Waiting in Chiefland

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

We’ve been wanting to get back to the Florida Panhandle but there’s some nasty winter weather happening up there so we’ve been just hanging out waiting for that weather to clear first. We are at Chiefland RV Park in Chiefland, FL, and will be here for four nights. Hopefully, by that time we can go North again.

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Chiefland RV Park, #55

The weather here isn’t so great either, but at least it’s not freezing.  The high today was around 60 degrees.  About a month ago when we were through this area on our way south we stopped at Manatee Springs State park. We’re only about 5 miles from there now so we went to see it again. It had been raining a little so it was wet, there were hardly any other people around, and steam was rising from the river. We had hoped to see some manatee but there were none to be seen today.

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Suwanee River at Manatee Springs State Park

The boardwalk was wet from the rain, but we didn’t let that stop us from having a walk through the cypress swamp. We weren’t there more than 30 minutes when it began to rain so we returned to the RV and spent the rest of the day at home.

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Manatee Springs State Park

It’s supposed to be 42 with rain overnight tonight, tomorrow will be colder.

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $15.50  (Passport America discount)
  • Admission Fee:        $6

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Kumquat what?

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

The last few days have been cold and windy and sometimes rain so we haven’t been out and about much but rather taking it easy at home.  But today turned out to be a beauty at around 70 degrees and sunny.

Dade City (population around 6,000) is near us and we learned they are having their annual Kumquat Festival today with arts & crafts, a big car show, farmer’s market, live entertainment and more. It was an easy drive and parking was free and easy on the outside of town.  Pink buses shuttled everyone to town.

For a small town this sure was a big festival! The whole downtown area including about 15 or more city blocks were blocked to traffic for all the festivities and there were thousands of people enjoying the day.

Shuttle Buses to the Kumquat Festival
Kumquats
Kumquat Pie
Historic Courthouse
Mini Donuts with Toppings
Exotic Pitcher Plants
Giant Ponderosa Lemons
Farmers Market
Kumquats

All things Kumquat at the festival:   Pie, wine, ice cream, shakes, sorbet, cookies, whoopie pies, jams, jellies, chutney, salsa, muffins, breads, cakes, marinades, dressings, and Kumquat honey and kumquat chicken salad, tea and beer. I may have missed some.

Kumquats resemble miniature oranges and the entire kumquat, including the thin peel, flesh, seeds and all, is edible. Just pop one in your mouth and chew it up like a grape. The peel is usually sweet and offsets the tartness of the flesh inside. There are different varieties, some more sweet and others more tart.  All are very nutritious. To use in recipes the seeds are removed and the kumquats are pureed.

Kumquats are unfamiliar to us Minnesotans, so we found the entire festival very interesting and fun!

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $25
  • Admission Fees:      none
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Seafood, Cigars, and Sponges

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

The last few days have been so much fun…. and food!

Linda cooked up a real seafood feast for us and her family.  There was rock shrimp, scallops, shrimp, stone crab, grouper, clams, and more shrimp. It was fantastic! And as if that wasn’t enough, Linda’s sister cooked up an awesome brunch for all of us the next morning. These two ladies sure are good cooks.

Seafood Feast

Seafood Feast

Later on Linda and Larry took us to Ybor City, a National Historic Landmark District in Tampa. Starting in the 1880’s immigrants from Spain, Cuba, and Italy settled here. They hand rolled millions of cigars in the factories here and became known as the “Cigar Capital of the World.” Now the streets are filled with shops, clubs, and restaurants. As we walked by the shops we saw one guy blowing glass in a shop window and we saw a lady hand-rolling cigars in another shop window. Then to a Cuban restaurant for dinner.

Ybor City

Ybor City

A small corner park in Ybor City is land actually owned by the Cuban government. It includes soil from each of the provinces of Cuba. So I guess you can say that Bernie and I have been to Cuba now.

Cuba Land

Jose Marti Park

Linda and Bernie and I went out to Honeymoon Island State Park and walked along the beach. There were lots of other people there walking and looking for seashells. A recent storm was responsible for all the seaweed washed up, but that should all wash back out again to reveal a nice white sandy beach.

Honeymoon Island

Honeymoon Island

While we walked along the beach we found a couple of sharks washed up. I believe they are in the hammerhead family of sharks. This one was about two feet long.

Shark

Shark

The historic Sponge Docks at Tarpon Springs is an interesting place to visit too. Settled by Greeks, the sponge industry quickly became the “Sponge Capitol of the World”.  Now the streets are filled with shops that sell lots and lots of sponges as well as the usual tourist things, and with wonderful Greek restaurants, markets, and bakeries.  We stopped in for some baklava, yum!

Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs

Sponge Harvest

Sponge Harvest

Hitsoric Tarpon Springs at the Sponge Docks

Historic Tarpon Springs at the Sponge Docks

It’s time for us to continue on with our travels. We thanked Larry and Linda for their hospitality and said goodbye for now and then drove north a little ways to Port Richey.

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   none
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Exploring and Moving

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

It’s been pretty cold here in the Tampa area the last few days.  Not cold by Minnesota standards, but cold by Florida standards.

For the senior rate of $2.50 each we can ride the Suncoast Trolley and any connections to it all day long. This is not a narrated tour trolley, but rather transportation along the coast by Tampa. Since it was so cold we thought this would be a good way to explore.  We began our ride at Clearwater and went south from there along the Gulf of Mexico.

Suncoast Trolley

Suncoast Trolley

Clearwater Beach has a huge white sandy beach with lifeguards on duty all year round. The red flag was flying which means it’s not a good day to be in the water…and the beaches were empty of people. It was windy and cold and the water was pretty choppy.  Needless to say, we didn’t stay long, just a quick picture and off we go to wait for the next trolley to pick us up.

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach

We had thought the ride along the coast would be scenic, but the ride took us through usual city developed areas with very few peeks at the Gulf of Mexico. At St. Pete Beach we changed over to the Central Avenue Trolley and rode that East to historic downtown St. Petersberg. We did not explore the town this time, but instead went to have a look at the historic St. Petersberg Pier.

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St. Petersberg Pier

The Pier, a focal point for tourism, closed last year due to structural difficulties.  Plans are to replace it soon. For now pedestrian traffic is allowed and we walked out to the “inverted pyramid” that used to be shops and restaurants.

Our friends, Linda and Larry, have generously allowed us to park in their drive for a while, so we will be there for the next few days.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

When the water gets cold the manatee like to come to the power plant to enjoy the warm water it dispenses. Over the years tourists have discovered this and go there to see them. So the four of us went to have a look. But no manatee when we were there. There were people fishing, and we saw a few birds, and enjoyed the beautiful view, but that’s it.

Fishing Pier

Fishing Pier

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   none
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Tampa RV Show

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

The 29th Annual Florida RV SuperShow begins today. This is reputed to be the largest and best consumer RV show in the nation.  I can’t say I disagree with that. I’ve never seen so many RVs in one place before. We went with our friends, Larry and Linda.  We all had a great time there looking at all the RVs.

Florida State Fairgrounds

Florida State Fairgrounds

Free entertainment could be seen throughout the grounds.

Tampa RV Show 2014

Tampa RV Show 2014

Oh my, we saw some over-the-top luxury on wheels. There were some million-dollar rigs here.  Some were locked and available for tour by appointment only, so you gotta know those are the ones WE could never afford! Still, we were able to step into many super nice rigs.

Luxury RV

Luxury RV

Wheelchair Ready Rig

Wheelchair Accessible Rig

Color

Colorful Winnebago Travel Trailers

We were there for several hours and until our feet hurt from all the walking. After all that looking and seeing what’s out there we knew that we are happy with the rig we have and are not ready to make a change this year. But it’s nice to dream!

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $32.50
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Wall Springs Park

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

Bay Aire RV Park in Palm Harbor (Near Tampa), FL, is where we will be for the next few days. We were lucky to get in here as it appears to be filled to capacity.

Bay Aire RV Park

Bay Aire RV Park, #109

After getting settled in we looked up Larry and Linda, friends that we had made while we were in Alaska.  They showed us around town a bit and then to the beautiful Wall Springs Park.

For years the natural spring here was used as a health spa. The spring waters emerge at an almost constant 74 degrees. Now it’s a beautiful county park with amazing scenery and boardwalks.

Wall Spring

Wall Spring

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Us

A lone dolphin feeding in the bay caught our attention for a while.

Wall Spring Park

Dolphin at Wall Springs Park

As the sun set we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Sunset at Wall Springs Park

Sunset at Wall Springs Park

  • Gasoline Expense:  $125 @ $3.28
  • Lodging Expense:   $32.50  (Passport America price)
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Bok Tower Gardens

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

It’s looking like it will be a beautiful day today and we decided to go visit the nearby Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark. This 205 foot tall tower and the surrounding gardens was established by Edward W Bok as a gift to the American people in 1929.  The 60-bell carillon rings out every half hour with concert performances at 1 and 3.

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Bok Tower

A tour guide walked with us through the beautiful gardens and explained about its history and creation. The tower is not open to the general public.

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Bok Tower Gardens

The camellias were blooming and a few other things.

Camelia
Monarch Butterflies

A pond by the tower has some hungry fish.  Food for them is available for purchase.

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Feeding the Fish

The gardens are located at the top of Iron Mountain, one of Florida’s highest points, elevation 295 feet, and overlook orange groves down below.

Overlooking Orange Groves

Overlooking Orange Groves

“Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.”                               –Edward Bok’s Grandmother

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $28
  • Admission Fees:      $24
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Moving Up

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

Yesterday was a quiet day.  We just took it easy, walked around the RV park and then went for a drive up the west side of nearby Lake Okeechobee.  What we thought would be a scenic lake drive was a little disappointing.  The lake is almost totally surrounded by a large levee and the large lake can only be seen by designated access points.

Lake Okeechobee, FL

Lake Okeechobee, FL

On our way back home we stopped at a roadside market.  Besides the usual fruits and vegetables you can get frog legs and gator meat here.  We just got some strawberries and oranges.

Roadside Market

Roadside Market

Today we moved slowly north to Lake Wales, which is about 45 minutes east of Tampa. We’re at Bullock’s Landing RV Park, a small friendly resort on the edge of town.

Bullocks RV Park, Lake Wales, FL, #5

Bullocks RV Park, Lake Wales, FL, #5

The temperature is cooling off a bit.  The high today is around 70 and the humidity has dropped to a more comfortable level and we are seeing the sun a lot more than we did the last week.

  • Gasoline Expense:  $45 @ $3.39
  • Lodging Expense:   $28
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Everglades

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

The last several days we have been in The Everglades where internet and cell phone service were nearly non-existent.  It’s also been hot and humid with occasional rains.  A few mosquitoes, but nothing serious.  We were camped at Long Pine Key Campground. The campground was nowhere near filled up so we got to choose which spot we wanted.  Not bad for $8 per night.

Long Pine Key Campground in Everglades National Park

Long Pine Key Campground in Everglades National Park, #10

The nearby Anhinga Trail and Visitor Center has signs warning that vultures liked to damage cars in the parking lots.  It seems they like to pick at the rubber moldings around the doors and windows.  The park service provided blue tarps and bungee cords for protection.

Warning: Vultures May Damage Vehicles

Warning: Vultures May Damage Vehicles

Cover Your Car!

Cover Your Car!

Anhinga Trail

Anhinga Trail

A Heron and a Gator

A Crane and a Gator

Nature Trail

Nature Trail

Deep in the middle of The Everglades is a former Nike-Hercules missile base, a relic of the Cold War, built in 1964 immediately after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

The only way to see this now is with a ranger-guided walk, which we did.  The ranger explained the history of the base and let us into one of the barns to see a real missile and some other artifacts.

Nike Missile Site

Nike Missile Site

Nike Hercules Missile

Nike Hercules Missile

Nike Hercules Missile

Nike Hercules Missile

There are more trails and boardwalks showcasing the river of grass of the Everglades.  It was still warm and muggy, and rained some.

The Everglades National Park

The Everglades National Park

The Everglades

The Everglades

At the Flamingo Visitor Center at the very southern tip of the Florida mainland.  We had hoped to see some crocodiles here.  We did manage to see only one before it rained and we went home.

Crocodile

Crocodile

We decided we had enough of the heat and humidity and needed some civilization, (civilization=full hookups) so we have left the Everglades and made our way north to an RV resort just west of Lake Okeechobee.

M RV Resort at Moore Haven, FL, #96

M RV Resort at Moore Haven, FL, #96

  • Gasoline Expense:  $85 @ $3.49
  • Lodging at Everglades:  $24 ($8/night)
  • Lodging Expense:   $23.19
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Key West, Florida

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

Key West is about an hour drive from our campground.  We got an early start and stopped for a moment at Sombrero Beach, a beautiful park with a nice sandy beach.

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Sunrise at Sombrero Beach

The original seven-mile bridge can be seen paralleling the newer bridge.  It is not in use and is deteriorating.  We stopped at a historical marker point to see it.  While we were walking around we looked down and saw three manatee in the water below.

Seven Mile Bridge

Seven Mile Bridge

The original route through the keys to Key West was a railroad.  Then when the railroad failed the track was converted to a road for cars.  One section of the old railroad bridge by Bahia Honda State Park was still good, but they didn’t know how to convert it to a two lane road.  The bridge wasn’t wide enough.  So they got the bright idea to just build the new road on top of the RR bridge structure.  This is no longer in use today but can be seen along side the newer road too.

Bridge Near Bahia Honda State Park.

Bridge Near Bahia Honda State Park.

Key Deer are an endangered deer that live only in the Florida Keys.  We did spot a few today.  They are very small, like the size of a large dog.  And so cute!

Key Deer

Key Deer

One of the first sounds we heard when we arrived at Key West was the crowing of roosters. These gypsy chickens, remnants from cockfighting days, freely roam the streets and are protected by law.  Signs say do not feed the chickens.

Key West Rooster

Key West Rooster

The first thing we did was take a ride on Old Town Trolley Tours.  This gives us a narrated tour of the city and allows us to hop off and hop back on at any of their 12 stops along the tour all day long.

Old Town Trolley Tours

Old Town Trolley Tours

There was a long line of people waiting their turn to take their pictures at the marker for the Southernmost Point in the Continental United States.  By the time we got here we were too hot and too tired to wait in that line so we just took a pic from the sidelines.

Southern Most Point

Southern Most Point

Mile 0 of US 1

Mile 0 of US 1

Bernie Feeding Fish

Bernie Feeding Fish

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Sponge Man

Sponge Man

 

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Houseboats

Houseboats

IMG_2813It warmed up to 81 degrees for the high today.  This beach was packed with people enjoying the sun and the water.

Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:  $85.50
  • Old Town Trolley:  $52
  • Parking:                    $16

 

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Moving on Down the Keys

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

We have moved about 30 miles further into the Keys to Fiesta RV Resort. We knew rain was on the way so we left early to beat that.  We enjoyed the drive, it’s so pretty here.

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys

As soon as we got situated at our new location it began to rain.  It rained for quite a while and left us with a small lake where the road is. It’s a steamy 83 degrees and we really appreciated our air conditioner today.

After The Rain

After The Rain

The rain stopped, the sun came out and the temp started to drop just a little.  We went down to the dock to meet friends, Carl and Julie from Minnesota, who had been out on a charter fishing boat.  A few pelicans were waiting too.

Pellicans

Pelicans

We watched while the boat unloaded and the fish were sorted and cleaned. It looks like they had a good day of fishing.

Fishing Boat

The Marathon Lady

The Catch of the Day

The Catch of the Day

These pelicans knew the routine and waited more or less patiently while the crew cleaned the fish and tossed the scraps into the water where they quickly gobbled everything up.

Hungry Pellicans

Hungry Pelicans

After Carl and Julie went home for a quick clean up we met them at a restaurant for supper and a nice visit.  They have another fishing charter tomorrow and we will go visit Key West.

  • Gasoline Expense:  $105 @ $3.36
  • Lodging Expense:  $85.50
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African Queen and Rain

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

We knew rain was on the way so we set out early to explore while we could.  About a mile from our campground is the original African Queen, the 1951 movie boat used by Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in “The African Queen”.  The boat is 100 years old. Cruises are available on request with a reservation.

The African Queen

The African Queen

As we were looking at the boat it did begin to rain.  So in the car we go for a drive-about. There are not a lot of roads to drive on, mostly US Hwy 1 and a few residential streets is all you will find here. Traffic is busy and at times difficult to find an opening to get onto the highway.

We are not seeing high-rise condos or big box stores here.  And the souvenir and gift shops look really interesting. There are restaurants everywhere. In front of The Rain Barrel, an artist shop, is a local icon, a really big lobster.  Other than that it’s like driving through some small towns.

Big Lobster

Big Lobster

The rain showed no signs of letting up.  After about 40 miles we turned around and went home.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be better for sight-seeing.

Florida Keys

Florida Keys

But before we returned to the campground we stopped for lunch at one of the many restaurants here.  Being as we are land-locked Minnesotans we had to try the local flavor. We were feeling adventurous so I ordered Alligator Bites and Bernie ordered Fried Conch (you know that large seashell you hold up to your ear and listen for the ocean).  The alligator was good (tastes like chicken), but neither of us cared for the Conch. Of course, no visit to The Keys is complete without a piece of Key Lime Pie, which was excellent!

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $65
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Entering the Keys

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

A key is a low offshore island or reef. There are 42 bridges connecting 126 miles of Florida keys here. Driving south on US Hwy 1 we crossed a big bridge that took us into Key Largo at mile marker #106.  Mile marker #1 will be at the tip of Key West which will be our end destination.  It was cloudy all day with peeks of sunshine and was a cool 68 degrees most of the day.

Entering The Florida Keys

Entering The Florida Keys

As I have mentioned before we usually do not make reservations, but this is an exception. Due to the popularity of this area and the large size of our rig we felt it was necessary. And it was a challenge but we did secure two nights at one resort here at the beginning and another two nights further down the line.  There are no rest areas or places where we can just pull off and park for free.

Calusa Campground

Calusa Campground, #97

For tonight and tomorrow night we are staying at Calusa Campground Resort and Marina at mile marker #101.  After we got set up we just walked around the resort and took it easy for the rest of the day.

f channels and Nothing To watch

Almost 500 channels found but nothing good to watch.

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:  $65
Posted in Daily Post, Florida, January | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Coral Castle

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

Before we set out to explore the day we stopped to say hello to our parking lot neighbors. Nice couple from Germany.  They are exploring the US and will go to Alaska next summer. When I asked if I could take a picture of their rig he laughed and said that would be picture number 2,432.

German RV

German RV

The Choral Castle Museum got our attention in the travel brochures so we went to have a look.  Built from 1920 to 1940 Edward Leedskalnin, an immigrant from Latvia, built this castle of coral as a monument to the girl who broke his heart back in Latvia.  So says the legend.

This part of Florida is composed of coral and covered by only a few inches of topsoil. The tour guide explained about this love story and about how the castle was built.  Inside the castle walls is a garden area with tables and chairs all made of coral.

Coral Castle

Coral Castle

There are many stories and myths about the castle and there are a lot of Masonic signs and symbols.  So was this about a monument to a lost love? or something else?  Who knows.

Coral Castle

Coral Castle

There were a few interesting palm trees there too.  The Travelers Palm, fan-shaped, named so because each leaf base could accumulate rain water and travelers would look for this when they were thirsty.

Travelers Palm

Travelers Palm

Next we went to a Dade County Park and had lunch at a nice restaurant that overlooked the swimming hole by the Ocean.  Clouds rolling in.

Dade County Park

Dade County Park

As we walked the path around the swimming hole we see this crocodile caution sign between the swim area and the ocean.  We looked and looked but did not see any.

Crocodile Warning

Crocodile Warning

Next to the county park is the Biscayne National Park.  This is more of an underwater park, great for SCUBA divers to explore coral reefs and sunken ships.  Since we forgot to pack our SCUBA gear we just enjoyed the lovely visitor center and watched the movie.

Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park

There are farm fields in this area south of Miami.  Many of the crops we were not able to identify, but we had no trouble when we saw this sweetcorn field.  We also saw some tomato fields, and strawberries.

Corn!

Corn!

I am feeling for my Minnesota friends and family right now. Temps there are -2F and we sit here sweating it out in steamy 84F temps.  It is still very humid so back we go to the RV for some much-needed air conditioning.

Yikes!

Yikes!

  • Gasoline Expense: $50 @ $3.49
  • Lodging Expense:  none
  • Admission:              $30
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Alligators and More Alligators

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Marsha Brecht

We have been without internet or cell phone service for the last few days so here’s the scoop on what we have been doing.  We moved a little further east to Midway Campground.  This is a small campground but very tidy and provides us with electricity. Water and sewer are available at the dump station.

Midway Campground, #7, Everglades, Florida

Midway Campground, #7, Everglades, Florida

Winter is the dry season for the Everglades and this is when the alligators look for ponds and ditches to hang out in.  The Oasis Visitor Center has a boardwalk overlooking this pond full of gators.  There were tons of gators here today and got some great views.

Oasis Visitor Center

Oasis Visitor Center

American Alligators

American Alligators

A marker here notes that this is the southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Florida Trail

Florida National Scenic Trail

The Shark Valley Visitor Center is a must stop for anyone visiting the Everglades.  It’s not a valley, and there are no sharks.  But they do have a 15 mile paved road into the Everglades with a cool look-out tower in the middle.  Cars are not allowed, but you can walk (if you want to) or rent one of their bicycles if you didn’t bring your own.  For $22 each you can take the tram for a two-hour narrated tour. Reservations are highly recommended and the tours were booked up. We got there early and did not have reservations but they put our names on a waiting list in case there were some no-shows or cancellations. And lucky for us we got on the very next tram.  This is a very popular attraction, cars overflowed the parking lot and out into the highway shoulders.

Shark Valley Tram

Shark Valley Tram

Shark Valley Visitor Center

Shark Valley Visitor Center

A short hiking trail leads away from the overlook around a small pond.  We didn’t get far when we saw this large fella sunning himself on the trail.  OK, time to turn around.

Gator!

Gator!

I know it’s hard to see in this pic, but there are alligators in there.  I’m sure we saw 100 of them in the last few days.

The Everglades

The Everglades

American Alligator

American Alligator

Besides alligators we saw many egrets, cranes, storks, vultures and lots of other birds.

The Everglades

The Everglades

There are not a lot of roads here, but we did find one scenic loop road that we could explore.  There sure were some beautiful things to see, as well as more alligators, egrets, and cranes.  The temperatures hangs around 80F degrees every day, and very humid.

The Everglades

Cypress Trees in The Everglades

It is a challenge to find free RV parking in Florida.  We did find one casino that allows overnight parking for its RVing customers and that is where we are tonight and probably tomorrow night too before we enter the Florida Keys.

Miccosukee Hotel and Casino

Miccosukee Hotel and Casino

We did get some rain this evening, but was no big deal.

  • Gasoline Expense:  $40 @ $3.49
  • Lodging Expense:   Midway Campground: $15/night
  •                                    Casino Parking:  free
  • Admission & Fees:   $44
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Everglades

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

This  is our site at Collier-Seminole State Park in Florida.  We’ll be leaving in the morning going further into the Everglades on Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Hwy.

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Collier-Seminole State Park, #76

Yesterday, as we were driving here we drove past some nice upscale resort communities and golf courses. Then we started seeing “Panther Traffic” signs.. huh?  Was this an attempt at senior citizen humor?  Watch out for white-haired old people driving golf carts?  “Traffic”??  Panther traffic?  We envisioned panthers (the four-legged kind) at stop lights and in turn lanes.

Panther Traffic

Panther Traffic

As it turns out we really are in panther territory, the four-legged kind.  I “borrowed” this picture off the internet:

Florida Panther

Florida Panther

Not too far from here is the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.  We decided to check it out.  As we neared the refuge we saw “Panther Crossing” signs and a tall barbed-wire-topped fence barrier along both sides of the road.

Panther Crossing

Panther Crossing

When we arrived at the entrance we found a small parking lot, an information sign, and the trail head.  Entrance to the trail is through a door in this Jurassic Park looking fence.  The sign tells us to watch for bear, deer, and panther tracks on the trail as we walk it. hmm. There is a short trail and a long trail.  We decided on the short trail.

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Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

We looked, but saw no signs of any bear, deer, or panther tracks.  But it was a very nice walk on the well-groomed trail through the dense foliage.

Florida Panther National Refuge

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

It was another 80 degree and humid day, so back to the air-conditioned RV.

  • Gasoline Expense:   none
  • Lodging Expense:   $24
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Everglades Boat Ride

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

From the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the Land of 10,000 Islands.  We’re in the Everglades now.  Our first outing was to take an Everglades National Park Boat Tour.  This narrated 1.5 hour tour took us out through the mangroves.

Everglades National Park Boat Tour

Everglades National Park Boat Tour

Bottle Nose Dolphins came to say hello.  They liked to play around the boat.  Some even jumped out of the water and did flips for us.

Bottle Nose Dolphins

Bottle Nose Dolphins

After that we stopped at Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk.  We were greeted by a large crane who didn’t seem bothered at all by the cars.

Boardwalk

Crane

Our first alligator sighting of the year… this big fella was chillin’ by the edge of a pond at one end of the parking lot.  They are wild and native to the area so are not contained behind a fence like in a zoo so they can be anywhere.

Alligator

Alligator

The boardwalk led us about a half mile into the cypress swamp where we saw a few baby-sized alligators, some birds, and squirrels.  Signs point out different kinds of vegetation. Temps got up to 80F and it was humid all day.

Boardwalk

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk

Alligator

Baby Alligator

We are in Collier-Seminole State Park in Southwest Florida. Internet service here is slow.  I’ll try to blog daily but if it gets too difficult I will not.

  • Gasoline Expense:   none
  • Lodging:                    $ 24
  • Tour Boat:                $ 64
  • Boardwalk:                free
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Airstream Ranch & Christmas Dinner

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Check this out.  Eight Airstream recreational vehicles shoved into the ground near Tampa, Florida.  We have seen this phenomena before in San Antonio, Texas, with Cadillac cars, and Volkswagens and even combine machines.

Airstream Ranch, Tampa, FL
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
Combine Ranch, Canyon, TX
VW Slug Bug Ranch, Conway, TX

Finding a restaurant that is open on Christmas Day is more difficult than it was on Thanksgiving.  We decided on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.  The Fresh Harvest restaurant was having a special Christmas Dinner buffet.  It was expensive, but the food was good.  Nothing like the old days with all the family around, but better than eating in the RV.

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Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa

After enjoying the meal we walked around the casino for a while before going home and relaxing for the rest of the day.

  • Gasoline Expense:  none
  • Lodging Expense:   $25
Posted in Daily Post, December, Florida | Tagged | 1 Comment

Little Manatee River State Park

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Moving on down the west side of Florida we are now in Little Manatee River State Park just south of Tampa. The weather has changed significantly.  72F was the high, the sun is shining, sky’s are blue, and the high humidity is gone!  It’s a beautiful day.

Little Manatee River State Park, #12

Little Manatee River State Park, #12

Not wanting to be pressured to be at a certain place by a certain time we hardly ever make reservations at campgrounds, choosing instead to take our chances and be wherever we land at the end of the day.  This has worked very well for us so far this year, having never been turned away.  But it was a close one today.  The park was full when we arrived, but as we were talking to the park ranger an RV was checking out earlier than expected so we got his spot.  Close one, eh? But I think they would have accommodated us somehow.  Most parks have an overflow field to park in when necessary.

This is also a nice equestrian park, having four equestrian campsites and 12 miles of equestrian trails. There are no horses here tonight.  We walked a short trail around the park before it got dark.

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Little Manatee River State Park

Spanish moss hangs from the trees.

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Little Manatee State Park

  • Gasoline Expense:  $99 @ $3.26
  • Lodging Expense:   $25

Posted in Daily Post, December, Florida | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Manatee Springs State Park, FL

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

It’s getting so warm.  The high for yesterday and today was around 82F and the humidity was also 82%. We did drive through spots of fog on the way here. I do not like this muggy kind of weather but I guess it’s better than what is going on in Minnesota at this time.

Manatee Springs State Park Campground, #98

Manatee Springs State Park Campground, #98

One of Florida’s largest freshwater springs is here in Manatee Springs State Park. Crystal clear water percolates from underwater caves.  SCUBA divers can go down into the springs to explore what’s in there. We saw several divers when we were here.

Manatee Springs State Park

Manatee Springs State Park, FL

The Manatee are large slow-moving mammals that live in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.  In the colder months they make their way inland to springs and rivers where the water is warmer.  It hasn’t been very cold yet so they are not so much around at this time.  However, I did get lucky enough to see just one medium-sized one slowly making its way toward the spring.

Manatee Springs State Park, FL

Manatee

A boardwalk takes you through the Cyprus trees along the stream and there are other hiking trails throughout the park.

Manatee Springs State Park

Manatee Springs State Park

Manatee Springs State Park, FL

Manatee Springs State Park, FL

I had no internet service at my campsite at Manatee Springs State Park so this is a day late.  Today we are at a RV resort at Homosassa and will be moving on again in the morning.

  • Gasoline Expense:  $99.50 @ $3.32
  • Lodging Expense:   $22
  • Lodging Expense:   $21
Posted in Daily Post, December, Florida | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments