Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Category: Nature (page 9 of 19)

The Trick of Finding a Suitable Campsite – Osceola National Forest, FL

Every six months for the last five years, Mark had to return to Boston, Massachusetts. No matter where we found ourselves in the world, this was a priority. In the summers, I’d usually join him, but in the winter time, I’d rather not. I’d stay at a house sit by myself whenever possible. Last year, I ended up joining him in January, because all else failed. I wrote about that in my post “The Desperate House Sitter“. This year, having Maya, we better found a solution for me to remain in Florida!

Usually, we don’t plan where we go, how we get there, or where we stay. We use iOverlander when it’s time to find a place to camp and boondock based on what we find. We rarely stay longer than a night anywhere, mostly because these places – especially on the East Coast of the US – aren’t often comfortable or private. The exception was Osceola National Forest in Florida, where we spent almost a week at the Hog Pen Landing primitive campground mid-January, after a hectic start of the new year.

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Kentucky Surprises

If it wasn’t for an interesting job opportunity, Mark and I would never have considered visiting Kentucky. Yet, upon reading what the state has to offer and actually driving through its attractive countryside, we discovered beauty from rolling hills to majestic buildings and from famous events to dark, long caves. We are not alone in our positive findings; we kept hearing about surprising discoveries other campers and visitors made as well.

(Scroll over the image to read captions or click to enlarge.)

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we thought we’d have time to explore the area during our seven-week job commitment, but the night schedule was too exhausting to venture far on our one full day off. That being said, we found a few fun hikes around lakes near Campbellsville and saved the other attractions until the Amazon job was finished. We actually planned to head south as quickly as possible, that December 25th, but unseasonably warm weather made these Kentucky stops possible.

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Our 2019 in Review & Happy Holidays!

If you are a regular reader, you will probably remember most of our journey through 2019. If you are new to our site, I invite you to browse and click around a bit for stories and photos about our past adventures. The links in this post give you a glimpse into some of those experiences.

Driving part of historic route 66, AZ

January

Mark and I explored the Borrego Springs area in the California desert, flew to Newburyport, Massachusetts to see doctors, friends, and family, and did a short repeat house sit in San Diego.

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The Art of Our Nomadic Minds – Almost Heaven, West Virginia

I’ve mentioned it before on this blog: Mark and I don’t plan much and often “wing” it on the road, whether that’s in regards to our route, what we visit, or where we park for the night. It’s just easier to go with the flow; we don’t have to plan, research, and be disappointed if things go wrong and we love putting our flexible minds to good use.

When the three of us left Newburyport, Massachusetts, the end of September, we had about a week to cover the 1,000-mile distance to Campbellsville, Kentucky. Two stops were anticipated: Greenwich, Connecticut for two days of quality time with relatives, and the southern Walmart in Hagerstown (yes, there are two), Maryland, to meet up with our awesome van friends Duwan and Greg.

Greenwich, CT

What can I say? It is always a joy to be with our brother-in-law, Brian, and his lovely wife, Margaret. Fabulous, smart, pretty, and beaming niece Chelsea came over for one of the days – the cherry on top. She introduced her rescued Korean dog Mochi to us and we also met the two new kittens. Can you tell why this is a happy place for us, with all this love for animals and people going around?

(Hover over photos to read captions or click to enlarge.)

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5 North Shore Destinations within 1 Hour from Boston (or Newburyport)

After my parents met Mark, Maya, and me in Quebec City and explored a chunk of Maine with us in Zesty, we all settled in the home of my in-laws in Newburyport, Massachusetts for the last week of their US vacation. Mark and I happily offered up “our” room above the garage and moved into another guest room of what we fondly call “our home base”. It has, in fact, been both Mark’s and my official residency for over a decade. The area is full of treasures.

My favorite photo op in Rockport

1. Newburyport

I was delighted to have my parents visit us in my “second home”. I’ve grown fond of this seaside town over the years and couldn’t wait to finally show them why. Having visitors around turns us into tourists and helps us appreciate the beautiful surroundings we have grown accustomed to.

Newburyport has a wonderful waterfront area and boardwalk along the Merrimack River, two rail trails to walk and bike on, an attractive downtown, outdoor art displays, and many historic buildings. It’s a joy to take Maya for long walks. There are museums, heaps of restaurants and bars, and the necessary antique shops, typical for North Shore villages.

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Snapshots from Maine – Indian Summer at the Coast

In my previous post, I showed why Quebec City was the perfect place for my parents to join us; it is the most beautiful city of Canada. After a few days of sightseeing, we left the city and the country. Instead of driving all the way to the coast of Maine, we decided to split that long journey up by stopping about halfway, in Kingfield. This is the town where our friends Jen and Mark have a second home. They generously let us stay there – again – to charge our batteries.

Kingfield

Of all the places to get rained on, this was the most favorable, as we planned to relax for most of the day. Luckily, we managed to go on a short walk to the hidden waterfalls and on another one to the river. Fall had arrived, but the weather remained comfortable.

Bar Harbor

This cute town on Desert Island is the gateway to Acadia National Park. I didn’t find a hotel for all four of us (and Maya), but the affordable place we booked for my parents (fall special at US$120 a night), was located in the center of Bar Harbor, in walking distance to everything. The room came with an adjacent parking spot, so Mark, Maya, and I managed to sleep in our camper, low-key.

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Snapshots from Prince Edward Island – Lighthouses & Lovely Scenery

Before Mark, Maya, and I drove north to “explore the Canadian Maritimes a bit”, we didn’t plan anything, as always. The only thing my husband and I discussed was visiting our friend Woody in the Halifax area – he received three days’ notice – and our friends Alex and Dave “somewhere on Prince Edward Island” (PEI). We didn’t inquire where on the island they were located, until a couple of days before we headed that way. We let them know about our arrival, which happened the following day, as things sped up thanks to Hurricane Dorian. There’s a fine line between a “surprise” visit and a “planned” visit when it comes to hosting us. You are warned!

In a car or camper, PEI can be reached by bridge or ferry. The exorbitant toll of the bridge is paid on the return journey; when you leave the island. A little-known fact is that the ferry to the island is free as well, even if you return via the bridge. The prices online are for the return trip on the boat. But what if you want to take the ferry there and the bridge back, because that makes more sense logistically? You could reserve a one-way spot and pay $79 for that privilege. Or, you could just show up early enough, get in line, and pay zero dollars. Guess what we did?

Wood Islands

Wood Islands Provincial Park was the perfect introduction to the cuteness, cleanliness, and charm of PEI. From the moment we drove off the ferry, we turned into this relaxing and beautiful park.

(Hover over the photos or click on them to read the captions and enlarge.)

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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail

Mark, Maya, and I had five weeks to explore the Canadian Maritimes, before my parents would arrive from Belgium. Time flies! Especially when all hiking and sightseeing is postponed on rainy days. We knew we couldn’t circumnavigate Nova Scotia in its entirety, due to long distances, expensive fuel, and time constraints.

Crossing New Brunswick took about a week, then we spent another one in the Halifax area, where we had to choose: travel about the southwest corner of the province or the northeastern part. We picked the latter and headed to Cape Breton Island, many hours and kilometers away.

We hit the Cabot Trail – a famous scenic drive – on the first day of September. Another traveler had recommended we’d drive counter clockwise to take in the dramatic vistas from the best angle, so we did. While pretty, it wasn’t as spectacular as we anticipated; the nicer parts reminded us somewhat of the Acadia National Park shoreline in Maine.

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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Picturesque Ports & Places

Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is part of the Canadian Maritimes. This is the first of two posts I will publish about our time there, the end of August and the beginning of September 2019. Before that, we explored the southern part of New Brunswick.

Economy

Our intended camping experience near and hike to Economy Falls failed, due to the road’s horrible condition. Mark and I could have biked to the trailhead, but not with Maya. Ten miles of running beside bicycles on top of a five-mile romp in the woods would be too much. So, we opted for free camping option two: Thomas Cove Coastal Reserve. There, we found a peaceful spot to park along the Bay of Fundy, at the beginning of multiple flat but fun hiking trails. (Click on photos to enlarge and read captions.)

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A Hurricane… in a Van… in Canada!

I was going to post a blog about our August expenses today, but something else came up. Well, it actually looks like I won’t post anything on this Sunday, September 8th, 2019, because the electricity and internet are both down on the entire island. Good thing we have a self-contained camper van; we have power and can even take a hot shower, which is more than some tourists staying in hotels can do. Internet, however, we can’t reproduce.

You might remember my whining about how we always have bad luck with the weather, wherever we go. Somehow, we encounter extremes: the wettest spring in California in a decade (hey, it did end the drought), the coolest and rainiest September on Vancouver Island, the coldest winter in Southern California and Southern Arizona (we even escaped into Mexico for a few days to look for elusive warmth), the most miserable May in Southern Utah ever, with rain, sleet, hail, and snow instead of the average 75 degrees (24C) that time of the year, the hottest and most humid June in Toronto and Montreal, and the hottest day of the year in Massachusetts (on which Maya got lost)!

Even though this selection of the last two years sums up our weather misfortunes well, none of it beat our experience this past weekend. The three of us found ourselves in the path of Hurricane Dorian – the same one that caused havoc in the Bahamas managed to make landfall on Nova Scotia, with strong effects on Prince Edward Island (PEI), where Zesty is located. Yep, a hurricane in Canada. The last time that happened was Hurricane Juan in 2003. What’s the chance of running into this? With us, pretty big.

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