Tonight we're at Silver Springs State Park near Ocala. We had a heckava time finding the right entrance to the park to get to the Campground. After driving completely past the park, then circling it (20 miles extra driving), we finally found the right entrance to get to one of the finest parks we've stayed in, with big wide spaces and quiet.
After settling in, we immediately went to the main attraction of the park. As Florida's first tourist attraction and one of the largest artesian springs in the world, the park is renowned for the Glass Boat bottom tours. So we jumped on the last tour of the day and enjoyed "snorkeling without getting wet".
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| Glass bottom boat |
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| Looking through the botton of the "Glass Bottom" boat was just like snorkeling without getting wet. The visibility was almost unlimited. Here the depth of the water is about 30 feet. |
We immediately decided that we would rent a kayak and kayak around the springs. It was a nice change and a fun day just messing around.
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| We saw a wide variety of wildlife on our kayak trip |
Then, on the way South again.
Tuesday, December 12
Today, we pulled into the nicest "motorcoach" resort that we've ever been to or seen. I saw an ad in an RV magazine sometime back when I was planning this trip and they were advertising 3 free nights to come look to the place - and what a place it is. Thornton Creek Motorcoach Resort is a very high end resort which caters to pretty wealthy motorcoach owners. I think ours was about the smallest coach there.
But the primary drawing point for us is that it's only a few miles from Tony and Jill's.
Initially we had planned only 3 nights, but we extended to 6 nights because we're still not sure when Sigsbee will be open in Key West. Clara called the owner, Barry, to check on availability which he said was no problem. As she started to get out the credit card to pay, he informed her that they do not accept payment for staying at their facilities. It's free as long as there are no other guests. WOW! That's a first. He said that the goodwill is worth more than payment. Usually, their guest will tell others about the place, and by the time the third guest is told, someone of this chain has bought a lot.
We really hated to leave and not buy a lot (from $88,000 to $100,000), but it's just not the right location for us, plus as long as we have access to Sigsbee in Key West, why would we want to stay further North where it might get cold.
Barry has three other developments that he and his wife have done or are doing in Western North Carolina and we hope to visit them in the future, and just maybe they will be a better fit for us.
We have received confirmation that Sigsbee will open on December 27 (by a reservation system that will allow for 20 RVs perday). I immediately called and must have been one of the first because we're scheduled for the 27th. Oh Happy Day!
Tuesday, Decmber 19
This morning we packed up and headed further South to one of our favorite RV Resorts (note, the difference in the descriptive name - RV Resort vs. Motorcoach Resort. It seems that most RV Parks have taken on the moniker "RV Resort" to make them sound fancier when in reality, some "RV Resorts" are just trailer parks. Whereas motorcoach resorts are generally very high-end resorts).
Anyway, we're at Upriver RV Resort. I think this is our third visit here over the years. And Josh, the manager even remembered our names. And this is really on the upper end of old RV Parks that take on the RV Resort moniker. It has all the amenities, plus being right on the Caloosahatchee River where we can kayak to our heart's content.
Clara has got the bug and wants to upgrade her I Phone to a newer, larger model. So she has been on the Internet looking. She finally found what seemed to be a good deal on a 7 Plus. So she contacted the seller and they made arrangements to meet at the Edison Mall (which is way across town). We arranged to meet in the food court at 12:30. After several texts and several "I'll be there in 10 minutes" promises, we left at 1:30 thoroughly disgusted.
I was double disgusted though. On driving "across town" in Fort Myers, I am again reminded that the traffic in Fort Myers is absolutely the worst I've ever encountered anywhere in the world. That's one of the reasons I swore to never come here again. I forgot! But am reminded! We like the area, but only if we stay East of I-75. Never again will we go West of I-75 in Fort Myers!
Anyway, after having given up on the 7 Plus I Phone, Clara again reached out to the same person the next day "because I really want the phone" and he had reduced his price from $300 to $200. So!! I headed back to the West of I-75. While on the way, Clara had several text back and forth, and finally, after some ridiculous comments by the seller, decided that there was something really fishy about the seller and we turned around and headed home. Lesson learned!
Thursday, December 22
We packed the kayaks back on the car and headed to Manatee Park, which is only a few miles from here. We've visited before and enjoyed it. This is located near an electric power plant and the cooling water for the plant is pumped out into a canal. The water is warm and thus attracts manatees in the winter.
And Wow! We saw dozens of manatees. Unlike some of the springs that attract manatees, the water here is brackish and visibility is nothing like at the springs. However, they are congregated in a small area and are constantly surfacing.
As we floated around among them, I had a couple of near misses when they surfaced under my kayak, nearly tipping me over. Clara had the same thing happen. Just a little unnerving. We spent about 3 hours just watching and enjoying the wildlife.
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Merry Christmas! |
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| A manatee surfaced next to Clara's kayak and hung around for a while, and of course, Clara wants to pet it. |
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| They are not God's most beautiful creation but they sure are gentle giants. |
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| Their skin feels rough like sandpaper (according to Clara) |
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| This one bumped me around a bit |
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| This one surfaced next to the kayak, nearly tipping me over |
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| Not too shabby for Christmas Eve
Compared to some Christmas's before
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Christmas Day
An unusual Christmas. I don't think we've ever spent a Christmas away from our family. But this year we are and we're making the most of it.
This morning we did a video conference with the kids and enjoyed watching them opening their presents. Not quite the same as being there, but still fun (and warm).
It is quiet around the Park, but this evening, well over 100 people showed up at the community center for a huge cover dish dinner. There was plenty for all. And of course it's always great to meet new people and hear their stories. Everybody has a story and I really enjoy hearing people talk about their lives and how they happened to end up sitting here today.
Tuesday, December 26
We packed up early and headed for another of our favorite places, Midway Campground in the middle of Everglades National Park. It was only a 2 1/2 hour drive so we arrived early with plenty of time to enjoy a couple of favorites.
We first headed East to Shark Valley where the alligators are prolific. We took our bikes off the car and rode about 10 miles along the canal, catching sight of at least 30 alligators.
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| Now! Just how am I supposed to go on down the road and stay 30 feet away from the alligator? |
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| Look what shiny, white teeth I have! |
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| Note! There is a bicycle between me and the alligator. |
After the ride, we headed to Everglades City (about a 45 mile drive) to Triad Seafood and some great Stone Crab. This is our 3rd or 4th time to this converted fish house. We've never been disappointed.
Sunday, January 31
We've settled in here at "The Rock Pile", one of the three campgrounds at Sigsbee in Key West.
We arrived on Wednesday, per our reservation.
On our trip down the Keys, there was still evidence of Hurricane Irma, especially around Marathon down to Big Pine Key. The primary visual evidence was trash piled along the highway, although in a few areas, we could see homes (primary mobile homes) still laying on their side or torn up.
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| Obviously, clean up does not happen very quickly or efficiently. It's been 3 months since the hurricane and this trash is still sitting by the road. |
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| In this case, there was an old travel trailer sitting by the road that had been thrown out. |
However, as we neared Key West, there is little evidence at all of the damage. I am sure that on some of the back roads there is probably more evidence, but we haven't traveled very far off the main roads. Downtown Key West looks like it did last year.
There are a lot of "help wanted" signs at businesses. This indicates that the low wage employees, many of whom lived in the mobile homes or less hurricane resistant structures have left town.
When we arrived here at the campground, we were expecting to go into the boondocking part of the campground, However, we were assigned a full hookup site, which was a pleasant surprise. Most likely, we'll rotate after two weeks to a boondocking site (which we find to be as pleasant as full hookup except for having to "refresh" the water/sewer facilities about once a week).
They are allowing only 20 RVs in per day, which seems rather conservative. They could easily handle a larger number. It seems that the bureaucracy is in full swing.
The day after arrival, I donned my wetsuit and took my first long swim in a while. During this swim, I saw the largest fish I think I've ever seen (except for a whale). I'm pretty sure it was a grouper. It seemed to be 4-5 feet long and was huge around the middle. It didn't bother me, and I didn't bother it.
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| First night and we're at Sunset Grill here on base |
As we've looked at motorhomes, we've noted that in every brand the interior decorators have designed some of the most unusual colors and collections, from gaudy, garish bright colors to dark, dank browns and blacks. Some motorhomes we've been in look like an underground tunnel they are so dark. As is the case with our homes, we like light, airy colors. I don't think we can change or paint all the dark wallboard, but at least some of it looks better now.
Our friends from last year are arriving daily. Everyone is making plans for what we're going to be doing, so it seems we'll fall right back into the routine - eating out, parties, and fun things.
Dad passed away in April. We were there and had some valuable time with him. Other than losing Dad, 2017 has been a good year. We knew it would happen someday and at 101 years old, he lived a good, long life.
But otherwise, we've enjoyed 2017 and look forward to 2018.
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| The final legs |
