Itchy Feet, Take Me West

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It’s five a.m. and I woke up because my feet are itchy. Not because I have athletes foot or anything. No, it’s just that I’m too excited to get on the road again. After almost two months of living on the farm, we are packed up, hitched up, and ready for more of the unknown. We don’t really want to leave, especially in the middle of the season, but we have to, in order to complete our circle of the U.S. by June.

We are heading to Ft. Lauderdale today, just two hours south, to see Gene Dulay. Jim worked with him “back in the day” in San Francisco during the tech boom in the early 90s. Gene’s one suave guy. We can’t wait to see him.

After that, we’re beating a path out of Florida. No going to the Keys this time. We’re saving that for our next trip here, when we return to the farm in November for the entire winter season. It’s been fun here, Brian and Valerie are the most incredibly generous and goodhearted people we’ve met. Time flew too fast. We definitely want to return.

But in the meantime, I’m stoked to get the hell out of the crowded East Coast and start heading West again. My heart truly belongs in the big open skies west of the Mississippi.

15 thoughts on “Itchy Feet, Take Me West”

  1. It sounds lovely, but what are the chances that anyone would get in there this time of year? We called four places in this area and not one had space! Too many damn people here right now. You guys were here just before the peak. It’s insanity now.

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  2. Bahia Honda….in the keys….awesome state park…on the water…view of the sunset…right by the bridge…just awesome and worth the drive …. And not a Sardine can @ all :-0

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  3. High tourist density? Well that’s a real nice way of saying that they PACK EM IN like sardines here. You guy won’t believe this sardine can RV ‘park’ we’re staying at in Ft. Lauderdale. We’re getting to know our neighbors REAL well here. If only those French Canadians spoke more English…. Pics to follow. Can’t wait to leave FL.

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  4. We boondocked at Walmart….Do it if you HAVE to. Ocala Walmart was being robbed 10 mins after we had settled into our spot….20 cruisers and police knocking on our door telling not to pull out and to stay inside!!!!! Great memories… Open West appeals to me too!!

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  5. Hey Sara,

    Yes and No…it’s like everywhere else…except in Florida… because of its high tourist “density” cities want to promote their local economies (campgrounds, hotels etc…) esp. near Orlando…rather than have free loaders take advantage of the general Walmart policies…Check out http://www.gypsymoments.com/?p=111

    We found a site that tells you which walmarts you can / can’t stay at… 🙂

    Of particular interest, there is a Walmart right before you head towards the Keys…where there were at least 5 RV’s when we headed down… –we actually met some really cool rvers and had drinks with them … the florida state parks are also really nice (on the beach) and not too expensive…

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  6. Just remember, we don’t have all of those nasty, biting and stinging insects out here on the west coast. We hardly even have mosquitoes.

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  7. …have you found that it’s hard to find a place to Boondock there?

    Ha! There is only one place, and that’s behind the Quant shop at White Rabbit in Vero Beach. It’s sweet, nice view, and tons o’ grease. Literally.

    AKC: Tell the boy Jerry misses him. See ya this summer. I’m in serious need of some mountain time.

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  8. Gene Dulay!
    Really, I remember that guy, not sure if he will remember me but say hello for me anyway.

    Glad you guys are heading back west, we are still thinking about hooking up with you somewhere out here come summer.

    Are you really going to go back to Fl next winter? If thats the case it appears you might be extending your trip out enough that you will still be on the road come my sabbatical. 🙂

    That would be cool, maybe then we could join you for a few weeks 😉
    //A

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  9. Weeeee! Off to the West! We’ll be coming hot on your tail 🙂 I just posted our newest route…we’re headed that way in mid-March – early April. You’ll have to tell us if there are any “must see” things down there. I think we’re skipping the keys too, but I think we’ll do Miami. I know nothing about Florida except that it’s crowded…have you found that it’s hard to find a place to Boondock there? We have 3-4 families to visit, so I think we’ll be ok. Looking forward to checking up on you 🙂

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