Kim – Page 3 – Crawford Family Sabbatical

January 17, 2014

Only 4 nights left in the RV… :(

It’s official, we are headed to South America on February 4, 2014. Lima, Peru to be exact! We booked our tickets today. I am so excited, but I had butterflies in my stomach as I pushed the button to buy the tickets. So much to do to get ready!

We decided not to go to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia or Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in February. There are protests and civil unrest going on in Thailand. We did not want to take any risks with our kids. We started to plan on going to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos instead, but as soon as we started looking at doing that, we saw that there is political violence going on in Cambodia. It just is not meant to be, for us, to go to Asia!

Other big news: we sold our RV! We can’t even believe it!! How can our time in our RV be up? How did 6 months go so fast? Our buyer signed the contract this past Monday, January 13th. He is picking it up in St. Louis on January 30th. Scott and I are both so sad to be leaving our home. We have truly loved our time with our kids and seeing our beautiful country! God has been so good to us!! Such an incredible trip… I can’t believe our RV time is over.

We visited 36 National Parks/Historical Sites during our 6 months on the road. We are ending our trip at a Theme Park: Universal in Orlando, Florida. Tomorrow is our last day here and we will start working our way back to Missouri. We have only 4 nights left in our RV home till we have to winterize and start packing things up and cleaning it out…

We have a few more posts to add to the blog: San Antonio, New Orleans, Fort Pierce, Fl and Orlando, Fl. They will be coming soon! We hope to continue our blog in South America. We will not have access to wifi like we do in the USA, but hope to be able to provide updates.

Hope you are doing well and your New Year is off to a fantastic start!

January 17, 2014

Biscayne National Park and The Florida Keys 1-9-14

We stopped by Biscayne National Park on the way to the Florida Keys after leaving the Everglades. We saw just a teeny tiny piece of it since 95% of the park is underwater. We visited the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. We visited the museum, watched the movie and our kids completed the Jr. Ranger Program to earn their last National Park badge on this trip.

Ranger telling us about the different skulls of animals that live at Biscayne. That's a pelican! — Ranger telling us about the different skulls of animals that live at Biscayne. That’s a pelican!

Lionfish(not native) are a huge problem! They are destroying the reefs and eat anything in sight.

Kat wanted me to take her picture by this sign.

We spent 3 full days in Marathon, Florida. Our first night, we had dinner at Keys Fishery on the water. We had no idea it was going to be so chilly, but the delicious fish made up for it. Kat had fish bites, Kane had grouper sandwich, Scott snapper sandwich and I had hogfish sandwich.

It rained on and off the first day, so we hung out at the RV. During one of the breaks, Kane helped Kat rollerblade. It was so sweet watching them together!

Our second day, we headed to the Sea Turtle Hospital. This was the first sea turtle hospital in the world. It was started in 1986. It was so informative! Most of the sea turtles injuries are caused by marine debris(ex:strings from balloons, nylon ropes, fishing line), water pollution, boat strikes. They had 36 patients when we were there(13 permanent(can’t be released into wild) and 23 other patients). They have 30 Green, 4 Loggerhead, 1 Kemps Ridley and 1 Hawksbill turtles.

Marine Biologist telling us about each turtle.

Scott took our kids fishing off the bridge in Marathon on our last day there. They were so excited! Unfortunately, it was a day for fishing, not catching.

Kane cooked dinner with Scott’s help after they got home. He made spicy honey chicken, mushroom & barley soup, potatoes and fruit salad for dinner. It was delicious! Kat who does not like mushrooms even liked the soup! Way to go, Kane!!

January 13, 2014

Humid with Lots of Mosquitos – The Everglades 1-3-14

Kane and Kat were so excited to get to Everglades to see alligators and crocodiles! We arrived on Friday night and dry camped the first night, since we did not have a reservation till Saturday with electricity. As soon as we got set up, our kids and I hopped on our bikes and headed to the visitor center. We got a beautiful view of Florida Bay on the way there. Unfortunately, the Visitor Center was closed, but a passing ranger told us to head over by the marina and look for the crocodiles there. We could not get there quick enough! Success: Our first crocodile and black turkey vulture spotting!

View of Florida Bay in the Evervglades-Flamingo.

Going for a bike ride to Visitor Center.

First sighting of a black turkey vulture. — Black turkey vulture.

We spotted our first crocodile of our trip by the marina. — It’s a crocodile!

It was a rainy second day. Mid afternoon, the kids and I loaded up our bikes and headed to the Snake Bight Trail to bike the path to the bay. We went about 1/4 mile to the trail. What a surprise-it was overgrown and no way could our hybrid bikes make it down this trail! No problem, I decided, we can head to another trail on the biking list: Bear Lake. We had to drive 2 miles down a very muddy, wet rode. Unloaded the bikes again and realized another trail that could not be biked on with our bikes! Oh well… we sure did try!

We started our day with the Mangrove Wilderness Tour. Before we left the marina, we saw multiple crocodiles and two manatees. The boat took us up the Buttonwood Canal through mangrove forest up to Coot’s Bay then on to Whitewater Bay. On the way back, we saw two bottlenose dolphins. We learned a little about the mangrove forests, air plants, birds and animals that live in the Everglades.

After lunch, we headed to Snake Bight Trail to do the hike on our feet(no bikes this time). We put on our mosquito spray and headed out. Well, I think our mosquito spray attracted the mosquitos, because within 5 minutes down the trail we were covered in mosquitos. And I mean covered! We turned around, I put the mosquito head net quickly on Kat and we booked it back to our Jeep. We gave up on hiking and headed to the Visitor Center to see the exhibits and for our kids to turn in their Junior Ranger books.

Going for a hike on Snake Bight Trail... — Going for a hike on Snake Bight Trail…

Here’s a pic of our campground. Definitely, not as beautiful as many of the other National Parks.

Kane had been wanting to hike the Anhinga Trail since we arrived. Unfortunately, it was about 35 miles from our campground toward the Ernst Coe entrance. In our National Park book, it rated the Anhinga Trail as the best hike in the park. So as we were leaving to head to the Florida Keys, we stopped at the Anhinga Trail. We saw so much wildlife! Great call by Kane!! 🙂

Kane trying to capture a pic of this little alligator.

January 10, 2014

Bringing in the New Year… Naples

We arrived in Naples on December 30th in time to bring in the New Year! Scott brought up the idea of trying to go to Thailand and Laos for the month of February then we would go on to South America. Boy, were we excited thinking about how we can make this happen.

New Year’s Eve day, I ran around to get groceries and get ingredients for Scott to make a Thai dinner. Have you ever asked for galangal at a regular grocery? Well, at the one I was at, they looked at me blankly and had no idea where I could find it, as well as Thai Basil Leaves and Thai Chiles. Thank goodness for the internet! I found a small little Asian store about 25 minutes from where we were staying. When I found all my ingredients at the Asian store, I was so happy! The little things excite me these days… 🙂

Scott made Tom Yum Soup and Drunken Noodles with chicken for dinner for the first time. It was fantastic! I was dreaming of all the yummy Thai food we would be eating in Thailand. After dinner, we watched Free Willy for the first time. We felt so blessed in 2013 and are so excited about our adventures in 2014. God has been so good to us!

Galangal-it is in the ginger family, but has a stronger taste.

New Year's Eve Dinner 2013 — New Year’s Eve Dinner 2013

We kicked the New Year off with canoeing at Collier Seminole State Park which is south of Naples near the Everglades. We signed up for a guided nature float down the Blackwater River. This was the first time that we had each took a kid alone in a canoe. Kane went with me and Kat with Scott. I was a little nervous with the prospect of alligators in the river, but the guides did not seem worried at all. About 10 minutes into our trip, we spotted our first alligator and only alligator of our trip. It was a little freaky paddling by it!

Our first alligator spotting of our trip and on this canoe trip!

We saw one alligator, lots of Great Blue Herons, snow egrets, ibis, turkey vultures, mangrove crabs, gar and we learned about the red, white and black mangrove trees. Kane and Kat did great in the front of the canoes! It’s hard to believe they are big enough to be in the front, not in the middle between us.

Driving home from our canoe trip, Kane spotted an alligator on the side of the road by a ditch filled with water. We turned around and pulled off the road and went to take a look. I LOVE our kids excitement over spotting wildlife! We took a couple pictures, but when the alligator slipped into the water, we decided on heading out in case, he was coming toward us for lunch.

Kane spotted this alligator from the car. Here's a closeup. — Kane spotted this alligator from the car. Here’s a closeup.

We headed to Naples Beach in the afternoon for a hour. It was a very busy place! It was such a beautiful afternoon in the 70s. The last time, we took Kat to a beach in Florida, she would not get in the ocean. I can remember her saying, “Momma, I don’t like the waves!” Well, things have changed. She loved the water! You could just see the spring in her step. Kane looked like he was looking for fish as he walked out. When a flock of birds flew over, he was enthralled. Kids made sandcastles and I buried Kat in the sand, as Scott read 12 Years a Slave(he couldn’t put the book down). As the sun was starting to go down, it was the perfect picture! So Thankful for this time with my family!!

Can't put the book down! — Can’t put the book down!

Team effort building a sand castle then they each ended up making their own.

Thank you God for these two precious kids!

We are starting the New Year with each kids picking one night a week to cook. Kat had pizza night tonight! She made pizza(which she had to roll out), green beans and fruit salad. It was yummy!! Way to go Kat, Kat!

On Thursday, January 2nd, I needed to run some errands(post office, bank, Target) and Kat needed more clips for her Rainbow Loom bracelets, so we headed out to Naples.

Kat's first visit to Michaels! — Kat’s first visit to Michaels!

You may not know this, but I do not like shopping. Well, I could tell I have deprived my daughter, because when we got to Michaels, I realized that she had never been there before. A girl who loves arts and crafts had never been to Michaels! Well, I am sure that will change in the future. 🙂

That night I met Diane Hobbs, the mom of one of my best friends growing up, near Fort Meyers. She has a home on Sanibel Island now. Diane and Kenny were always so good to me! I have the best memories hanging out at their home. I also went to the Florida Keys twice with them. Such great memories! I just adore this lady!!

Here’s a pic of our campsite. I think this was our most expensive campsite of the trip. RV park was beautiful and clean. Kids enjoyed the pool our first afternoon there. I don’t think it was worth the cost, but we had a great time there.

Here’s a couple pics during school time on January 2nd:

Kat practicing her Spanish with Rosetta Stone

January 9, 2014

Fort Davis & McDonald Observatory, Texas 12-11-13

Originally, we were going to head to Carlsbad Caverns after Albuquerque, but changed our plans with the temps being in the 20/30s and freezing fog. We decided to head to Big Bend, but stop in Fort Davis, Texas for 2 nights. We planned on trying to make it to McDonald Observatory(it has some of the darkest skies in the US) for the 7pm Star Party. The Star Party is a nighttime program where you learn about the constellations and they are pointed out, as well as, viewing through the telescopes. Sometimes you can even see Saturn’s rings! Oh, I wanted to go, unfortunately, we did not realize we would be moving into C.S.T. there, so we did not make the night program. It is only offered twice a week.

The next day we started at Fort Davis, which is a National Historical Site. Fort Davis was a key defense fort in west Texas. From 1854 to 1891, troops stationed at the post, protected emigrants, freighters, mail coaches and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. The San Antonio-El Paso road was the most southern route to the west and the gold fields of California. Primarily, they were protecting the travelers from the Comanche and Apaches. It is one the best remaining examples of a frontier military post.

Looking across the lawn to the Commanding Officer's Quarters from the Men's Barracks — Looking across the lawn to the Commanding Officer’s Quarters from the Men’s Barracks

Commanding Officer's Quarters — Commanding Officer’s Quarters

Cool game that you spin and move your wagon forward. It tells you something that might have happened to you on the trail.

That's the Commissary in the background. — That’s the Commissary in the background.

We ate lunch in the car on the way to the McDonald Observatory for the last tour of the day. We were the only ones on our tour, so it was like a private tour. We learned about the history of the Sun, its formation, and what they expect the Sun to do over its expected 5-6 billion year remaining “lifetime”. It was cloudy or we would have seen a live feed from the sun, but they showed us a still picture from the day before. We learned so much! Did you know the sun is 108 Earths wide?

After the sun presentation, we headed up the hill in a shuttle to the top of Mt. Locke to 107″ dome. We got to see the 107″ telescope and hear about its history. Then we headed over the the Hobby Eberly Telescope. They were working on it the day we visited, because they are going to start a 3 year project to search for dark energy. They will collect data on at least 1 million galaxies that are 9 billion to 11billion light years away, yielding the largest map of the universe ever produced! Isn’t that incredible and mind boggling?

mcdonaldobs1 — View from top of Mt. Locke

January 8, 2014

Oh NO, Snow! Turnaround and Go South!! 12-4-13

This picture does not do justice of how slick the roads were. It was getting scary!

Well, we had a plan(I like plans), but we had to throw them out the window when we hit snow and slick roads heading north toward Flagstaff, AZ. We were heading north then east to Petrified National Forest and over to New Mexico. Then we planned on going to Chaco Cultural National Historical Park the following day then down to Albuquerque to see Aunt Joyce. Well, the roads started getting slick heading north on I-17 and we did not think it was safe to keep going, so we turned around and decided we would head south to Tucson. I was disappointed that we would miss both parks, but the good news was we got to go to Saguaro National Park. Kane was begging to see a saguaro. He had only seen them in pictures. Well, his dreams came true right north of Phoenix. We started spotting our first saguaros. Our kids were SO Excited! We made it to Tucson mid afternoon, so the kids and I headed out to Saguaro National Park(west side). It was amazing to see saguaros as far as the eye could see!

Kids loved the different types of cactus. — Kids were amazed that more than 50 types of cacti grow there.

We ended the day at In and Out for burgers and fries! Scott couldn't wait to stop at one since we saw them in CA. — We ended the day at In and Out for burgers and fries! Scott couldn’t wait to stop at one since we saw them in CA.

We stayed at LazyDays Campground in Tuscon. Guess what the kids could do there? Pick oranges, grapefruit and lemons from the trees! They had a blast picking fruit!!

Scott took the kids swimming in the pool while I did some Christmas shopping, then the kids and I headed to Saguaro National Park(east side).

Pool time! Kids didn't mind the cool water. — Pool time! Kids didn’t mind the cool water.

January 8, 2014

Dead Horse Ranch State Park -Cottonwood, Arizona 12-3-13

Kane was excited that the State Park had 3 lakes. — Kane was excited that the State Park had 3 lakes

We love State Park Campgrounds! Dead Horse Ranch State Park is located in Cottonwood, Arizona(about 7 miles from Sedona). We arrived at our campsite late afternoon, so the kids and I went for a bike ride to scout out the park.

The next day we went to Montezuma Castle National Monument. Montezuma Castle is a well preserved cliff dwelling of the Sinagua people. It is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the USA. It was built somewhere between 1100 AD to 1400AD. We attended a Ranger program that told us more about the history of the Sinagua and our kids completed their Jr. Ranger books about Montezuma.

Kim helping Kat with her Jr. Ranger book.

Then we headed to Sedona, AZ to see the red rocks and visit Red Rock State Park. We attended another Ranger Progam and learned alot about the plants, trees, rocks in the area and did a short hike.

Our last day, kids and I headed to Tuzigoot National Monument. Tuzigoot preserves a 2-3 story pueblo ruin built on a summit above the Verde River floodplain. This was also built by the Sinagua people sometime between 1100AD to 1400AD.

Kids checking out the remains of the pueblo.

In the afternoon, Scott took the kids fishing at the lake in our campground while I went grocery shopping and used book shopping at Goodwill. I cannot believe the great books I can find there for hardly anything! Unfortunately, no luck catching fish that day, but it was a beautiful day to be outside.

Kane's Jr. Ranger Badges — Kane’s Jr. Ranger Badges

December 29, 2013

Unexpected stop to visit friends from home – Tampa, Florida

I was so excited to get an email from my friend, Laura Garret on Christmas telling me that she was in Tampa visiting family. She wanted to know if we could get together. We had planned on heading straight to the Everglades, but were thrilled to change our plans to see them. Laura’s daughter, Macy, is a good friend of Kats at Glenridge Elementary School. Laura and I were Girl Scout Leaders for our girl’s class last year.

Laura surprised us with tickets to go on a cruise to look for dolphins and go shell seeking at an island by the Gulf. Our kids were so excited at the chance to see a dolphin “in the wild.” Kids found some cool shells on the island and were hopeful that we would see a dolphin on the way back. Luck was on our side, we saw multiple bottlenose dolphins! We got a close up view, which thrilled the kids. Such a great idea! Thank you Laura!!

Kat got a Rainbow Loom for Christmas, but had not used it yet. Macy gave Kat a Rainbow Loom bracelet and then showed her how to make her own. So sweet! Now Kat is a Rainbow Loom making machine!! 🙂

Such a blessing to be able to see friends from home!

Kane is pointing to the dolphins. Loved this pic of all of them looking at the dolphins!

December 27, 2013

Christmas in Panama City Beach, Florida

Well, it had not felt like Christmas to us all December. We started the month in Arizona, worked our way through New Mexico(awesome visit to Aunt Joyce), Texas(Big Bend NP fantastic), Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama then Florida. As we pulled into our RV park in Panama City Beach in the dark, I was so happy to see Christmas lights and decorations throughout the park and on the RVs(lots of snowbirds here). You could just feel the Christmas spirit!

December 23rd was a Christmas fest! From finding the last 3ft Christmas tree in town, to decorating the RV, making gingerbread houses, stringing popcorn and cranberries, making sugar cookies, white chocolate covered pretzels, white chocolate cranberry banana bread(Delicious!), pralines(Scott wanted to make these and they were awesome) and Christmas music playing, we got our quick fix of the holiday! We had so much to give thanks for this Christmas!! God has truly blessed us!!!

Kat's popcorn and cranberries. — Kat’s popcorn and cranberries.

Kane's popcorn and cranberries — Kane’s popcorn and cranberries

They were the centerpiece on the front dash.

Sugar cookie time... — Sugar cookie time…

He stirred those things for almost a hour!

We were so happy that my parents decided to meet us for Christmas! It was so fun to have family with us!! Our kids miss their grandparents and so it was a gift to be able to see on set. This will be a Christmas to remember… Here are some things we did: played Farkel, read books, biked(Kane had Papa biking all over the RV Park), basketball(boys played TOM(my dads name) instead of PIG-Kanes idea), air hockey, fooseball, went to the beach on Christmas(that was a first for all of us-can’t find one of those in MO), Scott made a mouth watering Beef Tenderloin and Pork Butt on the Green Egg, shopping with Nana, fishing at the RV lake and ocean with Papa, date night with grandparents(which meant date night for Scott and I(dinner and Hunger Games-so fun! Thanks Mom and Dad!), American Girl Paperdolls with Nana, Apples to Apples, Settlers of Zarahemla for the adults… Such precious times!