We’ve never been to or thru Zolfo Springs in all the years
we’ve been wandering Florida! It’s a
SMALL town at the intersection of North/South Rt 17 and East/West Rt 64. It has
the Pioneer Restaurant on one corner, gas stations on 2 other corners, and a “historic”
Pioneer Park and campground on the other.
Just east is
Cracker Lake 55+ RV Resort! The “lake”
is a pond – home to an equally tiny gator and a plethora of Spiny Softshell
Turtles, which love to be fed – the turtles – not the gator – it is illegal to
feed gators in Florida! The park has
several damaged trailers from a previous flood that are in the process of being
removed, and several more empty sites where
other trailers have been taken out.
The narrow roads thru it are dusty gravel but the grassy sites are green. Our little road is called “Possum
Trot”! The “facilities” are clean. The
laundry room is good! The rec hall is
busy several evenings a week. H and I
have even played bingo three times now and have not lost any money! This little park was down but is slowly
making a comeback! The office manager
is easy to chat
with and is SO accommodating!
Besides that – she’s from Lansing Michigan! All the folks here are welcoming and very friendly, too –
especially the ones from Wauseon and Defiance Ohio!!
Pioneer Park is a re-creation of
parts of an old Cracker
(Cowboy) Village. On our first weekend
here was the annual Pioneer Park Days Engine Display and Show. Rows and rows and rows of antique tractors,
hundreds of “hit and miss” engines running various types of old equipment,
washing machines and even ice cream makers!
Our dear friend from
Lakeside Ohio was there with a line up of folks
eagerly waiting to “make a donation” and receive a big dollop of his very best
homemade delicious creamy, icy treat.
One day we drove west on Rt 64 with the intent on re-touring
the long touristy island at the west end of the road! As we traveled west, in the distance we saw yet another dark
plume of smoke filling the sky. Oh no –
more sugarcane? But, wait - we were in
orange grove and cattle country! No –
it was a prescribed burn. As we passed
the smoking landscape, the park rangers and firemen where out along the edge –
keeping the blowing flames controlled as the fire was removing the dead brush
under the tall pine and palm trees! We
detoured to check out a new to us state park – the 550 acre Lake Manatee State
Park that sits on 3 miles of the 2400 acre, Lake Manatee Reservoir! We’ve now added that campground to our list
of new places where we want to stay! Rt
64 runs straight thru Bradenton and out onto Anna Marie Island with all its
traffic and beachgoers. We avoided
riding the shuttle bus that runs from one end of the island to the other and
drove out to where the
Historic Anna Marie Fishing Pier used to stand with her
long legs piercing the aqua waters.
It’s been years since the storm destroyed the old scenic pier but the
new pier and restaurant are finally taking shape
WAY back in the woods in the rural area called Ona, is a
well kept secret called “Solomon’s Castle”.
Thinking that it was not going to be crowded we chose to go
explore. We were one of the first tours
to go thru but by the time we were ready to leave – the parking lot was
full! Howard Soloman was a wiry little
man with an
imagination of a wizard! I
would need all the space that H allows me - to just tell you about the man and
his shiny silver castle that he built out of throwaways and junk. He was the original recycler! Instead – go online and put in: “Solomon’s
Castle – Weird US”. Read for
yourself! You’ll want to come and check
it out too! It’s a HOOT!
We’re putting miles on the truck – besides west as far as we
could go, we’ve gone south to Arcadia to get the oil changed in the bright blue
truck and ended up strolling along the sidewalks of the historic downtown,
lined with multiple antique shops and past the block
long pink and white
building – the Rosin Arcade - built in 1926 after a fire destroyed most of
downtown. On the opposite side of the
street is the 1906 Opera House and Museum.
We drove east and then up to Avon Park’s historic downtown
area and one day we headed north to Wauchula and Bowling Green to see the
Hardee County Park and Campground which has FOUR lakes and shaded camp
sites on
another! Very pretty setting! Yet another day we again headed for B.G. to
check out the Payne’s Creek Historic State Park. Not impressed with the park or the eroded banks of the ignored
creek that runs thru it. Closer to home, Charlie’s Creek with it’s bare rooted
trees clinging to the high banks for dear life were much more interesting as
the creek meandered towards the Peace River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
Our one week at Cracker Lake turned into three.
The coronavirus has hit all the counties west of us – from Collier County in
the south, to several counties north of us.
Florida’s Governor and the President have called a State of
Emergency. H has chosen to NOT go out
to eat anymore and is even concerned about going thru any fast food drive
thru’s. Definitely no more Walmarts!
