Mooch docking, cheeseboards and the end of an epic journey.

February 15th, 2021- Fairhope, Alabama & Pensacola, Florida

It down poured all night in Fairhope, so much so that it flooded BILL-E’s parking lot, where we were staying. We ventured out when the rain stopped and were on our way to the Sunshine State. Our drive was shorter than usual. It took us 1 hour to reach our final destination of Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola.

Berk and I saw our first armadillo ever when we explored on the park on a 4 mile evening walk. The trails were covered in a fine, white sand. The air was brisk, but without fail the sun peeked through the clouds and gave us a taste of the Florida we’ve always loved.

After 4 months of traveling we’ve finally come to the realization that State Parks are our favorite because they provide the same amenities as private campgrounds, but are far more spacious, have better hiking trails and natural surroundings and are so much cheaper! (And if you’re older than 55 you get an even bigger discount)

February 16th, 2021- Pensacola, Florida (Big Lagoon State Park)

We mustered up the courage to explore downtown Pensacola in 30 degree weather with brutal winds coming off the ocean. We found warmth inside and had lunch at a cute spot called The Nest. Mike chowed down a giant breakfast burrito, while I enjoyed the butternut squash soup and a winter salad. A homeless man drank a cup of coffee and kept warm under a blanket on their couch. (Writing this now makes me realize how we’re terrible people for buying that man lunch). After lunch, Mike got a haircut at a place called Wilfreds. It was WAY too expensive, but they gave him a beer, a sticker and a koozie. It’s all about the experience I guess 🙂

If you’re ever in Pensacola, you MUST shop at Rusted Arrow Mercantile. Cutest store ever. We then enjoyed a couple beers and pretzel nuggets at Big Top Brewing Company to end a memorable day.

February 17th, 2021- Jacksonville, Florida

We skipped our stopped in Valdosta Georgia because Mike’s uncle got sick, so they didn’t want to be interacting with anyone. We drove straight through for six hours until we reached Jacksonville and checked into Hanna State Park and campground at 5:30pm. Berk and I inevitability found the beach and the waves by 5:45pm. The campground was gorgeous and made us feel like we were living in a tropical jungle. Apart from the close proximity to the ocean, the park had it’s own lake and a large range of mountain biking trails. It was an adventurers paradise.

February 18th, 2021- Jacksonville, Florida (Hanna State Park)

Michael convinced me into hiring an inshore fishing captain to take us out on his boat for the day. Luckily for us, the weather was a crisp 85 degrees and the sun was shining, which was refreshing after all the cold we had just come from. Captain Dave showed us around the Timucuan Preserve and told us where we’d catch the best fish. Being inshore was much more enjoyable for me compared to the deep sea fishing we’d done in Ft. Myers in the past. I wasn’t puking which was a plus for me. The morning started slow, but captain Dave hooked me up with a great cast and I ended up catching a black drum to kick of our catching spree. Michael caught 3 trout and I caught one trout and a flounder (Like the teacher in Finding Nemo!)

Captain Dave fileted our fish, donated the leftovers to the begging seagulls and sent us over to dockside seafood to get our fish cooked up by the professionals. The fish was drool worthy. We asked for the floundered blackened and the rest of it fried, per captain Dave’s recommendation of course.

That evening, before heading back to Hanna State park, we ironically met up with one of my old college roommates, named Hannah. It was so good to catch up with her and meet her new fiancé Jon. We hung out at Southern Grounds Company, where we listened to loud music that was way too loud, shared stories, laughed a lot and drank more than enough Malbec.

February 19th, 2021- Charleston, South Carolina

The rain drenched us and all of our things as we packed up to head to Charleston. I had ALWAYS wanted to visit Charleston, so was very excited for what was to come. It felt as if we had driven over 45 bridges over the five hours it took to get there. We booked our stay at our first KOA, which was pricier than most, but the park and the amenities definitely lived up to the hype with a private lake, hiking trails, giant dog park and frisbee golf course. The rain finally stopped as the sun set over the lake and I called Lauren to catch up.

Another Nazareth College reunion in Charleston when we met up with Tim Zyburt and his girlfriend Brittney at Shelter Kitchen in Shem Creek. After brunch we had drinks at the rooftop Barot Vendue (Fancy). We made steaks and cheesy pasta back at camp and took Berkley for a walk before meeting Tim and Brittney at “The Basement” for a couple more beers and some arcade game action.

February 21, 2021- Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Two true crime podcasts took us the distance from Charleston to Chapel Hill. Our first Moochdocking experience ever. (Moochdocking is RV camping on a friend or family’s property for free. This might mean parking in their driveway, on the street, or somewhere on their land). We stayed at Lily and Aaron’s house (Mike’s buddy from HS) and shortly after we got situated in the driveway, they took us to the UNC campus for a tour. Their house was so cozy and Berk made himself right at home. It was nice to sleep in a big bed again.

February 22, 2021- Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Lily and I got up and ran 3 miles before breakfast. The landscape here reminds me of NY and the weather lived up to NY standards as well. It was rainy and chilly for most of the day. Aaron and Mike went fishing at Jordan lake and I stayed back to write while Lily went to work to do some very important work testing the COVID vaccine on rats at UNC.

February 26th- Virginia Beach, Virginia

We made the four hour trek from Chapel Hill to Virginia Beach and as always, when we arrived I immediately laced up my sneaks to find the beach. Christian and Gaither’s condo is gorgeous and right along the water. They basically gutted the whole thing and now it looks like a Chip and Joanna Gaines home. I rode their Peloton and immediately was obsessed with it. Their house sits right on the Chesapeake Bay, so you can watch the Navy Ships come into harbor every night at sundown.

Christian took us for a drive and gave us a tour of the Navy Base. It was super cool to see the submarines up close and personal. We had dinner at Stony’s where Mike and I got to experience their go-to date night spot and tried our first orange crushes. When we got back to their condo, we decanted a bottle of wine from South Africa that Nat gifted us for our wedding (Had to wait almost 3 years for the perfect moment).

In the morning Gaither and I did hot yoga with her friends Janey and Grace, then we celebrated Benji and Christian’s February birthdays with a yummy chocolate, peanut butter cake! We left with full bellies and hearts before heading to DC, four hours North.

February 26th-29th- Washington, DC

The very last stop on our 5 month long journey (Insert sad face here). We arrived to Mike’s childhood friends townhouse was were greeted with chicken wings, grilled bread, asparagus and an over the top cheese board. After Mike somehow backed the Dutchmen down the entire road with cars on both sides (In DC) it was well-deserved. Let’s just say I’m super grateful for his driving skills because it wouldn’t have ended so well if I had been behind the wheel. Mahoney re-did is bathrooms and decorated them so cute (Joanna Gaines vibes again). His décor was adorable and his hospitality was top notch the whole weekend.

Friday night it was pouring rain, so naturally we ubered into DC, rented scooters and drank at all the national monuments while Mahoney gave us the tour. We sat on the backside of the Lincoln and polished off our drink’s before heading to Cara’s apartment. Cara and her BF Nate also made us a bomb cheese board, so at this point we were about 50% cheese. Conor fell asleep on my shoulder in the uber home.

Mike and I moochdocked with Berk and slept in the camper. We woke up to avocado toast with goat cheese. We drove to Great Falls National Park (One that we didn’t realize existed, but would become #17 on our lists of parks visited) and hiked 6 miles. Berk got so muddy and rolled in another dogs poop before we made him go for a swim. We had a late lunch at Union Market (Dumplings, meatball subs, PB smoothies), then stopped at Cotton and Reed Distillery for a couple fancy beverages. We went home to Conor’s and made a cheese board (Again) and hosted a bon-fire with friends. My HS friend Charlotte came over after an all day win tour and Conor whipped up lamb chops and grilled veggies. We stayed up until 3am and Mike gave everyone pottery lessons on Conor’s wheel while listening to country tunes.

February 29th, 2021- Washington, DC

We had a lazy Sunday. Charlotte slept in her outfit from the night before. Mike’s crown/tooth fell out while eating pancakes at breakfast. We snuggled on the couch and watched Peanut Butter Falcon before Conor left for his night shift.

March 1st, 2021- The way home

We woke up for the very last time in the Dutchmen and made waffles. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that our trip was coming to an end. It all happened so fast, but it also felt like a lifetime of journeys. We had just seen more of the country in 5 months than most people see in an entire lifetime… and we felt super grateful. I was so emotional the entire 5 hours back to NY. Every song made me cry. I felt like I was in shock. This had become our life and it was all about to change… again. When you do anything for 5 months, it becomes your norm, so traveling and falling in love with every single place and the people we met their also became routine.