean waves. Fitz’s favorite thing is “big jumps” over the crashing waves and Ozzy runs, jumps, swims all around and loves playing with the surfer dudes. Enzo also really loves the beach. He loves dipping his toes in the ocean and kicking his feet in the sand. We had lunch there and Enzo napped again under the sunshade. Nick rented a boogie board and we all tried it which was really fun. We left later than we meant to so everyone was tired. Fitz fell asleep as soon as we got him changed and buckled in his car seat. We packed up and were off to our next campground two hours South in West Palm Beach.
3/5/22 - Left Saint Augustine, FL / End destination Cocoa Beach, FL
Every day is an adventure! Today was our last day in Saint Augustine. We took the morning to pack up the van and do some laundry. I started the laundry (mostly towels and swimming suits from our beach days) and then took the kids to the park so that Nick could pack uninterrupted. Because of the misty fog last night our tent was wet and needed to dry out along with a few other things. That slowed down the process a bit. Van life with three kids is a serious juggling act! Someone always needs a nap or to eat or is having a meltdown (Fitzy?) etc. which makes having much time to work on a project difficult. Nick and I have never worked so hard in our lives day in and out like this. We are constantly moving (unless at the beach) but it’s not a total break there either, haha. We are having so much fun though! After leaving the campsite we went to a car wash and then stopped for a homemade lunch at a park. We chatted with quite a few people there about our travels and “van life.” We have people talking to us everywhere we go honestly. People are so interested. We stayed at the park about 2 1/2 hours. The kids played and Nick reconfigured things in the van… again. It’s just not quite right yet. When we left we drove to an ice cream parlor for a treat and then started driving south. We have one “free” night before our next campsite reservation so we thought we’d go easy on ourselves and grab a hotel. But our plans changed. We already decided to go to the Cocoa Beach area but as we drove down we talked ourselves out of a hotel and decided that we could find a place to boondock for the night. We ordered Thai food. Ate it at another nice park and played there until bedtime. Then we drove down the road to a . . . Walmart parking lot! There were signs posted forbidding overnight RV’s and truck parking, but Nick talked to the manager inside and they said it was just the city rule and that they didn’t care. We decided to take the risk and get our sleepy kids to bed. I feel like this is an experience every van family needs at least once. So far so good! 🤞 Goodnight.
The final push home. We are almost there. We went to bed last night feeling a bit sentimental. After over a month we were saying goodnight for the last time in our cozy little van. Just for this trip obviously, but we have been on a journey. It was a moment to feel some stuff for sure. We woke up, had breakfast on our bed, and took some memory pictures. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes while we situated things. They got pretty excited about a hot air balloon in the sky and ran up a hill to watch it land. We took off after that. We’re going home.
3/31/22 - Santa Rosa, NM / Stop in Albuquerque, NM / Destination Moab, UT
Well Ozzy woke up this morning and let us know he was “SO cold last night!” Nick and I both checked on him and Fitz throughout the night and he never came to us, but I guess he just toughed it it out. We fed the kids and dressed them before taking off to Albuquerque two hours away. We texted next door neighbor friend Peggy to see if we could say a quick hello but she had a procedure at the hospital today and we were just barely going to miss her before she had to leave. We drove to see Nick’s old house and neighborhood anyway and as we passed by, Peggy came outside! She hadn’t left yet so we got to chat for a few minutes before she did. After visiting with her we drove around to see Nick’s elementary school and he told us things he remembered about the arts. We landed at a park for the kids to play at. As we walked across the field Nick realized it was a park he used to have soccer practice at. It was a full circle moment seeing our kids playing at the same park Nick would come to a a kid. We stayed there a while and then left to get fuel and food before leaving Albuquerque. We were back on the road. We wanted to stop by the Four Corners Monument on our way, but unfortunately we realized we would get there just after they closed so we decided not to take that detour. We pushed on stopping only for gas and a couple quick bathroom breaks. We passed through Cortez, CO and picked up a pizza for dinner just passed there and continued pushing on. We decided to go to Moab, UT where we would stay for the night (on BLM land) and then finish with a half day tomorrow. We all cheered when we crossed state lines in to Utah. We’re almost home! Once we made it to Moab we picked up some things to have for breakfast in the morning at City Market and then drove 20 more minutes to our spot for the night.
3/30/22 - Left Dallas, TX / Stop in Amarillo, TX / Destination Santa Rosa, NM
We slept in, I think. It’s hard to keep all the late bedtimes and time zone changes straight. But it was a good night in the hotel. Best of all we all showered! Yay! We took our time with breakfast and leaving the hotel. I need to mention Jermaine Johnson, a boy we met at breakfast. He had Down syndrome and was the sweetest most friendly guy. He asked us questions about ourselves and we learned about him to too. He was there with his mama. Anyway, very memorable human. I just loved him. So, once we left, we passed through Dallas and made one quick stop there to see the Cattle Drive sculpture (which was impressive.) Then we hopped back in the van to keep going, but Nick had a call to hop on so we pulled over again pretty soon after so he could do that. Once we were officially back on the road it was close to noon! A way later start than we meant it to be. We were headed to Amarillo (about 5 hours away) and hopped to be able to go a bit farther after stopping there for a break. We made a couple quick stops on the way (once for lunch, once for fuel) and made it to Amarillo at around 6:00 pm. We went straight to Cadillac Ranch the perfect place to get out some wiggles! It was really cool and the boys thought it was awesome! Once they realized some of the spray paint cans on the ground still had paint in them it was game over. They loved it! I could barely get them to look up. They were so busy painting the cars. It was fun to watch! Nick too for that matter! We probably spent an hour and a half there. As we were walking back to the car they realized how cold it was (48 degrees) It was our first time being cold in a while! We drove back in to Amarillo for dinner. Texas BBQ! We found a place that gave us all the old Texas country vibes. Nick and I shared a plate. It was yummy and a true Texas experience. Back in the van we got everyone ready for bed and then buckled them up and decided to keep going a couple more hours. We chose to go the Albuquerque way to see where Dad grew up. We stopped at a rest stop just shy of Santa Rosa, NM for the night. The temps are cold so hopefully we can stay cozy and warm in the van for the night.
3/29/22 - Left Baton Rouge, LA / Destination Dallas, TX or beyond
We slept in a church parking lot (again) in the outskirts of Baton Rouge and woke up to a misty fog. After breakfast we set off again. We crossed the Mississippi (which we always get excited about) and continued on through Louisiana country and swamp land. Spring has sprung there! Or is currently springing… it was so green. We needed a break in Shreveport, LA so we stopped at a park to play and have lunch. We stayed an hour and a half and then it was back to the road. We drove about 30 minutes and then were diverted off of the highway by police. There was a semi on fire ahead. Firemen were there and it looked to be under control though smoking a lot still. It was during that detour that we crossed state lines into Texas. Crossing state lines is exciting too. We were shooting for Dallas but open to going further depending on how every one was doing. There was only one thing on our agenda while driving through Texas. Visit Buc-ees! I mean we need gas anyway, might as well fill up at a travel superstore Buc-ees. I went to one once when I visited my sister in San Antonio and thought Nick and the boys might appreciate the experience too. We stopped at one just before Dallas. After that we made the call to stop for the night at a hotel!!! We mostly needed showers, but after a month of sleeping in the van a little more space sounded so nice. We will still have a couple more nights in the van before we are home, but a hotel tonight will really help us in our last push home.
3/28/22 Destin, FL / Drove through 30a, FL / Destination Baton Rouge, LA
Bye Florida! 🥲 That makes me sad to type out. But we had a great time, no regrets, and we will be back! I couldn’t have imagined a better last day there either. After waking up and eating yogurt and granola we drove East again along the coastal highway 30a. It was so good! It would have been fun to spend more time there! We’ll add it to the itinerary for next time. So scenic, boutique-y towns, younger vibe, master plan communities, quirky, quaint, blossoming, clean. Very cool. We ended our drive at Inlet Beach. It was a beautiful beach. Emerald water (it is called the Emerald Coast) and white fluffy sand. Not busy. We didn’t take anything with us this time. We just wore our suits and went to take a look. I wasn’t expecting we would stay long but we ended up staying a few hours. Enzo was tired so Nick took him back to the van for a nap. Ozzy, Fitz, and I jumped in the waves for a long time. Then we dug holes in the sand with our hands. We dug tunnels and made drip castles. It was so fun and I felt so happy. We all were happy. It was a great moment. It felt like the perfect way to end our time in Florida. We started making our way back to the van when Nick called and Enzo was walking up. We all showered off, ate some lunch, and then got situated to start the long drive home. Then we left. We’re going home! We drove across state lines into Alabama listening to Lynard Skynard of course. We were over due for an oil change so we stopped at a Jiffy Lube in Mobile, AL. They got right to work on the van and we walked across the street to a pizza place for dinner while they finished up. I also popped in to the grocery store next door for a few things. I think I know one reason it’s called Sweet Home Alabama. The people. We experienced first hand the Southern politeness. Everyone we encountered were out of their way polite and kind. We finally left Jiffy Lube (the stop took longer than we thought) and got back on the road. We somehow got on some back country roads which slowed us down, but it was nice to see more of Alabama. Big grassy lots and modest homes. Blooming pink/purple flowers. Lots of churches. Very Southern. We got back on the highway and soon we were crossing State lines again into Mississippi. The sun was starting to go down, but we did see some open swamp lands that were cool before it was dark. We didn’t get to see much of Mississippi unfortunately before we crossed into Louisiana where we will stay tonight.
3/27/22 - Left Saint Petersburg, FL / Destination Destin, FL
Our first long(er) travel day in a while. We started the day with eggs and muffins and then it was time to pack up camp. It was a Sunday morning and the campground was pretty full for the weekend so it seemed like every one else around us were doing the same thing after a weekend camping trip. I put Enzo down for a nap on our bed part way through packing and we finished he was still sleeping. We waited and waited and he slept and slept. Finally I decided to transfer him to his car seat sure he would wake up, but he didn’t! He gave us another couple hours on the road before he woke up. Fitz also slept. We were headed to Destin about 7 hours away. It’s in the Florida panhandle and our last Florida stop before we start the drive back home! Crazy! The scenery definitely changed as we got further and further North. Much more agriculture and then tree lined highways. No more palm trees. For this stretch at least.
3/26/22 - Anna Maria Island, FL
We started the day as usual with breakfast and then Nick took the boys on a pretty long bike ride. When they got back we headed out for the day. Before going anywhere we had to track down a pharmacy that had insulin in stock and add that to our route. Nick called like three places before finding one that had some in stock. Kind of stressful! Then the insurance and coupon codes we use back home didn’t work here so we had to pay quite a bit for one vial. We’ll just have to deal with that later. After that was worked out we headed towards Anna Maria Island. It was a cute place with a charming and laid back vibe. We spent our time on AMI at Holmes Beach. Sand castle building, kite flying, and bird chasing. It would have been fun to spend more time there to see the rest of town, but we had to head home after a few hours on the beach. We had a bit of traffic both ways. We ended up eating peanut butter and jellies and other food in the van on our drive. When we got back we all showered and went to bed pretty soon after.
3/25/22 - Saint Petersburg, FL
It’s always fun to wake up in a new place you haven’t seen before. This morning was no exception. Our campsite is beautiful. It sits right next to a bayou and the scenery is just perfect. We had a slow morning just exploring around. We like to do that at each new campground. This one has a mini golf course and some fun outdoor games. Ozzy and Fitz also chased a couple of brave squirrels around for quite some time. We had lunch, Fitz took a nap. Then Enzo. Ozzy, Fitz and I went to the pool for a couple hours once Fitzy woke up. Nick stayed back to fish in the bayou on the paddle board while Enzo napped. Then he came to pick us up from the pool. We hopped in went to grab some groceries and a smoothie (we have an actual problem now!) Then it was back to camp for dinner, showers, and eventually bed. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was a really great day.
3/24/22 - Left Naples, FL / Stop in Siesta Key, FL / Destination St. Petersburg, FL
We woke up and were able to drive away from camp pretty soon after. Enzo had a rough night though. He’s pushing through first two teeth! He woke up every 1-2 hours and did not fall back asleep easily so when the morning came we both slept in later than usual. Nick and the big boys got up as usual and took a walk. When they got back Enzo and I were awake. That’s when we left our campground. We treated ourselves to breakfast at a nice place called First Watch. It was delicious. After breakfast we started towards our next campground in Saint Petersburg. It was a couple hours away and we wanted to make one stop on the way at Siesta Key. A friend of ours told us we needed to go there. We’re so glad we listened. The sand on the beach there was incredible. Fluffy, clean, white, like flour. So fun to dig and play in. We flew our kite there too. Both Ozzy and Fitz took turns. Then Nick and Fitz played in the waves. Ozzy, Enzo, and I played in the sand. Our timing and the weather didn’t line up very well so we didn’t get to stay much more than an hour. We could see that a storm was coming and so we quickly packed up our things and ran to the van. The sky turned dark and it started to rain a little bit. We got to the van just as it began to pour. It was kind of fun to get caught in the rain for a change. The storm didn’t last too long, but we had to keep going. We sat in the van and watched the rain for a while before bucking up and continuing on. By this time we were starting to get hungry so we grabbed some dinner and stopped to fill up on gas. While Nick was pumping the gas I entered our destination in maps. What should have been only about another hour drive was estimated to be more than two! There was an accident. We really had no choice but to join the traffic. This was the longest delay . Like people pulling over and peeing on the side of the road kind of traffic. We were not moving much. I even took unhappy Enzo out of his car seat for a break. We were barely moving. I can’t even say how long were were delayed. It seemed like the gps just kept added more and more time and we weren’t really paying attention. It was just long, but we made it through and got to Saint Petersburg just as the sun went down. We were all pretty tired so we didn’t do too much before going to bed.
3/23/22 - Naples, FL
Well, we have no clue of it was too windy to boat around Marco Island because we followed the kids lead and went to the park instead. We went to Baker Park in Naples (a very very nice park) and stayed there for five or six hours I think! That did include a lengthy afternoon nap for Fitz and Enzo in the van. The children’s park area was really unique and had a splash pad too. The rest of the park had tons and tons of trails and open landscaped areas. It was beautiful there. We finally drove away and decided to feed our smoothie addiction on the way back to camp. When we got back, we went to the pool for an hour or so. Then we made/ate dinner. After we put the boys to bed we decided to pack up our things tonight instead of spending all morning packing and juggling the kids needs and entertainment like we usually do. It worked out great! We should have been doing that all along. We’re learning. We had a great day! And maybe we can come back to Marco Island some day for a boat adventure.
3/22/22 - Marcos Island
It was a bit cooler this morning when we woke up, so after breakfast we all put on our suits and went to the hot tub. We had fun but didn’t stay too long because it didn’t take long for the day to warm up. At the van we packed up things we would need for a day away and left the campground not knowing exactly what was in store. We decided to drive to Marco Island. We knew before coming to this part of Florida that we might want to rent a boat to explore the little islands around Marco Island, but we didn’t reserve a boat soon enough so they have been a little hard to find. On our drive there today Nick made some calls and may have secured one for tomorrow, but they let him know that the wind is high on the sea, so there is a small vessel warning (meaning they can’t send boats out.) We’ll just have to wait until morning to see what happens. So for today we found a beach that looked fun called Tigertail Beach and decided to go there. We loaded up the wagon and pulled it out to the beach which actually turned out to be an inlet from the ocean. The ocean-side beach was across that inlet on the other side of a smaller island. There was a spot shallow enough to wade across and we watched lots of people do it. It seemed to be just above waste high for most people. We set up on the inlet side of the beach and Ozzy and Fitz started to blow the bubbles we brought. The wind really did most of the work. We played around there for a while before we decided to go for it. We were going to cross the inlet! We left most of our things behind. Enzo was already asleep in my arms so I took him and Nick took Fitz and Oz. Then we started to cross. It really wasn’t that bad for me and Enzo. I just lifted him up high in my arms and he stayed dry (and asleep.) Nick and the big boys were ahead of me and they seemed to do great! Nick had Fitz on his shoulders and held Ozzy’s hand. Once on the other side we had a bit further to go along a marshy trail before we arrived at the beach. It was beautiful. White floury sand along the crashing waves. It was high tide, so it’s probably even more beautiful when the water is lower (the beach was pretty narrow.) We only stayed a short time. I was worried about Enzo sleeping in the hot sun for too long and we really just wanted to come see it anyway. All of our beach stuff was left behind. So the kids ran around on the sand for a while and then we went back the same way we came. Everything was smooth returning as well. It was a fun as adventure and we were all glad we did it. We were all hungry so we packed up and went back to the van. I fed and stayed with the kids there while Nick went back to the beach to fish for an hour or so. When he came back it was about 5:00 and time to go back to the campsite. When we got there it was so hot we were all a bit sluggish. The kids played while I made dinner. Nick showered and put Enzo to bed. I took the older two for showers after that and tucked them in bed. We’re hoping for another fun Marco Island day tomorrow!
3/21/22 - Naples, FL
We spend the morning at the campground. I made French toast for breakfast with two little helpers. Then I took Fitz to the park, Ozzy worked on new Lego projects, Enzo napped, Nick worked. At about noon we left the beach. This time we found beach access near the Naples Pier. Naples is a very nice and wealthy place. Actual billionaire homes in the downtown area were in today. Perfectly manicured yards. Creative, beautiful, architecture, perfect beach location, and again, massive homes. Parking is difficult near the pier, so Nick dropped us off near the beach, parked, then joined us. We played on the beach, mostly in the sand building castles that Fitz would destroy immediately after or digging big holes to fill with water (Ozzy’s specialty.) Enzo napped on the beach in the shade. When he woke up we left our sunshade and toys and headed toward the Naples Pier. It was about a 10 minute walk from where we were on the coastline. Nick held Enzo in the ErgoBaby and I held Fitz in my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder and fell asleep pretty quickly. Ozzy walked with us and was searching for cool shells to collect. There are so many shells on the beaches here. We arrived at the pier and walked the length of it taking our time. Nick talked to fishermen along the way. We saw a dolphin out in the water too! It was hanging around to steal the fisherman’s fish I’m guessing. We saw someone catch a catfish, then he used that catfish for bait to catch another huge fish. We made our way back to the beach and about half way back on the pier Fitz woke up. It was good timing for him because there was a food stand there so we all got cool treats to eat. Once we made it all the way back to our sunshade/spot on the beach it was getting close to dinner time. Nick went to get the van, I packed everything into the wagon and the boys and I met him at a beach entrance. We drove back to the campground and picked up smoothies (again) on our way. When we got back I took the boys to have showers and then we returned to the van to a nice taco dinner Nick had prepared. I put Enzo in bed for the night. A little more Lego time (Ozzy) and bike riding (Fitz) and then it was off to bed.
3/20/22 - Naples, FL
A day at our new campground. We tend to pack in the fun most days, but sometimes you just need a day to slow down. Today we woke up and planned to go to the pool after breakfast. There was a thick fog this morning, so we waited a bit for that to clear up and did some van chores. We got to the pool around 10:00 am. I swam with the boys while Nick dropped off our mountain of laundry at the laundromat. Then when he got to the pool Enzo was ready for a nap so I took him to the van and stayed with him while Nick swam. It was a hot day! After a while Nick and the big boys made their way back for a late lunch and we folded the laundry. Then Fitz napped. Ozzy entertained himself by making potions in our hydro flasks. Water, dirt, lotion, dish soap, etc. when Fitz woke up I gave him and Ozzy their own Lego sets to work on. I had been saving them for a day like today. Together we sat in the shade and built Lego’s. Enzo took another nap, but it didn’t last long so we decided to pack it up and go find smoothies somewhere. It was hot! We found a great little smoothie shop and enjoyed our smoothies. Nick was craving fries so we drove to another place to get them. We all shared the fries in the van and then had a mini dance party. Then we hurried back home for bedtime. We tucked everyone in, had showers, and called it a night.
3/19/22 - Left Key Largo, FL / Destination Naples, FL
The kids slept in today which rarely happens! 7:45 am felt incredible. Enzo actually woke up earlier, but Nick took him outside to go on a walk (to see the sunrise over the water) so the rest of us could sleep. Very kind. After we all tumbled out of the van we ate breakfast and then it was time to pack up. We are getting much faster and efficient at this and today was our best time yet. We rolled out of there at about 10:30 am. The drive to Naples is about 2.5 hours from Key Largo. You drive back toward Miami, but then turn West and drive strait across the southern tip of Florida. You basically skirt around the Everglades. It was a nice drive and we thought we might stop along the way to experience an airboat ride, but then all the boys fell asleep! So we just passed them all and continued driving. The open land of the Everglades was a definite change from the Florida we have seen so far. A canal of water paralleled the length of that road. We saw tons of sun bathing turtles on the rocks. Nick and I were talking about how we hadn’t seen any alligators in the wild yet (which I was okay with btw.) But not long after that I saw a guy on the side of the road pointing his camera toward the canal. I looked in the canal and sure enough there were two alligators in the water. I gasped. The road was very narrow. We couldn’t pull over, but I really wanted Nick to see them. We continued driving but didn’t see any pull outs. Then the first crossroad we came to happened to have a small parking lot with a boardwalk built specifically to view alligators. It couldn’t have worked out better for us. We parked and walked on the boardwalk immediately seeing several alligators! I am convinced there is nothing creepier than an alligator in the water. There were eight or nine of them that we watched there. There was also a ranger guy who answered questions and educated us about the alligators a little bit. It really was very cool to watch them and understand what they do and why, but they are absolutely soulless creatures to me. Nothing creepier. We spent about 20 minutes there and then hustled back to the van. It has been VERY hot. Like 90 degrees hot and muggy. We drove the rest of the way to Naples and went right to campground. We set up our tent (we use it for storage at each campsite) loaded the totes we didn’t need in there, and then left again to meet up with Gram and Grandpa. We met them at Lowdermilk Beach. Spring break season is ramping up here and the beach was packed! Busiest one we’ve seen. But it was also very beautiful. Soft white sand and gentle waves. We found a spot to set up and all started playing in the sand and water. We had a good time there, but we weren’t able to stay too long. Dinner and bedtime came fast. We decided to meet back at our campground. Gram and Grandpa picked up Thai takeout on the way and we enjoyed that together on the picnic table outside our van. Enzo was already asleep and after Ozzy and Fitz were done eating, they went right to bed too. The rest of us stayed up and chatted until Gram and Grandpa had to leave (they have an early flight home in the morning.) We said our goodbyes and then went to bed. We will miss them!
3/18/22 - Key Largo, FL
Despite the late night yesterday, everyone woke up close to their usual time. Gram and Grandpa wanted to take us to breakfast so we held off on eating and called to get in touch with them. In the meantime we hung out at the campground and prepped for the day. We met them at a café near their place. It turned out to be a Cuban bakery. We misunderstood some things on the menu and when Ozzy and Fitz’s meal came out, the eggs and French toast were thought we had ordered turned out to be eggs and French fries! Lesson learned and we laughed about it. All in all though everything was very delicious. After breakfast we met them back at their place and went to the beautiful beachfront area. Ozzy, Fitz, and I took out one kayak, and Gram and Grandpa took out another. We kayaked out from the shore line. The water was very clear and fairly shallow so we could see fish below us. It was fun to kayak right by the sailboats that were parked out in the bay. There were so many of them. After a while we raced Gram and Grandpa back to the beach (and won of course.) Then we sat on some lounge chairs in a shady part of the dock while Nick went out on the paddle board to fish. The boys ran up and down the dock looking for fish too. Nick was gone about an hour and when he came back he had caught several fish (barracuda, snappers, etc.) and had fallen in the water. Tomorrow we leave The Keys and start moving up the coast on the Gulf of Mexico side ( it’s actually called the Florida Bay until past the Florida pan handle I think.) our first stop being Naples. Gram and Grandpa are headed to Naples today. They plan to take an airboat ride through the Everglades on their way. We will meet up with them again tomorrow. So it was goodbye for now. After they left we went to the campground. We all needed to catch up from so many fun filled days. Fitz and Enzo both took long naps in the van on our bed and I took Ozzy swimming. Nick came too for a while to jump in because it was SO hot (we parked the van next to the pool to check on the nappers often.) I should also probably note that the van was running with A/C the whole time. Nick sat in the van to do some work until Enzo woke up. He brought him out to me, but he fell asleep again while eating for another hour or so. Fitz woke up while Enzo was on nap 2 and came out to swim. By this time Ozzy has fallen asleep on a lounge chair next to me in the shade. His eyes were stinging from the pool and when he woke up he was in a lot of pain. We tried rinsing them with cold clean water, but he was pretty resistant to much else, so he just had to ride it out after that. They were pretty red, but he started feeling better after an hour or so. After doing a quick grocery run, the rest of the night was pretty simple. Dinner, showers, and bedtime. I read to Ozzy from our chapter book tonight which was nice because it has been a while since we were able to do that with all the long days lately. They all fell asleep exhausted and Nick and I weren’t far behind. We are going to miss Key Largo very much, but we’re excited for more adventure in new places starting tomorrow!
3/17/22 - Key West, FL
We started the morning with Lucky Charms and green milk! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! After breakfast I started a load of laundry that needed to be done and while it was running I took Ozzy and Fitz to the pool. Enzo (who was napping) stayed back at the van with Nick. Once he woke up they both joined us at the pool for a short time (once the laundry was done) before we hopped in the van and headed over to Gram and Grandpa’s place. They are staying in a quaint little cottage just steps from the beach. The beach had several docks with lounge chairs at the end, hammocks, etc. it really was so picturesque. We enjoyed the beauty, Fitz stripped down and splashed around in the water, we looked for fish off the docks (saw minnows, snappers, needle fish , a big barracuda) and ate a home made lunch at the end of one of the docks. It was very nice and we plan to go back tomorrow to enjoy it longer and kayak! Today our plan was to drive to Key West which is a two hour drive, so after eating lunch we packed up and loaded into the van. We have already driven sections of the highway down through many of the Keys these last few days, but driving the entire highway 1 from top to bottom of the Keys was incredible. Amazing (long) ocean bridges, tiny strips of land only the highway could fit on surrounded by the turquoise blue water on either side, quirky island hotels/restaurants, boats everywhere you looked, and passing through the beautiful scenery of Key after Key. It’s quite a place! Once we arrived in Key West we didn’t have a very structured plan. Key West was much bigger and established than most of us expected. We started by driving past the Ernest Hemingway house which was beautiful. That sort of led us to a nearby park with a splash pad. We all needed a break from the van so we stopped there. We ended up spending a couple hours there. The park was along the water and there was an old retired naval ship turned museum situated right there. There also happened to be a farmers market so we got some home made chips, salsa, and guacamole from one of the vendors to share. After the park we drove over to see the Southernmost spot in the Continental U.S.A. There is a buoy cemented into the ground there that people can
take pictures in front of. When we got there a line was forming for picture taking so we joined it. The line moved quickly. At that spot you are only 90 miles away from Cuba. It was so SO hot and muggy so we needed to cool down with ice cream. We went to a place on Duval Street called Flamingo Crossing. Homemade, unique flavors, cash only, kind of a place. I got Key Lime and it was very very good. After we all finished we walked in to some shops along the street. I bought Key West sun shirts and a onesie for the boys. They last place we wanted to go to was Mallory Square to watch the sun set. I’m sure everywhere in Key West has incredible sunsets, but this place is the most famous. There is a nightly sunset festival. Street performers, snack stands, more shopping, all right along the coast. It was extra lively because it was Saint Patrick’s Day. The kids got a lot of attention (for being so cute I guess.) After the sunset (which was phenomenal) we walked through this cool park with busts of important people that helped establish Key West. You could read a bio about them , it was pretty cool. Then we went window shopping but accidentally bought a couple shirts for Nick and me. We caught back up with my parents who had watch some street performers acts, and started the long drive home. It was almost 9:00 pm by this time so we were going to get back late! All in all the drive and bedtime went very smoothly though. We all had a really great day in Key West! Very glad we went there!
3/16/22 - The Florida Keys
Today was the day Gram and Grandpa arrived! We woke up bright and early and started the morning as we usually do with breakfast and bike riding. Nick watched the boys so I could go shower and then I hung out with them while Nick went fishing from the marina (in our campground) on the paddle board. He started the laundry on his way there and I took the boys to the pool and switched laundry into the dryer on our way. As we were walking there Grandpa texted “We’re here!” They were just out side the gates of our campground! They parked the car and we greeted them. We were so excited to have them here! They came to help us with our laundry as we caught up. They brought some yummy custard mini fruit pies for the boys. Then they came to the pool with us. Ozzy and Fitz swam for a little while then Nick walked by and joined us. We eventually made our way to our campsite to show them our place while we’re here. They stayed and chatted while Enzo napped and we made a plan for the rest of the day. It was about lunch time when Enzo started to stir. Gram and Grandpa went to their place to change and we picked them up in the van to go on a drive to see more of the Keys. We headed toward 7-mile bridge first about 1 hour 18 minutes away. The whole drive was beautiful. It’s so cool to be surrounded by more water than land on the highway! We arrived at the 7-mile bridge and drove across the whole thing. Then turned around and drove back across it. So cool! Once we were back on the other side we parked and got out to walk a portion of the “Old Bridge” which was another really cool way to see it. Then we all hopped in the van on our way to Sombrero beach. As we were driving we realized we were all pretty hungry so we looked for something to eat. We passed a few Cuban restaurants and thought it would be fun to try one. The first one we stopped at was closed but then we found another one not far away. It had outdoor seating right off the highway and there were chickens roaming around. I haven’t been to Cuba, but at that restaurant if felt like we could have been there. The food was good and the portions were huge! We ate and then drove a few more miles down the road to Sombrero beach. There was a children’s park right off of the beach which of course the kids were excited about. They played there for a while and then we all walked down the coast line on the beach to a dock on the end. Enzo was asleep in my arms. Boats were driving by and the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky. It was beautiful. After a while we decided we better get back on the road because we still had an hour drive back to Key Largo. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep on the drive. We dropped Gram and Grandpa off at their place and then went back to ours and turned in for the night.
3/15/22 - Key Largo, FL / Islamorada, FL
A few days ago, our campsite neighbors recommended we take the kids to Robbie’s Marina to feed the tarpon. We mentioned that we were thinking about going their to our Utah friends (The Spruance’s) last night and invited them to join us. They decided to come and we met them there this morning at about 10:30 am. It was a cute little fisherman’s warf with little shops and restaurants. We went to the dock first. There was a small fee to go on the dock and we also bought a pail of fish to feed the fish. They warned us that the Pelicans get aggressive trying to steal the fish. They were not kidding! It was a little intimidating to Ozzy and Fitz (Pelicans are very big birds.) They were not in to it at first. You had to be on your guard the whole time because of the Pelicans. Nick actually got bit by one (which drew blood) that was trying to grab the fish out of his hands! But they eventually warmed up and chose to be brave and I was so proud of them. I’m glad they did because some manatees also came to get free food. It was so cool to see them up close. They are the weirdest but strangely cute animals. We spend 30 minutes or so out there on the dock. It was a fun experience. It was too early to eat and we weren’t there to shop, so we made our way back to the parking lot. Along the way we found some fun things to look at. They had an old motorcycle to play on and “ride” which Fitz loved and old boat parts everywhere. When we got back to the van and started driving back everyone fell asleep. We had decided to go back to the Spruance’s resort so we were meeting them there, but we stopped to pick up a key lime pie to share on our way. We ended up spending most of the rest of the day at the resort with them. We started on the private resort beach. It was the most calm and beautiful blue water with water toys everywhere to play with. Ozzy and Fitz paddled around on a kayak and also took a ride on a huge water bike with Dad and Clint. We spent a few hours there and had lunch as well (we snuck in Dominos pizza.) Then we headed over to the pool section. It was SO hot so getting in the pool felt really nice. Ozzy of course loved it and Fitz had a great time as well. It felt like we were there for a couple more hours. There was a huge water fall into the pool and it was a fun nice environment. When we were all sufficiently water logged we got out and went to a grassy outdoor games area and ate the Key Lime Pie together. It was delicious! We started to wind down and made our way back to the van after that. We said our goodbyes and then drove back to camp. Back at camp we had some dinner, The boys rode their bikes and then watched a show while Nick and I cleaned up and did dishes. Then it was time for showers, bed, and bath. Everyone fell right to sleep, happy and exhausted.
3/14/22 - Key Largo, FL
Okay, our day wasn’t bad at all! I was only nervous because keeping your kids safe and entertained in a campground is much harder than within the walls of your own home, but the day was pretty smooth and we took it at a slower pace. Nick left for his fishing adventure early this morning, but everyone else slept in until 7:20 which was amazing. I made us steel cut oats for breakfast. After we ate we loaded into the van with beach stuff and snacks headed to John Pennecamp State Park. It seemed like a nice park but the weather was not great. Very windy and cooler than its been anywhere we’ve traveled in Florida so far. We went out for a while on the beach, before running back to the van. This was the first place I had seen Crocodile warnings at since arriving in Florida. We stayed in the van for lunch. Then Fitz fell asleep. We drove back to camp and I transferred him to the bed for the rest of his nap. I put Enzo down for a nap as well. The weather was much nicer at our campsite. Less windy, but it still seemed like a storm was brewing. Ozzy and I hung out until the other two woke up and then we all went to the campground pool. I cannot emphasize enough what a swimmer Ozzy has become. He loves it and his confidence is through the roof now. Fitz does great with his floatie on and I sat on the
water edge with Enzo kicking his legs and feet in the pool. It was a bit stressful for me being at a pool alone with all three of them, but everyone did so well and we had no problems. We stayed about 45 minutes before Enzo needed to eat. So we went back to the van, fed him, changed and started thinking about dinner. Nick called and was on his way home. Clint (and his wife Lori) invited us to their resort to hang out. I made a quick dinner, Nick got back, and then we went to the resort. It had started raining on and off by then. The resort was very nice and the kids couldn’t resist the pool (even in the rain) so everyone took a swim except for me and Enzo. There was a hot tub too! We had a great time, didn’t stay too long. Played some corn hole on our way out. And said goodbye. The kids all fell asleep in the way back (it was about 8:15 and only a 9 minute drive from our place.) We finished off the day tucking our babies in bed and cleaned up camp. It was a good day, but I’m glad we’ll have Nick back again tomorrow.
*Nick will need to update about his day fishing, but he did catch a tarpon, but then lost it reeling it in. The fishing conditions were not great today so that was a pretty good considering.
3/13/22 - Left Miami, FL - Key Largo, FL
Well the vagabond lifestyle finally caught up with us. It overall went pretty well, but the kids needs a home base for a few days and less time in the van so our campground in Key Largo is calling our names! We always have great nights, but this morning was rough. Ozzy and Fitz have slowly been morphing into frenemies to the extreme. They play so sweet together one minute and are bugging each other to tears the next. They have hitting battles now. Both are equally as guilty and provoke each other. It was one problem after another this morning. I finally had to have them sit in their car seats (while Nick ran inside to shop) and put on an audiobook for us to listen too. We pulled out some activity books they haven’t seen since the drive to Florida and that helped as well. Once Nick came back I had a children’s park for us to go to all qued up. We headed straight there and let Ozzy and Fitz play to hopefully get out their angst. They were angels there. We had some lunch in the van before hitting the road to Key Largo. We filled up on gas before we left and an older woman came over to Nick as he was pumping the gas asking him to help her fill up her tire with air. He helped her and came back laughing because they both had the same sunglasses on. The drive was only about 45 minutes and smooth for us.
We got to our campground and Fitz and Ozzy have been riding their bikes around like little machines. So many people have been shocked at their bikes riding skills “No training wheels!” We set up camp. Walked around to see the place. Played at the park. Did laundry. Made dinner. Met tons of campground neighbors (people are so laid back and nice here so far.) Got everyone fed, cleaned, and into bed. Pretty straightforward day. We are so excited to explore Key Largo (and beyond) this week! Nick is fishing all day tomorrow with his friend Clint, so it will be me and the boys. I’m determined to make it a fun stress free day for us (but I’m actually terrified to be alone with them all day, haha.)
3/12/22 - Miami — Hollywood, FL / Coral Gables, FL
We woke up this morning and donuts for breakfast just felt right. Nick used his trusty app Yelp to find us a good spot and it was a winner. Mojo Donuts — not far from where we stayed the night in Hollywood. We enjoyed the Donuts in the van and then made a plan for the day. The beach, fishing, and a park were everyone’s desires. We also need to do some housekeeping items like find a laundry mat and buy more groceries, but our fun list trumped the chores and we headed to Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne near Miami. The drive out to it was so cool! Our first Key experience! Once we got there we parked and walked to see the lighthouse on the point first. It was so beautiful everywhere we looked. Ozzy really wanted to go to the top of the lighthouse so we joined the tour group (perfect timing) and hopped in line. I climbed the spiral staircase with him all the way to the top and then back down. He thought it was so cool. (It was!) We hurried back down to Dad, Fitz, and Enzo and then we all walked back to the van and got some ice cream from an ice cream truck on the way. It was so so hot! When we got back to the van we decided to put Fitz and Enzo down for naps and have Ozzy do something quiet. I stayed with the kids so Nick could go fishing. The napping boys slept for so long! Nick came back and they were still sleeping so he went back out again to a different spot. It was almost 4:00 by the time everyone was awake! We drove to find food. (These past two days we haven’t been fully set up to cook because we’ve been moving and sleeping in new places each night so that means we’ve had to eat more meals from restaurants than we like.) We ended up at Shake Shack in downtown Miami. Kind of an oops, but ended up being kind of fun too! We finished eating and then went on a hunt for a park the boys to play at. We found a really cool one that they ended up loving and stayed there until it started to get dark. Then it was back to the van to find our Walmart parking lot for the night. We found one that ended up being in a really nice area. It is our final vagabond night before we go to our campground in Key Largo for the next 6 nights!
3/11/22 - Left Palm Beach area / Destination Fort Lauderdale area
Packing up always takes much more time than we expect it to. Its a lot to breakdown and pack, plus the time added helping the kids to stay entertained and juggling their needs. Today, we barely got out of there by noon! It is always a struggle no matter how organized we are, but we did it and were on our way… to the unknown. Today was the first time we didn’t really know where we were going. We have no definite plans until Sunday so we headed in the direction of that eventual destination, South, to see where the day took us. Everyone was
hungry when we left so grabbing some food was top priority, but the boys all fell asleep quickly so we just kept on driving. We decided to go to Fort Lauderdale to see what it is all about. Turns out it was not the scene for us. (Although it does have some very cool things about it like these beautiful waterways leading yachts right up to peoples houses.) But we skipped past Fort Lauderdale Beach after doing a drive by on the A1A and found a state park a bit more South. It was called Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania and was a much better fit for a family like ours. The water was bright blue and the beach was narrow and shallow. We spent a couple hours there before everyone got hungry again (we stopped at a Chipotle earlier.) Nick fished and caught one small fish and saw another shark. We chased birds and jumped over waves. While Nick was fishing I took the boys across the street to a park. Before we left, Nick and I had cold outdoor showers because we weren’t able to fit a shower in before leaving the campground this morning. Then we loaded up the van to find dinner and a place to park for the night. We drove past a pizza place that looked yummy, so we had pizza from there, and then found a cozy parking spot at Walmart in Hollywood to post up in for the night. Everyone was asleep before we even set up their beds so we just transferred everyone and had a great night.
3/10/22 - West Palm Beach, FL
It seems like every few days we need a recoup day, and that day was today. We stayed around our home base today so the kids could all nap well and we could catch up on a few things. Days like today don’t usually end up being very restful, but they are productive. We are leaving this campground tomorrow so it was great timing to have a day to prepare. Ozzy and Fitz have both been begging to go back to the pool since we were first there a few days ago, so while Enzo napped, Nick took the big boys swimming. When Enzo woke up we went over to join them The kids have been waking up really early again (just like at home.) So Fitz and Enzo were both napping by 11:00 am this morning (nap 2 for Enzo.) Ozzy worked on pages from his workbook and when he was done I took him to the pool. He is getting so confident in the water and swimming like a fish! He absolutely loves it and is doing so well! When Fitz and Enzo woke up, Nick brought them to the pool and we all had another fun swim together. Then it was time to head back for lunch. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes and stayed busy playing after that. I started a few loads of laundry with Fitzy and then Nick took the boys to the campground store for ice. They came back with ice cream. I gave each of them a cool refreshing outside shower with the rinse kit and then they played an iPad game together while I made some dinner. Then it was off to bed.
*This campground is a little bit further away from the beach, but we have had the whole tent area to ourselves pretty much all week which has been really nice. Lots of space to ride bikes and run around. We are also kind of by a pavilion which hosts dance parties, bingo night, and karaoke throughout the week.
*Every night Fitz has been looking for the moon. When he finds he he says “Moon too high mama. Need a ladder!” Referring too touching the moon. It’s pretty cute.
3/9/22 - Lion Country Safari
We spent the whole day at the Lion Country Safari. It sits right next to the KOA campground we are staying at this week. It turned out to be a lot more than we were expecting! The first thing you do when entering the park is a drive yourself safari tour. It was really cool. We were all pretty impressed with the how many animals there were. The animals were mostly in herds and were all able to roam around in large open areas (which we drove through.) There were too many animals to count! Ostriches, Impalas, Wildebeests, Water Buffalo, Lions, Chimpanzees, Giraffes, Zebras, Rhinos (including a baby rhino) and tons of other animals I couldn’t name. It was very cool. All three of the kids were out of their seatbelts and having a blast looking at the animals and moving freely throughout the van. The end of the Safari lead us to a parking lot where we parked to continue on to the walking portion. It was song lunch time when we got there so we stayed in the van for lunch and then continued on. The walking portion was also very cool. It was all outside pathways leading to more animal exhibits (tortoises, snakes, parrots, alligators, flamingos, etc) as well as to other entertainment. It really was Jan packed with things to do. A kids water park, splash pad, carousel, train rides, paddle board, ferries, pay and then can continue a walking tour. I’m
3/8/22 - Jupiter, FL
Another early start to the day. After breakfast we loaded into the van and headed to the beach. We chose to go to DuBois Park in Jupiter because we heard that it was very family friendly AND there are lots of fish-able ocean inlets. It ended up being the perfect spot for us and such a cool park! We found a place to set up for the day and then Nick took off right from there on our paddle board for a few hours to fish. There were lots of other families there and the boys and I had a great time. We were situated on a sandy ocean inlet. The area was pretty shallow and there weren’t waves, so it was a fun change from our last few beach days. We swam around and played with sand toys. Enzo took his ‘beach day nap’ under the sunshade. We ate snacks and then Nick was back. I took the big boys out on the paddle board while he stayed with Enzo. We came back and Fitzy was getting pretty tired. I took him back to the van and put him down for a nap on the bed. It ended up being a pretty long nap. While he napped I helped Nick pack up our beach things and then brought Enzo back for a nap as well. He slept in my arms. Nick and Ozzy stayed busy exploring the park (and found a crab) while I was with the other two in the van. Once everyone woke up we all took a walk along a sidewalk path and over a bridge to the end of a jetty. Lots of people were fishing and catching all sorts of fish. One guy showed us his catch. It was a sheepshead fish. It was very windy out there so we started back. When we were about to cross the bridge again we heard a man yelling at some teenagers in the water below, “Go that way! There’s a shark!” And sure enough we saw the fins of a large shark swim right by the kids and back out to the main inlet. It was crazy to see because we were swimming with our kids in that same water area only a few hours before. It didn’t seem deep enough for anything like that to be a worry. Everyone was okay, but the water was cleared out for a few minutes before people started swimming again. We got in van and headed back to camp. Our way home was pretty slow because we left during rush hour and had to stop to wait for a draw bridge we needed to cross over. But everyone did great and when we got back we made dinner, showered, and then went to bed. It was a fun and exhausting day. The only kind of Florida day we know!
3/7/22 - West Palm Beach, FL
Everyone woke up super early today. We stayed in the van until 7:00 am and then tried to quietly emerge. Nick made omelets and toast for breakfast. I took Ozzy and Fitz to the campground park with their bikes. They played on the big toy and I pushed them on the swings for quite a while and then we headed back to camp. By this time it was only about 10:00 am but they seemed so so tired already. We stayed around the campsite riding bikes and chasing lizards. Nick was doing some work and needed to make some phone calls and because everyone was pretty tired, I took the kids inside the van and tried to get them to rest. They were too awake though, so I pulled out some card games for us to play and made a snack plate. We played and ate as I rocked Enzo to sleep. Then Fitz started getting tired. He came to lay next to me and eventually he dozed off. I asked Ozzy to lay by me for 15 minutes to see what would happen. He insisted he wasn’t tired enough for a nap, but he agreed, and fell asleep as well. I laid there smooshed in between my three sleepy boys loving every second and dozed off myself. I woke when Enzo started stirring so i quietly took him outside and we took a rainy/ humid walk together while the other boys kept sleeping. Later when they woke up and Nick was finished working we suited up and went to the pool. Ozzy has turned into a little fish in the water and Fitz and Enzo both love the water too, so we had a great time. Nick had one more call to make so we all went back to the van about an hour and a half later and I dressed the boys while he had his meeting. Then we all hopped on the van headed to do a few errands. We grabbed dinner first and then stopped for groceries at Winn Dixie followed by a quick stop at Target. Back at our campsite we turned things over for the night, brushed everyone’s teeth, and all three of the boys were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. I finished my nightly chores. Mostly a few dishes left over from the day (because we ate out tonight 🙌) and cleaning up camp a bit. Then I tucked myself in bed too! I loved the slower pace of today. Another lovely day in the Sunshine State.
3/6/22 - Cocoa Beach, FL / West Palm Beach, FL
Our night in the Walmart parking lot was great. We woke up, turned the van over, got the kids dressed in swimming suits, and then drove to Lori Wilson Park about 10 minutes away. We found a picnic table there and had breakfast. Enzo napped in the van while we ate. We also boiled water to have in our thermos and did a few dishes. When Enzo woke up we packed up the wagon and walked to the beach. We stayed at the beach several hours. Ozzy and Fitz are already so much more comfortable and confident in the ocean waves. Fitz’s favorite thing is “big jumps” over the crashing waves and Ozzy runs, jumps, swims all around and loves playing with the surfer dudes. Enzo also really loves the beach. He loves dipping his toes in the ocean and kicking his feet in the sand. We had lunch there and Enzo napped again under the sunshade. Nick rented a boogie board and we all tried it which was really fun. We left later than we meant to so everyone was tired. Fitz fell asleep as soon as we got him changed and buckled in his car seat. We packed up and were off to our next campground two hours South in West Palm Beach.
3/5/22 - Left Saint Augustine, FL / End destination Cocoa Beach, FL
Every day is an adventure! Today was our last day in Saint Augustine. We took the morning to pack up the van and do some laundry. I started the laundry (mostly towels and swimming suits from our beach days) and then took the kids to the park so that Nick could pack uninterrupted. Because of the misty fog last night our tent was wet and needed to dry out along with a few other things. That slowed down the process a bit. Van life with three kids is a serious juggling act! Someone always needs a nap or to eat or is having a meltdown (Fitzy?) etc. which makes having much time to work on a project difficult. Nick and I have never worked so hard in our lives day in and out like this. We are constantly moving (unless at the beach) but it’s not a total break there either, haha. We are having so much fun though! After leaving the campsite we went to a car wash and then stopped for a homemade lunch at a park. We chatted with quite a few people there about our travels and “van life.” We have people talking to us everywhere we go honestly. People are so interested. We stayed at the park about 2 1/2 hours. The kids played and Nick reconfigured things in the van… again. It’s just not quite right yet. When we left we drove to an ice cream parlor for a treat and then started driving south. We have one “free” night before our next campsite reservation so we thought we’d go easy on ourselves and grab a hotel. But our plans changed. We already decided to go to the Cocoa Beach area but as we drove down we talked ourselves out of a hotel and decided that we could find a place to boondock for the night. We ordered Thai food. Ate it at another nice park and played there until bedtime. Then we drove down the road to a . . . Walmart parking lot! There were signs posted forbidding overnight RV’s and truck parking, but Nick talked to the manager inside and they said it was just the city rule and that they didn’t care. We decided to take the risk and get our sleepy kids to bed. I feel like this is an experience every van family needs at least once. So far so good! 🤞 Goodnight.
FRIDAY 3/4/22 - Saint Augustine, FL
We spent the whole day at Anastasia State Park. Our goal was to get there for high tide at about 9:45 am so that Nick could fish for a few hours while I took the boys to the beach. We dropped him off with the SUP and his fishing pole by the ocean inlets and then continued on about a mile to the parking lot for beach access. After getting everything we needed unloaded from the van and into a wagon we followed a boardwalk to the ocean and found a nice spot to set up for the day. I felt like everything was pretty smooth getting there, but several people offered me help along our way. An older man insisted he pull the wagon across the final sandy stretch for me. Everyone we’ve come in contact with on this trip so far have been so nice and helpful. Or maybe they just feel bad for me, haha. Anyway, I set up the sunshade, laid out the sand mat and towels, gave the kids their sand toys and snacks and then realized I forgot one important tote I needed for Enzo! I knew we all had to go back to the van and that was a struggle. But we made it there and back (with the tote) and could finally relax and enjoy the day. And what an enjoyable day it was! Beach days are the best! Enzo took a great nap under the sunshade again and while he did I was able to play in the surf with Ozzy and Fitz. We had so much fun jumping over waves, running away from the waves, and playing with the surfer dude toys. When Enzo did wake up I held him in my arms back at the sunshade and he fell asleep for another 45 minutes! Half way through that second nap Nick showed up. He had hitch hiked over to us. He had a work call to take, so me and all the boys played in the waves again. Then we had a lunch together and played some more. We left the beach at around 4:30 pm exhausted. It was so fun! One of my favorite days together as a family so far. We came back to camp cleaned everyone up and had dinner then tucked the kids in bed. Because it’s our last night here, Nick and I cleaned and backed up camp. A storm rolled in during this with a misty humid rain. We will head down the coast tomorrow on our way to our next spot in the Jupiter/ West Palm Beach area. We really enjoyed our time in Saint Augustine!
THURSDAY 3/3/22 Saint Augustine, FL
We started the morning with a quick breakfast (cereal) and then turned over the van to drive mode and packed up for the beach. We left at about 9:15 and drove about 3 minutes to the beach (we didn’t realize it was so close maybe tomorrow we’ll walk.) We found a parking spot pretty easily, but after unloading everyone and everything we realized we were at a fishing pier and there wasn’t easy access to the open sandy beach so we had to load up and drive to a different spot for closer access. It was okay though because in that short time we talked to so many people. They just kept striking up conversation with us. While Nick and Enzo talked to this guy who was going surfing (and offered to let Nick borrow a board) — Ozzy, Fitz and I talked to a bunch of elderly couples who each commented on my cute kids and then a guy who told us all about the rocket launches that have been happening at Cape Canaveral by Elon Musk. My point is, people were very friendly. We did leave that area and found another place to park about 1 minute away which gave us the access to the beach we were hoping for. It was so beautiful! There was sand of course, but more of the visible ground was covered in crushed up seashells! We spend several hours there and it was just perfect. Enzo napped under the sunshade. Ozzy and Fitz played in the sand and waves. We brought some surfer dude toys that Oz was especially entertained by. We ate snacks and then jumped off mini sand dunes. It really was perfect and definitely one of those moments that made all the hard parts well worth it! After leaving the beach we drove a few miles away so we could go grocery shopping. We were getting pretty low on food. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep so Nick stayed in the car with them while Ozzy and I shopped at Publix. After leaving the grocery store we decided to go to a fishing shop for some ocean flies. While Nick was inside, me and the boys ate lunch in the van. Then, because we were all fed and rested, we decided to stop in downtown Saint Augustine at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It was really cool. All of Saint Augustine is cool. It has an old Spanish vibe. We walked around the outside of the fort and stayed for about an hour before heading back to the campground for dinner, showers, and then bed. It was a fun day!
WEDNESDAY 3/2/22 Saint Augustine, FL
We spent our first night in the van! To be honest it was a little rough. Not the sleeping part, just the setting up. After driving for so long and so far and arriving at the KOA so late at night , we all wanted to sleep sooner than we were able to set things up. The kids were hyper and then crashed and Nick and I were stressed about the noise. We did our best, tucked everyone in and all fell asleep until 8:30 am this morning. I have a feeling we will be a well oiled machine soon enough! Now that we are here (Florida) we will be able to settle into a more predictable schedule and we can re-establish a consistent bedtime too! Everything was really great as far as the function of the van. The fan, vents, bed set up, goal zero, etc., all worked really well.
We took the morning and afternoon to reset. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes and played in the sand while Nick and I organized and reconfigured a few things in the van. We boiled some water (for dishes) and made eggs and toast for breakfast. I took Ozzy to the pool to swim (with Enzo) while Fitz napped. Nick stayed back with Fitz to get some work done. Ozzy, Enzo, and I came back to put Enzo down for a nap and while he and Fitz napped, Ozzy and I did some pages out of his workbook. We ended up not leaving the campground at all. Everyone was content and it was nice to slow down for a day. We needed the reset. I did laundry, we had spaghetti and salad for dinner. The kids had showers before bed and they were all asleep by 8:00. Nick and I finished dishes, cleaned up camp, had showers of our own, and we’re in bed by 9:45 pm. We’re planning on a beach day tomorrow!
TUESDAY 3/1/22 - Left Atlanta, GA / End destination Saint Augustine, FL
We all slept in until 8:30 am this morning! A family record! Breakfast was served until 9:00 am so we all hurried down in our pajamas. When we came back to the room we all dressed and packed up. We loaded our things into the van and drove to a gas station to fill up on gas and reload ice in the cooler. Then we began the final leg of our journey to Florida! The drive started off a bit slow with some traffic through downtown Atlanta, but it wasn’t too bad and soon enough we were driving through the suburbs of Atlanta and then Georgia countryside. We decided to go a slightly longer route so we could drive through Savannah, GA and then follow the coastline down to Saint Augustine. At about 1:00 we pulled off at a very remote countryside exit for homemade lunch in the van and a stretch break. It was a beautiful day. 66 degrees and sunny blue skies. We arrived in Savannah, GA at Forsyth Park at about 3:30 pm. It was a beautiful park! Big trees with moss hanging from them, blooming flower bushes, big green grass areas, and the perfect temperature. We walked around for a bit and then found the children’s park area where Ozzy and Fitz played. We stayed for about an hour before taking off again. Drove another hour, stopped for dinner (Chick-fil-a) then continued on. We were only two hours out from Saint Augustine, FL. So close!
**So far our car driving routine has been hands on activities, books, or audio books for the morning portion of driving (today it was pipe cleaners and a open-the-flap animal book) and then show or iPad time after lunch. We usually feel it out for after dinner. Fitz and Enzo almost always fall asleep and Ozzy will choose an activity. This routine has been working pretty well for us! Enzo has pretty much stuck to his three nap routine like at home. When he’s awake he looks out the window or plays with the soft book and/or toys we brought for him. He takes a bottle and i can reach back to help him with it or Ozzy will help too. Enzo has done amazingly well! Happy little baby!
No matter what time it is it seems like everyone breaks down for the last 30 minutes before we’re done driving for the night. It’s usually all at once and in unison, haha. They are all fine again once we get out at the hotel for the night but have a boost of energy which is hard to harness in a sleepy hotel. Bedtime gets a bit hectic, but once in bed they settle and fall asleep fairly quickly.
MONDAY 2/28 - Left Nashville, TN / End destination Atlanta, GA.
After breakfast (continental breakfast again) Ozzy and Fitz really wanted to swim in the hotel pool. Nick took them swimming while I stayed in the room and put Enzo down for a nap and packed up our things. We left the hotel at 11:00 am headed for downtown Nashville. We decided to see the city via hop-on hop-off trolly. We sat in the very back and did not hop off until the end of the tour. Enzo slept almost the entire time and Ozzy and Fitz did really well. Ozzy stayed busy looking for license plates and Fitz sat on Nick’s lap happily. We brought snacks for them (thank goodness) and shelling pistachios, for an activity, got us through the last 15 minutes when Fitzy was over it. Overall a fun thing to experience and an easy way get a feel for Nashville. Probably easier to enjoy without kids. The bus dropped us off on the iconic downtown Nashville Main Street with live music, bars, and people, everywhere. We wandered along that street on our way to the van and got back with two minutes to spare on the parking meter. We decided to leave the city to find something for a late lunch and ended up at Bojangles. Drove away from Nashville at 5:00 pm headed for Atlanta.
**Nick would like it to be noted that Tennessee has the most Highway potholes.
SUNDAY 2/27 - Left Colombia, MO / End destination Nashville, TN.
After another delightful hotel continental breakfast we left Colombia, MO by 10:00 am and headed for Saint Lewis, MO. We wanted to stop there for lunch and to see the Gateway Arch. It was only a quick two hours from Colombia so we got there at about noon. We parked the van, packed a lunch, unloaded the kids’ bikes, and walked/biked to the park. It was a lovely day, sunny and 45 degrees. The arch is impressive and the park area was so fun. Easy for Ozzy and Fitz to ride bikes and there were lots of stairs and benches and features for them to run around and climb on. We ate lunch on a bench between the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. We ended up staying a lot longer than expected and drove away from Saint Lewis, MO at about 2:30 pm. We crossed the Mississippi River and immediately entered Illinois. We drove three more hours through Illinois, then Kentucky, and finally in to Tennessee where we arrived at our hotel in Nashville at about 9:00 pm. We all snacked in the car a lot during that portion of the drive, so we ate a small dinner with the food we had in the van and then went off to baths and bed. We’re looking forward to seeing more of Nashville, TN in the morning! Especially after hearing live music nearby as we walked in to the hotel! We are staying in Opryland.
**sidenote: it has been fun driving through so many states with Ozzy. He is very interested (and knowledgeable) about each state and LOVES looking at the different license plates we see on the road. Tonight as we were driving the finally stretch of the day from St Lewis to Nashville he said “Mom, I’m excited to stay in Tennessee’s capital tonight!” He makes cute little comments like that all the time. It’s so fun to show him so many of the states he has learned about from his maps and globes he loves to look at!
SATURDAY 2/26 - Left Ogallala, NE at about 10:00 am / End destination Colombia, MO for the night. Kids were in great spirits. Ozzy worked on mazes in an activity book and Fitz colored. They had some show and iPad time mixed in as well. Enzo was happy most of the time with naps and milk and a binkie as long as the sun wasn’t in his eyes. We stopped quickly for gas a few times but took a longer break in Lincoln, NE at Pioneer Park. Ate a homemade lunch in the van and played outside on a jungle gym and swings. The park was huge with a trail system. We drove to see bison at the nature park portion (a dad we meet told us about it) and also saw a weird slide thing we had to check out. Turns out it was a sledding “hill” contraption. No snow in sight though. The boys still had fun sliding/scooting down. After the park we drove again eventually crossing the Missouri River and passing through a small portion of Iowa! Stopped in Saint Joseph, MO for a dinner break at Chipotle. Drove through Kansas City after dinner before reaching Colombia, MO. Bath, jammies and bed.
FRIDAY 2/25 - Left Mountain Green, UT at 2:30 pm / End destination was Ogallala, NE for the night.
Made a few stops for gas along the way and dinner at Dominos in Rawlins, WY.
Slept in until 7:30 and enjoyed a continental breakfast in the morning. Kids were stoked!
We spent the whole day at Anastasia State Park. Our goal was to get there for high tide at about 9:45 am so that Nick could fish for a few hours while I took the boys to the beach. We dropped him off with the SUP and his fishing pole by the ocean inlets and then continued on about a mile to the parking lot for beach access. After getting everything we needed unloaded from the van and into a wagon we followed a boardwalk to the ocean and found a nice spot to set up for the day. I felt like everything was pretty smooth getting there, but several people offered me help along our way. An older man insisted he pull the wagon across the final sandy stretch for me. Everyone we’ve come in contact with on this trip so far have been so nice and helpful. Or maybe they just feel bad for me, haha. Anyway, I set up the sunshade, laid out the sand mat and towels, gave the kids their sand toys and snacks and then realized I forgot one important tote I needed for Enzo! I knew we all had to go back to the van and that was a struggle. But we made it there and back (with the tote) and could finally relax and enjoy the day. And what an enjoyable day it was! Beach days are the best! Enzo took a great nap under the sunshade again and while he did I was able to play in the surf with Ozzy and Fitz. We had so much fun jumping over waves, running away from the waves, and playing with the surfer dude toys. When Enzo did wake up I held him in my arms back at the sunshade and he fell asleep for another 45 minutes! Half way through that second nap Nick showed up. He had hitch hiked over to us. He had a work call to take, so me and all the boys played in the waves again. Then we had a lunch together and played some more. We left the beach at around 4:30 pm exhausted. It was so fun! One of my favorite days together as a family so far. We came back to camp cleaned everyone up and had dinner then tucked the kids in bed. Because it’s our last night here, Nick and I cleaned and backed up camp. A storm rolled in during this with a misty humid rain. We will head down the coast tomorrow on our way to our next spot in the Jupiter/ West Palm Beach area. We really enjoyed our time in Saint Augustine!
THURSDAY 3/3/22 Saint Augustine, FL
We started the morning with a quick breakfast (cereal) and then turned over the van to drive mode and packed up for the beach. We left at about 9:15 and drove about 3 minutes to the beach (we didn’t realize it was so close maybe tomorrow we’ll walk.) We found a parking spot pretty easily, but after unloading everyone and everything we realized we were at a fishing pier and there wasn’t easy access to the open sandy beach so we had to load up and drive to a different spot for closer access. It was okay though because in that short time we talked to so many people. They just kept striking up conversation with us. While Nick and Enzo talked to this guy who was going surfing (and offered to let Nick borrow a board) — Ozzy, Fitz and I talked to a bunch of elderly couples who each commented on my cute kids and then a guy who told us all about the rocket launches that have been happening at Cape Canaveral by Elon Musk. My point is, people were very friendly. We did leave that area and found another place to park about 1 minute away which gave us the access to the beach we were hoping for. It was so beautiful! There was sand of course, but more of the visible ground was covered in crushed up seashells! We spend several hours there and it was just perfect. Enzo napped under the sunshade. Ozzy and Fitz played in the sand and waves. We brought some surfer dude toys that Oz was especially entertained by. We ate snacks and then jumped off mini sand dunes. It really was perfect and definitely one of those moments that made all the hard parts well worth it! After leaving the beach we drove a few miles away so we could go grocery shopping. We were getting pretty low on food. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep so Nick stayed in the car with them while Ozzy and I shopped at Publix. After leaving the grocery store we decided to go to a fishing shop for some ocean flies. While Nick was inside, me and the boys ate lunch in the van. Then, because we were all fed and rested, we decided to stop in downtown Saint Augustine at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It was really cool. All of Saint Augustine is cool. It has an old Spanish vibe. We walked around the outside of the fort and stayed for about an hour before heading back to the campground for dinner, showers, and then bed. It was a fun day!
WEDNESDAY 3/2/22 Saint Augustine, FL
We spent our first night in the van! To be honest it was a little rough. Not the sleeping part, just the setting up. After driving for so long and so far and arriving at the KOA so late at night , we all wanted to sleep sooner than we were able to set things up. The kids were hyper and then crashed and Nick and I were stressed about the noise. We did our best, tucked everyone in and all fell asleep until 8:30 am this morning. I have a feeling we will be a well oiled machine soon enough! Now that we are here (Florida) we will be able to settle into a more predictable schedule and we can re-establish a consistent bedtime too! Everything was really great as far as the function of the van. The fan, vents, bed set up, goal zero, etc., all worked really well.
We took the morning and afternoon to reset. Ozzy and Fitz rode their bikes and played in the sand while Nick and I organized and reconfigured a few things in the van. We boiled some water (for dishes) and made eggs and toast for breakfast. I took Ozzy to the pool to swim (with Enzo) while Fitz napped. Nick stayed back with Fitz to get some work done. Ozzy, Enzo, and I came back to put Enzo down for a nap and while he and Fitz napped, Ozzy and I did some pages out of his workbook. We ended up not leaving the campground at all. Everyone was content and it was nice to slow down for a day. We needed the reset. I did laundry, we had spaghetti and salad for dinner. The kids had showers before bed and they were all asleep by 8:00. Nick and I finished dishes, cleaned up camp, had showers of our own, and we’re in bed by 9:45 pm. We’re planning on a beach day tomorrow!
TUESDAY 3/1/22 - Left Atlanta, GA / End destination Saint Augustine, FL
We all slept in until 8:30 am this morning! A family record! Breakfast was served until 9:00 am so we all hurried down in our pajamas. When we came back to the room we all dressed and packed up. We loaded our things into the van and drove to a gas station to fill up on gas and reload ice in the cooler. Then we began the final leg of our journey to Florida! The drive started off a bit slow with some traffic through downtown Atlanta, but it wasn’t too bad and soon enough we were driving through the suburbs of Atlanta and then Georgia countryside. We decided to go a slightly longer route so we could drive through Savannah, GA and then follow the coastline down to Saint Augustine. At about 1:00 we pulled off at a very remote countryside exit for homemade lunch in the van and a stretch break. It was a beautiful day. 66 degrees and sunny blue skies. We arrived in Savannah, GA at Forsyth Park at about 3:30 pm. It was a beautiful park! Big trees with moss hanging from them, blooming flower bushes, big green grass areas, and the perfect temperature. We walked around for a bit and then found the children’s park area where Ozzy and Fitz played. We stayed for about an hour before taking off again. Drove another hour, stopped for dinner (Chick-fil-a) then continued on. We were only two hours out from Saint Augustine, FL. So close!
**So far our car driving routine has been hands on activities, books, or audio books for the morning portion of driving (today it was pipe cleaners and a open-the-flap animal book) and then show or iPad time after lunch. We usually feel it out for after dinner. Fitz and Enzo almost always fall asleep and Ozzy will choose an activity. This routine has been working pretty well for us! Enzo has pretty much stuck to his three nap routine like at home. When he’s awake he looks out the window or plays with the soft book and/or toys we brought for him. He takes a bottle and i can reach back to help him with it or Ozzy will help too. Enzo has done amazingly well! Happy little baby!
No matter what time it is it seems like everyone breaks down for the last 30 minutes before we’re done driving for the night. It’s usually all at once and in unison, haha. They are all fine again once we get out at the hotel for the night but have a boost of energy which is hard to harness in a sleepy hotel. Bedtime gets a bit hectic, but once in bed they settle and fall asleep fairly quickly.
MONDAY 2/28 - Left Nashville, TN / End destination Atlanta, GA.
After breakfast (continental breakfast again) Ozzy and Fitz really wanted to swim in the hotel pool. Nick took them swimming while I stayed in the room and put Enzo down for a nap and packed up our things. We left the hotel at 11:00 am headed for downtown Nashville. We decided to see the city via hop-on hop-off trolly. We sat in the very back and did not hop off until the end of the tour. Enzo slept almost the entire time and Ozzy and Fitz did really well. Ozzy stayed busy looking for license plates and Fitz sat on Nick’s lap happily. We brought snacks for them (thank goodness) and shelling pistachios, for an activity, got us through the last 15 minutes when Fitzy was over it. Overall a fun thing to experience and an easy way get a feel for Nashville. Probably easier to enjoy without kids. The bus dropped us off on the iconic downtown Nashville Main Street with live music, bars, and people, everywhere. We wandered along that street on our way to the van and got back with two minutes to spare on the parking meter. We decided to leave the city to find something for a late lunch and ended up at Bojangles. Drove away from Nashville at 5:00 pm headed for Atlanta.
**Nick would like it to be noted that Tennessee has the most Highway potholes.
SUNDAY 2/27 - Left Colombia, MO / End destination Nashville, TN.
After another delightful hotel continental breakfast we left Colombia, MO by 10:00 am and headed for Saint Lewis, MO. We wanted to stop there for lunch and to see the Gateway Arch. It was only a quick two hours from Colombia so we got there at about noon. We parked the van, packed a lunch, unloaded the kids’ bikes, and walked/biked to the park. It was a lovely day, sunny and 45 degrees. The arch is impressive and the park area was so fun. Easy for Ozzy and Fitz to ride bikes and there were lots of stairs and benches and features for them to run around and climb on. We ate lunch on a bench between the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. We ended up staying a lot longer than expected and drove away from Saint Lewis, MO at about 2:30 pm. We crossed the Mississippi River and immediately entered Illinois. We drove three more hours through Illinois, then Kentucky, and finally in to Tennessee where we arrived at our hotel in Nashville at about 9:00 pm. We all snacked in the car a lot during that portion of the drive, so we ate a small dinner with the food we had in the van and then went off to baths and bed. We’re looking forward to seeing more of Nashville, TN in the morning! Especially after hearing live music nearby as we walked in to the hotel! We are staying in Opryland.
**sidenote: it has been fun driving through so many states with Ozzy. He is very interested (and knowledgeable) about each state and LOVES looking at the different license plates we see on the road. Tonight as we were driving the finally stretch of the day from St Lewis to Nashville he said “Mom, I’m excited to stay in Tennessee’s capital tonight!” He makes cute little comments like that all the time. It’s so fun to show him so many of the states he has learned about from his maps and globes he loves to look at!
SATURDAY 2/26 - Left Ogallala, NE at about 10:00 am / End destination Colombia, MO for the night. Kids were in great spirits. Ozzy worked on mazes in an activity book and Fitz colored. They had some show and iPad time mixed in as well. Enzo was happy most of the time with naps and milk and a binkie as long as the sun wasn’t in his eyes. We stopped quickly for gas a few times but took a longer break in Lincoln, NE at Pioneer Park. Ate a homemade lunch in the van and played outside on a jungle gym and swings. The park was huge with a trail system. We drove to see bison at the nature park portion (a dad we meet told us about it) and also saw a weird slide thing we had to check out. Turns out it was a sledding “hill” contraption. No snow in sight though. The boys still had fun sliding/scooting down. After the park we drove again eventually crossing the Missouri River and passing through a small portion of Iowa! Stopped in Saint Joseph, MO for a dinner break at Chipotle. Drove through Kansas City after dinner before reaching Colombia, MO. Bath, jammies and bed.
FRIDAY 2/25 - Left Mountain Green, UT at 2:30 pm / End destination was Ogallala, NE for the night.
Made a few stops for gas along the way and dinner at Dominos in Rawlins, WY.
Slept in until 7:30 and enjoyed a continental breakfast in the morning. Kids were stoked!
