USA Interrupted, 2020

Legend

Driving
CARAVAN 2020

Gunter Hill Park, Montgomery, Alabama, United States ‐ Jan 13, 2020

338.6 km

Our first-ever foray into Alabama, and we made a beeline for arguably the birthplace of the modern Civil Rights era, Montgomery, Alabama. There's a LOT of history here to explore.
- Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, Montgomery, United States ‐ Jan 14, 2020
  
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's first (and only, really) church where he served as the head parson. This is an uplifting place to visit, with group sings and big hugs provided by each and every staff member to anybody who walks in the door.
- Dexter Parsonage Museum, Montgomery, AL, United States ‐ Jan 14, 2020
  
  MLK's home while serving as Pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, complete with many original furniture pieces.
- National Memorial for Peace & Justice, Montgomery, AL, United States ‐ Jan 15, 2020
  
  The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also known as The National Lynching Memorial, commemorates all the U.S. victims of lynching by county and state. The site is the brainchild of Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, whose autobiography "Just Mercy" is now a major motion picture.
- NPS Lowndes Interpretive Center, United States ‐ Jan 17, 2020
  
  Excellent National Park Service museum commemorating the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. Museum is built on the site of a former tent city, which for 3+ years housed African American sharecroppers who were made homeless by angry, racist, terrorist whites who took exception to African Americans expecting to exercise their constitutional rights.
- Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL, United States ‐ Jan 17, 2020
  
  Named after a KKK Grand Dragon, this bridge is where the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights marchers met yet another racist mob in another American city emboldened by local law enforcement to beat the snot out of their fellow peaceful U.S. citizens, all on account of skin color.
Coe Landing County Park, Tallahassee, Florida ‐ Jan 9, 2020

237.5 km

Tallahassee is Florida's government seat, and we're here to get a document stamped by the Florida Secretary of State. For lodging, we opted for an old Army Corp of Engineers-like Campground that is now operated by Leon County on the shores of Lake Talquin. The lake formed in the 1920s when a local utility (now operated by Duke Energy Florida) dammed the Ochlokonee River for a hydroelectric project.

Coe Landing Campground, Tallahassee, Florida, 10 January 2020
Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, Florida ‐ Jan 6, 2020

227.9 km

With no mobile phone or internet service at all, we've got several days of hiking, kayaking, and manatees planned. We hope to have some photos to post once we pop out the other side sometime on January 9. <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JPesD7Ml4oW-tDkETrzi3Dd6u0FGpV01&usp=sharing" target="_blank">This leg of journey on Google Earth.</a>

+7

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, Florida, 6-9 January 2020
Auburndale, Florida ‐ Jan 5, 2020

114.8 km

Quick return from the coast to see the nephew and pick up the camper for the next leg.
Dunedin, Florida ‐ Dec 29, 2019

114.4 km

Leaving our modest camper behind with our inland relatives, we've scooted a bit westwards to ring in the new year with coastal family.

+2

Dunedin Causeway, Florida, 30 December 2019
Auburndale, Florida ‐ Dec 21, 2019

299 km

Driveway surf with family for the holidays. We initially were to stay in Jacksonville 1 more night, but the floodwaters in the campground began rising ahead of a major coastal nor'easter that was forecast to dump 4 to 6 inches in 24 hours. So we ate the final night of our reservation and evacuated inland.

+9

Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida, 26 December 2019
- Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida ‐ Dec 26, 2019
  
  When visiting this area of Florida, we always try to make time for the old Circle B Bar Ranch. Today, the ranch serves as a large wetlands filter, attracting a large number, and wide range, of bird species. in January 2018, we counted over 50 species in a single visit. The Reserve was quieter today, with far fewer birds and gators about.
Kathryn Abbey Hanna City Park, Jacksonville ‐ Dec 18, 2019

403.4 km

We've had our eye on this beach-front city campground for a couple years, but really couldn't attempt it until we added a smaller camper to fit into the tight spaces with low-hanging tree branches. The near-frigid cold seems to be tracking with us from the north no matter how quickly we scoot down I-95. No worries, we'll spend some time checking out St. Augustine, said to be Colonial Spain's first settlement city in North America.

+5

St. Augustine, Florida, 19 December 2019
- St. Augustine, Florida ‐ Dec 19, 2019
  
  We came to visit Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the USA in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the USA. Why are these the oldest? Why, Spain, of course!
Santee State Park, South Carolina ‐ Dec 16, 2019

427.1 km

This is a new State Park to us and, normally, we would like to linger in order to hike all the trails. But seriously cold air is headed this way, so we're staying the only two bearable nights before sub-freezing temps arrive. We did manage a walk in the woods before the rains arrived, and noticed the park is loaded with red-headed woodpeckers.
Medoc Mountain State Park, North Carolina ‐ Dec 15, 2019

375.9 km

Since 2016, we've used Medoc Mountain as a first stop heading south out of Maryland. As is usually the case, we have the entire campground to ourselves.
Cloverly, Maryland, United States ‐ Dec 10, 2019

Planning & Preparations are underway for the next leg of the journey. Looking at a Dec 16 to 19 launch window.