epic road trip

Where The Highway Ends

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

We left Cornelia parked in the Everglades and motored with Mike all the way south on Hwy 1 to Key West. What a stunning drive! The picturesque ocean water shifts in color to pale blues, turquoises, and teals. Driving Mike through the Florida Keys has been on Sarah’s Bucket List for years and we hope to return post-pandemic to spend several days exploring this gorgeous part of the world.

We arrived in time for lunch and the driver of a beautifully restored iconic ‘57 Chevy convertible pulled up alongside us at a stoplight. He called out to compliment us on Mike and we responded in kind. Just before the light changed, we asked where was a good, safe spot for an outdoor lunch and without hesitating he recommended Garbo’s Grill @ Hanks – a food truck out back of a bar with live music. Instant success! We drove through old town, found the bar, and the server immediately filled up a bowl with fresh water for Molly. The tables were widely spaced outdoors and we feasted on Caribbean shrimp and Korean BBQ. The tropical breeze wafting over us combined with the good music made us feel transported to pre-Covid vacation times. We could have sat there drinking all afternoon!

Part of Sarah’s fascination with Key West is the literary connections of authors like Ernest Hemingway and Shel Silverstein. Hemingway’s house is preserved for tourists, but Silverstein’s house was crushed by a large banyan tree during a hurricane in 2017.

After walking downtown, we drove to the southernmost tip of the Continental U.S. but declined to wait in the block-long line for a photo at the monument. We snapped a picture of other folks as we drove past!

We discovered Dog Beach, where Molly and other canine pals could swim in the warm water. Even Sarah jumped a few waves!

Because this was a day trip, we reluctantly pointed north again but made two more stops on the way back to our covid-capsule at the campground. Kiki’s Sandbar is right on the water with terrific views and strong drinks. Leashed dogs are welcomed! And a trip to a fish market to pick up dinner and a slice of Key Lime pie completed our adventure.

GEOQUIZ: Name the southernmost beach in the United States.

Categories: beach walking, epic road trip, fulltime RV life, geoquiz, retirement travel, RV living, snowbirds | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

We got a daughter-in-law for Christmas!

Covid-19 forced a cancellation of their planned October wedding, but they surprised the world on Christmas Eve with a private ceremony at their home. They intend to host a full wedding and reception with their loved ones in Fall 2021.

We are thrilled that love was salvaged from this crummy pandemic year. “Marry Christmas” to our son and daughter-in-law!

Categories: epic road trip | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Wetlands and Gators and Birds – Oh, My!

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

After a successful morning at an outdoor (!) laundromat, we ventured on a wildlife drive that is only open on Fridays – Sundays. The speed limit is 10 MPH and the approximately 11-mile drive is one-way. With well-placed markers indicating audio tour stops, we learned loads about the restoration efforts to return these former farmlands to functioning wetlands.

GEOQUIZ: 174 species of birds were counted on Christmas Day 1998 on the north shore of Lake Apopka, the highest species total for an inland count in the 120 years of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. What is the total number of bird species ever observed on the north shore of Lake Apopka?

Categories: epic road trip, fulltime RV life, geoquiz, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” -Mahatma Ghandi

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

We arrived after sunset; awoke to rain; and by lunchtime we were drenched in sunshine.

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park includes 1.5 miles of undeveloped sandy beach and hundreds of acres of woodland acquired by the City of Jacksonville, Florida in the 1960s and ‘70s. According to Wikipedia, part of Hanna Park used to be known as Manhattan Beach for the first four decades of the 20th century, Florida’s first beach community for African Americans working on the Florida East Coast Railway. At its height this Manhattan Beach included amenities such as picnic pavilions, cottages, and an amusement park. See also the history of Manhattan Beach in California – interesting parallels to Bruce’s Beach can be traced.

Today, with 300 campsites for RVs and tents, there is not much space between each site, but the jungle vegetation provides a screen of privacy and the design of the campground includes twists and turns which cleverly provide a unique layout at each spot.

Exploring enchanted hiking trails through the jungle, we met a small group of children attending their outdoor school. Joe remarked that Sarah would make a great pandemic teacher for small children as she also sings her way down pathways and finds joy in the natural arrangement of leaves and twigs and sunshine! We noted that the bike trails are designated one-way by the day of the week, reducing head-on accidents in the woods, presumably. It did not take long for us to hike out to another huge, empty, beautiful beach.

GEOQUIZ: What is the term for a forest that grows as an ecological island in contrast to surrounding wetlands?

Categories: beach walking, epic road trip, fulltime RV life, geoquiz, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

Joe’s BFF

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

We stopped for a visit with our dear friends, Jeff and Karen Whalen. Some readers may remember the devastating flood that wiped out their neighborhood a few years ago, so it was terrific to see them back in their rebuilt home. They have an outdoor room with TV and bar, which made for a covid-safe afternoon of football, beer, and mimosas (drinks and trees!).

Three of their five sons dropped by throughout the day and we even got to meet their grandchild and two of their daughters-in-law!

Joe and Jeff are like two peas in a pod. Their upbeat outlook on life is contagious and they both have dedicated their lives to education. Thousands of students and their families have been positively impacted by these two men.

Young Coco wants Molly to play some more, but Molly is more interested in Sarah’s breakfast possibly falling off the table into her mouth!

Molly was enchanted with their huge backyard and 18-month old retriever Coco enticed her to play tag. We haven’t seen Molly run and play like that for years! She slept well on Saturday night!

We reluctantly rolled out of their driveway to continue our trek. We look forward to a longer visit next time, post-pandemic.

GEOQUIZ: Where do the Whalens reside?

For new followers, we post occasional GeoQuiz questions. Readers are invited to answer in the comments (we trust that you will not use unfair advantages like Google Searches and will simply rely on your own brain power!) You do not need to be the first correct answer – all correct answers will be tallied and sometimes we even mail prizes!

Categories: epic road trip, fulltime RV life, geoquiz, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Huntington Beach State Park, SC

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill
We like walking during a pandemic on an empty beach!

We just finished a week at Huntington Beach State Park and we were astounded by its size and avian population. Walking the nature trails through oak forests and marshes, over beach dunes, and along the shore itself, we encountered herons, storks, egrets (small and large), pelicans, ibis, cormorants, and the usual ducks and seagulls. Signs warned of alligators, but no sightings by us.

We missed the last of the loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings by about a month. The entire coastal community is asked to dim their lights between May and October to avoid confusing the tiny turtle babies who follow the light of the horizon to make it from shore to sea. If lights are left on by humans, the 2-inch creatures may go toward the white light instead of the ocean. You can learn more online from SeaTurtle.org.

For our Pasadena friends, we found another Huntington Gardens here in South Carolina. Okay, it’s actually called Brookgreen Gardens, but it was founded by Archer Huntington, who was Henry’s cousin AND step-son. While the soap opera of the Huntington Family can be looked up on Wikipedia (you may need a flow chart to keep track of the marriages, divorces, deaths, etc.), suffice to say that Archer and his wife, artist Anna Hyatt Huntington, created a legacy of botanical gardens that rival our treasured San Marino gardens. The Gills were patrons of The Huntington for more than a decade and Joe’s students even created one of the art exhibits a few years ago. When we travel, we like to visit gardens, learn local flora, and get inspired for garden projects in our own yard. Brookgreen did not disappoint!

Over 9000 acres of gardens, fountains, sculptures, poetry, and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS were on display for our visit this week to the annual Nights of a Thousand Candles. There were almost three thousand hand-lit actual candles throughout the main gardens. And the electric decorations were too numerous to count. Additionally, we were able to walk through Bruce Munro‘s immersive art installation, Field of Light.

Categories: epic road trip, fulltime RV life, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , | 3 Comments

Cornelia’s Crew

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

As we prepared for fulltime RV life, Captain Joe started designating jobs, replete with titles, to the sparse crew (Sarah and Molly!). Sarah was originally commissioned as Campground Coordinator and Navigator, although the Campground Liaison Staff Officer (Joe) demonstrated initiative and completely booked the first six weeks of sites for the trip.

One week into our adventure, we have fleshed out our jobs list, with each crew member wearing multiple hats:


Captain Joe

  • Chief Pilot
  • Mission Commander
  • Procurement Officer
  • Campground Liaison Staff Officer
  • Environmental Control & Life Support Systems Technician (sanitation, HVAC, etc.)
  • Grillmaster
  • CFO
  • Director of Security
  • Lead Custodian

First Mate Sarah

  • Navigator
  • Campground Coordinator
  • Director of Technology
  • Receptionist at Office of Supplies & Requisitions
  • Advance Scout
  • Outdoor Parking Patrol
  • Aquawoman
  • Minister of the Interior
  • Principal Researcher
  • Loadmaster
  • Communications Specialist
  • Chief Medical Officer
  • Lead Housekeeper

Co-Pilot Molly

  • Morale Officer
  • Professional Food Tester

Categories: epic road trip, fulltime RV life, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , | 4 Comments

2020-2021 Roadtrip

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Joe and Sarah Gill

We were supposed to embark on a six-month Round The World (RTW) adventure in 2020-2021. We have been planning this trip for years and Joe specifically retired to make our dreams come true. Even with the promise of emerging vaccines, international tourist amenities will be inconsistent with eradicating risk to senior travelers. Border crossings will be variable and hospital services, even for non-Covid ailments, will be unreliable for peace of mind to transnational travelers.

We all have a different comfort level with risk. You might be thrilled to go skydiving and I am terrified to descend a steep staircase. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the emergence of SARS-Covid-19, it is apparent to the entire global community that this virus poses a deadly threat to humans. It is risky to be exposed to this airborne contagion.

We both love to research and look for creative solutions to obstacles. We see an opportunity for doing something different as opposed to despairing and going back to bed with the covers over our heads when confronted with a challenge. While camping in New Hampshire in September, it occurred to us that we could shift our travel sights back to the U.S. and spend several months exploring our many beautiful wilderness areas in a self-contained tiny house on wheels – an RV!

Introducing Cornelia – our new covid capsule! She is big enough to live in full-time and she is strong enough to tow Mike, our trusty vintage VW van, so we will have a runabout vehicle and an option for smaller campsites.

Categories: epic road trip, fulltime RV life, nomads, retirement travel, RV living | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Blog at WordPress.com.