We did it

In 30 days, we canvassed the Gulf Coast from South Padre Island, TX, to Key West, FL.  Some of our favorite stops include Waveland/Bay St. Louis, MS; Indian Pass, FL; Homosassa Springs, FL; Collier-Seminole State Park, FL; and Florida City, FL.  In MS, we love camping in Buccaneer State Park, sandwiches and coffee at Mockingbird Cafe, beignets at Da Little Cafe, and cold Lazy Magnolia drafts.  Indian Pass Raw Bar and Indian Pass Campground in the Florida Panhandle are remote and one of the few remaining flashpoints for old Florida.  The wildlife park and butterfly museum in Homosassa Springs showcase iconic species, like the American Bald Eagle, Florida Panther, Black Bear, Whooping Crane, and American Crocodile.  Collier-Seminole State Park, originally set up as a panther preserve, is located near Naples.  During our stay, we heard black bears rummaging around our campsite.  We also cycled a trail through the panther preserve -- but did not see any of the large cats.  Only alligators and deer.  Royal Palm Hammock Trail inside the camping area winds through stands of these ancient looking palms; the boardwalk areas shake and rattle a little but are still functional.  Park staff request that everybody leave the trails by 4pm because that seems to be when the really big wildlife wake up to eat.  Unless you want to be "invited" over for dinner, comply.

The real highlight of this Deep South sojourn, however, is Florida City.  Most travelers stop off here at the gateway to the keys intending to stay a night or two.  Some are looking for unique adventures in the Everglades.  This is THE place for both...and more.  Rates are very reasonable, even in high season.  Tours of the Everglades -- smaller groups and more thrilling than park-sanctioned tours -- leave from the hostel.  Some are during the day, some at night, depending on the time of month.  If you can get there during a full moon, take the late night canoe and hike tour.  David went on this one guided by Graham.  The pics of the cypress dome under the full moon light are simply awesome.  Another day, we went as a family to walk along a small trail near Flamingo, also inside Everglades National Park.  Here and no place else on the planet you can see American Alligators and American Crocodiles living together.  What an experience!  Key West is only about 3 hours south.  We were able to complete our "border of blue" tour by reaching southernmost point by late afternoon and returning to the hostel that evening.  Communal dinners at the hostel are first-rate, and the garden and waterfall-pool rejuvenate weary travelers.  Public transportation from the Miami airport is available.  If you drive, there is plenty of parking.  You may prefer car camping in your vehicle to dorm accommodations; the fee is only $15 per person compared to $28.  Perfect for those of us with small campers willing to boondock.

The best part of Everglades Hostel, though, is the people.  Whether resident volunteers or transients like us, there we discovered a new group of friends, an extension of our family, and a community where we want to return again and again.  They welcomed us into their enclave as part of them, and almost every person treated Sage as if she were her own.  No wonder none of us wanted to leave...

But we did, having completed our journey (at least one direction of it) and are now backtracking toward Texas.  The day after Christmas we left South Padre eager to see as much of the Gulf Coast as possible.  One month later, we touched southernmost point in Key West.  So many experiences, places and people enriched the memories of this odyssey-of-a-lifetime.  We will carry them with us as we ramble on...today we left Naples in silence (except for Sage's piercing shrieks during a temper-tantrum.)  Nobody seems happy to leave, yet we are all excited about the new projects and presentations that begin next week.  Back to Dallas, back to work.  And on to the next adventure.  Safe travels.  May you always float, sea beans.  :)

How we roll...

I think I've mentioned before that every square inch of our 'rig' -- the collective configuration of truck, camper and trailer -- must be used efficiently.  Everything must have a specific place to maximize our limited space.  That does not mean, however, that we are 'roughing it', as some of you may think.  OK, so we do not have a private bath or running water.  But when we camp in parks we pick sites adjacent to or across from the bathrooms and showers, and with access to potable water.  When we boondock or drycamp in remote areas (e.g., Padre Island National Seashore) we use a portapotty and haul in enough water for a 3-day stay.  For us, that equates to about 15 gallons.  Our truck and trailer are durable enough to haul more than that but we do not have adequate storage space.  Limited space means that each day we are faced with decisions about what stays, what goes to the storage room, what goes to charity, and what goes to recycling or trash bins.

We prepared thoroughly for this odyssey but since we actually put our journey in motion, we have found we still carry too much stuff.  The first three months we spent a lot of time sorting, organizing and purging unessential items.  Most of that phase is over...yet, I still find odds and ends in drawers and cabinets that we do not need.  Each time I do, I wonder how all of that fit into the various compartments of our rig?  Folks, we must be some pretty clever packers.  Purging will continue, probably, as long as we are travelling.

Along the way I have discovered that there is a hierarchy of organization.  The truck must be the most organized and comfortable, followed by El Valor (the camper) and finally, Truckwagon (the trailer.)  From memory I can probably list everything we keep inside the cab of the truck and where.  Sage's carseat holds the middle seat-position in the backseat.  Behind the driver's seat is her "travel bin", a pink-and-brown tote from her old bedroom that houses about 30 books, a purple pumpkin-shaped bag filled with miniature Doras and Bootses and their accessories, Rosemary the doll, and a few other smallish toys and games.  She has plenty of things to educate and entertain herself during our travels.  On the floorboard behind the driver's seat is David's book bag and under that section of the seat are a couple of bags of clothing he intends to put into storage.  Under Sage's seat is the laminator we use for our design products.  In the floorboard is a cooler that holds about 10 cans but we have not used it in a while, so it will probably end up in storage, too.  Behind the passenger seat on the floorboard is my book bag.  Under the seat are Folsom's food and water bowls.  In the seat, is the printer covered with three layers of pillows; this is Folsom's perch.  He prefers a blurred view of the world outside to a stagnant one of the backside of the passenger seat.  Unquestionably, he is our dog.

In the front seat, between driver and passenger, are journals and laptops (and an adaptor), phones and phone chargers, mail just picked up or en route to drop off, and notes about blogposts.  Cameras and corresponding data transfer cables are there, too.  Floorboards are cleared out so that we may ride comfortably.  The area of the floorboard between driver and passenger (where a console organizer might be) holds an assortment of flashlights and a hammer, in case one of the latches on the camper sticks.  Ha ha, this has happened often enough to dedicate that space for a hammer!  Might be a good weapon, too, if anyone tries to truck-jack us.  But why would they want to...?  Ha.  The dash and cupholders are organized, too.  In front of the passenger are stored more flashlights and an extra phone charger, extra data transfer cable, and sometimes leftover snacks.  Folsom's leash sits in the middle of the dash but is pushed aside to balance one of the laptops there when we stop briefly for fuel, snacks or potty breaks.  In front of the driver is one lone object: a compass that doesn't point north.  Perhaps it points toward the thing we desire most?  Between the cupholders is an ashtray, but since none of us smoke, we use that space to store extra fuses, the mobile broadband card and pennies.  Glovebox holds another backup data transfer cable, pens, a tire gauge, and mayhem.  I try to ignore the mayhem because I'm not really sure what it is.  Printed photos of landscapes from long ago?  Receipts from whoknowswhen?  Might even be an assortment of screws and nails from recently purged items that had to be disassembled.  Seems like the last time I reached in there something pricked my finger, and it was dark, so I decided whatever is in there can stay in there for now.

Oh, if you are a truck-jacker, I have disappointing news.  Most of these items are just passengers in the truck, not permanent fixtures.  In other words, we take them with us when we exit the truck.  And this truck is haunted, so it will probably break down moments after you commandeer it.  But if you are a petty thief...take what you need.  I'm tired of purging...

A Better Mom

Like Odysseus, I must confront dragons each day.  Some are work-related, some family-related, but all are pertinent to my world.  New day, new dragon.  And after each battle I feel stronger and wiser and braver.  Like the SuperMe.  Recently I discovered that I am becoming a better parent.  More effective parent, especially.  Living in a small space forces you to resolve conflicts immediately.  Temper-tantrums, too.  My tactics dealing with them have changed and Sage seems to be responding well.  Before, I tried talking in a soothing voice and reasoning with her.  That worked when she was younger.  As she has grown, so has the intensity of her fits.  I still try to calmly reason with her first, then I opt for the firmer tone with less explanation.  That usually stops the insanity, but not always.  Oh yes, I have had to raise my voice but in a controlled manner.  In a way that says, "I'm the parent and if you could not hear me before, let me turn up the volume a notch."  I don't scream or resort to meanness or name-calling.  Not only is it inappropriate, but it reveals my patience threshhold.  Once a child knows that point she may try to push you past it in order to get what she wants.  Only a couple of times has she been spanked, and it was totally ineffective.  I don't like it, she doesn't like it, and it doesn't work anyway.  Plus, why would you hit a child to punish her for hitting?  Seems a little hypocritical to me.  I'm sure our game plan will adapt again as Sage continues to grow and her independence becomes fortified.  I'm ready for the challenges.  Bring on the dragons!  SuperMe is armed with patience and love; and I'm wielding knowledge.

Border of Blue

The day after Christmas we began the border of blue leg of our odyssey.  We are not on a trip nor journey, not even an adventure.  No--this is an odyssey, a long series of travels filled with sometimes excruciating, sometimes empowering but always enlightening experiences.  Inspired by Frederick Turner's A Border of Blue: Along the Gulf Coast from the Keys to the Yucatan, we left South Padre Island, TX, the day after Christmas and have visited Follett's Island, Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula, TX.  At High Island we turned north to pick up I-10 East.  In Gonzales, LA, we stopped for the night at Cabela's.  Next morning we returned the broken Generac generator then continued on to New Orleans.  For a couple of hours we drove around looking for a parking space large enough to accommodate our rig.  Only one would permit us to park...for $150!  A bust, so we travelled on to East New Orleans where we stopped to play on a city playground.  About an hour later we were marching toward Waveland and Bay St. Louis, MS.  Sage was disappointed about missing out on the beignets at Cafe du Monde -- really, she was a screaming wreck.  Some of this I've already written about...so after Mississippi we whizzed through Alabama and left I-10 in Pensacola to follow the coastal route all the way to Santa Rosa Beach.  There we spent five days (was supposed to be three) with our friends, Angie and Steve.  We rang in the new year with them exactly as we wanted: at home dancing and singing with the kids.  We also hiked Point Washington State Forest and ate and talked and imbibed.  The day before we were supposed to leave I noticed the truck trying to start itself again...

This happened once before during one of our stays in Rockport.  Then, the battery ran itself dead but suddenly sprang to life when David tried to start it a few hours later.  This time, it really was dead.  Wouldn't jumpstart.  David found a mobile mechanic who diagnosed that the solenoid and wiring were damaged.  He installed a new one with new wiring directly to the battery for $200.  Apparently we have other wiring issues, or at least potential ones, because water has been trickling inside the windshield, eventually dripping onto a bundle of wires, and shorting them out.  When it's dry, though, there are no problems.  So...we can seal the gap around the windshield ourselves and will replace wiring on an as-needed basis.  We need to conserve our money and time resources if we hope to continue this odyssey.

The repairs worked, and the next day we relieved Angie and Steve by heading south through Panama City and Mexico Beach to end our day at Indian Pass Raw Bar and ultimately the local campground.  David ate raw oysters, I had gumbo.  Sage took bites of my gumbo but focused her energy on a plain old hot dog.  Two days we spent in Indian Pass exploring the dunes and beach.  Glorious.  We continued on through Carrabelle to Apalachicola and eventually to Homosassa Springs.  In Apalachicola we stopped at Up the River restaurant and feasted on alligator.  From a roadside vendor we bought tupelo honey and mayhaw jelly.  We nibble on both a little each day.  The wildlife park and butterfly museum in Homosassa Springs were the focus of our two-day visit.  Florida panther, black bear, red fox, red wolf and several species of birds and reptiles, including flamingo and the endangered American Crocodile.  Butterflies such as buckeye, monarch, white peacock, julia, and zebra long-wings, flitted around the butterfly house.  Love this town; we will definitely return.

So many wonderful experiences here along the border of blue.  Although at the moment we are all stricken down with colds and probably some type of respiratory infection, the entire clan is happy and hoping for speedy recovery.  Special thanks to Angie and Steve for "Up"...there is not a more perfect animated film for us.  "Adventure is OUT THERE!"

Love to all...

Christmas with Us 2010

4th-floor view of Gulf of Mexico

Last week, Sage and I were thisclose to calling off the adventure.  The details in all their gory glory are described in previous posts, if you're interested.  We did not give up, fortunately, and went on to have a truly wonderful Christmas holiday on South Padre Island, Texas.  El Valor and Truckwagon enjoyed the break, too, I think.  The view from our 4th-floor hotel room included the pool and hot tub downstairs, boardwalk crossing dunes and natural vegetation, a ribbon of sandy beach and the Gulf of Mexico.  Roughly one-half of the "frame" of our view was water...delightful.  We swam in the pool and soaked in the hot tub, where we met families and expectant young couples thrilled to be celebrating winter holidays in a warm, sunny location.  Of course, we met a lot of retirees, too.  They got a kick out of Sage's lack of fear of the water.  One family we met from Missouri are part of a Christian band and ministry, gtspoke.com.  Check them out.

Warm temps and light beach breezes overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  Heated pool and hot tub for cooler nights.  Hot breakfasts and two-drink happy hours, daily.  Christmas dinner spread with live entertainment and movies.  Visit to Sea Turtle, Inc.  Laid-back attitude.  Yes, this plan worked out beautifully.  And now we are on to our next adventure...

Merry Christmas!

Pics of Christmas on S. Padre Is., TX

Time

Time is treasure that liquifies and slips through our fingers.  No matter how big our cup, how fast our movement, we can't seem to scoop up the gilded molecules of yesterdays or Today or RIGHT NOW.  When we are young, we either don't notice or don't care.  Or maybe we believe Time is a "renewable resource."  As we grow older we become gradually aware of the priceless value of Time.  Our treasure appreciates as we reminisce about our High School Years, College Days, When We Were Single, Before Children, Before We Gained Weight, Before Cancer, After Divorce, and When He or She Was Still Alive.  We evaluate ourselves by the number of "moments" we have checked off our arbitrary Life Timeline.  Our eyes look forward to anticipate the next big event, then back to relive the last one.  But what about today?  What about NOW?

This year, I want more time with the people I love and doing the things I enjoy most.  I want to see my mom and Joe more than once a year, or every other year.  Meet halfway, plan a family trip.  Something.  I want the dad I know to come back.  He has not been himself in a very long time...and for many good reasons...but now it's time to move forward making many more great memories.  Selfishly, I want Sage to have happy times with her only grandfather.  David's dad will always be alive in photos and recollections, but she can never make new memories with him.  With my dad, she can.  Beautiful moments.  Togetherness.  I want more time with my brother.  Not let-me-come-watch-you-play-music time.  At least not all the time.  One time on a whim he, David and I went to the aquarium at Fair Park.  Such a great, spontaneous and educational experience for everyone!  Those are the types of moments I want.

I want more time to celebrate Life with extended family and friends.  I want more time to write, to run, to admire my little girl.  To sit quietly and watch the sun rise or set, to chuckle at my dog's elation as he sprints full-throttle along the beach.  To be grateful just to be Me.  I also want to get back every moment I was selfish and hurt someone.  Every moment I felt angry or hurt, not because someone genuinely wronged me, but because my damn insecurities tricked me into feeling offended.  I want to erase the years of silence between friends...years we lost because we were too stubborn to say "I'm sorry" and "I love you" and "Let's go play!"  And I especially want back those slivers of time when I felt unworthy of love or happiness or success.  What is that Degas quote about self-doubt being an insidious enemy?  Give me back those moments and let me continue to savor my life Now and Tomorrow without fear or pettiness.  Definitely without self-doubt.  I do not, however, want more time to clean.  Ha...sorry, this post was starting to get a little too heavy.

The guiding principle of our mobile journey, I suppose, is a quest to capture Time.  Purging possessions is symbolic of shedding responsibilities and preoccupations that rob us of precious time with the people and experiences that bring us the greatest joy.  Downsizing to a tiny-home-on-wheels enables us to spend less time cleaning, organizing, decorating, building, deconstructing, maintaining -- all the obligations of owning a home.  Instead, our chores steal only moments from our day, leaving the rest of the day to be spent as we choose.  (That is, as long as the energy and connectivity infrastructure is reliable and intact.)  Downsizing also allows us to model the principles of environmental stewardship we embrace: to conserve, preserve, restore and celebrate Nature.  But our new "lifestyle" goes one step beyond...we conserve, preserve, restore and celebrate the fundamentals of a happy life together.

I have taken enough time talking about...well...time.  Time for me to go spend some beautiful time with my precious angel preparing for Christmastime.  Wishing you and your family plentiful happy times RIGHT NOW, today, this holiday season, and beyond.

Game (Almost) Over

If you have been following our story, you know that about a month into this journey our fun was marred by power outages and poor signals for phone and mobile broadband services.  Our trailer jumped ship and faceplanted itself.  Our camper fell TWICE, and somehow we have sustained no serious damages.  The power and connectivity issues have been the most problematic because our work was delayed, which means collecting payment was delayed.  Keeping in touch with family and friends has also been a challenge, as a result.  But as we caught up our work we were able to piece by piece, little by little, resolve all of our issues.  Creatively...

Saturday was to be a day of replenishing crucial supplies -- water, propane and fuel for the generator.  I awoke feeling dizzy and completely drained of all energy (pun somewhat intended.)  As I explained my condition to David we discovered the generator was not running.  He checked the fuel and oil, spent a lot of time following the manufacturer's troubleshooting guide.  Dead.  Great.  What was supposed to be a very reliable primary source of energy now and only a back-up source after we install wind and solar generation kits has kicked the bucket.  Only three weeks since we purchased it...great.

The brand new canopy also collapsed.  Actually, two different versions of the canopy failed.  We also need new shocks on the truck and a new axle on the trailer.  We also discovered one of the tanks we use to carry fuel for the generator had cracked and was dripping fuel on the outside of the trailer.  Since we will not have the generator, we gave the cracked tank to some beach revelers who built a giant pyre near us Friday night.  They were thrilled.

So there we were, thirsty and hungry and fearing the nighttime cold and without our primary source of energy.  Sage was uncomfortable.  I was getting cranky.  David was smoldering.  His intensity only made us feel worse -- I told him so later and not in a very nice way.  Yes, let's just use the cliche that "emotions were running high."  That's enough detail for now.  Ha.  From the beginning of the planning phase, we agreed that we would end the journey if it stopped feeling fun or safe.  The trailer rebuild is all but finished; it has transformed into a playhouse/dance studio I would have dreamed of as a little girl.  Sage adores it.  She also loves El Valor so much she hugs the doorway often and says, "I love you, camper."  She gets just as excited as we do about traveling. But Saturday, with Mommy and Daddy feeling edgy and our adventure infrastructure crumbling all around us, she was ready to call it quits.  In truth, I considered it, too.  Briefly.

By Saturday evening we were checking into a hotel for a 4-night stay.  Half-way through, I can honestly say that this little reprieve has done more for morale than I had expected.  The dizziness has subsided.  I think I was just a wee dehydrated because I was not drinking enough water.  Rationing is commendable but not if it means Mommy suffers from vertigo...Our little "regrouping break" has also given us time to take care of other very necessary items.  In a few days the generator will be returned for a full refund.  New axle and wiring are being installed on the trailer right now, and tomorrow the truck will get new shocks and a stabilizer arm.  Oil and fluids were changed and topped off this morning.  At this very moment the canopy is being replaced AGAIN.  This time, we are also reinforcing with additional poles and straps.  If you have ever camped for more than a day or two on the Texas Coast, you understand how unforgiving the conditions are sometimes. 

All of this comes at a very inconvenient time -- so close to Christmas.  Our holiday plans might be affected but not so much that we have to end our journey, I hope.  Instead, I will believe in the magic of the holiday season, that everything will be resolved by Christmas Eve.  That everyone will feel recuperated and ready to ring in the new year with love and hope and joy and prosperity.  Oh, and more adventures.  Definitely more adventures!