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.