#10: December and the Holidays in Florida

December was busy! Perhaps I did that on purpose because I tend to glaze over the holidays each year (last year on Christmas, I was hiking Kilimanjaro). I was happy to be in the warm temperatures of Florida…that always makes me feel like I’m on vacation. My Florida travels went like this:

St. Augustine —> Winter Garden —> Jupiter —> Ft. Lauderdale —> Miami Beach —> Key West

St. Augustine

I loved this city and the time I spent there. The weather was perfect, I stayed in an incredible State Park (Anastasia State Park), and the city is full of history and character. Addie and I walked around for an entire day – popped into shops, did a trolley tour, and even had lunch on a dog-friendly patio. It was a great day. Very cool city and worth a trip.

The stressful part took place when I went to leave. For whoever saw my Instagram about a month ago, this is when the lock on my overhead cargo carrier got stuck. After a mild panic moment, it worked itself out (as most things do!).

Winter Garden

Remember the family I stayed with over Thanksgiving? Well, one of their daughters, Maura, lives in Winter Garden with her husband and two children. She wasn’t able to make it to South Carolina for Thanksgiving, so I made a stop to her. I hadn’t remembered the last time I saw her. I had such a nice time folding into their lives for a few days – walked their oldest daughter, Isla, to school, caught up on time lost over the years, and explored Winter Garden a bit – cute town! The best part was that so many years had gone by since I last saw Maura, but it was like we picked up where we left off.

How did I not take any good photos when I was there??

Jupiter

A close friend of mine from childhood’s parents (The Kellersmans) retired down in Jupiter. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with these guys, as their daughter, Lauren, and I have been friends since second grade. How lucky I felt to have been taken back into their home 30 years later. Addie and I had a blast with Mr. and Mrs. K! We went to the dog beach, visited a turtle sanctuary, toured around Jupiter (I had no clue so many pro golfers live there), and we just hung out, caught up, and laughed like old times. Mrs. K even surprised me by baking my mom’s special chocolate cake!

Looking back, I barely remember that the first morning there, I woke up to a deflated tire on my car. I ran over a nail…again. $400 later, I had two new back tires…YEAH (eye roll)!

Ft. Lauderdale

My high school friend, Steve, lives in Ft. Lauderdale with his family. I hadn’t seen Steve in probably about eight years, but you know how it is with good friends: so much time can go by, but it’s like no time had passed at all. He and his (awesome) wife have two beautiful children, and I had a blast spending time with them and gearing them up for Christmas. We dined at their yacht club (I’m REALLY roughing it…), and Steve and I hit the town one night for some people-watching (it was QUALITY).

I took a day trip one day to do an airboat ride…this is when I saw my first alligator and cried. Literally cried from happiness. I had a moment of “this is why I’m on this adventure!”

Miami Beach

I stayed in Miami Beach for about a week. My friend, John (“Johnny J”), lives there and he welcomed Addie and me at his apartment through Christmas. I met John when I was in college, studying abroad in Madrid. He is from Columbus and lived in NYC when I lived there. So, over the (many) years, we meet up in different cities when our paths cross and have become dear friends.

The weather was a little chilly, but we managed to hit the town a bit, relax and take a few day trips to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. It was fun to have John join me at these parks. We did (more) airboat-ing, snorkeling, paddle boarding, and also enjoyed a few tours to learn about both parks.

You may (or may not be) wondering where the Airstream was hanging out while I was in South Beach. She was tucked away safely in John’s work garage. Shout out to John’s co-workers for helping us out for the week!

Key West

Key West was sort-of a “mile-marker” (no pun intended) for my trip. When mapping out my route, I knew I was meeting up with friends there, so this stop was very much planned and sort-of served as the end of Chapter 1 of this journey. It’s crazy to think I’ve been on the road for two months.

It’s peak season in Key West this time of year - so it’s a zoo. I am so lucky and grateful that my stepmom’s brother-in-law has a marina there. I was able to leave the Airstream, and my car, at the marina while I stayed in a hotel with my friends. It couldn’t have worked out any better.

I met up with my close friends from England in Key West (this is the friend who helped me map out my route before deciding to embark on this epic journey). Knowing this was going to be a beach “vacation,” I got Addie a Rover.com sitter* so she could relax in a house while I hit the beach, pool, and town.

Perhaps my favorite National Park yet, I had the rare opportunity to visit Dry Tortugas National Park. This park is located about 68 miles off the coast of Key West - only accessible by boat or plane. After doing some research, I splurged and took a seaplane, which was part of what made the experience so memorable. On the way back, I got to sit in the cockpit with the (not-so-bad-to-look-at) pilot. Get this: BECAUSE I WAS SINGLE. That’s right.

Aside from my trip to Dry Tortugas, we spent the week lounging by the pool, feasting on delicious meals and relaxing. Visiting with my friend and her family was exactly what I needed to ring in the new year. I was able to reset and center myself a bit before heading into 2020, as well as the ten remaining months of my “Lyfe in Tow.”

*Addie had the best sitter and enjoyed her week of consistency in an actual house. I worry that having a different routine each day from living on the road creates an uneasy feeling for her, but she is a trooper (and an excellent travel companion). Regardless, she had a lovely time with Haley and her dog, Waylon, and Mom didn’t have to worry about her!