Old Florida

This week we've been spending time with our cousins. As much as I like posting the blog on time, we rarely get to see this branch of the family, so the blog was placed on the back burner. They have kids who are similar in age to our own and it's been fun watching them interact and get to know each other. My favorite part, other than just enjoying each others company, was hearing stories we've never heard before about people who are no longer with us.

If you watched Downton Abbey and saw the last episode, there's a scene where two sisters, Mary and Edith, are making peace with each other and Edith says “Because in the end, you’re my sister. And one day, only we will remember Sybil. Or Mama, or Papa, or Matthew, or Michael, or Granny, or Carson, or any of the others who have peopled our youth. Until at last, our shared memories will mean more than our mutual dislike.” I found that to ring so true. Fortunately my husband has never had any bad blood with his family but often in life we don't appreciate the people who share a common history with us until it's too late. Having this opportunity to reconnect and make new memories with them has been a treasure.

Speaking of treasures, we all visited Indian Rocks Beach together and had fun beachcombing! I'm embarrassed to say that it's the first beach we've actually visited since we arrived in Florida (yes, even after the Keys), but it was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how beautiful the white beach was. The weather was perfect and we found a lot of shells. The kids really enjoyed the water, which was warmer than what we're used to on the west coast.

Here are some of the shells we found.

They were everywhere!

When we started visiting Florida a few years ago, we wanted to learn about the area and see many of the popular tourist destinations. Many times we planned day trips and carefully plotted the most efficient routes. On several such trips we were disappointed, though, to see strip malls on all sides of us almost the entire time. It appeared to be never-ending. Like Florida had been swallowed up by concrete, stores, and restaurant chains. While that can be convenient if you're only here for a week, it really doesn't allow you the opportunity to see the nuances that make Florida beautiful and unique.

We started making an effort to get off the main roadways and seek out "the real Florida" when we explored. You know, places where people actually live and raise their families. Where libraries and museums are located and people are invested in their communities. Places where small businesses thrive and people have roots. Fortunately, it turns out that we didn't have to go very far at all!  Because of some great advice from people along the way, we found hidden gems like the one we visited last weekend, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, near Orlando.

Historically this lake was one of the most polluted in the country, but in recent years has been the focus of major restoration efforts. Through these efforts the area has become home to animals and birds of all kinds and has returned to something closer to what "Old Florida" looked like before being built up. White one-way roads have been added over an 11 mile area, so you can view the wildlife in their natural habitat from the comfort of your car. This area is opened to the public on the weekends and best of all, it's free! You can find alligators, bobcats, bears, turtles and much more! Because of the lack of fences, you should obviously exercise caution, but here's a sample of what we saw....

This preserve is also home to hundreds of species of birds and a wide variety of plant life. In fact, if you visit next January you can go to Birdapalooza! I was amazed at how close we were to many of these beautiful creatures. We noticed that many bird species have long necks and long legs. I supposed that's common in tropical areas?

 This is what one of the varieties of Palm trees looks like when it hasn't been pruned. Spikey!

This eagle was standing on a nearby field.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is my new favorite place to visit here in central Florida, hands down! If you're ever in this area on a weekend and you're interested in wildlife, conservation, or seeing "Old Florida", I highly recommend it!

- Jen

Greetings from the Teton Valley!

After a week of driving from Alaska, we've made it to our new "home" safe and sound! It's amazing how tired we are, even though we sat for most of the journey. I'll just blame that on the time change. In Alaska we were one hour behind Seattle and now we are one hour ahead. As fun as it is to refer to ourselves as "time travelers," this wreaks havoc on our sense of when to do things and call people. I know we'll adjust again soon, but for now it's a practice of constantly checking the clock.

Here's a visual of our travels so far according to our satellite tracker

The journey down the Alcan was just as fun as when we drove up, although there were a lot less people on the road. Many of the stores and camp sites have either closed for the season or are about to. This made finding gas interesting. Here are a few pictures of animals we saw who couldn't care less when it's tourist season or not.

A herd of bison lounging at the side of the road

Just snoozing in the sun... look at those horns!! Ouch!

 A young male elk

 Mountain goats with babies

Caribou. Do you know what the difference between a reindeer and a caribou is? Reindeer are domesticated.

Big Horn Sheep

Black bears- so many black bears!

This Grizzly Bear was eating plants by the side of the road and stopped to pose for pictures. ;-)

 What a ham, right!?

Needless it say, it was pretty amazing. We drove through Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta. Before leaving Canada, we drove through Jasper, Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks and stopped a few times to marvel at the scenery. "Train ride through the Canadian Rockies" has now been added to our ever-changing joint bucket list. It was so beautiful!

After crossing the border into Idaho, we visited family and then headed to our new "home" in the Teton Valley, which is right between Idaho and Wyoming. The mountains along the road gave way to red rocks and brush, which gave way to plains and hills. The climate became drier and the scenery more "western." We started seeing signs that told us we were on the "Nez Perce Trail," "The Sacajawea Scenic Byway," and the "Lewis and Clark Trail"- all opportunities for living history lessons.

After reaching our destination, I can confidently say that the Instagram pictures will be a little different than the one's you saw from Alaska. For example, there are vast fields of cows, and ranches everywhere. I also noticed a drive-in theater with a giant potato in front of it... I mean, how could I NOT get a shot of that at some point?!

For now, though, we've mostly been getting settled and have been focusing on reestablishing our routine. This leg has only begun, so if you have any tips for must-see places in and around the Teton Valley, Jackson Hole, The Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone areas- let me know! And if you happen to know Harrison Ford, tell him we're in the neighborhood....in case he ever needs to borrow a cup of sugar or something. Hey, it could happen! ;-)

Happy first week of Autumn!

- Jen

The Adventure Begins!

Today is the day we've been waiting for! At 5:30am this morning, we pulled out of our driveway, trailer in tow, kids and dogs secured, and headed for the Canadian border to embark on the great family adventure we've been preparing for.

We crossed the border without a hitch (Don't worry, we have a hitch. That was just a little trailer humor..) and traveled through rain, thunder, lightening, wind, and sun to get to our camp site. Now, at 6:40pm, we are safely tucked away and getting ready for dinner. The dogs and kids made it through in fine style.

We've been having fun spotting wildlife, including big horned sheep who were grazing at the side of the road, deer, a bald eagle, and many yellow signs warning us that a moose could cross the road at any given time. British Columbia is beautiful and I'm enjoying seeing merchandise in both English and French.

Tomorrow, we plan to continue our journey through B.C. toward Alaska. We will be driving through Yukon Territory and should arrive in Fairbanks on Tuesday. From there, we will leave the dogs and trailer to drive up the Dalton Highway (or the Ice Road, as parts of it become in winter) toward the Arctic Circle . Next week's post might be a little late because we will be in Deadhorse getting ready to travel through the oil fields to the Arctic Ocean.

Fun Fact: For security reasons, you need to submit your passport information ahead of time to buy a ticket to travel through the oil fields. Otherwise, the road ends in Dead Horse for civilians- no ocean access. We'll be sure to take a lots of pictures! Who knows? Maybe we'll see a polar bear...from a safe distance.

A big thank you to our wonderful friends and neighbors who sent us off with so much love and support. We look forward to seeing you again in 14 months! For now, on to Alaska!

- Jen