Journey to Florida

January 6th - January 21st, 2024

Road Trip from Utah to Florida

In order to start our east coast year in Florida, we first had to drive our car from Utah to Florida. We broke the drive up over 2 weeks. Our first stop was Carlsbad, New Mexico to visit Carlsbad Caverns NP and Guadalupe Mountains NP. Our second stop was New Orleans to explore the city, and then we drove the rest of the way to Florida.

Along the way we also stopped at Sonora Caverns and Natural Bridge Caverns in Texas, and Silvers Spring State Park and Blue Springs State Park in Florida.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

We stayed in Carlsbad, New Mexico for a week to be close to Carlsbad Caverns NP and Guadalupe Mountains NP. Carlsbad Caverns is one of our favorite caves, it contains the largest, most grandiose rooms we've ever been to. This wasn't our first time visiting Carlsbad Caverns, but we did go on the King's Palace tour which we hadn't done before.

King's Palace, Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

Whale's Mouth, Carlsbad Caverns

The winding path down Carlsbad Caverns

Kings Palace, Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

The natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains NP is home to the tallest mountain in Texas, Guadalupe Peak. Trevor summited the peak for his goal to climb the tallest mountain in each state. We also visited Guadalupe Mountains NP a couple years prior and we did the Devil's Hall trail.

The view along the Guadalupe Peak trail

The view from the summit of Guadalupe Peak

The view along the Guadalupe Peak trail

Trevor in front of the marker at the top of Guadalupe Peak

The marker at the top of Guadalupe Peak (it was very cold at the top).

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park is located in Texas right on the Mexican border. One of the park's main features, the Rio Grande, is the border landmark between the USA and Mexico. We journeyed up Santa Elena Canyon of the Rio Grande, soaked in the Hot Springs, and hiked the Lost Mine trail.

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend NP

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend

Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend. The wall on the left side is Mexico.

The Santa Elena Canyon trail

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend

The Hot Springs trail, Big Bend

Horses along the Hot Springs trail, Big Bend

The Hot Springs at Big Bend

Views along the Lost Mine trail, Big Bend

View from the Lost Mine trail, Big Bend NP

The Airbnb we stayed in for Big Bend was super fun and unique

Our Airbnb for Big Bend

The loft in our Airbnb for Big Bend

Caverns of Sonora

We stopped at Caverns of Sonora in Texas on our way to New Orleans and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful caves we've ever seen. The walls were so intensely decorated in cave decorations, it was a one of a kind cave.

Cave formations inside Caverns of Sonora

A passage inside Caverns of Sonora

Cave formations inside Caverns of Sonora

A small cave lake inside Caverns of Sonora

Cave formations inside Caverns of Sonora

A passage inside Caverns of Sonora

Caverns of Sonora

Cave formations inside Caverns of Sonora

Caverns of Sonora

Natural Bridge Caverns

We also stopped at Natural Bridge Caverns in Texas, which was an incredibly impressive cave as well with big rooms and towering features.

The natural bridge that Natural Bridge Caverns is named after

Cave formations inside Natural Bridge Caverns

Castle of the White Giants, Natural Bridge Caverns

Cave formations inside Natural Bridge Caverns

Massive rooms and cave formations inside of Natural Bridge Caverns

Cave formations inside Natural Bridge Caverns

Massive room inside Natural Bridge Caverns

New Orleans

We really loved our week stay in New Orleans. The architecture and culture of the city was amazing. We crammed a lot of fun activities into the week we were there and are excited to go back for Mardi Gras one day.

Nicolas Cage's tomb at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Jackson Square, New Orleans

The streets of New Orleans were full of trees and beautiful architecture

A street in New Orleans

A Mardi Gras decorated home in New Orleans

A street in New Orleans

We saw live jazz music at Bamboula's in New Orleans

The house of Madam LaLaurie, a haunted sighting in New Orleans

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar, the oldest standing bar in the United States

The backside of St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans

Our Airbnb in New Orleans

Delish donuts in New Orleans

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, world famous for it's beignets

An impromptu marching band performance at Jackson Square, New Orleans

An impromptu marching band performance occurred while we were at Jackson Square, New Orleans

The New Orleans World War 2 Museum

Silver Springs State Park

Silver Springs State Park is a freshwater spring with beautiful gin clear water. We went on a glass bottom boat tour that gave us amazing views into the water. We also saw a couple of manatee here as well.

The glass bottom boats at Silver Springs State Park

The glass bottom boat tour at Silver Springs State Park

A swamp puppy sunbathing at Silver Springs State Park

Silver Springs State Park

Manatee at Silver Springs State Park

Blue Springs State Park

Blue Springs is another freshwater spring that is seasonally home to nearly a thousand manatees. We were amazed at the quantity of Manatee we saw and the beautiful water.