Jan 27, 2014  Enroute to the Everglades we hit our first traffic jam (accident) not a horrible delay, but Florida drivers are crazy!  If you’re a timid driver, take a bus.

***** What an amazing drive into the Everglades.  I always talk about amazing scenery.  This scenery is so different.  You hear about different species of flowers, trees, butterflies, animals, Mother Nature holds the Gold Medal for the Everglades.

It’s HOT!  It’s January!   We went from temperatures in the 50’s and low 60’s to high 80’s.  hot, humid and sticky, but it’s the Everglades.

Our first bike ride is the Guy Bradley Trail. One mile from the campground to the visitor’s center, all paved, views, views, views!  The Bay covered with Keys, an osprey nest, birds, NO snakes. I’m on the look our for the Pythons. I’ve heard all the hype.  We are on the lookout!

Our campsite is awesome. We have shade all the time.   We have signed up, in advance, for a FREE 3-4 hour Ranger led canoe trip tomorrow.  Today is  hiking and biking.

We ride our bikes to Bear Lake. The road to the lake is 4 miles. We are suppose to hike the trail, bikes are not allowed.  We take a look at the hiking trail … Holy Batman! It looks like a jungle! There could be anything in there, like alligators or pythons!.  We have not seen a single person since we got on Bear Lake Rd.  We decide we’ll ride our bikes and if we see people we’ll pull over.  We apply our 1/3 can of bug spray and off we go “jungle biking”. The trail is spooky, scary, eery, but a bit thrilling.  We ride in 2 1/2 miles to the lake.  We take a quick peak and head back.  We never see an alligator or snake. We do see birds and butterflies.  That was fun!

Our plans for the evening … a Ranger talk about “Romance in the Everglades.  Sounds good?  It’s all about the way critter of the Everglades court and mate.  After hearing how pythons, octopus, black widow spiders and praying mantis get romantic , I have a hard time sleeping. I didn’t mention at the beginning, but Flamingo Campground (where we are staying) is 50-55 miles into the Everglades.  In a vehicle it’s one in and one way out, Basically we are the minority among all the critters listed above and lots more, like panthers.

Jan 28, 2014  We wake up in the night to thunder, lightening and torrential downpours.  In the morning it’s drizzling. Will they cancel our canoe trip?  We decide to drive the 10-15 miles to our meeting place, Nine Mile Pond.  The Ranger is there and it’s a go, as long as there isn’t any thunder or lightening.  The rain stops, skies clear, but we have clouds.  Nice, no beating hot sun.  Perfect weather for canoeing.  Another 1/2 can of bug spray and off we go.  There are 10 of us (5 canoes). The Ranger, Mandy Clark,  is in a kayak. She is wonderful. vWe see endangered species of birds, lots of alligators, the biggest crocodile I’ve ever seen. I hear what I think is a giant bullfrog and Mandy says “It’s a  gator “bugling”, just like Elk do. We heard about this at the “Romance talk”.   Now we’ve heard it, awesome!  I hope this doesn’t mean we’ll see cotton mouth water moccasins, coral snakes or diamond back rattlesnakes. We’re on the lookout. We canoe in and out and all through mangroves and grasses of the Everglades. What fun!  Time to head back. Prime alligator sun bathing time!  On the shore, right near the canoe rack is a JUMBO alligator, sunbathing.  Oh, No!  Mandy says not a problem, we’ll just land  to the right of the big guy.  David and I hang back and let two other couples land first.  Now we have a couple of canoes between us and the gator. He is motionless.  I ask Mandy ” Is he a stuffed animal and the park staff put them there for our entertainment?”  She said “No, and I don’t suggest you get any closer than we are.”  I believed her.

We spend the afternoon walking with Ranger, Shauna, learning the history of the Everglades and about different birds and trees here. We see a manatee, more alligators, more osprey nesting. There are some pretty terrific National Park Rangers and programs.

Jan 29, 2014  Biking the Rowdy Bend Trail and Snake Bight.  I’m wondering if we’re pressing our luck here.  No snakes, so far. We had rain again overnight.  We bike 6 miles to Rowdy Bend and it’s wayyyy to muddy.  We head up to Snake Bight. I am really looking forward to biking there because I’ve heard of an awesome overlook boardwalk  at the end of the trail.  Hurray! It’s dryer than Rowdy. Off we go into the wild green jungle. The sign at the entrance says 72 inch path.  We were lucky if it was 20 inches in  some areas.  We did meet 2 hikers coming out and 2 on the boardwalk. This was a popular trail.  I’m thinking we’re crazy!  This is nothing like anything we’ve done before. It is so exciting. At the boardwalk it is low tide.  We have a view of muddy flats. How can mud look so good? On the way back we stop at a couple of lakes.  We see some very interesting birds and butterflies. One of our Ranger talks was on butterflies. It’s pretty cool being able to identify them.  We also learned about their host plants.

We’re almost back to the campground and David gets a flat on his bike.  Fortunately, it didn’ go flat on the bike trail. David would not have liked walking through the “glades”.

Jan 30, 2011  We have to get up early.  We are heading to another campground, close to the entrance to the Everglades, Long Pine Key Campground.  It’s a first come, first serve campground. still in the Park,  No hookups, but nice paved roads  and sites.   We set up camp and head into Homestead for a “work” day, laundry, shopping, post office and “pick your own” strawberries and tomatoes.  Where else can you “pick your own” in January?

We do all that and have time for a side trip to Biscayne National Park.  It is not a “knock your socks off” park, but like all National parks they have there own uniqueness. We attend a  Ranger  talk on the history of the park.  We also took a walk on a very, very nice  trail. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.  After dinner at Sonny’s Bar b que in Homestead we head back to the Everglades.

We have one more “must do” in the Everglades, The Anhinga Trail.  We pull into the parking lot and it’s like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds, excpt these birds are common buzzards.  The park provides tarps to cover your cars with.  The buzzards will peck anything rubber on your car.  We are not leaving Half Pint to the mercy of the Buzzards.  David and I take turns guarding the car and walking the .8 mile trail. I see more birds, alligators, butterflies and tourists then  I’ve seen anywhere else, at one time,  in the Everglades.  Still no snakes!

Next stop Fiesta Key.

Jan 26, 2014  We are enroute to visit our son-in-law,Chris, NINETY-NINE year old grandmother in Land O’ Lakes , Florida.  But first priority we need to find a campground for the night.

David and I love Florida State Parks. We have camped at many and have NOTHING bad to say about any that we have visited.

We get lucky, again.  The Ranger at Little Manatee River State Park, was awesome.  When we called the campground, not the reservation line, he said he had two sites available for “drive ins”.  Rarely will park personnel hold a site for you.  He said he’d hold one for us. We were able to have a fantastic lunch and visit with Nanny and then head to the park.  I’m convinced that Nanny is 99 and still going strong because of her upbeat, positive attitude. I don’t thing I’ve ever heard her complain.

Before dinner, we have time for a walk on the nature trail.  We would have liked to have rented a canoe and explored the river, but we have reservations at Everglades National Park.

Jan 24, 2014  On our way to visit our friends Lenny and Gerry in Hernando, Fl.  “Snowbird” season in Florida and we didn’t make a reservation at a campground.  The State Park is booked solid.  We try an old stand by from a few years ago,  Sandy Oaks RV Resort, in Beverly HIlls. They have ONE site. Hurray!  They are a little more expensive and much less “nature” oriented than the State Parks, but it’s a nice, clean park with friendly people and they have entertainment on the weekends.

Jan 25, 2014  We spend the afternoon with Lenny and Gerry. Gerry and I go shopping and the guys do car stuff.  We had a “mouse” incident and I needed to find a new a new comforter for the RV.  It was still cold and I got an awesome deal on a winter comforter.  We go out to dinner, make plans for the next day, to go to the Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum Car Show.  We make it back to the campground in time for Sat night entertainment.  Ronald Noodleman, comedian ventriloquist.   VERY corny, but lots of laughs.  The concession stand sold water, soda and beer … all 75cents.  Beer it was and Ronald was funnier!  We sat with a nice couple  from Michigan.  You meet the nicest people camping.

Jan 26, 2014   Hurray!  Finally a nice warm day!  We head out and meet Lenny and Gerry enroute to the Don Garlits charity car show.  We are in the 1964 Volvo PV544 (everyday driver) and Lenny and Gerry have there 1944 Ford (mint condition classic).  David is going to park in general parking, but Lenny convinces him  to park in with the classics. David was “tickled” when the 64 got as much attention, if not more than the 44.  David has an uncanny way of picking unusual cars.

Another fun filled day.  Next Stop Land O Lakes, Florida

January 23, 2014

***** I have lost count of how many times we’ve stopped here.  Hmmmm! Do I have a problem??   Of course, we have to do a tasting.  Deb, our wine hostess was not only knowledgeable, she was funny. A case and a half later we’re headed to Hernado, Florida to visit friends.

January 21, 2014   Not our first time at Disney, but first time together.  First time for both of us at Fort Wilderness. First time for both of us when it was this cold. All I’m going to say is the dress of the day was LAYERED (especially when you left your winter coat in Connecticut).

*****Fort Wilderness Campground is great. Once we figured out the shuttle system we were golden. We did not have a reservation, but got in easily. The campground was $75 a night which was reasonable for all you got. Anyone that has been to Disney knows that everything here is over the top.  If you drove in for the day parking alone was $10 for a car and $16 for an RV.

I loved every site!  I loved every site had there own little (kid sized) trash can.  Maybe I just love everything about Disney.

*****Our first night we went over to Downtown Disney. We saw an amazing street performer, Michael Marx,  an acoustic guitarist. He was so good we sat through two sets. The singer, guitarist that performed in between was pretty good.  He did all requests and there weren’t many he didn’t know.  Of course, we went to Ghiardelli Chocolates for Free – bees.

January 22, 2014 David only wanted to do one park so it was difficult to pick.  I thought Epcot had the most things that he would like. I go often enough with the kids that this one was for him. We opened the park. It was a super time to go.  We walked on to all the rides except Soarin.  We got a fast pass to come back 7 hours later.  You can get fast passes on line now. I can’t imagine what it will be like during prime tourist season.  We had a wonderful day, but that was enough Disney for David.

Next Stop  … Our favorite Winery, Lakeridge  in Clermont, Fl .

***** January 19, 2014  Jekyll Island Campground (site G24, pull through $38) (site E19, back in $35). We booked too late and couldn’t get two nights in the same spot. We had to move, but it wasn’t a big deal.  Both sites were nice E19 a little nicer than G24.  The campground is nice and in a great location on the Island. We never took Half Pint out, we biked or walked(at night) everywhere.  There is a wide paved (maybe 2% dirt)  bike path that circles the whole island. There are a couple of cut through’s if you don’t want to double back.  We biked the entire path one day, my guesstamate 20 miles, Flat, Flat, Flat the couple of times that I had to put real effort into pedaling I was surprised.

I’m in love.  I would buy a house here in a heartbeat.   The scenery is breathtaking. The island is so serene and totally unique.  One of the negative feedbacks I read was not enough restaurants.  I don’t think we saw any. We biked beaches, boardwalk, crooked tree forests and the Historic District.  I could have spent two hours in the Jekyll Island Book Store. It’s in a historic house.  There is a sign on the door that asks you to gently open and close the 100 year old door.  There are 12 -15 rooms each with a different theme.

We spent our lunchtime sitting on a bench at the marina watching a dolphin find his lunch.  In the Historic section there was a Huge Inn (Old Estate) and people were laying croquet on the lawn. They were all dressed in period clothing. Very neat!

I can go on and on about the very, very nice things I liked about Jekyll Island.  Oh! great fishing pier!

Next Stop “We’re going to Disney!”

January 16, 2014  U.S. 17 South from Myrtle Beach N.C.  to Charleston, S.C.    Easy ride, straight and flat.  The scenery in many areas made me sad. The poverty was obvious. People live in Shanty’s. There were many, many roadside stands with people selling handmade sweet grass baskets.

*****We arrive at The Campground at James Island County Park in Charleston, site #91.  They provide a shuttle service to downtown and Folly Beach Fishing Pier ($10).  we didn’t need it, because we have Half Pint, but I thought it was a nice feature.

We are here to pick Richie up at the Airport and spend the weekend with him.  Richie is a marathon runner with a goal of running a marathon in every state.  This will be Richie’s 15th State completed. For almost three days we have fun with Richie.  The marathon is very involved from the packet pick up to the finish line celebration.  We all try Shrimp and Grits … I say “YUCK”.  Richie says “Different”. David says O.K.  until he hears I paid $7 for a small bowl, then he says “not so good”.

***** We took a boat ride to  Fort Sumter and toured the Fort ($18) and walked around  the museum (free).

***** We took a Palmetto Carriage Tour ($22)of Historic Downtown. Charleston, is known as the Holy City for it’s abundance of Churches. It has survived hurricane’s fires, earthquakes and two fires. Lots and lots of history here.

***** Richie treated us to dinner at Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub in downtown Charleston.  We shared an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes. I’m hooked … on Fried Green Tomatoes and Charleston.

Richie finished the 26.2 miles in an impressive 3 hours and 27 minutes.  I love watching him run.  We were able to catch him at several spots along the route.  He always gives this awesome smile  when he spots us.  This was the first time, in I don’t  know when, that I had Richie all to my self (away from his wife and children).  This was a special time.

The only thing that wasn’t perfect about the weekend was the weather. It was cold and windy.  I had expected it to be warmer this far south, but it is January.

After we take Richie to the airport we are on the road again. Destination Jekyll Island, Georgia

January 13, 2014

We leave Connecticut at 7:00 a.m., Travel 9 hours and 430 miles (8 hours driving, 1 hour pit stops).  It’s too cold to stay in the RV so we Stay at the Sleep Inn in Winchester, VA.  Tired and hungry we had dinner at the Golden Corral next door.  This is our first venture in the RV towing a car, so our options are limited, unless we want to unhook and hook her back up.   When I refer to “her”  it’s Half Pint our 1964 Volvo PV544.   The Golden Corral was actually clean and the food was good.  They had a white chocolate fountain and lots of fresh fruit for dipping.  To me, not a chocolate, chocolate lover was the creme de la creme. I could have passed up the rest of the meal and ulled my chair up to the fountain.

January 14, 2014

On the road again at 7:45 a.m.  and stop at The Lakewood Camping Resort ($31) in Myrtle Beach S.C.  We’ve stayed at Lakewood before, site 5202, close to the indoor pool and hot tub, water view (if no one is in site 5201). Staying in Site 5202 is much less expensive and this time of year the chance of anyone taking site 5201 is next to nil.  The hot tub temperature is 104 degrees, great place to be on a rainy day.  It’s beautiful here. but very commercial.  Having Half Pint with us gives us a lot more freedom to venture out and explore.

*****Huntington Beach State Park in the next town over Murrells Inlet, S.C. is awesome.  We pick our site for next time we head south (site # 31).  We hiked the Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail,  2 miles out, then we walked the beach back.  We visited the Nature Center and walked the boardwalk. There is a beautiful off road bike trail that we put on our list of to do’s next time.

January 16, 2014 On the road again 8:45 a.m. Fill up the gas tank for $2.99 a gallon less than 1/4 mile from The Lakewood.   Next Stop, The Campground at James Island, Charleston, S.C.