We are getting ready for our epic journey across America to the Floriday Keys. Along the way we will visit Memphis, Nashville, Smoky Mountains, Congaree, St Augustine, Key Largo, Key West, Sarasota, St Petersburg, Pensacola, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Hot Springs and then home again. Just me, Adrienne and Toby, our dog.
The first 3 days of our trip are a sprint across the mid-west from Fort Collins, CO to Memphis, TN which neither of us have been to. This will be a chance to see someplace new and meet our old friend Drayton Mayers who was a fellow TeamLogic IT owner when we owned our franchise. There is not much to see as we cross Kansas and Missouri and into Tennessee. The Ozark Mountains were quite a site to drive through as we were nearing Memphis. Enjoy the car ride.
On our day in Memphis, we visited our friend Drayton Mayers, owner of TeamLogic IT of Memphis and hike over the Mississippi River. Toby enjoyed the Shelby Farm Dog Park although, we did not get any pictures of him in the dog park because it is 44 acres and we had no clue where he was! We finally found him running around in one of the two lakes. We had a great time and Memphis will be a regular stop for us on our way to Nashville to see Megan and Cody.
On our day in Memphis, we visited our friend Drayton Mayers, owner of TeamLogic IT of Memphis and hike over the Mississippi River. Toby enjoyed the Shelby Farm Dog Park although, we did not get any pictures of him in the dog park because it is 44 acres and we had no clue where he was! We finally found him running around in one of the two lakes. We had a great time and Memphis will be a regular stop for us on our way to Nashville to see Megan and Cody.
March 7th & 8th: Megan is with us and we are visiting Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge and hiking some of the trails at the park. It was overcast most of the time and since it is early March, there are no leaves on the trees so things look pretty sparse... until you get in the backwoods where the mosses, fungi and flowers are all very colorful. Toby was boarded at the Loving Care Kennel and the owner really enjoyed having Toby there. If you like this video, don't forget to subscribe on YouTube and you can follow us on this website. BreakAwaySolutions.net.
March 9th 2022 Adrienne, Toby and I took a drive out to Cades Cove and a lap around the scenic drive. We saw many homestead cabins, churches and, of course, raindrops. We followed the river out to Cades Cove and there were many small waterfalls and rapids along the route. It was a fun day and I would love to come back here when it is late spring/early summer and there is not so much rain. If you like this video, don't forget to subscribe on YouTube to see new ones as they are published. Enjoy!
March 10th 2022 Adrienne, Toby and I headed to Congaree in central South Carolina. Congaree is the largest track of old growth, bottom land hardwood forest left in the United States. It is in the flood plane of 2 rivers and, as you can imagine, quite damp and usually covered in water. We had a great time exploring the trails, wading through bogs and dodging raindrops. This is one of the dog friendly national parks so Toby had a blast... especially with we saw a small pack of wild pigs cross our path on the Kingsnake Trail. Unfortunately, we didn't get pictures of this encounter.
St. Augustine, FL is the oldest city in the USA. We were lucky enough to be able to stay there on March 13-15, 2022 on our way to the Florida Keys. It is a pretty dog friendly city with lots of history to explore. The downtown is quaint and rustic with shops, restaurants and attractions. The Castillo de San Marcus is a must see. If you like driving on a sandy beach, Anastasia Island is a lot of fun. Toby loved playing in the ocean.
We left Titusville and drove down to the Florida Keys. Finally! We stayed at Calusa RV Resort from March 17 through Mar 22, 2022. While we were there we visited Biscayne NP, Everglades NP and John Pennekamp Coral Reef SP. We also took advantage of the Calusa Pool and paddling our Kayak around the resort and mangrove lagoon where we were joined by a salt water Crocodile and small pod of Manatees. Life is Good!
Our journey from Key Largo to Bluewater Key RV Resort. You will get a brief tour of some of the Florida Keys including the 7 Mile Bridge. Bluewater Key RV Resort was fabulous and we got our own private cabana to hang out in. Would love to go back.
We really loved our time on Key West. There is so much to do and see and the town is alive with tourists and locals all doing their thing. While the diving is not great in the Keys, we hired a guide to take us inside the USS Vandenberg which was really cool! The food, the fish, the Stone Crab and the Key Lime Pies are to die for... Really! While I would not go back to Key Largo (and neither would Toby), I would love to go back to Key West and spend several weeks. Life is good!
Take a thrilling ride through the streets of Key West.
Downtown Sarasota is a great place to hang out and enjoy the gulf waters life. We met our good friends, Brian and Cathy Bonacci from TeamLogic IT. We got to go shopping at Detwiler's Farm Market which was the most amazing grocery store I've ever seen. Worth a stop if you are ever in town. We also visited St. Petersburg where Toby got to play at the dog park and walk in the dog parade (only the wrong way). We also visited beautiful St. Pete's Pier. I wish we had more time to visit.
New Orleans was one of our favorite stops on the Tour of the Florida Keys. There is a wonderful dog park, called City Bark, in the City Park area. We enjoyed the vibrant mood of Bourbon St. and the Beignets, and other food specialties, were to die for. One of the most sobering moments was when we went to visit the World War II Memorial. It was a exceptionally good multimedia presentation of the challenges and course of the second world war. I loved New Orleans... I can't wait to go back.
We visited Vicksburg, MI mostly to see the Vicksburg Military Park which is a memorial to the men who fought in the Civil War at the battle of Vicksburg. This was an important battle because if the Union Army won, they would control the shipping lanes on the Mississippi River and cut the Confederacy in two. It was a heart wrenching tour of the battle grounds and seeing the National Cemetery at the end was a stark reminder of the brutality of the Civil War and the men that died defending our freedom and way of life.
This was our last real stop on our Tour of the Florida Keys. Hot Springs, Kansas used to be the home of the wealthy that came to immerse themselves in the healing water of the hot springs. Hot Springs competed with the great spa towns of Europe as a special cure for whatever ails you. Toby enjoyed Hot Springs because he could go almost anywhere... He even got to enjoy lunch in the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. From Hot Springs it is a 3 day sprint of about 1,000 miles to get back to Fort Collins. This video captures not just Hot Springs but also a recap of our trip around the south.