Don't make me turn this van around! RV Edition

Down the final stretch of marathon training, we find that the most beautiful State Park in Florida is…

February 15, 2021

When I was 15 years old, my dad, my stepmother, and I moved from Orange County, California, to Florida. My siblings were already out of the house and living on their own. One might think that trading California for Florida wouldn’t be much of a change. I grew up in a land of palm trees, … More Down the final stretch of marathon training, we find that the most beautiful State Park in Florida is…

Our autumn in Florida: Still summer

January 25, 2021

Upon our return home in October, Florida greeted us with sweltering temperatures. Ahh, the cool breezes of fall. Did you know that October is Florida’s hottest month? Of course you didn’t know that. Because it isn’t true. But, for those of us in the southern half of the state, it feels like the hottest month … More Our autumn in Florida: Still summer

The Best New Year

December 31, 2020

This is a special edition cross-posting of a short essay that I wrote for a poetry and essay magazine in St. Petersburg, FL, called Neptune. Neptune is published primarily online, with a limited print run each month by my friend and talented poet, Denzel Johnson-Green. This magazine is over 80 pages of original, beautiful, thought-provoking … More The Best New Year

Caves and Canyons in the South?

December 29, 2020

I always get a little sad when we reach the turn-around point of a trip. It feels like an end – even if we have the entire journey home. We usually travel much faster getting home – once driving from Northern Illinois to South Carolina in one grueling 12-hour day. When we left Mackinac Island … More Caves and Canyons in the South?

The U.P. is Way Up There

November 27, 2020

“Where are you going?” people ask us before we leave home on one of our extended summer trips. Our answer is usually pretty vague. “We’re going north,” we’ll say, or, “Out west.” We usually have a few major stops lined up, with lots of question marks in between. One of the stops that was set … More The U.P. is Way Up There

Slip slidin’ away…

November 8, 2020

Some of our favorite stops are the unplanned, unexpected places we’ve landed. Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Red Rock Canyon in Oklahoma, and Chippokes Plantation in Virginia were all places we’d never heard of until the day we entered their gates. Leaving New York City, we aimed the nose of the RV toward Cleveland for … More Slip slidin’ away…

The New York City of romantic movies

October 21, 2020

There aren’t many places to take an RV around New York City, but one is tantalizing close, if you can get past the fact that it’s not much more than a parking lot in an industrial area of Jersey City. Just the name “Jersey City” gave me pause: An entire city named after New Jersey? … More The New York City of romantic movies

Ellis Island like you’ve never seen it, the City of Brotherly Love, and a baloney sandwich

October 21, 2020

After a successful stop in DC we headed back to the beach. Since this is our second visit to the Jersey Shore this summer, I’m going to treat it like reruns of the MTV reality show of the same name – and not bore you with a dozen more pictures of our family on the … More Ellis Island like you’ve never seen it, the City of Brotherly Love, and a baloney sandwich

Field Trip for a Class of Two

October 12, 2020

Ok, I know I promised that Monica was going to write the next blog post, but she has been up to her ears in a book on the 100th anniversary of a local organization, so I’m going to keep driving this rig. She’s got something coming soon though. After we left Cape Hatteras, we set … More Field Trip for a Class of Two

Empty Beaches Full of History

September 27, 2020

One of the best places to camp is at the beach, but it isn’t that simple. Before our RV, when we were tent camping on Florida’s beaches and islands, we had to find the sweet spot when the weather and water temperature were warm enough to want to swim, yet still cool enough at night … More Empty Beaches Full of History

One family. A difficult diagnosis. An RV. And a new lease on life.