Key West, Florida to Daytona Beach, Florida

This morning we made a wide U turn and started heading north.

We didn't get far, before we turned into Everglades National Park. The creatures who live here are not shy. An everglades kite with a wing span as wide as our car swooped over our heads as we turned into the "river of grass". We drove by "panther crossing" signs but weren't fortunate enough to see one. The Florida panther is endangered and they estimate only 10 are left in the park. Instead, at different points, we passed a large turtle, a wood stork, a vulture, and several ibis meandering or posing alongside the roadway.

We walked the Anhinga Trail, an elevated boardwalk bordering a fresh water sawgrass marsh. The trail is named for the anhinga, a bird that swims underwater to catch fish to eat. The bird then sits in the sun with wings unfurled to allow its feathers to dry. We saw several and got close enough to see that the anhinga is a green-eyed bird.

As we walked, we could hear what sounded like a bullfrog chorus, but more guttural and clipped. It was the alligators "talking". They keep up a pretty continuous chatter. You can't always see them, but you know they're close by. I was grateful for the boardwalk. In one spot there were 20 alligators, visible and sunning themselves. As we walked back to the car one big fella had found a sunny spot right next to the path....so much for the boardwalk!

We also walked the boardwalks at the Pahayokee Overlook and the Mahogany Hammock. One provided a  view of the endless 'grass' and the other a tour of an 'island' of lush trees and undergrowth. There were groves of bald cypress trees which have actual bald spots because they drop needles here and there when they need to conserve water.

We drove to the end of the pavement, over Rock Reef Pass, (elevation 3 feet), to the visitor's center in Flamingo. This is where the 99 mile water trail into the glades begins. A kayak or canoe will get you to elevated platforms along the route to use as campsites as you explore. Anyone interested?

A key lime milkshake at a fresh fruit stand is the last stop before we head for Daytona Beach.
Running Odometer: 4820
States: Florida  Total: 14

Key West, Florida

Key West is 90 miles from Cuba, so that puts us closer to Castro's island than the US mainland. The highest point here is 18 feet above sea level. Shops are full of souvenirs, shot glasses and beachwear. The uniform is shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. The look is rumpled and comfy. Happy hour is from 7-8AM. In other words, just relax!

There are chickens roaming around everywhere. When cock fighting was outlawed, the roosters were set free, and are now protected by law against harm or harassment.

Ernest Hemingway's house is here. It's a home you could move right into and live happily ever after. Beautiful arched windows, covered verandas shaded by African tulip trees, and his second wife's chandelier collection from Paris installed in every room, including the bathrooms. There are 47 cats living on the property, all descended from Hemingway's cat, Snowball, (who had 6 toes). They have the run of the house and garden. We found two having a nap on Hemingway's bed.

Harry Truman, 'the uncommon, common man', came to Key West for rest and vacation. His home here is called The Little White House. It has been used by Kennedy, Eisenhower, Carter and Clinton and is still available for presidential retreats. Truman's desk with "The Buck Stops Here" sign is in a corner of the living room.

The Key West winery bottles a Key Lime Wine and another called Hurricane. We shipped a case home, so stop by for a sip or two.

In the evening, Key West celebrates sunset at the dock near Mallory Square. The square fills with street performers and their audience is in full party mode. Our favorite: Dominique, the cat man and his cat circus!

Enjoyed Royal Reds, a large sweet shrimp for lunch, with key lime pie for dessert...and a cheeseburger in paradise at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant for dinner. His food is unremarkable, but his music is the best!

Running Odometer: 4248
States: Florida Total: 14

Ocala, Florida to Key West, Florida

The GPS gets to take the day off. The highway is straight and flat all day long, heading due south. At the end of this day's drive we will be as far from home as we can possibly drive and still be in the US.

Our route, on the Everglades Parkway,  takes us across the 720,000 acre Cypress Swamp in the Big Cypress National Preserve. This is known as Alligator Alley. The road is lined with an 8 foot wire fence topped with barbed wire. Perhaps to protect the swamp residents from fast moving cars. We decide the fence is an "alligate". We have the top down and the sounds we hear are reminiscent of the jungle ride at Disneyland; bird calls and whatever else.

One of the goals of this trip is to drive the overseas highway to Key West, and today's the day. The road travels from key to key via bridges that take us out into the Florida Bay. We fly along with water on both sides. The bridge at Marathon Key is seven miles long, probably the most spectacular stretch on the route. We stop at Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key. This is a 524 acre park shaded by gumbo limbo trees. It boasts a beach that is ranked as one of the most beautiful in the US. It also holds the remains of a bridge that was once a part of "Flagler's Folly". In 1905 Henry Flagler built a railroad to Key West along the route that is now US Highway 1. His railway was destroyed by a hurricane in 1935, but his idea was the inspiration for the highway we're on today.

Two F22 Tomcats flew over at about 500 feet as we reached Key West. Quite the welcome.

Happy Birthday to Bonnie!

Running Odometer:4238
States: Florida  Total: 14

Asheville, North Carolina to Ocala, Florida

Asheville
Nashville
Knoxville
Cooksville
Hendersonville
Statesville
Greenville
Carnesville
Gainesville
I could go on.....there seems to be a theme here.

We made a pledge before we left to avoid fast food on this trip. But this morning we made an exception for Bojangle's, the Southern version of McDonald's. Their slogan "gottawannaneedagettahava" trips off the tongue. The attraction is the hot fresh buttermilk biscuits they serve with every order. We're back on the wagon, but falling off tasted real good.

About 20 miles east of Atlanta is a memorial to the Confederacy in Stone Mountain Park. The mountain is a huge glob of granite that looks like a giant tossed his chewing gum into the deciduous forest. The granite runs ten miles deep into the earth. On one side is a 3 acre bas-relief carving of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis on horseback. There is a sky-ride to the mountain top with a good view of the carving on the way up (and down). They don't mention it at the park, but Stone Mountain has been a rallying point for the KKK. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech  includes the line:"let freedom ring from Stone Mountain in Georgia".

Of our three mountain carvings we decide Mount Rushmore is the most dramatic. Crazy Horse and Stone Mountain are both larger, but their mountainsides dwarf them.

We pass a dirty dump truck on the highway with "Jesus Won't Dump You" painted across the back.

When we step out of the car in Ocala we know we're in Florida because we can feel the air even though it isn't moving. It wraps around us like a warm wash cloth.

Running Odometer: 3718
States: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida  Total:14

Asheville, North Carolina

Our timing is just a little off. Evidently, President Obama and First Lady Michelle were in Asheville on Friday and Saturday. I'm truly sorry we missed them, hoping maybe they'll show up in the Keys.

The Biltmore Estate occupied our day.  The approach road from the gatehouse to the main house is three miles long. The house is reminiscent of a French chateau and includes 8000 acres of surrounding forests and meadows. Indeed, it is the largest privately-owned home in America. Yesterday we were peeking into one room slave shanties where a family of ten lived, today we walked through a home of 250 rooms occupied by a family of three, (and this is just the summer house).

In the 75 acres of formal gardens the azaleas were showing off. They performed "formally" and continued on into the more rustic areas where their blooms drifted into the green backgrounds to add surprises of colors.

Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Biltmore gardens and grounds. He's also responsible for New York's Central Park. Most significant for us is his involvement in designing several of Spokane's most beautiful parks, including Manito.

Running Odometer: 1324
States: North Carolina  Total:  11

Nashville, Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina

"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day. I've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my way" The sun is shining, no rain, no tornadoes, and not a deer in sight.


Today was Nashville to Asheville. There's an old family story about Jenny and Jim driving in the South and Jenny trying to tell Jim which exit to take. The choices were Nashville and Asheville. She said Nashville, he thought she said Asheville and they went back and forth like Laurel and Hardy, until they were shouting at each other. Today it was good for a laugh.


We stopped at the Hermitage, the 1100 acre plantation of Andrew Jackson. The mansion, his early log cabin home, the formal garden, the remains of the slave quarters and his tomb are all there. We took a horse-drawn wagon ride around the grounds and toured the mansion and gardens. Old Hickory, apparently was a contradictory personality. James Parton, a Jackson biographer, calls him a democratic aristocrat, an urbane savage, an atrocious saint. The Cherokee call him the devil because of his responsibility for the Trail of Tears. 
The rural acreage is lush with grass and trees and the formal garden is supposedly just the way his wife left it.
Bed after bed of peonies in Rachel's garden were covered in buds and just about to burst. They must make a glorious display.

We drove through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. where we stopped twice to observe black bears in the woods. One was foraging in the underbrush, the other was  stretched out languorously on a tree limb high above, indifferently looking down at those looking up at him. The Smoky Mountains are covered in deciduous forest. The "mountains" roll and fold in on each other while the sun plays on them highlighting the peaks and deepening the pleats. 


We know we're still in the USA, but Jim says he might as well be in France, because they are speaking a different language here, and Southern drivers do not observe the speed limits. They're all stock car racers. 
And just what is frog jam? Evidently, it's made of figs, raspberries, oranges and ginger.


Running Odometer Total: 3100
States Today: Tennessee, North Carolina Total: 11

Mt Vernon, Illinois to Nashville, Tennessee

We put all efforts into getting our windshield replaced, and it took all day and both of us on two phones trying to get Safeco to follow through on emergency service. We had to locate a dealership which had the correct piece of glass, because Safeco wanted us to order it from one of their partner glass shops and wait for it to arrive. Not happening. Then we needed someone to install it, because the glass shop connected to the dealership is not open on Saturday. The Safeco shop wouldn't do the labor if we didn't buy the glass from them, and they didn't have it in stock. Finally, we found a free-lancer who wanted the work. He came to the dealership and happily and energetically installed the new windshield. Yes, this is a commercial for Safeco and their subsidiary, Safelite. Happy to give them the review they deserve.

We celebrated our windshield victory with a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. The ghosts of Minnie Pearl and Ernie Tubbs, the Texas Troubadour, were present in this venerated theater. We listened to toe-tappin' music from old timers like Joe Diffie and Jeannie Seely and then out walked Loretta Lynn, the coal miner's daughter. She was a complete surprise. Still a lovely lady, still a clear strong voice and a vision in pink velvet. Another highlight was watching the cloggers. The dancing is similar to Irish step dancing, done with high energy and precision.

Listening to tornado warnings on TV. I may get my funnel cloud yet. Need to be careful what I wish for...don't want to end up in Oz.

Odometer Running Total:  2764
States: Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Total: 10

Happy Housewarming to Katie!