December 18, 2011
by Sus
in Family News, Mike, Sus
Tags: bicycle, bike, Florida, highway, hike, hiking trails, horseback riding, I-4, I-75, mountain biking, Panera Bread, photo, photography, recommended, Sarasota, Selah, State Park, Tampa, trail biking, Veterans Day
Mike and I enjoyed a beautiful Florida day last month.
We bought a ticket to go to an anniversary celebration for our local Moody Radio station, so we decided to go early to Alafia River State Park near Tampa, Florida. This new park is primarily for mountain biking. In Florida? Yes, you heard me right. The park is really an overgrown Phosphate strip mine. The terrain is very uneven and local bike clubs have built dozens of trails. The park also has hiking and equestrian trails. The campground was overflowing with bikers who were attending a weekend event. We discovered, too, that admission was free for all state parks on Veterans’ Day.
It was a gorgeous day for a hike and the lighting was perfect for photography. Maybe an entomologist can tell me what this insect is in the photo. (See our slide show of our day at Alafia River.)
Toward the end of our visit at the park, I ran to get a photo of bikers going down a steep curve. Unfortunately, my foot turned on a root. More than a month later, I’m still recovering from an acute sprained ankle! (You can see the photo of the bikers in the slide show.)
I hobbled back to the car and we found a Panera Bread to buy some dinner. Panera’s was really kind to give us a bag so I could elevate and ice my ankle.
We arrived for the 50th anniversary celebration at a very large church (seemingly out in the middle of nowhere… probably a bedroom community for Tampa and Sarasota). We wanted to hear Ravi Zacharias and Selah. We left a bit early and were home by 11:30. We had a great day (except for my ankle injury, of course.)
October 7, 2011
by Sus
in Family News
Tags: Charleston, Civil War, forts, highway, I-95, museums, National Park, pictures, recommended, restaurants, road trips, South Carolina, things to do, tourist attractions, travel
On our way home from Ben and Bonnie’s wedding last May, we made a planned stop in Charleston, South Carolina, for several hours. Our first stop was Fort Sumter. We took the ferry from Patriots Point Maritime Museum (you can also take a ferry from Liberty Square in downtown Charleston). The museum is billed as “the world’s largest naval and maritime museum,” but we didn’t have time for it. You need to allow about two hours to take the ferry ride to the fort and back, including the hour they give for exploring the fort (I would’ve liked a bit longer.)
It was very meaningful to visit Fort Sumter only one month after the 150th anniversary of the battle that began the Civil War. We hope we can visit other Civil War sites during the Sesquicentennial celebration.
After our time at the fort, we drove over to downtown Charleston and walked around a bit, enjoying the architecture and the beautiful day. You’ll have plenty of places to choose from for lunch. We passed the Mellow Mushroom, which we know has a great pizza menu (because we ate at one right off of I-95 in Florence, South Carolina, the day before for dinner) and settled on Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. We loved the food and the atmosphere.
NOTES:
September 20, 2011
by thesower
in Family News
Tags: Florida, highway, I-95, interstate, lighthouse, museums, National Park, recommended, restaurants, road trips, things to do, travel, Washington DC
Have you crawled along the I-95 corridor? Why not plan some stops, short or long, to break up the drive? Maybe enjoying the journey instead of just the destination, may add to your travels.
We’ve driven on I-95 from Maine to Miami, so I’ve written different posts about things to see, restaurants, places to stop for a few hours (or longer), and more. Follow this link for posts about traveling I-95. We hope some of our recommendations would be helpful to you.
Where do you stop for a few hours for a scenic spot or for a meal? What is a great weekend getaway? (We don’t travel north of D.C. very often, so if you have tips going north from D.C. to Maine, please add your tips!)
Photo Albums
Cocoa Beach
The Georgia Coast (including Savannah)
Maine and Boston
St. Augustine (and more, including their wonderful beach)
Vero Beach, FL
Washington, D. C.
Williamsburg
(ALL photos are copyrighted by the Schmitt family.)
Posts
Charleston, SC
Cocoa Beach, FL
Disney
Geinesville, FL
Washington D.C.
Detours
One of the headaches on I-95 is south of Washington, D.C. (We understand this portion of I-95 may become a toll road in two years.) We discovered Route 1 as an awesome detour after one of the worst snow storms came through. We enjoyed a beautiful drive on a country road instead of crawling along with backed-up traffic. Read more.
We frequently detoured around the Brunswick, Georgia, area using Route 17. Hopefully, though, with the last of the new lanes open on that stretch, you won’t need a detour near Brunswick.
Restaurants
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