Last year we launched this “Favorite Things” series as a way to highlight some of the fun things going on behind the scenes here at The Touring Camper. We try to post daily over on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, but a lot of what we post on social media we never get a chance to share on the blog. So here are some of our favorite moments from March:
We departed from our typical spring break tradition this year and rather than camping we headed to Florida sans camper to spend time with family. This was the first long trip we had undertaken in awhile without the camper, and we had forgotten how much less gas we use when we’re not towing. And how much farther we can go between fuel stops. Our gas budget thanked us … repeatedly. 🙂
The trip got off to a rather crazy start when the morning we were set to leave I awoke to a text from my sister: “M just threw up.” Oh dear. The flu bug had been circulating earlier in their family and had now reappeared. Rather than risk spreading that bug to our family, we decided to bypass our visit to South Carolina and instead drive 14-plus hours straight through to Florida. Our family thought we had lost our minds to spend that long in a van with three children and a dog. (But that’s why I come prepared with lots of boredom busters, audio books, and DVDs!) It was a LONG day, and I would NEVER want to spend that much consecutive time on the road hauling a camper, but we survived.
And it’s a good thing we proved to ourselves we could do it, because in an ironic twist we ended up having to do the same thing on the way home. We were once again on our way to see my sister and her family, but a couple hours into the trip we learned her kiddos were sick again. After reprogramming the GPS for home, we looked at our summer outfits and decided at some point in Virginia we would need to don warmer clothes and ditch the flip flops in preparation for the 50 degree temperature change. For whatever reason the trip home took us longer, but I can tell you when travel exhaustion sets in, Chick-fil-A milkshakes are the perfect pick-me-up late at night.
But enough about the trip to and fro, let’s talk about all our favorite things in between:
Dolphin Adventure
To say our kiddos were excited about getting in the water with dolphins at Marineland would be a huge understatement. This was a bucket-list moment for our animal-loving kids. We’ll share more details about our visit in a forthcoming St. Augustine post, but here are a few teaser pics highlighting some of the fun they had interacting with this incredible creature:
a date day in St. Augustine
We had the opportunity to leave the kids with grandparents for the day so we could venture into St. Augustine on a date–and we now understand why so many people rave about St. Augustine. First we scoped out Fort Matanzas and Castillo de San Marcos National Monuments before enjoying a stroll along St. Augustine’s historic St. George Street. We also toured the Pena-Peck House, which dates back to the 1700s!
We ended up bringing the kids back over to St. Augustine later in the week so they could work on Junior Ranger badges at Fort Matanzas and Castillo de San Marcos National Monuments.
Good food
We ate really well while we were in Florida. (So much for all that spring conditioning I had been working on pre-trip!) From seafood platters at Corky Bells and fish tacos at Mi Casa Cafe, to award-winning BBQ at Hawg Wash, it was mmm mmm good.
Good old fashioned Relaxation
The weeks leading up to our trip to Florida had been overflowing with stressors (adult responsibilities sure are a drag sometimes! 🙂 ), so the time we spent with family along the St. John’s River was rejuvenating and refreshing. Although Jarrett and I usually love to go and see, it was good to also just sit and be. So we soaked up the sun and the amazing views. We read books and swung on swings. We cast fishing lines and watched sunsets. And it was awesome.
How about you: What were your favorite things of March? You can share in the comment section below.
Did you enjoy this peek into our month at home and on the road? To get more weekly updates like these, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where we share glimpses into our everyday life.
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