Page 2 of Steve55 Travel Blog Posts


North America » United States » Florida » Cedar Key February 5th 2011

Blessed? You bet. To be able to say "I'm going on a month-long road trip by myself," and actually begin it, is pretty COOL! My chariot, better known as the gypsy outhouse, was packed up with a little help from my supportive husband, and off I drove on February 1st. Destination #1 was Cedar Key Florida on the gulf coast about 45 minutes southwest of Gainsville. My friend Gail, who works for herself, was able to meet me for the first week. We picked a pet-friendly place to stay from the internet that we thought looked good and booked it. Gail's sweet doggie Gracie is our constant companion. Check out the Low-key Hideaway (tiki bar and all) at lowkeyhideaway.com Our hosts Pat & Cindy are great. We're splitting the cost of an efficiency and I'm really ... read more
Gail with Gracie in pouch
Gail on dock at Low-key
Katie & Gail at Low-Key Tiki bar

North America » United States » North Carolina » Saluda April 3rd 2010

Friday, April 2 is our last day on the road, speaking of which, we’re on the last chapter of our audio book, On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Our last night’s camp was on Cheaha Mountain, Alabama’s highest peak at 2,407 ft. Yesterday, we left the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida panhandle, Greyton Beach State Park. Lady Luck was with us, after several tries we found a campsite. It’s a busy time for those beaches around Easter time. We spent 2 days, and had a great bike ride along a piney forest trail. It had been intentionally burned sometime within the past year so all of the new growth was really new & green in contrast to the darkness of the forest floor. Beautiful fern glades were unfolding their fiddleheads. I ... read more
white sand & blue sky
Greyton Beach
another nice day

North America » United States » Louisiana » Lafayette March 30th 2010

Spring has come to the deep South, Cajun country to be exact. Even with the cool March wind blowing in from the northwest, all of the trees are sporting baby leaves, and the Gypsy Outhouse is dusted with pollen. The Cypress are grand with their skirted trunks, knobby knees, and drippy Spanish moss. The lunch special at Big Al’s today was shrimp jambalaya and white beans. Steve ordered a crawfish poboy. Our friend Andie turned us on to some cool things to do in Lafayette, LA, and even though Steve always wants to go to New Orleans he’s giving some other parts of the bayou a chance (you just have to mention good music)! We have camped a little more than half of our trip, spending an average of $20 a night for a campsite. I’m ... read more
Sculptures in Lafayette
Sign in the Blue Moon Saloon
Taco Sisters

North America » United States » Texas » Austin March 23rd 2010

South By Southwest We are on the road heading from the Gila Wilderness Lodge on a long, two-day trip to Austin. The first day we make 500 miles and crash at a motel 6. Next day while Katie is driving the 300 or so more miles, I get on the phone and call a couple places to stay recommended in Lonely Planet (and confirmed by some other guests at the Lodge.) I ask if they have any rooms available for Friday and Saturday night and the clerk checks and says “No.” I ask if he can recommend any other places and he says that most everything in town is booked and so I ask what is going on and he incredulously says “You don’t know? (Idiot) It’s the South by Southwest Festival!” Turns out SXSW is ... read more
cool dude
crowd scene
girl group

North America » United States » Texas » Austin March 21st 2010

When the weather prediction was cold and windy for our trip to Joshua Tree, I started looking online for accommodations around Palm Springs. Why camp in the cold high-desert when you can soak in a hot spring! The prissy places I read about were way too expensive, and Steve promised we could find something in New Mexico that would be more our style. Sure enough, we did! After leaving the Chiricahuas, which I can’t say enough good things about, we headed north toward Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, where NM Rt 15 ends in the park. We found another sweet little food co-op in Silver City and stocked up. Rt 15 was quite a drive, with more switchbacks than I could count. It was late afternoon when we arrived. Crossing back and forth over time zones ... read more
baby goats
Gila Wilderness Lodge
Lodge's hot spring pool

North America » United States » Texas » Austin March 19th 2010

When we first announced our trip plans, people would ask about our departure date as well as when we were coming home. Steve would say, “We’ll be home around the end of March, early April.” And I would say, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe mid-March, it depends on how homesick I am, and how much togetherness we can take!” Well, we’ve passed the Ides of March (beware!), and we’re still on the road. We took a little vow the other day to be especially nice to each other because we weren’t (the togetherness part)! We hear from home that indeed spring is in the air, and it is safe to come back! So here we come, just not too fast. It feels funny to be following road signs with the word “east” on them! March has ... read more
Trying not to look cold
I think I can, I think I can
Cholla cactus


Ever since Steve and I first traveled US Rt. #1 from LA to San Francisco (1974) I have wanted to do it again. It is the most dramatic stretch of highway I have ever seen. The cliffs meet the ocean in such a spectacular way; and when the sun is shining on it all; oh my! So after leaving the Santa Barbara food co-op, which is doing quite well because a lot of UC-SB students must be health-minded; we headed north. That night’s camping was a little wet. One of my only complaints about the Gypsy Outhouse is that it doesn’t provide much shelter unless you are sitting in the front seats riding/driving or lying down in bed. It has been so cold we have not been using the rear tent at all. I’m not ... read more
Oh my
Stellar Jay
California Redwood

North America » United States » California » Ventura March 3rd 2010

Travel Blog After spending a nice few days dodging raindrops on the California coast just north of LA (hold-up in a funky-good motel in downtown Santa Barbara) we decided to explore going out to the islands that we kept seeing across bay. There are five islands, about an hours boat ride from Ventura CA, that have been a national park since 1980, the Channel Islands. Promoted as North America’s Galapagos we thought it was worth taking a look! The forecast finally presented 3 clear days so we made plans, which wasn’t easy because the storms have been rolling in off the Pacific pretty regularly. Access to the islands is very controlled, much like the trips we take to Cumberland Island GA (also a National Park). The weather cleared, and with reservations in hand and backpacks loaded ... read more
Santa Barbara Beach
Hiking at Santa Cruz
Rare Island Fox

North America » United States » California February 27th 2010

When we were traveling with Linda she said to us one day, “You guys think about food a lot!” Well yes, doesn’t everyone? We think a lot about food because we have to be careful about Steve’s diet, as well as watch our spending, but mostly because we just like to eat! We are also interested in food cooperatives, since Steve has been so involved in ours back home. On the way out of San Diego we stopped at a bustling Co-op and stocked up. Unfortunately, two nights later a raccoon got into our cooler at the campground and wiped us out (every last egg!). The first time we visited Baja we were introduced to fish tacos, in fact, Ian brought home a bumper sticker “I Love Fish Tacos!” San Felipe, as most towns in ... read more
San Diego Animal Park
Vietnamese Children's Pagent
Butterfly Ladies

North America » United States » California » San Diego February 20th 2010

Blog 2.17.2010 We heard that Saluda really got creamed by the last ice storm, ugh. Steve’s brother, who has been checking on our house (thanks a bunch), says that an ice-covered branch poked a hole in our sunspace roof. Oh well, it has happened before, all the more reason to get that tree work done before next winter. What a season you folks are having. I’m feeling very fortunate not to be constantly feeding the wood stoves! No map of our travels with this blog entry because we have been a little lost… After leaving Linda’s we took a toll-road in northern Baja and crossed into the U.S. at Tecate’. The line of cars at the border gave us about a 50-minute wait. Once we crossed over we found a sweet little San Diego County park ... read more
border crossing line in side mirror
wad-o-frogs
Live oak valley, Perrero




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