Week 41
Last week was our first week back on the road and it felt good…we had to slowly get our RV legs back though including the cat (he lost his breakfast the first few days again). This week we are in the groove again and are chasing the hope of warmer weather in Florida.
Day 283 Mon 01/15
Today we left Pass Christian and said goodbye to our friends the Watters and headed east to the Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Davis Bayou Campground in Mississippi. Once we got settled in at the campground, we took a walk with Cooper because the sun was out and it was almost 50 degrees! We saw our first alligator also taking advantage of the sunshine and warmer temperatures sunbathing in the swamp. A local woman indicated that the female alligator had babies last year but we did not see them. She also told us there was a 12 footer that lived by the boat dock but thankfully we didn’t see it! we ran across some older ladies watercoloring the salt marsh on the boardwalk. The campsite was full by this afternoon. John made his curried spinach and lentils dish for dinner, but this time we added cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and tofu for more variety and they were good additions.
Day 284 Tues 01/16
This morning I went for a jog to the visitor center to renew our campsite due to the forecasted sub-freezing temps for the next couple of days. We needed to have access to electricity to run our heater, and this campground was cheap for that so we decided to extend our stay. I had done some research on the places we would want to see over the next couple of weeks and had to make some choices based on our campsite budget as to which ones we would actually visit. The temperatures started to drop quickly by mid-day so we hunkered down in the RV and listened to podcasts and blogged for the rest of the day.
Day 285 Wed 01/17
This morning we woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground and icicles on the vehicle…it was COLD! So, today we blogged and listened to podcasts on financial independence and only got out of the RV to walk Cooper and take a hot shower. We made homemade vegetarian ramen tonight for dinner and it was soooo good! We added all sorts of non traditional veggies like left over purple cabbage and edamame, along with mushrooms, bok choy, miso carrots and tofu. For the broth I had found an organic veggie ramen broth at Walmart of all places so I decided to try it and it was really good so we will get it again.
Day 286 Thurs 01/18
Today we decided to leave the National Seashore, and drove to the Shepard State Park Lamotte Bayou Campground down the road because it was a few dollars cheaper and it was going to be in the 20s again tonight so we needed electricity to run the heater. Basically we needed to get a few more groceries and the campsite we were in was not available for another night so we decided to just move campgrounds for a change of scenery. I’m glad we did because this campground was pretty cool. Cooper and I walked around the park and we had it all to ourselves it seemed. There was this really cool archery range nestled in the pine forest and it made me think of Robin Hood for some reason, and I wanted to try it. The tall piney woods were quiet, but Cooper and I enjoyed the excercise.
Day 287 Fri 01/19
This morning after the usual animal snuggles we left Mississippi and drove through Alabama and on to Florida to the Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Fort Pickens campground near Pensacola. The drive was beautiful. We took Cooper on a long walk not on the beach (because he wasn’t allowed) but on the road and there was a nature trail to get him some exercise. There were also some abandoned batteries nestled in the dunes in the park that looked like a scene out of star wars. On our way back to the campground we heard some rustling in the grass and were surprised to see an armadillo. Cooper was very excited and immediately wanted to introduce himself. After our explorations, I was fairly pooped so I took a bit of a cat nap and woke up just in time to run to the beach to catch a pretty sunset. The beach was not very crowded and the sound of the waves and the cool breeze as the sun was setting was nothing less than spiritual and soul filling for me. As I was headed back to the RV I met a gentleman named Mark who was traveling in a van around the country mountain biking so we chatted a bit about some of our favorite places we have been. As soon as the sun goes down on the coast the temperature quickly drops.
Day 288 Sat 01/20
This morning I woke up just before sunrise and rushed to the beach to catch the sunrise and it was spectacular! Well, the news this morning was that the national government shutdown last night so we got a friendly visit from the park rangers to let us know that they were closing the park and that everyone will need to be out of the campground by 4 pm…luckily since we were headed out today anyway we hit the road at 12. Our neighbors didn’t answer their door when the rangers stopped by so John had to break the news to them and this old gentleman’s response was deer in the headlights as if he had no idea what he was talking about and said, “ OK, well that doesn’t make me proud of my government….” The last time this happened was right before we took our trip to the Grand Canyon the first time and we were so nervous that we would not get to go…thankfully they resolved the budget issues enough to move on and open back up so we were not affected, but we couldn’t help to think about families that had planned trips for months if not years to finally be able to go to national parks and then have to get kicked out and find an available spot elsewhere. What a bummer for sure. As we left the park they had the entry gates closed with a ranger turning people around. We drove the coast out of the park and were able to stop at the West Park Beach Dog Park with Cooper so he could get in some beach time. He LOVES the beach I think as much if not more than I do so he had fun playing in the sand. It was a finer grain than usual though so it kept getting all in his mouth. There were fishermen set up along the beach trying to catch redfish. It was a pretty small park (section of the beach that allowed dogs) so we didn’t stay too long and when we got back to the RV we realized Cooper had broken one of his k9 teeth…but did not appear to be in any pain so we will keep an eye on it over the next several days. Now Cooper and John have matching chipped teeth! Our destination tonight was the Walmart just past Destin, so we took our time and enjoyed the coastal drive. There was a state park across the street so we decided to pay $6 to get access to the beach so John and I could take a walk and enjoy the sunset. We left Cooper in the RV with Buster this time since he wasn’t allowed on the beach there.
Day 289 Sun 01/21
Today John finished his blog post about our Frugal Travels and we left the Walmart outside of Destin and drove through Seaside. Seaside is a New Urbanist master planned beach community (and also where the Truman Show was filmed). It is full of pastel colored multimillion dollar vacation homes with white picket fences and sidewalks and bike lanes and a town square with shops and dining, an artist village and a chapel. We walked around with Cooper for the afternoon and checked out the beach pavilions, unfortunately dogs aren’t allowed on the beach without a permit, and from what we could tell the permits are for residents. There was definitely an exclusive feel to the area as most of the pavilions were private and also required a “wristband” to access. Luckily this time of year we were able to find a parking space on the main drag with our big rig but we definitely stuck out, everything wast pristine, and you could tell the local regulations require immaculate upkeep for a beach community. You could not easily find paint chipping anywhere unless you looked really hard, so whoever has the painting contracts in town must make a mint. When we made it back to the RV we found our fat cat sunning in the front seat belly up. We drove through several other resort areas and through Rosemary beach on to Panama City. What a stark contrast the intentional high end planning in Seaside and Rosemary Beach was compared to the junkie touristy not walkable areas of Panama City Beach. There was a dog park near the pier so we hung out there with Cooper until sunset while I read Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown. I have read 3 of her other books on this trip so far and have loved all of them! Seriously, they are life changing! She is so funny and real and often has me crying or laughing or both at the same time. This book is particularly critical for the disconnected and polarized society we are living in now and is challenging us when she says, “The special courage it takes to experience true belonging is not just about braving the wilderness, it’s about being the wilderness. It’s about breaking down walls, abandoning our ideological bunkers, and living from our wild heart rather than our weary hurt.” #preachsista So, the Panama City Walmart was one of the nicer ones we have stayed at. The city must have landscaping and public space requirements for this newer development because it was nicer than most we have stayed at and was unexpected compared to the rest of the area.
We have enjoyed being on the gulf coast this week and even though the weather has been unexpectedly colder than usual this time of year we have still managed to catch some amazing views, stretch our legs and breath in the vitamin sea. We are looking forward to making our way to visit our friend John Havill near Tampa next week continuing to explore the gulf coast of Florida.
The map below indicates our route last week from Pass Christian, MS to Panama City, FL.
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