Stuart Fl.

From the aqua Gulf of Mexico, all along the dark waters of the Calloosahatchee River, past all the locks and dams and now the Saint Lucie Canal on the east side of Lake Okeechobee, soon we’ll see the blue waters of the Atlantic. We’ve been one of the stacked dominos in the resort and now we are back to a sprawling campground with a view out the back window – we have arrived in Phipps Park- right on the St. Lucie Canal in Stuart. SPFB! One year, R&N, H& I parked on the same huge lot and still had plenty of room That time, H & I moved over to the Pt Lucie Lock and Dam campground. When our time here was up, but not this year. There were no “walk in” sites available there until late March. Oh well – we definitely enjoy the view of the lock and dam from our vantage point – and from sun up to the gorgeous sunsets! Boats of all sizes cross by in front of us. Sometimes their occupants would wave to the campers who were waiting on the ridge for them to pass by like triumphant heroes in a jubilant parade! There were all types of boats – tall 2 masted sailboats, beautiful cabin cruisers with sky-high flying bridges, a barge tug, and some of the most wonderful old wooden vessels with long sleek lines of dark polished wood. I wonder where they all had been and what wonderful journey were they embarking on? Were they eventually going to end up on the Mississippi River? Or just fishing in Lake Okeechobee. Going east, maybe they were going to end up in New England or just out for a day of sight seeing along the Intercostals waterway.

We had some good neighbors too! Michael and Jane from Delaware! I loved his British accent and Jane was so friendly! Their little rescue puppy was supposed to be a Jack Russell, wirehair terrier mix but “Dog” sure looked and acted like a miniature black and white border collie. It was fun to watch her stalk the local squirrel!

H’s sense of exploration has not waned on this trip. Last year we “discovered” Henderson Island and this year we did it again and introduced Flat Stanley to the rough jagged rocks! We were careful to keep him away from the crashing waves tho! At the northern end of the long narrow barrier island we ended up at the “cut” where all the boats go from the expansive Indian River out to the ocean. The accompanying rock and cement levies stretched way far out into the ocean and was lined with fishermen and hopeful pelicans. The park itself was undergoing a major restoration project so there were plenty of workers pouring new cement sidewalks. In the clear blue lagoon that was protected from the crashing waves was a lone dark lump of a manatee. We were hoping for dolphins but a manatee was good! On the mainland we had the yummiest fish and chips at Allen’s Diner where we normally have breakfast on the day when we move north. There was a sign on the wall that stated it was the oldest restaurant in Ft Pierce! Since we were in no hurry to return home we dallied along the road that ran by the river that was more of a great lake. We walked thru one of the marinas where lucky fishermen were cleaning their catches of the day. We found a little street fair with venders and performing musicians. The next day we went the other direction and headed south thru Hobe Sound and finally visited the “Roaring Rocks” but the tide was out and the waves were not close enough to the big sandstone cliffs to roar, let alone purr! We did “see” the tall red lighthouse that stood watch over that end of the island but we were not willing to pay $9 each to walk up to it. Between trips, we managed to put plenty of miles on the little bikes – always out thru the lock& dam campground and visitor center, just in case something had changed since our last ride thru. H’s birthday was not too exciting, but that’s the way he said he wanted it. He said he was just thankful to have made it to this one! 70! Whew!

And now it’s time to head north - - but not too far! We’re heading up to Melbourne and Wickham Park where we’ll meet up with R&N again!

LaBelle Fl

I’ve tried to refrain from using “See Previous Florida Blog” but  Whisper Creek RV Resort in LaBelle is definitely a SPFB!   H got us a 4 day free stay when we went to the RV show in Tampa.  And, as before we were sent to “The Glenn” the large grassy area where most of the transient units parked.  This year the entrance to the Glenn was planted with extremely prolific bright orange flowering bushes.  Which brings me to the point where I need to introduce you to “Flat Stanley”.   Grndau R is in the 3^rd grade and her project this winter is a “Flat Stanley’s Florida Adventure”.   Each time I post a blog I also send her a report (including pictures) about Stanley’s adventure.  Hence – Stanley and the orange flowers.  This year the park was missing a good percentage of their previous residents and they were no longer pushing lots to sell.   As last time, the folks were still very friendly and always spoke as they passed by.  Lots of license plates from Michigan and Ohio with a strong representation from Indiana too!    Church was held in the clubhouse!  The pianist played all the great hymns that we “older folks” enjoy so much and the preacher spoke from the Bible!  After the service I spoke with him and his wife who just happened to be from Indianapolis!  After we played a bit of “Where have you been in Indiana” I found out that they both attended Lincoln Bible College  - at the same time that Brthr N Law Paul did!   And they remembered my favorite preacher/missionary/the man who married H&I – Charles Phipps!  My day was complete!  But then – Sunday evening was an ice cream social!  Then my day was REALY complete!

Out and about to explore, and to find a future “home” was our mission one day.  Our first stop was WP Franklin Lock & Dam campground. The day was sunny and warm – a great day to be out seeing new things and soaking up some sun.  The water was calm above the lock/dam area and higher than it had been when we stayed there last time.  The campground was full as usual.  We had tried to get a spot but as before – no luck.   On down the road, closer to Lake Okeechobee, was Ortona Lock & Dam.   That campground was also full!   We did luck out to arrive just as a good-sized vessel was locking thru, heading east.  Our last stop for the day was Moore Haven Lock & Dam – the 3^rd lock on the Calloosahatchee River that flows west from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico at Ft Myers.   According to the brochures, there were several PA campgrounds there, however, the few “campgrounds” we did see were not worth going to.  Nuff said?

When we left Ft Myers, we left the Gulf of Mexico beaches, the bustling city traffic, fancy homes and palm lined streets.  On the way to LaBelle we drove thru Orange Groves.  Each day at Whisper Creek, there were semis piled high with oranges zooming up the road on the other side of the high fence!  Then between LaBelle and Moore Haven over by Lake Okeechobee the orange groves changed to vast cattle fields.   Closer to the lake the fields changed to tall waving fields of sugar cane and the seemingly ever present clouds of distant smoke from cane fields being burned.  Some fields were empty and black.  Some fields looked as if they had just been planted with onions that already needed thinning out.  Some fields were tall and thick and waved in the breeze like Pampas grass or too thick cattails!  H and I are having a “discussion” as to whether the fields are burned before or after the cane is cut!  Oh well. 

We’ve now seen the 3 locks that are west of Lake Okeechobee.  We’re moving to the one that is on the east side of the lake next!  We’re going to the ocean!

Ft Myers

Siesta Bay is a RESORT!  2 heated swimming pools, 2 fishing lakes, tennis, shuffleboard, bocce ball and pickle ball courts besides shuffleboard and horseshoe!  The streets are paved and well lit and although the sites are not huge, they are adequate and most have palm trees and grass!  There are over 900 well-kept sites of either park models, old trailers that have been covered up and added onto, motor homes, a spattering of fifth wheels and a few trailers. Everyone speaks to everyone else!  The park is well located – right between the two bridges to the islands of Sanibel and also Ft Myers/Estero Beach.   Wide sidewalks allow for safe bike riding to and from the bridges, shopping and the wifi and McDonalds!. 

As on Anna Marie Island, there is a trolley system that runs out onto Ft Myers Beach.  This one costs a whopping 25c per (old) person!  The first trolley heads to the very north of the island to beautiful Bowditch Park and Beach.  H attempted to herd a flock of wary seagulls, which we all know, doesn’t work.  Neither does herding cats!   As we kicked up sand on the beach, a cruise ship headed out towards the Gulf with its load of prospective gamblers on board.  The channel was just feet from the edge of the beach!   Back down at the junction of the bridge and Estero Beach Rd is the extremely busy touristy area, aptly named “Times Square” with its balconies, patio restaurants and multitude of tee shirt shops.  The fishing pier, complete with fishermen and an accompanying pelican, gave great views of the expansive beach full of colorful umbrellas and the millions of folks attempting to perfect their winter tans.  With the deep blue sky and temps up in the mid 80’s – they had an easy task!   At the other end of the island is Lover’s Key State Park.  The trolley pulls right in the entrance area but we realized that we had already been to their beach – so we stayed on the trolley and enjoyed the reverse ride back down to Times Square.  On another daytrip we did stop at a beach just past Lovers Key and found out it was a dog beach!  Folks unleashed their four footed furry friends and let them romp and play on the beach and in the water.  As we watched, 4 little Dachshunds commandeered their area and chased all the bigger dogs away.  Yippy yappy little Napoleons!  The key looks like it has great kayaking areas and we saw the fabulous views of the Gulf!    The south end of the roadway takes you off the island and into the fancier areas of Barefoot Beach, Vanderbilt Beach and Bonita Beach.   Silly H!   Thought that since we were driving thru Barefoot “Beach” that we would be able to see some beach!  For $8 parking - a block away – you could.  Not us!  But we did end up in a rather well to do area of red bricked roadways lined with Royal Palms and gracefully dotted with expansively large mansions, almost hidden behind expertly manicured trees and lawns.  I felt way more comfortable back at our humble “condo”!

Since the fee for just driving over the bridge to Sanibel Island is $6 and parking is even more – we parked on the causeway beach area and watched a group of kite boarders fly across the choppy waves with their bright U shaped kites pulling them with amazing speed.  That was before the cold front came thru last evening and brought the rain and cooler albeit still windy weather!  Thursday morning arrived with clouds and rain – a perfect time to do laundry and our usual household chores!   The morning weather and traffic reports were full of the terrible weather up north and the consequence of the small amount of rain down here  - 16 traffic accidents before 9am just because it had rained and folks forgot how to drive on wet roads.

Friday is the last day of month and our last day in Siesta Bay.  The road in front of us is leading east but where we’ll end up for night is up for grabs yet.  LaBelle or Moore Haven?   Our winter adventure is half over, but we are not at our destination yet!  

Ruskin to Ft. Myers

EG Simmons Campground in Ruskin still has all the Osprey platforms lining the roadways and the resident Ospreys were there, watching for us when we pulled in!  My “Welcoming Committee”!   Soon after we both backed into our side-by-side campsites, a very vocal big black and white bird roosted in the empty branches of the tree at the back corner of our “condo”.   Several times during our week’s stay, we watched him enjoying his tasty lunch of fresh fish, obviously caught in the mangrove clogged canal behind us.   The sunsets turned the canal and the sky behind our condo a bright coral most evenings.   Our bikes finally made it out of the back of the truck and we managed about 5 miles a day, touring the “neighborhood” and seeing which campers had gone and who had moved in.  SPFB – really takes hold this time since we’ve camped in this same park many times before and even in the same spot.  Same flea market – same Laundromat –same power plant in Apollo Beach!  Even the same trolley ride from Ybor City to downtown Tampa.  And the same HUGE RV show in Tampa! On our trip out to Anna Marie Island we did learn to ride the FREE trolley instead of fighting traffic to get to the Pier and then back to the white sands of the beach.   The bad part about our stay this year was the “No See Ums”.   A hot dry spell really drew them out and they were hungry!   Our evenings were spent indoors with an exhaust fan on! 

Myakka River State Park had only one spot that was available and only for one night.  We have never been to that park and our gypsy GPS took us right to it.    Too bad they were out of their bar patch for my jacket.  MRSP is one of the older state parks so it is a bit more rustic than most.  It’s a long narrow park on the Myakka River and is divided between oak/palm hammock and rare dry prairie lands.  The neatest thing it is known for is the “Canopy Walkway” – the first one erected in America.  The walkway is 25 ft above the ground and goes 100 ft between 2 tall wooden towers.  You can feel the wooden slats sway under your feet as you step onto and across it!  You can reach out and touch the various air plants and the branches they grow on.  Don’t forget to duck for the gnarly live oak limb that hangs across the walkway at eye level!

The 2^nd tower stretches 75 feet high.  Neither of us went all the way to the top of that tower but the trip up was well worth the long, round, down and around trip back down to terra firma!  Thru the jungle path behind our campsite was the marina where you could take an airboat tour boat ride along the river and its lakes with all the alligators and beautiful birds.  

On down the road in Punta Gorda is another PA resort – Alligator Park.  It’s a nice park, good sized, with mostly permanent park models and old trailers.  Once again, we were the smallest unit in the transient section (the field) of the park.  Our first day was spent out exploring Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte - the neighbor across the river, and Englewood - on the gulf coast.  Lunch at “Gators” consisted of 25c wings and grilled fish sandwiches – mine was a Reuben.   Fish and Sauerkraut!  That afternoon, as we wandered, we ended up at a park right on Charlotte Bay where the Spaniards were reported to have landed and the first white man was killed.   H really leaned on every word of the Spaniard he met – Can’t you tell??  I was lucky to be able to spend an afternoon with my dear friend Emily who spends her winters in Port Charlotte.   After a lunch at a spiffy diner called “Lickity Spit” we gathered at the church she attends with a great group of her women friends for Bible study.  

The weather is warm and Siesta Bay RV Resort in Ft Myers has a spot with our name on it. Our amaryllis loves the warmth and the sun and she is now in full beautiful bloom!   You didn’t think we left her at home, did you??    Her bright coral color is not as vivid as last year but she is still gorgeous, don’t you agree?

Lithia Spring

Remember to enlarge pics double click on them

 Man, did it rain!    It threatened most of the morning and before we reached Lithia Springs it started!   We parked in the rain and I believe it rained all thru the night.  Thankfully it was not as incessant as the last all-nighter downpour.    It’s been a few years since we’ve parked in this Hillsborough County campground and it hasn’t changed any.  The electric and water hookups are still goofy.  Imagine a deep, secluded, picturesque campsite carved out of the jungle, complete with fire ring and picnic table – but the hookups are way up at the edge of the road - - - on the wrong side of the drive!    We were assigned our spot first and it was great – deep, almost level and hookups in the right spot.  Ron was given the big spot next door – deep but not level and had a big Live Oak limb hanging a bit too low for him – and, yes – hookups up by the road and on the wrong side.  He ended up out of yelling range, a half dozen sites down the way before he found a site that fit.  Good thing we had walkie-talkies and bikes – and nobody camping between us.   The lousy speed bumps are still lying across the roadways everywhere.   SPFB!   The views are still great tho, and the spring is still clear, cool and inviting so when the weather warms- we’re going in!  The Camp Hosts are a hoot.  George is from Pennsylvania and Joe and Bev are from Shelby MICHIGAN.  When we rode our bikes past their site and saw the Michigan tag on his truck, I couldn’t contain myself and yelled “GO BLUE”!  \

 On our 1^st full day, it was H’s turn to drive and we ended up at our favorite lunch spot – Brandon Farms for their ever so yummy strawberry shortcake!  On Wednesday we all climbed in R’s big gray truck and headed to Ybor City (EE-bore) the historical community of eclectic Cuban shops and restaurants just north of Tampa.   The last time we were in the Tampa area, Bud and Carol joined us to explore and we road the trolley from downtown Ybor to downtown Tampa and back.  A really nice ride – past the Florida Aquarium, the cruise ship docks and the convention center and then back.  Once back at the campground, the temps had hit a new high of 85 degrees so off we went – over or around the stupid speed bumps to the spring! OH – did the cool, clear water feel great!    It was H’s turn to drive the next trip out and we headed back east towards Plant City.    We had no problem entering the 2^nd of the 3 Hillsborough County Parks – Edward Medard.   We still had our Lithia Springs tag hanging from the mirror!   The campground was empty except for the campground hosts.  What a shame for such a lovely park!  We had heard that the lake was still drained because of dam problems from several years ago but the lake level was plenty high and the parking lot had a good share of empty boat trailers just hanging around with nothing to do.  We did finally arrive in Plant City and the “boys” let us “girls” go shopping on our own - antique shops and a great quilt shop.  I resisted the urge to buy any more fabric that I didn’t need!   Nancy didn’t!

Friday was a stay at home day for H and I.  More miles on the bikes; knitting and reading; and finally we headed back down to the spring with our snorkel masks this time!   The “pond” was totally ours and we took advantage of the peaceful setting!    H took his new camera that can go under water and got some pretty neat shots.  He thinks it’s funny to take a picture with the camera half in and half out of the water.  The results are cool – but definitely NOT flattering to a lady’s mature figure!  Oh well.  And, if you stood still for more than a few minutes, all those fish would come and nibble on your feet and ankles which is quiet a shocking feeling the first time their little suction lips pull on your unsuspecting flesh!!   More than once, H had to remind me not to make so many funny noises!!   

Saturday has arrived and it’s our last day here.  We made the most of it by going out for yet another wonderful lunch of Strawberry Shortcake at Brandon Farms.  Then it was back to the “pond”!      R&N came over for supper - fresh sweet corn, BLT’s and cukes in sour cream.   Now, dishes are done, the awning is brushed off and rolled up and our little bikes are folded up and back in the truck.   Sunday morning is moving day again!    Here we come Ruskin!

Ocala to Mt. Dora

Christmas has come and gone and now so has New Years Eve!   I have got to get caught up!

Christmas Eve was pleasantly quiet at D&S’s home.  On Christmas Day H and I hoped to kayak further up the Rainbow again but unfortunately the weather did not wish to cooperate so we just “explored” more back roads.  While in Ross Prairie, we chatted with folks from our previous stays and this time we’ll add Bill & Carol and Kevin’s names to our list of travel friends!   Originally from Indiana, B&C are full timers who travel in a truck camper pulling a Jeep with 2 orange kayaks on top.  Kevin and his wife travel and write blogs and newspaper articles.   K interviewed both of us couples and wrote a VERY fine article in the Citrus County Chronicle, dated Dec 27,12!  C&B look good but don’t look at me – I was trying to lean back, OUT of the picture!   On K’s blog, he posted a picture of my patch-covered jacket, which has drawn a slew of good remarks!   IF you want to see it - go to:  Facebook and then to the page for VisitFlorida and scroll down to Dec 25.

Golf cart store at The Villages

One day that week, the Market of Marion flea market drew us down for our yearly visit to see what new treasures were hidden among all that “stuff” and this year we also drove a bit further to see how much the small community of “The Villages” has grown.   Let’s just say that the last time we visited, it probably had one zip code   - - Now it has several!  So much new construction and so many new housing developments!   One of H’s fun places to check out is the downtown golf cart store.  $20,000 plus for a golf cart but they are not your plain cart with 4 little rubber tires and a steering wheel, either!  

Fridays are not our favorite days to change parks but it was time to pull up jacks and move on!   H had ordered a new trailer tire from Wal-Mart but the wrong one got ordered – you MUST use the word “RADIAL” when asking for trailer tires.  And know that Wal-Mart does NOT touch travel trailers when it comes to changing tires - the customer must remove the old and must put the new mounted one back on.  Our next home was down US441 in Mt Dora and H was confident we would find someplace else where we could get the correct hunk of radial rubber to replace the one that was wearing out!   That place was PEPBOYS in Tavares!  Good price, GREAT service AND they did all the work!  We were in and out within a half hour. 

1957 DeHaviland Beaver

See several years past of Florida Blogs for Trimble Park in Mt Dora – its another one of our favorite Orange County Campgrounds besides Moss Park and Kelly Park.  This park has the smallest campground with only 15 sites which means it’s hard to get into.  Most sites are right on the water!   Our 1^st site was #4, on the small canal that was surrounded by Florida jungle - palmettos, palms and live oaks draped with more Spanish moss!  The park is also home to a million small gray squirrels that use the canopy above as their expressway.  Small black coots hoot and holler to each other.  Egrets and herons of both colors ply the reeds for dinner.  Jays and hawks and finches dart from bush to tree.   Each night we are serenaded by questioning owls (Get it? WHO??), bellowing frogs and chattering raccoons!    One day, H unfolded our little bikes and we rode them to town.  We were either straining to go uphill into the wind or riding the brakes to keep from going head over heels down the opposite side of that hill!  While downtown we snooped in several small shops and visited the beautiful 1887 Lakeside Inn that resides on the hillside of Lake Dora.   A 1957 DeHaviland Beaver Seaplane calls the dock it’s home.  For $50 a person we could have gone up in it!   H was tempted!

Christmas in Mt. Dora

Mt Dora decorates for Christmas to the NINES!   SPFB for several years ago to see the huge marina that covers all their buildings with more lights than the Toledo Zoo uses. The palm trees are even wrapped like big candy canes in red and white LEDs.  Downtown is draped with sparkling white icicles, and the lamplights were alternating red ones and green ones.  The palm trees were wrapped in white also but the tops had the “dripping” ice blue lights.  And the huge tree in the square - OH MY!   Set to music, it changed patterns and colors according to which Christmas Carol was played.   On New Year’s Eve we walked the brightly lit, peaceful little downtown and watched that tree!   We are not “party people” – we arrived as everyone was going to dinner and left before all the real “party people” came out to party!

Sunset at Trimble Park

New Year’s Day 2013 arrived and looked just like the last day of 2012 but everyone in the park knew it was time to pack up and go home!   Except for us!   But we still moved!    From #4 to #8 which was/is THE best site in the park!    Right on the lake – right by the fishing/boat docks, closer to the “facilities”(which are very good and very clean!) - and THE best views of the sunrise and sunsets! 

Travares is one of the other towns on Lake Dora.  Leesburg is on the west, Mt Dora is on the east and Tavares is on the north.  The town’s lakefront is mostly well groomed community park with picnic shelters, walkways, a seaplane for public rides over the lakes, a great play area for the kids, a water park with a large colorful seaplane mounted above and a train depot that is home to a 1907 steam train.   When we arrived, the train was just building up steam for it’s 2 hour run to Leesburg and back!

Ron and Nancy have arrived and are parked right next to us in the next best site in the park!   They are here and so is the rain!                 More adventures to come, tho!

Old Town to Ocala

Suwannee River Hideaway is a Passport America campground. It was H’s 2nd choice of places to stay at first but it turned out to be a great place to call home for a few days! Originally it was going to be an overnight stop but ended up being a 5-day stay! It is located just 3 miles outside the small town of Old Town. When you first turn onto the long entrance drive it feels as tho it had been a state park in a previous life, but according to the great camp hosts Bettye and Jay, it was built from scratch about 6 years ago. Basic facilities but very clean and a wonderful clubhouse with wifi were added perks. The best perks were the owners and the hosts – including Patsy and Billy! We were invited to their potluck Christmas Party and were made to feel right at home. Off exploring we went - one day to find Fanning Springs State Park and from there we found 2 more small Florida Springs – Otter Springs and Hart Springs. Another day we followed yet another back road and ended up out on Cedar Key for lunch. (Ready? SPFB!) Some of the previously occupied stores were now empty and one restaurant had burned down but the gang of local pelicans and cormorants still called the storm damaged old docks home. H has been having trouble with pain in his heel so we’ve had to limit our walking. One highlight of the campground was a ¼ mile long boardwalk, which lead across the cypress filled swamp to the wide dark Suwannee River. All the posted signs clearly stated NO BIKES! It was not to be experienced IF we had to walk it. H dug out our fold up bikes and we were given permission to ride. I did ride it but only one way! It was a really nice boardwalk – long and as wide as any normal sidewalk, but only had retaining WIRES strung thru the tall pylons pounded down into the muck. Speeding along the long narrow pine needle strewn planks on that skinny little bike was torturous. My shoulder blades ached and my knuckles were clenched tightly around the handlebars. Hence – I walked my bike back across the “skyway bridge” to the safety of solid, albeit sandy ground.

Ross Prairie State Forest Campground, just south west of Ocala is always one of my favorite spots and not just because it’s within 3 miles of my sister Sharon’s home. The park is also set up for equestrian camping but this time there have been only 2 horses and they only stayed 2 days. H likes the park because it is close to a lot of things – our friends R&J in Dunnellon, several great flea markets, shopping (OK – that’s mine!) and the always-beautiful Rainbow River! The weather most of the time has been in the 50’s at night and up to the mid 60’s, low 70’s during the day – those are the days we’ve gone exploring or to the various flea markets with our list of “needed” items. Sharon and I went girl shopping one day and managed to find a few things on sale that we didn’t really need! Such great deals tho! Of course, spending time out with D&S is always fun – especially when it’s Dick’s birthday! The warmest and sunniest day (79 degrees) we headed for the Rainbow with our little orange bubbles! The bright sun felt so wonderfully warm on our bare shoulders as we paddled upstream in the amazingly clear deep blue water. H normally wants to call it quits within a half hour of uphill paddling but this time he didn’t complain and so we kept on going. After 2 hours, that warm sun still felt good but our upper arms and shoulders were in agony even after a brief time out at the state park dock. Going back downstream was a breeze! We still managed to see lots of different fish, turtles and birds but no otters and no gators this time!



As most of you have heard, seen on TV or experienced for yourselves, there has been a named winter storm that has just charged across the country. We haven’t had snow here but early Saturday morning and Sunday morning were both cold enough for snow. 29 and then 26 degrees! Our poor little heaters have been working overtime. A warm up is on the way! So is Christmas!