North America Eastern Seaboard, 2016-2018

Belgium, May 2013
North America Eastern Seaboard, 2016-2018
Uganda, May-June 2016
Peru, July 2014
Rome, December 2013
Costa Rica, February 2010
UK, November 1997
The Alps, June 2011
Ecuador and the Galapagos, August 2006
Rhodes, May 2010
Cycladic Islands, September 2005
St. John USVI, January 2009
Europe Balkans, Summer 2018
Western Parks, April 2019
Nordic/Baltic Countries, Summer 2019
USA Interrupted, 2020
Ark-n-Tina's Global Meander

Legend

Driving
CARAVAN 2017
CARAVAN 2018
CARAVAN 2016
Boat
Hiking
Bus

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, United States ‐ Mar 15, 2018

Home base for a few weeks. It's possible we ventured north a bit too early...

+16

Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland, USA, April 12, 2018

Cloverly, Maryland, USA, March 21, 2018
- Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland, USA, United States ‐ Apr 12, 2018
Medoc Mountain State Park, North Carolina, USA ‐ Mar 14, 2018

I-95 in North Carolina is kind of a dead zone for nice State Parks with full heated showers and electricity. <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/medoc-mountain-state-park" target="_blank">Medoc Mountain State Park</a> is therefore a rare commodity, and thus the reason we keep using this park as a brief stop-over on our north/south - south/north transits.
Myrtle Beach State Park, South Carolina, USA ‐ Mar 5, 2018

We camped previously at <a href="https://southcarolinaparks.com/myrtle-beach" target="_blank">Myrtle Beach State Park</a> back in late November 2016. It's an agreeable oasis of green in the midst of the paved over "Grand Strand" of Myrtle Beach. This time around, we obsessively monitored the flotillas of Horned Grebe feeding and frolicking in the surf. Seaside entertainments!

Myrtle Beach State Park, South Carolina, March 6, 2018
Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina, USA ‐ Feb 28, 2018

<a href="https://southcarolinaparks.com/edisto-beach" target="_blank">Edisto Beach State Park</a> provides two camping areas, one directly on the beach, another about 1 mile inland for about 1/2 the rate. Our advice is to spring for the expensive campground. Not only are you within 100 paces of the beach, but the sounds of the sea will soothe your sleeping soul at night. Beware, though, when the winds die down the no-see-ums take over.

Edisto Beach, South Carolina, USA, March 2-3, 2018
Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia, USA ‐ Feb 24, 2018

No tv or cell signals back here, so four days of blissful, media-free, swampy goodness. You see, a stay at <a href="http://gastateparks.org/StephenCFoster" target="_blank">Stephen C Foster State Park</a> gets you front row seats to the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Okefenokee/" target="_blank">Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge</a>. From deep within the refuge, you'll encounter plenty of Alligator, including a breeding area, as well as stands of giant Swamp Cypress that seem to go on fore [...]
ver as the Suwannee River gently flows through the entire area.

+11

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia, USA, February 24-27, 2018
Hillsborough River State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Feb 15, 2018

Closing out our central Florida Winter with a final week back here at Hillsborough River. We spent a morning at nearby <a href="https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lettuce-lake-park" target="_blank">Lettuce Lake Park</a> shooting warblers and other wildlife.

+8

Lettuce Lake Park, Tampa, Florida, USA, February 20, 2018

+9

Hillsborough River State Park, December 2017 - February 2018, Florida, USA
- Lettuce Lake Park, Tampa, Florida ‐ Feb 20, 2018
Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Feb 7, 2018

Our stay at <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Myakka-River" target="_blank">Myakka River State Park</a> features a visit to "Deep Hole," a 50 meters deep pond that is home to a couple hundred alligators. We also used our proximity to Sarasota to visit the County's primary storm water collection zone, <a href="https://www.scgov.net/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/602/744" target="_blank">The Celery Fields</a>, a nice place to bird. The facility has a visitor's c [...]
enter managed by <a href="http://www.sarasotaaudubon.org/capital-campaign/the-celery-fields/" target="_blank">The Sarasota Audubon Society</a>.

+7

Celery Fields, Sarasota, Florida, USA, February 12, 2018

+27

Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA, February 7-15, 2018
- Celery Fields, Sarasota, Florida ‐ Feb 12, 2018
Lithia Springs Park, Lithia, Florida, USA ‐ Jan 17, 2018

<a href="http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lithia-springs-park" target="_blank">Lithia Springs Regional Park</a> was not in our original plans, but a mechanical issue forced a landing here as the campground is a Hillsborough County-operated first-come/first-served (no reservations needed) park that allows campers to stay as long as they want. Perfect for us as we waited for repairs. We used our time here to make several visits to <a href="http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/are [...]
as/circlebbarreserve.html" target="_blank">Circle B Bar Reserve</a>. Circle B, an ex-cattle ranch in Lakeland, Florida, is now part of a marsh system restoration project and, as such, provides habitat for a wide variety of birds. We documented somewhere between 60 and 70 species of birds during 3 visits to the Reserve.

+26

Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida, USA, January 24-25 and February 5, 2018

+4

Lithia Springs Regional Park, Florida, USA, January 17 - February 7, 2018
- Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida ‐ Feb 5, 2018
- Duette Preserve, Florida ‐ Jan 30, 2018
Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Florida, USA ‐ Jan 12, 2018

<a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/alafia-river" target="_blank">Alafia River State Park</a> features miles and miles of biking and hiking trails coursing over a reclaimed phosphate mine site. Also---and this is a thing we will try to capture with a photograph or two---VULTURE TORNADOES!!! (Plus! Black-bellied Whistling Ducks; Killdeer; Common Gallinule; and Kestrels! all caught on digital media.) If you told us a mountain bike and equestrian park built on the remains of an aband [...]
oned phosphate mine pocked with dozens of dead-water pits would be a birding hotspot, we'd probably roll our eyes, feeling justified in looking elsewhere for a week's accommodation on our ongoing Winter 2017/18 central Florida safari. The thing about central Florida State Parks, though, is unless you book your campsite a year in advance, you don't really get to pick and choose where you're going to end up. For last-minute deciders like us, you go where the cancellations are. Which brings us to Alafia River State Park, located on flat terrain among cattle ranches and gun clubs. Expectations low, our interest perked up when we realized our open sky campsite surrounded by tall reeds and grasses actually backed up to a very much alive freshwater lake teeming with bird life. During our time here, we've enjoyed chasing after Killdeer, observing late afternoon Kestrel hunts, watching Vulture tornadoes form, taking way too many photos of Black-bellied Whistling Duck antics, awaiting the dusky arrival of hundreds of Snowy Egrets for cold night roosts, listening to Common Gallinules chitter like chimpanzees throughout the night, and communing eye-to-eye with a stately Red-shouldered Hawk. Alafia reminds us that there is magic to be discovered nearly anywhere one lands, and that setting expectations, even low ones, is for the birds.

+20

Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Florida, USA, January 12-16, 2018
- Alderman Ford Conservation Park, Lithia, Florida, USA ‐ Jan 14, 2018
  
  <a href="http://hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/aldermans-ford-conservation-park" target="_blank">Hillsborough County</a> operated $2 entry park with a scenic paved loop trail designed around a dead river. No fish, reptiles, birds, or insects. Spooky, really. But popular with the locals, despite the county Health Dept signage throughout the park.
- Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach, Florida, USA
  
  2018.01.16. Wanna see Manatees, like lots and lots of them? And schools of mullet being herded by 4-foot long Tarpon and Black-tipped Reef Sharks? How about stingrays jumping out of the water? And how would you like it against the backdrop of a sulphur-spewing coal-fired, electric generation plant? Well, then, this place is for you!
Hillsborough River State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Jan 1, 2018

More Gators! (photos to come)
Lake Louisa State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 27, 2017

Lynx rufus, the Bobcat, is an elusive wild cat. You don't sneak up on them, ever. Except, at heart, it is still a cat, and when it is stalking gopher holes on the trail it just might be so focused that when you've established visual contact from 100 meters away you have only enough split seconds strung together to freeze, point, and squeeze off your single shot before the sound of the shutter click reaches rufus' ear and it's gone. In focus, out of focus, sharp-ish, grainy, blurry... It doesn't [...]
matter. You've just had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with subspecies floridanus at <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Lake-Louisa" target="_blank">Lake Louisa State Park</a> near Clermont, Florida.

+5

Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, Florida, USA, Dec. 27-31
Hillsborough River State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 13, 2017

<a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Hillsborough-River" target="_blank">Hillsborough River State Park</a> has Gators! Day trips include <a href="https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/lh-sargeant.html" target="_blank">John B Sargeant Sr Park</a>, And a journey to Florida Southern College to visit <a href="http://www.flsouthern.edu/visitors/fllw-visitors.aspx" target="_blank">Frank Lloyd Wright's Child of the Sun</a>, a collection of 12 (+ 1) structures designed and built by [...]
the American architectural icon.

+18

Frank Lloyd Wright at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida, USA, December 23, 2017

+9

John B Sargeant Sr Park, Thonotosassa, Florida, USA, December 18, 2017
- Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, Lakeland, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 23, 2017
  
  Frank Lloyd Wright never built a city. But he did have a go at a college campus. In the late 1930s, the President of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida approached a 70 year old FLW and challenged him to design a "modern American campus." Challenge accepted, Wright began designing structures that he said would rise "out of the ground and into the light, a child of the sun." Over the course of 20 years, Wright developed plans for 18 structures and built 12 of them. A 13th structure, [...]
  the Usonian House located on the northern edge of campus, was completed in 2013. In all, the college claims that the Child of the Sun is "the largest and most fully articulated collection of Wright's work in the world." And since this collection of Wright's work was a mere 45 minutes from our front door-du-jour....well, we HAD to make a visit. What better time than when campus is empty during the winter holidays to wander FLW's Child of the Sun?
- John B Sargeant Sr Park, Thonotosassa, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 18, 2017
  
  Not far from Hillsborough River State Park is a county park called <a href="https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/lh-sargeant.html" target="_blank">John B Sargeant Sr Park</a>. It is an unassuming little patch of green along the river with a short quarter-mile loop boardwalk trail. But you can milk that trail for an hour shooting birds and alligators. Bring your longest lens and perhaps a tripod!
Fort Clinch State Park, Amelia Island, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 9, 2017

<a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Fort-Clinch" target="_blank">Fort Clinch State Park</a> is on Amelia Island, which is the northernmost bit of Florida along the Atlantic coast. We enjoyed a visit from some friends who live in St. Augustine, and lots of coastal strolls on a sunny, chilly, windy beach.

+3

Fort Clinch State Park, Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA, December 12, 2017
Fort McAllister State Park, Georgia, USA ‐ Dec 7, 2017

Good thing we've been here at <a href="http://gastateparks.org/FortMcAllister" target="_blank">Fort McAllister State Park</a> before! This time around, we endured the entirety of our stay in a cold, torrential downpour.
Lynches River County Park, South Carolina, USA ‐ Dec 5, 2017

A winter scene, with a low-light grey sky, naked trees, and a path of white winding through the landscape. White sand, that is. We're currently in <a href="http://www.lynchesriverpark.com/" target="_blank">Lynches River County Park</a> outside of Florence, South Carolina, enduring the wintry dip in temperatures from upper 60s (20 C) yesterday afternoon to low 40s (4 C) tonight. No doubt, Ole Man Winter is on his way. And, like the warblers we spied in the canopy this morning, we too are heading [...]
south.

Lynches River County Park, South Carolina, USA, December 6, 2017
Medoc Mountain State Park,Hollister, North Carolina, USA ‐ Dec 4, 2017

We spent a couple nights at <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/medoc-mountain-state-park" target="_blank">Medoc Mountain</a> in November 2016. This year we are staying a single night in order to beat out some cold, wet weather on the way. In November 2016, we experienced a punctured tire. This year, for no obviously apparent reason, we lost 1/2 of our 120v electricity throughout the coach. Turns out, our bathroom GFCI outlet tripped and wouldn't reset until we de-energized the entire coach.
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA ‐ Oct 3, 2017

After 5,140 miles traveled (2,990 of them towing) in a little over 4 months (125 days, to be exact), the Great 2017 Trek to Canada is complete. So where to this winter? Bouncing around the State Park system in Central Florida mostly.
Promised Land State Park, Greentown, Pennsylvania, USA ‐ Sep 28, 2017

Nestled in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, <a href="http://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/PromisedLandStatePark/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Promised Land State Park</a> is located just about the half-way point between our previous stop in Vermont and our autumn layover in Maryland. The park features many miles of merely beautiful, if not spectacularly scenic, hiking.

Promised Land State Park, Greentown, Pennsylvania, USA, September 29, 2017
Tree Farm Campground, Springfield, Vermont, USA ‐ Sep 25, 2017

Springfield, Vermont, wasn't originally on our planned route. But, when we heard some friends moved here about 4 weeks ago, we thought the opportunity to see them and beautiful Vermont too good to pass up! Springfield, sitting just across the Connecticut River from New Hampshire, also put us within reach of one of only two park units managed by the National Park Service in New Hampshire, and one of them is the AT (Appalachian Trail). The only other park site NPS manages is the <a href="https:// [...]
www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm" target="_blank">Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site</a>, featuring the "home, studios and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s greatest sculptors." And it was a mere 20 minute drive from our friends' beautiful home tucked into a working 30-head cattle operation and Sugarbush Maple Tree (syrup) farm. The summer's unscripted meander continues to delight!

+6

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire, USA, September 27, 2017
- Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, New Hampshire ‐ Sep 27, 2017
  
  As per the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site "History & Culture" Web page: "Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), created over 150 works of art, from exquisitely carved cameos to heroic-size public monuments. Works such as the "Standing Lincoln" monument and the Shaw Memorial, continue to inspire people today and his design for the 1907 Twenty Dollar Gold Piece, is considered America's most beautiful coin." The park site combines a modern visitor's center, an exhibit area, artists studios [...]
  , a carriage barn, gardens, a deep ravine with a self-guided interpretive nature trail, and the Saint-Gaudens house with original furnishings. Importantly, a wide variety of Saint-Gaudens works are on display throughout the site, perhaps the most impressive being a bronze made from the original cast of his Shaw Memorial. It depicts the African American Massachusetts 54th Regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of Boston marching towards battle with the Confederate Army in 1863 South Carolina. It is an intricately detailed and moving public art piece.
Gunstock Mountain Resort, Gilford, New Hampshire, USA ‐ Sep 23, 2017

We needed a layover spot between Portland, ME and Springfield, VT. <a href="https://www.gunstock.com/summer/hiking-biking-fishing/" target="_blank">This scenic municipal ski area</a> fit the requirement at a fair price. There's a neat little trail tucked in amongst a ribbon of trees between ski runs that climbs to the summit of Gunstock Mountain...The Brook Trail. From there, you can traverse over to Mt. Rowe via the Ridge Trail, and then follow ATV/cross-country ski tracks back to the campgrou [...]
nd. It's a nice 6.5 mile loop!
- Gunstock Mountain, New Hampshire ‐ Sep 24, 2017
  
  Okay, it's a ski hill. But they've a nicely wooded hiking path that runs along a tumbling mountain brook between ski runs. And with 1,500 feet of ascent, it is a respectable hike (on an 88 degree day, no less), as well.
Wassamki Springs Campground, Scarborough, Maine, USA ‐ Sep 21, 2017

Our base for exploring Portland, Maine. And Portland is a GREAT town, with lots of good eats and drinks. There's a brew pub every other block in this town. And we discovered that Portland's decent little art museum is free on Friday nights!
- Portland, Maine ‐ Sep 22, 2017
  
  Friday night free Art Museum entry.
Bar Harbor Campground, Maine, USA ‐ Sep 12, 2017

Our final *major* stop of the summer was Acadia National Park. It was a first time visit for both of us and, wow!, what a spectacular National Park. With bald mountain summits sporting grand vistas, rugged shoreline boulder-hopping, or meanders along glacially-formed, clearwater lakes, the hiking is superb, although by no means a solitary experience. Still, the numbers of visitors in September was but a fraction of the high-season July and August crowds. Two thumbs up!

+48

Acadia National Park, Maine, USA September 12-21, 2017
- Acadia National Park, Maine ‐ Sep 14, 2017
Schoodic Woods Campground, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA ‐ Sep 9, 2017

<a href="https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/schoodic.htm" target="_blank">Schoodic Peninsula</a> is the northernmost, land-based unit of Acadia National Park. It's probably 5 miles away from Cadillac Mountain, but close to an hour's drive from Bar Harbor. Thus, it's more or less "remote" and receives far fewer visitors than Mount Desert Island. Even so, it is difficult to get a reservation at the Park Service's excellent <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/camping/schoodic-woods-campground/r [...]
/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=74299" target="_blank">Schoodic Woods campground</a>. We got ours in early August when somebody cancelled their early September 4-night stay. This gave us time to watch the massive waves pound the point and stalk various warbler species at the onset of their southern migration.

+13

The Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA
- Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park, Maine ‐ Sep 8, 2017
New River Beach Provincial Park, New Brunswick, Canada ‐ Aug 31, 2017

<a href="https://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/Products/Parks/NewRiverBeachProvincialPark.aspx" target="_blank">New River Beach Provincial Park</a> served as great temporary home to explore more of the rocky Fundy coast as well as Saint John. Not to mention it was just up the road from $5 quarts of ripe, wild blueberries and $6 pies. That's Canadian dollars, so even less in USD! It was also our last stop before re-entering the USA.

+13

New River Beach Provincial Park & Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, August 31 - September 8, 2017
- Saint John City Market, Canada ‐ Sep 2, 2017
Chignecto North Campground, Fundy National Park, Alma, New Brunswick ‐ Aug 23, 2017

The Bay of Fundy, located between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Canada, empties into the Gulf of Maine and is said to have among the highest vertical tides in the world. We enjoyed trying to capture this phenomenon during a period of about 3 weeks along the New Brunswick coast, kicked off with a long stay at <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/fundy" target="_blank">Fundy National Park</a>. One dramatic place to observe the tidal change is at <a href="http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/" target [...]
="_blank">Hopewell Rocks</a>, which is one of many sites that is part of the Fundy Biosphere Reserve, a candidate <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/canada/fundy/" target="_blank">UNESCO World Heritage site</a>. In addition to the crazy low tides, and thanks to our late-August timing, we became stalkers of tens of thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers. The Semipalmated Sandpiper is a migration superhero, breeding on the Arctic tundra during the summer and wintering among the mangroves of coastal South America. Hundreds of thousands of these birds spend several weeks in August along the Bay of Fundy between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia fattening up for a non-stop 3-day flight to Guyana and points even further south. So once it was apparent our travels were taking us to New Brunswick's Fundy coast in August (anchored by the beautiful <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/fundy" target="_blank">Fundy National Park</a>), Tina dialed in some daily visits to Mary's Point, a migrating shorebird hotspot located in the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/shepody.html" target="_blank">Shepody National Wildlife Area</a>. Our afternoons with the birds were captivating and sometimes harrowing as a trio of Peregrine Falcons occasionally strafed the large flocks.

+18

Mary's Point, New Brunswick, Canada, August 24-27, 2017

+9

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada, August 26, 2017

+7

Fundy National Park, Alma, New Brunswick, Canada, August 23-31, 2017
- Mary's Point, New Brunswick ‐ Aug 24, 2017
  
  Fall migration fueling spot for tens of thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers before they fly non-stop to Guyana in South America.
- Hopewell Rocks Park, New Brunswick ‐ Aug 27, 2017
  
  Sandstone rocks carved into top heavy spires by the most dramatic tide changes in the world.
South Kouchibouguac Campground, Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick ‐ Aug 17, 2017

We didn't know what to expect from Canada's <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/kouchibouguac" target="_blank">Kouchibouguac National Park</a> located in New Brunswick. As a national park, we assumed it protected a natural treasure of some sort. And, it does. For starters, it is home to a breeding colony of rare Piping Plovers, not to mention dozens of other shorebirds. But what really sets this park apart, located as it is in the heart of aboriginal and Acadian fishing cultures, is the <a [...]
href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/kouchibouguac/activ/decouverte-tours/wigwam" target="_blank">Mi’kmaw First Nations interpretive program</a> held in massive wigwam near the beach. We attended 3 separate demonstrations during our week in the park, and have a much greater appreciation for not just the Mi’kmaw nation, but the main reason these lands should be protected and this park should be visited.

+10

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada, August 17-23, 2017
Sugarloaf Provincial Park, Campbellton, New Brunswick ‐ Aug 8, 2017

<a href="http://parcsugarloafpark.ca/" target="_blank">Sugarloaf Provincial Park</a> just outside Campbellton, New Brunswick, is a cooler, less buggy, forested, mountain setting while we await our 6 new tires from Michelin/BF Goodrich. Sugarloaf Mountain is a dead volcano last active 380 million years ago, at which time it was located south of the equator. Who says inactive volcanoes don't get around?

+7

Sugarloaf Provincial Park, Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada, Aug. 8-17, 2017.
- Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site, Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec ‐ Aug 15, 2017
Camping Park Fleurantide Park, Escuminac, Quebec ‐ Aug 3, 2017

Originally chose this location for proximity right next door to <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/686" target="_blank">Parc National de Miguasha</a>, a Quebec Provincial Park also designated a <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/mig/" target="_blank">UNESCO World Heritage site</a> for Devonian Period fish fossils. What's so great about these fish? Well, these are those first fish climbing out of the sea to represent the first land-based animals on the planet. So, yeah, pretty worthy of the UN [...]
ESCO designation! Secondarily, we stayed here longer than we had planned awaiting new tires to replace the driver's side front tire blowout we experienced on the way here. Turns out, all the tires on the truck were under a safety recall, so all 6 will be replaced by the manufacturer.
- Parc National de Miguasha, Nouvelle, Quebec ‐ Aug 5, 2017
Camping du Phare à Percé, Quebec ‐ Jul 29, 2017

We're here to visit the largest Northern Gannet colony in du monde on <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/bon/index.dot?language_id=1" target="_blank">Bonaventure Island</a>.

+12

Parc National Île-Bonaventure, Quebec, Canada, 30 July 2017
- Parc National Île-Bonaventure ‐ Jul 30, 2017
  
  <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/bon/index.dot?language_id=1" target="_blank">Bonaventure Island</a> is a Quebec Provincial Park located near the top of the Gaspé Peninsula. The island offers several scenic hiking trails, an historic settlement, and dramatic rock formations, all of which would make for a perfectly fine day in a perfectly fine park. But many (perhaps most) visitors are here for a singular reason: one-hundred and twenty THOUSAND Northern Gannets. This is the largest bird of the [...]
  sulidae family of birds, which includes Red- and Blue-footed Boobies. Here's a dozen-plus photos from our July 30 visit of a few tens of thousands of their number for contemplation. Oh, and a horribly grainy photo of a surprise bird we spied from what seemed like half a mile off...never expected to add this one to our summer list!
Petit-Gaspé Campground, Forillon National Park, Quebec ‐ Jul 23, 2017

Canada's <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/qc/forillon" target="_blank">Forillon National Park</a>, at the very tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, is where the Appalachian Mountain chain in Quebec narrows to just a couple kilometers wide as it crashes into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is also where the International Appalachian Trail terminates. The location is noted on maps, appropriately, as "Land's End." Most of the park is 300 feet in the sky, with sheer drop cliffs towering above clear, de [...]
ep teal-colored waters. The cliffs are home to nesting Razorbills and Cormorants and Guillemots and Kittiwakes. Huge boulders pealed off from the mountains to rest on the sea floor often serve as tanning beds for howling Grey Seals. Up to 6 different whale species can be seen spouting in the distant Gulf, or a little closer aboard a park zodiac. It is a special place, and one of the major destination objectives for our journey into the beautiful Gaspésie region. The Park exceeded our expectations by a wide measure.

+17

Forillon National Park, Quebec, Canada, 18-29 July 2017
- Whale watching in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off Gaspé, QC ‐ Jul 25, 2017
Camping Appalachian, Riviere-au-Renard, Quebec ‐ Jul 18, 2017

Our HQ for exploring the west end of <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/qc/forillon" target="_blank">Forillon National Park</a>.

Rivière-au-Renard, Quebec, Canada, July 18-23, 2017
Camping au Soleil Couchant, Grande-Vallée, Quebec ‐ Jul 16, 2017

Two days waterfront R&R watching Northern Gannet arrivals and looking out for whale spouts en route to Forillon National Park.

+13

Grande-Vallée, Quebec, Canada, July 16-17, 2017
Camping Ancre Jaune, Saint-Anne-des-Monts, Quebec ‐ Jul 9, 2017

Our week-long home base for exploring <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/gas/" target="_blank">Parc National de la Gaspesie</a>. Gaspésie is another Quebec Provincial Park in the very heart of the Gaspe Peninsula. It is a huge park, home to some impressive mountains....the northern reaches of Appalachians on the North American continent, as a matter of fact. (Fun fact break: did you know the Appalachians pick up again in Scotland and coarse up the Nordish coast? It was news to us, informed as [...]
we were by an interesting exhibit in the park's visitor's center.) The tallest of the Gaspésie peaks---Mont Jacques-Cartier---tops out at 1270 meters, just under 4,200 feet. Given how far north these mountains lurk, most summits above 650 meters are above the treeline and those above 1000 meters mimic the arctic tundra ecological zone. The southernmost herds of Woodland Caribou live up there. On the way up, there are moose. Inquisitive, wide-eyed, gregarious, 200-pound, baby moose.

+30

Parc National de la Gaspésie, Quebec, Canada, 10-15 July 2017
- Gaspésie National Park ‐ Jul 10, 2017
Parc National du Bic, Quebec ‐ Jun 25, 2017

<a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/bic/index.dot?language_id=1" target="_blank">Parc National du Bic</a> is a Quebec Provincial Park on the western coast of the Gaspe Peninsula, where the first coastal mountains (as you head north out of Quebec City) plunge into the St. Lawrence. On a map, Bic looks fairly small. But, she packs in a lot of wow! into her 8,200 acres. We attempted to explore as many square meters of Bic as we could via beach strolls, cliff walks, challenging boulder scrambles, hik [...]
ing upwards to incredible vista points, and sea kayaking around her islands. Incredibly, most vacationers were streaming past Bic for points further north, presumably Forillon National Park, leaving Bic delightfully uncrowded. We enjoyed the solitude and beauty during our first week camping in the park so much, we booked a second week.

+41

Parc National du Bic, Quebec, Canada, 25 June - 9 July, 2017
- Rimouski, Quebec ‐ Jul 7, 2017
  
  A National Historic Lighthouse, awesome pastry lunch/snack, a decent microbrasserie, and soft-serve maple ice cream dipped in dark chocolate. What's not to love?
Camping du Quai, Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec ‐ Jun 21, 2017

We spent a couple days at this commercial park as we waited for our July 1 Canada Day campsite at a nearby Quebec Provincial Park to open for the season. We chose this particular campground (Camping du Quai) because it sits on a little spit of land jutting into the St. Lawrence. On the map it is surrounded by water, and is not heavily developed yet is located right next to the main north-south highway in this area. By all Google Maps reckoning, it should be a quiet place with nice coastal walk [...]
s steps from our door. The local town tourism promotional lit promises world-renowned sunsets over the St. Lawrence. So, our arrival day was stormy with 45 knot winds, a sky patchworked with blue space and deep grey puffy clouds, and rain that didn't so much fall as spray in intermittent tantrums. With cloud and rain all around, sunset was quite nice if not (yet) spectacular. Our second day was warmish and sunny with light breezes, and a longish morning water front walk did not disappoint. We realized the tides here were dramatic....maybe not Fundy-dramatic, but memorable nonetheless. As the tide rolled in we watched Beluga Whales breach far off shore and, closer in, seals poking their puppy-dog heads above water seemingly to get a better look at we humans stuck on land. Sunset was pretty awesome, particularly as it went on and on and on and changed colors and textures and even got brighter at times as the sky reflected the long-ago disappeared sun. In hindsight, this was the perfect place to become acclimated to super low tides, walking the seabed, slippery boulders, and training our binocular-aided eye for distant Seal (Harbor and Grey) and Beluga Whale sightings. And it was here that we decided to commit ourselves to deeper explorations of the Gaspe Peninsula. Nova Scotia will have to wait for another summer!

+16

Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada, 21-25 July 2017
Camping Transit, Lévis (near Quebec City), Quebec ‐ Jun 14, 2017

When one reviews the hundreds of photos one shot in Quebec City, one quickly learns that there are photos WITH the Hotel Frontenac, and those without. Yes, the Frontenac appears in far too many tourist brochures and web sites devoted to QC. Yet, everywhere one turns, there she is, asserting herself as part of (if not the sole subject of) the composition. Sure, there's more to QC than Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, and with a week camping just a quick 10 minute ferry ride over to the grand bur [...]
g on a hill, we explored quite a lot of her ups-n-downs. Thus, we present two photo albums from ole QC: one chock full of alternate views of Frontenac, the other of everything else besides Frontenac.

+44

Exploring QC, Quebec City, Canada, 14-21 June, 2017

+16

Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, Canada, 14-19 June 2019
- Québec City ‐ Jun 14, 2017
Camping Amerique Montreal, Saint-Philippe, Quebec ‐ Jun 7, 2017

Found us a chill private/commercial park located in Quebec's agricultural fields, yet convenient to the park (for FREE, hint hint, DC!)-n-ride express bus depot for a 20 minute commute into the central city.

+14

Food of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 8 - 12 June 2017

+43

Views of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 8 - 12 June 2017

Montreal Selfies, Quebec, Canada, 8 - 12 June 2017
- Montréal, Quebec ‐ Jun 8, 2017
Macomb Reservation State Park, Schuyler Falls, NY, USA, United States ‐ Jun 3, 2017

<a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/77/details.aspx" target="_blank">Macomb Reservation State Park</a> does not have a lot of hiking, but does have a man-made lake that attracts flatwater kayakers. We chose this as our border-proximity lay-over site before crossing into Quebec. We also discovered some deep-in-the-woods-off-the-trail hiking outside the park---although not too terribly far away---with a handful of in-bloom Pink Lady Slippers.

Somewhere in Upstate New York, USA, 4 June 2017
Chenango Valley State Park, Fenton, New York, USA ‐ Jun 1, 2017

<a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/41/details.aspx" target="_blank">Chenango Valley State Park</a> in southern New York features two glacial kettle lakes, one of which is fed by a bog that is loaded with more native Royal Fern than you can shake a frond at! Scenic easy hiking trails and clear waters. Overall a nice introduction to the mountainous green beauty of rural New York.

+13

Chenango Valley State Park, Fenton, New York, USA, 2 June 2017
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA ‐ Apr 11, 2017

Puppies!
Chippokes Plantation State Park, Surry, Virginia, USA ‐ Apr 3, 2017

<a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/chippokes-plantation#general_information" target="_blank">Chippokes Plantation State Park</a>, located on the James River nearly opposite of Jamestown, Virginia, is a quiet park with miles of lazy walking and biking opportunities.

+9

Chippokes Plantation State Park, Surry, Virginia, USA, 03-11 April 2017
Cedar Point Recreation Area, Croatan National Forest, North Carolina, USA ‐ Mar 27, 2017

We had a "Like-Dislike" thing going with the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recreation/natureviewing/recarea/?recid=48466&actid=63" target="_blank">Croatan National Forest</a> in North Carolina. Just inland of the mostly paved-over Emerald Isle, the Forest is surrounded by encroaching suburban sprawl, complete with construction noise adjacent to the public campground at Cedar Point and punctuated with day-and-night live-fire artillery exercises from Camp Lejeune just a few miles [...]
up the road. Yet, with a mere 5 minutes of walking effort from our campsite, we found instant relaxation on a 2 km nature trail pretty much daily. Other parts of the National Forest were equally accessible, making our search for the Endangered-listed Red-cockaded Woodpecker logistically manageable. And out on the northern tip of the Emerald Isle itself, a Civil War-era stronghold and a nature trail associated with <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/fort-macon-state-park" target="_blank">Fort Macon State Park</a> offered welcomed contrast from the miles of vacation homes and pizza parlors that otherwise dominate the landscape.

+9

Croatan National Forest, North Carolina, USA, 27 March - 3 April, 2017
- Emerald Isle Woods Park, North Carolina ‐ Mar 30, 2017
  
  <a href="https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/Data/Sites/1/media/pdfs/parksandrecreation/ei-woods-park-trail-map.pdf" target="_blank">Small wooded tract</a> with nice footpaths in an otherwise overbuilt, suburban- hell barrier island wasteland.
- Emerald Isle Western Regional Beach Access, North Carolina ‐ Mar 30, 2017
  
  There are precious few public access points to the Atlantic beaches from Emerald Isle. This one is among the best with decent bathrooms. Sandy beach, with a sand bar just off shore where dolphins apparently gather to surf.
- Fort Macon State Park, North Carolina ‐ Mar 30, 2017
  
  Very nice, fee-free <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/fort-macon-state-park" target="_blank">State Park</a> preserving a Civil War-era fort (with a moat!). Beach looks nice, too, but is junked up for miles with pipeline from a dredging operation located in the channel just offshore. As a superior alternative anyhow, the 3.3 mile Elliot Coues' Nature Trail loop offers deep shade hiking on the sound side, and returns you on a rolling trail over windswept, sun-exposed dunes.
- Patsy Pond Nature Trail, Croatan National Forest, North Carolina ‐ Apr 1, 2017
  
  The <a href="http://www.nccoast.org/uploads/documents/Media%20Room/Trail%20Maps/PP_trailguide_web.pdf" target="_blank">Patsy Pond Nature Trail</a>, which is managed in part by the <a href="http://www.nccoast.org/resources/fact-sheets/" target="_blank">North Carolina Coastal Federation</a>, consists of a large network of trails and fireroads on the southern edge of <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48466" target="_blank">Croatan National Forest</a>. It is a beautiful e [...]
  xample of a mixed Loblolly Pine / grassland forest, and is a home to the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Little Pee Dee State Park, South Carolina, USA ‐ Mar 23, 2017

<a href="http://southcarolinaparks.com/lpd/introduction.aspx" target="_blank">Little Pee Dee State Park</a> no longer has a small dammed lake, thanks to Hurricane Matthew. But plenty of migratory birds still use the site for rest and recharge, and thanks to beavers a small pond is beginning to reform at the western end of the park.

+7

Little Pee Dee State Park, South Carolina, USA, 23-27 March 2017
Colleton State Park, Walterboro, South Carolina, USA ‐ Mar 21, 2017

<a href="http://southcarolinaparks.com/colleton/introduction.aspx" target="_blank">Colleton State Park</a> is a tiny postage-stamp sized parcel that sits on the Edisto River, a fairly swift running tannin-filled course wending its way towards the Atlantic. The park also sits smack dab on the 56 mile Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail. Colleton may be small, but she's mighty for casual kayakers like we. Oui! Park Rangers Larry & Bob can suggest put-in and take-out spots along the trail near the [...]
park. (Of the two rangers, Ranger Larry is the struck-by-lightning-three-times-once-shot in-the-leg-and-bit-by-rattlesnakes-on-six-different-occasions talkative one and, unprompted, dug around in the back of his pickup for a photo album that apparently documents 25 years of oddities---a 120-pound cat fish caught by a 60-pound girl on a K-mart starter reel, python-sized rattle snakes, white-tailed deer antics---that he has eye-witnessed while working for the parks.) In any case, hearing of a fairly exhaustive list of all the possible kayaking permutations available to us, we opted for a 4-hour float down to our Colleton campground from Green Pond Church Landing located 8.5 miles upriver. Ranger Bob offered to take us and our two inflatable kayaks up to the launch point, saving us the trouble and expense of working out a shuttle with one of the local outdoors outfitters. Ranger Larry's stories and river expertise, along with Ranger Bob's shuttle assistance, exemplified the life-in-the-slow-lane, personal-touch, wow-factor we had hoped to encounter in a smaller park.

+4

Colleton State Park, Walterboro, South Carolina, USA, 21-23 March 2017
- Green Pond Church Landing, South Carolina
  
  Launch point for 8.5 mile float back down the Edisto River to Colleton State Park.
General Coffee State Park, Nicholls, Georgia, USA ‐ Mar 17, 2017

Small <a href="http://www.gastateparks.org/GeneralCoffee" target="_blank">State Park</a> with beautiful swampy, cypressed, riparian hiking trails; and a small heritage farm with modern breed chickens and goats and hogs. Plus a large Gopher Tortoise, acBarred Owl, several Pileated Woodpeckers, and a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

+16

General Coffee State Park, Nicholls, Georgia, USA, 18-21 March 2017
Santos Trailhead and Campground, Ocala, Florida, USA ‐ Mar 15, 2017

An entire <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/trail/Santos" target="_blank">State Park</a> devoted to 80 miles of "groomed" mountain bike trails, complete with skill-graded (easy/intermediate/difficult) trails, skill practice and freeride areas, and roving bike patrol, and linked into an additional extensive trail system here in Central Florida near Ocala. Check out <a href="http://omba.org/maps/OMBA_Bike_Trails_Map_March_10_2015.jpg" target="_blank">this trail map</a>!

Santos Trailhead & Campground State Park, Ocala, Florida, USA

Gully Crossing at Santos Trailhead
Oldsmar, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 15, 2016

A place to hunker down and spend time with family for the holidays and enjoy mild winter temperatures.

La Petite France, Crepe Truck in Dunedin, Florida, Fridays all winter

+6

Tarpon Springs, Florida, USA, Feb-Mar 2017

+5

How to Eat Stuff Too Big For Your Mouth, by Ann Egret

+8

Coopers Bayou Park, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 3-5 February 2017

+15

Dunedin Causeway, Florida, USA, January-February 2017

+5

Bay Bayou, Oldsmar, Florida, USA, Winter 2016/17

+11

Lake Tarpon, John Chesnut Sr Park, Florida, USA, 11 January 2017

+11

Brooker Creek Preserve, Pinellas County, Florida, USA 30 December 2016

+4

Upper Tampa Bay Park, Oldsmar, Florida, USA, 23 December 2016
- Upper Tampa Bay Park, Florida ‐ Dec 23, 2016
  
  <a href="http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/upper-tampa-bay-park" target="_blank">Upper Tampa Bay Park</a> near Oldsmar Florida is essentially a gigantic sheltered cove covered in sandbar-supported oyster beds and mangrove. No motorized watercraft are permitted, which makes for a peaceful paddle and an appreciative Ark-n-Tina. The mangroves were filled with White Ibis and Snowy Egret, and we observed (but failed to photograph) several raccoon swim-walking from one oyster bar (HA!) to [...]
  the next before high tide took out their passage.
- Brooker Creek Preserve, Florida ‐ Dec 30, 2016
  
  <a href="http://www.brookercreekpreserve.org/" target="_blank">Brooker Creek Preserve</a>, at 8700 acres, is the largest natural area in Pinellas County, Florida, consisting primarily of forested wetlands and pine flatwoods. The Preserve serves to protect a significant portion of the Brooker Creek Watershed.
- Lake Tarpon, John Chesnut Sr Park, FLorida ‐ Jan 11, 2017
- Dunedin Causeway, Dunedin, Florida ‐ Jan 21, 2017
  
  Wonderful spot for spying seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, etc.
- Cooper Bayou, Clearwater, Florida ‐ Feb 3, 2017
  
  Sheltered cove off of North Tampa Bay perfect for kayaking.
- Sunset Beach, Tarpon Springs, FL ‐ Mar 9, 2017
  
  Relaxed paddling between Sunset Beach and Howard Park Causeway. Lots of sea grass in 3 feet of water. Cormorants and Anhinga.
- Tarpon Springs Splash Park & Kayak Launch ‐ Feb 6, 2017
  
  Nice new kayak launch facility with boat washing station on polluted, disgusting, industrialized Anclote River.
- Veterans Memorial Park, Oldsmar, FL ‐ Feb 10, 2017
  
  Start point for loop walk south to Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve beach via the neighborhood, returning on the Oldsmar Trail.
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Florida, USA ‐ Dec 12, 2016

Found ourselves a gem of a state park a bit south of Gainesville, Florida: <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park-history/Paynes-Prairie" target="_blank">Paynes Prairie Preserve</a>. There must be a dozen habitats here...oak hammocks, swamps, freshwater springs and sinks, scrub, and a huge prairie purported to shelter a herd of bison. While we missed out on the bison, we bumped into a trio of wild Spanish Horses in a hardwood forest on the edge of the prairie. Just goes to show there's [...]
magic in even the most unassuming places!

+5

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Florida, 13-14 December 2016
Crooked River State Park, Georgia, USA ‐ Dec 7, 2016

<a href="http://gastateparks.org/CrookedRiver" target="_blank">Crooked River State Park</a>, like it's sister park (Fort McAllister) further north, is surrounded by salt marsh amid a wash of mixed palmetto/pine maritime forest. Between the two parks, opportunities to enjoy wildlife abound, as indicated in the "Coastal Georgia" photo album shown below.

+3

McIntosh Sugar Mill Ruins, St. Mary's, Georgia, USA, 10 December 2016

+14

Coastal Georgia, USA, 2-12 December, 2016
- McIntosh Sugar Mill Tabby Ruins, St. Mary's, Georgia, USA
Fort McAllister Historic Park, Georgia, USA ‐ Dec 2, 2016

<a href="http://gastateparks.org/FortMcAllister" target="_blank">Fort McAllister State Park</a> served as our base for a day-trip to Savannah, Georgia, located about 40 minutes north of the park. The city boasts <a href="http://www.savannah.com/savannahs-historic-squares/" target="_blank">22 public squares</a>, each as different from another, packed into a roughly 1 square mile historic district. We improvised a 9.5 mile meander through the district so as to visit all the squares, the waterfront [...]
, a central cemetery, and local eats. * <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/U7qkgMJk44E2" target="_blank">Free street parking!</a> (and 1 block from the visitor center for your walking tour maps) * <a href="http://www.catchacat.org/getting-around/ride-free-downtown/dot-express-shuttle/" target="_blank">Free tourist bus!</a> * BBQ pork ribs at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps?cid=299929988499931297" target="_blank">Randy's BBQ</a> (takeout only). * Select your filets and have them prepped at <a href="http://www.savannahsfreshcatchseafood.com/" target="_blank">Savannah's Fresh Catch Seafood</a> (mostly takeout...there are two small tables outside). * Refuel with modestly priced cappacinos at <a href="http://www.cuptocupcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Cup to Cup Cafe</a>

+17

Savannah, Georgia, USA, 3 December 2016
- Savannah ‐ Dec 3, 2016
Buck Hall Recreation Area, South Carolina, USA ‐ Nov 28, 2016

The <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/scnfs/recarea/?recid=47291" target="_blank">Buck Hall Recreation Area</a> is a beautiful spot within the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/scnfs/" target="_blank">Francis Marion National Forest</a> to spend a few quiet days located right on the Intracoastal Waterway with a view of a huge salt marsh and the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/cape_romain/" target="_blank">Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.</a> There are LOTS of places both at the Recr [...]
eation Area and nearby to drop a kayak in for salt marsh paddles. During our visit, the winds were too high for water sport so we'll have to save those plans for a future stay. Buck Hall is also relatively convenient to Charleston...about 30 minutes north. We devoted a day to walking and eating our way through this historic city built economically and physically on the backs of slaves. To help put it all into perspective, a must stop visit is the <a href="http://www.charleston-sc.gov/index.aspx?NID=160" target="_blank">Old Slave Mart Museum</a> which preserves one of the few (if only) verified slave collecting and reselling structures still standing in the USA. The museum offers a sobering perspective on a dark chapter in western hemisphere history, and also has an impressive collection of eye-witness and first person accounts of slavery from nearly every state in the union through emancipation. Charleston is fairly expensive and it is easy to blow lots of tourist dollars, but it doesn't have to be that way. The historic center is very walkable, and you can score <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/dDtFrzLC6Lv" target="_blank"> FREE parking on the edge of town along the waterfront</a> (that saves you about $17 for garage parking right there). When your legs tire, and they will if you do it right, there are <a href="http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dash-Map.pdf" target="_blank">3 free tourist bus loops</a> to save the day. As we often do, Ark-n-Tina sought out the best cheap eats we could find, and boy did we score in Charleston. For lunch, try <a href="http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dash-Map.pdf" target="_blank">Callie's Little Hot Biscuit</a> for, well, tiny savory hot biscuit sandwiches that are so very filling (they're sold in pairs for, oh, 3 or 4 bucks). A nice mid-afternoon pick-me-up can be had at <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Jz11cCJFXat" target="_blank">City Lights Cafe</a>. And superb southern eats await you at <a href="http://hannibalkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Hannibal's Soul Kitchen</a>. We somehow got a fried whiting sandwich (with 3 huge filets), a fried porkchop sandwich with a slab of meat the size of Texas, a side of baked mac-n-cheese, a side of incredible collard greens, a lemonade, and an iced tea for around $20.

+18

Charleston, South Carolina, 29 November 2016
- Charleston, South Carolina ‐ Nov 29, 2016
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA ‐ Nov 22, 2016

27 November 2016: <a href="http://southcarolinaparks.com/myrtlebeach/introduction.aspx" target="_blank">Myrtle Beach State Park</a> is a sliver of natural respite from the hub-bub of South Carolina's Grand Strand. She treated us well with beautiful weather, colorful butterflies, Northern Gannets galore, and a *new* warbler to our list.

+8

Myrtle Beach State Park, 23-27 November 2016
Lee State Park, Bishopville, South Carolina, USA ‐ Nov 17, 2016

<a href="http://southcarolinaparks.com/lee/introduction.aspx" target="_blank">Lee State Park</a> seems to be a haven for Red-Headed Woodpeckers, a species of bird whose population numbers and habitat have dwindled to "near threatened." Perhaps it's due to all the millions of houseflies in this park, which caters to equine culture in the form of a very nice horse campground, equestrian trails, and practice rings.

+3

Lee State Park, 21 November 2016

+7

Congaree National Park, 19 November 2016
- Congaree National Park ‐ Nov 19, 2016
  
  <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm" target="_blank">Congaree National Park, South Carolina, USA</a>
Hollister, North Carolina, USA ‐ Nov 15, 2016

<a href="http://www.ncparks.gov/medoc-mountain-state-park" target="_blank">Medoc Mountain State Park,</a>

Medoc Mountain State Park, 16 November 2016
Chesterfield, Virginia, USA ‐ Nov 13, 2016

<a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/pocahontas#general_information" target="_blank">Pocahontas State Park</a>.
- Richmond ‐ Nov 14, 2016
  
  <a href="http://www.legendbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Legend Brewing, Richmond, Virginia, USA</a>
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA ‐ Nov 5, 2016
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, United States ‐ Oct 13, 2016

Our house on Colt Terrace, under contract of sale to a new owner. After 16 years rooted at this location and 25 years of cube-farming, the time has come to inject some global meander into our lives.

Goodbye Colt Terrace!
- Dayton, Ohio ‐ Nov 1, 2016
  
  Carillon Historical Park