Our First Trip Down the East Coast

Our first major road trip was from NJ to TX with a van and a tent. We made a big loop around much of the US and LOVED it! We knew we needed an RV.
We attended our first RV rally in Florida 2 years ago. We had intended on launching full-time then but the RV broke down just a few days before launch and couldn't be fixed in time. So, my (then) 6 kids and I took the van and a tent, determined to go anyway. We lived in that van for a month before almost killing each other. This was back in the 'good ol' days' when my raddish garden was blooming like mad. We were exhausted but had some fun times, between tantrums and meltdowns.

We roadschooled the entire trip. We stopped at every state welcome center to learn something new. One of our favorite stops is South of the Border, but that's usually just to get a snack! One of my favorite cities to visit is Baltimore, MD. After the rally, we visited the Everglades. We took some ranger-led tours, completed junior ranger activities, found some free camping sites (for future reference when we could be safe inside the RV) and met a family there with a teenaged girl who was very excited to meet my 3 teenaged boys. Camping in the Everglades is all pretty primitive and there's no running water anywhere. Bring your own water. We opted to pay the $20 for the state campground along alligator alley. Still no running water but we felt pretty safe sleeping in a tent there. We also attended homeschool day at Leggoland, an activity we look forward to each year.

We did some learning on the Florida Keys. We spent a night sleeping behind the Walmart in Florida City then camped 2 nights at Bahia Honda, a lovely campground with junior ranger activity booklets and a visitor center. We explored the beach, bought snorkles so the boys could check out the coral reefs visible along the shores, and took a glass bottom boat tour at Pennekamp. It wasn't as pricy as I expected and the education was well worth the price. We also visited a turtle hospital on the Keys. We had to pay for the tour but I found a coupon in a visitors guide ... an education also well worth the price. We all agreed to try a food we've never had before at a White Harbor Seafood Buffet. Yumm. We went all the way to the tip of Key West, a place I wouldn't want my children to enjoy the night life in, although we didn't get to visit Dry Tortugas National Park. You need to plan ahead a little to catch a boat out there. We did read about it, though. Maybe next time ...

We also visited a few friends while in Florida before we started heading north again. We visited several churches and were involved with a youth group we enjoyed very much. We found shark teeth on the Gulf coast and visited Daytona Beach.

We decided to do another adoption, or two, so we have been bound to the sticks and bricks for 2 years, taking short RV trips for up to a month or two at a time and looking forward to our launch date.