January 10 – 17: We thought we would try once again to go in search of a warm January and so planned another southern swing, starting in Florida and wending our way to Phoenix before heading home in time for spring thaw. We picked up the van from Colonial on Thursday, tuned up and fitted with new tires, packed it with enough food to feed an army (including lots of chocolate and all that remained of the Christmas cookies) and went on our way the next morning.
- Spent the first night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Emporia, Virginia. Not exactly scenic but very convenient.
- Spent the next two nights in Skidaway SP, just outside of Savannah GA. Drove to Savannah NWR in the morning for some birding only to find the gate locked and access prohibited; not even foot traffic was allowed. Strike one. So, we googled Pinckney NWR, another park in the area just a little ways outside of Hilton Head Island but after driving around for over an hour we gave up trying to find it. Even the local residents we asked were stumped. Strike wo. Then Ron remembered there was a wildlife refuge on nearby Tybee Island so we headed in that direction, but by the time we neared Savannah we were tired and hungry and getting really grumpy so we decided to abort the birding mission entirely – strike three and out – and settled for a nice dinner at the Shrimp Factory on the river front.
- We made it all the way to Merritt Island National Sea Shore on Cape Canaveral about half an hour before it closed for the night, drove in a ways and walked over the dunes just to see the ocean. The ranger in charge of making sure all park visitors were out by 6 pm was nice, but adamant that we couldn’t overnight in the park. But he told us about the lot just outside the gate open for overnight parking, usually reserved for boaters and fisherman. The sound of the waves was soothing and it was peaceful and private. We were pretty much alone – except for the swarms of tiny no-see-ums that made their way into the van and pretty much devoured me from head to toe. Turns out I must be allergic to their bites as the red bumps (and excruciating itching) persisted for over a week.
- Got to Big Cypress Preserve, in the Everglades, after dark and couldn’t find our campground, but the visitor center lot was flat and quiet so we stayed there overnight. The next day we drove the Loop road and did some birding, seeing a Florida morph of the red-shouldered hawk perched right above us. Guess that counts as a life bird. We eventually found Midway Campground and decided it was way too far from our next stop – the Key West Express in Fort Myers – and reluctantly left the park. On our way out we stopped for a brief boardwalk stroll which required walking past a sun-bathing alligator right on the side of the path. It was worth it though, as the boardwalk wound through sub-tropical stands of huge ferns, palmetto and live oak harboring pileated woodpeckers, wading birds and (reportedly) a barred owl. As we continued our drive out of the park, we began to see flocks of white birds flying overhead, making their way to their nighttime roosts. We quickly pulled over and watched them fly in: hundreds of egrets, wood storks, cormorants, herons – too numerous to count, all making their way home for the night. Spectacular.
- Spent the night in another Cracker Barrel (so welcoming and convenient to I75) and headed out at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry to Key West.
The Everglades.
The Ultimate Road Trip 