The End

Hi everyone! It’s Trina. Sorry it’s been so long!

From Niagara Falls, we drove down toward South Carolina where my friends Jaimee and Erik live. When we were in West Virginia, I was searching online for interesting things in the area to check out. I came across this picture of a huge old building. After looking into it some more, I found that it was an old insane asylum in Weston, West Virginia. The building was massive with endless hallways and rooms. Being able to see the inside was amazing. I have always liked exploring abandoned buildings, and to be able to take a tour and learn about the history of the asylum was incredible. In the tour, they explained how patients would be admitted for just about any reason. It’s sad to think about how innocent people were sent to the asylum when they didn’t belong there. Pretty much the entire building is deteriorating. There area is so large that it is too much to maintain.

Continuing on the road, we made it to South Carolina! It was great being able to catch up with my old friend. We used to be neighbors, classmates, and we were even roommates for a while. Her husband, Erik, joined the Navy and was stationed in South Carolina which is how they ended up there.

During our visit, we went to downtown Charleston, SC. It was hot and humid, and there were people everywhere checking out what the vendors were selling. South Carolina was the first place that my dad and I took out the kayaks. The water was murky, but it was nice to finally use the kayaks. My friend, Jaimee, said that everyday there are thunderstorms. Sometimes they will last for hours, or sometimes only minutes.

Then, we started driving to Florida. I have been wanting to go to Florida for a long time and I have been most excited for this part of the trip. The first stop we made in Florida was at a town called Crystal River. It is the manatee capital of Florida. I had never seen a manatee in the wild before so I wanted to visit this town. We found a nice room by the water, had a delicious seafood meal, and took a walk around the area.

We were walking along the edge of the water and I saw my first manatee!! They swim at a speed of about 4 mph so I was able to follow it along the edge for a good amount of time. My dad befriended a local who was walking her dog, and she went kayaking with us the next morning to show us around.

Crystal River, FL

The area that she took us to, was called Three Sisters Springs. This place looked so amazing. It’s only accessible by kayaks, which was perfect. And the blue/green color of the water was mesmerizing. It was surrounded by trees, and the water was clear and refreshing. We found out that the manatees go to those springs during the winter. She said that when it gets cooler, the entire floor of the springs are covered with manatees. That would have been amazing to see.. Next time!

Here are some huge chairs I found around the country!

One of my favorite things about Florida is how abundant the wildlife is! We stayed at a campground where they had ponds with ducks and swans, and bird cages with exotic birds, and they monkeys! These White Pekin ducks kept following me as I went near the fence. I was taking pictures, and they loved the attention.

In Florida I saw wild, four foot long iguanas, yellow frogs, bright green lizards, beautiful red birds, and so much more. Being there really felt like I was in another country. I was able to catch this little lizard and take some up close pictures of it!

This beach is on Sanibel Island. It’s a beautiful, long beach with more seashells than I have ever seen in my life.

We went on a long walk to find the best looking seashells we could. Also, on this beach there were sea turtle nests. They are highly protected and they just looked like a hole in the sand for the baby turtles to crawl out of, once they hatch.

And then…my boyfriend Gerrit joined us! He had never been to Florida either so it was great to be able to experience that together. I was so excited to see him again!! When he arrived, I rented a car for the first time so we could drive around without one of us having to be in the back of the RV. After that, I took him to this place called Monkey Jungle. It’s a place where you walk through these caged walkways and the monkeys climb above, and all around you. It was a really cool place and I highly recommend it!

After that, we drove down to the Florida Keys to meet up with my dad. We stayed in the middle of the keys.

We also went to Key West, of course! We watched the beautiful sunset, and then we went bar hopping and checked out the shops. It’s a really nice area, and we had so much fun! Key West is also a major party town. Everyone is there on vacation from all over the world, having a good time.

The next day, we went on a snorkel tour off of a boat. The water looked amazing and it was so warm. There were tons of fish in the water and we had a great time. Going off the middle of the keys is the best area to go snorkeling.

Another awesome place we visited in the keys was a beach called Bahia Honda State Park. The water was shallow and clear, and there were large sandbars where you could walk around, 40 feet from the shore. I had never been to a beach like this before. The white sand and the clear water made it feel like paradise for me. It was one of my favorite places.

It was interesting being at a beach that doesn’t have any waves. It’s almost impossible to launch kayaks out from the beaches in California, but we were able to do it here! The snorkeling at this beach was great too, especially for just off the shore. I saw huge starfish and conch shells among so many fish. My dad even saw a stingray!

After we left the keys, Gerrit and I did an airboat tour. The water was so flat, and the boat glided across the river, over the grass. We were able to see two alligators during the tour, but they were far away. I thought it was a cool experience. I learned that this body of water is actually a river. It is a very slow moving river, flowing at about a mile per day.

This airboat tour location also had some alligators in captivity. It was amazing to see how huge they are. I thought this gator looked pretty cute!

The next morning, Gerrit returned to Utah and we continued our road trip. It was so great to Our next stop was New Orleans, Louisiana. I had really looked forward to going to New Orleans as well because it has always seemed like a unique town that’s worth visiting. It’s a major party town with so much history and delicious food. I tried seafood gumbo for the first time and now it’s one of my new favorite foods. There’s also so much art in New Orleans. There are musicians and artists everywhere. It’s a town filled with culture and fun. I would love to go back during Halloween!

In the cemeteries in New Orleans, the graves are above ground because of the frequent floods. In the past, the floods would unearth the bodies and they would float down the roads during a flood.

After New Orleans, we started driving to Mansfield, Texas to visit my brother Manuel, sister-in-law Andrea, and nephew Parker. It was great seeing them. We went to a really good seafood restaurant, and we spent Sunday in the pool at Andrea’s parent’s. It was nice to relax and be around a few of my favorite people.

Once we left Manuel’s house, we went to my other brother, Jonathan’s house near Austin, TX. We did a cave tour and learned about how there used to be a speakeasy in the cave with high end entertainment. We saw one little bat during the tour, hanging from the ceiling.

On the way out of the cave, the tour guide pointed out these Daddy Longleg nests just above our heads. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. They were crawling all over each other, and I felt like they were going to fall on me.

That night, we went out to Downtown Austin to hang out with my brother’s friends and check out some hidden bars. I had so much fun, Austin is always a blast.

The next day, I flew to LAX to see a show in LA with my best friend Jake. He got me tickets for my graduation gift and I really didn’t want to miss it, so I found a way to make it work!

On the plane ride, I saw this incredible sunset and I saw lightning in the clouds for the first time while I was in a plane!

This trip has been amazing. I feel so fortunate to have experienced everything on this road trip. I will look back on it and cherish it for the rest of my life. My dad has had such a strong influence on my love for traveling and taking advantage of opportunities in life. I will continue to travel to new places whenever I can. There’s still more that I want to see in the US that we didn’t get a chance to see this time around.

At this point, I’m happy to take a break from traveling to start this new part of my life. I’ve moved to Salt Lake City, Utah after living in Temecula, CA for 20 years. I have some life goals to work toward and I’m so excited to get started! I’m ready to put my hard earned Business degree to good use, see new places, meet new people, and grow.

Thank you for joining us on our journey! We appreciate you!

Thank you Dad!!!