After a long drive from the Pacific coast through the mountains in the rain during rainy season, we were ready for some rest. We arrived just as the sun was setting and the rain and clouds cleared for a few minutes to allow an amazing view of the volcano.

We stayed in the lower level two side by side apartments as you pull in to the left. Traveling with our three teenaged daughters the accomdations were perfect. Each apartment was equipped with a kitchen. One had a microwave. Since we arrived so late and it was raining we did not want to go back out for dinner. We brought a few things to cook there and it worked great for our needs. The mattress was wonderful, the best we slept on all week with soft cotton linens. Also we had nice hot showers!

Driving in I saw several of the other resorts and hotels that were advertised on the internet. And I just cannot imagine that their view could be any better than this one. Since it is on the lake side and you get a panoramic lake and volcano view. Make sure you use the restroom in el Castillo or Fortuna before driving all the way in to the inn. Be prepared for several kilometers of a BUMPY & ROCKY road!! As well as grabbing any necessary items or food and drinks. We really wish we had grabbed dinner to take up there. It is just 50meters from the sky tram adventures so easy to follow their billboards and signs.

We woke up early before the sun and watched and listened in amazement as the rainforest came alive. Yellow billed toucans calling from the trees. Hummingbirds flitting about from one flower to the next. The gardens full of colorful blossoms and that was all just in the foreground. The distance was the lake with reflections of pink clouds and the volcano with steam escaping from the top as the morning clouds floated around it. Just amazing. Truly one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. There are two hammocks on the porch to enjoy all of this beauty from.

Breakfast was ready at 7am and served outside at the front building on top of the knoll where you can take in the whole view. Our host was so gracious and accommodating. He said since we were only there one night, he wanted us to experience a true typical Costa Rican breakfast. It was so delicious. Starting with the coffee and fresh squeezed tropical fruit juice. He made eggs to order, a corn cake with nitilla (similar to a sour cream), plantains and pinto gallo shaped into a volcano. It was by far the best breakfast we had all week. Going above and beyond to make it special for us.

I really wished we had more than one day in the area as it was so beautiful and we wanted to take pictures of everything. If you plan on visiting the Arenal area, skip the touristy accomdations and stay at Arenal Tropical Gardens!!

Tuesday morning, we left the Southern Pacific Region of the country or where we had been calling home for the past five days. We drove up the coast then headed inland towards the Arenal volcano. Google maps said the trip would take five and one half hours. Well, Google was wrong. While I appreciate the super advanced technology of having any kind of information at your fingertips, Google does not take into account things like an impassable truck overloaded with lumber in front of you for 58 kilometers climbing a mountain. That will make all anticipated travel times fly out the window and just make you happy to arrive whenever you do. The afternoon rains followed us inland as we corkscrewed up the winding mountains through the town of San Ramon. We kept inching closer to La Fortuna and our final destination of El Castillo, the small town that sits between Lake Arenal and the Arenal volcano. We were ready for a full meal and restrooms when we stopped at a nice restaurant perched on top of the mountain. Our normal routine when stopping is to immediately obtain wifi passwords as our overnight accommodations font always had great signal and are part of the connected generation.
Once connected, my phone was pinging with alerts to be aware of a storm brewing in the south with possible projections of making an impact on our home island. Texting back and forth with our friends that have been pet sitting and enjoying their island retreat. I was typing out a list of the most important things to grab if an evacuation was ordered. Our black book that contains our important family documents, laptops, external hard drives, Sean’s cameras (mine are with me) and Sean’s mandolin. Most of this can fit in a plastic Rubbermaid container. We disconnected our wifi and continued to drive up the mountain till we turned the corner and saw the slight outline of the volcano faintly through the fog and clouds. Only few more kilometers, but traveling at 6 km per hour on a road made of softball sized rocks will still take a while. We then turned off the rocky road onto a beautiful hand laid stone paver road. This was definitely the most gorgeous road we’ve ever driven on in Costa Rica. Sean made a joke and said ” why don’t the do this all the way up?” A few turns later we busted out laughing as there was a while crew working on the road, in the rain at dusk hand laying each and every stone paver. 

One last turn and we arrived at our destination. The fog had lifted just in time for us to see the active volcano in clear site. White steam vapor clouds were emitting from the top of the massive volcano. It was a gorgeous site and we all scrambled to snap pictures in the last few moments of daylight.
Knowing we wanted to wake up with the jungle in the morning, we all turned in to bed rather early. What seemed like only few hours later, I awoke. (But I did get great sleep on an extremely wonderful mattress) I stumbled on to the ceramic tile deck where the hand woven hammocks were hung to see that Baylie was already up early sending out a Facebook live video. The view was just breathtakingly gorgeous. As the light changed by the moment and the sounds of birds singing, chirping and flitting all around us we were all just amazed. Water drops glistened from colorful flower petals as dozens of hummingbirds visited as many blooms as they could. There was a growing buzz that got louder as the morning progressed as bees were pollinating the rainbow array gardens. As if that was not enough just a gaze in the distance revealed the lake to our left with the clouds mirror images being reflected in the water. Then to turn my head to the right the pink morning clouds lifted from the peak of the volcano revealing the continual white steam of steam reminding is that this is an active volcano. Taking photos left and right with both my phone and my camera. Really deciding that my phone is doing a much better job capturing the scenes around me than my expensive professional gear. We all continued to gasp as this was clearly one of the most beautiful sights I have ever viewed. It was soon time to move up to the front house, high on the knoll looking down into the lake valley. That is where our homemade breakfast was to be served. By now the sun was shining in full brightness and sunglasses were definitely needed. We continued to breathe in the beauty, not wanting to leave our location for the long drive ahead of us. We could hear Juan and his staff working in the kitchen preparing our breakfast. The aroma of fresh coffee being brewed permeated the air.Imagining that it is being made from beans that were plucked from only a few mountains over. 

Our host explained that since we were only there for one night he wanted us to experience a very typical special Costa Rican breakfast. It was incredible! Starting with fresh pressed tropical fruit juices.He then cooked our eggs to order and made special corn cakes with natilla (kind of like sour cream) the pinto gallo (beans and rice) were presented on our plates in the shape of a volcano with a side if queso Blanco (white cheese). They really did go above and beyond to make our one meal with them extra special.  After breakfast we had to pack up and hit the road as we had a long drive back to the city ahead.

Further reports were coming in about the impending storm headed to Tybee. We made our last texts of communication for a while and aaid Wed check back. Y evening. 

We took about an hour and half to log in to free WiFi at a little restaurant in Dominical. (We did buy some food and coffee… we’re not total mooches) The girls were able to get a few school lessons completed. If you didn’t already know that about us, our girls attend an online school based in Atlanta. As long as we can connect to the internet, they can still do their work and attend school from anywhere in the world. On the days we aren’t connected we can simply take those as vacation days. They get 35 vacation days a year. That includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring breaks plolys five more days. If we decide to take vacation at different times than designated, no pro. The can just do a few more days when everyone else is taking their breaks. It’s something that definitely works for us and one of the main reasons we have chosen alternative education for our children.

We then drove only a few miles down the road to Poza Azul. Which is a waterfall in an area called Dominicalito. To get to it you have to cross a river, however there is no bridge to drive across, so we did what any Tico would do… drive right through it. A little nerve wracking, but we made it just fine.

We could hear the waterfall just up a little ways and in less than a quarter mile we were there. There was there sign at the top of a huge set of steps that leads down to the falls and the swimming hole at the bottom.

The girls rushed ahead of us, eager to get in and swim. Before too long, they decide to build little towers of rocks staked up and play a game of throwing rocks at it to see who could knock the stack down with the best throw. They laughed and giggled for an hour playing their new game. We took lots of pictures and video of our time at the falls.

After walking back up the steps to our car, everyone had built up quite an appetite. So we made an assembly line in the car to make everyone peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The day before we went to the supermarket and purchased bread, peanut butter and jelly along with snacks and fresh fruit for when we are traveling in the car. They tasted so good!

Later in the evening, we had accepted a dinner invitation with some friends that we first met here about seven years ago. They are from California originally and have lived here for several years, though they are currently living in the states and only here for a visit. So the timing was really kind if amazing that we were here at the same time. They have built a beautiful condominium complex on several acres in the mountains. It was really neat to be back after so many years and sew physically what was only described to us years ago.

We look forward to keeping up with them more in the future.

Tomorrow we drive away from the coast into the mountains to our next stop to visit the Arenal volcano.

The one main thing Ava wanted to do on this trip was to go ziplining. That was an easy enough request. I have been twice before and it was always a fun adventure. A few weeks ago I made the reservations online for a Saturday morning at 8am. Figuring that would be before the afternoon rains would arrive.

I was still able to rise with the sun and have an hour of quiet reflection time before waking Sean and the girls.

We ate granola bars and drank water as we drove south to the Osa Canopy Tour Office. I signed away waivers for all of our lives and paid for the adventure. This was the same company that we used when I went six years ago. So, yeah, just old hat for me.

We were reading the posters for the adventure. 9 cables, 2 repelling stations, and 2 suspension bridges and a Tarzan swing. I didn’t remember hanging bridges from before, but no worries they just added a few things to make the trip more value added. You have to keep up with the competition everywhere ya know.

We jumped onto the bench seats in the back of an open bed truck and headed down the highway turning off onto a dirt and rocky road. Bumping and jostling us back and forth. Thinking about how thankful I was to have used the restroom before getting into the truck.

About 30 minutes later after one of the most breathtakingly stunning drives I have ever been on, we were at the top of a rainforest mountain with beauty at every turn.

Our guides suited us up with harnesses and helmets as they gave us the safety talk and what to expect. Minutes later we each took turns zipping across from the first platform to the top of a tree high in the rainforest canopy.

The zipline is exhilarating as you “fly” over huge spans of space with green. Technically as the rider you don’t have too much to do other than site a certain way crossing at your ankles and enjoy the ride. The last fifteen feet you follow instructions to slow down so you don’t slam into the guides as they help unhook you from the cable. The girls were doing great and we were all excited to get to the next one. These cables are hundreds of feet in the air with nothing between you and the jungle below. Views included waterfalls, rivers, a little village, a three toed sloth….really just amazing. We were repelling down a tree, just trusting the equipment and our guides that do this every day for a living. It didn’t take much to talk us into rappelling upside down as the guides earned our trust.

Then we came to the first suspension bridge. By the time I got to the platform, the girls were already across. Hmmmm…I didn’t like the looks of doing this. But no worries, everyone else was already across. Kyleigh had been a little fearful of some of the platforms but she just jumped right in, usually the first one across. She said the anticipation was more frightening than actually doing it. I was so proud of her to just jump in and do it.

I watched as the girls pranced across the bridge at quick pace, similar to a six year old playing hopscotch, selecting where to place their next step, but hopping from board to board in almost a rhythmic pattern. The bridge was swinging and bouncing as all three of them were on it at the same time. I stepped on and followed suit, although at a little slower pace. I just did it one step at a time. The six inch planks were and separated by about eight inches of space between each board. Plenty of space for my foot to slip and fall through. We were still tethered in with a safety cable, so if I slipped and fell I wouldn’t plunge to the bottom of the gorge to my death, but I would be dangling until I could be rescued. Sweating was dripping from my face…although that might have been tears, as in my mind, this was one of the most mentally terrifying things I have ever physically done. Safely making it to the other side, I let out a sigh of relief and really tried not to think about the poster that I saw in the office.. the part that said TWO suspension bridges.

We continued on with more ziplines and another huge rappelling station. This tree was about a 250 ft drop from the platform to the ground. Once again, hanging upside down, completely putting trust in the equipment and our guides. It was then time for what I dreaded most. The second suspension bridge. Only this one the boards were 2 ½ inches wide by 3 feet long. They were laid out from end to end length wise. Each swinging independently of each other as they were suspended over a jungle revine. There were cables to hold onto to my left and my right. Believe me, I had a death grip on both of them. The boards were not new strong boards from the local lumber yard. These were older weathered boards, crooked and slippery with the dampness of the rainforest as green algae and mold grew on them. I let everyone go ahead of me, except Sean and our exceptional guide, Chris. Stayed behind me to coach me along. When the others were crossing, they were screwing around laughing, bouncing and shaking the boards. Before I took my first step, I began to sweat profusely, but I did control my breathing. Deep, slow and full breaths. Kind of like what I learned in Lamaze birthing classes many years ago. I even had flashbacks of giving birth to each of my kids as my self-talk mantra repeated “you can do this, you can do this” Again, I knew I wouldn’t die walking across this bridge, or if I did fall off, I wouldn’t hit the bottom and break multiple bones because I was tethered into a safety cable line. But just the thought of dangling from the bridge waiting to be rescued was more than I could even imagine. It was very different than the ziplining or the rappelling portion of the tour because with those you do with 90% of trust in the equipment and the guides and not your own abilities. But with this, only myself can take each step and traverse my body from one side of the revine to the other. In my mind I went back to when I was nine years old taking gymnastics at the community recreation center, walking on the balance beam. Heck, back then I was even doing cartwheels on it. I knew I could do this. It really is just putting one foot in front of the other. Chris began to talk to me to keep me distracted from the worry. That helped me more than he could ever know. Well maybe he dies because I’m sure I have not been the first person to freak out on these tours. He really did know what to do to keep me calm and my fears at bay. He asked me questions about my family and where we lived. He encouraged me when I had reached the halfway milestone point. The rest of the tour group waited on the other side. I thanked them all for being so patient. Chris then reminded me that I could now take walking suspension bridges off of my bucket list. Which I have promptly done. We then ended the tour with delicious fresh cut fruit and a Tarzan swing, before traversing down the mountain and back to the office.

How many times do we have a fear in our life that we really didn’t know was there till you are faced with it and have no choice but to tackle it one step at a time? Even though it may require our own power and effort to take us through it, don’t ignore the encouraging voice talking you through it each step of the way. Receiving encouraging words from others is just as if not more important than the self will power to overcome the mountain of fear you are facing.

We knew it was a crazy idea, but we decided what the heck, we’ll make it work. I had several jobs come in before I had to pack my bags, therefore I was at my computer editing photos and replying to emails for three days straight. I had one last wedding at sunset on Wednesday night, then we were outta here.

We had each meticulously packed our carry on bags with precisely what we’d need for seven days in Costa Rica. One last clean sweep through the apartment and we left the keys for our friends who will be house and critter sitting for us then we were out the door and down the road. That is, until we got to 95 in Savannah. Which came to a four mile per hour crawl for an hour and a half. Ugh… we knew this was the start of a long night.

We powered through with Coca-Cola and tall cups of gas station coffee, finally arriving at the Orlando airport around 3am. We decided to just go through TSA security right away then rest at the gate till it was time to board our plane. Other than the cleaning staff, we were the only travelers at the gate so we piled up our clothes as makeshift pillows and tried to catch an hour or two of sleep.

Before too long the airport was bustling with people coming and going trying to catch planes for work, vacation, and family business. I sucked down another cup of coffee in hopes that it’d give me the energy to make it through to our travel destination. A quick flight to Ft Lauderdale then we were on our final flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. I fired up my Kindle and watched a movie I had pre-loaded and before I knew it we were descending into one of our favorite countries in the world.

After the obligatory immigration and customs routine we were hopping into our rented four wheel drive and driving out of the city heading to the south Pacific coast.

Surrounded by lush green mountains the girls ooooed and aaaaahed as the road winded through the tropical mountains that stretched through the clouds. The sun was lighting the scenes as every shade of green possible was used to paint the living picture before our eyes.

We pulled into the gravel parking lot at the Tarcoles bridge so the girls could see the crocodiles that gather and bathe in the mud. They wait patiently for their next snack that is thrown off the bridge to them. Tourists snap pictures almost as fast as the crocs snap at the chicken pieces that are hurled by the local Tico from above.

Within an hour or so we were overlooking the ocean as white caps rolled into the shores of the coast.

Our stomachs began to rumble as the bag of Walmart snacks we purchased the night before were nothing but crumbs and empty packages. Sean pulled into a roadside Soda. Typically Sean and I will opt for eating our meals at a local “soda” (a small kitchen and restaurant on the side of a road) rather than a polished restaurant that is geared towards the tourists who don’t know any better. A typical meal at a soda will be a huge plate of food with rice, beans, meat and a salad for $5-$8

Baylie had her first learning experience trying to order vegan options at a soda. Spaghetti with “tomato sauce” is still made with meat and cheese. She eventually found a great vegetable dish paired with rice and a salad.

Kate’s directions were easy as the signs were clearly marked and next thing we knew they were welcoming us in their home. I thought Sean was ready to pass out from exhaustion, but after a few minutes of chill time and a cup of Costa Rican joe he agreed to hit the local watering hole with Kate and Eric.

Baylie will be nineteen in a week. The legal drinking age in Costa Rica is eighteen and she was more than eager to join her mom and pop for a night cap.

Down the mountain and just up the road Eric drove us to the “Marina” a local restaurant just minutes from the house. Our friend’s have obviously found their place in the community here as they were welcomed by name from the staff as soon as we walked in. I let Kate do the ordering as she knows how the locals do it here. Elliam served us a pitcher of vodka with tonic and limes on the side. Throughout the evening he continued to replenish our ice and lime supply. We chatted and talked catching up on each other’s lives as the guys did the same. The humid air collected as condensation dripped from our glasses making puddles on the teak wood bar. By eleven o’clock Sean and I were both hitting a wall and in need of sleep replenishment. Eric delivered us back to their resort home and within minutes I was sound asleep.

I woke this morning as the jungle breeze blew through the room. A peaceful night’s sleep is easy to be had here with the doors and windows open. The day begins to get light around 4:45. I don’t like to miss a thing so I came upstairs and made a pot of coffee and began to write this blog post. The rest of the house is still quite as teenage girls are snuggled up together on an air mattress. I look up to see two toucans in a tree right in front of me also beginning their daily ritual too. Ahhh….. Costa Rica really does feel like our second home.

Thursday 1/21/16
We tore down camp for the last time for a while, well at least until spring, when we camp on Little Tybee with friends.

At our campsite in the Everglades, we met a fellow camper from Virginia, named Bobby. A retired, widowed gentleman traveling in his little RV. We got to know him over the past couple days as he would come by our camp and hang out sharing his life with us. He told us about a book the he recently self-published. It was a personal project that took him four years to complete. He showed me his book before we left and I purchased one for $10. He took such care in choosing the illustrations and maps that are published in it. It is historic fiction, a collection of five stories about a young pioneer girl travelling with her family through Virginia and Kentucky in the early 1800s.  I am really looking forward to reading it and keeping in touch with our new friend. He has a nickname of “Cowtail” as he shared a story about his favorite candy and carries mini Cowtail candy with him to share with his new friends. As I said in a post a couple days ago, the best part of traveling is meeting so many new and interesting people.

As we entered Homestead shortly after exiting the park, we made a stop at a fruit and vegetables stand,called “Robert Is Here”. I wish I had more time to shop there. Lots of beautiful fresh produce in every color and texture imaginable. I ordered their famous key lime milkshake.

Kyleigh spotted a display of rambutan fruit. This brought back memories of Costa Rica for each of us. That was the first time we experienced the exotic tropical fruit. They’re outward appearance looks prickly, but it’s really not. It’s covered with soft pliable spines. To open one, you insert your thumb into the skin, like you would a tangerine or orange. Peeling away the skin will expose the white flesh of the fruit. This is similar to a large grape and tastes kind of like one too. Inside is a single seed about the size of an almond. We purchased a dozen of them to snack on and to reminisce our past travels to Costa Rica. Our last trip there was last winter. I blogged every day during our trip. If you care to read about it, the first of eleven posts starts here. click here.

The rest of today has been uneventful… exactly the way we like it when are traveling. We are now headed to Palm Coast, Florida to spend the night with Sean’s mom before we return to Tybee on Friday.
It has been days since any of us has showered as the new shower facilities in Long Pine Camping area were not completed yet. We have been masking our body odors with eucalyptus scented hand sanitizer. It will be a mad sprint to see who gets to shower first when we arrive at Gram’s house!

We did cut our trip short by about a week. Although we all feel that we have accomplished what we set out to do. Make memories with our two youngest girls before time slips away. Which we all know how quick that happens.

If you’ve followed our trip the past two weeks, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!   When I’m not traveling, I don’t blog every day, but I will post 2-3 times a week about our crazy life on Tybee, homeschooling our girls, running our business and whatever else strikes my fancy. If you don’t want to miss a post, then I invite you to sign up for my email list. I promise to not spam you from this list, I just sent a quick email notice when I have a new post.

I cooked hearty breakfast of eggs, sausages, tortillas and hash browns. Birds were visiting our campsite throughout the morning. I spotted a bright red cardinal through the green and brown branches.

The weather was the warmest and most beautiful we’ve had during our our whole trip. One layer of clothing would be perfect for the day.

Good walking shoes, a hat and camera in tow were the main requirements for the day.

After visiting the tourist welcome center we realized we would not be able to do any of the scheduled tours. Most need several days advance reservations. But we could still take any of the self guided tours. There was a small observation deck behind the center. Kyleigh was able to spot the first alligator sighting of the day. It was hidden in the tall grasses, after zooming in with my camera, it was indeed an alligator.

Starting with Anhinga trail, we parked in the public parking lot. All of the cars were covered with blue tarps, strange sight for a public parking lot. It turns out that the vultures here like to pull off black rubber trim from vehicles. Parts like window seals and windshield wipers. Since we have two kayaks and a bicycle on top, there is no way we could wrap a tarp over the van, so we would just have to take our chances.

Once on the Anhinga trail, we saw some unique birds right away. Sharing the trail with other visitors, everyone took turns taking photos. Here are a few from the first trail.

Towards the back side of the trail we came upon another alligator laying on the sun. He looked to be about 8-9 feet long, but it did not appear to be breathing. He looked  fake, as we were deciding if it was a park statue, since it was conveniently right next to the fence in easy view. Other tourists went ahead saying it was a hunk of plastic. As we were only inches away…its nostrils flared and its eyes opened! It continued to lay motionless other than breathing and blinking, we were able to get some good pictures of it.

Next trail on the list was the Mahogany Hammock. This was not nearly as exciting as the others. We saw some interesting trees and plant life, but in the first two minutes I smacked four mosquitoes that were starting to feast on me. I quickly strolled through, not taking time to read each sign.

The last trail, Pa-Hay-Okee, which means “grassy rivers” in native Seminole, is said to have the best sunset views. Sunset was still a few hours away and we did not want to stay there that long. At this point we were only 14 miles from the southernmost point area of the park, called Flamingo. So we carried on through the park till we reached the Gulf of Mexico. The park rangers said you can typically see manatee, dolphin, and alligators right from the dock, but the cold weather is keeping much of the wildlife hidden. After a tour of the Flamingo visitor center, we drove back to the last trail on our list.

Each of the trails were under one mile and built with easy to walk on composite decks. This deck led to a higher platform than the others, lending itself to the best sunset view. As we reached the top, we heard an owl call from within a tree right next to us. We moved closer to the call and peered deep into the thick green leaves and spotted this beautiful creature. Perched on the branch frequently calling to its mate who was calling back from the other side of trail. As I peered into the tree with my zoom lens he looked up at me directly into my camera and posed for a portrait.  Definitely a highlight of the day for all of us.

We stayed until the sun set and cast reflections of pink and purple into the low waters puddled at the bottom of the bald cypress trees. Bald cypress trees appear to be dead, but only because they do not produce any leaves, they store their water internally for survival. This makes for a beautiful monochromatic scene in the woods.

As the sun was setting our little owl friend climbed to the top of the tree and flew across the trail to meet its mate. The mosquitoes began swarming around us, I did not want to be eaten for dinner  so we hurried to the van. As we looked back over our shoulders, we saw the pair of owls in silhouette side by side on the tallest branch in sight. It was a sweet picture to behold. Thinking of how so many animals and species are made to be with their mate.

Cool air is tucking its chill into every open space possible. Exposed skin especially susceptible to its touch.

Jagged sticks begin to snap and crack from the glowing orange fire ring. I am standing a few feet away stirring the cheese dip over the gas stove while boiling water to mix with instant hot cocoa.

The moon is half full and directly overhead and looking over us, like a protective Mama bear watching over her cubs.

Black silhouettes of tall pines reaching to the moon are spread from the East to West and North to South.

A thinly veiled layer of clouds resembling white quilt batting is spread between the pines and the moon. When I look heavenward, the clouds swirl and move at a slow motion pace like milk being stirred into boiling water.

Every once in awhile a bare patch opening in the clouds passes over the moon allowing the naked light to shine down on us, illuminating our tent, chairs and picnic table. It looks like a painting of the nativity you see on Christmas cards of the bright star guiding the way for the wise men to reach the Messiah.

Sean is teaching the girls basic chords to play on their ukuleles, in between strumming his mandolin and plunking out a new song he was inspired to write this week.

I have fashioned my dollar store clip light into a headlamp as I have attached it to the bill of my hat. Clutching my book a few inches from my face, fully absorbed in the author’s stories.

Before we wrap up the night, we start telling jokes and reliving fun moments from the trip and highlights from years past. Sometimes we just crack up at the things they say, the best one tonight was when Ava said “every morning Mom has ‘Trump’ hair”. Sarcasm seems to be our family’s way of showing love.

A classic campfire dessert is to make s’mores, but none of us really like them. A new creation we came up is flour tortillas with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon inside. We wrapped them in foil and placed them over the fire. Ooey gooey perfection.

Soon the fire started to fade, and one by one we did too turning in after another full day of adventure.

Monday 1/18/16

The last night camping in the Keys was the most unrestful. Extremely high winds rattled the tent all night. I think the clinking of metal zipper pulls are still ringing in my ears. We arose early just as planned and began tearing down camp, even without our morning coffee. The girls were troopers and each did their share of the work. Rolling bed rolls, packing tents, deflating kayaks, de-junking the van, and cleaning up the campsite.

I went to the campground office to let them know that we would be vacating our site this morning. They were super understanding and returned our prepaid cash back with no questions asked. We highly recommend Boyd’s Campground, if you plan to camp in Key West. It is pricier there, but it does include some nice amenities, like a heated swimming pool, large screen TV, camp store and boutique, super clean showers and restrooms, a game room, plenty of laundry facilities, and several scheduled activities.

Our really sweet neighbor, Huck, (that did not steal electricity, and turned off his radio at appropriate times) gave Sean a much appreciated hand in packing up our kayaks and bicycles. They tried to strap everything down especially tight since we were going across the white knuckle seven mile bridge in 30+ mph winds.

We traveled slow and steady till we were just too hungry to continue. Next stop on the map was the Grassy Key Outpost. The parking lot was packed which is always a good sign and inside was packed even tighter. Right as we walked in four spaces opened up at the bar. After a glance at the menu, I knew we made a great choice. Before too long, I was enjoying the best rib eye sandwich I’ve ever had.

We continued to crawl up Rt 1 till we reached Robbie’s at Islamorada. Several friends suggested that we stop here to feed the tarpon. For only $1 entrance fee to the dock and $3 for a bucket of fish, this was by far one of the most economical  and fun attractions. We were told that due to the cold weather, the fish were not as active as they usually are. They prefer the warm waters at the bottom of the ocean. But Sean and Ava still laid on the dock and fed as many as they could. Kyleigh, being a vegetarian, had no desire to hold a dead fish. When the bucket was empty we pushed onward till we were out of the Keys..

The entrance to Everglades National Park is only about 30-40 minutes north of the Keys. We followed the signs to Long Pine Camping area and found a vacant spot and started setting up camp in hopes to have everything up before dark. Sean and the girls put up the tents and I scavenged the area for firewood from wherever I could find. Our neighbor came over and offered us a fire log. We have found that the camping community where ever we go are just a super friendly bunch of people.

Before arriving, we did not make a trip to the grocery store to replenish provisions…well we did go to the dollar store last night, but that was for junk food to last us till we return to Tybee.  I told the girls, no more pit stop snacks, they just are not in the budget. The rest of the road trip junk had to come from this one trip to the dollar store…totaling twenty one dollars. Now I know this is a ton of junk and I hope we don’t eat it all before we’re home, but at least we won’t be spending and more money on junk. I did buy a 3 pack of cup of noodles. These combined with hot grilled cheese sandwiches tonight was the perfect way to end the day!

Kyleigh gave up early and once her bed was made, we never saw her again. Thankfully her rash has subsided, but the allergy still remains a mystery. She has been quite a trooper, since camping is not her favorite pastime.

Ava is our true outdoorsy one, she tended the fire till the three hour paper log was gone.

Sean was dozing off before me. Finally, he was able to relax. I think the stress of traveling in high winds with all our gear on top has taken its toll on him for the day.

We have no power, Internet or cell service in the Everglades so each of my posts will be delayed till we reach a connection again.

Good night all…

After my shower I was faced with a great dilemma. What do I wear today? I was already in my jeans and long sleeved shirt. But the sun was shining and the warmest weather I have felt  in weeks and I was breaking a sweat. I had been prepared for what the forecast called for, overcast, raining and 35 mile hour winds. I think this small break in weather is due to a conversation I had with God about an hour before. I reminded him that He was the only one who could change the weather and if he would do that, I would be very grateful.

As I walked back to our campsite from the bath house, I saw a man talking to Sean. At first glance, I thought it was a fellow camper. He then walked over to me and extended his hand. He introduced himself as Joey, and explained that he’s been reading my blog for about six months. We have a mutual friend, Micheal Elliott. I have read wonderful things about Joey in several Micheal’s blogs. Micheal tends to bend the truth from time to time, um… for the sake of a good story. But I can attest to the great things he has written about Joey. He lives in Key West and just wanted to come over to meet us and give us some suggestions of things to do before we left. What a pleasure to meet such a nice person!

The sun continued to bless us with its presence through most of the day, and I savored every moment of it.

Fort Zachary Taylor was our first attraction for the day. We took the self guided tour and enjoyed the views from the top deck of the fort. The girls enjoyed spotting different colored iguanas in the trees that surrounded the moat. The fort is very similar to our own Fort Pulaski, just off of Tybee Island.

Ironically every time we went to the historic district, we parked in the same exact spot. Which is located next to a Chinese restaurant. By two o’clock, all of us were ready to eat so Chinese it was.

We took our time after lunch and, just meandered through the Key West tourist shops till we came to our next scheduled stop, which was the Shipwreck Museum. This was a excellent experience. I highly recommend for anyone visiting either with or without kids. I had no idea of the history lesson we would learn before entering. We are not typical tourists and are not drawn to the overpriced commercialized establishments or amusement park feel in most vacation spots.  But this was not that. There were actors that began the tour and set the time period establishing what the wreckers and their families did. The whole family enjoyed learning about this era that we knew little about.

About an hour prior to sunset, we walked over to Mallory Square, the spot in Key West most famous for celebrating the end of a day as the sun slips into the ocean. Artists and street performers filled the square as tourists and onlookers stood shoulder to shoulder taking in the entertainment. We first watched a man named Will who juggled fire sticks and performed on a tightrope, in the unseasonable high winds. He was truly a performer and kept us all laughing.

When he was finished with his act we turned our attention to a crazy little guy named Mason who was just behind us. Hollering and cracking a whip to draw people to his corner of the square. Soon several people gathered around him. Within minutes he asked for a volunteer and Ava was the first to step up to the plate. She takes after Sean when it comes enjoying the spotlight. We later spent some time with Mason and learned that he travels the world on his bicycle paying his way as a street performer. In a few months he will be cycling from Anchorage Alaska to Cape Horn, South America. Talk about seeing the world one pedal at a time! You can read more about him on his Facebook page. Again… I just love meeting the most interesting people when we travel.

On our way back to the car, the girls and I stopped into the Key Lime Pie Company for a slice of the famous dessert.

Since we had a big lunch and dessert, we opted for a quick snack at taco bell before heading back to camp.

God blessed us with a beautiful day, and I held up my end of the deal too..I am so grateful!

Our unanimous decision was that we will pack up and find another place to camp, maybe not so windy…after some research we decided to check out the  Everglades National Park.

Not sure about cell service from there, so you might not hear from me for a couple days…either that or the alligators may have eaten my phone. Till then… be happy!