Amish Country

 Excuses, excuses, excuses!   We went, we played, we came home and we got back to “work” again.    Now it’s 2 weeks later and H has fussed that there is no blog – yet.

H invited 2 of our grandsons, Calvin and Levi to camp and kayak with us down at Wally World in Loudonville Ohio.   Grandpa H took them there last year and I forgot to pack the most important ingredient for their morning pancakes but they enjoyed the trip to McDonalds better anyway! This trip was our last chance to use up our “FREE Camping” coupon.   The guys slept in a tent again, but Grandpa H had it easier this time– instead of sleeping in the back of the truck like a German Shephard, he slept on his comfy bed, next to me in the “condo”!    “Wally World Camping Resort” has a very nice swimming pool and a fun little miniature golf course which we all used more than once because with all the rain the week before, the Mohican River was high on its banks and way too raging to let the guys kayak.  The rangers had actually closed the river to everyone.   C&L are excellent at keeping themselves occupied and they each had a big thick book to enjoy reading.  We all slept pretty good that night except for the occasional walnut that fell from the towering tree above us and crashed like a bowling ball on the top of the tent or crash landed on the fiberglass roof above our bed.  KABOOM!  Wednesday afternoon Grandpa H finally managed to wiggle one kayak down a rock embankment and Calvin settled in for a fast ride around the curve and past the campground.   As he approached us, we cheered him on, just like he was in a patriotic parade!   He reversed the little orange craft and attempted to go back upstream but his arms couldn’t take much of that!     I took his picture a bunch of times and then waved him on as he sped by!   H’s daughter Jean drove down to retrieve her sons and joined us for chicken n’ dumplings before they all climbed into their car for the long drive home.   Our dear friends, B&C had come down to spend the rest of the week with us for their first free camping.  They’ve known Jean since she was a little girl!  

Wednesday night was not a good night in either RV.   H and I ended up in Mansfield at the emergency room to make sure his swollen ankle and foot was not another blood clot.  B&C ended up in Berlin at a vet’s office to attend to their ailing kitty, Abby.    I would like to report that both patients are doing well and are feeling much better!

Time to move on.   Our little caravan endured the bumper-to-bumper weekend traffic in Amish Country and we parked them in the teeny tiny little PA campground, behind the IGA store in Sugar Creek Ohio.  We walked the 2 blocks to downtown, thru the tiny pedestrian covered bridge that crossed the small river and carefully stepped over the double set of railroad tracks.   Luckily for us, this small Swiss town had just finished remodeling the town square.   As its clock chimed the hour, we stopped and watched the mechanical Swiss figures came to life!   Saturday morning we meandered thru more Amish neighborhoods and parked for a little side excursion in Kidron to see if Lehman’s Hardware was still as neat as it used to be.  NO, its not!  The quaint little store with its many cubbyholes and non-electric wares has turned commercial and grown in size.   The vast maze of nooks and crannies are now crammed full of all kinds of gadgets and tourist items.   And since it was the weekend, the Amish families were all in town doing their shopping and errands.   Their dark horses and black buggies were tied to various rails and posts around town.  The prime spots under the shade trees were taken first and the curious, big brown-eyed horses all watched H as he strolled up to get a good photo of them.   The caravan was heading towards home and our last night out was at a well-kept campground that in its past life must have been a wooded pasture for dairy cows.  The grass was green, the 2 ponds were really pretty and H even got to play with his remote control boat!   The owners were very nice.   The view of the adjacent dairy farm was so picturque with the stream of black and white cows coming and going from the milking barn!  The place has potential  -  however -  the shower facility was a Haulmark trailer sectioned into 2 shower rooms each having a pay shower.   The rest of the “facilities” were 2 outhouses, set back in a grove of trees.  Oh well, the company was good and the burgers tasted great!   It’s time to go home.

Springtime Adventures

Two months!   It’s been two whole months since we returned home from our winter visit to Florida and the “condo” has not left its nest in the backyard!  Can you imagine how restless H has been?   Not to say we haven’t taken any day trips  - In early spring our good friends Bud and Carol joined us to re-explore the always-changing displays at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan.  This is the deal where we get in free with our Bank America Debit Cards on the first weekend of the month!   The highlight of this visit was the very impressive new display of vintage and classic cars.  In mid May, we all climbed into the van and headed for Dayton Ohio to see the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AF Base.   Bud had been in the Air Force stationed in Maine after he graduated from High School, but had not been to the museum in a big bunch of years.   It was so cool to see him gazing at the very same type of huge jet plane that he used to work on way back then!  C and I were just awe struck at the vast variety displays and to see just how far air flight technology has come.  

H and I did manage to get away one day to go fishing up at one of our favorite lakes – Baw Beese Lake in Hillsdale Michigan.   Yep – guess who caught the first, the biggest and the most!   H’s was a keeper as was one of mine but in the end, he chose to release them both because he didn’t want to clean just 2 fish.  Oh well.   Our last day trip was a drive to Central Indiana– just north of Logansport.   H had sold his canoe because it would not fit on top of the new truck and he had finally found a nice used Porta Bote to purchase. 

Which now brings us to our camping trip up north!  We HAD to test the Porta Bote to make sure it would be a good one to take to Florida next winter, yah know!   Our first two nights out were in Mitchell State Park in Cadillac Michigan.  We’ve driven thru the park in the summer but it has always been packed full of campers and boats since it is situated between 2 lakes and divided by a canal - usually lined with boats and fishermen.   H’s PVC pipe trailer worked well in transporting the wobbly looking craft from the campsite to the waters edge and then back when our sea going venture was completed.  H looked like a lanky young kid pulling his wagon behind him!  The next two nights we were in the Manistee National Forest with NO electricity or running water or nearby neighbors.   The little red Honda generator worked just fine each evening to power the TV and charge the batteries!   As did the gas furnace warm the chilly “condo” each very cool morning!   Sand Lake is a deep little lake with clear cold water and we were told by everyone that fishing was great and that we’d see lots of fish.   We didn’t “see” as many as we wanted to but I did manage to catch 2 beautiful –albeit too small to keep – bass.  The highlight tho was a solitary loon – floating out by himself not too far from the tall grasses and the sandy shore.

Our last two nights were in Pentwater at a private Passport America Resort – Whispering Surf.  We had stayed there a year or so ago with Ron and Nancy!   This year we met a great new couple – Ed and Katie from Kalamazoo, Michigan and had a fun time getting to know them and teaching them to play “ Left Right Center” a silly fun dice game that R&N had given us.  Pentwater was having their garage sales weekend and we made it to as many as we could!  And still, we did not find a thing to buy!  Me?  Not finding a thing to buy.   Hard to believe, isn’t it!    Back at the campsite we rested our weary feet and legs before climbing back into the big blue truck and going 10 miles down to the small town of Hart where the National Aspergras Festival was just winding down.    As we arrived, we saw the last of the parade go around the corner!   We jostled thru the heavy street crowds and inspected some of the vendor booths before heading up the street where we stopped at a Mexican Restaurant and had a burrito for supper!    It was SO huge that we split one order and still had plenty to eat! 

Since rain was again in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, we chose to head home and attempt to beat the possible storm.  Back roads took longer but we have now traveled more places that we’ve never been!   Gas prices had sky rocketed into the $4.29 level so we filled up at Walmart at $4.20 (with 10c more off using H’s gift card) before sadly hitting the I94 expressway towards home.  On US23 we ran into road construction, which brought traffic to its knees.  The gas tank was dangerously low by this time.  When we did manage to pull in our driveway, the gas gauge said we had just over 1 mile till empty!  Talk about fumes!

Laundry is done, the grass is mowed and the gas tank is once again on FULL!   Our next adventure is next week and we’re heading south once more!   Won’t you join us?

N. Carolina to home

The last blog of our winter trips is ALWAYS the same - -  We're home.  The laundry is done , blah, blah, blah!   It's true.   The "Home" stuff comes first.  That and H has downloaded the North Carolina pictures so now I can tell you about North Carolina and our quick trip home from there!

 

Myrtle Beach was fun.  It's a busy vibrant tourist town.  Walking the boardwalk was interesting and seeing all those teens on the frigid beach was just plane silly since  the two of us were all bundled up in jackets and long pants!  But we are both getting restless and we were ready to move on.

 

Half way between Fayetteville and Raleigh North Carolina is a speck on the map called Jackson Springs.  The GPS was able to locate and direct us to Sycamore Lodge and RV Resort - the last of the 5 campground/resorts where we had "free" night's parking.  Our stay in DeFuniak Florida was one of these also!  Sycamore Lodge is at the end of a long thin thread of road lined with silver skinned Sycamore Trees.  The Lodge itself  originally was the hunting facility for a wealthy lumberman and the unique dark log building has been preserved impeccably well.

Gracing the yards are red berry covered holly bushes that have been carefully pruned to look like a well decorated Christmas Trees!  Stone and brick walkways were everywhere - weaving in and out between the new camping cabins and leading to the different gardens or terraced RV parking spots.  All of these are situated on the gentle hillside overlooking the pretty little fish stocked lake.  The regular camping sites were placed the top of the hillside and just past the playground areas AND  Putt Putt Golf Course. H was gloating after the first round since he beat me by one point.  The tables got turned quickly after the second round when I got TWO hole in ones and beat him by 3 points!     

 

Our journey north should have continued on Friday but the weather report for West Virginia was not too promising.  Thankfully, H spoke with the office and we were allowed to stay one more day.  However, while we stayed out of the snow, we weren't able to stay out of the cold.  When Saturday came, along  with the rising sun, we hooked up and got a early start.   Across  NC and then Virginia and finally West Virginia with it's lousy rough turnpike and detours we pushed.  Our chosen place for the night was to be near Beckley but since we passed thru there before noon - those plans were quickly changed!   We ended up in Parkersburg at the same run down campground that we had stayed several years ago when we visited Bleinerhasset Island with B&C.   The sad little campground is even more run down.  There was electricity but no restrooms and NO running water.  They pumped several gallons from a large opaque plastic tank into our freshwater tank but I sure wasn't going to trust it to be clean enough to drink.  Luckily with the 1/2 pitcher of water and the water bottles in the refrigerator we had enough for coffee in the morning.  Our teeth even got brushed before we rolled on down the cranky hill and headed for the big bridge that crossed the wide Ohio River.  Up thru Athens, straight north in Columbus to Rt 23 and we fought strong winds all the way to Findlay where we finally returned to I75.  Most of the vehicles that were coming up behind us from Lima, Dayton and Cincinnati had snow packed in their front grills.    While we arrived home without the danger of driving in snow, we did rise Monday morning to a yard full of the white stuff.

 

So, that's it - 4 months and 5000 miles on the truck - another winter in Florida is now history.

Georgia North & South Carolina

Amelia Island is still beautiful and the touristy pirate town of Fernandina is still alive and well. We traveled the length of that barrier island, checked out the town and our favorite "junk" shop. I got to buy something this time! 50% off of course! But now it is time to head north to Georgia and our path leads us to yet another island. Blythe Island doesn't seem like an island because there are no rolling waves, crashing on sandy beaches. Salt marshes and ribbons of waterways wandered thru them. We've been to Brunswick Georgia on past ventures but we've found more to explore. H found the restored old courthouse that was partially hidden by all the palms, magnolia trees and azalea bushes that were in full bloom. Over one of the many tall graceful bridges was St Simon Island. The town square was dotted with eclectic shops,a lovely park with yet another mammoth live oak with outstretched limbs. a fishing pier and lighthouse standing guard like a tall toy soldier.

The further north we head , the colder it gets. Charleston North Carolina was no exception! Our trusty little heater is working harder and longer into each day! H found a PA campground just outside of town and the heater was turned on right away. Lake Aire Campground does have a small U shaped lake/pond. The place also comes with a batch of nosy Muscovy Ducks that make the rounds of the campers at least twice a day. We found out they like bread crusts and crackers but not chopped peanuts from McDonalds!



I can't remember if we've been to Charleston in the last 5 years but there is SO much to see that repeat trips are always welcome. This time we even stopped at the Visitors Welcome Center and took the free trolley downtown to the Historic Old Towne. We walked the waterfront park and pier and then headed back in a few blocks because the wind coming off the open water was COLD! It was so neat to walk the old stone streets and to peer thru the wrought iron gates into the impeccably groomed inner courtyards, full of blooming azaleas and manicured hedges. The houses sat right next to the street with their layers and layers of full length porches that faced the waterfront. All had heavy doors at the street side end of the first floor porch, making the house seem much wider than it actually was! We quietly stepped inside St Michael's Episcopal Church, built in 1761 and is the oldest in the city. We found the Old City Market, a 3 block long collection of low brick buildings that now house various venders and craft folks. It smells like horses because right outside is the lineup of horses and buggies that take folks on tours of the city!

As old and historic as Charleston is - Myrtle Beach is the opposite! The term used for MB is 'The Grand Strand" because it is 60 miles of beautiful beaches and tall grand hotels and fancy resorts. MB claims a boardwalk that wanders over and thru small sand dunes covered with seaoats and other grasses, and passes by an assortment of T-shirt shops and tourist stores. Several blocks over is the line up of seafood buffets - one after the other with their coupons and their fake gaudy sharks and oversized crabs hanging from their brightly painted roofs! A few weeks back it was Bike Week in Daytona - - it is Spring Break in MB! The beaches were full of scantily clad teens trying to have fun in the barely 50 degree weather! H spotted 2 brave (crazy?) girls wading out in the breaking waves in their tiny little attires! What do yah think?

Our home for 2 nights was the Briarcliffe RV Resort - another PA selection. It was gated - but the gate was left open for most of the day. It had a new clubhouse and pool that sat right next to the Intercoastal Waterway. There was cable but no wifi! This park was selected because it was the closest campground to my high school classmate Sue - and she came to spend the day with me! A girls day out - shopping and lunch! Greasy gooey yummy big hamburgers along with monster onion rings and sweet potato fries! We should have ordered just the burgers so the rings and fries came home with me and was our supper that evening. I must admit - they were better fresh!

Time again to move on north - NORTH CAROLINA. Weather reports are showing cold and rain ahead of us. Can't move too far or too fast!

St Augustine & Jacksonville

We've always thought that Bike Week in Daytona was the first full week in March and we've always steered clear of that area at that time of year. In Salt Springs the roar of bikes had begun and we learned that bike week this year was the SECOND full week in March. H was able to get 2 nights in Anastasia State Park in St Augustine in spite of all the bikers. The weather turned cold and the winds picked up and blew steadily. As in the past - one of the first items on H's agenda was to drive his truck out on the wide, tire rutted sand beach. Thanks to bike week and spring breakers - we were caught in the time of day when the park staff charge to drive on their beach! It HAD to be done - the Jeep Liberty got to, the 94 Ford Truck got to, so this truck got to prove he was worthy, too! The day was cold and windy The sky was void of sun and hung heavily with charcoal clouds. Hardy folks were huddled under blankets and some were behind bright colored beach umbrellas or hidden behind their parked vehicles. Younger folks (teens!) were braver and were attempting to work on their spring break tans anyway but their goose bumps were getting in the way! We did see a group of riders on horseback having fun, splashing in the shallow waves at the waters edge.

The first settlement in Florida calls us to come see her history, every time we approach the Old Town area of St Augustine. The cold weather was keeping the bike accident tragedies down but that meant a big bunch of warm weather bikers had come to town and the main street was domino stacked with a selection of Harleys and Goldwings of various colors and amounts of chrome. The bikers were easy to spot with all that Harley gear they were wrapped in!

We are island hopping. A1A starts down south of Miami and ends at the Florida - Georgia border. All along our journey north on this winter's adventure, we hopped on and off of A1A and her barrier island bridges, thru fancy neighborhoods lined with huge mansions that probably belonged to more than one movie star and then along the sheltering grass covered dunes that protected the islands residents. Anastasia Island was one such island and so is the island that protects Jacksonville and is home to the Mayport Naval Station and the small town of Mayport. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park must be the area's best kept secret! A huge, beautiful park with clean Atlantic beaches that stretch what seemed like forever from the mouth of the St Johns River and Mayport Naval Station to points south. The strong winds from St Augustine have followed us north because the waves were still raging and crashing against the thick encrusted pylons of the fishing pier just south of the park itself. The naval station is host to several large gray ocean vessels and has to be the training facility for ALL helicopter pilots since the roar heard overhead was continuous all day long. We took a ride down to "historic" Mayport and found a good view of their landing field and red brick lighthouse. Too bad there was a shiny barbed wire fence that stood in the way.

Check our past blog to read about the great Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens! We both remembered some of the animal displays and some seemed totally new to us. High wooden boardwalks crossed high above the animal enclosures giving everyone a great vantage point to admire each variety of four legged creatures. Our last visit was on a trip heading south in December and the other park visitors were at a minimum. Not so this time - 9 big yellow buses full of school children and the necessary amount of Mom's to keep close watch on their excited young charges! All were eager to see the elephants, bears, colorful birds, camouflaged reptiles, intelligent looking gorillas, a funny playful black otter who was busy chasing his tail around and around and the handful of tall, long legged giraffes!

New on this trip to the zoo was the adorable 3 week old baby giraffe who was curled up on the ground with it's legs tucked under trying to stay warm in the afternoon sun. It's Mama was not going to let it rest for long, as she persistently nudged until it struggled to stand up on its wobbly toothpick legs. After our zoo visit we managed to find downtown Jacksonville with it's modern looking shiny buildings and crossed over the wide St Johns River again. Our last stop before heading back to the "condo" was a recommended restaurant for - YEP! MORE seafood! Singleton's Seafood Restaurant looks rather shabby from the outside and the inside is lined with picnic tables, complete with rolls of paper towels. Out back were moored the large shrimping boats that would bring in their fresh catches each day. One room in the rickety building is filled with beautifully built wooden model boats of all sizes and types! And the food ??? I thoroughly enjoyed the perfectly fried "Trigger" fish and chips!

A1A leads to the ferry dock at the north end of the island and we were to drive aboard the large flat ferry platform the next morning and continue our slow journey home. From the dock on the north side of the wide fast flowing St Johns River we will travel up the length of yet another one of Florida's barrier islands.

Ocala National Forest

Reminder you can left  click on pics to view enlarged

Our 3 days in Wilderness RV Resort was nice but now we are really in the "wilderness" - The Ocala National Forest! We are nestled in the midst of the Ocala "Jewels" - Its cluster of top rated , first magnitude fresh water springs. We always try to stay in one of the campgrounds in the forest, either on our way down or on our way back north. This year - we are on our way north! H got us 3 nights stay at the far end of the campground in Salt Springs but we were able to move over a few rows and thankfully got to stay longer.

SPFB - - the last time we were here we slid the orange bubbles into the water and kayaked in the middle of a group of about 4 manatees. This year there was already a gathering of boats and snorkelers out in the shallow area enjoying the curious creatures. As we drifted and circled , the large dark mellow animals also did an underwater slow dance of dipping down to the bottom and then rising up and sticking there wide noses out of the water for a brief moment before slipping back under and do see do'ing again. These animals were as big as the kayak and had no fear - not even the 4 ft long baby who swam along side its mother. One good sized fella came under my little orange boat from the back and popped his snout up out of the water with a BIG blast of air and water - right in front of my bubble! As another slowly swam past - it was easy to reach down and touch its moss covered scratchy hide. We figured there had to be at least a dozen of the gentle mammals out there this time! H had the underwater camera ready and made good use of it! According to him, he has deleted more pictures of them than he kept and he kept ALOT!

If that weren't enough thrill for one day - we donned the wet suits, grabbed the snorkel equipment and camera and headed for the springs! The water was deeper than last year; cool but not cold; and the amount of weeds was under control. On our last visit - the springs had been closed due to the installation of the steps and new break wall so the weeds had taken over the entire spring area making it just about impossible to do any swimming. Thanks to a clear sunny day the water was crystal blue down in the deep crevice of the springs and the variety and amount of fish was amazing! H kept the camera clicking! I stood poised on the edge of one of the huge boulders that lined the dark bottomless hole, ready to step off and fall down, down, down. I stepped and instead of sinking, my buoyant wetsuit held me up and I floated effortlessly over the chasm- big blue fins fanning slowly back and forth below me!

The weather has been amazing - in the 30's or low 40's at night and up to mid 70's on most days. The one day it made it only to the 60's - we headed out to hunt for bear! The majority of Florida's black bear population are in the Ocala Forest and we weren't going to see any in the campground - not with all those campers there! H'll use any excuse to get the big blue truck out into the backwoods and explore the multitude of sandy logging roads that crisscross the pine forest. Not a single bear to be found but we did pass thru an area that had endured a fire recently. The one side of the road was still thick with underbrush, prickly scratchy bushes and tall dried grasses. The section of fire damaged trees had bare sand, black burnt stumps and trunks. Yet , the tops of the slender trees were still green. You could see in the background where the direction of the wind kept the fire from traveling, was still bright fresh green.

Silver Glen Springs is south of Salt Springs on Rt 19. There had been a severe wildfire just a few days ago but the highway was now reopened for traffic. The run from the spring area to Lake George is approximately 3/4 mile. The currant is swift enough but the edges were clogged with invasive plants that grew so thick they formed green islands filling in every available space between the water lily pads. Giant turtles crowded on downed limbs that rested in the shallow water. Cormorants with wings outstretched like dark T-shirts drying in the wind filled the treetops. And at the mouth of the river, a lone squawking Osprey stood guard on her nest and complained about our passage so close to her post. A host of boats dotted the horizon of the large lake and then a trio of loud airboats blew by us in a big hurry. When the kayaks were nestled back in the truck, and H's sore back had quit aching - it was the snorkel equipment's turn to play. Silver Glen's spring is a large bowl area with the surging water coming from deep in the center. Surrounding the bowl is a seaweed/sea grass area where Tilapia spin circles in the sand for nests. As I floated I watched 2 good sized grayish fish hovering in center of their sandy round cradles - until splashing swimmers caused them to dash away to hide in the weeds for safety. Lady Fish swam over the deep blue spring in thick groups of slinky silver swarms. Alas, the water was COLD and we both quickly chose to leave the magical under water world of the spring and to get warm again. On the way home, we detoured off Rt 19 to see a little bit closer the horrid damage of the latest wildfire. We passed thru a small run down area of shacks and outbuildings that had been damaged along with the dry undergrowth that had surrounded everything. The smell of fresh burnt wood was hanging thick everywhere. The "roads" thru this small cluster of humble living quarters was deeper rutted and even narrower than the logging roads in the forest. More than once H was forced to gear down and try again to make safe passage in the narrow rutted "alley". And then there was the concern about having a "good ole' boy" running out with his shotgun pointed at us and our big blue target! Time to get outa there!



And it is time to get out of here! The truck is washed and the table cloth has been removed from the picnic table. We are moving to Anastasia State Park in St Augustine. Oh yeah, and it's Bike Week! Harleys have been roaring up and down Rt 19 all day long.

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!