Well uhuh baby I aint got no plan...

"you don't know where and you don't know when, but you still got your words and you got your friends. walk along to, another day, work a little harder, work another way." - Modest Mouse "The World At Large"

Florida has been a roller-coaster. And not like one of the really fun roller-coasters at one of the many theme parks here (none of which we could ever dream of affording). Rather, a roller-coaster of both plans and emotions, one usually following the other.

For starters, we did not realize how expensive Florida would be. We read all about how amazing the state park system is and were excited to check out a few of the parks - but immediately realized we would have to wait for the next time we visited Florida, when we were "feeling richer" as we like to put it. To put a tent up on a square patch of land in a state park can range anywhere from $16-$36. Absolutely painful. Two and a half weeks of that pain would surely break our bank and we would have to pack up and find a place to settle down and submit to wage-slavery for awhile.

Instead, I cried. Not for very long, of course, but a good bit of time. A big, long cry of frustration. To not know where you're going to sleep at 4:30 in afternoon as the sun's descent is picking up speed is just awful. To know that you can't afford to pay the exorbitant fees anyone would charge you to try to sleep somewhere is just as equally, if not more awful.

So after being saved for an evening by a friend from Bryn Mawr (thank you, Sara!) we were able to discover Florida's wonderful little secret: Water management districts. Florida is way ahead of most of America in preparing itself for water-sustainability. The state is broken up into five separate districts, and judging by their five separate websites they appear to each act of their own accord. The majority of these districts, in addition to managing water resources and wildlife, also provide public access to the lands for recreation and learning.

The preservation and conservation of land is definitely a concept that deserves further inquiry, but for now we’ll just say it’s both wonderful and problematic. As for the water management districts, they saved our budget on four separate occasions, giving us beautiful, serene campgrounds, that despite the cold, let us savor what this trip is really about.

After seeing a post on facebook describing our Florida woes (pre-WMDs, the good kind), my Aunt Shelly and Uncle Brad who live in Kissimmee got a hold of us and extended a warm invitation to stay in their home as the cold spell settled down throughout the state. After a toasty evening by a fire, we awoke on Monday to a balmy 28 degrees, packed up camp and headed toward warmth of the heated-shelter and family variety. And it has been absolutely great – cooking and relaxing with family, movies and the hot tub. We’re heading from here to Chattanooga to be with Caitlin’s family for Christmas, and then down to New Orleans for New Years where we’ll be meeting some Philly friends!

Wild horses, couldn't drag me away..

We left Salamander Springs last Thursday with our sights on Savannah as the highlight of our weekend travels. The city enticed us with its live oaks and Spanish Moss, haunting history, squares and parks galore -it's an absolutely beautiful place to be! We stayed outside the city in Fort McAllister state park, paying a pretty penny for a luxurious campsite equipped with outlets and hot showers. However, Savannah's live oaks only turned out to be a tease for what these gorgeous trees can really do to a landscape.

Tony, our host at Blue Heron farms, highly recommended Cumberland Island National Seashore as a place we had to visit during our journeys. So from our picnic table at the park, we plugged in our computer and found the number to reserve ourselves a $2/person/night backcountry camping permit and $17 round-trip ferry ticket. We could in no way at all be prepared for the awe-inspiring experience we were about to have.

And really, I'm not quite sure of how to find the words to describe it. The first of four backcountry sites is 3.5 miles from where the ferry drops you off and is called Stafford Beach. The campsites are all located within the maritime forest on the island - where aforementioned live oaks were the dominant canopy tree and let light gently filter through in soft rays. The first night we were there with maybe 12 others or so, each in our own private area with a firepit. So private, you could hardly tell there were others from the near silence save a few spurts of laughter or the breaking of more wood for fire.

The solitude was no more apparent than when walking along the ocean, with the beach at sunset both evenings absolutely devoid of humans other than us. There were, however, wild horses. So beautiful and majestic in their free, unencumbered existence. And they weren't just on the beaches! When the Carnegies owned the island during the Gilded Age, they built a spectacular mansion (as the Carnegies are prone to do) called Dungeness (its namesake from the mansion that Nathaniel Greene built the century prior when he owned the island). While touring the ruins of this grand estate we came across a field of six horses between the path and the restrooms. As we walked through their pack, not a bit of mind was paid to us and as good observers, we followed suit (minus the extensive pictures taken).

Twice, Cait and I decided to walk half of the 3.5 mile journey to the ranger's station along the beach and there was nary a soul in sight on both occasions. On beaches all along the Atlantic seaboard, this is unheard of. Yet here we were, spending hours on the beach collecting shells, watching wild horses and birds, and being entranced by the waves' gentle rise and fall against the shore.

The second night, it was just one other couple from St. Augustine and us at the site. Both evenings we built a toasty fire, made a delicious dinner and spent our technology-free downtime swinging in our hammock. We woke before dawn to pack up our site, catch the sunrise at the beach and begin our trek to the dock to catch the 10:15 ferry. While we missed the sunrise by mere minutes, its slow ascent reflecting in the waves bubbling to shore was absolutely picturesque, so much so that I don't believe we even took pictures of it, with complete awareness that it couldn't be captured.

We left with the hopes of catching a space launch at Cape Canaveral that was scheduled for tomorrow at noon. However, it's been pushed back to the 9th and as north Florida is experiencing record lows for this time of year we're heading south! We're currently on 95 heading down the coast to the Everglades International Hostel in Florida City. They have tent camping rates that are cheaper than Florida State Parks!!! With our last minute change in plans, they offer hopes of warm showers and WiFi, giving Cait the time and space to upload pictures and share her side of our story.

We'll be making another batch of postcards soon, so if you want one be sure to send me or Cait a note (via facebook, this blog, txt or carrier pigeon!) and we'll try to print you out one as soon as we can! Thanks so much for the love and support, y'all are great!