We've been in Rapid City, South Dakota since May 1 - almost two months now - without giving an update. Before we dive into our favorite hiking and camping spots in the Black Hills, we wanted to share the highlights from our trip from Central Florida to Western South Dakota. We left Eustis, Florida on March 23 with a partial box of donuts and the compass pointed northwest. On day one, we made it as far as a Walmart parking lot in Pensacola, and got about as much sleep as you're imagining. On the morning of day two, we headed into a beautiful Alabama sunrise...
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We headed to Green Mountain Scenic Byway and Trailhead on a 50 degree Sunday afternoon to run the Clay Island Trail Loop. When we got there, we were the only car in the parking lot. This was our first trip to Green Mountain, but seeing no or few cars at a trailhead - other than at state parks or national forests - has been the norm in our Florida experience this winter. In our home state of Colorado, we’re used to complaining about overcrowded trails and getting to the trailhead early enough to find a parking spot. So, while peaceful, being lone desert runners on a foreign swamp trail can be a little unnerving. Is there a reason no one’s here?! I came prepared with a map of the Lake Apopka North Shore that I found on the St. Johns River Water Management District website. The trail systems under the District give people a unique look at Florida that is much different than the beaches and nightlife many associate with the state. Think swamp, lakes, and jungle. The District owns “tracts of land” that are crucial to protecting water resources and keeping land in its natural state, which protects land from floods as well as protects plants and animals. It also allows hikers, runners, bikers, and equestrians to use the dirt roads recreationally and for free, which we’ve taken advantage of in a few of their locations. On the map below, the route we took starting at Green Mountain is circled in red and called "Proposed Future Trail." The trailhead map at the Green Mountain trailhead does not outline the Clay Island Trail Loop. I’ve marked Clay Island on the map in yellow below so you can see where you’ll go in relation to your starting point.
Kenny and I have been in Eustis, Florida since early November 2015. We're working and living at an RV resort surrounded by highways. We've been having fun running the kitchen, but like to get away as much as possible and explore this foreign land. Working at an RV ResortWe started this blog with the best of intentions to chronicle our new life as full-time RVers, but now we’re four months deep and haven’t written a single blog. Oops! In our first month, we traveled 3000-something miles, first driving to Drayton, North Dakota, then down to Key Largo. There are a few experiences worth backtracking for that we’ll share over the next few weeks on the blog, starting with the two-week period before we ever left Denver. Otherwise, this is a fresh start and you can expect regular, timely posts. The morning of August 31, 2015 began the last two weeks Kenny and I had at our jobs. It was also the day we needed to move out of the house we'd rented for the last four years.
Why move out of your house before you’re done with work? Great question! Take another trip back one month when the van breaks down on our way to my friend’s wedding over 300 miles from home. To get back to Denver, we need to buy a new fuel pump and pay for a rental car. We decide to work for two more weeks at our jobs to earn back what we lost in car repairs, which is sweetened by the deal that someone offers us their uninhabited rental property for free, while contractors work on the basement. Meet our egg. She's a super lightweight 17' fiberglass Casita Trailer. She's not only the first home either of us have ever owned, but also the first home that we've owned together. After having spent the last year rebuilding a floor and tearing out the walls of a 1968 travel trailer due to water damage, we were searching for a trailer that would resist rot and last. That's when we came across the Casita. We started looking for a used 2000 or newer 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe anywhere in the US. Through sites like Craigslist, Fiberglass RV, and Casita Club, we found what we were looking for in Oregon, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, but nothing in Colorado. We were ready and willing to get on a plane or jump in our car to hit the coast, but every person we called to set up the logistics to buy their Casita from multiple states away had someone coming to buy the next day or even within the hour, and we couldn't guarantee to get there fast enough. I setup alerts on an RSS feed and If This Than That to notify me every time any fiberglass trailer was posted anywhere in the US. After a four-month hunt for a used 2000 or newer Casita, we found one less than 10 miles away in Denver. The next day, we came home with this beauty. Welcome to the kitchen. We have a good sized refrigerator, sink , gas range, and hood vent, along with a lot storage.
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The Campers
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