Congaree

    Our final stop on the way home was Congaree National Park. It's one of the newer parks in the system and preserves a big area of old growth swamp. It's also the first park of many that we have planned for this year.

The first of many National Park gates

    The kids were overwhelmed with the displays in the visitor center and ran from display to display. The girls took turns reading about the animals and plants that are commonly found in the park and we bought the kids their own junior passports for the national parks. Each one got to stamp their passport with the date and name of their first park before heading out on a little hike.

    An elevated boardwalk loops around some of the oldest trees in the area so we set off for a short hike. Riley had a scavenger hunt brochure that kept her occupied while Sully kept pointing out birds for me. It was a couple of miles round-trip before we got back to the visitor center. From there we piled back into the car for the long ride home. It was a fun trip and after 3,100 miles we pulled into our driveway in the middle of the night with three sleeping kids and a lot of great memories.

Leaving Florida

    We knew this was going to be a short vacation, but our last day in Florida really came up fast. We went to the pool one more time in the morning and the kids decided that was their favorite part of the trip. Glad we went all out on those Disney tickets!

    After picking up a quick lunch we hit the road. Our destination was Columbia, SC so the drive wouldn't be too bad. Our plan was to get a hotel for the night and then visit Congaree National Park the next morning.

    Except for some traffic near cities we cruised right along, stopping only for bathroom breaks. We pulled off the highway in Jacksonville to find a restroom, but as soon as we stopped a couple of helpful police officers pulled over and suggested a better place. Turns out the particular Burger King we were heading into is a hub of gang activity and not too family friendly. Still smelled great though!

Frozen yogurt perked everyone up

    We found a nice little mall area that had frozen yogurt and full of people that didn't care what color my shirt was. The kids enjoyed choosing all the toppings they could and we continued on our journey. The stop for dinner went amazingly well and everyone ate until they were full. After that it was a short ride to the hotel where we called it a night.

Em's Animal List

    Em worked hard this week on learning how to spell the names of all the animals we saw on our adventures. She always had her notebook handy in the car and then she transcribed her list to the iPad.

Animals we saw in Florida

By Emma

Alligators

Dragonflies

Armadillos

Birds

Manatees

Turtles

Fish

Lizards

Spiders

Snakes

Bugs

Hunt for Manatees

    The goal for Wednesday was to find some manatees. We couldn't decide if we should go to a refuge near the beach or a state park north of us and then come back to use the hotel pool. Ultimately, we decided the pool would be easier. So we formed a caravan with the Levines and headed to Blue Spring state park.

She can be cute when she wants

    The spring that gives the park its name pumps out warm water that the manatees use during the winter months, but someone told us as we got there that the manatees were gone. We went in anyway because Florida Scrub-Jays call the park home as well. A very nice elevated boardwalk took us through the woods and along the river to the spring. The waters were so clear that we could see all of the fish floating below. Once we got to the spring everyone agreed that it would be an amazing place to swim, but no manatees were present.

Blue Spring

    Steve helped elevate the mood by spotting a Northern Bobwhite; a lifer for me. All of the kids had binoculars and had fun searching out lizards and spiders. Occasionally, a bird was focused on. We made our way out to the headwaters of the spring where lots of turtles were sunning. And it wasn't long before someone spotted a group of manatees in the water. They were pretty boring, but I guess animals that are also called sea cows wouldn't be too energetic.

    I made one last attempt at finding the Scrub-Jays while everyone else stayed in the car and watched a show. The scrubby habitat that they call home doesn't provide any shade and it was really hot out there. But after a few minutes of wandering around a bird popped up to see what I was doing and then another joined it. Both Scrub-Jays stayed put long enough for me to get back to the car and get everyone out to see the birds. It was a great end to a fun park visit.

Florida Scrub-Jay

    We hit the pool in the afternoon and then went out to dinner in Downtown Disney. The kids liked all the shops and it was a cool atmosphere, but we were happy to head back after a long day. All three kids fell asleep in the car again and had to be carried into bed. Just one day of Florida left!

Birding Day

    Tuesday was all about the birds. We needed some space after the crowds of Disney so we headed to the wilds of central Florida. I had some target birds that I wanted to find and we had to get to the scrubby habitat in the middle of the state.

Sandhill Cranes were all over and their large size made them interesting for the kids

    Our first stop was Lake Kissimmee state park. We saw plenty of migrating songbirds which was nice and then a hawk zoomed over Riley's head. She called out and I saw my lifer Short-Tailed Hawk. I put a bounty on new birds so she earned a dollar for that one. After a nice walk along a river we got back in the car for our next destination.

My birder in training

    Hidden Hammock state park was our next stop. The ground in the central highlands is covered in a fine, white sand and it made for a desert-like landscape in some places. We found our first living armadillo rooting around under some brush and the kids got to see how fast they can run.

    Our next stop was a county park which had a meandering loop around a lake. Mottled Ducks were next to the parking lot so I got some good pictures of these boring birds to commemorate my 500th species. As the kids and I scanned the lake, we noticed a small alligator sunning itself. They were very excited to see it, but it was not very impressed with us. We wound our way into the woods extend the hike before returning to the car.

Not a man-eater

    I next stopped by myself to look around a marsh behind a hospital while everyone else stayed in the car.  I was reminded to not get eaten by my very supportive spouse as I explored the edges. Lots of wading birds were found and thankfully no alligators.

    Our final birding destination was Cornell's Archbald Biological Research Station. This place is famous for the research they do on Florida Scrub-Jays. I had been searching all day for this species without any luck and this place was my last shot for the day. Our GPS led us the wrong way, however, and we wound up at another part of the research station.

     We drove through a huge orange grove and then miles of cattle pastures, but I saw some great birds on the way. Tons of Kestrels and a Merlin were hunting from the power lines. Both species are types of falcons and it was great to see of few of them fly off after prey in the grass. We even found a big flock of American White Pelicans in a marsh.

The orange grove smelled amazing

    We made it too the right place and spent a fruitless hour searching for the Scrub-Jays as the day ended. We piled back into the car and made the long drive to Cape Canaveral. There was a rocket launch scheduled at 11:00 p.m. so we planned on meeting the Levines there to watch it from the beach. The kids slept on the way and not everyone was happy to be awoken for a walk on the beach.

    Once the glow of the rocket boosters lit up the sky everyone settled down though. It was a fun few minutes watching the rocket illuminate the clouds and then break through to the upper atmosphere. It disappeared abruptly as it left for space and we later learned it was traveling at 10,000 mph at that point. It was an unforgettable way to finish a long day!

Walt Disney World

    The plan for Monday was a trip to Disney World. It took a while to get through the parking lot and then the ferry across to the Main Street entrance, but the kids were patient and in good spirits. The girls were excited to see the castle and we took them in to walk through it. The number of people there with us was insane!

    After exploring Main Street we moved on to Fantasyland. We waited in a long line for a short roller coaster and then took the train over to Frontierland. There wasn't much there for us except a popcorn stand so we moved on to Adventureland. Pirates of the Caribbean was pretty fun, but the Tiki show we sat through was lame. My favorite attraction was the tree house from Swiss Family Robinson that you could climb up into. Em agreed with my thought that we should build one in our yard.

    We then moved on to Tomorrowland. More crowds and the rides didn't look that exciting to the kids. We did the Astro Orbiter and then decided to call it a day. The kids had fun, but we can't really see what all the fuss is about. Good marketing, I guess!

Savannah to Orlando

    The second day of our trip began with a visit to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. We pulled of at a trailhead along an embankment, but as soon as we stepped out of the car low growls came from the vegetation and the kids freaked out. At least two alligators were down in the reeds and it seemed that our presence was unwanted. 

The calm before a storm

    We took the hint and moved on to another trail. This time we saw lots of great wading birds and ducks, including two Mottled Ducks. They were species #500 and it couldn’t have been any more lackluster. Try imagine a female mallard with a yellower bill and that is what a Mottled Duck looks like. All of these great southern birds that I’ll be chasing and that was my milestone bird. Oh well. On to #501!

Some old building... Notice body language, post storm

We entered the city of Savannah for lunch and to do some tourist stuff. It was a really pretty city and the giant Live Oaks with Spanish Moss made the streets look great. Definitely felt like an old city. We ate at a seafood restaurant overlooking the riverfront. The kids were great and the wine served in plastic cups made for a good laugh. 

Tag around a Saw Palmetto

The rest of the day was spent in the car getting to Orlando. It was an easy ride and we only had to stop once to let the kids stretch their legs. The villa we rented is really nice and the pond outside is even fenced to keep the alligators away. Gotta love Florida!  The villa has two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and a living area.  We don't think we'll ever be able to stay in a single hotel room again.

New York to South Carolina

    The first day of our spring break trip to Florida had plenty of ups and downs. We drove a little over 800 miles and travelled through seven states. The kids were amazing in the car and had hours of movies and TV shows to entertain them. Ri and Em helped us learn about the states by reading through their junior road atlases.

    

Celebrating Bird #499 (or entertaining her little brother)

    Each time we stopped to eat, it was a tribulation. The two younger ones took turns refusing to eat and having meltdowns over simple little things. We're such good parents that we didn't leave them at an Interstate rest stop though!

    Speaking of rest stops, I found a big group of foraging birds at one in North Carolina. We saw our  first Carolina chickadees of the trip (you're officially in the South when the chickadee species change) and I'm happy to report that the two brown-headed nuthatches I found are life bird #499. I'm anxious to see what #500 will be.