March 8 – 10, 2015     All right!  I’m about to complain.  We left Chehaw County Park,  Albany, Georgia where all I had to worry about were  Armadillos, Flying Squirrels, Otters and White Tail Deer.  We arrive at St George Island, Florida and here come the Alligators, again.   Maybe I shouldn’t complain.  I’ve been telling David for awhile now if he wants to “officially retire” down south my vote is for Jekyll Island,  Georgia.  Maybe,  I can use these Alligators in my defense.   Not that we actually saw one,  but I’ve come to learn that any water source that has a coating of lime green slime and spooky looking trees with vines and Spanish Moss hanging,  an alligator can hang his “shingle”.

I really shouldn’t complain, we’ve been here before and it is just as beautiful as last time.

Here I go again …  This is another place where Mother Nature rules.   We received the Ranger lecture, on check in,  about protecting the oyster beds.        E T  is not allowed on the beaches or the bay,  in the State Park.  We can take her to the bay boat launch for kayaking.  She must be on no more than a 6 ft leash and go directly from the car to the kayak.  The Ranger,  made sure to state this was for E T’s protection, as well as,  the birds nesting in the oyster beds.  E T could also cut one of her paws on an oyster shell.   I was a little put out.  She never mentioned I could cut one of my tootsies.  Who was the comedian that always complained about getting no respect?

There is a beach in town (4 miles from the State Park) where E T is welcome on the beach. It is right behind the Light House,  as you come over the five mile bridge,  to the island.

Driving here through Tallahassee was a traffic nightmare,  but once we got onto the Big Bend Scenic Highway it was an adventure in itself.   If you are an avid lover of water views this is a not to miss ride.  If the water views don’t blow you away the stilt houses will.

March 7, 2015    Up at 5:00 a.m. and I couldn’t be happier.  We have my son Richie with us and were taking him to the Albany, Georgia Marathon and 1/2 Marathon.  He’s running the Marathon (26.2 miles) and we’re specrators  🙂   Richie has a goal of running a Marathon in each State.  I’m losing count, but I’m thinking this is his 18th State.

For those of you reading this,  that have children you know the pride I am feeling.  Richie’s an awesome athlete,  but an even more awesome son,  husband, father and person.   It’s not often that I get to spend time with him without “distractions”.  This is special.

It’s cool out at 5;30, but it’s great running weather.  The spectators are wearing hats, gloves and winter coats … to start the race.  We finish in sweatshirts.  Great start even better finish.  Richie is very glad there’s no snow!

There is not a whole lot of attractions in Albany.  For a big city it’s kind of country.  Downtown Albany is exceptionally quiet on this Sat morning.  In following Richie at several  spots along the route we get to enjoy a little of the “flavor” of Albany.  It seems pretty “artsy” to me.  I loved Ray Charles Plaza.  The Riverwalk was very pretty, but a good portion was under construction.    Art Park on Pine is a unique way for aspiring artists to present their work.   On Sunday afternoons it is an open venue.  If you’d like to perform poetry, a skit or paint on the  building walls  it’s your medium.  There are “Painted Turtles” scattered all over town which add a nice touch to the area.  I have seen Moose like this in Toronto, Canada. They are pretty neat.

Richie finished with an excellent time of three hours and 28 minutes.  Phew!  It made me tired 🙂

The afternoon was spent at the U.S. 19 Dragway.  Richie had never seen live drag racing and it was a treat.   It was VERY amature for David and I.  We are used to National events,  but it’s such an outrageous sport that any venue can be fun.  The people watching out shined the racing.

David cooked out for dinner and it was very nice eating out on the picnic table.  I think Richie is ready for spring back home.

It was a WONDERFUL day!

March 5 – 8,  2015.   Once again we leave another fabulous park (Silver River) without seeing and doing everything we wanted to.  We have a “date” this weekend that we have to keep.  My son, Richie is flying into Albany, Georgia on Friday to run the Albany Marathon and 1/2 during the Rock and Roll Festival. I am excited.  I love Rock and Roll and I love my son even more 🙂
We are staying at The Park at Chehaw in Albany.   We arrived late in the afternoon.  The park is a “Diamond in the Rough”.  This is a County Park, nothing spectacular, but very nice.  There is a Zoo, but I’m not much of an animals in captivity fan. I’ll check it out in the morning, but unless it’s injured animals that can no longer make it in the wild on there own,  I’ll pass on doing the tourist thing.
Drats!!! We are here before catfish season officially begins, April 1.  There is a lake here that is suppose to be well stocked.   Maybe next time 🙂
E T is HAPPY! The temperature here is a cool high 60’s low 70’s.   She has her “friskiness” back.   We have walked/run her miles around the park.   It’s amazing how good the “cool” air feels.
There are three things on my list of to do’s here. David has one. I want to go to Riverfront Park and walk the three mile Riverwalk.   I want to see the revolving Ray Charles Statue at Ray Charles Plaza (also at the Riverfront Park) and I’d like to go to Providence Canyon State Park “The Home of the Little Grand Canyon” in Lumpkin, Georgia.   David wants to go to the U.S. 19 Dragway.    He (we’re) hoping they have an event going on Sat night.   In between all this, Richie has to run 26.2 miles and we have to have a “cookout”.   I asked Richie, on the phone tonight, “when was the last time you had hot dogs and hamburgs on the grill”? His answer “it’s been awhile”.   I hope he doesn’t bring any snow with him tomorrow 🙁

March 4, 2015    Correction:  In a previous post, I stated that the movies The Creature from the Black Lagoon and African Queen (add to them some Tarzan movies,  Ester Williams movies, Sea Hunt … the list goes on and on)  were filmed on the Ocklawaha River.  It was the Silver River not the Ocklawaha.  The Silver River water is crystal, crystal clear at the springs.   Where it reaches the Ocklawaha the water can be murky. The very first underwater camera was made in the area and the clean, clear water conditions here are ideal for underwater filming.  There are areas where you look into the water and can see down 50 feet or more and see the bottom.

Now that I’ve said that … Put this tour on your bucket list.  But do it soon, Captain Tom has been doing this for thirty one years.  The business is up for sale.

Captain  Tom’s Custom Charters …  Tours of All Kinds  … 352-236-0872

We got the Deal of the Day!  It was Captain Tom, David, E T and I on his pontoon boat that holds six passengers (Coast Guard regulations).  He generally gets $120 a trip.  He had a full boat for the afternoon and said he had to be there anyway, so he’d take David and I for $24 each.  He wouldn’t charge for E T because he likes dogs better than people.  They got along fabulously.

The only boat E T has been on is our inflatable kayak.  We had no idea how  she would do.  She jumped on the boat ahead of David and I.  We boarded at 9:30 a.m.  The earlier you get out on any river the better chance you have of seeing wildlife.  Did we see WILDLIFE!!!

When I tell you that we got lucky when we met the nice gentleman that recommended Captain Tom I am not exaggerating!  We had a ball. Captain Tom is a character.  He was VERY informative and funny.   He would stop the boat or maneuver it around to get me in for some great close ups.  He got me in a little closer than I wanted to be for the snake photo.

My favorite part of the trip were the MONKEYS!!!  They were so entertaining and photogenic.  They chased each other,  wrestled,   jumped from branch to branch, even scratched each others backs.   They were hysterical to watch.   I was clapping my hands and laughing out loud.   What great fun!

I’ve included two photos of my favorite bird, the Anhinga.  I was very disappointed  this year that we were not able to make it to Everglades National Park and walk my favorite trail there, The Anhinga Trail.   Our stop was cancelled when the RV broke down.  This tour was ten times better.  There were so many sightings and my favorite of all was two trees loaded with nests and nesting Anhingas.

After awhile I stopped taking photos.  There was no way that any photo was going to capture the beauty of the river.  I didn’t want to miss a thing looking through a camera lens.  It was not only fun but very relaxing.  Leave the driving to the Captain.  Had we kayaked ourselves we would never have seen half of what we saw, or known what a lot of what we were looking at was.  This was the best three hours on the water I’ve spent in a very, very long time.

I’ve included a photo of the glass bottom boats that the park offers tours on.  Captain Tom recommended going on one of them as well.  He said they offer a different “view”. They have been in service over 50 years and still have some of the original Captains.   We’ve put them on our list for “next time”.  Three hours on the water was a lot in this heat. It is VERY hot here.  We went out for a nice relaxing “air conditioned” lunch and then took E T for a walk.  We haven’t stopped talking about the great time we had on the river.

The only negative to the whole trip was seeing chemical spraying, that was going on out on the river.   I couldn’t believe that a State Park would condone this  action.  I mention it,  because it bothered me so much to see it.   Hasn’t the government learned enough about the negative effects that chemicals have had and are having on every living organism on our planet?   It was a sad awareness.

March 2 – 4, 2015    I was thinking today that my adventures may seem a little redundant.   Most of what we do is hiking,  biking and kayaking.  We just enjoy being surrounded by nature.   Silver Springs is nature at its best.  When we arrived I said to David  “Why would anyone want to stay in a “sardine can” campground,  when they could be surrounded by all this natural beauty?”   I got my  answer  when our neighbors told us about the 3 ft Black Racer Snake that we would be sharing our site with.  The Ranger had warned us about leaving out ANY FOOD because of the black bears, she didn’t mention any Black Snake.  When I talked to her later she said not to worry.   Blacky (I’ve already named him) only eats mice.   Besides,  he’s only a little guy,  Black racers can grow to 6 or  7 feet.

There are a lot of people,  that might not be pleased when they open their  door and are greeted by a  3 ft slithery slimy snake sunning himself on their “patio”.    The good thing is he’s a “racer”.   If I get a photo of him it will be a miracle.  He’s fast 🙂

Today was a hiking and biking day.  We take E T hiking on the River Trail in the morning before it gets  too hot.  It is HOT here.  She does not do well in the heat.  She’s my dog 🙂   It’s a very uneventful walk, it’s just  pretty.  The highlight was the beautiful owl we saw sitting in a tree.  It was too high up to get a good photo.  I’m going to show the photo to the Ranger tomorrow  and see if she can identify it.  Have I mentioned that I love the Rangers?   I’ve spent hours in  Ranger stations with photos of flowers, insects, birds and critters, tasking their brains and using their resources to identify them.  I love this stuff!

After lunch David and I leave E T in the comfort of air conditioning  and head off on our bikes to do some exploring. There are wonderful biking and hiking trails here.  We hike the Swamp Trail.  It takes us out on an amazing boardwalk through the swamp and out to the Silver River.  We see an alligator swimming gracefully along the river edge. There are HUGE fish jumping out of the water.  The scenery is lovely.  Sitting on one of the boardwalk benches is a nice gentleman that has been coming here for years and just loves to sit and enjoy the serenity of the river. He asks if we have been out on the river yet.   Our plan for tomorrow is to do the 30 minute glass bottom boat tour of the river that the park offers and then take our Kayak out.  We went down to the kayak launch today and the creepy mate at the launch scared me with tales of  water moccasins hanging from the low hanging tree branches.   I think he was just being a jerk, but I’m not taking any chances.  David and I kayaked through mangroves in The Keys that we had to duck and dodge our way through in some areas.  If there had been snakes we would have been eaten alive.  I want to check this river out before going out in our inflatable.

So, the nice gentleman tells us about Captain Tom’s  3 hour River Tours that start on the  Ocklawaha River and take you all the way to the main Silver River Spring and back.  The 30 minute Glass Bottom Boat tour is $10 for seniors (no pets).  Captain Tom charges $18 per person for 3 hours, but requires 6 people.  When we get back to our campsite David calls Captain Tom.  David and I are the only people that have called for the morning tour.  He will take us for $24 each.  I ask if  E T could come.   He says “Sure, I like dogs better than I like people.”  This should be an awesome tour 🙂

March 2, 2015   On the road again,  11:00 a.m. NICE!  How bad can the traffic be in the late morning?  Between St Pete and Tampa I’m going to rate it no stars. Three times we were almost side swiped by drivers trying to cut in,  to the passenger side of the RV.  If we were driving a Mini Cooper maybe I could understand it, but we are BIG.  While dodging butt head drivers,  we were hit by a swarm of Whaahm Bats.  These are bugs native to hot humid areas.  Full grown they are the size of a nickel and when they hit and splatter they look like yellow phlegm.  We now have 42 full grown Whaahm Bat bodies splattered all over our windshield.  There are toooo many that have not reached maturity  splatters,  for me to count without going cross eyed.  God only knows what the grill looks like.   Aaahhhh! The Joys of Driving in the south!
We are on the way to Silver Springs State Park in Ocala.  The movies African Queen and Creature from the Black Lagoon were supposed to have been filmed here on the Ocklawaha River.   David and I are looking forward to doing a lot of kayaking there.   I’ve got my fingers crossed for no Creature sightings.  I do plan on doing some Katharine Hepburn impersonations though 🙂   David loves it when I stop paddling and let him do all the work.
Super Walmarts are an RVers best friend.   One stop shopping and BIG parking lots. Today is a Walmart day.  One of the things on our grocery list is always gallons of spring water.   I drink a lot of water and am very particular about the source.  So we have a grocery cart full of “stuff” including 6 gallons of water.
Two things I get on my high horse about,  a lot,  are “rule breakers” and “petty larceny”. Anybody that has been reading my blog knows that my twenty year old bicycle,  with no seat on it,  was stolen in Homestead, on our way to the Keys.  Apparently, there is a market for anything down here.
So, David and I are pushing our loaded down cart through the Walmart parking lot.   All of a sudden the cart breaks.   David starts cussing up a storm about shopping carts.  He’s stepping on the back lifting the front wheels,  trying to get it to move.   I’m trying to pick up the front while he pushes. We are wrestling with our shopping cart in the parking lot.   It had to have been a sight to see.   Then a siren goes off.   No, we are not apprehended as Walmart cart thieves.   It’s just coincidence that at this moment the siren goes off and I look down and see a warning on the cart.   It will not function beyond a certain point in the parking lot.   David and I have to carry all of our bags and six gallons of water half way across the lot to our RV.   All this because people steal carts???   David is cussing up a storm and amidst his cussing trying to figure out how the heck they get the carriage to stop like that and how much does it cost them to do it.   I’m cussing up a storm that we have to carry all this “stuff” in the beating hot sun.   I can’t breath because the air is so thick and I’m sweating like a pig.   All this  because people steal shopping carts!!
David and I are about to take off from Walmart when someone starts banging on the door.   What now?   A gentleman and his wife want to talk to us about being interviewed for an Article for Tiffin magazine. Our RV is made by Tiffin out of Red Bay, Alabama.  They publish a monthly magazine.   We are towing the 64 Volvo and Bob Tiffin is a car enthusiast. So tomorrow morning we are being interviewed for the magazine.   Is that too funny.   Good thing I got my hair and nails done in Homestead while we were waiting for the RV to be repaired 🙂
We arrive safe and all in one piece at Silver Springs. Another beautiful park and we have a great campsite.   My husband, who I love dearly is setting up OUR grill on top of the grill provided by the park.   He is wire tying it down.   The Ranger has told us there are Black Bear here and because of the warm weather, they are very active.  Now I have to add Black Bear,  Whaahm Bats and Butt Heads,  to my list of alligators, crocodiles, anaconda, tarantulas and rattle snakes to watch out for.   Another day in paradise 🙂

Feb 28 – March 1,  2015   Phew!!  We made it!    We didn’t get in last night until 8:30 p.m.  It was an experience backing into our site in the dark.  David did a great job.  It is soooo nice to be back in our “home”.   We both got our first full nights rest in a long time.

We were in for a VERY pleasant surprise this morning.  What a beautiful park.  We have a waterfront site and I am in my glory … birds, birds, birds.  The day is filled with scattered showers, but we dodged a few raindrops and did some exploring.  Fort De Soto is not your typical tourist attraction. The kids would have a ball letting their imaginations run wild and use the Fort as a stage.  You are your own guide.    Bicycles are a must here,  the Pinellas bike trail is a great way to get around.    E T loves the dog beach and dog park.

I’ve commented before about how great Florida State Parks are and I’m adding Florida County Parks to the list.   We’ve stayed at Kathryn Abbey Hanna County Park in Jacksonville, Fl.  twice.  I would be hard pressed to chose which I like better.

The only negative here is the lack of cell and internet service at the site.  It’s not a problem at the Ranger Station.

March 1,  2015     There are two fishing piers here that you can fish from without a license.   There is a ferry that you can take to Edgemont Key which we considered until we found out E T was welcome on the Ferry, but could not get off the boat.  We are enjoying spending time with her at the dog park and beach,  to much, to leave her in the RV for the better part of the day.    David and I did go biking for a few hours and walked the Barrier Free Nature Trail.  There are boxes along the trail that you press a button and it tells you nature facts.  The trail is a loop that takes you through the Hammocks to the beach and back again, very nice.   One of the Rangers told us where to find a Bald Eagle nesting.

We’re back on the road again headed north.  Next stop Silver Springs State Park.

Feb 27,  2015    We said a not sad at all goodby to Homestead.   It was 2:30 p.m. by the time the repair to the RV was completed.  It was an unexpected detour in our route, but “stuff happens”.  We are more than ready to move on.
Next stop … Fort De Soto County Park in St Petersburg, Florida.  The park is made up of five islands (Keys).  We have never been here before and have heard nothing but good things.  Our GPS tells us we should arrive at 8:00 p.m. It should be interesting finding our site and setting up in the dark.   It’s all part of the adventure 🙂

Feb 26, 2015   Hurray !!!  Our heater core has been delivered and they have started working on fixing our RV.   Unfortunately, the part did not arrive until afternoon and we’re lucky if it’s fixed by tomorrow afternoon.   So we’re at the good old Motel 6 for another night.

To do?  To do?      Key Biscayne Beach is on our list of places we’d like to take E T.   According to the GPS,  it should only take us  45 minutes to get there.  But, the traffic here is horrible.  We would have to get on the Florida Turnpike and then drive through part of Miami.   In all the years we’ve been coming to Florida we have never seen traffic like this year.   We’ve seen and heard of so many accidents and near misses that we’re really burnt out on driving around.

We find James Archer Smith Park listed on BringFido.com.  It has good reviews and bad.  It’s only a couple of miles from the service center so we decide to check it out.

Surprise!!!!  What a nice park.  It has the coolest dog park I’ve ever seen and was super clean.  I did a poop patrol and only found one small pile.  E T has a ball playing with the one other dog in the “big dog” park, Rowdy.   Check out the photo below, your in for a treat.  E T cried when Rowdy had to go home.

Below is a photo of the Big Dog Park,  it’s a “real” park that is surrounded by a fence.  David is standing under a pavilion that has picnic tables.  There are two fenced sections one for dogs under 35 lbs and the other over 35 pounds, both are huge.  There is a “people” park next door equally as nice, but not fenced in 🙂

You are not seeing double.  E T and Rowdy are like twins!!

Feb 24, 2015   How much fun is getting your car or RV serviced?  Not much!  We sent the morning in Homestead trying to find out if any progress was being made in getting our RV repaired.  It was easy to diagnose. They just plugged in the computer and “shazam”,  heater core.  The problem, it’s not a Ford part.  Oh wonderful!   They find the part and it will take three days to ship, unless we want to pay $50 for overnight shipping.  Well that’s a no brainer,  it’s costing us $110 a night for a room at the Motel 6.  Hopefully it will be delivered first thing in the morning and the job finished before they close for the day.  The estimated “hours of labor” is EIGHT!  Ouch!  The good news we have just a little over a month left on our warranty, Ford will cover it!  So, all that’s left for us to do is wait.

If it was just David and I waiting we would probably wallow in self pity,  maybe even pout for a bit.  Luckily we have E T.   We have to find “pet friendly” ways of occupying her.   As we were driving on the Florida Turnpike we had seen a sign for Black Point Park and Marina. What a find! There are awesome walking/biking/rollerblading trails.  But … What does that sign say?  Watch out for the CROCODILES!  You’ve got to be kidding me!  Is there any place in Florida that doesn’t have an “obstruction”?    We didn’t see any crocodiles, but I almost stepped on an iguana.  I was creeping up on a bird, trying to take a photo and was looking up instead of down.  David yelled “watch we’re your walking”.  It wasn’t 7 feet long, but big enough to totally creep me out.

I am missing our RV. There’s no place like our home away from home.  We’re eating out … mostly carbs.  Not good.  We’re living out of  “suitcases” aka grocery bags.  I have realized how spoiled I’ve become traveling surrounded by all the comforts of home at my finger tips.

This Motel 6 isn’t bad.  It’s right off the highway, six floors high and is surrounded by shopping plazas and other hotels.   Our rooms are no frills, but very clean. The pool and courtyard are pretty.

E T likes hanging out in the courtyard watching the cameleons run up the palm trees.  She has stopped chasing them and just stops when she spots one and watches.