Heading to southern Florida to park our camper near the Everglades while we go on a Caribbean cruise.  We enjoyed revisiting some our favorites from our first winter on the road! 

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine (HH), Hendersonville, NC - Mar 1 - 2

We spent the night in the parking lot of a crystal store. We bought these two beautiful rocks to add to our collection, which is growing. Since we don't want to fill up our camper, most of our new rocks end up in our storage unit. 
Picture
malachite & azurite, and mica

Garden Grove Farm & Brew (HH), Pelzer, NC - Mar 2 - 4

This was our second time staying at this brewery. We always have great conversations with Andrew, the owner. He is very welcoming and accommodating. 

Downtown Greenville, NC

We liked the way the river went through the downtown area, with natural spaces for people to hang out.

Laura S. Walker State Park, Waycross, GA - Mar 5

These kitties were hanging out at our site, and would have come with us if we let them.  

Olive Land Farm, Hastings, FL - Mar 6

The folks here are doing a research project to see if growing olives can be a profitable crop in Florida. It is still the early stages of the project, and it will be another 3 to 5 years for their olive trees to be producing, 
​For now they are selling imported olive oil.

Anastasia State Park, Saint Augustine, FL - Mar 7

We love this park and were happy to do an overnight here so that Graham could take advantage of surfing. We also enjoy their beautiful hiking trails.

Mister Chris's Coffee Depot (HH), Frostproof, FL - Mar 8

This was our second time staying at Mister Chris's. He has created an impressive establishment for locals and visitors to gather.  The property is home to several amazing, enormous live oaks. 

Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL - Mar 9

This state park is a very special nature park, filled with wildlife. We always feel like we are on safari here.

Celebrity Caribbean Cruise - Mar 11 - 21

This was our first cruise together, Graham's first cruise ever, and it has been 30 years since Colleen has been on one.
We visited St. Martin, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua. We got to snorkel in Barbados and Antigua. Dominica is known as the nature island and was our favorite.

Big Cypress and Everglades National Park - Mar 21 - 29

We had some repeats and also did some different things than the last time we were in Big Cypress and The Everglades National Park. We read about a slough slog (wet walk) a couple years ago. This trip we felt ready for that level of excitement and we went for it. The highest the water got was mid thigh on Colleen. Depending on rain the water level can be higher. 
- Snake Bight Trail in Flamingo -
We actually saw a total of five snakes while we were in the Everglades: two snakes on the Snake Bight trail, two on the Kirby Storter boardwalk trail, and a huge Diamondback Rattler from the truck
​(which was the perfect place to see it from!).
- Flamingo Marina - 
- We rented kayaks in Flamingo and paddled down the canal -
- Kirby Storter Boardwalk Trail -
- HavAnna Cafe on Chokoloskee Island -

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park - Mar 31 - Apr 1

This is a resort for campers. As one of our first destinations when we set out in 2021, Topsail Hill remains one of our favorite places to visit.