Where the Wildlings Are | Black Sand Beach Continued | Vik, Iceland

While Markus and I were in Vik, all I wanted to do was see the popular basalt columns. They have been photographed many times and are a must-see attraction. As I stated in my previous post, we missed them. Although, we were able to see these incredible rock formations that were absolutley stunning. I will always regret not seeing the columns, but I'm grateful that we at least had a chance to visit the black sand beach and see these formations.

Where the Wildlings Are | Roadside Edition | Iceland

Markus and I spent most of the first day in Iceland stopping at every beautiful spot we came across. On the second day, we continued to pull over. Iceland is just too beautiful and we couldn't help ourselves. When you are continually seeing stunning landscapes, it would be a crime not to stop and take a moment.

Near Death Experiences | Tampa to Chicago Road Trip

Driving from Tampa to Chicago in a moving truck isn't necessarily my ideal road trip. It was even worse that we had to lug a car behind the truck too. A trip that should've taken about 18 hours turned into days. It was really slow moving and the we had a close call near Atlanta.

Markus and I were driving on I-95 when a car drove up next to us honking his horn. Markus and I assumed that the alarm on the car was going off. I motioned to the man that it was fine and I knew. He kept honking and look terrified. We both rolled down our windows and he said that we had to pull over. It was in that moment I knew there was something wrong. We pulled over on the side of the highway. As soon as we both got out of the truck, we smelled burning rubber. On the tow trolley, one of the tires was falling off. Markus and I looked at each other and freaked out. If that guy hadn't pulled us over, we could've had a terrible accident. It was pretty scary, but we were so grateful for that guy. If he didn't try to warn us, who knew would've happened. Thankfully the rest of the trip was uneventful and slow. I'm glad that was the only near death experience. I don't think I could've handled more than that. 

Hello giant Native American man.

Are you using the bathroom giant Native American man?

Did I miss 60B?

Visual evidence that we're close to Chicago.

Wandering Wednesday | Florida Road Trip 2009: 3 of 3

On the final part of our Florida road trip, we went to the best of the kitschy roadside attractions. The final days were filled with rockets, mermaids and creepy buildings. I think it was the best part of the trip. It was just Markus and I out on the open road seeing all the attractions of the olden days. It was like we stepped into a time warp and seeing Florida during another time.

Our first stop was at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. I actually went on a field trip to the Space Center when I was in elementary school, but Markus never had the chance to go. He loves this sort of thing, so I couldn't pass on something that he really wanted to see. It was awesome seeing rockets in real life. I knew that they would be huge, but actually seeing something that was in space was incredible. It's also a bit humbling, because you realize how big this universe is and we have yet to scratch the surface of what's really out there.

My favorite attraction was Weeki Wachi Springs. I personally feel like Weeki Wachi is the epitome of all roadside attractions. What is more kitschy than a mermaid show? I've always wanted to go and for some reason never made the trip. It reminds me of a simpler time, when people didn't need roller coasters and flashy shows to entertain. I really enjoyed the show and loved the old-fashioned feeling of the park. I can't believe the mermaids can perform like that underwater with only a thin pipe to breathe air.

We ventured out to St. Petersburg and Haslam's, Florida's largest new and used bookstore. We were so impressed with the place that we visited every time we were in the area. We also went to Tarpon Springs and checked out the sponge docks. We didn't actually make it into Spongeorama, I read bad reviews, but we did go and eat Greek food. Markus and I still talk about that meal we ate in Tarpon Springs. On our drive back to Fort Lauderdale, Markus and I spied an old abandoned building in Lake Wales. We veered off the main road and drove toward the building. It used to be an old hotel and was surrounded by a run-down strip mall. There weren't any people in sight and it felt like the beginning of a zombie movie. We hightailed it out of there before we became the casualties of a bad B-movie.

I'm glad that Markus and I decided to take a trip through my home state. Even though Florida isn't my ideal place to live, it made me appreciate the side that not many people see. Everyone thinks of beaches and Disney World, but there is more to Florida than meets the eye. If you dig a little deeper, you'll actually see something quite charming.

Wandering Wednesday | Tennessee Road Trip | 1 of 3

In the summer of 2009, Markus and I went on a second road trip. At the time, I was teaching middle school and high school students at a private Christian school. This school was very different from other schools. They encouraged the teachers and students to form healthy relationships. Teachers were seen as mentors and role models for the students. I know it sounds a bit strange when you're outside of the situation, but many of my old students still check in and catch up. Some even still ask for advice, so in all honesty I think it was a good thing. 

I explain all of this because in the summer of 2009, Markus and I went on a road trip with some of my students, Trevor, Jordan and Victoria. Victoria's grandmother owned an awesome cabin in Tennessee, so Victoria planned a trip with Trevor and Jordan. Through a strange course of events, Markus and I ended up going with them as well. Which was very fortunate.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

UFO House

We made a lot of great memories on that trip. One of my favorites was when we drove through the night from Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee. We were all exhausted and tried to sleep in the car on the way. It was impossible. We went straight to Ruby Falls when we arrived in Chattanooga, but we were too early, around 4 am. We didn't check into a hotel over night because we were going straight to the cabin after Ruby Falls. 

So, we decided to camp out in the parking lot and sleep. All five of us tried to get comfortable and finally we all fell asleep. I remember waking up and only seeing four of us in the car, Trevor was missing. I was sitting in the driver's seat and looked in the side view mirror and saw Trevor's feet and legs on the ground. He was lying behind the car. I freaked and immediately jumped out to see what happened. When I finally reached him, I realized that he was just sleeping. We didn't run him over. A few minutes later, a security guard came over and told him he couldn't sleep on the ground in a parking lot. It was quite funny and we all couldn't stop laughing.

Another place we visited was Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee. I've always wanted to go to a plantation and added bonus, this one was supposedly haunted. The area around the plantation was the site of one of the bloodiest battles during the Civil War, The Battle of Franklin. The battle only lasted for five hours, but resulted in about 9,500 dead, wounded or missing soldiers. The actual plantation served as a hospital for the wounded and dying. When we toured the place we could still see blood stains in the floorboards. It was definitely eerie, but also very interesting learning about our history. 

The first part of our trip was a lot of fun. We stopped at random places we saw on the road. It was very reminiscent of our Florida road trip we took earlier in the year. We basically did whatever caught our eye. We were watching a lot of Supernatural then, so it was basically like were hunters on a weeklong hunt. We stopped at creepy caves in mountains, walked through deserted forests and visited haunted houses. It was great.  Though we never saw any ghosts, you bet your bottom if we did, we had gasoline and salt on hand. 

Wandering Wednesday | Florida Road Trip 2009: 2 of 3

The second part of our road trip took us to Orlando, where we visited one of our favorite couples, Ryan and Lauren. This was before they were married and were still in college. My golly, how times have changed. I can't believe how time flies.

As soon as we arrived, they took us to Rebounderz. It's this amazing indoor trampoline arena, an entire room full of trampolines. I was shocked that I was exhausted and only after 10 minutes. It was still fun watching Markus fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of being Spiderman.

We spent Easter weekend with them that year and they took us to one of the best farmer's markets I've ever visited. We bought handmade pasta for our Easter lunch and sampled many delicious treats. It was so nice to spend the holiday with them, since they're so very dear to us.

We ended our time in Orlando at Medieval Times. It was a first for both Markus and I. It was cheesy, but it was the epitome of a roadside attraction. I actually really enjoyed it. It was fun wearing fake crowns and eating with my hands whilst cheering on knights who fought to the death. It was perfect. 

Florida Road Trip 1 of 3

Wandering Wednesday | Florida Road Trip 2009: 1 of 3

During Spring Break 2009, Markus and I decided that we would go on a mini road trip through Florida. We wanted to see as many Roadside Attractions as possible. We also planned to visit friends and family. I planned for us to visit a bunch of quirky places that many people never heard of before. We also decided that while we were driving and saw any interesting billboards or places, we would stop and check them out too.

The first stop of our first day was at Jon G's in Lake Worth. This historic restaurant always has a line out the door and around the side of the building. We went as early as possible and were one of the first inside. Markus and I actually had our first honeymoon in Lake Worth and passed the restaurant many times, but never ate there.

After Jon G's we drove north towards Jupiter to visit Blowing Rocks. This was our first time going but definitely not our last. I never knew that something like that could exist in Florida. It was like visiting another state. Once we finished exploring the rocky terrain, we drove to the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse close to central Florida. I've never been inside a lighthouse before and I was quite impressed.

The final part of our first day took us to the Ruins of Bongoland. It was built in 1948 and for a few years was a mini theme park. Now the only remains are some poorly constructed and dilapidated dinosaurs.  It was the perfect way to end the first day of our Florida Roadside Attraction road trip.

Florida Road Trip 2 of 3