So… we were visiting family in Michigan in late August and September when we left to rush back to Texas, so I hadn’t had a chance to show you the lovely views where my sisters and brothers-in-law live:
After the sadness of Texas, we decided to head for Tennessee before dropping south towards our winter home, as Memphis and Nashville had been part of our original itinerary. We passed through scenic Arkansas on our way there, with a stop at the gorgeous Crater of Diamonds State Park, an extinct volcano caldera where visitors can find diamonds. Sounds great, huh? Newsflash: We left empty-handed. 😊
Though Memphis was a disappointment (bad roads, trash everywhere, Beale Street closed, we left two days early), Nashville didn’t disappoint. We walked Broadway, home to the best honky-tonks in the world from some of the most successful musicians in the world, old-school and new. The crowds were fairly small and well-masked, so we caught a few live shows and had a wonderful lunch.
Then it was time to turn south, so we headed for Huntsville, AL, to tour the U.S. Space & Rocket Center there. The remnants of Hurricane Beta skimmed our area so we saw an enormous amount of rain. A tour of the Space Center, essentially devoid of any other people, was a great place to be.
After a couple of pleasant but unexciting stops in Georgia (Chattahoochee Bend State Park-beautiful, where the rain continued, and the town of Perry), we made it into Florida in early October. Our first stop was the town of Starke, where we had access to several kayaking spots with an abundance of cypress trees and waterfowl.
Since our winter home wouldn’t be available to us until November 1st, we made our way over to St. Augustine, with its lovely early history, beaches and waterways.
Then a memorable week was spent near Crystal River, with LOTS of kayaking opportunities to spot waterfowl. And a high point in our journey… MANATEES! Though it was too early to see very many (they migrate up the Crystal River when the Gulf of Mexico water temp drops to 68 degrees), we saw two separate cow/calf couples, and they were just so peaceful to observe. Here’s a video.
Another week-long stop in Lakeland, FL gave us more paddling opportunities.
sit-on-top kayaks.
Then finally… we made it to our winter home in Punta Gorda, to spend time with old friends from Colorado who have relocated here. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with them and recharging our personal batteries after a long, and sometimes traumatic, 2020. We’ll post our adventures periodically, but in the meantime, stay safe, everyone, and here’s to a better 2021.