The Tale of the Rogue Suitcase (Sometimes Things Just Go Wrong)

Traveling is filled with wonder and beauty, new amazing experiences and so much variety. Unfortunately, things don't always go exactly as planned. This week, we thought we'd share one of those stories, the times where things didn't go quite the way we hoped.

You know the feeling - it's been a long trip, and you're on the very last leg. At this point, you can practically see your destination. I don't know about you, but for me, this is the time when I'm most likely to be, shall we say, not quite on my game.

Bria (my five-year-old daughter) and I had been on the road for a couple of weeks, and we stopped at our last hotel before spending a month on the beach with our friends in sunny Melbourne, Florida. Florida was a much-needed break we had been looking forward to for some time, and we had already been delayed more than once. We were in Valdosta, Georgia, when we hit up Priceline for a place to lay our heads for the night.

From the beginning, the hotel experience was a little strange - I've never seen so many dogs in one place outside of a shelter or a dog park, and the front desk staff didn't seem to speak as much English as I would have expected in Georgia - but we were able to rinse off the stress of the day in a pretty outdoor pool, we got some rest, and in the morning we got a decent early start.

That last day of our trip was a bit hectic. Even though Bria loves to get in the car and head out to see the world, at this point she was definitely not in the mood to be in a car, especially since we had originally planned to be done days earlier. We had to stop several es for recharge breaks, stretching the four hour drive into six or seven. By the time we arrived, relief didn't cover my feelings.

Smiling and talking with our friends in the driveway of their beautiful Melbourne home, I opened the back of the van to grab our suitcase - and it wasn't there.

My heart sank.

My mind raced.

And the picture that formed in my head was crystal clear. I knew exactly where I had left it.

As we left the hotel in Valdosta, Bria and I held hands and talked about our big plans when we arrived in Florida. With my spare hand, I wheeled the purple suitcase containing my laptop, the work I had brought inside the night before, our toiletries, and a week of clothes. Hanging from the handle was a plastic bag containing two new outfits and a swim suit I had bought for Bria the day before.

We maneuvered that way down the stairs and across the parking lot to the van, I "parked" the suitcase and crawled into the backseat to help Bria into her car seat. Then I got into the driver's seat and set my GPS for Melbourne, leaving the suitcase right where I had set it, in the hotel parking lot.

Ack!

Just as I was beating myself up over my terrible bout of forgetfulness, my phone rang. My hubby has a knack for being the calm in a rough situation, and he had me send him the name and number for the hotel so he could call and see if they would overnight the case to us. There's nothing quite like having a good support system in place when you are traveling, no matter what may come up!

The details are uninteresting, but delivery didn't seem to be an option, and four phone calls later, I finally got someone who spoke enough English that I confirmed my bag was indeed still there. I asked them to please hang onto it, letting them know I would drive up to get it.

What followed should probably be its own travel oopsy, or maybe an episode of a goofy sitcom!

My friend and I decided the four of us (her and her six-year-old, Bria and me) would head out on an adventure and get the bag together. After getting a really late start, we thought we would drive through the night to Valdosta and then do some exploring the next day, but some serious meltdowns in the backseat led us to get a hotel room in Jacksonville.

In the morning, we set out on what should have been about a 90 minute drive to Valdosta.

About an hour later, the blood rushed from my face as I realized something I could only laugh at - we had left Jacksonville on the wrong highway, and were now moving at 65 miles per hour in the complete wrong direction.

Seriously, at this point I was wondering if I had some bad karma coming or something!

I pulled over to get my head straight and study the map, and my friend played with the girls in a roadside park while I came up with a new plan. There - between us and Valdosta - was Okefenokee Swamp. Wasn't that a made up place in episodes of Scooby Doo? Whatever it was, it was huge, and I hoped it would be 

A couple of Google searches later, we were on our way for an adventure of crocodile-ic proportions. And we had such a blast! Check out our post on the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to see some of the cool animals and birds we were able to spy on this (completely intentional) detour.

With Okefenokee in our rearview, soon we were at the hotel. I took a deep breath, not sure what I was about to find, and went in. 

"Haha, you decided to pick it up, huh?" the tall, thin 20-something behind the hotel's front desk (who spoke perfect English, by the way) laughed, and disappeared into the office.

I held my breath, and he reappeared with my suitcase, shopping bag still around the handle, exactly the way I had left it. I resisted the urge to break into a happy dance there in middle of the lobby.

The trip back was a lot more straight-forward, and included an amazing impromptu visit to the oldest city in Florida, Saint Augustine. Here are our posts about that stop, and a great time dancing in the sand (and some rain) as we ate yummy seafood by the ocean at the Golden Lion.

By way of disclaimer - I swear, I am not nearly as ditzy as this post makes me sound! This is probably the only time I've ever gone on a three day road trip to retrieve something I left at a hotel, but there was the time I screwed up the departure date at the beach house we rented (the cleaning crew showed up, and we thought we had another day), the time our hotel reservations at the all-inclusive hotel somehow didn't show that we had four children with us and not only had they "upgraded" us from a family suite to an adults-only building, they wanted more additional cash than we had even paid for the reservation in the first place, the time I had to call AAA two days in a row while in the middle of Wyoming...

But those are stories for another day.

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Florida: Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Our GPS is set for home, but as we say good-bye to our sweet friends in Melbourne, Florida (and thank them for opening their home to us these past few weeks), there is still a lot of country to see before we land in our beds in North Dakota.

Three girls on a road trip, so many possibilities for things to see! We started out with some searches - National Parks, historical sites, roadside marvels - and then set off on the road home.

Our first stop was Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, near Daytona Beach. This 175-foot-tall tower has the distinction of being the tallest lighthouse in Florida. The beacon's light can be seen up to 18 miles out to sea!

As soon as we saw it, we knew we definitely had to climb it. The lady who sold us our tickets promised five-year-old Bria a sticker if she made it to the top, and then we started up. There are 213 very steep steps to the top, and I'm not sure if I thought that sounded like a lot or not, but whoah! That's a lot of steps up!

We were around halfway when it started to feel like a serious project. Ella and I were both thankful for a sign we had read aloud at the bottom saying kids had to be able to make the steps (up and down) themselves and couldn't be carried - that would have been a lot of steps to lug 30 pounds up!

There were a few places along the way to stop and check out the view, catch your breath, and let people pass you going up or down (the steps are narrow and only passable by one person at a time). Once you reach the top, there is a door that leads outside, and gives a fantastic panoramic view of the beautiful little point where the lighthouse is located. We walked around it a few times, but didn't spend a lot of time, because a storm was coming, and we didn't want to be rushed down in a crowd when they closed the tower.

The trip down was, of course, much easier than the trip up, and soon we were resting on the benches outside. The lighthouse is surrounded by a small museum, which is made up of a series of buildings that once housed lighthouse employees and offices, each filled with assorted artifacts representing the 128 year history of the site. Ponce Inlet is one of 12 lighthouses in the country that have been designated as National Historic Landmarks, sitting at third tallest.

We looked into a few of them, then caught part of a movie about the lighthouse before going inside to check out the gift shop. Just as we stepped inside, an alert came over the radio that it was time to close the lighthouse down due to the impending thunder and lightning.

Pleased with our timing, we continued on our adventure. There is also a scavenger hunt available for the site (pick one up in the gift shop), but we didn't notice it until after the closure. It looked like fun, and would be a good way to engage while exploring the tower and museum.

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is open at 10 a.m., 7 days a week. Closing time is 9 p.m. in the summer months and 6 p.m. the rest of the year. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Ticket sales stop one hour before closing, to allow for ample time to visit the landmark. Admission is $6.95 for adults and $1.95 for children. Visit their website for additional details.

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Florida: Weeki Wachee Springs and Buccaneer Bay

Want to find the best-kept secrets in an area you are visiting? Chat with the locals. We were buying a snack in St. Augustine and got to talking with the college kid who was running the snack bar (he is going to school to be a NICU nurse - how cool is that?), and he made a few suggestions about other places we should take the girls while in Florida. Another local heard us talking and joined in with a tip - Weeki Wachee Springs.

An hour north of Tampa, Weeki Wachee claims to be one of the smallest towns in the country, with a population of 12 (maybe they should spend some time in Eastern Montana?) and a mayor who herself is a former mermaid.

Opened in 1947, the park is the baby of Newton Perry, who was former U.S. Navy and trained SEALS to swim underwater in World War II. Perry was a promoter and a performer, but he was also an inventor - he invented the free-flowing air hose supplying oxygen from an air compressor that allows the mermaids to stay underwater for long periods of time, giving the illusion of breathing underwater with no breathing apparatus.

The spring is pretty amazing in itself. Named Weeki Wachee by the Seminole Indians (meaning little spring or winding river, depending who you ask), the bottom has never been found, despite the efforts of divers. More than 117 million gallons of water, an even 74.4 degrees year-round, comes up through the spring each day. It feeds the Weeki Wachee River, which is a beautiful clear river meandering through curves and turns 12 miles to empty into the Gulf of Mexico.

We took a 20 minute boat ride down the river, but there was an option to rent a kayak and paddle down, too.

We saw birds and fish, two turtles on a log, and an alligator named "Lefty" hanging out along the river. Our guide told us it is more common to see other animals on less busy days.

The river boat ride was a great way to see the gorgeous clear waters of the Weeki Wachee River.

Next we went to the mermaid show. They recommend you line up early, and they mean it! Lining up starts 30 minutes before the show, and goes until capacity is reached.

The mermaid show is performed underwater, of course, but the audience is underwater, too - in a 400 seat submerged theater. The theater is 16 feet below the spring, allowing you to get face-to-face with the beautiful mermaids as they perform their underwater ballet and tricks like eating and drinking underwater.

Reading about the park ahead of time, I must admit I expected more magic and mystery surrounding the mermaids. Instead, we got a behind the scenes look at the history of the Weeki Wachee mermaids and learned a lot about what makes the whole thing tick. That was fun, too, but not what I expected. In fact, the mermaids performed without their tails from about halfway through the show, and showed off some incredible diving skill with a 117-foot free dive.

There are other shows available, as well, so maybe we just selected the wrong one if we were looking for illusion. But it was hot, and no one was up for standing in line for another show.

The girls got their picture taken with a mermaid! Bria kept staring at her, she thought she was beautiful and pretty amazing.

Then it was time to cool off. And I do mean cool off. If 74.4 degrees sounds warm, think about your body temperature. Brrr! We were all pretty shocked when we jumped in the spring. But the water was clear and gorgeous, and we were excited to try the water slides.

Even Bria went down the slide. She stood in line for a long time, but when she splashed into the water, it was well worth it. She did it by herself!

Buccaneer Bay was added 1982. According to their website, it is the only spring-fed water park in Florida. There are four slides, and tubes are available to rent for floating on the river.

This park has the distinction of being a very "local" feeling place - in fact, there are a lot of references (in the show and in talk about the park) about it being a surviving piece of "old" Florida. You can feel that when you are there, and the history is well commemorated. 

A friend who was born and raised in Spring Hill (just a mile or two down the road from Weeki Wachee) described the spring as the "life blood" of Florida. It was very busy the day we were there, and the website says they fill up during the summer and have to cut off entrance. So come early!

Admission prices are reasonable - $13 for adults, $8 for kids 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. That price includes the mermaid show, boat ride, reptile show, and Buccaneer Bay. Annual admissions are also available. They are $60 for an individual or $120 for a family, and because it became a state park in 2008, that includes parks across Florida.

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Florida: Potter's Wax Museum in St. Augustine

We kind of let the guy selling trolley tickets talk us into going to Potter's Wax Museum. (He was sweet and fun, how could we say no?) A maze of life-size figures representing popular culture and history greeted us as we escaped the heat of the day to explore.

Bria was excited to see the Star Wars characters. "Daddy loves this movie!" she proclaimed, and posed for photos to send him.

And of course Elvis. She's always happy to see Elvis!

There were figures from science, including Marie Curie and astronauts. Overall the tour took about 20 minutes, with the adults wandering behind the children as they moved at their own pace.

And the founding fathers - it was fun to match up who was where and talk about things each would be known for.

The wax museum is located in St. Augustine's Old Drugstore building. The building is an Italianate structure built in 1886, which would become the Speissegger Drug Store until the 1960s. The history of the building added to the experience, and we enjoyed reading about it on the historical marker.

This attraction is open from 9-6 Monday through Thursday and until 9 on Friday and Saturday. Admission is $10.59 for adults and $7.41 for kids 6-12. Children 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online, or in combination with a trolley ticket for a discount.

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Florida: St. Augustine's Old Jail

We spent a day in St. Augustine recently. It is such an entertaining little city! Situated on the Atlantic Ocean in northeast Florida, it is the oldest city in the U.S., recently having celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.

One of the highlights of St. Augustine for the girls (Bria and her 6-year-oldfriend) was the Old Jail tour. Actors gave a lively tour filled with stories of crime and punishment, hangings, Sheriff Joe Perry who ran the place (and lived in it with his family), and more.

Our guide had a talent for making heavy things (like a hanging) light and funny - these gallows have seen some crazy things! Living museums are an amazing way to learn about history.

Completed in 1851 and used for more than 60 years, this jail was designed to look like a Victorian home or hotel, so as not to offend the town's wealthy visitors. The company that built it went on to build Alcatraz, It became an attraction in 1954, only one year after it ceased operations.

We learned first hand about life in the jail, including going into the men's and women's quarters and the kitchen, and seeing what the inmates would have been given to eat as they went out on the chain gang. (Luckily that wasn't part of the attraction!)

Sheriff Joe Perry was known for being one of the toughest wardens in the South, so this was definitely not a place any of us would have wanted to be back when it was in operation.

On one side of the jail was the sheriff's home, where he lived with his wife and children. Downstairs there was a parlor, for greeting important guests, and upstairs were the bedrooms. The sheriff's children slept right across the hall from the general population cells!

There were also a few punishments outside the girls decided to try out. The bird cage was definitely not one I was eager to be any part of!

The Old Jail tour is available as an add-on to a trolley tour package. Additional tours are also available, including a Ghosts and Graveyards tour that includes stories of executions that were carried out at the jail.

Check out the other posts from our St. Augustine trip for more fun spots to check out while you are in town.

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Florida: St. Augustine Old Town Trolley

On our way back from a side trip to retrieve a lost bag (oops), we stopped in St. Augustine. We quickly learned we could have spent the entire week in St. Augustine, but we only had one day. We decided to hop on an Old Town Trolley Tour and see as much of the city as we could in a small amount of time!

Much like the trolleys in other tourist cities, this was a great way to see lots of things without having to deal with traffic or parking, or any of that mess. Plus we had a fun guide who knows far more about the city than any of us could dream of reading in a brochure or guide book.

According to their website, the trolley highlights more than 100 historical sites (like this statue of Flagler) and has 23 stops. Your ticket is good for 3 days, so use the opportunity to hop on and off at your leisure. It's a great way to rest tired little legs, too.

Our guide told us stories of the development of St. Augustine into a beautiful tourist destination. In the late 1800s, Henry Flagler (who was John D. Rockafeller's partner in the Standard Oil business) built elaborate hotels that would become the go to winter getaway for the rich. According to our guide, "You couldn't rent a room for the night or the week, you got one for the entire season." 

Flagler was also responsible for the building of the Old Jail we visited - check out our post on that interesting piece of the town's history tomorrow. Learn more about Flagler's influence on the city here.

The trolley tour was fun - we even crashed a wedding or two. (These people were trying to take photos on a very beautiful side street, and we drove through the middle going both ways!)

One of the final stops on our tour was the "Old Senator," a live oak tree that is more than 600 years old, far older than these trees usually get. A Howard Johnson has grown up around it, but the Senator doesn't seem to mind.

At the end of the tour, the kids each got to ring the trolley bell!

The Old Town Trolley starts at $25.74 for adults, $10.30 for kids 6-12, and is free for those 5 and under. You can build your own package, adding on discount tickets to other St. Augustine attractions, as well. We added the Old Jail and Potter's Wax Museum. It also includes free parking.

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Florida: Tide Pools at Sebastian Inlet

Last week, we visited the Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area to play on the fishing pier, visit the museums, and work on their Junior Ranger program. At the time, it looked like everyone and their brother was at the tide pools, but a storm was rolling in, so we decided we needed to come back on another day to check it out.

The inlet is on A1A near Melbourne Beach, Florida. Located on the inland side of the barrier island, it is a good spot for little kids to hang out, because it is protected, mostly shallow, and has lots of sand bars. Then of course there are all of the rocks and crevices to explore for ocean life!

It isn't quite what I expected when I heard the term "tide pools," but that didn't make it any less fun to investigate. (I'm more apt to think of tide pools as the shallow sort you splash around in up to your ankles, like those in Washington and Oregon.)

There were crabs and lots of interesting fish, barnacles, limpets - and you weren't just looking at them from a distance, you were literally able to shimmy right up next to them.

We didn't see any manatees the day we were there, but from what I have read (and the signs with instructions on what to do if one comes near you), this must be a popular hangout for them.

This wasn't the cleanest beach I have been to (come on, people, clean up after yourselves!), but that is probably a reflection on how busy it can be. We were there at low tide, but I would venture it doesn't matter a lot. This was a really neat little spot to take the small ones to.

Admission is $8 per carload, and includes both sides of the park. There are camping areas available, as well. Come for the afternoon, or come for the weekend! You're sure to find lots to explore.

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