The Big Easy, NOLA!!! February 18-19




The street performers were fantastic!



Our next stop was New Orleans, LA. We arrived at dusk on Friday night to our urban rv park in the famed French Quarter of New Orleans. We had a great day on Saturday walking around the city! It has recovered somewhat from the hurricane and signs of progress are visible. Our first stop was along Bourbon Street as we made our way to the waterfront  along the Mississippi River to the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park.

There was a jazz band in full swing and they included the kids in the music. Peter and Will decided to try their hand with the tambourines! They all got another stamp on their National Park Passport books.

After lunch we sauntered through the open air market in the French Quarter and enjoyed some of the street performers. We saw everything from a magician, to break-dancers, to a mime. We walked around Jackson Square named for our 7th president and visited the Louisiana Museum.

The museum had a fantastic exhibit on the Katrina hurricane and the history of Mardi Gras. We enjoyed dinner out and tried some cajun redfish and gumbo!

Rue de St. Peter.

Jackson Square.

New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Destin, Fl - Pensacola, Fl. February 16

We decided that it was time to make some tracks after Disney and get out of Florida. We drove a long haul to the Henderson State Park, Destin, Florida. The park was gorgeous with the loveliest white sand beaches we've ever seen! Weather was good and we had a nice boardwalk down to the beach. We did some biking and made a campfire.

This part of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana make up the Gulf Coast Islands National Park. It is designed to protect the critical set of barrier islands that protect these states.

Destin's white sandy dunes

The quarter mile boardwalk from our campsite.

Marshmallows on the campfire!

We left our campground and continued along the panhandle of Florida. We visited the National Park visitor center and saw the live oak trees that were famed for use in the early US Navy. They were the first protected forest and Old Ironsides (USS Constitution) was built of the dense oak planks.

The next stop was in Pensacola, Fl. at the Naval Airforce Base where we visited the Naval Air Museum. This was a brilliant collection of US Naval aircraft from the beginning of flight to present. The collection also included suits and all other sorts of memorabilia. The base is the current home of the famed Blue Angels.

Disney World, by Peter - February 13-15 (a generous gift from our GRANDPARENTS!)

Magic Kingdom!

Will bustin' a move with African drummers.

Her pals Chip 'n Dale.

                          By Peter:)

This was the first time that any of us besides Mom had been to Disney world. We left in the morning from the KOA and checked in at Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground.

On our first day, we took a boat from the campground to the Magic Kingdom. We were all amazed at how orderly everything was. Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. It was probably better than any other amusement park ride we had done before, but we had no idea what was to come. We went on many other exciting rides that day, including the Haunted Mansion (the ride broke so we were stuck in there for a while), Splash Mountain, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We came back to the Magic Kingdom for dinner at 6:00 p.m, and watched the breathtaking fireworks. They were the most amazing display any of us had ever seen.

At night we did several more rides, including It’s a Small World, Astro Orbiter, and Space Mountain. At the end of the day, we were aware of the fact that as your age goes up, so does how sick you get on the rides. The kids didn’t mind Space Mountain’s sudden turns at all, but they didn’t make Dad feel too good. And Mom just shut her eyes the whole time.

On Day 2, we took a bus to the Animal Kingdom. As soon as we got there, we went straight to Everest. All of us, especially Dad, were fascinated by all of the displays in the line area. It was like a museum! After bidding goodbye to each other, we boarded the ride. We encountered the Yeti, and made it out alive. In my opinion, it couldn’t beat Space MTN. I have been smiling in every one of the pictures they take of you on the rides. On Everest, Mom once again closed her eyes.

Some other rides we did that day were the Kali River Rapids (we stayed dry, but the people across from us got soaked), It’s Tough to be a Bug, and many jungle tours. On Kilimanjaro Safari, a rhino charged in front of the jeep! We saw lots of fascinating wildlife. Another ride that was also very good was Dinosaur. But, it was loud.

That night at the campground, we went night swimming in the big pool, and saw Chip & Dale at this concert thing.

On our third, and sadly, final  day, we got up very early and were at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at  9 o’clock sharp. Dad, Will & I headed straight for the

 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror!

We entered the run-down hotel and were dropped 150ft., brought back up, and dropped again about five times. Luckily, we survived the experience. We were a mere ten feet from the twilight zone door, but were not sucked into it.

After that, we went on the speedy rock and roller coaster, Caroline’s choice of Toy Story mania, a movie about Walt Disney, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. That was very interesting. They showed a lot of stunts and talked about different roles of stunt people. They also acted out many scenes from the movies, involving lots of fire, explosions, and shooting.

After lunch, we took a boat over to EPCOT (which we figured out stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow).

At Epcot, we went on many thrilling rides. We had a journey to Mars, were jolted around on Test Track, traveled through Norway on a Viking boat, and soared over California in Soarin’. Will & I had trouble reaching the buttons in our spaceship on Mission Space. In Test Track, we went very, VERY fast! All of us loved Soarin’ –it felt like you were hangliding!

We ate dinner in Morocco. The food was great. We all split a feast of Moroccan foods. My favorite things were the sweet rolls. There was live Moroccan music and a belly dancer.

We took a bus back to the campground, ready for a much needed sleep.

Everest and the Yeti await!

Epcot's Italy.

Manatees in Blue Spring, February 12

We have been on a quest in Florida to see manatees in the wild! They are hard to spot because they feed on the bottom grass and only surface for a breath of air. We met some other travellers in the Everglades who recommended the Blue Spring State Park, Orange City, Fl. just North of Orlando.We decided to make the trip up there before we visited Disney.

Mother nursing a calf

Manatees lounging in the clear springs

Manatee snuffing the stairs into the springs

The park was a gem! The hot springs attract the manatees who seek the warm water in the winter months. They migrate up the St. John River to the warm spring, temperature was about 72 degrees. The water was crystal clear blue green, as if out of the movies. There were 244 manatees wintering when we visited! We could walk along the springs on the series of board walks and just spot them swimming under us!! All sizes, mothers and calves it was thrilling.

Gulf Coast Florida, February 10-12

We have enjoyed the Florida State Park Campgrounds. We decided to head from the Keys across the State to the Collier-Seminole State Park on the Gulf Coast.

We passed through the Miccosukee Indian Village in the Seminole Reservation. We visited there and watched an alligator show put on by one of the braves. The kids all got to hold a 2 year old  alligator. We visited the museum and saw some traditional crafts being made.

The next couple of days were cool and we used the time to catch up on school work and laundry as we worked our way along the coast to St. Petersburg.

Lunch in Key West, LiYuen in Miami

We forgot to mention one of the funniest coincidences of our trip was running into LiYuen at the Miami Airport! We had just arrived at the airport and found her just inside the door on her way back to N. Hampton after her break. It was a welcome sight to see her smiling face as we struggled with our bags and gear!

We decided that we'd head farther South and visit Key West and US Route One mile marker Zero!! It was a pretty ride down the chain of islands. Once in Key West we had lunch at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. We enjoyed strolling along the streets, visiting the John James Audubon house, Hemmingway's house, and Truman's Little White House. The kids were more interested in the ice cream!!

Everglades National Park

Our visit to the Everglades National Park was amazing. Our first stop after the visitor center was the Anhinga Trail. This is about 3 miles into the park and an area that is fresh water grassland. The quarter-mile boardwalk trail was surrounded by more wildlife than we've ever seen!!!

The trail is named after the Anhinga bird, a kormorant-like bird that has adapted to living in the fresh water, diving and swimming for food. It then dries it's feathers in the sun before the next dive. In addition to the Anhingas we saw lots of herons, coots, grebes, and ibis.

The alligators were prolific, they were all around us on each side of the board walk. All different sizes seem to congregate here in winter (the dry season) where the water pools.

Our next stop was the Southernmost outpost of the park, on Cape Sable in Flamingo on Florida Bay . This area of the park features mixing of salt and freshwater. The habitat is perfect for crocodiles, manatee, all kinds of birds. Alligators can also survive in the brackish water, making this the only location in the world that you can see alligators and crocodiles together!!! We saw lots on a pontoon boat tour to the "back country".

We camped overnight at the Flamingo site. The alligators and crocodiles looked fierce, but we all agreed what would kill you were the mosquitoes!!! They were unbelievable at dusk and we all had a fitful night slapping and hunting those that had followed us inside the camper.

Superbowl Sunday in the Everglades

Deciding to head to the farthest point accessible by four wheels deep into the Everglades on Superbowl Sunday was not a popular decision, especially with Will, who had somehow transformed into a Steelers fan.  We left the cushy RV Park just North of Homestead, FL with amenities such as a huge pool, shuffleboard, playground, a basketball court, and which was also hosting a Superbowl Potluck party and headed to a National Park Campsite in Flamingo, Florida.  Flamingo is 40 miles from the nearest gas station and is literally on the southern most tip of mainland Florida and is surrounded by Everglades to the north, east and west, and Florida Bay to the south.  As the kids have come to learn, most National and State Park camprounds mean zero on the amenities front and in the case of Flamingo it also meant no electrcity, sewer, or cable TV hookups.  After the cramped quarters at the cushy RV park where you could literally "high five" the neighboring camper by reaching out your window, I was looking forward to the space and tranquillity typically offered by National Park campgrounds and since the Patriots were not in the Superbowl the decision was made to go deep into the Everglades.  As we were driving through miles and miles of Everglades it leaked out that the National Park campground at Flamingo was not going to have a pool and was very unlikely to have cable hookup.  As we pulled into the Flamingo campground we could hear the groans and moans coming from the back of the camper.  "Oh my gosh, this place is the worst campground ever!"  "What do you mean it doesn't have a pool!"  And from Will..."How could you do this to me on Superbowl Sunday!"  To Will's credit, he immediately put a plan into action.  He hopped on his bike and cruised for the campground looking for the biggest and most decked out RV's that might have a satellite feed from which to view the game.  He identified 2 such RV's, determined their allegiances (Steeler or Packer fan), and figured out which RV would have thew best viewing opportunities.  He chose the older couple from Texas who had a 42 foot landyacht with a 52 inch flatscreen TV mounted in a side compartment so that you could view from OUTSIDE the camper.   Why this couple chose to view the game outside (with the millions of mosquitoes) when they had 2 more large flatscreens inside the camper, we will never know, but it certainly made it easier for Will to invite himself over by casually asking what the score was which was followed by an immediate invite by the kind couple from Texas.  With the invite secured Will gathered the troops and Peter, Will, Caroline, and I headed over on our bikes to view the game.  It became immediately apparent that this couple and a few of their friends were immune to mosquitoes.  The four of us were being devoured by mosquitoes and Peter and Caroline quickly fled back to our camper.  Will was determined to watch the game so we headed back to the camper to get long pants, sweatshirts, and load up on bug spray to weather the mosquito onslaught.  The only problem with the long pants and sweatshits was that it was about 85 degrees with 98% humidity, so we were not only losing blood by the pint, we were sweating profusely.  As we watched the game pleasant thoughts of malaria, triple E, and West Nile Virus crept through my thoughts.  As of yet, neither Will or I have contracted any mosquito born illnesses but it will be a Superbowl we will never forget.

Back to the States! February 4

We said a "good-bye" to Intrigue and made our way to the ferry to St. Thomas. It was a long day of cabs, ferries, and flight. The highlight was a great lunch in St. Thomas at Glady's Restaurant!!!

Royal Dane Mall, St. Thomas

Our camper was indeed secure, but the battery was dead. After we got it started and the bikes off-loaded and back on the rack we made our way to the Miami Everglades Campground. When we awoke the next morning we saw the confirmation that this was the right time to make our cross-country journey.

THANK goodness, but we only  have a couple of more months left!!!


In case you wondered why we chose 2011 to take our trip!



Trellis Bay via the Baths, February 1

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

Sorry, this post is out of order chronologically!

The place the kids wanted to return to most before our departure were the Baths on Virgin Gorda. The day we had visited the last month was too rough and swelly to enjoy the snorkeling in and amongst the giant rocks. This was a perfect day and we lucked out with a mooring close to great snorkeling.

The wind was great for the short sail over to spend a night at Trellis Bay.

Saba Rock





Peter Island, February 2

After a month, Will has fully embraced the "Island Spirit."

The gang on the last day at sea!

Our last stop in the BVI with Intrigue was an overnight at Peter Island (no coincidence that one of the crew shared the name).




  We snorkeled, swam, played on the water trampoline, ate and stargazed for our last night at sea.

North Sound Virgin Gorda, January 30-31

We left Anegada and sailed back to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda one more time. We picked up a mooring at Saba Rock.

The North Sound was one of our favorite spots since the Luffs love to sail! We had a great hike over the top of Biras Hill with incredible views of the surrounding area and an afternoon of water sports!

Peter takes a turn at the helm

William tries windsurfing

The gang in their favorite craft

North Sound to Anegada

January 27

We left Little Jost Van Dyke at the crack of dawn to make a run for Anegada. We knew it was going to be a long haul in some big swells. Unfortunately, we gave up after an hour of beating into the wind with a  double reef in the main ,6 ft swells. one crew member getting seasick and the rest screaming.

Instead we shot back to the North Sound on Virgin Gorda again and this time stayed at Leverick Bay. We pulled into the dock to get water and fuel and ended up staying on the dock for the night. It was a treat to get some laundry done, swim in the pool, shower and catch up on computer work!

Our little" Jumbies"

Loblolly Bay...our favorite beach in the BVI.

ANEGADA January 28

We tried again from the North Sound, Virgin Gorda in much better wind angles and seas and sailed to Anegada in 2 ½ hrs. It was one place the kids wanted to visit having read about the “sunken island’. Anegada is a coral limestone island (the other islands are volcanic and steep) which at its highest point is 28 ft above sea level. You cannot see it until you are practically upon it which explains the over 300 ship wrecks along its coral reefs. Rich and I had never visited it because of charter company restrictions- now the channel to enter the harbor is marked and there a number of moorings.

The island sustained some serious damage last November in a hurricane and the harbor is littered with debris. You can imagine the havoc a strong storm could create seeing this flat oasis.

ANEGADA January 29

Sunset on Anegada

We relaxed in the morning and before lunch set off by open air taxi to Loblolly Bay on the other side of the island to the beach. It was a stunning beach surrounded by coral reef.  We spent the day there sunning and snorkeling. We had a chance to see a flock of the famed flamingos fly over the bay- just breathtaking.

We enjoyed a barbecue dinner at a table on the beach at the Anegada Reef Hotel. Richard’s parents had stayed at the hotel years ago when they visited the island by airplane.