It began with a longish drive to Mammoth Cave National Park. We pulled in in the early evening and managed to avoid the predicted rain long enough for a beautiful (albeit short) hike in the woods above the cave system.
We also checked into pretty much the cutest little cottage we'd ever seen. Right out of a fairy tale, including no air conditioning. We were off to a good start, despite the tick Elise got on her pretty much the second she stepped off the beaten path (turns out, Daddy was actually right with his warning this time!).
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| The. Cutest. Cottage. |
We'd all been to Mammoth Cave before, although Naomi hadn't been born quite yet at the time. It soon became clear that she greatly preferred it that way. Here's a list of the fears she confronted within the first 5 minutes:
-Giant spiders
-Dark
-Being hundreds of feet underground (10 would've been okay)
-Heights
-Those metal steps that are full of holes with no backs
-Close spaces
-Those metal platforms that are full of holes and cross over heights
-General creepiness
But not bears. Elise had heard, in preschool, that caves are crawling with bears, and pretty much the worst thing you could do was to enter a cave (this she remembered from our previous trip). Fortunately, this cave was bear-free at the time.
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| Our junior ranger! |
Naomi did survive the tour, and even enjoyed the stalactites and stalagmites at the end. (The rest of us loved the tour, but kinda felt bad saying so.) Back at the surface, we grabbed lunch from the cooler, and chilled in the visitor center a bit. Naomi completed the Junior Ranger badge program and was sworn in (and she wore her badge faithfully for at least two full weeks), and everyone bought something, except Matt. By the time we were ready for more adventuring, though, it was about ready to rain. Five minutes into our hike, we were turning back--but at least our next hike would be indoors (i.e., the cave).
I was hoping Naomi would enjoy the cave more the second time, having "conquered" her fears. Plus, I knew it was a more level route, with wider spaces and less towering scaffolding. No such luck. After the ranger's dire warnings about who should and should not go on the tour. Naomi was in tears. "Please don't make me go!" she begged, feeling as though she fit into the category of people who either didn't want to take health risks or "just wouldn't be comfortable." I assured her that the warnings were for people with medical problems, and she'd be fine. Trooper that she is [required to be sometimes, due to her family of origin], she allowed me to drag her into the gaping hole that was the entrance to the cave.
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| Bat not pictured. Naomi being a trooper. |
This time, she hated it even worse. Fortunately, the people around us were kind, and hopefully not too annoyed--several of them congratulated her at the end, at least.
However, with the light at the end of the tunnel literally in site, a fellow tourist pointed out a small, furry bat cleaning to a somewhat low ceiling. Naomi turned around in her tracks and went BACK into the cave to visit this sweet little sleeping bat. She loved it. After lots and lots of pictures, our smiling girl virtually danced out of the cave. So it ended up that no matter how terrible each tour was, there was something to like as she finished. Note: every time Naomi is scared, bring her an animal.
Our next stop that evening was a random hotel in Tennessee, a few more hours down the road. I'm pretty sure the kids had ice cream for dinner (ice cream may have been promised a couple hundred feet underground during the second cave tour), and then we supplemented it with--you guessed it--cooler food at the hotel.
Elise: I kind of feel like I want some lettuce. [unheard of for Elise]
Me: Here's a pear.
Elise: I feel like that will be too sweet. [also unheard of]
In between trips out to the car, we drooled over the microwaveable meal vending machine in the lobby.
Kalina: I just want real food.
Me: Me too. But this won't really taste as good as it looks...
I almost caved in. Secretly, I was super proud that it only took about 2 days of "unreal" food before at least two of my kids were ready for my home cooking. I promised them real food once we got settled into our AirBnB in St. Augustine, and maybe Subway on the next day's drive, and then we went upstairs and made toast, apples and peanut butter, recombining the ingredients we'd been living on for (only) two days. The toast, at least, was warm and comforting--just like Mom's.
The next day, we drove the rest of the way to St. Augustine, Florida. The kids are champs in the car, and we all enjoyed listening to Elijah of Buxton, a somewhat humorous, exciting, educational, heartwarming, character-building book about a boy living in a free slave settlement in Canada. We did have Subway, and enjoyed every crumb.We had just a bit of trouble finding our AirBnB and its parking spot, plus it was chilly and drizzling and getting dark when we pulled into the beach. Blech. Nevertheless, Matt, the hero, took the kids to beach in rain jackets until it really was too dark, while I tried to get organized. Throughout the evening, we kept staring at the forecast, hoping for a change from all the predicted rain.
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| How we all felt when we arrived at the beach. |
My best values:
-White peaches, which are never that good anywhere else, but were delicious in Florida, and "only" cost $3.99/lb. Comparable to the cruddy ones in Kansas that cost roughly the same.
-A colossal bag of popcorn. Chips were $4/bag. This 20-serving monstrosity cost me $6, plus had all the "wow" factor that a vacation treat should.
Back home, I proudly served a not-cooler-food lunch amid beach time.
The beach was amazing. Relatively flat but still with decent waves, and with white sand that didn't retain heat, it did feel like a paradise. However, no amount of sunscreen could keep the girls from getting burnt. We decided to pull them in and check out some attractions in St. Augustine.
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| See all the nesting birds in the background? |
We ended up at the Alligator Farm. The alligators were cool, but our favorite site was alllllll the nesting water birds that somehow chose the trees hanging over the alligator-infested waters of this little zoo as the ideal place to raise their young. We saw all stages of chicks, observed feedings, heard their calls, and avoided being sullied. Plus, the alligator shows and such were pretty cool, too, and we got to chat with a keeper for a while and learn what it's like to be one. Then, back to the beach. But we still couldn't ignore the history (actually, I couldn't ignore the history, and there was no way I was going to let my children do so). On our second day, after visiting a beach that was supposed to have better shelling than our own--and kinda did--and where it wasn't supposed to rain--and it kinda did--we all toured the old Spanish fort, which became extra interesting to the kiddos when a history professor volunteer in costume began telling them the stories. Plus we could go up on the roof.
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| A cool spot on the roof of the fort. |
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| Naomi and I like old houses. :) |
Their attitudes were good, but I could tell they were putting on a brave face, and were anticipating another activity that Mom got way more excited about than they did. Plus it was hot.
But within about 2 minutes of starting our historic district tour, the tour guide had made them laugh at least a couple times, and then she kept them laughing all the way to the end. Not only did they learn a ton, but the girls delightedly retold it all, sometimes word for word, to Matt back at the condo.
We also were able to walk around the old buildings in the historic district, shop for souvenirs, and purchase some amazing popsicles for an overall incredible morning. Win! Plus, they were excited to go to the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Historical Site the next day. And we still had plenty of time for the beach.
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| We drank from the fountain of youth! Except Naomi, who was weirded out by it, but also nervous she'd get in trouble with the docent if she didn't actually drink. |
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| Feeding an albino peacock! |
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| I think this is Elise's crab larvae. I think. |
One of these evenings, we took the inflatable kayaks out to a wetlands for an evening paddle. We saw a couple alligators and a bird or two, plus some jumping fish. But mostly it was a beautiful evening on the water. And Elise was able to collect a plankton sample, from which she was able to observe, under her pocket microscope, her much-anticipated crab larvae! It was actually pretty cute with its big eyes and everything.
On the way to and from, we spotted a fruit/gator jerky shop that became a family joke. What if we own roadside gator jerky stand? Where we'd process the jerky along the side of the road, and then sell it. And where would we get the gators? Also alongside the road. Get it? Get it?? This kept us amused for quite a while. And presumably, will for the near future.
Also exciting: in one of the low-tide "tide pools," Kalina caught a skate. It was adorable and didn't even seem too concerned with us. We found a second as well. Naomi's toe got caught by a crab, and Elise, throughout the trip, got stung by jellyfish 3 times, bringing her total to 6.
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| Elise in her happy place. Which is pretty much the entire ocean. |
The girls built large sandcastle systems (or in Naomi's case, fairy villages) complete with bridge, and Kalina dug down to the water. They mastered boogie boards (even Naomi tried them!) and Matt attempted to snorkel--but couldn't see much.
We were sad to leave our beautiful beach condo and beautiful beach and lovely beach town, but our trip held many more adventures, and on Wednesday, it was time to begin them. We loaded up the van and met Uncle Brian at a kayaking place, snagging the only shady spot in the lot (yes, that's notable. "Park in the shade." -Me, everywhere we stopped), and then snagging Uncle Brian!
This site was particularly cool because we might be able to see monkeys--the remnant of a tourist stunt from like 90 years ago. We figured we had a 50/50 chance.
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| Yay! Gorgeous water, and so much fun to kayak with Brian! |
With incredibly little fanfare for such an amazingly beautiful spot, we loaded up our kayaks and pushed off into the spring-fed river. The water was clear as glass, such that we could always see to the bottom, even when the bottom was 50 feet below us. This was unnerving for at least one of us (the same one who doesn't like stairs with holes in them above large drop-offs), but pretty exciting for everyone else.
We partially fell in with a tour group that pointed out a momma gator and a couple of baby gators (which Naomi had really, really wanted to see), and also cruised past some turtles and plenty of fish. But not monkeys. Naomi chose this time to mention that 1.) She was ready to be done and 2.) Monkeys were the thing she wanted to see the very most. (But no pressure.)
We weren't seeing any monkeys.
Coming into the end of the paddle, we were all super hot and one of us was fading fast (honestly, maybe two of us...). We saw a small group of boaters pointing out something near the water. An alligator? We decided to check it out.
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| It was so bright, I had no idea if any of my photos were turning out. |
Thanks to three young guys breaking the law and tossing snacks, a cluster of monkeys had gathered near the water's edge for free handouts! Including cute little tiny baby monkeys clinging to their mammas. Jackpot! Obviously, you don't usually get this kind of display, because people aren't usually illegally feeding them. But we weren't going to see anything. We did keep a bit of distance because they can potentially jump into boats. Not that that wouldn't be fun...
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| Gorgeous night, just no gators. |
That evening, we headed out to look for alligators at an amazing boardwalk over a swamp (no alligators; lots of amazing birds, though, and a few not-very-skittish, adorable marsh rabbits!), and then got to observe the bats leaving the bat house at the University of Florida, which was totally incredible.
The next day, we headed to an animal rescue zoo. But not just any animal rescue zoo--this one was the only place in Florida (that I could find, anyway, and that was near enough) that would guarantee a manatee sighting!
We drove a while, then hopped on a boat, and finally ended up at this cute little zoo, where some of the signs were misleading and we very nearly missed the manatee feeding! We ran up just as the volunteers was finishing sprinkling leaves of lettuce all over the feeding area. But it did the trick!
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| Look carefully for the anoles on Matt and Elise. |
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| Manatee nostrils are totally a thing. Or should be. |
The manatees were amazing, just for who they were. The coolest part was the nostrils. Or the soft, friendly eyes. Either way, we watched for a long time before they swam off, and then we wandered off to check out the rest of the critters. Beginning with the resident anoles, who at various times found themselves placed on Elise's and Matt's heads for pictures, until they once again gained their freedom.
Along this path, I realized we'd never taken advantage of the underwater viewing portion of the observation area. Coincidentally (maybe), I saw one of our manatee friends returning to the feeding place. Should I, also return? Would this manatee actually show up there if I did? And stay there long enough to make the short trek back worth it? Was this just me being a crazy person?
I had to try, and somehow I got everyone to follow (but kinda far behind--I was super motivated and can walk pretty fast). Sure enough, as I climbed down the stairs, the manatee was ready to meet me at the viewing window.
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| Naomi in her favorite hat, with her new favorite animal. |
Fortunately, everyone else also arrived in time for some super fun close encounters through the glass, as the manatees seemed to actually want to interact. Naomi fell in absolute love, and resolved to buy a stuffed manatee at the gift shop (her first--and only--stuffie of the trip! She's growing up!). We hung around quite a while, and then finally saw the other animals, including the oldest hippo in captivity, who was actually an honorary resident of Florida.
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| The gorgeous spring |
We then tried to kayak again, but were thwarted by the fact that the kayak launch closed shortly before we arrived. Oops! We instead headed to an amazing swimming spot at a clear (chilly!) spring. On the way in, we spotted four baby armadillos. [Did you know that armadillos generally have 4 clones as offspring???] On the way out, we spotted a couple snakes climbing trees.
The spring was gorgeous. And the people-watching was fantastic. Matt, Kalina, Elise, And Brian were able to snorkel around, with visibility almost as clear as the air. Naomi did an amazing job of swimming around in a life jacket and not being scared, and I kept an eye on everyone. With the water feeling fairly cold, though, no one lasted super long. Still, it was an amazing stop.
More yummy food, some good conversation and a few board games rounded out the day.
The next day we were faced with rain, but still managed to go back to the alligator boardwalk and see a giant one, in addition to lots more birds and a few smaller alligators. We were taking our time walking back to the car, though, when we heard a steady noise off in the distance. And saw clouds...and rain...headed our way. We ran for it, and sheltered in an old barn with a bunch of other people, reaching it just as the rain did. After a bit, the rain let up for a few minutes, and we ran the rest of the way back to our car.
Amazingly, not too far down the road, another park was avoiding rain. We stopped for another hike, and were joined by a dynamic and intrepid park ranger who took us to see an alligator nest! He and Elise got along great, both having an affinity for anoles and a certain somewhat obscure YouTube channel called Journey into the Microcosmos. He took us and another group on a fairly long hike, along which we sometimes shared the road a bit with a family of 4 sandhill cranes, who didn't seem super bothered by our presence as long as we didn't actually approach. We arrived back in the car about 5 minutes before the rain this time.
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| Happy early birthday, Uncle Brian! We even left him the rest of the cake. |
After lunch, a few games, and a grocery run, we headed out another hike to a gorgeous sinkhole, and then to an amazing pizza dinner. When we returned back, timing worked out such that Matt and Brian were dealing with some things outside while the girls and I were very sneakily able to make a birthday cake for Brian (his birthday was in about a week and a half--too soon not to celebrate!). Somehow, we managed to finish everything, and clean up, before the guys came back in. Surprise!
The next day, after a final amazing breakfast and a quick vacuuming for the van, which my emotional health really needed, we left for our friends' place along the Gulf coast, stopping at a very nice Waffle House along the way. Because that's where you eat in the south. Our friends had moved to their new area about 11 months prior to our arrival, and into their new home exactly 1 week. Phew! It was gorgeous, and a short walk/bike ride/car drop-off (woohoo!) to the beach. We didn't know what to expect when they cautioned us that "it's not a great shelling beach," but we definitely didn't count on the best shelling of the trip! We came back with piles of beautiful specimens.
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| We used to play in our stream together; now, it's the ocean! |
We enjoyed catching up, a fancy dinner of steak and shrimp, and then celebrating their adorable nearly 1-year-old's birthday--a little too late at night for his tastes, unfortunately, but it was still fun. By the time we left the next morning, he was juuuuust starting to maybe warm up to us a little.
We also enjoyed learning about what it's like to actually live in one of those beach tourist destinations. Turns out, like Kansas, it has its pros and cons. Hard to argue with snorkeling at a coral reef whenever you feel like it (except us--we weren't in town quite long enough), but also the prices, traffic, and scarcity of actual goods for actual full-time living would be tough to take at times. Not to mention the culture sometimes...
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| Not pictured: cousin Ed, who's actually taking the picture. |
Speaking of culture, our next, and final, stop was at my cousin Ed's place outside of New Orleans. His place backed up to a small part of an alligator farm/mini zoo, and once we had chatted for a while with Ed, Julie, and their 6 kids, we drove the 5 minutes to the farm.
It was different from any zoo we'd ever seen (except for the reptarium 15 minutes away from our house that the girls and I had visited, but ironically, Matt never had). Although we weren't overimpressed with the conditions for the animals, we did see that the owner clearly loved his brood and was doing his best--the hurricane last year set him back quite a bit. He came out of a building with a couple other visitors, between them holding a couple large snakes and a 4-foot alligator, and started handing the animals to the children to hold. Elise got the gator first, thus fulfilling a goal of the trip (actually, it was to kiss a baby gator, but she decided this counted). They passed around the gator, snakes and a parrot, and also got to take turns feeding the porcupine and another furry animal.
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| Check the box on holding an alligator! |
Only in Louisiana, right?
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| We could've held this bird all day. |
We watched him hoist a giant alligator snapping turtle, we played with kittens, we helped put a wandering goat back in its pen. And we heard stories about all the alligators the guy keeps as pets and usually interacts with (he kept his distance this time, though, it being breeding season).
After dinner and some more chatting, we headed to our hotel, choosing to find another gas station after police cars with their lights and sirens turned on started pulling into the one we were initially at. Despite a long check-in process, and after eying all the rules posted around (thankful for them), we were in our room and mostly asleep within an hour.
And then it was time to go home! We were excited to be driving through yet another area of the southeast--the Mississippi Delta. And we were excited to see our cats, and were ready to be in our own beds again. Less excited about the 12-hour drive we faced.
But the scenery was interesting, especially when we started listening to Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry less than 50 miles from the town highlighted in the book. In fact, it was a relatively uneventful drive, until...
With only about 1 1/2 hours left to go, we took a wrong turn. We didn't realize until we were almost to Springfield. From which it was about 2 2/12 hours to home. This was frustrating, but honestly, it was about the only thing that went wrong during the trip. Understandably, it was a bit of a low point for Matt, who'd done all the driving (I did offer!!). We agreed it was nobody's fault (or everybody's fault, which is pretty much the same thing).
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| This guy deserves a beach trip to recover from this beach trip! |
We still made it home, but only to mild threats of "next year, we're vacationing in Branson." Which honestly didn't make any of us very excited. We felt better after hearing from friends that the turn we missed was suuuuppper easy to miss.
Now that several weeks have passed, and we all agree that we may actually travel again sometime. I can think of at least a few of us who are totally ready to return to Florida--although we're still not sure we can top this trip!
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| Old St. Augustine. We felt like we were in Spain! |
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| Kalina did all the knots, and could probs be a sailor. |
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