Rv Travels With Karen and Al

Dumb Move

2012-02-15T08:43:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (hi 82, low 58)

The cold front only lasted two nights and not it looks like it will be time to turn back on the a/c.

Yesterday started out with Al heading off early to do some of his few remaining pest control accounts.

After my normal coffee/computer time, I had plans to tackle a few paperwork tasks around here.

Unfortunately, that all changed when I realized I must have left my purse at the doctors office the day before. I very rarely take my purse anymore, since Al drives and he carries the cash and a debit card. No reason to lug around the heavy purse. I stick a lipstick in my pocket and carry my Droid phone…what else do I need?

I called the doctors office….they said the cleaning crew hadn’t found it.

I was skeptical. I knew it wasn’t in the motor home or car and we hadn’t been anywhere else after leaving the doctors office. I knew it was either there, or someone had picked it up.

I decided to drive down and check for myself. I know how cleaning crews are. If they don’t see any dirt, it doesn’t get cleaned.

I got down there and one of the women techs came out and said they cleaned the office real good last night and there was no purse left there. Absolutely, no way was it there. Still, I was skeptical.

So…..I asked if they minded if I checked the rooms myself. I was in 4 different rooms, but I wasn’t sure exactly which four.…and they have a bunch of rooms. I found my purse in the second room I checked. It had fallen down by the wall and the color blended in with the color of the carpet. Yeah…they clean real well. Boy was that woman embarrassed after assuring me how well they cleaned!

At least I found it and I could breathe a sigh of relief!

So after that little 18 mile jaunt, I decided to go to the optometrist and get my new reading glasses and change my contacts. The trial pair he gave me weren’t working so I need to try a different brand.

I got home, messed around on the computer, trying to put some music on my iPod shuffle and on Al’s Fuze mp3 player.

While watching the Grammy’s the other night, we discovered that we really like Adele. What an amazing singer she is.

Unfortunately, I downloaded her hit Rolling in the Deep and I got a confirmation, but no song. It shows that I have down loaded the song…but I can’t find it. They have a cloud program and I thought I might have messed up when I downloaded it. I tried another song…no problem..it came right through.

Unfortunately, there is no where (that I could find) to get a live person to help you and their online help system was of no help. I finally decided to download the song again..another $1.29. It told me I had already downloaded the song and asked if I was sure I wanted it again. Yes…and the same problem. The song was nowhere to be found. I did get a message saying there was a problem and they were working on it…but no song and still nothing this morning. grrrrrrr..

It seems I am not up on this stuff anymore and everything has changed since I last downloaded any music. I don’t want to have to do a lot of learning or thinking…I just want what I want when I want it. It might have been cheaper to download the whole album. The problem with that is getting it onto my iPod and Fuze!

As hard as I try, I can’t seem to keep up with all the technology.

I guess I’ll have to work on it more today because we found we enjoy working out at the gym much more with some peppy tunes to listen to!

Happy Wednesday.

Warming Trend

2012-02-14T08:20:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Fl (hi 77, low 55)

We awoke yesterday morning to a temperature of 25 degrees….which as it turns out, is the temperature our heat pumps quit working!

We were told the heat pumps didn’t work in temps lower than 40 degrees, but that turned out to be false. They have kept us nice an warm, until it got down to 25 degrees. This was the first time they shut down. We sure are glad to have heat pumps this year, verses the propane furnace we used last year. Once the heat pumps quit, we fired up the propane furnace. It kicked right on and warmed things up but was a little stinky from not being run for so long. It was also a little noisier and it frightened poor little Baxter.

I went to my eye appointment yesterday morning and the ophthalmologist confirmed what the optometrist found. I do have “narrow angles” which causes the pressure inside my eyes to build up. He gave me a good exam and scheduled me for the iridectomy procedure next Tuesday. He is only doing the right eye, then I will have to go back to get the left eye done. I would have preferred to get them both done the same week, but he prefers to do one eye at a time. He’s a great doctor and has quite an impressive wall of degrees and awards. If anyone needs a good Ophthalmologist in the Tampa Bay area, Dr. Leonard Cortelli is the guy to see.

Blogger friends Sherry and David from In The Direction of Our Dreams, are facing some tough times. If you haven’t already, perhaps you could send them some positive thoughts.

Who is Paul McCartney? I’ll be you all know! Evidently when he sang on the Grammy’s the other night, Twitter lit up with people asking who he was! Makes you feel old, doesn’t it? They were asking if he was somebody new?

We’ve not done any kayaking or hiking lately, so I have no new pictures to post. I didn’t think anyone would want to see picture of sweaty people working out at the gym!

Here is a picture from a past “fun day.”

It’s Been a Long Few Days

2012-02-12T09:24:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (hi 55, low 31)

Well a real cold front finally arrived here in central Florida. It’s okay though, since it’s only going to last two days and then we’ll be back into the 70’s. You gotta have some cold weather so that you can look forward to spring.

Nothing fun has been going on, but a lot has been happening.

On Thursday I went to the eye doctor to get a new prescription for contacts. The optometrist discovered that I have “narrow angles.” He said it could lead to an acute narrow angle glaucoma event, and referred me to an ophthalmologist. I’ve done some reading on this and it’s fairly common, especially in women as they age. The treatment is to place a hole in the iris to allow pressure to escape. The “narrow angle” blocks this natural release. It’s done with a laser and from what I gather is simple and painless. I have an appointment tomorrow. I hope he can do the procedure then and not have to make me come back another day.

On Friday, we ended up taking my brother to the ER thinking he may have had a mini stroke. He was kept overnight and given a bunch of tests. They concluded that he didn’t have a stroke, but that his blood pressure was high. Hopefully he will smarten up and start taking better care of himself. Of course the first thing he did when he left the hospital was grab a cigarette. You can’t help someone who won’t help himself. Just ask the family of Whitney Houston!

We have been trying to get to the gym most every day, but two days spent at the hospital have kept us from it the last few days. We plan on going this morning and hopefully it won’t be crowded. After the gym, I think the rest of the day will be spent lounging around the house. We just finished watching the first (and only) season of the series, Homeland. What a good series. I can’t wait for the new season.

We have gotten several things sold from our Craig's list add. Carolyn bought our little ice-maker and last night our great little rv freezer went to a new home. We sure hated to see it go, but we just don’t want to have to drag it around. We also sold our Roadmaster brake buddy and a utility trailer. We need to go through things in the shed and see what else we can dispose of. We kept too much “stuff” when we sold the house. We just ran out of time and energy! Al bought a few new shirts and we were good…we tossed out the same number of old ones! We’re trying to follow the one in, out rule!

Baxter has been a little stinker lately. We changed their food again. We think we may stick with Royal Canin brand. He loves their kitten food (and so do the others). I don’t know if it’s the new food, or the fact that we got the fleas under control, but he’s feeling like a million dollars and tearing around like a crazy cat!

He really enjoyed Margie and Carolyn's visit the other day. He likes to show off for company.

He has his own “bowls” that he loves to lay in. We’ve had to purchase new ones as he grows. The other night, he found this one.

In the above picture, you can see the blue bowl which was the first one he played in when he was just a baby.

He was real tiny when he first started playing in that bowl.

The next picture is when he was outgrowing the blue bowl.

Then we had to go buy the orange one when he outgrew the blue one.

Then we had to buy the red one.

Then he found this new one on his own. It’s a container that holds 16 ounces of baby spinach…….

which he converted to a bowl for 9 plus pounds of baby kitten!

That Baxter….we sure do love the little devil.

Visitors

2012-02-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (high 75, low 54)

We finally got a little cool front and it brought the temps down from the low 80’s to the mid 70’s. It’s nice to be able to turn off the a/c during the day, and the nights are nice and cool, and make for some really good sleeping.

We had company yesterday and enjoyed a nice visit with Margie, and Carolyn. We had a nice visit, and enjoyed their company. Baxter is very social and he really liked them both. For some reason, I didn’t even think about taking any pictures. Margie did though….of Baxter! He was quite the ham for Margie’s camera.

Carolyn bought our little portable ice-maker that we had on Craig’s list. Ten minutes after they left, someone emailed wanting to buy it. Isn’t that the way it always works?

We’ve been busy around here, but nothing particularly fun or blog worthy.

Al made a short trip back to Georgia to get a load of stuff from our storage shed. I stayed home and held down the fort.

We joined a local gym, called “The Local Gym.” We got a two month membership, hoping to kick start us into getting into better shape. We’ve enjoyed it a lot. Al likes the bike, and treadmill and I prefer the weight machines. We’ll be heading over there this morning and then off to an eye appointment for me this afternoon. Fun stuff, huh? I am actually looking forward to the eye appointment though, because I’ve been having terrible eye strain and headaches lately. My contacts (I wear one) and my reading glasses have both been bothering me lately when I use the computer. I have been trying to limit my computer time, but it’s hard. Hopefully a new prescription will solve the problem.

Interesting Wildlife Action Shots

2012-02-07T10:09:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (high 79, low 60)

We did a little exploring yesterday, or rather re-visiting some places we’ve been before.

I got some interesting photos, I thought I’d share.

We went to Big Bend Power plant in Apollo Beach.

The power plant uses sea water which comes out very warm. The warm water attracts Manatees in the winter months.

Many years ago the plant built a visitor center so that people could come to watch the manatee. It has become extremely popular and we normally visit it every year.

Due to the unusually warm winter we’re having here in Florida, there weren't as many Manatee as usual. I certainly didn’t get as good of photos as I have from the Florida springs.

There were lots of Tarpon swimming around under the boardwalk.

Lots of Mullet too.

Normally we’ve seen spotted leopard rays, but we didn’t see any this year.

However….we did see a dog that was left in a hot car.

The windows and sunroof were down, but the dog was panting. We notified a ranger there and by the time we drove back by, the owners were with the dog. I don’t know what people are thinking. It was 82 degrees yesterday and inside that car there was no breeze. I know because I stuck my hand inside to feel how hot it was.

This is the second time we’ve seen this lately. In the Keys we also reported a dog that was left in a car on a warm day. If it’s 70 degrees outside, it’s too hot to leave a dog in a car.

When we reported the one in the Keys, we were told the dog would be removed from the car and taken into custody. I assume they would break a window to remove the dog. I wonder what the owners thought when they came out to find a broken window and a missing dog. Sorry dog owners…but if you leave your dog in a hot car and I see it…I will report you. There were signs all over the parking lot warning you not to leave valuables in your vehicle. What is more valuable than your pet?

Okay…rant over….

I love this dead tree.

White Ibis

Osprey

I initially thought this was a pair of Osprey on their nest. After watching a few minutes, they started calling and then a third Osprey came flying in.

He didn’t stay long. I then assumed that this was a pair and one of them was a youngster they were raising.

I kept watching and snapping photos until this happened.

I guess I know what was going on now.

It was kind of interesting to be able to photograph. Osprey porn!

Kayaking the Weeki Wachee River

2012-02-03T08:39:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, we drove about 55 miles north to the Weeki Wachee River State Park.

Weeki Wachee Springs is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Florida. It’s a water park with a swimming area and water slides. They also have mermaid shows. It was one of the first Florida theme parks, and was here even before Disney. After Disney World came to Florida, they have struggled to stay afloat. There were some developers drooling over the property, but the locals fought them and a few years ago it was finally bought by the State of Florida. Thank goodness…it’s too nice of a place to be in the hands of private developers.

They have a nice kayak and canoe launch. You can rent kayaks, and they will even pick you up several miles down stream and bring you back to your car.

It you have your own kayak, it cost $15 for the livery service. I’m not sure what the cost of renting their kayaks are.

We paid $5.00 each just to launch. We chose not to use the livery service.

You are paddling down stream with a 5 mph current, so it’s an easy paddle downstream. Not so easy coming back up though.

Most people use their livery service, but we really don’t like the area down on the bottom part of the river. The upper part of the river is mostly all natural with just one building along the river. When you get further down river, there are tons of cabins and houses….people and boats. In the summer there are tons of people swimming and swinging from the ropes over the river. There are boats along every beachy area and way too many people. On the upper portion of the river it is peaceful and calm. Much nicer.

We chose to just putz around on the upper portion of the river and paddle back upstream to get our vehicle.

The theme park is separate from the kayaking area. You don’t have to pay admission to the theme park to kayak the river. The park offers a free (with price of admission) river boat tour. You can get into the park for free with a Florida State Park annual pass, or it’s $13.95 to enter. They have mermaid shows, riverboat tours, a swimming area and a waterpark (not open now)

After our kayak trip, we decided to walk around the park…since it was free with our state parks pass. In all the years we have lived in this area, we had never been to the park.

It was a wonderful place in it’s day, but after Disney came to Florida, it really just couldn’t compete. It was a nice way to spend an hour or so after our paddle though. We missed the mermaid show.

Friendly Peacocks came to see us.

Look at his pretty “hat.”

The river is fed by the springs at Weeki Wachee. The water is 74 degrees, and crystal clear.

Okay…back to the purpose of our trip…the river!

Here is Al paddling….notice the open bag of potato chips in his lap? Those were supposed to be for our lunch later during the day!

We hadn’t gotten too far when we noticed something very unusual.

No, not a deer….but a swimming deer.

There was a family of deer that were determined to swim across the river.

It was the coolest thing! The first one crossed, then spotted us and the other ones appeared to be afraid to cross with us watching.

They ended up walking down stream a little and crossing behind us. I had to turn around in the boat and become a contortionist to get the shots. I wasn’t going to miss a photo of a swimming deer though!

We saw a pair of nesting Great Blue Heron’s.

One would search for just the right twig and he would bring it to the female (I assumed it was the female). She would then take the twig and arrange it just right in the nest. I had to laugh. Women never are happy with how the man makes the bed!

We paddled downstream pretty quickly with the strong current. The water was clear and the scenery was beautiful every where we went.

The color changed depending on what was on the bottom.

It was so clear that you could see all the fish swimming along. There were a lot of mullet and Sheepshead.

Al heard what he thought was an eagle, so he looked around to see if he could find an eagle nest. He pointed a large nest out to me and we were pretty sure it was an eagle nest. I took a quick picture of the nest by zooming way in with the camera.

I didn’t even see the eagle when we were on the water. It wasn’t until I looked closer at the picture after we got back to shore that I saw the little white head sticking up! Can you see the Bald Eagle?

Here it is zoomed a bit closer.

Okay…this was shaping up to be a very good day!

Had I known their was a bird in that nest, I would have gotten more shots.

Very relaxing.

We saw a raccoon washing his food in the river.

Beautiful scenery around every bend.

Al nearly had a collision with this little Blue Heron. Evidently he came flying up right towards Al and didn’t see him until the last minute. Wish I could have gotten that on film.

This is a Limpkin. We saw him when we took the boat ride at the park.

It was one of those perfect days. Beautiful weather, beautiful water, and lots of interesting wildlife.

We are enjoying the unusually warm Florida winter.

Heading to Weeki Wachee River

2012-02-01T08:33:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Fl - (high 82, low 57)

We haven't been doing much interesting or fun lately so we decided it was time we got busy and went kayaking.

Today, the plan is to head up to the Weeki Wachee River State Park, and do some paddling. It’s another of our favorite Florida rivers. Pictures coming.

We have been talking to our neighbor, Pat. She is a licensed massage therapist . She does chair massages for $7 or a full hour massage for $35. We are going to get a massage before we leave this winter. She’s quite an amazing person.

To look at her, you’d never know what a bundle of energy she is. She’s our age (or older) and has a problem with her hip so she walks with a limp.

Don’t let her fool you. Last week-end, she went on a 35 mile bicycle ride both days!

She told us stories about long bicycle/camping trips where she and a group went for hundreds of miles…in the mountains! She said the most she’s ever ridden in a day was 90 miles! I couldn’t even sit on an electric bike for 90 miles.

She’s evidently in excellent shape and she mentioned a local gym she recently joined. You can join on a month to month basis. Al and I felt guilty after hearing about her exploits, so we joined the gym. It’s $64 each and we get a membership for 2 months. I hope we will use it. Our history with gym memberships is not good.

Yesterday was spent getting new tires on the truck. A necessary evil.

We did manage to sell our Roadmaster Brake Buddy that we had bought used and never even hooked up. We decided to get rid of some of these things while the snowbirds are here. We also have a portable ice-maker, small freezer and 30 amp surge guard for sale on Craig's list.

Our new patio chairs arrived yesterday and I think we’re going to really like them. It turns out they had them at the local Camping World store, but they were hiding in a back corner and boxed up, so we never noticed them.

Our picture of the day. This picture is of me, my Dad and Mom. It must have been taken in the 50’s. I came across it at Mom’s house and didn’t recall ever seeing it. I snapped a picture of it with my camera…easier than scanning. Evidently I liked sunglasses way back then!

Tire Covers…Plan B

2012-01-29T08:14:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (high 75, low 44)

It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday, so our mood lifted and we started on some projects.

I thought making some tire covers would be a quick little project, but it didn’t turn out that way at all. Naturally.

I initially wanted the covers underneath the fenders, rather than on top.

The plan was to roll the fabric onto a pvc pipe, then clamp it on with a piece of plastic, like this. That keeps the fabric attached to the pvc.

I painted the pvc and the clamps black. You roll the fabric onto bottom so that it hangs nicely.

I also used this method on the top of the fabric, thinking the pvc would just sit on top of the inside of the fender. I thought it might even sit there without velcro. It was worth a try.

Here is what it looked like. It would have looked better once the fabric smoothed out because it got a little wrinkled during the project.

The lug-nut covers stick out a bit and they didn’t allow the fabric to hang nicely. It was okay, but not how I had envisioned it looking. It would not sit smooth due to the lug nuts. I had trouble getting the hem to hang nicely too.

Plan B.

I always knew we could attach the covers to the outside with suction cups, but I really wanted the covers behind the fenders. It looked like that was going to be better option, so we decided to give it a try and see how it looked. We could always go back to plan A if we needed to.

The place we got the fabric sells these special little suction cups that allow you to attach the suction cup to the fabric.

The little white dot on the top comes off. You pierce the fabric then place the suction cup behind the fabric and use the white top to attach it to the suction cup.

It’s quite a clever system. We made a shade for the rear window in the other coach using the same method. It gave us privacy during the day and still allowed you to see outside, and it looked nice.

For the tire project, I sewed a hem around all four sides of the piece of fabric. I had no trouble sewing the fabric…other than the fact that Baxter wanted to help. "

The seams helped it to lay nicer. We placed 3 suction cups on the top and one small one on both sides.

Here is how it looks.

The little white dots you see are where the suction cups are attached. We will paint them black to match a little better.

We like this look better than the other method and we ended up using the same piece of fabric, so there was no waste. The wrinkles will come out as they hang in the sun.

We’re happy with them. The fabric was $1.00 a running foot, so it didn’t cost too much.

I never liked the vinyl tire covers they sell at Camping World. I wondered if they would be hard on the tires since they are vinyl and wouldn’t allow the tire any air. Yesterday, during this project, I have to admit, I wished we had gone with those kind of tire covers!

Another project we did yesterday, was to get out, and reassemble the pvc clothes line Al made for me last year.

Of course the lines got all tangled up in the move, and we had to figure out where all the 5 separate pieces of pvc went.

Al got it re-assembled and I was able to dry some towels. This is what it looks like. It breaks down for storage. I find it handy to speed up the drying process. My little washer/dryer is wonderful, but it does take a while to dry some things.

While we’re on the subject of “improvements" here is what our front window sunscreen looks like.

We got it from a company called Magne Shade. I had done some research online, but never actually saw one in person. We are happy with it. It’s attached by very strong magnets that are glued to the windshield on the inside.

One person can put the sunshade up by themselves. I know, because this installation was done by me! We normally put it up together, but Al was gone last week and it was getting pretty hot inside. I decided to give it a shot and I was able to install the shade in about 2-3 minutes.

The mirror covers were purchased at the rv show. I could have made them easily if I had only known about the fabric store at the time. The window wiper covers came from Magne Shade also. We also purchased side window shades from them, but have never even put them on. I guess we shouldn’t have gotten them.

Here is another type of tire cover. They are on a coach belonging to a neighbor. We had never gotten a chance to talk to the owner, so I zoomed in with my camera. It appears they are made by MCD. I believe they much attach with some sort of fastener. I didn’t want any holes drilled into our coach. I’m sure they were not cheap.

They fit nice and tight and look nice though, don’t they?

We’re not sure what we’re going to do today. Projects? Visit Mom? Go Kayaking? I guess we’ll see how the day progresses.

Cold Front, Rain, New Chairs

2012-01-28T08:40:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida (high 75, low 49)

A cold finally made it’s way down to central Florida, bringing rain and some severe storms to our south.

We got very little rain or wind, but the sun never did come out yesterday. It was dreary all day, and we were both kind of depressed all day.

Our “cold” front is predicted to bring more seasonal weather, so we’ll be back into the low to mid 70’s for a few days. Not a bad cold front, huh? This certainly has been a wonderful winter in Florida this year.

Al noticed some neighbors had some nice patio chairs. We found out that they got them at Camping World last year. After we checked them out for comfort, I ordered two chairs through Camping World online. I don’t recall ever seeing them at the stores. They have a high back, recline, they’re lightweight aluminum and are made of the same fabric as we found at the fabric store the other day. We figured they would be perfect for sitting under the awning, or taking to the beach.

Camping World offered free shipping so the total cost for two chairs was $70.60. We have the bag chairs and they really aren’t comfy. We have bought several other chairs over the years and can’t seem to find ones we like. We always think we’ll like them, but after we have them a while, we find they are not comfortable. I hope these will be the ones.

We considered this type, but sometimes I want my feet and head up at the same time….besides they take up a lot of valuable basement storage.

I hope these will be the last chairs we buy for a while!

It’s sunny today, and I can already feel my mood is better. It’s funny how that works.

We haven’t gotten the tire covers done yet. We needed some black spray paint and some pvc pipe. We just got that bought yesterday. Hopefully today will be more productive!

So glad to see the sunshine!

Rv Sunshade Fabric

2012-01-26T08:28:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We took a drive over to Center Hill, on Tuesday to pick up some rv sunshade fabric to make tire covers.

This place remote little place in a small unknown and apparently dying town in Florida….but boy do they do a good business. It is your American success story.

No website, no advertising, and they only have regular hours during snowbird season. They come to the Webster flea market every Monday. They do an amazing business just from word of mouth.

They will ship fabric, so if anyone is interested and can’t get there, you might want to call them. I spoke to him about shipping for a friend in Arkansas. He said he would help her figure out what she needed and could even send some samples.

If you go in person, they don’t take credit or debit cards. Cash or checks only!

They sell hundreds of rolls of the same fabric that is used for Rv’s for front window covers and MCD shades, as well as patio furniture. There are lots of applications for this fabric. My friend is getting some for the top of her arbor, to block out a little of the hot sun. You could put them in the back window of a car to keep the sun off the baby. You could use them to shade the plants in your garden.

We bought some last year for a patio mat. We like it better than the thick ones you get at Camping World. They snug up against the ground, don’t blow away, and don’t kill the grass.

They sell so many colors and patterns that is very difficult to choose. The prices range from $1.00 to $2.00 a running foot. Cheap!

We bought some black to make tire covers. We haven’t exactly figured out how to install them, but we have a few ideas. We want them behind the fender, and we don’t want to drill holes into the motorhome for snaps. They sell all the hardware for attaching all the things you can make with their fabrics.

A lot of people get the fabric and attach it to the awning to provide additional shade when the sun is low. Since we have a Girard awning which has the wind sensor on it, we can’t use one of them….although it would be nice to have.

We haven’t gotten the tire covers completed yet. I’ll take some pictures when we do.

Al spent Sunday afternoon working on the Eternabond on the roof. He didn’t make me help him. He spent a few hours working, but didn’t get finished before he ran out of energy.

I asked him to take some pictures of the roof for me…since I may never see it up close and personal!

You can see there are a lot of cut-outs to seal. We had a 50 foot roll of Eternabond tape, and it looks like we’re going to need a little more.

Here is what the shower sky light looked like prior to the Eternabond. Al found a tiny little hole which was plenty large enough to cause a big leak. We wouldn’t know we had a leak on this motor home since we have a dropped ceiling with a vinyl roof inside. In the older motorhome, with the carpet ceiling you knew anytime there was the tiniest leak.

You can see it appeared to be well caulked. It was done back in July.

The sky light was where we had the biggest problem on the old motor home.

Here is what is looks like now. We won’t ever have to worry about it leaking.

He didn’t remove the old caulking. We removed it last time (as best we could) , and it didn’t really look any better, so we didn’t bother this time.

The following picture is a little Dove that sits in our yard. She helped Al put on the Eternabond. Isn’t she cute?

Mass of Hu-Manatee

2012-01-24T07:24:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

Yesterday, we headed northwest about 65 miles to the town of Crystal River. Crystal River is famous for their winter Manatee population. People come from all over the world to swim with them. In fact they had a Manatee festival last week-end.

There is a wonderful little kayak shop called Crystal River Kayak Company, on highway 19. You can rent kayaks from them, or launch your own. We launched both kayaks and parked the car for $7.00. There is a real easy place to launch with shallow, clear water. You can take a short 10 minute paddle to the famous “Three Sisters Springs.”

We were there in October and only saw one Manatee at that time. Manatee return to the warm spring waters starting about November and are here until the gulf waters start warming up….usually in March.

We paddled through a shallow and narrow canal about 10 minutes towards the open Crystal River. The water was clear with no currents or winds.

We paddled under a bridge.

Saw some orange trees.

A Lucky Duck…..and you know who I thought of.

Once we got out onto the main river, we were almost to the spot we were looking for.

We knew we were at the right spot when we started seeing all the boats.

There is an area where large boats cannot enter. It’s just wide enough for a Manatee, or a kayak.

Before I entered this area of no return. I noticed an area that was roped off. Upon closer inspection, I noticed these “rocks” all over the place.

Once I looked a little closer, I realized these rocks were actually Manatee….and a lot of them!

They were sunning themselves.

It’s roped off so that the Manatee have a place to go without people bothering them. There was a ranger up on the bank making sure everyone stayed out of the area and no Manatee were disturbed.

Poor Al had just paddled right by, never even realizing this area was full of Manatee.

We paddled up the narrow canal with the turquoise water making for a post card like setting.

The water was shallow and there were some large boulders all along the way.

We were told there were no Manatee inside the main “Three Sisters Springs”, because the tide was too low for the larger ones to enter.

That is why so many were in the little holding pen outside the spring.

Once you get down this canal, it opens up to two huge “rooms.”

It’s incredible…even without Manatee. The pictures just don’t capture the beauty of this place. It’s amazing.

Unfortunately there were some very noisy women nearby that pretty much killed the moment. We were glad when they left the area.

We finally paddled over to the other “room” after we were told a Mother and baby were there.

I got a few pictures of the Mom.

The youngster seemed to really like Al. I think the baby was trying to nurse from Al’s kayak. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the kayak to get any great pictures, but in the next picture, if you look carefully at Al’s hand, you can see the baby coming right up to his hand.

Two guys were standing nearby on a sandbar and said the baby tried to nibble on his toe. I think he was trying to nurse again.

We ended up only seeing two Manatee inside the spring area, but it was okay. It was so beautiful that it didn’t matter.

Al got pretty comfy.

One reason we love our Sea Eagle Kayaks is because they are so comfortable. Much more comfy than the old hard kayaks.

We piddled around there for quite a while and when we came back out to the “bull pen” it was so much more crowded….with people and Manatee.

This is where the mass of Hu-manatee came in. There were so many people and so many Manatee. You couldn’t get away from the Manatee to save your life. It was a regular traffic jam.

You are not allowed inside the pen and you are not supposed to paddle over the top of a sleeping Manatee. Easier said than done. There were so many Manatee in such a small area that it just got to be too much of a traffic jam, and we left.

We made the short paddle back to the launch site and packed up and went to the Homosassa River where Al had an account to do for some friends.

I sat on their dock with my feet up and watched more Manatee swim by.

It was a beautiful day.

They also have a upper dock overlooking the river. It sure made for a beautiful view.

See the Osprey nest right across the river?

We also saw a Bald Eagle flying by, but I was unable to get a photo of it.

It was a wonderful day. We’ll go back to the Three Sisters Springs again before we leave for the Keys.

Rv Projects

2012-01-22T08:42:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We spent yesterday shopping….Wal-Mart, Lowes, a flea market, and groceries. By the time we got home, we were both pooped.

We watched the movie Ides of March, with George Clooney. It’s a story about a an election. It’s maddening knowing it’s actually how politics works.

I have plans for today. Al is resisting. We’ll have to see what happens.

My plans are to start putting the Eternabond tape on the roof. I figure, we’re not going to get any better weather to do it. If we wait too long, it’ll be too hot, and in two months we will start traveling again, so I think this is a good time. I want to get the vents and seams taped up so that we won’t ever have to worry about doing any re-sealing again.

The Florida sun is very hard on the caulking. Our roof was re-caulked at Lazy Days when we bought it and Al already found a few small areas that needed re-doing. When we did the old motorhome with Eternabond, I got up there and helped Al. It’s really much easier with two people. This motor home is much taller than the other one and every time I look up there, I panic. I think I’ve lost my nerve. I don’t know if I can force my self to climb that ladder. I know it’s really not that much higher, but it’s scary!

I finally got a trowel to apply the mastic for the backsplash tiling project. I might even work on that today. It’ll probably take all of 10 minutes. (famous last words)

We also have to get the kayaks inflated because we’re leaving for Crystal River early tomorrow. I understand that there were tons of people kayaking there over the week-end.

We’re looking forward to another beautiful warm sunny day. I am so glad to be back in Florida for the winter.

My picture of the day. Al at Red Coconut Rv Resort in Fort Myers.

It Must be Hitch Itch?

2012-01-21T09:40:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We can’t complain at all about the weather here in the Tampa Bay area. The sky is clear and the temperature is predicted to be in the upper 70’s for the foreseeable future. However….

The Florida Keys are calling our names!

I just made a two week reservation back at Sunshine Key Rv Resort, starting March 21st. We plan to stay 30 days, so we’ll have to be out of the system for 7 nights and then book the rest of the trip. Thousand Trails doesn’t allow you to book anything further ahead than 60 days, so we can’t book the second part of the trip yet. I’m thinking it is to keep people from booking up all the sites.

We’re hoping they will give us a good deal on the 7 nights in the middle. I have seen a special of $299 a week. (yikes) I assume the $3.00 nightly resort fee will also be included. It’s not real cheap, but the State Parks are just about as expensive there in the Keys, so I don’t see many options.

Our summer plans are still up in the air. We have considered Washington, DC, but now are thinking maybe just to hang around in North and South Carolina. I hate to drive right by areas we haven’t explored on the way to DC, so since our time will be limited, we’re thinking of postponing DC this year. I’m pretty sure it’ll still be here next year. I have family in both of the Carolinas', so it might be nice to do some visiting.

Today is play day, but we haven’t decided exactly where to play. Al is insisting on the good breakfast I promised him, so I guess I’d better get busy.

Oops

2012-01-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

I guess I am a slow learner.

When we first got this motorhome and I started using the washer/dryer combo. I didn’t tighten the screw on vent properly and got a small water leak, that I noticed right away. It screws on with a rubber o-ring.

Yesterday, I ran the carpet shampooer in the living room and went to grab a small fan that lives in the bedroom near the washer/dryer. Uh oh….the fan was wet!

I had been having a stiff neck all morning, and it was killing me by this time. I was just getting ready to lay down on a heating pad for my neck.

But no…..I had a very wet carpet because I didn’t quite get the valve screwed in quite tight enough. I had washed and rinsed one entire load. I don’t think all the water leaked out, but enough to soak the carpet around the washer.

So my heating pad had to wait.

I clean this little vent out every few loads and it’s kind of difficult to turn it to get it out. The last time, I decided to not tighten it back quite as tight. BIG MISTAKE! I tightened it plenty…but not as tight as I could. Lesson Learned.

I towel dried it as best as I could and left three fans running overnight. It appears to be mostly dry this morning.

Never did get the bedroom carpet shampooed….but it got a good rinsing.

my picture of the day. Kayaking under a bridge in the Keys.

Snow in Tampa

2012-01-20T04:48:00.000-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

35 years ago yesterday, it snowed here in Tampa.

It was quite a shocker. There were accidents everywhere because no one knew how to drive on the snow. The bridges and overpasses were closed down due to multiple accidents. No one knew that bridges got icy faster than the roads.

Kids and adults got out and played in the snow.

Floridians do not have ice scrapers. Credit cards were used instead.

This happened on January 19, 1977. Al and I had moved from Nebraska just 3 years earlier, so we weren’t impressed at all with the falling white stuff!

Except for a visit to North Dakota one February, and one snow in south Georgia a few years ago, that is the last snow I have seen.

I’d like to keep it that way.

The Little Flea Bag

2012-01-19T09:24:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

A “cold” front moved in yesterday bringing a little rain. The temperature today is supposed to get to 71 today, and then back to upper 70’s and low 80’s for the rest of the week. Perfect weather.

Next week, we’re planning a kayak trip back up to Crystal River, to the Three Sisters Springs. We paddled there back in October before the Manatees arrived. It was such a beautiful trip that we planned on going back once the manatee arrive.

Click here for the link on that blog post.

The water by the springs was absolutely gorgeous and it didn’t even matter that there were no manatee there at the time. Have you ever seen such clear water? It was a lot deeper than it looks.

We also want to get back to the Weeki Wachee River while we’re in this area. It’s one of my favorite rivers in Florida (and that is saying a lot because Florida has some beautiful rivers). Click here for a link to last years blog post about this river.

So anyway, once Al gets his accounts done, we will be able to play. I just hope the weather holds up.

By the way, I just remembered a comment from Rick a while back, about kayaks and canoes being “tippy.” I have only been in a canoe once and I did feel it was a bit tippy, but our Sea Eagle Fast Track 385 kayaks are very stable. It would be very difficult to tip our kayaks, and we try not to go places where that is a possibility. Tipping over in my kayak is not my idea of a good time. We made sure that our kayaks we purchased were stable. There are some cheap kayaks out there that may tip a little easier, but not ours. So, if you have a chance, give kayaking a try. It really is a safe and easy sport. There is no better way to get wildlife photos and see some amazing scenery.

Another comment I remember was about bringing your camera on the kayak, and the possibility of getting it wet. I have never kayaked without my camera and believe it or not, I have paddled with both my video and my digital camera. I would sometimes hold the video between my knees and my digital in my hands. It got a little tricky paddling though. I crashed into more than a few trees!

Several years ago, we bought several small black vinyl waterproof camera bags at Wal-Mart. They sold for about $10 back then. They roll up and close with Velcro, and a snapping mechanism. I put my camera in there while I am entering and exiting my kayak, and if it gets too rough or it rains. Other than that the camera is around my neck and covered with a small towel. I no longer bring a video camera since my Canon has video built in.

My waterproof camera bag looks something like this that I found at Amazon.

I don’t know if Wal-Mart sells them in the stores anymore. I didn’t find them on Wal-Mart's website.

Yesterday, I spent around the house cleaning, and doing laundry. It seems we have picked up some fleas and they seem to prefer the soft long fur on Baxter.

My little flea bag!

I don’t know how in the heck we got fleas. It was either from when we had him at the Vet getting neutered, or we brought some in on our clothes, but for the second time, we have a flea issue.

Al is going to have to spray the house and today I am going to shampoo carpets.

So today, my plan is to shampoo the carpet. Did I mention that I really hate carpeting? Fortunately we don’t have much, so it doesn’t take much time to shampoo. No playing today.

Visiting New Friends

2012-01-18T08:17:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We took a drive over to Lazy Days yesterday to meet Gin and Syl and get the tour of their new Winnebago motorhome.

Boy is it a beauty….but you’ll have to take my word for it because I didn’t bring my camera. It is going to be a very comfortable full time rig for them. Lazy Days is treating them well and I’m glad because they went there after reading how much we liked doing business with them.

All I can say is, they really need to update their blog header!

It was very nice meeting them. I’ve been following their blog for a while and it’s always good to meet fellow bloggers.

Al is working today, so after I have “coffee” with my best friend in Arkansas, I’ll need to get busy around here. I had planned on putting up the tile back splash in the bathroom. I got the tile, mastic, grout and trim pieces. All set, right? On the way home from Home Depot, I remembered I no longer have a trowel or grout float to do the installation. It never occurred to me that I no longer have these essential items! I don’t want to have to buy this, so I’m trying to figure out where I can borrow them.

This Burrowing Owl is my picture of the day

What is Your Traveling Style?

2012-01-17T08:56:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

It’s supposed to get up to 77 degrees for the high today, but down into the 50’s at night. Can’t complain. That’s about perfect winter weather in my book.

I read blogs every morning and enjoy seeing where everyone is at, what they are doing, and where they are planning on going.

One thing I’ve noticed is the difference in traveling/camping styles that we all have.

Some people are very social and spend a lot of time with other people. Some people (like us) seem to be loners, and spend most all of their time with each other.

Some people get heavily involved with the activities at the campground. Some people (like us) get involved in our own things.

It’s not that we don’t enjoy spending time with other people. We do, but we don’t want to “go steady.”

Some people go to one spot and stay for months. Some people move every 5-7 days. We are somewhere in the middle, I guess.

Some people like “resorts” with paved parking pads, full hook-ups, no trees and lots of activities.

Some people only camp at state parks or the equivalent.

We really love state parks, but have found that we also really love full hook-ups. We find that state parks can be pretty expensive when you full time.

We can get much better rates using our memberships and discounts. We miss camping in state parks, with all the nature, and we will probably spend more time in state parks this year. We just hate to have to conserve water and Al is not a big fan of the “blue boys.” I love being able to use my washer and dryer! My how we have changed since we started full timing.

Although this is our first year of full timing, Al and I seem to have developed our traveling style. We find we hate to move too often. We would probably be perfectly happy staying put for 4-5 weeks at a time.

Just about every moving day, at least one of us mutters the phrase…. “I hate to move.” It’s funny how much it takes to pack up, but how little time it takes to set back up in a new location.

We are getting more comfortable driving the “big guy” and are a little less nervous getting in and out of the campsites. Notice, I said a “little” less nervous. I still worry plenty!

Partly because of our Thousand Trails membership that allows us to only stay at one location for 2 weeks at a time, partly because Al still has his Pest Control business to do, and partly because my Mom is in Tampa, we have found ourselves staying in one place for only two weeks. It gives us plenty of time to explore a new area, but not enough time to sit back and relax! One of my goals this year, is to take more time to relax! I just have to get Al on board with that. He can’t seem to just sit still.

We find that we never just stay home and relax or read a book. We seem to run somewhere just about every day. I thought we would have some reading and relaxing time while in the Keys, but that never happened.

We decided that we will probably stay put here in the Tampa area for a few months. We have paid for our site here through March, so I guess that’s a good idea, huh? During the winter months in Florida, it’s a good thing to lock down a place to stay before things get too crowded.

To avoid the dreaded “hitch-itch”, we have been trying to get some ideas for future travels.

We definitely are planning to head back to the Keys towards the end of March. The plan is to stay about 5 weeks. Although the camping fees are dirt cheap, diesel fuel isn’t, so a longer stay will be smarter financially. You can always justify things you want, can’t you?

We have been talking about summer plans. We can’t be too far away from Tampa for too long, but a trip to Washington DC has been discussed. We have also thought about Pensacola, Florida, Savannah, Ashville, and Charleston. I guess we will see how it works out.

My picture of the day.

Smiley

Warming Trend

2012-01-16T09:10:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

Our cold front is about over and temps are going to be back to the mid to upper 70’s.

It would be a great week to do some kayaking on the Hillsborough River, but Al has some pest control accounts to do, so that’s out for a few days.

We’re in the “thinking” stages of some changes to the motorhome. I bought some of those new glass tile sheets to use as a backsplash in the main bathroom. I just wanted to add a few personal touches and I thought this would be a cheap and easy way. Here is a picture (not a good one) that is similar to what I bought.

It’s a lot prettier than it shows in the picture. When I get them installed, I’ll take some good pictures.

Another project we’re considering, is to replace the carpeting in the living and bedroom area. We always knew the carpet would come out before too long. The middle part of the motorhome has a very nice shiny marble tile that we love. I’m not replacing it, so I’ll need something with a wood look so that it matches. We have plenty of carrying capacity, so the weight isn’t an issue. We could use real wood, or a laminate, but I’m concerned with any water issues. When we bring in our slides if it has rained, they seem to collect water and invariably some runs inside. What we’ll probably use is the new Allure vinyl strips. They have a new style that doesn’t have the glue strips. The new Allure attaches with a lock mechanism.

We replaced the carpeting in the old motor home with Allure and were happy with it. It’s a lot of work though and I’m not sure we’re up to it.

So…..we’re still in the thinking mode. Al worries when I start getting in the “thinking mode”…..he knows it can be dangerous. This would be a good time to start a project though, since we’re staying put for 2 1/2 months.

Baxter got a new toy the other day…and boy did he like it!

He has always loved playing in bowls, but he keeps outgrowing them. He has his own set of bowls!

He’s doing fine since we changed his food. For some reason the other food seemed to make him sick.

He’s growing like a weed. He is only 5 1/2 months old and already weighs 8 1/2 pounds. I am very afraid he will end up looking like this.

We’ll have to get a much bigger bowl!

Are We Still in Florida?

2012-01-15T07:47:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

It was very hard to get out from our toasty warm electric blanket this morning. The temperature is 30 29 degrees! Brrrrrr

We didn’t have a heat pump on our old motor home, and we’re very glad to one now.

So far, it’s still heating, but I know it only works down to a certain temperature. I am surprised it’s still heating at 30 29 degrees. (it’s still dropping)

We can also turn on the furnace if we need to, but I’d rather not burn propane if I don’t have to.

It’s 61 degrees in the Keys. We should have stayed there!

The good news is this is supposed to be the last cold night for a while and we’re heading back into the 70’s tomorrow.

We’re going to visit Mom today and then we may run over to Hillsborough River State Park and take a short hike. Things have sure slowed down since we got back from the Keys.

Thousand Trails Special Deal!

2012-01-14T09:55:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We headed over to the Tampa Rv Supershow yesterday.

Our main goal was to see if we could score any free camping sites and get another great deal with Thousand Trails.

It seemed that fewer resorts were giving out free camping this year.

We didn’t look at many rv’s…since we found our dream rv just a few months ago. We did look at a few of the new Newmar King Air’s, which is their new top of the line diesel pusher. I usually don’t care much for most of the high end coaches because they all seem over the top on décor for my taste, and this one was no exception. It was a beauty though.

The main thing we wanted to do was go to the Thousand Trails booth to see if we could get the same deal we got last year…..and we did.

If you are interested in all the details and are considering a camping membership read on. If not, it will be boring. This is the membership that got us two weeks in the Florida Keys, in the winter for $42.00!

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Here is the deal we got last year at Thousand Trails. I have explained it before, but it seems some people don’t understand the Max Pass….and the Max Pass is the key!

This is my understanding of their program.

***please note, I do not work for Thousand Trails, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. If you consider purchasing a membership, you need to do your due diligence and learn all the facts directly from them***********************

If you can’t get to the Rv show and are interested….read on.

This is how I understand their program.

TT has divided up the country into 4 zones. The going rate for each zone is $499 annually.

They are also offering (at the RV show) a special where you and a friend can each purchase one zone for $499 each, and if two of you buy a zone, you will both get the entire country (all 4 zones) for free. That is a great deal, but this year we aren’t planning any trips out of the southeast zone, so we didn’t consider it. I do not know all the specifics of this program. I believe that gives you 80 campgrounds nationwide.

At the rv show this year and last year, they had a special show price per zone of $199, but only at the RV show! After the show it goes back to $499 a zone.

We bought the southeast zone for $199. That gave us 24 “resorts.”

You can stay a maximum of 14 days per stay, then you have to be out for 7 days before you get another 14 days.

In the southeast zone,or the southwest you can purchase a “Max Pass” for an additional $199. The Max Pass gives you an additional 6 campgrounds in the southeast zone. I believe you get 9 additional campgrounds in Arizona, in the Southwest zone.

We purchased the Southeast zone for $199 and also the Max Pass for $199. The total was $398..no tax. The membership entitled us to the first 30 nights free.

That gives us 9 campgrounds in Florida, 7 in Texas, 1 in Alabama, 2 in South Carolina, 1 in Kentucky, 2 in Tennessee, 3 in North Carolina, 2 in Tennessee, and 5 in Virginia.

After the first 30 nights, you have to pay $3.00 per night. We have never been charged more, no tax, nothing except the $3.00. It costs us $42.00 for two weeks. Yes, we paid $3.00 per night in the Florida Keys….in the winter!

If you don’t purchase the “Max Pass”, there are only 3 resorts in Florida. Two of them are very nice, but they don’t offer much variety.

We did not expect to be able to get the same rate this year as we paid last year, since we were not “new customers.” Our renewal price was $723.00. We weren’t complaining….it would have still been a good deal for us with the traveling we intend to do this year.

However, we decided to see what kind of a deal we could work out at the show.

Al talked to a guy named Larry. He explained we were already members and asked if they would honor the “show special.” To our surprise, they did!

He said we just need to cancel our previous membership prior to renewal and they would apply the new membership.

Larry sent us over to “Josh” to pay. While doing that I mentioned I had some friends that might be interested in this deal as well. He said the special is only good at the RV show, but that if anyone was interested and couldn’t get to the show, he could honor the rate through Sunday, January 15th. His cell number is 407-844-9611. His name is Josh P.

He also said if any one calls and gives him my name he would give us a $25.00 gift certificate. So, if you’re interested call Josh by Sunday and give him our names. Karen and Al Lueck!

AGAIN….please read all the contract and details before signing up. It is an automatically renewable contract and if you don’t cancel prior to renewal they will renew you automatically.

We never had any trouble with the reservations, but when we arrive at a campground, we have learned to give them our name and tell them it’s a Max Pass reservation….otherwise they can’t find us.

You can’t make reservations more than 60 days in advance. I guess this is to keep them open for everyone, but it does make it a bit difficult for long term planning.

The resorts are a little spread out, but we’ve really enjoyed the past few months traveling around the state of Florida, and especially the Keys.

Anyway….I hope this makes it clear. If not, feel free to email me.

Staying Put

2012-01-13T07:57:00.001-05:00

Zephyrhills, Florida

We arrived back in our winter home and got parked back into our campsite very easily.

We had been a bit concerned because our site is nestled up next to a fence on the right side of the motorhome. Luckily our next door neighbors were gone and the site in front of us was empty so Al was able to make a wide turn and pull into the site ahead and then back right in. I guess I worried for nothing.

The trip was uneventful once we got onto I75. We went through Alligator Alley but next time will cross the state on US 41, which is much more interesting and scenic.

It appears we got home just in time for a cold front…and this time it’s going to be pretty cold. I think today’s temperature isn’t going to get above the lower 60’s. Tonight is supposed to be 37 and 34 tomorrow! Compare that to the lows in the 60’s in the Keys and you’ll know why we wish we were still there!

We’re heading to the Rv show today and then we’d like to try and meet up with some others that are here in the area, like the other Al and Karen, Gin and Syl, and meet their new motorhome Tawanda.

The plan is to stay here until the end of March. We have been going strong since we left Lazy Days in August. Some time staying put will be kind of nice. At least we’re saying that now…give us a few days to get hitch-itch and see what happens! There is a lot to do here in the Tampa area, so we should be able to entertain ourselves for two months…after all we entertained ourselves in this area 30 years!

Midway Campground–Florida Everglades

2012-01-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

Ochopee, Florida

We left the Keys Tuesday morning. We were sure sad to leave. We could easily have stayed several more months.

We consoled ourselves with plans to come back down in March.

I had been a bit concerned about getting out of our campsite (#160), but my hero Al backed us right out with no problems.

An interesting and unusual sign.

We decided to bite the bullet on the traffic and construction on US 41, and head back to Midway Campground in the Everglades.

This time, there wasn’t nearly as much traffic or road construction and it was an easy 160 mile drive.

One lesson we learned on our Keys trip was not to go between Christmas and New Years week. There are just too many people during that week. A lot of them left after New Years. Next year, we’ll wait a week. (notice we’re already making plans for next winter)

We got to Midway Campground and were glad to see there were still some sites available. You can’t call ahead or reserve a site. It’s strictly first come first serve. 30/50 amp electric but no water or sewer. There is a place to fill up with water and a dump station. We got on site 12. We were not able to get any phone or internet service. The last time we were in site 18 and I got internet in one corner of the bedroom. Al asked if I could survive a day without internet? I felt I could survive one day, but we ended up staying two nights because of an approaching storm coming our way. It’s been a tough two days! Fortunately when we got on the highway we picked up internet pretty quickly, so I at least got my “fix.”

So, while back in the Everglades our goal was to find that “critter” we saw last time and confirm it was a Florida Panther. I didn’t get a clear picture of him last time.

Al and I have reached an agreement. When we spot something like that, he is to stop the truck because my zoom lens can get there faster then the vehicle can, and it won’t scare it off.

We did see this Florida Panther.

We drove along a few roads in panther territory in search of the elusive panther, but never saw one.

We drove down to “Shark Valley” Tuesday afternoon. It’s run by the National Park Service, so we were able to get in free with Al’s Senior Pass. Normal fees are $10.

There is a walking/biking trail that runs 15 –20 miles through the everglades. The road was build by the Civilian Conservation Corp, back in the days when they wanted to “drain the swamp.”

We took a short walk on the trail by the canal and the trail was literally covered with gators and one snake.

We have lived in Florida most of our lives, but I have to tell you, that was a bit intimidating. You would have to walk within feet of the mouths of those gators who were mostly facing the trail.

They offer a 2 hour tram tour for $18 per person. No discounts except $1.00 off for seniors.

We debated whether or not to go, since it was a bit expensive. We finally decided to give it a shot and we were sure glad we did.

We ended up on the 4pm sunset tour. Our guide, George was very knowledgeable and interesting. We felt like we got our moneys worth and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

We learned a lot about the Everglades and the creatures that inhabit the area.

We saw a lot of gators.

including a mama and her babies.

There is a tower along the tour and we got 15 minutes to walk to the top for a beautiful 360 degree view of the everglades. It was spectacular.

We saw more gators from the tower.

There are a LOT of gators in the Everglades! There are a LOT of birds in the Everglades.

We left Midway Campground at 9:35 am. We should be home around 1:30. We went back a little different route. We cut through and got over to I 75 which is called “Alligator Alley” We could have stayed on 41 all the way to Naples and next time we will. It was a lot more scenic of a drive and we saw lots more wildlife than on 75.

We loved the everglades and will come back and explore it more. We passed by Florida Panther Preserve on the way. That may be a good place to visit next time. The Everglades is a magical place…just don’t go in the summer. There are 43 different species of mosquitos that reside there!

Tomorrow is the Tampa Rv Show.

Sunshine Key Rv Resort - review

2012-01-09T20:08:00.001-05:00

Big Pine Key? Ohio Key?

I had a comment saying that this rv park is actually not on Big Pine Key, but on Ohio Key.

I had wondered about that because looking at a map made me think it was another key (island). The mailing address however, is Big Pine Key.

Where ever we are, we have really enjoyed our two weeks stay here. We have enjoyed it so much that we’re already planning a return visit towards the end of March. Our Thousand Trails membership doesn’t let us make reservations further away than 2 months, so we can’t book anything yet.

The plan is to try and stay 5 weeks. It’s a long way to come for just two weeks. We can only stay 2 weeks at a time with Thousand Trails and then we need to be off one week. We’ll figure something out.

Sunshine Key Rv Resort is in a great location in the lower keys. It covers the whole island/key and sits between two bridges. There is a walking/fishing bridge on both sides of the campground. You can watch the sunrise from one side and the sunset from the other. We spent a lot of time just walking around the campground looking at sunsets or sunrises.

We launched our kayaks from the marina and the beach. We could have stayed right here and been entertained.

The map below shows us at Ohio Key. You can see we are very close to Bahia Honda State Park.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Keys haven’t changed too much since we first came here in 1983.

There are very few chain restaurants, grocery stores or fast food restaurants. Most of the businesses are locally owned. There is no Walmart!

The closest big grocery store is in Big Pine Key, about 5-6 miles away.

There is one way in, and one way out, via US 1. In the event of a hurricane, it can be a long drive.

There are no parking meters (except in Key West) and you can park along the highway just about anywhere you want. If you want to put your kayak in, no problem. If you want to fish, there are many old bridges converted into fishing bridges. Most of Florida now have beach side parking meters. You cannot park overnight in the Keys though, so no free rv camping. You can however, park your rv all day long if you find a nice site along the water.

They make it real easy to enjoy the water and there is no charge. We like that.

The biggest change we noticed was underwater. When we first came here in 1983, we found wonderful dive sites in just 10-12 feet of water. The next few times we came here, we started noticing a layer of silt covering everything. It’s still that way today. I don’t know where all the silt comes from, but you can see it covers just about everything. I haven’t dove off shore for many years, so I don’t know what the reefs are like, but silt is not good.

We have seen very few (like 2) colorful tropical fish. That is not normal. I think the Keys have suffered from too much development.

But, the kayaking is still beautiful. The water is crystal clear and calm. We had hoped to do some snorkeling right from the beach on our kayaks, but we haven’t seen much worth getting wet for, at least close inshore we we have been. We’re still looking though! You can go on snorkeling trips offshore to the reefs for a “small” fee.

Okay on to Sunshine Key Rv esort.

There is virtually no privacy between campsites. There are very few trees and not much shade.

This is our site number 160. It’s plenty wide and long enough. It definitely has no “it” factor, but it’s all about “location, location, location.”

We can launch the kayaks from the campground. From that launch, we can either go into the Atlantic Ocean, or the bayside. We can paddle under two large bridges connecting the island/key to the other islands.

We are about a mile from Bahia Honda State Park. There is great fishing right from the campground. There is a marina where you can dock your boat or go out on dive, snorkel or fishing charters. There is a bait shop on the property and a gas station/convenience store next door. A large motor home could actually fuel up with gas or diesel.

The snowbirds that are here have been coming for many years, and they all know each other. They are very friendly and have a lot of activities. There is something for everyone.

The following picture shows the entrance. There is a big area to park and unhook. When entering the campground, you go through a gate and go down a pretty good incline. A little scary the first time.

The next pictures show one of the waterfront sites.

The Florida Keys are proud of their sea grasses because they are very beneficial to the marine life. It’s against the law to remove sea grass from the beaches. There is a lot of it and it doesn’t make for beautiful beaches. The Keys are not known for white sandy beaches. That’s okay with us because we’re not much for sitting on the beach anyway. We’d much rather be out in the water.

The next photo is some campsites along the bay side of the campground.

This is what the campground looks like from the water.

This is where we launched our kayaks. We went to the right and were in the Atlantic Ocean. Left is bayside. You can kayak all the way around the key.

There were quite a few open sites after New Years week was past.

Some people rent sites annually or for several months. They make the sites “their own.”

Some times it is not a good thing.

Most of these sites look okay, but there are a few that need to be reigned in a little. People who come to the Keys tend to stay a while and want all their “stuff.”

The office.

The next are waterfront sites facing the marina. There is a nice view, but a lot of activity.

Cabanas for rent and sale.

The pool is beautiful. There is a poolside snack bar that is open for breakfast and lunch. We never did eat there. They have fish fries on Friday nights.

While the camp sites didn’t have the “it” factor, the area certainly did. We love the Keys and could easily see ourselves spending the whole winter here….if we could only afford it!

We spent today cleaning up, packing up and readying for our trip back to Tampa. We are going to brave the bad part of Highway 41 and head back to Midway campground again…hoping for a site.

We loved the Everglades and decided to spend another night on the way back.

We are planning to go to the Tampa Rv Supershow one day this week and see if we can find some bargains and some free camping.

We sure are going to miss the Florida Keys!

Here are a few pictures from last nights Kayak sunset paddle.

Yep, we’re going to miss this place.

Kayaking at Geiger Key Marina

2012-01-08T09:39:00.001-05:00

Big Pine Key, Florida

Our time here in the Florida Keys is quickly coming to an end, so we’re frantically trying to get every thing done before we leave.

We have to keep reminding ourselves that we will be back and some things will have to wait until next time…..which will probably be late March.

Yesterday, we decided to head down towards Geiger Key Marina to do some kayaking. This is the place that had the wonderful restaurant where we so enjoyed their (expensive) Hogfish Sandwiches.

I emailed HeyDuke to see if they wanted to meet us and maybe do some kayaking. They are staying nearby for a few weeks, so I thought it might be a good chance to meet them. Unfortunately, they were not in the Keys yet, but still on their way. Maybe next time.

We launched the kayaks at the free boat launch by the marina and campground.

There are a lot of mangrove islands there and we thought it might be a fun place to paddle.

We paddled by the campground and restaurant. This guy here has the best site, doesn’t he? His Monaco looks very similar to ours, so I tried to imagine it was us staying there!

A lot of sites have tiki huts, which are nice but cut into the space you have for your rv.

The next photo is a waterfront view of the restaurant where we got that wonderful food.

Unfortunately the tide was at it’s lowest and we had trouble maneuvering around except in the channel.

There were a few boats zooming by and one of them got the finger (after he was far enough that he couldn’t see me)

Polite boaters slow down when they approach a small watercraft. A***holes don’t slow down.

The other direction from the restaurant was a few houses. I thought this shot of the pink house was interesting with the reflection on the water. I used my new favorite Picasa editing feature…vignette.

We stopped here and had a sandwich.

We would have had a better time if we had a little higher tide. There were a lot of fish in the mangroves. Unfortunately since it was a Saturday, there were too many boats. Next time we come back, we will make sure we aren’t there on a week-end or a low tide.

We discovered a nice little beach across from the Naval Air Station, and nearby Geiger Key Marina.

It had some nice shady areas where you could bring a book and a chair.

The shoreline was rocky, which may be a good spot to snorkel (once the water warms up)

There is no pretty white sand, but the water was clear and pretty. We’ll bring the kayaks there next time.

You can drive only so far and then have to park and walk if you want to go further down the beach.

We found some interesting things along this walk.

We headed back up towards Big Pine Key. There was some sort of marathon run on Highway 1. There were hundreds of runners running some sort of relay. There were many, many vans, and lots of traffic. It really held up traffic.

I guess we’re getting old. We just can’t seem to go like we want to. By the time we got home last night, we were both pretty tired. We read went for a walk around the campground, read a while, watched some tv and then both were in bed by 10ish.

We got up at this morning to watch the sunrise over the water. Not many more morning left.

It was daylight out, and we thought we had missed it.

We have to walk up towards the bridge to see the sunrise.

Here it comes, as beautiful as ever.

I like the sunset better, but this is pretty nice too!

I have been taking pictures of our campground. I’ll do a campground review soon.