Day 1–4
St. Petersburg, FL → Cave City, KY · May 28 – 31, 2026
This is the big one — ten weeks, a loop that ends at Yosemite, with something like ten national parks strung along the way. But every great trip needs a warm-up, and these first few days were exactly that: easing the rig and the dogs into a rhythm, knocking out a few roadside oddities, and pointing the nose slowly north and west.
Pulled out of St. Pete and just like that, the loop was real. First day is always more about momentum than miles — get rolling, settle the pups, remember where everything lives in the cabinets again.
I'll be honest: it's smaller than the name promises. But you can spot it right from the interstate, which made it the easiest five-minute photo stop of the whole leg. Snapped it, gave the peanut its due, and kept rolling.
Tucked in for the night at Fair Harbor RV Park & Campground in Perry — an easy, no-drama first stop, exactly what you want while you're still finding the rhythm of a long trip.
This one surprised me. Tucked behind a church is a whole miniature world built from stone — tiny cathedrals, castles, little buildings someone spent years hand-assembling pebble by pebble. The craftsmanship is genuinely something. The heavy religious theming wasn't really my thing, but the sheer patience and artistry of the place won me over anyway.
Rolled into Scenic City Campground in Ringgold and got a funny little jolt of déjà vu — turns out I stayed here last year on my Ruby Falls trip and didn't clock it until I pulled in. No complaints about a repeat; it's a really nice spot.
The drive up Lookout Mountain alone was worth the detour. I got there bright and early at 8:30… only to learn they don't open until 10. So I parked, made some coffee, and got a little work done with a mountain view — not the worst way to kill ninety minutes. Once inside: yes, it's a bit of a tourist trap, but the trails are beautifully built and that swinging bridge is the kind of thing you have to walk just to say you did.
The 'See Seven States' marker at Rock City — you're supposed to see seven states from here on a clear day; I got fog, which felt about right.
Crossed into Kentucky and parked for two nights at Happy Trails RV Park in Cave City — base camp for the main event.
The reason for the whole northern swing: going underground at Mammoth Cave — national park #16 — the longest known cave system on Earth. I booked the early-afternoon tour (12:45–2:45) and lucked into the best guide of the trip so far. I dropped the pups for a daycare day at the Pet Resort in Glasgow so I could disappear beneath the surface without a worry in the world — solo-traveling-with-dogs problem-solving at its finest.
Real-talk for the journal: Kentucky has been the least friendly stop I've rolled through so far. Not every leg of a long trip sparkles — and I figure the honest moments belong here as much as the postcard ones.