Finally, we are getting serious about our next, 3500-mile road trip this time to Colorado. Our main goal is to hike 75-mile segment of Colorado Trail from Silverton to Durango. Plus some shorter hikes in the area. We also want to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park which we somehow missed on our previous trips. The rest of the planning is for now just the map below. We are not going to move very fast and will fix details on the go. But we are not going unprepared. Joanna is packing (scientific, but tasty) rations for the trek, light-weight and calorie-reach. Piotr is catching-up with car service and repairs. Car- and backpack-packing should be faster this time as we are building on previous experiences. From time to time we will publish a brief note about our whereabouts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewanderingspot.
Piotr’s annual visit to Poland was all about family business, but always opportunity to see and try a few things. In essence, revisiting places after many years. Kraków, Książ Castle, Cieplice Zdrój and Jelenia Góra, Szklarska Poręba (just short car tour of Karkonosze Mountains), Perła Zachodu , Siędlecin Tower, no free time in Warszawa or Świdnica. And checking out new restaurants and coffee shops.
Barbakan, Kraków
Wawel Royal Castle, Kraków
Beef Wellington with forest mushrooms, Nota Resto, Kraków
We drove 3600 miles and stayed in 16 places, 8 campgrounds and 8 motels/airbnbs. All in 23 days. Joanna had a good plan where to go and what to see, but we made specific decisions each day. We left cold weather in Chicago and arrived in sunny Florida with temps reaching 90ºF. April is already beginning of low season here – some sites were preparing to shut down for the summer (too hot). We avoided big crowds, but were still able to observe a few manatees in the wild. No problems finding places to overnight (campgrounds were mostly empty). As for Subaru camping, additional moonroof ventilation would be good on hot nights, but we did not have anything to use as insect screen. No car mechanical problems this time.
Our main destination was National Parks: Everglades, Biscayne and Congaree – we added 3 to our list of visited Parks (new total 39 out of 63). Did not make it to Key West, as originally planned. On this trip we spent more time than usual visiting several cities and museums, but also did many short day-hikes and spent a lot of time watching wildlife: birds, alligators, crocodiles and of course manatees. We are becoming bird-watchers (beginners) – on this trip we watched, photographed and identified 37, others flew by too fast. Spent almost full day at Kennedy Space Center.
Completed itinerary
Destinations
Overnight
Mar
23
Sun
1
Chicago-Nashville, I-94, I-65
IL-IN-KY-TN
Nashville Music Row airbnb
24
Mon
2
Nashville
TN
Nashville Music Row airbnb
25
Tue
3
Birmingham, Montgomery
AL
Montgomery airbnb
26
Wed
4
Montgomery
AL-FL
Tate’s Hell State Forest Cash Creek CG
27
Thu
5
Manatee Springs
FL
Manatee Springs SP Magnolia 1 CG
28
Fri
6
Manatee Springs
FL
Manatee Springs SP Magnolia 1 CG
29
Sat
7
Crystal River, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
We had full day of walking in Savannah – Joanna’s favorite town. We left our car at The Isetta Inn and just looped around stoping at countless squares with old oaks, lush greenery and antebellum mansions.
Pulaski Square
Pulaski monument in Monterey Square
…
Forsyth Park
Sherman’s Headquarters – Green-Meldrin House
Colonial Park Cemetery
Georgia Queen, Savannah River Waterfront
River St
Savannah City Hall
Chippewa Square / Forrest Gump Square
The Gingerbread House, Thomas Square
Forsyth Park
We tried to have lunch at famous Mrs. Wilkes, but line was waaay too long, so we restocked at Kroger, visited Bonaventure Cemetery and headed out to Best Western Inn in Charleston, with brief rest stop at Frampton Plantation.
Bonaventure Cemetery
…
…
Day 19.
We worried about parking in Charleston center, it was packed, but finding paid street parking was not impossible. We parked in three locations to explore different neighborhoods, waterfront and slave trading museum (Ryan’s Mart). A lot of history, from English colonial times, slave trade and antebellum, and Civil War.
King St
Meeting St
St. Michael’s Church
Williams Mansion
Battery St
Rainbow Row
Pineapple fountain, Waterfront Park
Waterfront Park Pier
Ryan’s Mart – slave trading complex
Dock Street Theatre
Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
Charleston City Market
Early dinner at Oyster House Seafood & O-Bar, southern style, very good. After dinner we started 1000-mile return home (via Knoxville and Cincinnati), with stops. First at Poinsett State Park Campground (recommended). Little time for short local walks.
Sea scallops
Shrimp boil
Poinsett Park Campground
Day 21-23.
We spent most of the following day at Congaree National Park walking 8-miles including open sections of Boardwalk, Sims and Oakridge trails. The park has the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in U.S. and many state and national champion trees.
Congaree National Park
Boardwalk
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We parked for the night at Brick House Campground (recommended). Nice, quiet and relaxing evening with campfire. Next day we crossed Smoky Mountains, wonderful scenery reminding us past visits and hikes in the National Park. Stopped for interesting lunch at popular Biscuit Head for more southern cuisine and grocery shopping in Asheville. Joanna could not resist to use Piotr’s driver break to walk a mile on Appalachian Trail (from Tobes Creek Rd). Motel stay at Berea Comfort Inn & Suites. To keep with our tradition we stopped at KFC while in Kentucky to get fried chicken. Chicago. The End.
Brick House Campground
Fried Green Tomato Biscuit, Biscuit Head Asheville
