Dear Diary, Now that we’ve left Florida, I get so much more outdoor time again! Yippee! We visited Mom’s friend Kitty in Baton Rouge and she has lots of room to play… and little lobsters for me to eat. Then we made it to Arkansas Hot Springs National Park. I was allowed everywhere except in the bathhouses. But who cares about those?! It gets the good smells of mud and dirt off you. Mom was especially in love with the…
I’ve started to see why people visit Florida for spring break, and why snowbirds GTFO of Florida in the summer…. it’s only early May and I don’t know if I’ve ever sweat more. And that’s saying a hell of a lot since I’m a sweat monster. Despite all this, Mike and I continued our journey to south Florida to visit the three national parks in this state. (Spoiler alert – we only made it to this one before I…
Dear Diary, This week hasn’t been my favorite. Florida is just way too hot for me. I want to go outside with my parents, but all these big dinosaur lizards look like they want to eat me. I was mad that my parents left me again, so I found their rotisserie chicken dinner and ate it – bones and all. It hurt to poop a little the next few days. My parents have a lot of bug bites and are…
We’re finally in Florida! We’ve been putzing around a little the past week and a half. We had to get another part in for our van (I have no idea what it was) and so we waited at Uncle Russ’ house again in Charlotte. And surprise! It rained the whole time… so my week was spent at the Y, watching Grey’s Anatomy, and drinking wine. I’m learning that if I don’t have a task list or a full schedule, I…
After Congaree National Park, Mike and I visited Charleston, South Carolina. The vibe I get from this town is a less drunk family friendly New Orleans; beautiful architecture, water fronts, quaint shops and restaurants, and an incredible, but typically white-washed, history. We chose to visit sites that would teach us about the deep history of slavery in Charleston, and our country. First stop was the Old Slave Mart Museum. This moving and sad museum is so informative and so important. We easily…
What a hidden gem! Congaree National Park in South Carolina was recently established in 2003, but had been protected still as a national monument the past few decades. It is one of the least visited parks in the country with approximately 110,000 visitors a year (Smoky Mountains is most visited with 9 million annual visitors). I read somewhere that this park boasts one of the biggest varieties of mosquitoes and poison ivy! How exciting, right? I don’t know if that’s…
Dear Diary, Anytime I’m stuck in Big Red for too long, I’ll think of these James Taylor lyrics… In my mind, I’m gone to Carolina Can’t you see the sunshine? Can’t you just feel the moonshine? After that horrible Smoky Mountains park, we went to North Carolina to visit Dad’s uncle, Russ. He had a great big home for me to explore… plus two cats to terrorize befriend. Mom and Dad complained because the weather wasn’t great (humans are such…
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited National Park in the country with over 9 million visitors a year. It’s not hard to see why – this vast park has incredible diversity in it’s flora, fauna, weather, and activities to suit all ages, interests, and fitness. And bonus – it’s FREE to get into this park. I think that is actually a mistake on their part, but what do I know. The only negative to this park…
Dear Diary, We are in the “Great” Smoky Mountains. Pssh, someone should change the name to LAME Smoky Mountains. I never get to leave the van! Apppppparently these rangers said I couldn’t play outside or go on the trails because I could make some other animals upset. I get that most animals don’t like me when they first meet me, but they usually warm up to me. I’m so offended. The only good thing is that now I can get…
We arrived to Mammoth Cave after checking out two more wonderful distilleries; Willitt and Makers Mark. Both beautiful and delicious. Shoutout to my friend Clare for the perfect recommendations – woman, you know your bourbon trail. If I had to sum up this park with one word: underrated! I had never really heard much about this park but it is a must see! First, this park is technically free. Anything above ground is open to anyone (including dogs!) and the…