Pic of the Day

Here's the picture of the day from yesterday, June 26. One of the things I love about national parks is that you get to see wildlife in its natural habitat, hopefully behaving normally, as if you weren't even there watching it. It was interesting to see so many alligators along the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm in Everglades National Park.

Pics of the Day(s)

Below is one picture from each day that may not be the best shot, but that best represents the day to me. I hope to be able to do this daily, but it hasn't worked out so far.

Friday, June 17-Palms near the beach on Sullivan's Island, SC

Saturday, June 18-Flags flying over Fort Sumter in Charleston's harbor

Sunday, June 19-Doesn't Paula almost look real in this shot from the lobby at the Lady & Sons

Monday, June 20- Hang-gliders over South Beach, as taken from our ship on the way out of port

Tuesday, June 21-Who doesn't love a good towel animal waiting for you on your bed after dinner?

Wednesday, June 22-That's me, snorkeling on Great Stirrup Key in the Bahamas

Thursday, June 23-Manta ray at The Dig aquarium at Atlantis in Nassau

Friday, June 24-Cruising the Art Deco district on South Beach

Saturday, June 25-The Overseas Highway (US 1)-blue all around!

And for one parting shot, this is my favorite so far. I took this today at the Audobon House and gardens in Key West.

More detailed accounts coming soon!

Still Alive, But So Behind On Posting

Well, folks, my trip is off to a good start. I've been on the road (or ship) for 9 days now and have visited Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA; the Bahamas; Miami; and Key West, FL. I have tons to share and am starting to write up some posts. Tonight is the first night we have had a reliable internet connection, but I was busy reorganizing and repacking after our cruise. I uploaded tons of pics though and will get some up over the weekend, I promise! Tomorrow we're headed to the Everglades (where every last inch of my skin that isn't already covered by mosquito bites will, I'm sure, be) and then to Sanibel Island. I will post pics and posts ASAP, hopefully tomorrow night.

Trip In Brief

In just 9 days I'll be departing on my super-awesome summer of travel. I'm sorta packed, pretty well planned and completely hyped to be seeing so much of American this summer. For the mathematical among you, here are the stats:

65 days

34 states

38 national parks/monuments

22 scenic byways

2 oceans

14,300 miles

1 unforgettable adventure

Civil War Weekend: The Rest

Here's the short summary of the rest of my Civil War weekend, in pictures:

The confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in Harper's Ferry, WV

Maryland Heights, from Harper's Ferry

A deer I met on an early morning hike along the Appalachian Trail to the summit of South Mountain near Boonsboro, MD

The view from the summit of South Mountain

Washington Monument on South Mountain, the nation's first to the first president

A pileated woodpecker along a trail in Cunningham Falls State Park

Catoctin Mountain Park in MD (where Camp David is located)

Cunningham Falls