Flagler Beach, FL
Thursday, December 6
It felt like two worlds collided this morning as we woke up in the comfort of our own beds in the RV and heard ocean waves crashing outside our window. Sure, we’ve stayed by the beach many times before, but never have I awoke in my home by the ocean. Definitely a “pinch me, is this real life?!” moment.
We arrived at Gamble Rogers State Park in Flagler Beach, Florida last night around dusk. This is a small park tucked gently between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway and is by far, one of most special places we’ve stayed on this trip. There’s only a handful of camping spots on a small strip of sand beside the beach and from what I’ve heard, these spots book up months in advance during the warmer months. There’s also RV size restrictions because these sites aren’t very big. Our 28-ft. RV barely squeezed into a smaller spot on the end and within minutes of arrival, the park ranger was there to ensure we were parked according to their specifications.
Two of Andi’s friends live in & around Flagler, and one of them recommended a local gym where I could buy a day-pass. So Thursday morning, we packed up the RV and headed into town; Andi took the kids to the grocery store while I went to the gym to workout and shower. Traveling together is wonderful in so many ways, but after being together in a small RV for the past 15 days I think Andi and I were both ready for some alone time. It felt really great to go into the gym, put in my earbuds and push play on a workout without any disruptions. An hour later, I felt like a new person!
After that, we met up with Andi’s friend, Matt, who wanted to show us around his hometown. Matt invited us over to his cabin in Flagler and we spent the afternoon walking his land, looking for animals.
Visiting Matt’s cabin was special because it felt like being at our own cabin, doing all the things we love to do there, but in a different part of the country. It made Andi and I both happy to hear someone else talk about their cabin (or, what Matt calls his “barn”) with the same love & passion we have for our place.
Matt and Andi’s friend, AJ, came by later. The six of us stood around the pond and talked while the kids fished. Hands down, one of our favorite parts of the trip. We were in our element.
That evening, we went back to our camping spot at Gamble Rogers for dinner. Andi and Aden grilled us fresh shrimp and pineapple, and we had the best crab cakes from Flagler Fish seafood market. Later, we met up with AJ and his daughter Malakiyah for drinks at Break Awayz. Tory and Aden had a blast playing with Kiyah who taught them some new rhymes … one that still hangs around to this day. (Ring The Doorbell). We brought the party back to our campsite and AJ’s wife, Megan, joined us for one last drink.
Friday, December 7
Finally! We woke up Friday morning to beautiful Florida sunshine. The air was warm and the ocean waves were calling — we ate breakfast, then headed down to the beach for the morning.
Andi went for a run, the kids played on the beach and I did some yoga. The sun felt SO GOOD.
AJ suggested we check out a park preserve in Flagler called Princess Place, so that was our plan for the afternoon. We packed up the RV around Noon and made our way there. Then, we spent the afternoon walking around the beautiful property grounds.
We were enjoying our time in Flagler so much, we honestly didn’t want to leave. Our original plan had us moving on to Wekiva Falls, but we called Matt and asked if we could stay in the driveway of his cabin for another night. Matt agreed, and decided to come back to Flagler that afternoon so the guys could all go hunting together.
AJ is an avid hunter and he wanted to take Andi hog hunting, so that evening Andi, AJ and Matt all went hunting while I stayed back at the RV with the kids. Later, Megan stopped by with their three kids (Malakiyah, Jovanni and Jahziah). We let all the kids run wild in Matt’s garage until the guys returned. It was a fun night.
Out of all the places we visited in Florida, I think Flagler Beach was our favorite. It’s always fun to explore somewhere new, but even more fun when someone local can show you THEIR favorite parts of where they live. Many thanks to Matt, AJ, Megan and their kiddos for showing us such a wonderful time in Flagler.
