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Sturgeons on the Suwannee

Still catchung up.

We spent a very nice week visiting family in Florida.  We played golf (yes, we know how to play golf, but we aren’t very good🤣), swam,  got to watch some baseball and just spent time with loved ones. Thank you to all, we had a wonderful time.

We then spent a very hot night on the Suwannee River in northern Florida near Convict Springs. We asked about the name and apparently there was a remote prison camp here in the early 1900s for the work crews, called chain gangs, to use when they were working too far from the prison to get back.  We went for a dip in our clothes thus cooling down and doing our laundry at the same time.

Our rig set-up above the Suwannee River. The bug room was a necessity!
Convict Springs
I don’t know if you can see the 2014 and 2009 signs on the tree, but those are flood/hurricane years. I took this picture out a window and the signs are even with me.
Suwannee River
The sturgeon were  jumping like hot cakes. We didn’t catch one in mid air, but we heard them slapping back into the water and it sounded like a tree falling.

 

 

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (kinda)

A very quick drive through the Pennsylvania coal country with miles and miles of slag piles,  and more hills than I knew PA had, and a round about route into Lorton, VA to avoid the DC madness, we boarded the Amtrack Auto Train for the 17 hour ride to FL.  We splurged and got a double bunk room, a very smart decision, but if we did it again we would get the slightly larger room so Darrin doesn’t have to sleep on the top bunk😎.

For 17 hours we read, slept, and stared out the window.  We even had a wonderful dinner with a very nice couple from Delaware  (I hope I’m remembering the state right).  It was a nice change from the marathon drive to get to the train station. 🚇

The people working the Amtrack Auto Train were amazing, from the nice guy who checked us in and reassured us that the Rover wasn’t too tall (88 inch limit), the 2 other guys who measured it again just to make sure, and the head guy who reached his hand up and bet the younger coworker $500 that it would fit just fine, to the steward who kept us hydrated with lots of water, relaxed with his good sense of humor and his great service to make us feel pampered.

We highly recommend taking the train if you want to get to FL quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

The really nice guys loading the Rover onto the train  cars (the round horse trailer looking things in the background).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is she going to fit?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She made it with inches to spare.  The solar panels didn’t even scratch the top.

Sorry, no planes.  I just liked the title😊.

In fact, we are trying to do this trip without any planes.  🛫

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Fissures and pinky twinges

Something that has come to light during our journey of living differently is the State of Fear that surrounds us. From the nightly news to friends, family and even strangers, we are constantly told to be afraid.

From the simple mom statement: If you go out with wet hair you’ll catch your death.

To the medical prescription ads: If your left pinky twinges at 10am every day, you might have…or if you have taken medicine x you might be able to sue because…

To the nightly news: The war on terror….The extreme weather…The government is going to take away your health care…You get the idea.

Some fear is legitimate: The fact that half the cars you pass show the tops of drivers heads because they are staring down at their cell phone or their navel for all I know.

Some fear is absurd: Read above about the pinky twinging at 10am every day:)

The bottom line is that we are surrounded by fear.

That brings us to a crossroad. Let the fear paralyze us or take a deep breath and live.

We are choosing to live, despite the fear. We chose to ride motorcycles when half the people we met told us how dangerous they were. We chose to rock climb when people told us they could never do that because it was way to scary and weren’t we afraid of falling? And, we are choosing to travel even when people tell us all the “bad” things we are going to encounter.

We are choosing to embrace the fear and live, to find the good, meet new people, see new places and maybe, just maybe, make a crack or a tiny fissure in the state of fear that surrounds us.

 

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Here goes nothing?

And we’re off…well not just yet. I’d like to say this is the beginning of our journey or something profound, but the truth is this is just another step in a very, very, very (how many verys can I use?) long pre-journey.  Starting point? I can’t really say. The idea of traveling came about slowly. There were the iconic travel shows like Ian and Charlie riding their bikes around the world, and yes, we originally planned to travel by motorcycle, but well, we aren’t as young as we used to be, so…we opted for our old Land Rover instead with a comfy homemade roof tent and heat.

You have probably noticed this isn’t going to be one of those perfect grammar blogs with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed, that just isn’t us. And well, I’m ready to be just us and not what the world says we should be and that right there probably was the beginning of our journey. To just be us and to see the world beyond what we know.

So, if you are interested, follow along as we sort out blogging and traveling far from home. If not, no hard feelings. Have a great day!

Bimble on,

Melissa and Darrin