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Tumble Farms – A 10-Acre Dream In The Making, Day 164

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 19, 2020
Categories In Florida, The Days Of The Trip
No Comments on Tumble Farms – A 10-Acre Dream In The Making, Day 164

Today we found ourselves reminiscing about our little farm back in Ohio as we settled in for the night at Tumble Farms.

We were invited to park our camper in the center of Nick and Maureen’s 10-acre farm for the night, on our travels through Gainesville, Florida.

Little did we know, after arriving there, we would be thrown back in time to when we started our little 3 acre farm back in 2010.

You see, this ambitious couple started their journey to own this property just a short 3 years ago.

Tumble Farms hosts tiny home tenants to stay on their property. And they used to rent this tiny home as well, before it sold.

And since then, with a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, cuts, bruises and more, their dream of owning a self-sustaining farm, is becoming a reality.

However, everyone knows, that being a ‘backyard farmer’ won’t support the basic needs to cover life expenses. And this is especially true in Florida.

Although, Nick and Maureen have found a way to make it work.

Property Sharing at Tumble Farm

The turning point for this couple is when they began to share their property with others.

blue tiny home — This tiny home has been on the property for a little over two years.

And yes, I mean literally share their property, buildings, and structures with other tenants.

They are the current host to three, owner-occupied tiny homes that sit on the perimeter of their property. The homes are self-contained and the owners are active participants on the farm.

Although they earn a monthly income from each of these tenants, they also host nightly, weekly or monthly guests in three other separate units.

inside the scamp — The vintage 5th wheel camper – the place where the dreams of Tumble Farms began.

The first is the vintage Scamp, 5th wheel camper where Nick and Maureen lived while purchasing the property. It sits at the front entrance of Tumble Farms, shaded beautifully by an oak tree.

The Tofu House

And then there is the old pole barn that they termed ‘The Tofu House”. This space holds 3 beds and 1 bath and can accommodate a family of 6. The rustic, welcoming space is perfect for those that want to get away to a country atmosphere, yet still be close to the big city of Gainesville.

tofu house at tumble farms — The Tofu House has enough room to accommodate 6 people on the farm.

The Garden Cottage

And if you are looking for a peaceful, rustic getaway for 2 then you must stay at the Garden Cottage. Once a garden shed at Tumble Farms, the space is now converted into a 1 bedroom, 1 bath cottage.

Attached to the back of the cottage is a compostable toilet and shower room that includes state of the art bathroom equipment, including a large rainfall shower head.

bath house — The Garden Cottage has a compostable toilet and shower room attached to the back of the building.

The space even includes an outdoor, porch seating area with string lights for lighting at night.

But don’t think that it is too rustic. The garden cottage also has air conditioning and a heating unit to deal with the swings in temperature that are common in Florida.

And each of the guests are welcome to walk around Tumble Farms and enjoy the goats, hens, horses, donkey, cows, pigs, and whatever else you might find on the farm!

camper at Tumble Farms — Our little camper seemed to fit in just fine at Tumble Farms.

Just like when we started out building our dream back in Ohio, Nick and Maureen have found a way to make it work for them! And after speaking with them, they have a lot of wonderful projects and additions planned for their Tumble Farms in the future!

And we can’t wait to stay in touch and see where this journey takes them.

Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 164 of 365
States : 21/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Lake Butler, Florida
Miles Driven : 144.7
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,630.9
Total Gallons Used : 1268.4
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 1.2
Hiking Miles To Date : 372.6

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

You can follow along by signing up for our twice weekly email updates at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us on Facebook : Live Simple Tour Facebook and Instagram : Live Simple Now Instagram Page.

Spending The Night Camping With A Few Funny Fainting Goats – Day 163

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 18, 2020
Categories In Florida, The Days Of The Trip
2 Comments on Spending The Night Camping With A Few Funny Fainting Goats – Day 163

We certainly added a new camping experience to our trip with tonight’s stay at a fainting goat farm in Florida! And to be completely honest, we loved absolutely every second of it!

When Mary happened to find the Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, Florida on the list of Harvest Hosts sites, we knew we had to make it a stop!

fainting goats at Golden Acres — There was so much more than just the cute fainting goats. Like this sheep, who Bobbie told us would love to tear us up if we got close to him! Still cute though 🙂

After all, we have already stayed at alpaca, horse, and cattle ranch farms. So why not spend the evening with some fainting goats too!

But we were definitely surprised at just how much fun we would have. Not only did we get a personal tour of the farm, we even had the chance to bottle feed one of the baby goats! (You can see it on our Facebook page here : Feeding Baby Goats)

A Little Like Home…

As soon as we pulled in, we knew we it was going to be a memorable stay. Just driving down the long driveway, we encountered honey bee hives, chickens, guinea hens, goats, sheep – and some amazing Pyrenees dogs on duty protecting all of the above.

In a lot of ways, it felt like home to us with the chickens and bees and wide open space. And as we parked our camper between two large trees overlooking the property, we knew it was going to be a good night’s stay.

The Golden Acres Ranch

Bobbie Golden and her husband started the artisan ranch back in the early 2000’s, and as she toured us around the farm, you could tell in a heartbeat just how much she enjoys it all.

Together, the couple raises naturally Myatonic goats (Fainting Goats). Not only are they fascinating goats, but they are absolutely adorable. They also raise sheep, chickens, guinea hens, and even board animals as well. But beyond the animals, there is also their small grove of fascinating Mayhaw fruit trees.

Mayhaw trees grow only in a small swath of parallel land that runs along Florida, Louisiana and a small portion of Texas. It was a fruit neither Mary or myself knew about prior to staying at the farm.

The farm store at Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello — The farm store is stocked with all kinds of jellies, jams, syrups and local crafts and products.

But do they ever make delicious jam and syrup! We ended up with a jar of the pepper jelly, and I am fairly sure it won’t make it out of the state. They sell the jam and jelly, along with all kinds of other locally made products in the small farm store right on the property.

One Amazing Night On A Fainting Goat Farm

It was truly a magical evening. With our windows open and the screens in place on a perfect Florida night, we could hear the sounds of the farm. And to us, it was heaven!

new guinea — The Guinea hens love to roost on the walkway up to the house. The farm is filled with animals everywhere you look, and it certainly was one of our favorite stays so far.

It’s just one more reason we love using the Harvest Hosts program to find unique stays all over the Unites States! For more on Golden Acres Ranch, check out their website at goldenacresranchflorida.com

For us, it is on through Florida as we head towards Gainesville and an overnight stay at another farm. Who knows what we will find there! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 163 of 365
States : 21/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Monticello, Florida
Miles Driven : 186.2
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,486.2
Total Gallons Used : 1258.0
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 2.1
Hiking Miles To Date : 371.4

Seaside, Florida – A Surreal Community Like No Other, Day 162

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 17, 2020
Categories In Florida, The Days Of The Trip
4 Comments on Seaside, Florida – A Surreal Community Like No Other, Day 162

Today we found ourselves on the streets of Seaside, Florida. And I have to admit, we walked around this beautiful community in a state of perplexity.

It truly was a surreal feeling as we pulled down street of scenic 30A. We had already made a trip to Destin. So we decided to head further east to Fort Walton Beach and drove past the sandy dunes of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

But when we veered off interstate 98 to drive the more scenic route along the Gulf Coast, we quickly realized that we landed someplace special.

seaside shops — The restaurants and shops on the beach side of Seaside, Florida.

After driving through the quaint seaside village of Grayton, we entered into the small community of Water Color and then into Seaside.

It was then that we realized that we had arrived into a master-mind village. This is where a community is designed and built on the concept of New Urbanism.

The primary focus of these type of communities is to provide the residents with all their needs within a 5 minute walking distance from their homes.

Along the sidewalk of route 30A are food trucks that line the community park. But not just any food trucks – they are all Air Stream food trucks.

The center of the town focuses on small markets, restaurants, shops, parks and community spaces. And the remaining area is set aside for quaint cottages with large front porches for social gatherings.

So when we pulled into the bustling town of Seaside, we knew that we had to stop and check it out.

Seaside, Florida

As we walked the brick lined sidewalks of Seaside, we quickly realized that this has been the main filming location of the movie The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey.

Seaside post office — Even the post office is unique here in Seaside, Florida.

There are lush gardens and native trees that are scattered throughout the landscape. And bright beach like cottages that fill the residential streets that wind behind the center of town.

And the majority of the homes have a sign hanging on the front, white picket fence indicating the nickname of the home.

We saw cottages name “The Happy Place”, “The Escape”, “Flip Flop Frontier”, “The Truman House”, and more.

So we decided that if we ever lived in Seaside, Florida that the name of our beach cottage would be “The Simple Life”.

However, in all reality, there would be no way that we would ever be able to live here.

Although these New-Urbanism communities were built on bringing people together and decreasing the need for travel to and from work, school, and shopping, it is still a beach town.

Homes For Sale

realtor board — The Seaside Realtor board with the listings of the homes for sale. STICKER SHOCK!!!

And the cost of living here represents that. We took a picture of the Realtors board listing the current homes for sale. Therefore, you can see the hefty asking prices of these cottages.

However, it was fun to walk around this beautiful community for the day and imagine what these people must do for a living to be able to afford to live here.

But the best of all, at the end of the night, we will head back to our beautiful 18 foot T@B 400 Camper and be just as happy as those living in Seaside, Florida!

seaside pavillon — The Seaside pavilion that will lead you straight to the beach.

Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 162 of 365
States : 21/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Holt, Florida
Miles Driven : 173.0
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,300.5
Total Gallons Used : 1,244.64
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 1.2
Hiking Miles To Date : 369.3

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

Enjoying The “Squeaky” White Sand Beaches of Destin, Florida – Day 161

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 16, 2020
Categories In Florida, The Days Of The Trip
2 Comments on Enjoying The “Squeaky” White Sand Beaches of Destin, Florida – Day 161

If there is one place we fell in love with a few years back while visiting, it was Destin, Florida.

Prior to leaving the 9 to 5 daily routine, I was fortunate enough to have the difficult “work” task of heading to Destin for a convention. I still remember the exact works Mary uttered when I told her of the tough assignment: “I’m going too!”

We had always heard how incredible the white sand beaches were, and had always wanted to go. So when the opportunity presented itself, there was just simply no way she was letting me get there first! 🙂

That week turned out to be a beautiful week of weather, and we truly fell in love with the entire area. And as we planned this trip, we knew revisiting Destin, Florida was a must for sure!

In fact, so much so, that before the trip ever began, we set aside one complete day in the travel planner to simply relax from the trip in Destin. And luckily, today was that day!

The “Squeaky” White Beaches of Destin

Although the weather was a bit overcast, the warm, humid temperatures made it perfect for strolling the beaches. We both love beach walking, and you just can’t find better beaches to do that than here.

Between the crystal-clear blueish-green water, and the ultra-white smooth sand, it is a beach walkers dream. And of course, the famous squeaking sand just adds to it all.

The sand at Destin, Florida can be a bit squeaky for sure.

Anyone that has been to Destin, Florida and walked the beach knows exactly what I am referring to. The sand really does squeak as you walk. Quite loudly in fact.

Believe it or not, it is all rooted in a little science and geology. Long ago, quartz rock from the Appalachian Mountain range made its way down to these beaches. And along the way, the waters polished the quartz into ultra-fine bits of sand.

So much so, that the very smooth quartz squeaks loudly anytime it pressed down on by foot traffic.

One Good Day On The Road

One thing is for sure, squeaky or not, walking today along the beach was pure joy for both of us. I think we could have walked 20 miles if time would have allowed. We ended the day at The Back Porch restaurant, one of our favorites here from our last visit.

Back Porch Restaurant - Destin, Florida — A perfect ending to a perfect day along the shores of Destin, Florida.

And as we sat enjoying a few peel-and-eat shrimp and a glass of wine while overlooking the water – we realized it really was the perfect ending to a perfect day on the road!

But tomorrow we head on! It is time to cover more of the Panhandle of Florida, as we start to work our way down through this beautiful sunshine state! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 161 of 365
States : 21/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Pensacola, Florida
Miles Driven : 12.0
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,127.5
Total Gallons Used : 1,232.19
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 4.5
Hiking Miles To Date : 367.1

About Our Living Simple Tour

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

Pensacola, Florida – America’s First Settlement, Day 160

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 15, 2020
Categories In Florida, The Days Of The Trip
2 Comments on Pensacola, Florida – America’s First Settlement, Day 160

Today we said goodbye to Alabama and then crossed over the state border into Pensacola, Florida.

Although both of us have spent quite a bit of time in Florida over the years, this is one city that neither of us had been to before.

So we decided to take a little time out of our day and explore the area.

Downtown Pensacola

We arrived in the downtown Pensacola area, right after a Mardi Gras parade had ended.

Therefore, the streets were still full of life and activity. We then drove around for a bit and decided that we had to stop and walk down Palafox Avenue.

Here you can find all sorts of local shops, boutiques and restaurants.

But if you keep walking, you will find yourself in a beautiful green space, right in the middle of the divided street. The park, Plaza Ferdinand VII, was named after the King of Spain.

Pensacola park — A beautiful park right in the the middle of Palafox Street.

It is home to several beautiful magnolia trees that shade park benches and walk ways. And scattered throughout the park are a few sculptures in the area signifying historical events and people of the Pensacola area.

It truly is a beautiful park and it appears to be well utilized by the amount of visitors that we saw.

Right across the street from the park we noticed a large crowd around O’Riley’s Irish Pub. By this time we had worked up a great appetite so we decided to head on over for a bite to eat.

Pensacola Pelicans

We were lucky to find an empty table outside on the front sidewalk. This allowed us to not only enjoy a delicious meal, but also gave us a chance to ‘people watch’, as well.

As we sat and ate our dinner, we met a wonderful couple from nearby Navarre Beach. We first struck up a conversation about how beautiful Pensacola is. Then they gave us a little insight about Pensacola and all of the wonderful activities that it has to offer.

In fact, they love it so much that they have plans to move within walking distance to the downtown area.

o'reily's irish pub — We were lucky to get an outside table at ***O’Reily’s Irish Pub*** which is decorated in Mardi Gras gear.

And because there is so much history here, we decided to learn more about the development of the area.

History of Pensacola

In 1559 the first settlement of the region came from the residents of present-day Mexico. Eleven ships anchored in the bay, with 1500 settlers, and established a colony on the site of today’s Naval Air Station Pensacola.

However this settlement didn’t last long. Over the next two years, hurricanes destroyed the entire area. Therefore, the surviving settlers fled to develop their communities elsewhere.

It wasn’t until 1699 that Pensacola was reestablished.

downtown — Downtown Pensacola decorated and light up at night.

And if you head to Pensacola Beach, you will see a reminder of those that once called this area home.

For example, there is a concrete cross that sits atop one of the sand dunes on the beach. The Island Cross is a Pensacola Beach landmark that commemorates the first religious service in the Pensacola area on August 5, 1559.

It was dedicated as a memorial in 1954 and became the most famous meeting location for visitors heading to the beach. And although it withstood many hurricanes over the years, it was finally destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

However, it was such an important representation of the history in Pensacola that it was reconstructed in 2006.

And this is just a one beautiful dedication of many, in an impressive coastal city.

Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 160 of 365
States : 21/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Pensacola, Florida
Miles Driven : 45.5
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,115.5
Total Gallons Used : 1,231.33
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 5.2
Hiking Miles To Date : 362.6

Our 5 Biggest Bloopers And Blunders Of The Trip So Far – Day 159

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 14, 2020
Categories In Alabama, The Days Of The Trip
12 Comments on Our 5 Biggest Bloopers And Blunders Of The Trip So Far – Day 159

When it comes to making a few bloopers and blunders, we certainly can’t say we’ve escaped without a few along the way.

All in all, this trip has gone about as smoothly as we could have ever hoped for. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t made a few mistakes along the tour’s path. Some totally self-inflicted, others with a bit of help.

But hey, if you can’t admit your gaffes and laugh about it, you are just taking life too seriously.

So here is a look at our five biggest blunders and bloopers of the trip so far. And yes, we said so far, because we know with 30 states to go, there will be plenty more to laugh about!

5 Biggest Bloopers & Blunders

#1 Leaving Without Our Camper

You might think this would be nearly impossible to do, but we did it. Thankfully only once. Well, so far anyway.

We hitch up and unhitch a lot. Sometimes our campground stays are just for a night. Other times, they may be for two or three days so we can branch out from a single point to see nearby attractions.

No matter how organized you are, trust me, it can get confusing. And that is exactly what happened at a campground we had been at for a few days. We both simply thought we had another night to be there.

camper and truck — You would think it would be hard to forget an 18′ long camper. It turns out, it’s not!

And so we headed out down the road heading to our next adventure in the next city. Actually, 15 miles down the road. And then we realized it! We were actually not spending any more nights there, and should have left with the camper.

As we drove back and stopped in at the office to tell them sheepishly of our mistake – they laughed and said they had just figured we were going to stay another night.

#2 The Nightmare On Elm Street

We are pretty careful about researching our campgrounds and stays. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big mistake once in a while.

As we were approaching a stay we had booked at a “rural farm campsite” – we were a bit taken back when we pulled up only to see a field of overgrown grass, old farm equipment and trucks. Even worse, a very scary looking “office” in an old barn that was certainly not going to stand up to the next storm.

The final straw was a street signed marked “Elm” in the yard. All we could think of was Nightmare On Elm Street. As you can guess, we opted not to stay, and instead spent the night camping “safely” another 30 miles up the road in a Cracker Barrel parking lot.

#3 Going The Wrong Way

Again, travel enough, and some bloopers and blunders will happen. Like turning the wrong way at least once.

Seattle driving can be tough enough as it is. Busy, narrow roads, and of course, a lot of one-way streets. And so it was, using our beloved GPS (which obviously didn’t know where it told us to turn was a one-way street) – we found ourselves turning into 4 lanes of one-way traffic. Luckily – they were all stopped at a light just a few hundred feet up the road!

They were all extremely nice and patient, with one good Samaritan stepping out to make sure no-body moved until we turned the truck and camper around.

#4 Driving On A Sidewalk – And Not Knowing It

So if you ask us whose fault this one is, we will both laugh and go to our graves pointing the finger at the other person.

But while driving through the campus of Oregon with the camper, we somehow ended up (without knowing) driving on a sidewalk down the middle of campus. Mind you, it was a big sidewalk.

We started to realize, with all the strange looks, that somehow we were not on a road anymore. Luckily, most students and faculty walking on the sidewalk must of thought we were some special event. They very graciously stepped aside to let us through.

All of course embarrassing, but luckily we made it across to another street without drawing the suspicion of the campus police!

#5 Getting The Story All Wrong

Now this one wasn’t really our blunder, but it turned out pretty hilarious. We did a local interview for a TV station a few days before Christmas. We told the usual story about the trip, and thought nothing more.

Until they aired the story on Christmas day. Apprarently, something was lost in the translation. As the story told to local viewers went, we had sold everything we owned – house, possessions and all – and left to travel the country for the rest of our lives.

filming of the state map — We have had a lot of neat coverage of the trip, but one story had us selling off all of our possessions and living on the road forever!

No mention of the 50 states, or writing a book, or even that we still had a place to call home! Good thing our family and friends didn’t hear that one, they truly would have thought we lost our minds!

Here is to laughing at your bloopers and blunders no matter where you are – on to Florida we go! Happy Traveling, Jim and Mary.

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 159 of 365
States : 20/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Robertsdale, Alabama
Miles Driven : 72.6
Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,070
Total Gallons Used : 1,228.08
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 3.1
Hiking Miles To Date : 357.4

Orange Beach, Alabama – A Sunny Day Spent On The Gulf Coast, Day 158

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 13, 2020
Categories In Alabama, The Days Of The Trip
4 Comments on Orange Beach, Alabama – A Sunny Day Spent On The Gulf Coast, Day 158

Today we took advantage of a bright and sunny day and headed to Orange Beach, Alabama.

This beach is one of the most-visited and developed beach resort towns in Alabama. And it is considered a twin coast city of Gulf Shores.

Both are located about 1 hour outside of Mobile. However, Orange Beach is located solely along the Gulf of Mexico. And it is the eastern most community on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Between the two cities, there are thirty-two miles of sugar-white sand beaches. These are made almost entirely of fine, quartz grains washed down from the Appalachian Mountains thousands of years ago.

But unlike most of the Coastal Mississippi area, the beaches here are filled with towering hotels and condo buildings that line the sandy beaches.

orange beach hotels — Unlike the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Orange Beach is lined with hotels and condos.

However, that doesn’t mean that this beach is like every other tourist beach town. In fact, we found it very quaint and inviting, and it had a small town feel to it.

Orange Beach definitely still displays the Southern Alabama hospitality charm. However, mixed in the culture is a hip and eclectic vibe that helps attract visitors from all ages.

A Day In Orange Beach, Alabama

When we arrived at Orange Beach early in the day, we decided that we would take advantage of the dry, sunny weather and walk the beach.

orange beach pier — From the public parking area there is a pier that will take you right to the beach.

We walked across the public parking lot to a pier that led to the beach. I quickly removed my socks and shoes and rolled up my pants so that we could walk close to the water.

As we strolled down the white, sandy beach I noticed that it was filled with tiny seashells. And although I wanted to take a handful home, I resisted the urge and just enjoyed the simple beauty of each one as we passed by.

We continued our walk looking at the huge hotels and condos and greeted everyone that we passed with a friendly “Good Morning”.

toy chest — I love the extra gesture of a designated area that you can use or donate beach toys!

However, we had to keep our eye on the tide as we walked. There were times that we quickly had to run to higher ground as the tide might have come in a little higher than we anticipated.

But I didn’t mind getting splashed with a little sand and ocean water. In fact, it was quite refreshing.

We finally decided it was time to turn and around and head back to where we parked. By the end of our walk it was well past lunch time. However, it wasn’t until we reached our vehicle that we both realized how hungry we were.

The Wharf

So we headed inland and arrived at The Wharf in Orange Beach. This area is an entertainment and shopping district just north of the beach itself. Not to mention it is the home to a state of the art marina that sits on the wharf itself.

ocean beach alabama ferris wheel — The Wharf area is full of shops, restaurants and entertainment opportunities, like this Ferris Wheel.

As we walked down the palm tree lined street we saw a variety of restaurants in the distance. From high-end restaurants to To-Go Daiquiri stands (yes, that is a thing), there was plenty to choose from.

So we decided to stroll around and that is when it hit me! I recalled a wonderful couple that we met from Texarkana, Arkansas recommended that we eat at Ginny Lane Bar & Grill if we ever visited The Wharf at Orange Beach.

Orange beach marina — Behind all of the shops and restaurants sits a beautiful marina.

And within minutes, we found ourselves at their front door. After we enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the marina we decided to continue our journey down the street.

We enjoyed strolling through the local boutiques and gift shops that were located on both floors of the buildings that lined the street.

And before we left for the day, we enjoyed a cup of mid-day coffee at The Southern Grind. It was nice to stop and relax for the day, and be able take in the beautiful beach and town of Orange Beach, Alabama.

Southern Grind coffee shop — Before we headed back to our campsite, we enjoyed kicking back and relaxing at The Southern Grind Coffee Shop.

Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 158 of 365
States : 20/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Robertsdale, Alabama
Miles Driven : 102.2
Total Trip Miles To Date : 16,977.7
Total Gallons Used : 1,221.42
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 1.9
Hiking Miles To Date : 354.3

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

The Story Behind The Trip – The Power Of Doing What You Love! Day 157

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 12, 2020
Categories In Alabama, The Days Of The Trip
4 Comments on The Story Behind The Trip – The Power Of Doing What You Love! Day 157

So just what exactly is the story behind the trip?

The question comes up often whenever we meet someone out on the road. In fact, usually, at least a few times every single day. “How did the idea for this trip come to you – and how did you two plan it and pull it off?”

Chevy Silverado and Camper — This trip is truly a dream come true. Hard to believe it is almost 6 months now on the road!

Well, we happened to have an opportunity to talk about all of that today during an interview with a local TV station here on the Gulf Coast. And it got us to thinking that perhaps it is a story we should share on this blog as well. ( You can see the video segment from today here : FOX10 With Jim & Mary )

The Real Story Behind The Trip

So who is this crazy couple leaving their home for a year and heading around the country to all 50 states?

The story really begins in late 2010, when we decided to start a little 3 acre self-sufficient “farm” just east of central Ohio. We came up with the name Old World Garden Farm, mainly because we wanted it to be a throwback to the more simple farms of yesteryear. Where most of the food you consumed was grown right there – and all organically.

the story behind the trip - old world garden farms — The farm as it looked the summer of 2010. One mass of overgrown field for sure!

At the time we were busy with both of our professional careers, and 4 teenage children and crazy schedules. We longed for a slower pace to allow time for the things we loved to do most, and to simply spend more time with our family and friends.

We had always both loved to write, garden and travel. Those hobbies and passions were our shared loves. But we simply never made it a priority to focus on those loves. We were guilty of what many are, thinking “someday” we will have time.

We dreamed of having that little tiny farm. A place to grow some of our own food, raise a few chickens and maybe even keep a honey bee hive or two.

We also wanted to be able to travel more, maybe see all 50 states! And lastly, we wanted to share it with our family and friends and finally have time to write. Both of us, long before we were together always dreamed of someday writing a book.

But most of all, we wanted to do those things when we were young enough to be able to enjoy them all. But those can all be hard when your life is hectic and cluttered. And even harder if you simply keep saying “We will do it someday.”

chickens on the farm — I think one of our proudest moments came when we raised our first flock of chickens in 2011 on our little farm. This was Foghorn – he was one of our favorites for sure!

Making A Pact

So we made a pact together in early 2010. To focus on our dreams in some shape or form every day. Even if it was for just 5 or 10 minutes each day.

It started with simplifying our life. Realizing we didn’t need to work for things, but for experiences. Our first action plan was to start working on an overgrown 3 acre plot of land we owned to turn it into the little farm we had always wanted.

the garden at Old World Garden Farms — Combining our loves of gardening, writing and cooking has been a dream come true for us.

And we loved every minute of the process. So much so that every spare minute we had, you could find us out there. Planting a garden. Building a chicken coop and barn from recycled materials. And loving what we were getting to do.

And then a funny thing happened that changed our life forever. It turns out that doing what we loved and focusing on simplifying our life helped us more than we even knew possible.

Old World Garden Farms

In 2011, we started a little blog called Old World Garden Farms. It honestly began as a joke. A way for us to update friends and family on our progress. Family that perhaps thought we had lost our minds creating our “simple life” on the farm.

the real story behind the story — We have loved every single minute of building Old World Garden Farm together from scratch.

We began writing about all of our crazy adventures. Like building a chicken coop and raising chicks for the first time. Or creating the farm’s barn for nearly free by tearing down (2) hundred-year old barns and making one from the remnants.

Along the way we would post a few of our favorite recipes too. All simply to tell the story of slowing down and making life matter.

We are still not sure to this day how or why, but the blog somehow resonated with folks from all over. First a few followers, then a hundred. Within a few years, it had grown to a few hundred thousand following from 200+ countries around the globe. And it just kept going.

the barn — Tearing down two old barns to create ours was one of our favorite projects looking back. I think we were more proud to say we built the entire barn for under $500!

It was nothing special. Just simple recipes from our garden. Articles on our garden and how we grew things. And of course, more stories of the fun we had with the whole process.

We discovered how much we loved writing and speaking about our adventures and our passions of building, gardening, cooking and traveling to place to learn more. And before we knew it, we had published our first book, Growing Simple, in April of 2016.

In general, finding love in the simple things in life that we enjoyed most. We never imagined it could become our “career”, but it somehow did.

Chasing Dreams…

In 2018, we published our second book, Raised Row Gardening. and launched two additional websites, This Is My Garden, and Make Your Meals.

Each allowed us a dedicated outlet to concentrate on two of our most favorite loves, gardening and cooking.

The barn and the camper together before we left in September.

It was at that point that we knew we had found what we loved to do. And, what we were meant to do! Over the course of a few years, we each retired from our professional day jobs to work at our passion. To do what we love to do every day is and will always be more important to us than chasing corporate dreams or salaries.

As we now often say, it is not that you only live once, it is that you only die once. And neither of us wanted to ever die not doing the things we love most.

But there was one thing left we had still had to accomplish. And that is the final chapter to the story behind the trip.

Setting Sail – The Story Behind The Trip

We had made a pact that when we retired, we were going to set sail and travel. And we realized, that now that we could write from anywhere, it was time to make it happen.

It was a dream for both of us, and one that is now full on as we head across these magnificent 50 states!

the story behind the trip — It will be one incredible day when we get to fill them all in!

We still continue to write on the road for all of our sites, and of course, added this travel site to document our year long excursion in the camper too. On many mornings along the route, you can often find us for a few hours enjoying a cup of coffee in a local coffee shop in the early hours of the day – writing all about our passions.

And one thing is for sure – to us, those few hours are anything but work. It is a dream come true – and the real story behind this trip!

Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 157 of 365
States : 20/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Mobile, Alabama
Miles Driven : 63.6
Total Trip Miles To Date : 16,875.5
Total Gallons Used : 1,214.06
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 1.8
Hiking Miles To Date : 352.4

Battleship Memorial Park – Touring A Battleship and Submarine, Day 156

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 11, 2020
Categories In Alabama, The Days Of The Trip
No Comments on Battleship Memorial Park – Touring A Battleship and Submarine, Day 156

Battleship Memorial Park, located in Mobile, Alabama was founded as a memorial park that honors all veterans, of all wars.

And when we found out that you can tour both a Battleship and Submarine that was involved in World War II, we jumped at the chance.

So we drove down to Mobile Bay today to experience what it was like to live, work, eat and sleep in these historic vessels.

Battleship Memorial Park

As you enter into the parking lot, you will immediately see the massive battleship, the USS Alabama, in the distance.

Veterans Memorial Park Tanks — There are several different tanks on the property, including this classic Sherman tank.

But that isn’t the only thing that will catch your eye. In fact, the first thing that you will notice is all the planes and military tanks that are located across the park.

Then when you take a closer look around you will see memorials honoring men and women who fought in modern wars. There is both a Korean and Vietnam memorial. And they also have a Fallen Guardian memorial that honors the lives lost while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard.

But there are a few unique statues on the grounds of Battleship Memorial Park as well. One is dedicated to the Service Animals that lost their lives in the line of duty.

Service Dog Memorial — There is even a memorial dedicated to Service Dogs who lost their lives in the line of service.

In addition there is a Fallen Hero 9/11 Memorial. It pays tribute to all the Alabamians who have given their lives in service since 9/11.

And the newest statue was just added in 2016. It is a bronze sculpture representing all those who have taken the oath of enlistment when joining military service.

After spending some time perusing the grounds at Battleship Memorial Park, we decided to purchase a ticket to tour the USS Alabama Battleship and the USS Drum Submarine.

USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park — Once you get up close, you realize how massive the USS Alabama really is.

The USS Alabama Battleship

Built as part of the South Dakota fleet of fast battleships, the USS Alabama made her maiden voyage in 1942. And within months, she quickly became a battleship in World War II.

With a crew of 2,500 sailors, she received 9 battle stars in just 3 short years. And one of the most famous adventures was when she led the American Fleet into Tokyo Bay on September 5, 1945, the day after the Surrender documents were signed.

Battleship Memorial Park Turrets — The front turrets on the deck of the USS Alabama.

The Battleship was decommissioned in 1947 and scheduled to be scrapped in the early 1960s. But instead, private funds were raised to bring the historic battleship to Memorial Park in Mobile.

In just 4 months and with a lot of blood, sweat and labor from a countless number of volunteers, the USS Alabama was ready for visitors.

guns on the deck of the USS Alabama — I am not sure of the total gun count, but on the deck of the battleship, they are everywhere!

While you are on a self-guided tour, you can walk through, up and around the various levels of Battleship.

Not only will you see all of the weapons mounted on the decks of the ship. But you will also be able to take an up close and personal view of the living and working quarters of the sailors.

Although, this does require climbing small, steep staircases to get to the various levels. But it is well worth it!

control room battleship — The battleship control room aboard the USS Alabama.

The amount of engineering that it took to put this battleship into working order was impressive! Especially when you realize that it was built in the early 1940’s.

After touring the battleship, we decided to head over to the USS Drum submarine stationed just around the corner.

The USS Drum Submarine

This submarine was also commissioned in WWII. It is the oldest American submarine on public display in the United States.

battleship memorial park submarine — The USS Drum is located around the corner from the USS Alabama in Mobile Bay.

It was donated to the Battleship Memorial park in April 1969. And in less than 3 months, it was opened to the public for tours.

Like most submarines, the USS Drum was named after fish. And in this case, the Drum refers to any of the various fish capable of making a drumming noise.

submarine sleeping — The sleeping quarters in the submarine.

There were 72 crew members on board that served in several missions during the war. In fact, the USS Drum earned 12 battle stars.

It sank 15 ships and over 80,000 tons of enemy shipping supplies. And it held 6 torpedo launching tubes.

As we toured the submarine it became quite apparent that the sailors were quite shorter than the average American today. In fact, the average height of a man onboard at the time was 5’6″.

And it was quite obvious that Jim was struggling getting though the doorways and hatches.

In fact, after I climbed up the ladder and through the tiny opening of the periscope room, I pulled out my camera to video him doing the same. And yes, I should have turned my cell phone the other way, but it was a spur of the moment video.

Regardless, it entertaining watching him trying to figure out how to get up there!

The small working and living quarters of both the battleship and the submarine gave us an even bigger appreciation for those that served and continue to serve.

Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 156 of 365
States : 20/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Mobile, Alabama
Miles Driven : 48.4
Total Trip Miles To Date : 16,811.9
Total Gallons Used : 1,209.49
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 1.8
Hiking Miles To Date : 352.4

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

The Incredible Beauty of Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home – Day 155

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date February 10, 2020
Categories In Alabama, The Days Of The Trip
1 Comment on The Incredible Beauty of Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home – Day 155

Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Mobile, Alabama is another perfect example of the incredible hidden gems that exist all over the Unites States. And do we ever love finding them!

Unbeknownst to us before our travels, several of our followers listed it as a “must-see” for our time in Alabama. And it certainly is just that – a must see!

The Bellingrath estate is the former home of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath. Mr. Bellingrath, along with his brother William, made their fortunes in the early 1900’s with Coca-Cola.

Bellingrath Gardens — The courtyard at the estate home at Bellingrath. Mrs. Bellingrath used recycled materials from all over the Mobile area to create the stunning home. She really was ahead of her time in many ways.

Together, in 1903, they purchased franchise rights to sell Coca-Cola in Montgomery, Alabama. Soon after, they purchased the rights for the Mobile area as well. Both of the investments of course, paid off handsomely over the years.

As the business boomed, Walter and Bessie, long-time residents of Mobile, purchased a large section of land that bordered up to the Fowl River.

Originally used as a weekend get-away and fishing camp, Mrs. Bellingrath, with her love of gardening, turned the grounds into an unbelievable personal garden. Finally, by the mid-1930’s, the two decided to turn it into their full time home.

The Bellingrath Gardens

The gardens are a sight to behold. Camellias were one of Mrs. Bellingrath’s favorite flowers and the flowers play a prominent role on the grounds.

With over 400 varieties of this gorgeous blooming perennial, it is a glowing tribute to the state flower of Alabama. And did we ever hit the timing of their blooms perfectly – they were out everywhere!

Camellias at Bellingrath — With masses of Camellias, Azaleas & Roses in every direction, the grounds are simply stunning. There truly is something in bloom for every season. Our visit found us in perfect timing for the Camellias, with the Azaleas just preparing to unfold.

But there is so much more than just camellias at the gardens. The azaleas are just about to burst onto the scene as well, and summer will bring the color of roses, hydrangeas and soaring tropicals. It is never ending. In fact, on Bellingrath Gardens website, you can even find a link to see what is in bloom, month by month. See : What’s In Bloom at Bellingrath

As she continued to create more and more gardens at the estate, Mrs. Bellingrath eventually convinced her husband to open the grounds up to the public for their enjoyment as well.

Strolling through the 65 acres, you can’t help but be impressed with the walkways, water features and flowers.

And so it was that even long before the two passed away, the public began to visit Bellingrath.

With our shared passion of all things gardening, we fell in love with the gardens instantly. So much so that we are going to do a full feature on it for an upcoming article on our This Is My Garden site as well. There is just so very much to enjoy!

The Bellingrath Estate

As if the 65 acres of Bellingrath Gardens wasn’t enough to impress, there is the 10,000+ square foot estate home. With 15 rooms, open courtyards and spectacular views of the Fowl river, it is a marvel to see.

We took a fascinating one-hour tour through the home, learning about the family’s history along the way. The residence is kept just as it looked when the family lived there – and it really is interesting to see it all just at it was.

What a kitchen this must have been in the 1930’s! Two stoves, two dishwashers, and plenty of space to cook.

The home was designed by the well-known and respected Mobile architect George Rogers – with quite a bit of input from Mrs. Bellingrath along the way.

Mobile Alabama — The tour of the home was so interesting to both of us. Mrs. Bellingrath was quite the collector, from fine china, to dolls, porcelain figurines and more.

In addition to her love of all things gardening, she was quite ahead of her time in reusing materials in the building process. Much of the flagstone, brick and iron used throughout the home were salvaged from buildings, hotels and walkways in Mobile, New Orleans, and other cities of the south.

All in all, it was truly a fascinating day. Bellingrath Gardens & Home is for sure a must see! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

Day 155 of 365
States : 20/50
National Parks / Monuments : 20
Stayed In : Mobile, Alabama
Miles Driven : 54.2
Total Trip Miles To Date : 16,763.5
Total Gallons Used : 1206.00
Biking Miles : 0.0
Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
Hiking Miles : 4.7
Hiking Miles To Date : 350.6

About Our Living Simple Tour

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States