Ruskin, Fl

Ruskin means Mangrove trees, sandy beaches, bike rides, horseshow crabs, Tampa Bay, Manatees, Osprey, Pelicans, EG Simmons County Park Campground, Anna Marie’s Oyster Bar Restaurant and more new friends!

As we came west and then south on Rt 41 thru Apollo Beach, we could see the tall power plant stacks with their plumes of fluffy white steam billowing up and out into the sky.  We weren’t far from parking the condo on one of the huge grassy sites in EG Simmons Park!   This year we were able to get onto H’s very favorite-est spot - #56 – which is wide, deep and has a good sized open slot in the thick mangroves for launching a canoe, kayak – or porta-bote!  The camp host who is normally on this site has even left old green indoor/outdoor carpeting down to line the rocky, mucky opening.  Great for sliding boats easily between the long tendrils of Mangrove roots into the tannic colored water of the canal!

Safe Harbor

Sun Rise

This is a cold windy winter up north and the same in the south.  North Florida has had freezing temps and frost warnings have abound here in the Tampa area also.  30’s and 40’s at night and 50’s and 60’s most days have been the norm.  Wind and heavy clouds have been taking turns.  Long pants and jackets are required most days.  On one of those cold blustery days we did stop at the Apollo Beach Power Plant for our annual pilgrimage to see the Manatees. They were there in mass but the tide was out so they were all huddled closer to the warmer, deeper water of the area right next to the discharge pipes of the cooling towers.  Oh well, next time.   Right out the back window, some of the sunrises with their peach and coral glow and then aqua blue are still a welcome sight when you first wake up and sip that first cup of coffee.   The high wispy clouds and criss crossing jet streams accentuated the glow of the colors against the starkness of the dark trees.  That’s a sight H only sees in pictures!  Sleepy head!

Sky and water reflections

On our first afternoon, we had surprise guests come to call – Bud Franklin – H’s classmate from Swanton and his wife Nancy!  We’ve since gone to the Big Red Barn Flea Market with them and of course – Anna Marie’s!   On the day after we arrived, we were inside because it was cold and windy out, when 2 bundled up folks wandered thru our site and out behind the condo.  I was starting to get aggravated at the rudeness of people who don’t have any respect for someone’s space, when one of them came and knocked on our door.  It was the couple from Montreal, Claude and Nicole that we had met and become friends with at Kelly Park!   The guys had traded camping stories and ideas and they took H’s advice to come to Ruskin!

The boat has been in the water twice now. On our first cruise, the sky was so blue and the water so calm that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.  The light airy clouds were multiplied by the reflections on the bay!  A low flying pelican took advantage of the calm and flew right by us, adding to our beautiful scene.    Our second jaunt was smooth till we reached the open waters of the bay and the farther out we ventured- the bigger and rougher the chop.  Back to the protected areas of the many canals and back to our safe harbor!  

Pelican across our bow

We’ll be in this campground a few more days before we move south to the Port Charlotte area.  We’ve got more to share about the Tampa area – so stay with us!

Lithia Spring

Round and Round!   The GPS led us West, then North, and then said, “ Make a U turn as soon as possible”!  Again and again!  One time we ended up at Animal Kingdom.  The next time around we took a chance and picked the roadway to the A K Lodge.  Lo and behold there was another road that led off of that path and we escaped the Disney Maze and soon we were finally out of the traffic congestion of Orlando and onto quieter back roads to Plant City, Brandon and the peaceful Lithia Spring Hillsborough County Park.  

Camping at Lithia Spring

Lithia Springs is not the most kept up, modern campground by any means. (SPFB!) but there are some good improvements being made!  All of the NEW electrical AND water hookups are now on the right sides and closer together!  The narrow winding road is being cleared somewhat making it easier to maneuver rigs thru the thick forest/jungle.  There are now 2 pull thru sites and we parked in one of them.   Open and spacious!  No sappy, drippy pine tree above us this year!   The camp hosts are from near Ann Arbor Michigan and we’ve had a nice time catching up from last year.    Since the weather in this area has been less than perfect – so was the condition of the Spring.   A bit of green slime has built up around the shallow end but once the locals and all the kids can get back in it – I am sure it will be back to it’s gorgeous sparkling blue.   The little white nippy fish are still there!

Two weeks on the road

Four weeks on the road

Our beautiful amaryllis is just that – BEAUTIFUL!  Regal and tall and in full bloom with more buds to open!  She even has a second stem arising from her thick base, which will produce 3 or 4 more blooms.   Her double-layered pedals are pearly white with coral streaks of color emitting from a deep center of soft pale lime green.  Her bloom is 9 inches across.  As each bloom fades, there will be another opening to take its place.  I will be able to enjoy her beauty for quite awhile!    On cold, windy days, her perch is in the back corner of the condo, next to the big picture window, where she can catch all the available light rays.  When we pack down to travel she moves to the protection of the shower stall.  Unfit of her beauty, she is humbled and placed inside the empty wastebasket and secured with my 4 brand new rolls of Christmas wrapping paper standing around her pot of stems.  No broken stems for her this year!

It is the weekend and our luck for finding Flea Markets fell flat.   Just like our trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo years ago (and our exit from Disney?), the GPS took us to a small residential area in Lakeland.  No one at the carryout down the road knew anything about any flea market.  Oh well – there was another one listed for Plant City.   HA!   That one had moved and if what was left behind was any inclination as to what had been there  - - - It was creepy!   Oh well – time to buy strawberries at our favorite Brandon Farms roadside stand and make our own shortcake!    DEE-LISH!  

Mission accomplished.  Now it’s on to Ruskin and EG Simmons County Park.    More strawberries, a really big flea market AND Anna Marie’s Oyster Bar!            Come on!

On to Disney

The newsman on TV said that this week EVERY state in the country had temps below freezing, including Hawaii and Florida!   It’s true but then the weather on top of Hawaii’s volcano is ALWAYS cold!   Our original plans called for moving to Disney World on Monday but the forecast was not good so we stayed in Kelly Park an extra day.  On Sunday it was almost 80 so we slid into the deep cool water and snorkeled down the Rock Spring Run.  And as always - I looked like the monster from the dark lagoon!  As warm as it was on Sunday, Monday temps hit the bottom in low 30’s and highs in the 40’s. 

  Tuesday was not much better as we loaded on the long pants and sweat shirts and moved the condo to Ft Wilderness Campground in the maze of loops and lakes in the Disney Complex.

Wednesday was supposed to get warmer but we wisely chose to wear our winter coats as the morning started out cold - and we were taking a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom!   Thru the main gates, Main Street USA lay before us and led our eyes to the amazing view of the centerpiece of the park -Cinderella’s Castle.    The child in H emerged as he grabbed my hand and off we headed to Tomorrowland to ride his favorite ride – Space Mountain. NO, it is not on my list of fun things to do with all the jerks and fits of ups and downs and bright flashing lights being thrown in front of you in the blackest of darkness.  Although, to be honest, I did only see one set of lights until I finally peeked and saw it was the end of the fitful ride!   H’s second favorite ride, Tomorrowland Speedway was closed, as was his third – Splash Mountain.  We did ride the usual ones - the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Frontier Railway. We climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse and patiently sat thru the fake-feathered birds tweeting away in the Tiki Room!   

The Country Bears Jamboree is not as good as the one in our memory; however, the Parade of Presidents is still a great thing to behold.  We hurried and caught part of the noon parade but by 8pm we were leaning on the available strong fence to ease our weary backs and feet so we could watch the amazing fireworks display that flashed and boomed high above the moored paddlewheel tour boat.  The spreading fingers of color that drifted down the walls of the dark sky looked like large iridescent mum pedals reflecting in the calm dark water of the small river in front of us.   We finally joined the herd of human cattle, all trying to merge back onto Mainstreet, to finally end up at the various modes of transportation to get each back to their pillows and places of rest for the night.  Our boat finally arrived and too many of us were herded aboard, filling the boat with so many passengers that a lot were standing in the aisle.  Shortly after disembarking, a unique parade of small boats and their obedient barges behind them slowly paraded across the lake, just out from the boat dock at the campground.  Loud music bellowed from the lead boat as a large green dragon with a bright red tongue lit up.  Its body and tail were the 2^nd and 3^rd boats.  Then came a turtle, 3 jumping fish and lastly a bright green gator with smacking jaws on the following crafts.  Enough!  We needed a bus to our campground loop and our own soft pillows.  Thursday was going to be here soon and we needed to find the road out of Disney.

Apopka Fl.

                              HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

We are thinking of changing the name of the “condo” to “the ARK”.     Rain, rain and more RAIN!  It was raining on our trip down.  It was wet at Salt Springs and Wilderness and it’s been raining on and off since we arrived at Kelly Park in Apopka.   Our fingers and toes look like albino prunes and the trailer is turning black from mildew!  We’re running out of bleach!   But, H checked the traffic cams up home and it don’t look good there either! 

We spent one day out exploring since it was too cold and gray to jump into the Rock Spring and snorkel down the run like we usually do when here.  Around and about we ended up south in Winter Garden.  Their downtown Christmas displays were still up and still beautiful.   Lucky for us the sun came out and we enjoyed our stroll up and down Main Street.  Next stop was Hickory Point Park just north of Howie in the Hills Bridge on Rt 19.  The HUGE southern plantation style, 2 story, screened in shelter house anchored the peaceful setting of nature boardwalk, boat launch and sprawling boat docks/fishing pier.  We followed the highway up and over the Dora Canal and Dead River to Lake Eustis, just west of Tavares on Rt 441.   Now the mission was to find a boat launch suitable to unfold the boat and get it into the water.   The launch on Lake Eustis was way too big but we did meet a family from Ohio who was visiting family in Eustis for the holidays!   They were from Whitehouse and knew our grandsons and their teenage son had had H’s daughter for a teacher!   Our atlas showed a boat launch in Tavares on Lake Dora and looked close to the Dora Canal.  It was in the picturesque lakefront park we visited last year!    The seaplanes were still offering rides to tourists and were constantly roaring in and out of the little harbor.  The grassy area next to the big launch ramp was going to be just right to unfold the boat! 

We rolled the dice and took a chance on picking which day to attempt our boat launch.  The clouds were heavy and dark gray on our way to the launch but the sun peaked thru as we ventured out of the harbor and headed for the Dora Canal which is a jungle river that joins Lake Dora and Lake Eustis.   It is guarded at the mouth by a small lighthouse and rows of pontoon boats and small cottages.   From there the small olive green river runs thru a Florida jungle!   Large green vines, palmetto bushes and Cypress trees line the banks and kingfishers and herons flew up and away in front of us.   According to a local magazine, the canal was dug back in the 1800’s, and the librarian at the Lake County Library (who is originally from Lima Ohio!) said that a lot of the old Tarzan movie still pictures were taken on that canal!  Boat traffic was going both ways, from the Sheriff’s wide craft, kayaks, a pontoon, a couple of fishing boats, and a rather ponderous sailboat!  Good thing it had its mast laid down because there were 3 rather low wide bridges it had to go under before it reached the next lake.  A rather portly gentleman in a red plaid shirt manned one of the bass boats.  He had long white hair and a full white beard!   HUH!  Now we know where Santa went after Christmas!  Lake Eustis at the other end of the canal was way too rough for our little craft so we turned around and headed back thru the jungle.   Once back on the calm side of Lake Dora we viewed the lakefront as we slowly puttered up and back before turning off the gas in the trusty little 2.2 Mercury motor and gently floated to the shore. 

Now it’s Friday.  Thursday we put more miles on the truck in the daylong rain.  Today we are trying to dry out and warm up!  Temps last night reached the low 40’s.  The big project for the day is to see if the Catfish Place in Apopka is as good as it was last year.  Saturday is our Sanford exploration day and of course – OLD people in Florida go to Flea Markets.     Temps Sunday are to warm up a bit so maybe, just maybe – we’ll make it down the Rock Springs Run.    Monday is moving day!    Where to??    DISNEY!!!

Christmas in Ocala

          MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OCALA FLORIDA!  

We moved from Silver Springs to Ross Prairie Greenway Campground for Christmas with D&S.     Christmas Eve Service at the College Road Baptist Church was festive and yet meaningful - Christmas Carols, scripture readings and a wonderful choir.  The extremely talented choir director sang, “Mary, Did You Know” almost as good as Mark Lowry!

Guess what?   Santa found us on Christmas Day!      I didn’t think he would be able to, but he must have tracked us by his GPS!    I got a bright blue spatula with big white polka dots!   H got RV toilet paper!!!  There is always a bag of coal that is passed around the Trout family and this year was H’s turn to end up with it!  A couple of years ago it was mine!!   It was fun to spend time with D’s son, and Terry the Judge and her husband John.  J still has his little white beard and still wears bright red and white striped socks for the holiday!!

Rainbow Spring

Thursday, my nephew Rich and his wife Susan brought their son Brady and came up to visit us from Lakeland.   Rich is a farmer from Indiana and is down on vacation.  Of course we gave them lots of ideas on things to do and see!   And of course we took them to the headsprings at Rainbow Springs to experience the awesome sight and to see the Christmas lights but we were too early.  They were getting ready to close and then were to re open in another hour for the lights.  The lady let us in to just go see the springs.  Susan was not going to be able to walk up and down the hills again so we chose not to return but instead went to find a nice place for a pleasant dinner. HA!  We ended up at KFC – but Brady was happy with it!

Two Weeks

Three weeks

Our Amaryllis is growing and budding out already.  I pulled “her” out from the dark the week we left home.  3 weeks later she is about a foot tall and has 4 buds at various stages.  Soon she’ll have vibrant coral color and then beautiful full blooms!   And yes, our Christmas tree looks great sitting on the place of honor on the dining room table!  It has done us well, since it is the same one we got when we headed for Texas back in 2007!  If you want to see it – SPTB and SPFB!!  The Christmas ones!

We’ve shopped, visited with dear friends Ruth and Jerry from up home, met some great new folks, gabbed with the camp hosts, did the laundry and even stopped at the library in Dunnellon to borrow some wifi!    Now, as always, its time to move on!    We’ll be bringing in 2014 at Kelly Park in Apopka.             HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

Silver Springs

 Happy Winter!   Today, December 21st is the first day of winter!  The official temperature was 84 degrees.   Sorry. 

We arrived at Wilderness RV Resort on Wednesday.   Every day there are more huge rigs pulling in but there are still a lot of empty concrete pads out there.   On the 2 sites behind us are sisters and husbands from Michigan!     The next row over is a 35 ft Rockwood from Pennsylvania!  Great folk all!  In total there are 5 Rockwood’s in the park!  Last year we were in site 15 on the backside of this row but site 7 is right on the main road, across from the little lane that leads to the river and to the section where all the big fancy class A motorhomes buy the space and do all their own improvements. Some have big elaborate decks and screen rooms!  On the outside row all the rigs pull in so their mammoth front windows face the river and woods instead of the street and all the golf carts going by!    Oh, yeh, there was a Christmas parade that zipped thru the park – 9 decorated golf carts and a big yellow motorcycle!   Pretty exciting!

Dick and Sharon live on the south west side of Ocala and the town of Silver Springs is on the east side.  Wilderness is further east on Rt 40, just past the Ocklawaha River.  D&S were out running errands on Thurs and we met them at Bob Evans for an early supper.  Of course, since we were going to town - it gave us a chance to go do some shopping also!  Especially since H broke the mirror on the truck.

The “adventure” day came on Friday when we struggled to get the boat down the hill and put together at the edge of the slimy green pond area where all the park’s kayaks are kept.  H had to row out thru the lime green ooze to the river where I was able to climb aboard next to where the pontoon boats were moored.  Once away from the shore the jungle cruise began!   Up the Ocklawaha River we ventured under the high bridge on Rt 40 to the beautiful Silver River.  Herons were everywhere – big blue and gray ones, little blue ones, green ones and elegant long legged white ones; egrets with their curved bills always slicing thru the water; kingfishers zigzagging across the river from one tall tree to another and the always present cormorants and anhingas with their long snaky necks and outspread drying wings.  Millions of orange-bellied turtles sunning themselves, all stacked like dominos on any available log.   We saw TEN black alligators dozing in the sun, just on the 6-mile ride up to the headsprings. On the way back down H spotted a tiny one, only about 2 ft long swimming in front of us.  Not a monkey was to be seen on this trip but we did manage to scare 2 wild hogs and followed them across the river and watched them disappear thru the lily pads to the palmetto jungle.   At the clear, deep blue headspring there used to be a dozen glass bottom and jungle tour boats, all twirling around over the deep springs and down the river in search of alligators.  Now there is only one lonely boat to take visitors out over the gorgeous water canyons.  The concession that used to operate the boats and park no longer manage it and the “state” has taken over so it is now part of the Silver Springs State Park.

 

Hogs in the River

Saturday is flea market day in Florida!   The Market of Marion even has a café for breakfast!  Our mission was to find a new side mirror for the truck and a replacement plate for Staci’s Pfalzgraff dinnerware set.  Did not find either but we found mirrors for our little bikes since our good ones got left behind at home and bright red tomatoes to go with our bacon sandwiches -even tho they do not compare to our home grown ones from Michigan!

Christmas is coming and we must get to Ross Prairie before Santa!  We will see you there!

Salt Springs Area

 I should just start out each new blog post with “SPFB” and get it over with!   Yah, know – Anastasia, thru Palatka and down to Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest.  We are in a new campsite this time tho!  The powers that be have rearranged the reservable vs. non-reservable sites plus they have condemned the “barn” where all the crafters met and potlucks were held.  The office lady said it was not up to code.  Because of that, lots of the regulars are not here. The first full row only had 3 units parked there when we pulled in.  Our favorite spots are either 18 or 19 but they are now only to be had if you call ahead and reserve.  We’ve been on site 65 with its drippy pine tree but this time we are site 67.  Our Tennessee neighbors and our Montana neighbors have moved on but 3 mammoth motorhomes from Palatka have moved in!  Across from us is a family of 3 adults from Traverse City Michigan who said they sold their home and have given all their furniture away.  They have been tent camping for 6 months with 2 dogs - a full sized slobbering St Bernard and an overgrown Border collie mix.  They are driving an old faded minivan and an almost as old convertible.   Our other neighbors are Pleated woodpeckers, chickadees and last evening we heard an owl!  Of course there are squirrels – in the trees, on the picnic tables, sliding on the awning and running up and down on the top of the condo at 7am!  There have been LOTS of reports of bears, too!  On the TV news reports and via hunters in the campground talking about how many they saw in the forest when out hunting for deer.

We’ve not been “in the forest” yet.  We’ve ridden our bikes around the park, up the long hill to the little shopping center next to the RV Resort and down the long hill to the mobile home park and to the grocery store even farther down hill.   YES!  Their deli’s chicken livers are still really good!   We’ll be riding up the hill again because I have an Anniversary card to mail to my sister Becky and her husband Larry!   Happy Anniversary, Kids!!

It was too cool to unfold the portaboat and way too cool to don wet suits and snorkel in the fresh water spring this park is known for so we set the GPS for Ormand Beach and went off exploring for the day.  RT 40 all the way to the ocean.    The parking lot at the pretty beach we found was just about empty.  WAY to cold and WAY to windy to be walking in the surf or sand.  The red warning flags were holding ever so tightly to their sturdy poles!  The park had lovely paved picnic spots and even a dancing fountain area for the kids to run thru.  Obviously, it wasn’t operating or the icy water spray would have ended up in the parking lot across the 4-lane highway!   On down A1A to Daytona Beach, we found a great parking spot that did not have a parking meter next to it and was only 4 spots from the boardwalk and the Daytona Fishing Pier!   The strong winds felt almost hurricane force to someone who has never had to endure such power!   My poor hat was not going to make it so off it came and stayed secure in my hand as we strolled down the boardwalk and back via the brightly decorated street.  On the way we passed over the historic arch that allowed the Daytona bike racers to enter the beach where the original Daytona races were held in days past.

On day we finally took a chance and unfolded the boat and slid it into the clear water at the mouth of the spring.  The little 2 horsepower motor chugged along and pushed us steadily on as we headed out the Salt Springs Run.  As we finally turned back and were heading to the launch, the boat shuttered and rolled as tho we had hit a large boulder hidden under the water.  Startled, I grabbed for the gunnels on each side of the little wobbly craft and turned to H to see what he had hit.  He was as astonished as I!   We determined that we had been hit by a manatee as we watched its large flat tail disappear under the water out past the back of the boat! 

Now it’s time to move on.  We’ve had rain, wind, sun and now cold.  Frost is in the forecast!  We’ve seen deer, finally explored more forest trails, done 2 flea markets and met lots of nice folks.  Wilderness RV Park in Silver Springs is our next step, as we get closer to Christmas in Ocala.