#6 In 50 Days to Florida

We have made it to Florida! Our goal for christmas! It’s taken us almost two months and a good 5000 miles but we have arrived safely and can now officially call ourselves Overlanders. We have woken up to a new backyard almost every day and have bagged many experiences along the way. We love it! We feel completely free, and it is finally warm!!!

The journey has taken us across the deserts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, through the lonestar state (Texas) and deep south into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Americans have welcomed us wholeheartedly and new friendships have been formed. We have mostly camped in the wild, did a few RV parks and the odd Walmart and have stayed in several state parks, which are fantastic by the way, especially here in Florida. We’ve seen an abundance of wildlife, from porpoises to manatees, rattlesnakes to racoons and alligators to armadillos. We can’t get enough of it! America, you are beautiful.

After we crossed into Louisiana, we spent Thanksgiving at Rutherford Beach. It was here that we met a lovely young family from Switzerland. They shipped their Landcruiser over and are travelling roughly the same route as we do, from Phoenix to Florida, what are the odds! We will be meeting them again tomorrow actually and are looking forward to it.

New Orleans, what a city! We spent two nights at a trailer park on the outskirts of the town and drove downtown to check out what the French Quarter was all about. The parking cost more than a night’s camping though, but I guess that’s the price you have to pay when being a tourist. We enjoyed beautiful weather, walked along the mighty Mississippi river watching the steamboats sailing by and tried out authentic Louisiana cuisine, such as Gumbo, Po-Boy, Étouffée, Jambalaya, Boudin and Beignets. Live Jazz music was never too far away and although the city belonged to many European colonial nations throughout history, it was clear that the French have left the biggest mark. The architecture is unique and very cool. The city today may be a bit rough, and the French Quarter a tad bit too touristy (expensive), but you’ve got to see ‘the Big Easy’ once in your lifetime.

We continued zig-zagging our way towards Florida, making a stop in Natchez, Mississippi; the hospitality state. Natchez is the oldest city on the Mississippi river, it got its name from the Natchez Indians who once lived there but were unfortunately defeated by the French in 1730. The city is well known for its many antebellum homes, and left us feeling like we had just travelled back in time 200 years. Very quaint, especially at Christmas.

Further south again, we found a wonderful spot to camp in De Sota National Forest. We checked out the gambling city of Biloxi with a walk down their lighthouse pier and pristine beach and thoroughly enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere. One can see why Mississippi is known for its hospitality. Parking is free in many places and the people are very welcoming. We know there’s lots more to see, we hope to return again soon.

Its neighbour, Alabama was just as friendly. We had heard on a podcast on route that in Alabama, one should expect to engage in a full on conversation with your cashier. We definitely experienced this first hand. The lady at the Welcome Center on the Interstate-10 had us visiting the Christmas parade in a small town called Grand Bay. So we went and ended up camping on the backyard of a 92 year old lady. We tucked into some seafood at Southern Shells and enjoyed the company of the young staff that worked there, chatting to them both before and after the parade. The parade was fun and it seemed like each and every resident was there, and in good spirits too. We were glad to be able to contribute something to this community when helping a family who were stuck in a ditch. Richie was finally able to use some of his overlanding recovery gear and earned himself a beer! Sweet Home Alabama…

On our “50-days-on-the-road anniversary”, we crossed the border to Florida and for the last week, have stayed in three state parks. With affordable camping, full hook up and wild animals frequently showing up on your doorstep, these state parks are a must! Check out the portraits below.

We best go because our first visitors from Switzerland have just flown in. We are out tonight to celebrate Richie’s sister Nicole’s 40th birthday. How cool is that? More from us and the Sunshine State later.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. ‘We’ll meat you around the world’!