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United States Trip 2026
  • Elisa Gatti
  • Elisa Gatti

United States Trip 2026

84 days traveling across the United States Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 20, 2026
  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    16 hours later

    April 20 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    And we made it! The flight was smooth and 16 hours was long but we got lots of food and lots of movies.

    Immigration was quick for us US citizens, and our bags were already out and collected by the time Josh made his way down to the baggage claim.

    Took a bit to get the shuttle and finally got the eSIM to work to call them. Hoping the hotel room is nicer than the shuttle van picking us up. (Please look closely at the boarded up ceiling and sides)    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Waffle maker
    Stadium floor, getting ready for the World CupBox seatsCheerleaders locker roomCowboys locker room

    A little detour off the itinerary

    April 21 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We were up early after a good sleep. The Country Inn and Suites wasn’t the newest place but the beds were very comfy (or we were super tired).

    We had a decent continental breakfast and enjoyed making our own waffles.

    Before we headed to mom’s house we stopped at the AT&T Dallas Cowboys stadium which we pre booked. Mom upgraded our tour to a private tour, where Tim took us around the stadium.

    The stadium took 3 years to build, finished in 2009. It holds 80,000 people sitting and 110k standing room. The roof takes 10 min to open and the windows take 5 min.
    The seats were imported from Australia and made from recycle practice.

    The tour was a bit over an hour. We got to sit in the star suites at the 45 yard mark. We saw the cheerleading and players locker rooms, the grass rolled up in the basement, the practice field (outside in the rain) and of course the stadium. It is currently being worked on for the FIFA World Cup coming in June.

    We headed off, and had a 5 hour drive to mom’s house, driving though Texas, Oklahoma and then Arkansas. We stopped at a large chain gas station called Buc-ees, which has the most random things for sale, and a great food section. We then ate at McAlister deli for a really nice and cheap late lunch. We were about 5 miles ( 8kms) from the turnoff when the Enterprise rent a car blew a tire.

    If this happened 3 hours earlier we would not have been in the predicament that we were . We were in the middle of nowhere , 6 people and 4 big bags of luggage and a bunch of small bags at 530pm at night. The rental car did not have spare and the tow truck couldn’t bring the car to any place opened.

    Uber was not allowed to pick up people on a highway for safety but also as there is no address. The 6 of us and the luggage was picked up by 3 different cop cars. Josh got to sit in the K9 car. They dropped us off at the local Flying J gas/petrol station where we ended up there for about 3 hours.

    Enterprises plan was have a Uber take all of us and luggage to Tulsa international airport airport (hour and 20 min away, out of the way) to get another rental car and then head back to Arkansas.

    Enterprise did not consider we were in whoop whoop (Checotah, Oklahoma) and large Ubers at 6pm are not available.

    So our night at mom’s house turned into a night at Walnut Inn, a trucker motel with no car. The kids watched their screens and the 4 adults visited the only bar attached to the Inn.

    States: Texas and Oklahoma (2)
    227 Miles/ 365 KM    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    1

    Made it to moms house

    April 22 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It didn’t matter what time it was, getting a Uber wasn’t happening at 730am either.

    The morning receptionist, Destiny, offered her boyfriend JR to drive us to Muscogee,AR where the closest enterprise was. We headed off in a very run down car with no front passenger working seatbelt (mom sat there) , crack in front screen and had a shudder every few minutes safely at the enterprise rental car. This whole situation is not uncommon and the locals know it, and are very helpful.

    Enterprise was surprisingly very good and helpful and we were in and out before JR even got back . We grabbed the crew, stopped across at the petrol station grabbed some sort of breakfast and headed to mom’s house.

    It was an uneventful 2.5 hour drive, which was exactly what we needed.

    After settling in, having lunch, Elisa and Inara had a nap, Josh went to Walmart and then Elisa and Barb went to the bank to get a US account, we all met up at a bar. Inara played with the various animals and breathing in the Arkansas pollen which made her eye blow up and become very sniffly.

    We all met moms wine club friends, at a bar serving half off wine bottles. Had food truck meals and then headed into “ downtown” rogers for music bingo.

    State: Arkansas (3)
    146 Miles - Total 337 Miles or 542 km    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Didn't want to run over a turtle
    PuppiesPuppiesLilly

    Chill’n day

    April 23 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We didn’t have any plans while at moms/ grandma other than seeing her here she lived and hanging out. As we drove out of the driveway , we saw a turtle so Inara moved it off the road.

    Grandma volunteers for the Humane Society and she needed to write thank you notes to generous donors, and the kids and I wanted to get our dog love, so we joined her. We got to play with puppies!!!! The second lot of puppies were crazy! Both kids came out with holes in their clothes.

    One of the couples we met last night, Lou and Karen invited us over to meet this horses. I thought we were just feeding them but when Karen told mom that the horse, Gypsy was saddled up I was very excited.

    This was Brandon’s first time on a horse and a very good calm introduction to Horseback riding.

    Back to moms for lunch and then off to the only activity that was on the list while we were here.. Top Golf.

    Josh won the first game, Elisa the second game. Mom did great with the one working leg.

    Josh made a vegan dinner for us all, and Josh and Chuck watched baseball, as the kids watched mine craft videos and I went to bed. At this point I am still waking up not having a full night sleep due to the time change.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Dave and BustersDoing food tech homeworkMoms water featureWater featureLocal deer

    Hanging with grandma

    April 24 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Even though I didn’t have any real plans (other than Top Golf) mom had some ideas and one was Dave and Busters.

    Before we went to have fun, Josh and I did our Walmart shop for the items we needed for the trip. We go containers for food and utensils, and food for the first night. We only have a small soft cover plug in esky/ cooler so we will probably be buying fresh food every few days. Our plan is to have breakfast and lunch covered, and then when we can’t make dinners, we go out.

    After our expedition to Walmart, we headed to Dave and Busters. For the Australians, it’s a Time Zone that includes adults as it has a bar, restaurant and big screens to watch sport. After grandma had enough of walking she very happily sat down to watch the NFL draft being shown.

    The kids had a lot of fun and got to play a few different games that are new to them. The light/reflex test “speed of light “ was the most fun for me. Brandon did the best out of us all.

    Dave and Busters , as well as Top Golf, was in a newish commercial area, which was also an outdoor mall. One of Inara’s list to do while being in the States was to go to Build A Bear. She saw Build a Bear on Mr Beast and really wanted a axolotl one. So Brandon decided to get one too. Now we we have Cotton Candy and Groter (grogu and Potter).

    The whole experience was cute and checked one off the list for Inara. Due to time we ended up having a very late lunch at a cafe near by.

    We headed back to the house and I decided to help with a bit of gardening as Mom was complaining about the old lights near the water feature that didn’t work. Therefore Josh got roped in and we spent an hour or two cleaning up the outdoor stairs/water feature area. A cold beer was perfect after that, as the cold mornings became humid afternoons. While we were outside we got to see some local deer across the street.

    Brandon helped grandma cut some veggies for dinner and then we watched the Hawks beat the Gold Coast in Tassie on Fox Sport 2. It was kind of cool to be able to watch it.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Frank Lloyd Wright HouseUseable art workOzark Beer CompanyEating pork ribsNew card game

    Rogers AK

    April 25 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today was our last day with Mom and Chuck before we start our drive across the States.

    While we were in Build a Bear a local said we need to check out Crystal Bridges, and was also told by mom as well. It’s a lot of walking so Mom and Chuck stayed home while we took our (Chucks) trusty Jeep Gladiator to Crystal Bridges. Before we headed out we asked the kids to set up their area with the back seat organiser and figure out how we can make it comfortable.

    Crystal bridges is a museum of American Art. It is a complex with the gallery as well as gardens/ walks. The building itself, along with the water features and the gardens are artwork itself.

    The kids did well for about 30 min in the museum before the whinging started. The museum had an eclectic mix of art work, artists, and themes. Nature and local culture were weaved throughout the museum. There was a few works of art from Georgia O’ Keefe who I knew of but Josh did not. Josh was familiar with work from Jackson Pollock.

    We had a picnic lunch outside and then the kids were able to be creative in the kids area. After that we headed to take a trail to see a Frank Lloyd wright house that was moved to the museum. We had to get tickets to go on a certain time which we were not aware so only got to see the outside. Inara started getting itchy and scratchy so we did not get to proceed and Josh and I decided that we will come back at the end of the trip. Inara has been taking Benadryl since being in Arkansas as she is reacting to the pollen in the areas.

    We did a quick stop at the house to get Benadryl and then met mom, Chuck and their friends at the Ozark Beer Company. Josh and I both had flights . My favourite was the Coffee Stout while Josh thought the IPA was the best.

    It was actually Mom and Chucks 17th wedding anniversary today, and we were heading to dinner for celebration. As mom is vegan, and we are meat eaters, Chuck was happy to head to Smokin Joes so he could get his ribs and I could get beef ribs. Our 15 min wait ended up being almost 45 min, as they didn’t have the staff for a table of 6.

    It was a basic restaurant with white and red checkered tablecloths and big plastic soft drink cups. They had basic beer and house wine, white throw away napkin in a throwaway sleeve with a bent fork. It wasn’t full but it was busy. There was no bartender at the bar so the waitresses were super busy.

    Mom was super hungry and since there wasn’t much for her to eat, she headed home while the rest of us finally got seated. We then were advised it was only pork ribs , not beef ribs.

    The chicken sandwich was delicious and the rest of all very much enjoyed the pork ribs. It was a bummer we couldn’t all have a nice meal together on our last night here and their anniversary.

    We got home and the kids,mom and I played a new card game she taught us called 313. Inara kicked everyone’s ass.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Our car trip begins

    April 26 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We left Roger’s, AR around 9am and headed South to Crater of Diamond State Park in Murfreesboro, AR.

    It was about 4 hour drive and we had a quick lunch stop to make lunch on the side of the road.

    Our plan in our head was to use 4 hours to dig, but we didn’t get there by 12 and well, none of us could last 4 hours anyway in the sun.

    I pretty much did the digging while Josh and the kids did the wet sifting. The kids brought back the bucket to me and Brandon took
    It back to the sifting area once (as it’s heavy).

    We were able to rent the equipment there but we really weren’t as prepared as we could have been if we were a local. People had camping seats, esky’s, shade , more shovels and a cart to make it easier.

    We didn’t find any diamonds, but we got some Jasper and little quartz pieces. It was something different to do.

    From here we had about 45 min to our Airbnb which was a mini cow farm in Washington,

    We were originally supposed to be staying in a two bedroom log cabin but the night before a tornado came and a tree fell down and smashed the guests windshield so he needed to stay another day. We were then upgraded to the barn, which worked out better for us as we all got a bed.

    It was the cutest Airbnb with loft beds for the kids and a king bed on the main floor, which is above a working barn. it was a tin roof, and it has a small kitchenette and bathroom as well.

    Not only the barn was adorable , but the cows. They breed cows and then sell them. We got to feed them, and then before seeing any signs, got a zap from the electric fence.

    We didn’t get there till about 5, as we stopped at an ice cream store outside the State Park which hit the spot as we were hot and dirty.

    We had pasta at our accomodation and a quiet night. There was a kid named Allen whose mom works at the homestead and he asked if Brandon wanted to see the farm. Brandon got to see the river and the farm and even ended up in the pool before xxx had to go home. Brandon and him ate some more pasta as well as he didn’t have any dinner yet and it was almost 8pm.

    His mom, Monica came to pick Allen up she told me a bit about her life. She is Mexican , now 34, came over at 11 and she has a working visa. She carries it with her at all times. She has three kids. She also can’t seem to pass her drivers license test but she has a car and drives it as she has to, to get her kids to school and her job. Her son also mentioned that they are on govt help and they get money for food, as he was telling Brandon.

    Miles driven: 265 miles    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    New Orleans

    April 27 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We made it out of Washington just in time for the light rain to start, so perfect timing for a car ride.

    I have added photos of the Airbnb from our stay last night, as it was so cute.

    We had a 6.5 hour or so car ride and we didn’t really hit any traffic until we got to Baton Rouge.

    The drive was pretty uneventful. There was some beautiful rolling hills covered in green trees at the start of the drive.

    At one point the car AC wasn’t really working and it was 87 degrees outside and Inara was wilting in the car, so we had to stop and we got lunch at Chic filet as they had a frozen lemonade. Once we restarted the car it worked and we were no longer sweating bullets.

    The kids did math work, first of the trip which was a start.

    We got to our hostel, Hostel International New Orleans about 530pm. We had a walk around looking for food, preferably pizza but we weren’t paying $8 a slice . We ended up with microwave food from a CVS and had an early night in.

    Milage: 443 miles
    Roadkill: deer, opossum, alligator, bear , skunk, raccoon, armadillo
    States: Arkansas and Louisiana (4)    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Major general Andrew JacksonSign on a bookstoreBrenna's RestaurantBuilt in 2001

    Day 1 of New Orleans

    April 28 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We decided to sign up for a free walking tour last night so we had to get the kids up and fed before we left at 930am to make it to the 10am tour.

    It was a 2 hour tour learning the history and seeing the beautiful architecture of the French Quarter.

    Brandon kept up with the tour guide and was interested while Inara was hot and bothered not really caring to listen.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Day 1, second half of walking New Orlean

    April 28 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After our walking tour we headed back to the hostel to get out of the sun and heat and to have lunch.

    After the downtime we headed to the Lower Garden district where the houses are a bit grandeur and more trees. The kids were sick of walking so we jumped on a local bus. $1.25 for adults and .50$ kids. The district is also near the warehouse district that has breweries and Mardi Gras storage.

    On our first walking tour we walked by a cemetery but we couldn’t get in. We passed another cemetery where we could see better. As New Orleans is below sea level, the tombs are above ground and you can fit numerous bodies in overtime. The sun cremates the bodies and then when a family member passes away, they add another layer in the tomb. The tour guide earlier said one had 80 bodies in one (all family).

    We walked around taking in the huge houses. We met a guy who has been at his house to 20 years and he is 83. He had a nice chat with us.

    Our first brewery stop was Miel brewery. The staff was lovely but the beer was a bit plain. 600 meters from there was NOLA Brewery and we just happened to get there at happy hour so $2 pizza slices and $4 Pints was a great deal. The place was huge and had games to keep the kids entertained. The beer on offer had a lot more variety and was good.

    We walked about 17000 steps today    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    11

    Day 2 of New Orleans; more walking

    April 29 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Last night we decided to book a jazz Mississippi River cruise during the day. It boarded at 11am and came back at 2pm

    We were under shade and had a breeze so the heat did not affect Inara as much as it has been.

    There isn’t much to see on the river as it is very industrial but it was pleasant listening to the band in the dining area. The river is at the deepest and widest, at the sharpest turn of all Mississippi.

    The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota and travels all the way to Gulf of Mexico. 70% of rain fall across the US feeds into the Mississippi. Mississippi is the longest river in the US and 4th in the world. New Orleans has been a massive trade centre for 1000 years due to its location on the Mississippi.

    After the cruise we headed back to the hostel for lunch and rest. The plan was to walk down Bourbon street before it got too late and crazy. We walked down Bourbon street, heard live music every 4th bar or so. We stopped in at Tipsy Trumpet and listened to covers with a jazz feel and Josh got to try chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

    We then just walked and was told kids can get into more locations at Frenchman street.
    We thought it was only a few blocks down, more like 10 but we made it. There happened to be a local artist market happening so we browsed the stalls. By the time we got there the kids had enough, it was time for dinner so we jumped in a cart to be biked back to the hostel. Ryan was from Cali , lived here for 4 years and gave us almost another tour with more information about New Orleans. The kids loved it.

    Walked about 16k steps today    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Day 3: New Orleans

    April 30 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Our original plans didn’t involve the WW2 museum but we had recommendations from a few other tourists, and we had time, so we thought we would check it out.

    The best part was the additional movie we saw that Tom Hanks narrated about WW2 and how the US didn’t want to go to war, and then how they were in the war, and how the war changed the economy, industry and all the effects of the war. For the kids, there was interactive dog tags and you could follow around the soldier. We only spent a few hours there so we didn’t get to experience the whole museum.

    Before we started our trip, the Swamp Bayou tour was already booked as I was thinking it might get booked up as the New Orleans Jazz festival is on the same time we were there.

    We drove about an hour from the city to Honey Island Swamp which is on the Pearl River. Our captain and tour guide Zander had a very thick accent and said he had lived in the swamp his entire life. It was interesting that people still live on the swamp, some of them off the grid.

    The boat tour was about 2 hours long , and we saw lots of alligators, birds and even raccoons. It wasn’t as hot of a day as the last few days and the rain was nice.

    After the tour we headed to Costco, got a few things and had our dinner (pizza, salad and hot dog) at Costco watching the rain pour down.

    Mileage: 81 miles    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    Hostel foyer
    Biloxi LighthouseAstronaut Fred Haise1The covered wagonPool at KOA

    Goodbye New Orleans

    May 1 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    New Orleans was fun and we probably could have spent an another two days there knowing what there was else to do but was definitely happy leaving the humidity of the city. Inara was happy to leave the smells of the city as well.

    It was a on and off rainy day as we made our way to West Pensacola in Alabama. We drove from Louisiana, through Mississippi and then to the border of Alabama and Florida.

    We stopped at the welcome Center at the border of Alabama and Mississippi hoping for a touristy route for sightseeing. The plan was to do a bit of sight seeing and stopping numerous places but the rain wasn’t ideal.

    Next to the welcome center was the Infinity science center which had a rocket outside it so we took photos of it but we didn’t want to go to another museum as we went to one yesterday.

    The drive was pretty flat and there were beautiful old southern houses along the Mississippi coast. It is definitely an area I would like to check out in another visit.

    We did stop to see one of the oldest cast iron Lighthouse. The Biloxi Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It is the city’s signature landmark and has become a post-Katrina symbol of the city’s resolve and resilience.

    I had my fancy camera out to get photos of the lighthouse and ocean, and a guy came up to me and asked if I would take photos of him
    proposing to his girlfriend.

    We got to the KOA in West Pensacola and checked into our accomodation, a covered wagon.

    Mileage for the day 208 miles

    States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama (6)    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Dauphin Island

    May 2 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    We actually wanted to go to Dauphin Island yesterday on our touristy drive but with the weather and time a schedule for the ferry, we couldn’t, so we headed back west to check it out.

    We didn’t get on the first Ferry as we saw it moving away, so as we waited for the next ferry,I walked around and saw dolphins and birds. There was even hummingbirds at the hummingbirds feeder which was exciting as we don’t have hummingbirds in Australia.

    We went over to Dauphin Island to see the Sea lab so the kids can learn about the area. By the end of the visit we touched sharks and stingrays and Brandon was even brave enough to touch dead Sea creatures like octopus and Both the kids quite loved touching the hermit crabs.

    After the island we went back via the ferry, driving through the Tyndall airforce base ( 40 miles of protective land) and then headed toward Florabama, the touristy beach town at the border of Florida and Alabama.

    The houses, as like many beach houses, are high on stilts, weatherboard looking. Once out of the tourist strips the area looks quiet and serene. The beaches are beautiful white sand beaches but the touristy tall hotels and retail shops kind of ruin the feel.

    We looked for a place to eat dinner and we came across a beach restaurant called CoastAl in Orange beach. It just happened to be at the end of the Kentucky Derby so many people were dressed up.

    We had a lovely dinner and while we were eating saw dolphins in the ocean.

    After dinner we headed back to our Covered Wagon.

    Flora Bama - $4.04 gallon
    Miles:    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Pensacola beach

    May 3 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It was the most gorgeous day yet, no rain, sunny , warm and no wind. Perfect for a day at the beach. We drove about 40 min over to the Florida border and crossed numerous bridges over bays and lakes to get there. We got to see dolphin fins just over the first bridge (Perdido Bay) near the KOA we are staying at.

    We started our day with checking out the Pensacola pier which we had to pay a small fee for, but the pier was clean, and had lots of signage. There were other tourists but most were locals fishing and lots of people with big fancy cameras, getting ready to take photos of the naval airplanes.

    While we were there we were lucky enough to see the Blue Angels fly over the pier on their way back from Charleston heading back to the Florida base. During the week they have practice session but we wouldn’t be around. It was a sight to see.

    We hung out at the white sand Pensacola beach for an hour or two and then made our way through the touristy traffic to farther down the peninsula, and got some bread at a local store to make lunch. We then ended up staying at the dog beach and enjoyed our time there. The beach was more shelly than the other beach but it wasn’t as deep and nicer to walk out to. Plus Inara got to play with dogs. We met some lovely locals and I think we found more of a local hangout rather than tourists as it was much farther down away from shops, boardwalks and houses.

    I would have loved to drive around downtown Pensacola but it was time to get back. Inara and I had a nice walk to the Bay (Perdido Bay) before dinner and Brandon had enough time to find the local kids living at the park , and getting some kid time. They both ended up on the pool. After my shower, realising I got burnt ( didn’t get burned all summer ) and the when watching the kids in the pool, got stung by a bee in the butt my evening pretty much ended after dinner.

    States: Alabama and Florida (7)    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Florida

    May 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The original feel of the KOA was not impressive, but over the last few days it did what we needed it to do.

    The wagon covered us when it rained, the kitchen was usable, the pool got used and the view of Perdido Bay was lovely when it wasn’t windy.

    We met many Florida locals, at the KOA and at the beach over the last few days. The theme seemed to be that there are just not enough well paying jobs down here and people are struggling. Most people seem genuinely friendly and always love a chat.

    We left the KOA, not really having a specific route. We just need to get to Panacea which without stoping on the highway would be 3 hours or so.

    We are in the Florida panhandle which seems to be bridges everywhere and lots of different bodies of water. Lakes, bays, springs, oceans, bayous. If you lived here you would have to take up fishing.

    Before heading to our main destination we drove by the graffiti bridge where anyone is allowed to graffiti. We met a couple who got engaged here 40 years ago and they were graffitiing in it in memory of their 40th.

    Our destination was Ponce De Leon Spring Florida State park, where had a short walk along the spring and an early lunch. It was $4 to get into the state park and we had an hour or so. The Spring was cold so we didn’t get in. We did end up making up our own volleyball game with a small basketball and had fun throwing the ball around.

    We then stopped at Mexican beach, past the airforce base. It was so white that it hurt your eyes and needed sunglasses. The water wasn’t as nice as Pensacola but it was still lovely.

    On our travels Josh saw a baby black bear on the side of the road, and we also saw a bald eagle which was amazing. A normal drive would have taken just 4 hours but we took the long route taking over 6 hours.

    The last part of the drive was noticing that the highway is very close to the ocean and the area over the next decades will be covered with water due to rising waters.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    End of the day may 4th

    May 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After checking into our Panacea motel, we headed to Tropical Trader for dinner. Brando had the fish and chips, which ended up being catfish, I had a ahi tuna steak while
    Inara and Josh shared pasta marinara. The fish we ordered was caught that day by the restaurants fleet of boats they have.

    After a very fulfilling dinner we had a short drive to Mashes Sands beach and tried to get a sunset but Inara was cold and was getting bitten by the little bugs

    We headed back to the motel and Brandon and I took the trail to the bay and got a glimpse of the sunset.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Panacea to rural Tallahassee

    May 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We didn’t have a timeline today so the kids slept in, and I went for a 8k run before everyone got up. It was already hot, but it was nice to get out and be exercising.

    Before we checked out, I had a chat with the manager. She said that 5 years ago Panacea was a busier fishing town. 5 years ago the Florida govt put in restrictions on fishing (to help save the fish). Restrictions were just lifted and the town is becoming a bit busier. There are a few restaurants now.

    Panacea to our next stop is only like 30 min away, but there are lots of wildlife areas to see. Our first stop was St Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

    We didn’t spend as much time as I wanted as well, it was hot and it smelled pretty bad. We did see alligators and birds.

    Next stop was Edward Reserve Wakulla State Park. Here we had lunch in the park, walked around and then was able to get in the 40 min boat ride in the park.

    The Springs are not as clear as expected but they were beautiful and we saw alligators, so many birds, and we were so lucky to see 3 manatees. They look like big rocks. This spring was home to the movies Tarzan and the Black lagoon.

    After the boat ride the kids and Josh took a refreshing dip in the Spring before we headed to the next accomodation, a goat farm.

    The Goat House Farm was originally a storm shelter so there are no windows. It is very basic accommodation with only one bed so the boys slept on the double Tatami mat. The farm sells goat milk (not for human consumption) and is a not for profit as she holds education courses, as well as goat yoga.

    At the time she thinks she has about 37 goats and they all have names.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Slower pace

    May 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After the rural county of Tallahassee we headed south down the coast to Crystal River. Before we went on our 4.5 hour drive we got to watch our host and milk a few goats and also the babies feed from mama goat.

    It was an uneventful drive. We did have a stop over in a town, subway for lunch, and for the first time we saw Naloxone, which is a recovery drug for overdoses. It was in an old newspaper holder. Subway also had one in the shop, so it must be common.

    Our accomodation for the next few days is a booking.com booking, a RV. It has plenty of space, bathroom, a kitchen to cook our own food, and we all had our own beds.

    The RV is in a RV park called Sun retreat, which seemed to be a mix of full time residents living in a RV, people who own RVs for a holiday house, and travelers with their own RV. There is a pool (warm as bath water), basketball court, and an outdoor play area, as well as a club house. There are little “comfort zones” that housed bathrooms and laundry facilities. It seemed that most RVs had bathrooms.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    An amazing experience

    May 7 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I organised this tour ages ago and was so excited for today. Manatee season is during the winter so April is the end of the season. I emailed the tour company to see if they will still go out knowing we know it’s at the end of the season.

    I was very impressed with Scallops Adventures. It was we just the 4 of us, the guide and the boat captain who owns the company. Joanna also took photos an videos for us to capture this one in a life time experience.

    We had a few different encounters but the last encounter was scary and exciting as we found a pod of 7 or 8, and at one time I had 4 manatees under me at once. Josh and Inara accidentally touched one, but they don’t care. You can not touch them on purpose but if the run into you, they don’t care. They are just big blobs with a very big tail that could hurt you if they wanted to.

    There are over 100 identified springs in Crystal Springs. The one we swam in was called Hunter Springs and that was found due the owner was building a pool and a spring popped up. The State then took over the land with the spring and this was the clearest and coldest spring we got to swim in.

    In the winter you can get 100 manatees in the small crystal area we swam in.

    After that tour, even though it was only two hours, we were exhausted from excitement and swimming. Rest of the day was relaxing at the RV.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti
    1

    Homosassa Springs

    May 8 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    About 10 min from our RV stay was the wildlife reserve Homosassa Springs which was originally funded by Jimmy Buffet. It was originally a zoo with exotic animals and then the state took it over to help local species who are injured.

    They have 3 female Manatees who will not be introduced back out in the wild due to injuries. One of the girls is a whooping 2400 pounds and living her best life being fed iceberg lettuce 4 times a day. (400 lbs a day) .

    What’s cool about this reserve is they have an underwater cylinder to be able to see the manatees hanging out under water. I could watch them forever.

    We also saw a panther, flamingos, storks, pelicans, bald eagles, owls, alligators and other native animals.

    It was a cooler of the hot days, but still hot. Afterwards we treated ourself to ice cream from Twisted Treats before heading back to get cool in the pool and start packing to leave tomorrow.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Off to Orlando!!!

    May 9 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    The 98% of the trip was planned before we made it to the USA, but Orlando was the first booked and pretty much the rest of the days were booked around Orlando. Other than the flights, it was the first deposits put down and the next 7 days are to be the most expensive part of our trip, including our flights.

    As we had a short drive, less than 2 hours, this was a down day. We were able to check in before noon a the Endless Summer Resort at Universal which was handy. We checked in and spent some time in the pool. Brandon and Inara decided to buy the interactive wand at the gift shop. This is one of the items they have saved for over the last few months with chores $.

    It was an early night as the next few days will be early mornings and log days.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Island of adventure, Universal

    May 10 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Brandon was so excited for today that he woke up at 5am, had a shower , got dressed and ate breakfast in the bathroom so he wouldn’t wake the rest of us up.

    As we are staying in a Universal accommodation we are able to access an hour of the park before the public do. It’s actually limited but that’s ok. We were on the shuttle bus at 7am, to get in line to be able to get into the park at 8am.

    We started at Island of Adventure, did all the rides there , then took the Hogwarts Express train to Universal and saw most of it and experienced some of it.

    All and all the day was fun, and long and everyone’s feet hurt at the end of the day with approx 28,500 steps.    Read more

  • Elisa GattiUnited States Trip 2026Elisa Gatti

    Universal Epic adventure park

    May 11 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    We had plans on how to conquer Universal Studios but after the first day, and the tired feet of all involved we decided to hit the park that is open the latest, which is Epic.

    We got a bit of a sleep in compared to the night before, and still got early entry before other guests.

    We had a fun day
    Favourite ride for Inara and Brandon was Stardust Races (went one twice)

    We also saw the How to Train the dragon show called untrainable dragon. We also saw the magical creatures circus in the Ministry of Magic.

    We were super lucky somehow that every time it rained, and it poured, we were inside in a a show or ride.

    It was a super hot day with tired kids and as we had done the entire park so we headed back earlier than dinner and had Burger King.    Read more