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Statistics:
Dates:
Winter Break- Around New Years' 2010
for 8 days
Areas Explored:
Atlanta, Orlando lakes region, Palm Beach, Florida
Keys, Everglades, Florida Panhandle, Gulf Coast, Memphis
Transportation: 2009
Dodge Grand Caravan, about 4000 miles
New Frontiers:
Revolutionary maiden voyage of the Caravan, Atlanta
Wildlife:
about a dozen alligators, many active
anihingas, turkey vultures, turtles, lizards, pelicans, cranes, one
manatee, gars, owls
Cast:
Scott, Jessica, Andrew, later joined by the
Diaz family
Click here to see 2011's New Years' Trip
Trip Notes:
Day 1: Drove from Chicago overnight all the way to
Macon, GA, stopping for dinner in Atlanta. Day 2:
Drove through northern Florida, spending the night on exciting
International Blvd in Orlando. Day 3:
Took the Beachline to the Canaveral Coast and then edged southward to
share dinner with friends in Lake Worth, before heading south to
Homestead. Day 4: Drove down and then back up
the entire length of the Florida Keys, stopping for a swim at Taylor
Beach in Key West. Day 5: After much
headaching, headed through the Everglades and Big Cypress along the
Tamiami to Naples, where we saw the New Years' fireworks. Ended the
night at Lakeland. Day 6: Picked up friends
in Orlando and then headed northwest to Pensacola, stopping notably near
Chiefland for a swim in the Manatee Spring. Day 7:
Dragged our friends across the Gulf Coast to New Orleans' Lake
Pontchartrain for seafood, ending night in Brook Haven, MS. Day 8:
Continued north along I-55 to Memphis and then northward back home.
We passed into 2010 on the Gulf of Mexico at
Naples pier. (left)
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