Road Trip

Week after next, I am on vacation (yeah!!!) and am thinking of taking a drive to points North.. either Tennessee or North Carolina, I haven't quite decided the final destination. I have decided however, to take a page from the fab Electro Kevin and make this a camping trip.

Now, I'm not really a camper.. the only camping I've done thus far, included a log cabin with A/C. Here, this is the one:

Cute yeah? Well, its cuteness aside, it was right next door to a wildlife safari which was lovely - especially in the morning when the lions were roaring for their breckie... I kinda fancied myself in Kenya for a bit! Anyway, since he (Kevin) seems to enjoy tent camping, I'm sure I can bear with it... Besides, I'm in real estate advertising, and this has been a crap year.. so there is NO choice in the matter!

The only bad thing about driving through the state of Florida, is its such a long state, and being flat to boot, it becomes very boring. The good thing about driving through Florida, is the chance to visit the springs. There are more than 600 springs in Florida, including the largest number of first magnitude springs in the United States. The Orlando Sentinel has an interactive map here.

The last time I went on a road trip, I spent most of my time in St. Augustine (lovely, lovely town) and visited Blue Spring from there. It was GORGEOUS.... sublimely Florida! The power of the water coming up is astonishing! You can barely get close to the vent itself, and the water is a constant 72 degrees, clean, clear... the ultimate refreshment from the Florida heat (that sounds corny, but its true!) The great thing about going in winter (even though November is not technically winter) is the manatees are frequently spotted in the springs as they try to keep warm. Here is a photo (not mine) taken at Blue Spring of a Manatee and her baby:

Course, I'm lucky as I get to see lots of manatees from my balcony at work, but I never miss the opportunity to see more.. they are truly incredible mammals.

So, for the next week, I will be plotting my course of adventure and of course, will take you all on holiday with me!

P.S. Please feel free to leave any suggestions of places to visit.