Oscar is now two years old and Covid is less of an epidemic as it was last year. We criss crossed the country 4 times during 2020-2021 and spent most of the time out west with Laguna Beach our home base. It was an amazing opportunity to explore so many new places. My mother often asks, “what is your most favorite place?” This is a tough one, with contrasting wonders of mountains vs dessert vs beach, etc. Some of our fondest landscapes have been Idaho (north of Sun Valley) and Montana and Wyoming (northeast side of Yellowstone). The last trip was my least favorite as we headed back to CT to get back to work. We drove through southern Utah and stopped off in the Boulder area for a few days before driving back east to our home in CT.
It’s been a hot and humid summer in CT and I have been dreaming of another road trip to escape the incoming cold weather. It’s a good time of year to visit some friends and family and squeeze in a week in the Florida Keys. The Hallmark Truck Camper feels like a tiny house on the back of our F350. I am perfectly comfortable handling the rig on my own. While I have towed the jeep in the past, I decided to keep it simple for this trip since I will be stopping often at various congested areas in Florida.
October 25th, 2021: Roamer is packed and ready to roll. The weather calls for rain on my scheduled departure date 10/26, so I will leave a day early.
Day 1: Jumped into the Roamer bright and early with Oscar and left NY and the light drizzle behind. Sunshine ahead as we made our way to NJ and PA. First stop in Kunzville PA to stretch our legs. Found a school right off the highway where we parked and just as we got out of the truck, an amish horse and buggy trotted on by! The college town of Carlyle PA was our next stop en route to the campground in VA. We found a great park by a creek to have lunch and take a walk. Just after 4 pm we approached our campground destination in Luray VA. (I typically stay in family campgrounds or KOA’s while traveling solo. As much as I love to sit on a mountain or park by a river, I’m not so daring traveling alone.) Luray was a pleasant surprise with amazing views of the Shenandoah mtns.
Day 2: Blue skies and a beautiful day ahead. Travelled roads less travelled and enjoyed the spectacular views and fall foliage. Stumbled upon the Shenandoah National Park and continued to wind down through Charlottesville VA and finally Farmville VA. Lunch at a park in Farmville after walking around the furniture/factory town that was surprisingly charming. It was an amazing afternoon drive through national parks, small towns, farms and wineries before hitting the 95 south of Raleigh/Durham NC. Finally pulled into a roadside KOA campground off the 95 near the NC/SC border. After a spectacular day of driving the back country roads in Virginia, I was exhausted and planned on turning in early. But one thing I’ve learned about camping is flexibility and going with the flow. Just as I finished cooking a burger on my portable barbecue, my neighbors next door started a campfire and invited me over. They were a lovely couple from Key West, so I was happy to exchange travel stories. It was dark by 7:30, but we stayed out for a few hours staying warm by the fire.
Day 3 : My least favorite travel day mostly driving along the 95 passing through the Carolinas. By the time I reached the turnoff for Charleston SC, I was wiped out. It was early afternoon and I considered staying over night in a peach tree farm outside of Savannah GA, which offered overnight stays through the Harvest Host program. I did call ahead to make sure they had room and reserved a spot but once I drove in I realized it was simply a gravel lot next to the chicken coop and goats. The place was cute but the peach season ended a few weeks ago and I was not in the mood to open up the camper and smell the animals all night long!( Of course the rig does have AC, but I so prefer to park, open up the screens and turn the max fans on and sleep with fresh air. ) After a nice lunch breach at the peach tree farm, we hit the road again with hopes of making it to St Augustine FL by sunset. Turned out to be the right decision.
North Beach Camground just north of St Augustine FL is a gem. Nestled amongst the trees, my campground spot is minutes walking distance to either the ocean or the inter coastal. After getting set up I walked Oscar down the path for a swim in the inter coastal just in time for an amazing sunset!
Oscar in his happy place… swimming in the intercoastal
Day 4: Finally a day of rest with no plans and no driving! I am going to relax the next day or two before heading south to visit my brother who lives a few hours south in New Smyrna Beach FL. After our morning swim, the clouds rolled and and we headed back to take cover while a small front rolled in. Ok, well it is a rainy day in Florida, so I am really really relaxing! Good day to catch up with emails and read until the weather improves.
Day 5: Today is a great day to explore Old Town in St Augustine. I took Oscar for a morning swim in the intercoastal before packing up and heading into town. St Augustine has an old town with tons of shops, trolleys and tourism in full bloom. The vibe was much like Laguna Beach, outside dining and very much dog friendly!
Day 6: After a brisk morning walk along the Atlantic Ocean, I packed things up and headed back on the road …. a short drive to New Smyrna Beach to my brother’s house. It’s been too long since I visited NSB and the town was noticeably busier than the sleepy little beach town I remember from visiting many years before. I parked the Roamer on the grass on the spacious lawn under a mature oak tree and was happy to have a cozy camp spot for the next few days.
“Moochdocking” on the front lawn at family’s place in New Smyrna Beach, FL
Day 7: Beautiful Florida weather. So great to see my nephews, go out for some yummy food, do laundry and just relax with my brother and his wife at their place.
My brother treated us to a boat ride around the inter coastal and we were lucky to see several Dolphins jumping all around the boat. The inter coastal was empty this time of year, yet the weather was perfect, in the 70’s. There is so much beautiful coastline in Florida. I was grateful for the tour and in awe of such amazing wildlife.
Day 8-12 (Keys) Up early for the long drive to the Florida Keys. There really isn’t any place I want to stop off at on the way down the east coast, so I decided to just leave early and arrive well before dark. Coconut Cay resort in Marathon FL is in the mid keys. Since I’ve visited Key West before, I opted for something small, intimate and quiet and of course, right on the stunning blue waters in the Keys. Once again, after nestling into my little spot at the end of a peninsula by a cute little beach, I met fantastic neighbors on both sides. One family visiting from Vermont and a couple from Arizona that were full timing it in a 40 ft motorhome. My 24 ft rig is often the tiniest house on the block! Rented a jeep for the week so I wouldn’t have to bother “breaking camp” every time I needed to run out. Sombrero beach is one of the prettiest sandy beaches in the Keys so an early morning swim became our morning routine. Scored yet another great watering hole for Oscar.
Sombrero Beach, Marathon FL
It wouldn’t be fair to write about the Keys without mentioning the fabulous fresh seafood. The absolute best stone crab joint is found at Keys Fisheries in Marathon and it did not disappoint! So many great white fish options (wahoo, mahi- mahi and grouper). I was a happy camper as I chowed down some crabs while looking out at the ocean off the pier. Picked up some awesome Cuban coffee at a little joint down the road. Luckily most of the restaurants were casual enough and welcomed Oscar!
Ughh, only two more nights to camp out in the Keys and enjoy the laid back mentality of island life. It’s impossible to ignore the relaxed ways about the locals. No one is in a hurry! Hard to say goodbye to my camper friends, but all good things must come to an end.
Just my luck, on the morning of my departure, a heavy front moved in with thunder and lighting starting at 5am. The pounding rain was enough to wake everyone, so I just got an early start. It was a little crazy leaving the Keys in heavy rains. The roads are so narrow, with water on both sides. Little cars were pulled over by the side with flooding, but the Roamer had no issues as we splashed our way north leaving the tropical storm behind.
Having never been to the Everglade region of FL, my naive self opted to take the road less travelled and drove right through Alligator Alley with everglade tour boat rental shacks the only things spotted along the side of the road. I don’t recall seeing a rest stop, but then again I was constantly on the lookout for alligators as I blasted through highway 41. While it would have been an adventure to explore Everglade National Park, I was not so brave especially after passing signs that said beware of Black Bears and Panthers! No thank you. Not sure I even stopped the Roamer for a bathroom break in the 90 mile drive through the Everglades.
US 41 running through the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve
Day 13- 17 Anna Maria Island
My little cottage on Anna Maria Island was not available until the next day, so I found a wonderful “Boondockers Welcome” location not too far away and tucked in under some oak trees for the night. The owners of the property were a lovely airstream owner couple that brought over some homemade jam in the morning before leaving. It was my first stay at “Boondockers Welcome” but have had great experiences staying at vineyards with Harvest Host in the past.
After two weeks of camping, the cottage rental on Anna Marie Island felt like the four seasons as I unloaded and took a very very long hot shower! Even Oscar was happy to stretch out and enjoy the central AC. We walked two blocks to the most beautiful white sandy beach in all the land!
Adorable “Sunset” cottage at Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, FL
When was the last time I waited for a table and was offered a fishing pole to kill time? Ughh… NEVER! This seafood joint out on the end of a long pier overlooking Tampa Bay was very unique and served up some great grouper and cheap wine.
Visited my friend in Sarasota and enjoyed a Siesta Key tour as well as too much fun out on the town. Oscar and his new friend Bailey became fast friends.
Hard to believe it’s time to leave Sunset cottage and the sunny weather behind. Anna Maria Island, north of Sarasota FL is a special slice of paradise. Lots of small cottage rentals walking distance to the white sandy beaches along the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. You couldn’t help but notice family’s and couples buzzing around the island in golf carts. Such a fun vacation destination.
Early start for the road trip to Savanah Georgia….
Day 18: Creek Fire Resort, Savanah GA
Over the past decade, I have stayed in a variety of campgrounds. The Priciest one was in West Yellowstone Wyoming. They catered to families and was located right outside of the National Park. But even so, I almost never ask about the daily rate because it’s relatively cheap compared to any hotel room. This one in Savanah was one of the nicest, including a pool, hot tub, restaurant, community fire pit and lots more. Even with all the amenities, the rate was less than $75 per night! Of course regardless of the price, it’s simply easier while traveling with a dog. Open the door early in the morning and out he goes. Stroll around the campground/lake at night, return to start a campfire and we are all happy campers! On a rare occasion, I will pull into a hotel mostly because of rough weather conditions, but I so prefer camping and meeting other interesting adventurers. As it turned out, this was a pleasant surprise. The resort had a restaurant and a community fire pit by a lake. The only problem was the alligator population IN the lake! It was all I could do to keep Oscar from swimming. But I met some fantastic folks from Orange County CA and we had lots of stories to exchange. So great to hear of such a tight group of people exploring together. We sat by the bon fire late into the night.
Day 19: Campfire Lodging, Asheville NC
From Savanah, I headed up into the Blue Ridge Mountains and discovered a cool mountaintop campground outside of Asheville NC. I don’t think large motorhomes could make the climb up the winding mountain road. But once I got up to the very top, I was overwhelmed by the views and so glad I made the trek. I believe I was looking right out at the Great Smoky Mtns in the distance.
Before heading out the next day, I stopped and had one of the best Duck Taco’s ever! I couldn’t resist as I passed the sign and noticed the parking lot was overflowing. A warm belly was just what I needed before starting the day driving to my last campground destination, back in Luray VA. From VA I should make it back home the next day.
A three week solo trip with my traveling buddy, Oscar. Can’t wait for the next adventure! So many places to see, so little time. This girl camper is planning another trip soon!