Southern Road Trip

Well, this post has been a long time coming. But a couple months ago, my boyfriend and I loaded the Bailey dog into the car and took ourselves on a sweet southern road trip. Our main destination was St. Augustine, FL because the yoga studio where I teach here just opened up a new location down there. We aimed to do some yoga, surf, and enjoy the warmer weather, and that’s exactly what we did.

St. Augustine was very charming. I can see why Katie, our beloved Yoga Bohemia studio owner, couldn’t resist signing a lease down there. The streets were quiet during the week we stayed (they would pick up for the Night of Lights right after we left.) There were plenty of great restaurants with delicious food, and some quirky little bars, like Tini Martini, which was fully decked out for the light show.

We enjoyed a week of working from our Airbnb (with a couple days off of course), and learning more about the history of the U.S.’s oldest city. One of the highlights was touring Ft. Matanzas National Monument. Other highlights include eating a million biscuits and surfing under a sunset rainbow… the mental pictures are unbeatable!

St. Augustine favorites:

• The Floridian for dinner

• The Kookaburra for coffee and aussie pies

• Ice Plant Bar for dinner and drinks

• Beachside Diner for breakfast

• Island Donuts for donuts, of course

• Surf Station for all the surf stuff

On the way back, we spent a couple nights in Jacksonville Beach. It wasn’t my favorite since the main busy highway bumps right up to the beach. I didn’t find it to be a very enjoyable walking city, but it had it’s charms—like this barbecue board.

Jacksonville Beach favorites:

• The Bearded Pig for barbecue

• Jax Beach Brunch Haus (worth the wait for breakfast)

The biscuit fest would continue on as we kept driving north and stopped in Savannah briefly to visit my mom and stepdad. The weather was surprisingly cold for the south in November. I was hoping for summer and definitely didn’t pack the right clothing items for this trip!

We had a nice time staying at the pet-friendly Thunderbird Inn. This surely won’t be a comprehensive list of all my Savannah favorites, but these are the ones we made it to this time.

Savannah favorites:

• The Olde Pink House is a classic

• Zunzis has changed so much since its food truck days (and maybe not for the best), but the sandwiches still amaze

• The Thunderbird Inn was a fun, pet-friendly hotel

• Moodrights was casual and quirky for Bingo night

I love a good road trip and was so happy to have some company this time!

Harrisburg, PA

We capped off the road trip with a stop to visit my sister in Harrisburg, PA. She always has new places to show us, and the weekend was nice enough to spend a lot of time outside. Central Pennsylvania always has a lot to offer as far as hiking goes.

I had been planning to visit during the weekend of Spring Fest, a craft and shopping fair at Gray Apple Market. We kept that on the agenda. We always find a ton of cute stuff and, as a crafter, I leave inspired thinking of things I could make myself. The guys agreed to stay for the live music and free sangria.

My sister’s boyfriend beat us all (as usual) in mini golf. And on Sunday, we had brunch with the very best brussels sprouts.

I was almost ready to be home and in one place, but I always love a visit to Harrisburg!

Shenandoah National Park

It’s been a couple of years now since I had a National Park Pass, but boy do I miss it!

I added another park to the list when Eric and I were driving back up from North Carolina. We decided against the I-95 route through Richmond and Washington D.C. on a Friday. The Shenandoah region was much more our speed.

We drove through a good portion of the park, and stopped for a short hike to the Black Rock Summit. It took about 40 minutes and the trail was unmarked/a little confusing, but we made it to some great views.

I think my road trip rules are as follows: Always choose the scenic route and stop for as many nature breaks as time allows. Then it was back into the car and off to PA for the weekend.

A Tiny House in Durham

I always tend to make a few stops in North Carolina. It’s always had a piece of my heart, and many of my friends and some family have moved there over the years, so I have plenty of people to visit. Each city is a little bit different. I was leaving Charlotte, with the plan of picking up my boyfriend, Eric, from the Raleigh airport. It worked out that it was cheaper for him to layover in Charlotte and fly to Raleigh than to just buy a single leg to Charlotte. Crazy airline algorithms! We decided to skip the layover and I picked him up in Charlotte instead.

It was an easy drive to our Airbnb in Durham, NC. I had booked a tiny house treehouse that seemed like a dream come true!

It exceeded all of my expectations… besides not being extremely hot on the top bunk at night, but that’s my fault for not realizing until the next morning that there were extra fans.

Forgive the photo dump, but I loved all the little touches and neat ways of decorating a small space.

It was impressive to see that we could’ve even had another person stay with us. There was a double bed on one side and a twin on the other. I was definitely a little scared of rolling off in my sleep!

The hosts were very nice, and they had the sweetest dog.

I’m not sure if I could live in a tiny house permanently, but it was fun to try out for the night. We met up with my former Austin roommate and his girlfriend and had a fun night out at the Beer Study and Motorco.

Here’s one more tiny house pic for the road:

Charlotte, NC

Ok, everyone, don’t freak out, but…

I went to karaoke!

And where did I do it? In Charlotte, North Carolina!

Post-COVID? Mid-COVID? Whatever you want to call it; it was time for some unplanned karaoke fun.

I drove from Savannah up to Charlotte to visit my friend, Nicole, in her new (and past) city of residence. We met in Austin, and she spent time living in Richmond, but since then she’s staked her claim back in her hometown. I was glad I had a local to introduce me to the Queen City. We had a blast.

We hung out in her sweet new house/apartment with her sweet doggy, and then walked through the city to grab dinner and beers at Heist Brewery. On the walk back, we stopped at another bar I don’t remember the name of, and just as we were about to catch a ride home, we stepped foot into a karaoke establishment. “Just to check it out”. Flash forward to us canceling the Uber and singing “Man, I Feel Like a Woman”, masks on, of course.

Somehow we managed to stay out past 2am on a Wednesday, at the tail end of a global pandemic, and after all these months, man did it feel good!

Some Stillness in Savannah

This might not the most properly titled blog post, since I was working and running around and still felt like I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked in Savannah, but it was a nice chance to spend three nights in one place after a few days on the road. Savannah gets its own post, obviously, because of the nature:

See that little raccoon popping out to say hello from behind the tree?

I arrived just in time for a walk around the neighborhood:

Followed by a perfect sunset view:

I tried to get my steps in every morning by walking or running on the walking paths down to the marina:

I was working remotely during the day, so there wasn’t as much time for exploring, but we made time for some downtown fun at night.

It’s a beautiful city full of lush green squares:

And Savannah always has the best food:

We loved the flavors, the design, and the service at Common Thread. That’ll be a new favorite. And I got lucky with no lines at Maple Street Biscuit Company on my way out.

My visit was over almost as soon as it had begun! Until next time, sweet Savannah.

Long Drives

I love a road trip. Whether it’s by myself or with others, I feel like a long drive is one of the only times we get to unplug from a life of commitments, responsibilities, and screens (though I do sometimes admittedly and dangerously still check from the road!) Planes are my favorite way to unplug, but cars are a close second. And a solo road trip, for me, is when I feel the most free.

When I told people I was planning to drive from NJ to Georgia on my own, most of their reactions were, “Alone?! That sucks!” The only person who fully understood was one of my yoga regulars. She’s a one-with-nature woman who teaches watercolor art, swims in the ocean in the winter, and wakes up at 5am to watch the sunrise on the beach. She gets it. “You’re going to have an amazing time!” she told me.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

After waking up to see the wild ponies on Saturday, I hopped in the car to drive to Norfolk, Virginia. I’d eaten the remains of my Wawa sub and some Trader Joe’s snacks for breakfast, so it wasn’t a fully planned stop, just somewhere I expected would have a good coffee shop. I was pleasantly surprised. Even on a cloudy day, the cobblestone streets, the boats in the marina, and the spring flowers in bloom were a treat. I stretched my legs and strolled through the street with a latte before heading further on my way.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The next stop was my uncle’s in Greenville, North Carolina. You probably wouldn’t find this exact road trip route on any lists, because I plotted it based on where I had friends and relatives to visit, but I would actually suggest it to any travelers without strict time barriers. As most people would agree, I cannot express my relief at having avoided I-95 most of the way! It makes for a much more enjoyable, “cultural” experience and much less stress and frustration. I loved seeing the clarity of transition from the “North” to the “South” as soon as I hit Virginia.

I got to Uncle Rick’s at 3pm. Thunderstorms were threatening that night, so we headed out to early happy hour for sangria margaritas. This turned into appetizers, which of course turned into dinner. It’s hard to say no when Mexican food is offered up and you’re two margaritas in! We had a nice time catching up and almost beat the rain back home to watch some Netflix movies for the rest of the night.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Sunday would be my longest drive of the trip so far. I had breakfast with my uncle and rolled out around 9am. He made a quiche—yum! Even though it would make the drive a bit longer, I decided to stop in Charleston, SC because I’d never been and always hear wonderful things about it. Now that I have been, it only made me want to come back again!

I stopped at the key destinations: the street of rainbow colored houses (Rainbow Row)…

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

A Southern biscuit and an iced coffee for lunch. It’s a good thing I don’t live in the south because I could honestly eat a biscuit every day!

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

I walked down by the water.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

And to the pineapple fountain. Pandemic-wise, things felt very much back to normal. The photos don’t show it, but people were out and about and mostly mask-free in South Carolina. I’m fine with wearing mine indoors, and, beyond general hygiene, I mainly feel like whether I get sick or not is out of my hands so I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. I’m happy to be back to normal-ish traveling with recommended precautions.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

That night, after about 7 hours (an extra tacked on for stopping in Charleston and driving through SC on a Sunday church day), I would arrive at my mom and stepdad’s house in Savannah.

A Southeastern Road Trip

Last week, I made the drive down to Georgia to visit my mom in Savannah. I was back and forth on whether to take this trip, because my Spring has been hectic with traveling just about every other week, but I finally did it and I’m so glad I did!

I was lured in by the chance to see live ponies on Assateague Island. I almost canceled the trip when I found that the campgrounds in the park were all booked for the weekend. But I waited a day and found openings at the Cincoteague KOA nearby. I stopped in Delaware to do some work and visit with my friend Jesse from school, and then finished up the 4 hour drive.

It was perfect for me. It’s a little more built out—you probably wouldn’t like it if you’re looking for a solitary camping experience)—but as a solo gal camping on my own for the second time ever, it was exactly what I needed.

I was surprised to see it was mostly extended-stay RV campers (they also had the houses above to rent) and only a few of us in the primitive tent camping. There was even bingo and live music on a Friday night. I skipped that in favor of setting up my tent and building my fire on the windy plain.

It was so windy that I seriously thought I was going to end up sleeping in my car for the night. But once I staked down my tent, it held, and my little fire powered me through. Note: the camp store delivers extra wood right to your campsite if you run out. Amazing!

The wind died down by bedtime, and I surprised myself by sleeping (only a little restlessly a full 8 hours through the night). I stayed just long enough to watch the morning sunrise before packing up my tent.

Chincoteague is the southern island, but it’s only a short drive up to Assateague National Seashore. Two tribes of wild horses roam through the marsh and on the beach. Many visitors are lucky enough to see them, but it was possible that I wouldn’t see any that day.

I tried the beach without success, so I decided to drive back to the trails and take a little hike. I knew there was a horse overlook point on the trail, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up and end up disappointing. I decided I would be happy with the nature views, deer, birds, squirrels, and numerous bunnies that I saw close up.

But when I got to the overlook point, there they were! Not many other people were around, so I got to have a quiet solo moment with the horses (and 3 baby ponies!!!) It made for a majestic morning.

I’ve heard that at sundown they run on the beach. Seeing them grazing in the marsh was enough for me! I spent a few moments hanging out on the overlook, then did one more hike to see the lighthouse.

It was a highly recommended check off my bucket list. Then I was off to North Carolina for the next stop…