Lake Worth -- Palm Beach

We were making good time – heading east from Belle Glade - heading towards Lake Worth when several police cars with red and blue flashing lights, pulled out in front of us blocking the double lanes of eastbound traffic. Two more squad cars were holding back the westbound traffic further down the road.  Slowly, the biggest

tow vehicle we have ever seen, struggled to get the biggest, longest conglomeration of bright orange steel and trailers crept out from a side road and onto the roadway in front of us.  There were 8 axles on each supporting trailer and each axle had 8 wheels – making it 128 tires on the ground!  There was a man on the front trailer and another on the back trailer, each assisting with guiding the monster around each corner.  Of course there was a guide vehicle in front and another behind with lights flashing.  The blue and red flashing beacons on the top of each squad car brought up the rear as we obediently got in line behind them and progressed along the highway at a whopping 5 mph.  The Bexel Brothers Co. has been moving extremely large objects across America’s roadways since the early 1900’s.  Their website shows them moving the Space Shuttle on another one of their long low trailers!

NOW! This is a picture window

John Prince Park & Campground covers as many square miles as Lake Okeechobee but 300 of those acres encompass the long narrow waters of Lake Osborne.  The sites for the transient campers line the western shore so our big picture window faced the usually calm view of the lake.  There are the usual herons, cormorants, Muscovy ducks, egrets and gulls but H enjoys the skydiving pelicans the most!  From way up high, they tuck their wings back along their sides and dive head first into the lake with a huge white splash, momentarily disappearing but resurfacing with a fish in their pouch.    On our last stay here we were on the site next to this one and we took pictures of a big

Iguana on the large tree by the shoreline. This year we saw an even more impressive creature crawling up the very same tree that was now a mere 10 feet from the window by H’s recliner.  As if it felt threatened, it threw back its head and shook the large flap of skin below its chin.  Too bad, each time the camera snapped – the timing was off and I missed the shot.  Finally, it had enough and up the tree it scampered.  One of the staff ladies said there were at least 100 Iguanas here in the park and that they were very invasive.  There have been 4 of them in various sizes and colors – ranging from bright green (young ones) to darker shades of black/brown and orange, right here in our “yard” at the same time!

Lake Worth is just south of West Palm Beach and it’s even pricier neighbor of Palm Beach.  See why these cities are called PALM Beach?  After my eye appointment we followed the palm-lined road to downtown and then over the wide causeway to the REAL Palm Beach where that downtown is defined by Worth Ave and it’s small upscale boutiques.  The narrow winding road along the coast seemed even narrower with the towering 10 ft tall immaculately groomed hedges that obscured the mansions behind them from all of our prying eyes. We even passed by the Trump estate – Mar a Largo.  He was coming to town soon and the signs were already up – reminding the residents of the impending road closures because of his visit.

North of Palm Beach we found the Loggerhead Turtle Rescue.  A visit to the facility proved interesting with the large blue 3 ft tall “swimming pool” type containments for each rescued endangered turtle.  Each pool had a viewing window and signs explaining when and where the creature was rescued and why.  A protective barrier in the form of a long curved brightly colored mural divided the play area/garden from the sunshaded containers of healing turtles.  All that are able are returned to the sea when healed and healthy.

After almost 2 months of dealing with this corneal ulcer and the amount of strong drugs that I have put into the eye daily, this new specialist has given us the wonderful news that my eye is definitely better!  The wound is finally healing over!  It will leave a scar but it will not affect my vision, which is already returning to its pre-ulcer level.  It is still super sensitive tho to the wind, the cold and the bright sunlight.  The doctor has backed off the drugs down to twice a day, has added back the steroid drops I had been taking for rejection and has added a soothing moisturizing drop to the line up.  What great news!  Thank you Lord – and all my prayer warriors!

Our stay here is just about over.  Some of our list of things to do have been done – the bikes have finally been ridden on the miles of bike trails here in the park.  The sandy beaches of the ocean have been found, including the jetty at the Boynton Inlet.  We’ve even struggled thru a few really bad flea markets!   This weekend is the Chalk Art Festival in downtown Lake Worth.  Bud and Carol are coming for it also!   Our next stop is Manatee Hammock up in Titusville.  Too bad there is no space launch scheduled – the view from that park would have been awesome!

South Lake Okeechobee

After 10 years of retirement and 9 of them wintering all over Florida, there are LOTS of places that are: Been there – Done that.  Salt Springs, Trimble Park, WP Franklin, Ortona and South Bay and Torry Island are all on our SeePreviousFloridaBlog list.  

South Bay RV Park & Campground is a Palm Beach County Park on the very southeast bay of Lake O.  As we left the cattle fields near Labelle and Ortona, and headed east, the terrain became more and more divided into neat patches of agriculture – mostly sugar cane and sweet corn, growing in coal black dirt called “muck” and surrounded by miles of irrigation ditches.  In the sky, thick clouds of yellow/gray smoke

from the burning sugar cane fields  rose to meet the white puffy clouds above.  We were nestled down behind the 35 ft tall Herbert Hoover Dike that separates South Bay Campground from the canal and the sawgrass islands that line the lake.  Even the setting sun had to fight to shine thru the overpowering mass of smoke to share its last ray with the world.  While doing laundry in the little sheltered block building there was the ever-present whiff of burning and the dusting of ash.

South Bay campground

H chose a calm morning to launch his drone to capture a few pictures of the park from a different angle than my camera could afford.  Look closely – can you find us? Squint and look for the bright blue truck!  You can see the tiny drive as it climbs the earthen dike to the top.  Even with my bad eye I could still beat H at least half way up the steep path!!  We both were huffing and puffing as we pushed our little bikes to the top.  Around the lake is a bike trail that would normally stretch around the 700 plus acre lake but in the last several years, reconstruction has chopped up the trail for repairs so we were not able to ride all the way to Belle Glades Torry Island Campground.  6 miles was enough for that day!  Just on the other side of the dike is one of the many boat launches and docks available to the public. On the left side of the photo is St Rt 27/80 which goes from Ft Myers, east to Lake O, around the bottom edge and over to the Atlantic side of the state!

One more night was needed to keep us from being homeless before our move to John Prince Park in Lake Worth.  The staff in the front office was obviously not attentive to the note on the computer screen saying that H was first in line for the next available site. On Friday afternoon, he walked into the office AGAIN to see if any thing had opened up – just as another gentleman was giving money on a site that had just been canceled and now open.  Oh well, we’ll just move up around the lake to Torry Island where we had stayed 2 years ago.

Torry Island campground

Torry Island Campground has an area of RV’s that enjoy the full hookups and nicer newer facilities.  The outer edges are way more “rustic” and the old block bathhouses are just adequate.  But our friends from our last stay were there and still parked in their snug corner of the long fingered peninsula - across from the hectic boat launch for all the early morning fishermen and airboat aficionados.  Debi and Jeff are full timers in their turquoise and crème colored fifth wheel and Janie and Bob are in the dark motorhome.  Of course you can see H’s bright blue

Torry Island campground

truck slid in on the opposite corner!  Across the canal from us is one of the dams that hold back the water from the lake.  The large crane is just one of many that is working to fortify the dike.  When at South Bay – we were able to ride JUST up to that area and had to turn around.

In the second photo, you can see the airboat that is also in the previous picture.  Across the canal is the bike path at the top of the dike. In the distance is South Bay - by bike trail it is 2 miles away – by road, pulling a trailer it is more like 8 to 10 miles! 

On Monday morning, the 6 of us went out to breakfast together and the Black & Gold Grill was decided upon.  D&J arrived 1^st and chose a table for all of us.  The place was almost empty and the servers must have gone out also!  At first we didn’t notice or didn’t care since we all were chatting away but finally our orders were taken and drinks were delivered.  D reminded our server that we needed silverware.  And we waited.  A very large take-out order was picked up.  And we waited.  Someone came out from the kitchen to advise us that they had run out of eggs and had sent someone for more.  We waited.  D went up for coffee refills and reminded the staff that we still needed silverware.  Finally 2 orders were brought out and J flipped his stiff omelet over to find the bottom was burnt.  Janie’s oatmeal must have been made yesterday out of just water.  D went up to get silverware and the server snipped – I WAS going to bring them.  My plate was handed to me from across the table. My potatoes were COLD and my eggs were barely luke warm.  D couldn’t take it anymore and got up to storm out and we all followed.   Janie grabbed some of my cold potatoes and handed them to the woman in charge.   McDonald’s was just down the way and H was 1^st in line  - but still had to wait for it to be brought out!  Yeh, but he was NUMBER 1!

Enough!   Let’s hit the road and head to Lake Worth and John !Prince Park