Bye bye Florida, hello North Carolina
We have been in Florida for almost two months now and are enjoying it immensely, but are also enjoying traveling further north again. Spring provides sunny weather in many other states as well! When we entered Florida we visited the west coast and the middle, now we think it would be nice to see some more of the east coast. From an American we meet at John Pennekamp State Park, we get the tip to go to Peanut Island. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
We leave Larry and Penny Thompson campground and our first "stop" is at Mar-a-Lago, the home of President Donald J. Trump. This beautiful complex is in Palm Beach and the other houses in this neighborhood are also stunning. The ocean here seems even more blue than we have seen before and the white beaches seem to be filled with snow. We obviously cannot stop here, there is so much security and no public parking in this area. But we don't care, we enjoy having seen this area in real life. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
The second and final stop today is at Cracker Barrel restaurant. This is where we spend the night before our visit to Peanut Island. What a cozy formula that is! They have a very nice store with clothes, notebooks, games, candy, etc and a restaurant. They serve pancakes, French toast, beef and fish dishes, among others. It is a popular restaurant and the twenty menu choices under $9 will surely contribute to that. It is not haute cuisine, but it certainly beats the fast food restaurants we also know in the Netherlands. There are parking lots for RVs and buses, where you may also stay overnight. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Cracker Barrel
Peanut island
We arrive early and park on the outer edge of the nearest parking lot in a spacious spot. There are nice restaurants overlooking the boats and a canoe rental company where you can also take your own canoe out on the water. At the canoe rental company you can also buy a ferry ticket to the mini island.
The island is cute and it is a miracle that it has been preserved. We like the fact that with snorkeling you see so many fish, it has such a cozy white beach and you can take a nice shower after snorkeling. There is even a campground Where you can camp with a tent.
12 miles tree tunnel (=19,2 km)
Robert saw on tiktok that there is road with a tunnel of trees. This road is the Martin Grade Scenic Highway. It is a short detour before we arrive at our Boondockers host. How special nature is, it is well worth the detour!
Boondockers host make traveling interesting
We enjoy staying in lesser-known places and especially taking the time to meet so many different people. Over the next few days we will alternate staying at Boondockers Welcome/Harvest host locations and Cracker Barrel restaurants. The people everywhere are so nice and that makes traveling so much more fun!
- At host Zack in Post St. Lucie, we park in front of his house in the grass. Zack and his wife have been members of a church choir for many years and derive great satisfaction from it. They have also been adoptive parents of several children for years and provide a safe home. He buys up the contents of people who have died or are going to nursing homes and makes his money from that.
- With host Glenda, who is over 80 years old, we stand in a beautiful waterfront yard. She offers visitors tourist information about the area, water, power and even a drain for dumping sewage. Her husband recently passed away, but she continues to host Boondockers guests.
- In Columbia, the capital of the state of South Carolina, we are at a church for the first time. We have no contact with anyone from St.Michael Lutheran Church, we get all the instructions online. The church is in a very nice neighborhood and it is mouse quiet at night.
- At Persimmon hill farm, you stand in a swampy spot next to cows and pigs. Host Matthew is a nice guy and sells meat and eggs. When we see the high-voltage pylons and then Matthew tells us that the chickens have been biting each other since he has been feeding them different food, we skip buying eggs this time....
- You could write an exciting book about the many stories told by former FBI agent and helicopter pilot John (74). It starts with a tour of his yard and the visit to his barn....John did a job for a multi-millionaire some time ago. The job involved picking up the man from his super yacht by helicopter. Upon arrival at the yacht, he sees all the girls in bikini, who turn out to be sex dolls. The man has very specific reasons for this.... A few weeks later, John receives a package and recognizes the sender. It's not hard to guess what we find in the shed!
He tells about his capture and liberation in Vietnam, about the tasks he performed there himself, about his dangerous work in the FBI and investigation of a well-known person who is now Resident. And so much more! One of the funniest stories is about his 99-year-old father and his 55-year-old girlfriend. When John tells his father that the girlfriend is even too young for him, his father says, "as long as you know that and keep your hands off her." John himself has 9 girlfriends ?
You can click on the photos for a larger image.
St. Augustine
We find St. Augustine to be the most beautiful place we visit in Florida. This place was founded in 1565 by a Spanish admiral and the influences of this Spanish era can be found everywhere. You will find beautiful buildings, a very cozy downtown and if you are lucky there is also an event going on. During our visit, there are artists showing beautiful creations.
Should you consider visiting this place with an RV, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find a nice free parking lot (3 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084) within foliage distance of the historic center.
Nice meeting!
We have joined a community of people for years where realizing personal mastery by expanding our consciousness, personal growth and living from our hearts is a major guiding principle in our lives. The founder is a wonderful lady and it is very nice to meet with her and get to know her personally. Leana shows us beautiful places near where she lives and we end our visit at the shooting range. That was the first time for Ingrid, really fun to do.
Georgia, South Carolina en North Carolina
We traveled through three states in a short time and saw a lot. We did not take a photo/movie of everything. Each state has its own atmosphere, lots of space and nature! Over the next few days, we will be going to Great Smokey Mountains National Park and driving quite a bit of the Blue Ridge parkway.
Hendersonville North Carolina
Dit is ook een leuk plaatsje om te bezoeken. Er zijn leuke locale winkels en leuke restaurants en er is voldoende parkeergelegenheid voor een camper!