Apopka Fl.

Moss Park has always been one of our favorite places to visit. Kelly Park, in Apopka, is another Orange County Park that we like and is the 3rd of the 4 Orange County parks that we have called home this trip. Like Moss, Kelly is woodsy and quiet with a winding one way road encircling the campground. What looks at first glance to be gravel, the roadbed and parking pads are really millions of seashells - some still intact, and some crushed to powder. Some of the "intact" ones are now packed away to bring home! It always and forever will amaze me as to what those beautiful little shells have gone thru and STILL some are whole and perfectly formed. They've been dug up from the ocean's bottom and dumped on roadways where heavy trucks and trailers pack them into the ground.

The weather has turned "cool" but we did manage to select the warmest/sunniest day and make a bike run to the swimming area with our snorkel equipment and wetsuits. Once there tho, we realized that the wooden boardwalk that used to meander thru the jungle to the headsprings of Rock Spring Run ( here it comes - SPFB!) had been removed and a new, longer cement walk had been built - up on the higher ground near the picnic and bath house area. The bikes were parked at the swimming area and BOTH pairs of my glasses - sun and regular - secured in the little plastic container and left in the basket of the bike. We set off with snorkel equipment and suits in hand. I chose to still wear my hat so that at least these old eyes of mine would be shielded from some of the suns bright rays. Then, all alone, we were up at the headspring and ready to cast our fragile bodies into the cold rushing waters that were gushing ( sheesh, how dramatic!) out of the deep cave and rushing by the large moss covered boulders. With H's new camera - you can now see why it is called "ROCK Springs! What was I to do with my hat? At first I tied it to the long ribbon on the back of my suit but that didn't work too well. The hat was floating faster than I was and kept getting in my way. IF there would have been an alligator - I might not have seen it due to the big wet white blob in front of my mask! Remember - last year there WAS an alligator in the run! Problem solved - I put the already wet hat on my head! No big deal! I was floating on the top of the water anyway and it was still attached to the ribbon on my suit. Yes - H DID think I looked funny and probably so did the folks who were standing on the bridge as we floated along and under! Last year I told you about all the fish and turtles we saw as we floated along and now H can prove it. Check out this nice bass! One of many!

In Moss Park there were sandhill cranes. When we drove in to Kelly Park there was a very prominent sign that said a bear had been cited! Since our big picture window faced out into the woods we - no - I was constantly scanning the forest for dark black stumps that moved. None did. However, every day a flock of at least a dozen or so big black hen turkeys played follow the leader, scratching their way thru the entire park Most days they were followed by several even bigger darker Tom Turkeys who were more interested in impressing the ladies with their puffed up chest feathers and fanned tails than hunting for their own afternoon meals.

One day after a hard morning of shopping, our afternoon meal was at "The Catfish Place" in Apopka! When we stayed in Moss Park we ate at "The Catfish Place" in St Cloud 3 times in one week. It was necessary to find out if the two restaurants were related and if this one was as good as the other. The father owns the St Cloud Place and the son owns the Apopka Place! Each scallop dinner was just a little different but still way delicious!

Wilderness Park is now home for 3 nights while we pause in the Ocala area to visit and then say our goodbyes to my sister Sharon and her hubby Richard! H broke his drill that he uses for cranking the jacks up and down so we headed to Sears before meeting D&S at Logan's Steakhouse. Nothing has changed at Wilderness RV Park and Resort in Silver Springs since last year but now it is full of RV's and motorhomes and it is cold! Temps at 7am on Sunday March 3rd were 35 degrees! It is to be even colder tonight. The trusty little heaters are doing a fine job of keeping up and the heated mattress pad is great!

We've met some nice folks in just the day or so that we've been here. Gary is a row over and has the twin to H's pretty bright blue truck except it is a 2012 eco boost with no cap and no chrome panels at the bottom! Our next door neighbors, Charlie and Diane are on their first winter adventure in their 5th wheel toy hauler that they drug down from the U.P. of Michigan! Their cat and 3 birds have accompanied them - along with a big red motorcycle - - - hence the toy hauler eh! Charlie even has the Yooper accent! Diane's dad grew up in Toledo!

On Monday we move up and over to Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest. Each time we move now we will get a little farther north and a little closer to home. I'm afraid from here on, we'll be wearing long pants. The sandals may get packed away soon, too. But - the adventure is not over yet!

Orlando - Mosspark

There are 4 Orange County Parks that have campgrounds. On this years trip we have been to Trimble Park in Mt Dora and now Moss Park in south east Orlando where all the huge airliners are in constant motion of either full flap down landing or full throttle takeoffs with their passenger compartments full of excited new tourists or exhausted weekend enthusiasts. Our favorite camp host, George is still in winter residence here and stopped over to say HELLO soon after we set up! My previously favorite site was right next to George's small motorhome and H's was all the way down near the small boat dock/fishing pier that extends out into Lake Mary Jane .SPFB!! This year however we were able to park on site 29 - - one of the biggest yet secluded sites and the closest site where Sam and Sandra - the resident sandhill crane couple have their nest just off shore, perched out in the swampy grasses. Anticipation grew as the week lengthened. When the new blond baby was just 2 days old, the proud parents brought their little one on shore. H was the first to welcome them! Just like a wobbly little toddler - the chick promptly tripped over a pinecone as it hurried to keep up with its folks who were head down, searching for something to eat in the pine needles and dry leaves.

The usual assortment of Moss Park neighbors came to welcome us or to just squawk and keep searching for their next tidbit of food as they wandered thru our yard. A quick little armadillo with its nose constantly snooting thru the thick ground cover tried to ignore H as he confronted it for a picture. The turkeys paused only a few minutes, the handful of timid deer shyly tried to pass thru each evening without anyone noticing them and the sandhill cranes were ALWAYS ready for a snack or just to yell and holler for whatever reason.. When the cranes weren't trying to outdo each other in the volume department, there was a bright red cardinal that would sit on the grill and sing for us!

Three more delicious seafood meals at the Catfish Place took care of our craving for scallops but the shops in "historic" St Cloud were a disappointment this visit. A quick stop at Joann's took care of that "itch" but without any coupons, my purchase was limited to just a few "on sale" items only. Even the flea market was a dud. The Disney Boardwalk was not! H's foot pain was under control and he found a parking spot in back of one of the half dozen resorts that border the small lake and the wide wooden walkway that surrounds it. A VERY pleasant way to spend the afternoon - just strolling, people watching and being amazed at the innovations of the Disney designers. We watched a squadron of small fiberglass boats, powered by black outboard motors, seemingly speed under the small bridges and then chase each other around the lake. H guessed their "high powered" engines were at best 9.9's and their speed was all of full throttle 10 mph! Looks sure can be deceiving! Then there was the Pirate Ship that sat with its stern to the lake and its bow facing a fascinating water park with winding streams of fast moving water and its own white sand beaches where awaiting parents watched their small sailors float by. The kids would climb aboard the big brown beached boat and deftly work their way to the top. Sliding down thru the dark brown "tube' they would end up in a circular go round before being dumped with a big pompous splash in a small pond at the foot of the slide. Out they would climb and run back to the ship for another wet trip back down! A new way to "Walk the Plank"? Slide the Tube? Our trip back to the campground was not without even more strange sights. As H pulled up in ever slowing traffic, he spotted a bright red VW ahead of us that looked as if it were being engulfed by a GIANT crustacian. The Lobster Mobile? I would imagine that the driver of that advertising nightmare was extremely thankful that the 'vehicle's windows were blackened. Either that or behind all that blackness, he was laughing hysterically at all the goofy tourists who would gawk and take numberous pictures as they passed slowly by him. Who, me?

The week is up. The new folks we've met are also moving on. Ed and Pat from Montana have their new 5th wheel packed up and are slowing heading back home. Rhonda and her husband are already back to Ft Lauderdale. Shirley and her husband are also slowly moving back north to their home state of Delaware.. And we're moving too - just north of town - to Kelly Park -- another Orange County Campground.

Melbourne

Melbourne Florida always means Wickham Park. SPFBS! That's plural since we always seem to end up there each year! Ron snagged the site next to him for us so we got to be neighbors for a week. And there was no "Wickham Shuffle" this time! The park has done some upgrading - sewer hookups are now at each site. However - IF we could have hooked up, the back of our "condo" would have been up against the pavilion that sits in the middle of the campground loop. Oh well, at the end of the week we hooked up to move and then backed up, moved over and used the sewer.

H's birthday at Phipps Park was pretty mundane and Ron's birthday on the 11th was almost the same. The difference was that we all went out to a yummy dinner at Meg O'Malleys in downtown Melbourne. Some of the items on the menu had some pretty strange names but most of the food was VERY delicious. My Shepherds Pie was fabulous. H had a blue crab and shrimp sandwich with fries and slaw. He left only bread crumbs! Dave and Lois came over to visit so of course we went out for seafood! This time we enjoyed grouper at Fishbone Willy's.

We did manage to get to the beach one time. We tried to pick the warmest, nicest day which also turned out to be a windy day. The red and purple lifeguard flags were hanging on for dear life. They were warning everyone of the rip currants that pounded the beach with each crashing wave. The damp beach was dotted with puffy blue jellyfish. We both steered clear of their dark dangerous tentacles that layed so still, waiting to sting the person who stepped on them in error.

Our elderly Toshiba laptop computer is dying a slow agonizing death. It has become increasingly slower and slower. H has tried just about everything to revive it to no avail. Hence our task for the week was to find a suitable replacement. Nearly impossible, but a newer version of Toshiba has been purchaed. Windows 8, however, is NOT H's favorite! And my easy to use and understand Juno is no more. In time we'll both get used to the new programs, I hope.

But for now, it's time to move up to my favorite Moss Park in Orlando.

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?