“THREE weeks?” is the response we got mostly when people asked what we’ve been up to. Yes, you heard right… 21 days was the goal and we did it! It was more of a mission than a vacation per se. When we decided to take our girls out of their school and register them to our county’s online school and homeschool our son, we wanted to make that decision count. We knew that there will be no year such as this one ever again…. When there were so many things to consider when the entire country was discussing what school was going to look like, we simply decided to do what was right for us. It was such a hard decision to make as it was for all parents. I cried a few times as we felt overwhelmed in wondering what was right until we realized that there was no “right” decision. No one knew what was going to happen, so we did what fit our lifestyle the best.
We’ve always wanted to travel more and more as our kids got older, but school schedule always got in the way. But, not in 2020! We decided to look at it positively and give our kids and our family a trip of lifetime! We wanted our kids to have a unique type of education as we journeyed through this wild trip together. Our first plan was to go out West, but our gear and bodies wouldn’t have survived the cold during this time of the year. So, hopefully… we will be able to make that happen another time. We considered many different routes, but it being fall/winter season, we figured that going south and touring all over Florida sounded like a wonderful idea mostly because of the warmer weather. We did have a touch of GA in Savannah and SC in Charleston at the end. As we envisioned this trip, Craig and I many times wondered if we were really going to make it. Even though it was a “vacation”, three weeks is a long time especially when traveling with three kids! Trust me, everyday wasn’t as glorious as you may imagine. Each one of us had a moment where we really wanted to just go home… when one of us was going through that, the rest encouraged that person to keep going and not give up on this journey! It was a milder version of “The Amazing Race” TV show. hehe “We must finish the race!” was our mission statement and wow! We are so proud that we did it! It’s something I will never forget for the rest of my life… It was filled with the most spectacular views, fun and memories that I will cherish forever and hopefully our kids will too. We did so much that I have look through our photos and videos to remind myself of what went on in that city.
We added on a small trailer this time to make more space in the van. We are slowly but surely upgrading…
Just traveling through one state mostly is so much! There are endless things to see and explore and learn. The beautiful sights we got to witness is obvious, but what fascinated me the most was the culture. The culture differences in every city we visited was totally bewildering. The differences is what made it all so fascinating and interesting. Wow… there’s truly so much to see in this world that God created. It’s pretty much impossible to see it all. In a sense, our world is small, but in traveling sense, our world is immeasurably big. It’s infinite…! If you ask each one of us what our favorite moments were, it will all be different. But for me, it was the one on one times I got to have with each family member as we walked to various places during our touring time. The intimate conversations that took place that “everyday life” doesn’t allow were priceless. Gosh, there’s just so much to share with you all, so we are blogging one city at a time to give you the best review and resources as well.
Ok, so here we go…. From our home in Atlanta, GA, our #1 destination city was Ocala, FL! We camped at the Silver Springs State Park:
Look at all the room!
Vacation time, but school must get done.
When you camp, you get your assignment done on paper plates. :)
Overal review:
It was actually one of our favorite campsites. It was definitely the most SPACIOUS site we’ve ever had for sure! There’s really nothing to complain about. It was less than $30 per night and we stayed there two nights. They had electricity and water, everything was straight forward and the place was run very excellently. The privacy wasn’t bad at all and it was simply peaceful. It was FLAT, but this is where I began to learn that most of Florida is pretty flat. There were many things to do on the camp grounds, but we went to Silver Springs for all touring at this stop. (The names are confusing because the campsite and the park names are the same.)
Camping Obstacle:
You know us… something adventurous has to happen. :) So… I quickly learned that I didn’t pack very wisely on this trip. It’s hard to know what clothes to pack sometimes especially when the space is limited. You see, packing when going to a hotel on vacation and packing when you’re camping is totally different. 45 degrees outdoors when you just have to be in and out of the car to go inside of a hotel compared to camping outside the entire time makes a world of difference. Well, I didn’t really realize that difference until we got there and it was FREEEEEZING. Omg… I felt so bad and had to layer the kids up with clothes. The girls had their winter jackets, but the rest of us had to layer up with sweaters and hoodies. But, even with all of that as the temp started falling throughout the night, it got unbearable. It was a rough night for the half of us… so, on the second night, Craig bought a $15 heater and that solved our problem. :) It was the best $15 we ever spent! (Please be careful while using it in your tent.)
What to do:
As mentioned above, we went to Silver Springs State Park, and ya’ll… it was so neat there! My goodness…. there was much to see and learn. We spent the entire day there. It was a good thing that they allowed us to go in and out of the park without additional fees to each lunch. Who knew about Florida springs? Not me for sure! Until we started planning this trip, I had no idea about the springs in this state and why and how it’s formed. First, it’s so neat and it’s so BEAUTIFUL! The water is crystal clear, and we can’t wait to swim in it when it’s warmer.
You have to do the glass bottom boat ride! It’s super educational and just a very peaceful ride with stunning views. There’s so much history there as well… They had a list of movies that were filmed there too, and we actually watched one of them that night at our campsite! So, what’s the cost? There’s an entrance fee and the glass bottom boat was additional, so we spent about $90 total. There are other additional things you can do like kayaking.
The hiking trails are very pretty with all sorts of trees and greeneries that we were not used to seeing. Going there this time of the year was just so pleasant and peaceful. We loved it!
Food:
Because this was an extra long trip, we bought enough groceries for each destination when we got there to save time and to make sure not to spoil any food. We kept eating out to a minimum and made meal plans as we drove to the next city. Then, Craig went shopping for me when we got there. This plan worked out really well…
It’s our tradition to always start off our trip with cup ramen, so we all had that, and this time, Craig wanted to try some camping foods. It actually was pretty good! We had beef stew and chicken fried rice. All you do is pour hot water in it just like cup ramen, so this was a quick and easy dinner for sure!
Instant Oatmeal for breakfast is a plus and hash browns and super easy, but don’t forget your grater and any condiments you may need. We love ketchup on ours!
Hamburgers are always a win for lunch and dinner on the second night was pasta salad and charcuterie board. This may sound fancier than it really is. But, it’s so easy ya’ll!
Charcuterie board - as our younger daughter says, “#ThrowItOn” Yes really… all you have to do is just that! Get your fav cold cuts, cheeses, fruits, crackers and nuts you like and throw it on a board as you see fit! The messier it looks, the better!
Pasta salad - there’s really no “recipe” here either. All you do is cut up your veggies, meat of your choice and cook your pasta. After your pasta cools down, mix it with your veggies and meat. Pour in your fav salad dressing and viola! DONE! Here’s a list of what we use:
Salame for meat, olives, cherry tomatoes, red onions, avocados, cucumbers, red/yellow/orange peppers, penne pasta, balsamic vinaigrette or Olive Garden’s Italian.
And…. always have your s’mores ingredients while camping. Because what’s camping without it, right? For a complete list of what you need for camping, please tap here.
That’s it for our City #1! See you guys soon for the next destination blog post on our 21 day tour!
With much love,
Craig + Unchong
