to Naples, Florida
June 30th to July 1st
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| From Baltimore, Maryland to Naples, Florida June 30th to July 1st |
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| After leaving Baltimore early-ish on the morning of June 30th, we contemplated the long drive ahead of us. We knew it would take two solid days of driving to get to Naples. If we stopped to camp along the way, that is. So we decided not to stop, to just drive and drive until we reached our destination. By switching out at the wheel every few hours, we did just that, and made it to Naples around 10 a.m. on July 1st. It was exhausting, but worth the effort, since it gave us a little more time in Florida--plus, we didn't have to set up camp just to sleep and then wake up to tear it down. Plus, we had some fun along the way, as you'll see below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our trusty atlas tipped us off to the gem to the left. The Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Lafeyette, North Carolina, is just off the beaten path and made for an interesting rest stop on our drive. The museum focuses primarily on the significance of parachutes and airborne operations in various U.S. battles and wars. There's also a room dedicated to the war against terrorism, where you can see artifacts from the Twin Towers and learn more about our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nearing the South Carolina border, we began to see signs directing us to South of the Border. Biggest fireworks store. Leather shop. Arcades. Rollercoaster. Etc. The signs were amusing--you'd have to see them to understand. As we got closer, amusing ourselves with the ever-more-frequent signage, we actually began to feel obligated to stop. So we did. The big sombrero, right, brought us in from the interstate, and we found one of the most eclectic and effective tourist traps ever made. Give it a shot. Just try to resist the call of Pedro and his many, many signs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sunrise on Palm Beach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As we approached Florida, we began to discuss an exciting possibility. We'd be somewhere on the coast when sunrise came. Looking at the map, we decided to stop at Palm Beach, find a nice spot along the water, and take in the view. It ended up being not quite as easy as all that. We got there, only to find that the public beach was "closed" until 8 a.m. and there was no parking along there until 6 a.m. (over an hour away, and after sunrise). So we kept driving along A1A (that's right BEACHFRONT AVENUE--like the Vanilla Ice song) and eventually found a beach we could use. We hunkered down and got the amazing views found below. Sorry if the pictures seem repetitive. We actually took many more, but these should give you an idea of what the unfolding of the sunrise looked like from our beach. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Exhausted after a full day and night of driving, but loving the opportunity to see the sunrise on the beach. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Can't beat the backdrop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Our feet in the Atlantic. In the course of this road trip, we will drive, literally, coast to coast. We'll be able to put our feet in the Atlantic, the Gulf, and the Pacific. Aren't your feet jealous? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||