At The Mall

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Now that the apocalypse day is over and we’re still here we can continue our travels.  So glad we didn’t go out and buy a million dollar motor home on credit.

Anyway, we spent the day with Susan and Wally.  There is not a whole lot to see and do around here that we haven’t already seen and done.  Wally drove us around for a little sight seeing of the area and then we found ourselves hanging out at the mall like teenagers.

Hanging Out at the Mall

The Kids Hanging Out at the Mall

We did some shopping and then went to see the movie, “Lincoln”, before calling it a day.

Fuel expense for today: $0   Lodging: $0 (paid yesterday)

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Relatives and Food

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

24 degrees this morning!  Frost on everything.  This isn’t what we are looking for!!  Where are the warm sunny days?  I guess it is better than at home in Minnesota where they are blanked in a foot of snow so I’ll not complain.

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Frosty Jeep

Cheri  made an awesome breakfast for us at her house this morning and we said goodbye for now to her and Phil before returning to the RV park to check out and continue our journey.

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Cheri & Phil

Moving up 100 miles on I-10 from Benson through Tucson to Casa Grande, Arizona, we are now in Las Colinas RV Park where snowbird cousin Susan and Wally from Minnesota live for the winter.

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Las Colinas RV Park, #3

Our Jeep has been making a lot of noise lately, so Bernie and Wally put their heads together to get to the bottom of it.  They’re thinking it may be the tires as they are wearing unevenly, so they rotated them.  Hopefully that will fix it.

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Bernie and Wally Rotating the Tires on the Jeep

That done, and a good visit later, we all went out for dinner.

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Wally and Susan

Our gas expense for today: $0   Lodging: $64 (for two nights)

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Benson, AZ

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Just a brief daily diary entry tonight.

It was a very cold morning.  I could see the other RVers here all bundled and looking so cold while they were out walking their dogs.

We paid for one more night here at I-10 RV Park in Benson, AZ, and then went to visit Bernie’s cousins, Cheri & Phil, who live in this town.  It was great seeing them again and catching up.  We’ll see them in the morning for breakfast before we leave.

It’s going to be a cold night…should be down to 24 degrees.

Our gas expense for today :  $0       Lodging: $20

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Arizona

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Brrr… a frosty morning.  The weather forecast was for a windy day again so we left early to try to avoid that.  As we left Deming and proceeded down I-10 one of the first signs we saw was “Dust Storm Area Next 45 Miles” and to use extreme caution.  It went quite well for us, blue sky and good visibility.

One of the first things we find as we enter Arizona is a rest area that has this sign.  I took a picture of this last time we were here, but I couldn’t resist doing it again.  No worries, in this cold weather the critters hide out underground.  We are in the desert.  We’re also in Mountain Time Zone now.

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Watch Your Step

We stopped at the Visitor Information Center in Wilcox, Arizona, and picked up some info about the area.  While we were there another RV arrived.  Their Toad (car in tow) has a dead battery so Bernie pulled along side and jump-started it for them.

Jump Start

Jump Start

I put these “let it snow” decals on the back window of the Toad (the Jeep).  I thought it was appropriate, and it has gotten some attention.

Let it Snow

Let it Snow

Benson I-10 RV Park in Benson, Arizona, is our home for tonight.  There is a cold front on its way here with rain and maybe even snow.  It will freeze tonight.

Benson I-10 RV Park, #85

Benson I-10 RV Park, #85

Apache Powder Company made Dynamite in Benson from 1920 until 1983.  Angel Buggies were carefully pushed down wooden walkways to transport the nitroglycerin to the dynamite mixing buildings in the distance.  If you hit a bump, you became an angel immediately. The Benson Visitor Center has a cool display about all that.

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Angel Buggy

Gas expense for today:  $0.   Lodging: $20

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New Mexico

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

It was a cold morning and the wind was picking up again.  We got an early start which turned out to be a good idea since the wind picked up more as the day progressed and it made driving through El Paso, TX, much easier as the traffic was light in the morning.  In the picture below we are driving the freeway in El Paso, you can see the frontage road just beyond and the border fence along side it.  That is Juarez, Mexico, over the fence. “Murder Capital of the World”, don’t go there.

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Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

A few miles further is the border of Texas and the state of New Mexico.  The visitor information center there has a sign warning to watch out for rattle snakes.  That’s a little unsettling, but not to worry, it’s winter and kinda cold, so the snakes are not out this time of year.

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New Mexico Visitor Information Center

This part of the country borders with Mexico and we will be seeing Border Patrol Inspection Stations.  There was a drug sniffing dog working at this one.  They did not stop us, rather just waved us on by.

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Border Patrol Inspection Station

There were signs indicating that the next 15 miles has frequent dust blowing and that the visibility could be zero and to drive carefully.  It was windy, but we did not see the dust blowing, so no problem.

Zero Visibility Possible

Zero Visibility Possible

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More Long Road Driving

The wind is slowing us down.  We had enough for today and are spending the night in Deming, New Mexico.  The Walmart lot we are in is a popular place for RV parking.  There are seven of us here at the moment.

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Walmart RV Parking

As we ride off into the desert there will be days when we get no cell phone signal and no internet (gasp!)  So I may not be able to post daily.

Our gas expense for today was $110.  We’re seeing prices from $2.79 to $3.39

Lodging: FREE

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Windy Day

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

More driving today, but only 185 miles this time.  The wind picked up and started pushing us around so we thought it best to get off the road.

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On The Road Again

We found ourselves in Van Horn, Texas.  We were here last year so we found the RV park we had stayed in then.  It has nice level parking and all the hookups we need as well as TV cable, good free Wi-Fi service and a laundry.  And, same as last time, not very many other people here.

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Mountain View RV Park, #34

Nice Sunset

Nice Sunset

Our gas expense for today was $112.00.  We’re seeing prices of $3.15                                 Lodging: $25

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A Day of Driving

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

We were up early this morning and drove through Dallas as the sun came up.  There was very little traffic and we had no problems at all. Texas is a very big state, and not a lot to look at.  It is interesting to note the change of scenery the last few days from the swamps of Louisiana, to the pasture land, oil wells, and the cactus marking the transition to the desert.

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This is Oil Country

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus

Clumps of Mistletoe Grow in the Trees

Clumps of Mistletoe Grow in the Trees

Driving and Driving

Driving and Driving

After driving 335 miles we’re tired and have stopped at Walmart in Midland, TX, for the night.

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Home Sweet Home

Our gas expense for today was $150.  And we’re seeing prices of $2.99 to $3.24 per gallon.

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Dallas, TX

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

My daily diary post for today is brief since we didn’t do anything but drive.

We got a late start this morning and then drove west on I-20.  We usually stop at every rest area to stretch our legs and just relax a bit, and this day was no different.  I am dreading driving the 650 miles it takes to get across this bigass state.  The swamps of Louisiana are behind us and the wide open pastures of Texas are ahead of us.

As we were approaching Dallas it began to rain, and it was beginning rush hour traffic so we found a free parking spot for the night (why pay?).  We have driven through Dallas before and remember it as being rather unpleasant so the thought of driving it in rush hour and in the rain, or even in the dark, did not appeal to us.

Our gas expense for today was $125.  We’re seeing prices of $2.96 and $2.93 per gallon.

Posted in Daily Post, December, Texas | Tagged | 2 Comments

Shreveport, LA

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Our friends from home came to meet us in Shreveport.  None of us have ever been here before so we did a little exploring.  There are several casino/hotels in this town along a river.  On the other side of the river is the town of Bossier–twin cities much like Minneapolis and St. Paul.  On the Bossier riverfront across from the casinos is the Louisiana Boardwalk with lots of shops and stores.  We had lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack there.

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Steve and Bonnie

After doing a little shopping and eating we drove to the country to visit Cypress Black Bayou Recreation Area.  Just inside the entrance to the park is a little zoo.  This began as a petting zoo for the children but has evolved into a zoo for wildlife education, rehabilitation, and a refuge for non-releasable wild animals.  We saw a bobcat, raccoon, fox, coyotes, deer, a pot-bellied pig, a wild boar, and several more animals and birds.

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Peacock

After enjoying that we drove into the park for a nice scenic drive and then back to the casino for a little gambling and more visiting.  It was great to see our friends again, it has been a long time.  They’ll go home tomorrow and we will move west.

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Natchitoches, LA

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

We are now in Shreveport, Louisiana, to meet up with friends from home.  On the way here we stopped by the historic town of Natchitoches.  Established by the French in 1714, it is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory.  We walked around the National Historic Landmark District.

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Downtown Natchitoches

The town is in the midst of their Festival of Lights (lights, fireworks, parades & meatpies).  The streets and the park near it are loaded with light displays.  We can only imagine how awesome it must look when evening comes.  But we can’t stick around for that.

This old house was in the park, it was built around 1797.

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Roque House, circa 1767

We at lunch at Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant.  Meat pies (empanadas) are very popular here.  The town even has a Meat Pie Festival in September.

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Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant

We always like to try the local flavor of the places we visit so of course we had to have the meat pie.  Bernie had the beef meat pie and I had the crawfish meat pie.  Both were good.  In fact, everything we ordered was very good.

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On to Shreveport.  We’ll be staying at Tall Pines RV Park tonight and tomorrow night.  It seems to be a very nice place, clean, free cable TV, free WiFi Internet that is actually useable, not like many other RV parks that claim to offer free WiFi that is actually useless.  We’re paying $66 for the two nights, which includes 13% sales tax.

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Tall Pines RV Park, #24

Then we went to meet our friends for dinner and a little casino time.  We will see more of them tomorrow.

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Atchafalaya Basin

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Leaving Hammond, LA, this morning we headed west, driving only 180 miles.  Part of that drive took us over the Basin Bridge, which is the 14th longest bridge in the world at 18.2 miles in length.  It spans the Atchafalaya Basin which is the largest swamp in the country.

There is a very nice rest area/visitor center/nature center on the west end that we stopped at.

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Under the Bridge to the Visitor Center

The nature center plays a very nice 4 minute educational video.  We sat in the dark while the video played.  Funny how our shoes glowed.

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Glowing Feet

Outside of the visitor center is a nicely landscaped picnic area with several sculptures.  We have not seen a real live alligator yet this year.

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At the Atchafalaya Basin Visitor Center

We turned north to go up I-49, stopping for the day at Alexandria, Louisiana.

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NASA Tour and Museum

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Thunderstorms this morning but we were lucky and missed out on the few tornadoes that were about.  Once things calmed down we started driving west.

Near where we were, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center, America’s largest rocket engine test complex.  We stopped in for the tour.  There was another couple there, so the four of us climbed in the tour van and were given a narrated tour of the grounds.  It was raining so the pics are no good, but the tour was interesting.  The engines for all NASA’s space vehicles are tested and approved here.

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Rocket Engine Testing Rig

There are several other companies here too, including a NOAA facility that builds buoys for monitoring tsunami’s and La Nina and El Nino as well as measuring currents, wave heights, temps, etc.

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NOAA Buoys

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Bernie Inside a Space Station Module

By the time we finished with all that the rain had stopped completely so we continued west on I-12.  We went only as far as Hammond, Louisiana, which is north of New Orleans.

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Crazy Weather

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Blizzard!  At home in Minnesota.  And we are missing it.  Hmmm…I’m not sure how I feel about that.  I love them, but only from a distance or when I’m safe and sound inside looking out at it.  My niece in Minnesota posted this pic and I snatched it off the internet with her permission.  Drive carefully and be safe everyone.  And keep warm!  I understand it should be -2 overnight.

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Blizzard in Minnesota, 2012. Photo courtesy of Ann Cham.

As for us, we said goodbye to friends, Bob and Bobbi, and left Wales West RV Park in Alabama this morning.  We are now free-parking tonight at Hollywood Casino in Bay St.Louis in Mississippi.  Such a contrast to the weather up north.  The high here was 72 and the low tonight is to be 63.  I think it’s working up a possible thunderstorm.

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Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Bay St. Louis,  Mississippi

 

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Christmas Parade and Walk on the Beach

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Bob and Bobbi joined us in a morning coffee drive to McDonald’s in the nearby small town of Foley, AL.  The roads were blocked off in town due a Christmas parade in process, so we parked and went to see the parade.  We got candy!!

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Eventually we got to McDonald’s and had the coffee, then we drove down to Gulf Shores, AL, and found a local seafood restaurant for lunch.  Tummies full, we went for a walk on the beach.  What a lovely day.  The temp was around 72 but it felt warmer than that.

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Bob and Bernie Walking on the Beach

Our friends returned to the North Pole for their roles as Mr. Elf and Mrs. Clause.   It’s Saturday night and a very busy place at Wales West RV Park and Light Railway.  We spent the evening watching Christmas shows on TV and waving at all the people who were riding the trains that ran by our RV.

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Santa!

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

We spent all day inside the RV park today, just taking it easy.  The train was running, taking visitors through the woods to the North Pole to see Santa.  I feel like we’re living inside a train set.  It’s cool.

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The Train! The Train!

When darkness came the whole place lit up into a Christmas wonderland.  Every tree and shrub was lit, every RV space was lit, it was very pretty.  Last night’s SNAFU with the PEACE ON FART sign was fixed so it now reads PEACE ON EARTH.   It’s so obvious that we are in the south now, evidenced by the GOOD WILL TO Y’ALL lights.

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Good Will to Y’all.

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The Train Station

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Bobbi plays as Mrs. Santa and Bob is an elf who brings the train passengers inside to see Santa.  Everyone who visits Santa gets a toy train engine or a train whistle.

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Bob, Bobbi, Santa, Marsha, Bernie

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Throwed Rolls and a Walk With Friends

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Lambert's Cafe

Home of the Throwed Rolls

Lambert’s Cafe in Foley, Alabama, is an experience not to be missed.  Bob, Bobbi, Bernie, and I went there for lunch today.  The food was delicious and the experience was a real treat.  Their people would come by our table offering free servings of food.  One brought a bucket of the most awesome fried potatoes ever, another server brought fried okra, and then another brought boiled cabbage, and then macaroni and tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and apple butter.

But the best part was the throwed rolls.  This guy would holler out asking if anyone needed hot fresh rolls and he would throw one your way if you raised your hand, often times throwing all the way across the room.  He was a good aim, I didn’t see any rolls hit the floor.  But by the time the meals we ordered came we were pretty stuffed. It was a lot of fun, and like I said earlier, the food was delicious.  Their motto is “We hope you come hungry, leave full, and hopefully have a laugh or two!”  We sure did!

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Throwing of the Rolls (and notice the Minnesota state flag behind him?)

We returned to the RV park briefly before going out again.  While we were there the park train went by with a load of children, so I snapped a pic.

Train

Train

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Festivus For The Rest of Us

Then we all went to Fairhope for a walk on the Mobile Bay.

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Fairhope Beach Walk

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Fairhope Park

Not finished exploring, we went to the elegant and historic Grant Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa on Mobile Bay.  We spent some time walking around the beaches and the grounds enjoying the incredible landscaping.

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Bob and Bobbi

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Bernie on the Hammock

Piers

Several Piers

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Gingerbread Village at Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa

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Finding Bob and Bobbi!

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Bob and Bobbi, who we met at Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire, let us know that they are workcamping now at Wales West RV Resort & Light Railway in Silverhill, Alabama.  That is only 60 miles from Fort Pickens, where we have been for the last two nights, so of course we moved there to see them.  We paid for two nights here, but I think we just may have to extend that.

This place is wonderful.  It’s a small RV resort and Train Park with loads of activities for young and old.  I hope to have more pictures about this place for the blog tomorrow.  After finding Bob and Bobbi and discussing all of our adventures they showed us around.  They and the other workers here have been very busy decorating for Christmas the last few weeks.  Today was cloudy and I didn’t get good pictures, hopefully tomorrow will be better light.

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Wales West RV Resort & Light Railway, #32

The bazillions of lights and the oodles of inflatables should be up and running by Friday night.  Right now it’s very quiet here but by the weekend there will be busloads of people here to see Santa and to ride the trains, and much much more.

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Train Station

 

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Fort Pickens

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

About a mile from our campground is historic Fort Pickens, completed in 1834 and used until 1947.  First we watched the 15 minute video about its history and then walked around the grounds.  Other than the two employees in the Visitor Center we were the only two people here.

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Fort Pickens

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Fort Pickens

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Fort Pickens

There is a fishing pier there too and a few pelicans hanging out.  This one kept a watchful eye on me as I took its picture.

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Fishing Pier at Fort Pickens

As we were driving away from Fort Pickens we drive by this concrete bunker.  This is Battery Langdon, Fort Pickens most powerful gun.  12 inch guns could throw a projectile 17 miles out to sea.  Completed in 1923 it was covered with soil during WWII to camouflage it from enemy aircraft.  We can’t go inside, but there is a hiking trail over the top of it.

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Battery Langdon

After this we drove to Pensacola, FL, and got our flu shots!  When we returned we went for a walk on the nature trail and leads out of our campground and around a swamp area.

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Nature Trail

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Nice Sunset

The high temp today was 76.  As I write this it is 68 and 90% humidity.

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

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

We left Falling Waters State Park and drove about 130 miles west to Fort Pickens Campground at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida.  This campground is on one of the barrier islands on the Gulf of Mexico.  The road to here was designed for minimal disruption to wildlife habitat and the natural processes of the land.  So, the elevation is very low and prone to flooding and resulting sand deposits.  When that happens they use heavy equipment to remove the sand.  The sand is so very white it looks a lot like snow.  Looks like Minnesota after a snowfall.

Sand, Not Snow

Sand, Not Snow

With Bernie’s Senior Pass we only pay $10/night for a paved spot with water and electricity.  We paid for two nights here.

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Fort Pickens Campground, #30

The temperature was around 75 degrees and very sunny, so we put on our shorts and tshirts and went to see the beach.  Nobody else was there, so we had the beach to ourselves.  The sand is so unbelievably white and clean.

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White Sandy Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

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Bernie

That was it for today.  We walked the short boardwalk back to the campground and made supper.  The low temp for tonight should be around 60.  That’s a lot warmer than we’ve been experiencing up until now.

Boardwalk From Beach to Campground

Boardwalk From Beach to Campground

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Falling Waters State Park, FL

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

This morning we counted eight other RV’s in the Walmart parking lot with us at Live Oak, Florida.  Some arrived late last night and some left before sunrise this morning so there was no photo opportunity.  We left early, too, and headed west on I-10 until we felt like stopping.  After 167 miles we found ourselves at Falling Waters State Park…and back into our familiar Central Time Zone!!  

We are camped on one of the highest hills in Florida, 324 feet above sea level.  The $19.80 price includes electricity and water, with a dump station near by.  We have good TV and internet reception.  It’s a very nice campground, level spots, clean bathrooms and hot showers.  As I am writing this there are only four other campers here.

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Falling Waters State Park, Site #5

A hiking trail just off the campground leads first to a small swimming beach.

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Sandy Beach

There are very few people in the park, and nobody swimming.  It’s probably because of the off season and that this is a Sunday evening that nobody is here and not the fault of the sign at one end that basically says “Do Not Feed The Alligators”.

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Do Not Feed The Alligators

The trail leads past the swimming hole and into the woods and then to a boardwalk that takes you in and around several sink holes.

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Boardwalk

Falling Water Sinkhole is also Florida’s Tallest Waterfall.  It’s been a dry spell so there was just a trickle of water going the down into the 100 foot deep hole today.  The water disappears into a cave at the bottom and nobody knows where it goes from there.

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Falling Water Sinkhole

It’s 77 degrees today!  And it was quite humid walking into that area.  The sink holes are lined with moss and ferns.  Standing on the lower platform in Falling Waters Sinkhole it was much cooler.

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