I am thinking ahead to my next adventures. I will complete my 3-month stint at Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in Melrose, FL, on Dec 6. With Thanksgiving, that leaves 6 working days!  I will miss this beautiful slice of creation and all the people and critters I have met.

Still, I am excited about the next phase of my winter journey. I was thinking about visiting Cuba since it is so close but decided to save my money. My goal now is to fly to Alaska in June and check out Denali (still working on visiting every US National Park).

So, I will travel through the FL Panhandle, visiting quaint places along the coastline there. On Dec 21, I arrive at Dauphin Island, AL and will stay one month. Can’t wait for the holidays on an Island!

On Jan 30ish, I arrive in NM for a two-week Habitat for Humanity build. From there, the weather will decide my travels. When winter clears a bit, I will head to Ida-who, my new home state. I will stay in Idaho as long as my sweeties live in the area. If they move again, I move with them.

My dream for next spring/summer is to volunteer at a Wildlife Refuge or a campground. Campground host? I am not sure I can find someone to hire a single woman, because of the physical challenges. However, the only thing I have seen campground hosts do that I refuse is to chop wood with an ax. I am too klutzy.

Smaller version of a Japanese bundle. They use these for storage and it keeps things nice!

I will start investigating new possibilities when I get to my Island. I am slowly deep cleaning the camper and repairing small things. Washing the awning. The van will go in for an oil change. Tango gets a bath. I am sorting through clothes for the next phase and donating even more. I made a small pile of “work” or “interview” clothes and tied them into a Japanese-style bundle for safe keeping. Soon, I will do the same with my field clothes – two pairs of pants and t-shirts. About half of what I brought in terms of clothes (which was a small fraction of what I used to own) has gone to thrift stores. I still have a nice array of shoes, but have tossed some of them too. I estimate that I have also disposed of another 25% of things sitting around in the camper and van. When I left Idaho, my underneath storage compartments were bulging. I struggled to close one compartment. Now, I have room to spare in each. I have reduced my fabric stash by sewing up stuff and have everything neatly organized. So, I will pull out of FL quite a bit lighter. Physically, I am strong and limber.

Ah, but it is not over yet! I plan to make the most of these gorgeous days and nights. Florida rocks in November!