Winter Trip to Florida

Winter Trip to Florida

As the time draws near for my upcoming trip, concerns become more acute. Where to stay and what places to visit will be determined by weather and what I find along the way. Plus, traveling in the winter will have an effect on places to visit (at least in the north.)

My major goal is to be spontaneous. That means planning for overnight stays cannot be arranged ahead of time. I haven’t even made up my mind on the exact day I will leave, yet. I want to do a lot of sightseeing along the way. That means that time getting through each state cannot be planned. If I like an area, I may want to spend more than one day. I am trusting that I will always be able to find a good place to stay.

Another aspect to consider is what the season is like in other states. I have never traveled in winter except to the Caribbean. Some people have already given ideas of places to visit which I find very exciting. I would like to find something in every state from N.H. to Fla.

Here are a couple of places: Skyline Drive in Va. (is that okay in winter?); Boone Plantation, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; the Everglades; Key West; and Sanibel Island. Of course, I want to find something in Conn., N.Y. (not the city), Pa., and more. The only other times I have driven south was the same route that I plan on taking this time. However, I’ve never been to Virginia Beach or Williamsburg or the coasts of the Carolinas. Are those doable in winter? And is it too crowded?

As this is a working vacation, the places I hole up will have to be comfortable. I’ll need to set up laptop and easel. The laptop to keep up with the work for the paper and to blog my daily experiences. This way all my friends and followers will be on the trip, too. The easel because I plan on doing drawings of some scenes along the way. I may start sketches en plein air, but at a hotel room is where I’ll do the bulk of the work from photos I will take.

I am hoping that within these next few weeks, I’ll develop a following. My goal here is to not only share my journey, but get feedback and ideas beforehand. I would love to meet people in other states (if only online) and get first hand suggestions on places to visit in their areas and what the weather is like. So if you have ideas on what places I might visit or stay or if you know someone in any of the eastern states who would like to follow me on this journey, direct them to this site.

Right now, I’m kind of piecing together the plans. When I start the actual journey, my writing should be much more interesting as I share the experience.

Thank you and Namarie.