David has been a bit disappointed with Florida gas prices, especially since we left Tallahassee. We left on a (3/9) Wednesday, back tracking to Top Sail Preserve State Park and headed back through on Sunday(3/13).
Both leaving and coming back we made a gas stop at the same station, I 10 Exit 192 Pilot/Flying J, Quincy, Fl. Leaving we paid $1.73 per gallon for 40 gal. Coming back (3/13) $1.86 per gallon for 5O gal ($93.58). It went up 13 cents a gallon in just a few days 🙁
For any diesel users out there, March 18, in Bradenton, Florida, both regular and diesel were $1.99 a gallon.
Since arriving in Florida we are staying put a lot more and not needing to gas up as much. We’re curious as snowbird season dwindles down if gas prices will drop a little.
March 21, Punta Gorda, Florida 50 gallons @ $2.03 per gal. $100. Going up!
The gas prices have gone up instead of down. Prices are ranging from $2.09 – $2.29 in the Homestead/Miami/Keys area.
We were in the keys for almost a month. Staying put, no gas stops 🙂
April 19, Headed North we stop off I 95 Exit 131 (Port St Lucie) 50 gal @ $1.99 $100. We don’t always fill up. Most gas stations shut the pumps off at $100.
April 22, HWY 17 in Round O, S.C. $1.89 a gallon we take 65 gallons. It’s nice having an 80 gallon tank.
April 23, Princeton / Kenly N.C. We’re putting on miles and using gas like crazy. We top off 30 gallons @ $1.96 $60. Often when we top off like this it’s not because we need gas, it’s because we see a sign for a Flying J. They have RV islands that are easy in and out.
April 24, Winchester, Virginia I 81 Exit 323 Flying J, 52 gallons $1.93 gal. $100.
Up, up, up and over the Shenandoah’s we go. This is one of our favorite drives for the views, not the gas mileage 🙂
April 25, Bloomberg N.J. I 78 Exit 7 Exxon $1.89 gal. 46 gal. $88.00. There are three gas stations here, Pilot $1.86 gal Exxon $1.89 Citgo $1.93. The Exxon (far right lane, closest to Burger King) is easiest in and out with an RV.
This should be it for gas for this trip. We have less than 250 miles home 🙂
Monthly Archives: April 2016
Kutztown, Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Day 77
April 23, 2016.
Last leg of the trip and we are looking for an RV Park close to I 78 with a full hook up, pull through site available. We don’t want to unhook the car and we want to be able to flush out all of our holding tanks. Pine Hill RV Park exit 40, less than 2 miles off the highway, Site D-13 $48.00 a night, pull through, full hook up and level. Hurray!! It’s like striking it rich!!
This is a park that caters to “Big Rigs” (125 sites/82 pull through). The sites are five star. The park amenities are very few. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with plenty of grass to let E T run. Perfect!
Neighbor’s are dogs and horses, belonging to the farm next door. This is a well fenced, gorgeous property. A negative is the close proximity to I 78, hence the nice sturdy fence.
Note to any Tappan Zee users … The construction of the new bridge is moving along nicely. A BIG change is the bridge toll is now TOLL BY PLATE or EZ Pass. No more Cash.
Next Stop … HOME 🙂
Next Trip … June … NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tennessee 🙂
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Greenwood, Virginia – Misty Mountain Camp Resort
Day 76
April 23, 2016
We left Murrells Inlet S.C. at 8:45 a.m.. Drove just about 365 miles and arrived at Misty Mountain at 5:00 p.m. Long Day of Driving!
Misty Mountain is .9 miles off of I 64. Great Location! We got the last available pull through site for a 35′ RV ($37.72 a night water and electric). David had to put the RV in Mountain Goat Gear to get her up the mountain side. We are only here for the night and it would have been a pain in the neck to unhook and rehook the car. Site 51 is on the Upper Level, they have this pretty neat staircase to the lower level or you can walk the road. We chose walking down the staircase and up the road. We actually had to do it twice, E T was having so much fun. She had quite a bit of energy after lounging on my lap all day.
This is a fun, family campground. It’s a good thing we’re on our way home, because all I can think about is how much the Grands would like it here. Tonight is Saturday night. There is a Band playing in the Activity Field and FREE hor d’ourves in the Community Room. There is a small off leash dog park, splash park, pool, fishing pond, mining area, Jump Pad and lots more to do.
We’re feeling closer to home this morning … 45 degrees outside … We’ve got our sweatshirts on 🙂
Next Stop … Pennsylvania
Huntington Beach State Park Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
Day 75
April 22, 2016
We are on our way home. One more fun stop before just putting on the miles. Huntington Beach State Park is very, very nice. We went out of our way about 100 miles for a quick stop. We were lucky to get a last minute reservation on one of our favorite sites. ($43 a night water and electric)
There are miles of beautiful beach and trails to walk and bicycle. Most of the beach is dog friendly. This trip the section off limits to dogs is a bird nesting area. Next time it might be turtles. The birding here is excellent.
In the past couple of days we have seen manatee and dolphin. Here at Huntington Beach my fascination was with the jelly fish.
It would have been nice to have had more time at Huntington Beach. We tried for another night, but the campgrounds 133 sites were booked solid.
Next Time!
Jekyll Island, Georgia
Day 73, 74
April 21, 2016
Jekyll Island is my favorite Island. This is not a hub bub island. There is No Traffic. No Nightlife. Once you park your car you can ride a bicycle, walk, kayak or boat almost anywhere you want to go. There is a fabulous bike trail that circles the entire island. I am not a golfer, but I understand there are three ***** courses on the island.
This is the road to the Fishing Pier and Driftwood Beach. There are three beaches on the island, Driftwood, Glory and Great Dunes. Dogs are not welcome on Glory. It is more of a natural habitat. The only way to it is over a long boardwalk. Driftwood is my favorite and because we are only here for one day, that’s where we go. Great Dunes is your typical sand, surf, dunes beach. The amazing thing about Jekyll Island is that a large percentage of it is undeveloped. It’s Mother Nature at her best.
The sand is so firm that you can bike on the beach during low tide.
They have extended the Fishing Pier since the last time we were here.
Yesterday we were kayaking with manatee, today E T is trying to swim with dolphin. She is ready to swim, but still a little hesitant. We all enjoyed watching them.
Photo of the Day! This is a Shrimp Boat. You can actually book a charter on one. I thought that would be fun …. depending on how much work was involved. Next Time!
Next Stop … Huntington Beach State Park Murrells Inlet, S.C
Long Point Park Melbourne Beach, Florida
Days 71, 72
April 20, 2016
No luck getting into Sebastian Inlet State Park, but we got lucky that the Gal at registration called the Brevard County Park, Long Point, 1 1/2 miles down the road and they had plenty of sites available.
The little opening in the trees between the picnic table and kayaks is our water access to a cove loaded with manatee. Sites are water and 50 amp electric.
First thing we get into our kayaks and head out on the water with the manatee. There were at least six, two were a mom and her calf. We had great fun kayaking with them all around us. It was like they were playing hide and seek or peek a boo. I’d be watching where I saw one and two would pop up on the other side of my kayak. I’d watch there and another would come up somewhere else. Sorry, out of at least two dozen (phone) shots, above is my best photo, ” a manatee snout”. We could have stayed with them for hours, but we are only here for one day and there was a lot more kayaking and hiking to do. Long Point Park is on it’s own peninsula. There are clusters of mangroves to kayak around.
There is a bridge from Long Point to Scout Island. This is a nice quiet hike with lots of shade and great scenery.
E T met a friend, Jack (Russell). They tried playing together, but Jack does not walk or run, he hops. E T was very confused. Jack smelled like a dog, but hopped like a rabbit. They spent a great deal of time starring at each other across the couple of empty campsites between ours and theirs. At one point this Great Blue Heron walked between them and right on past to the water. The two dogs watched it cross and then went right back to watching each other.
Birds Eye View
We were sitting out after dinner and the clouds started forming this strange pattern. David explained to me that this was a Mackerel Sky. The pattern looks like the fish scales on a mackerel. These clouds are suppose to be a sign of approaching precipitation. In the morning we had rain showers.
Long Point Park was a great find. We are already planning on coming back next year.
Next Stop … Georgia
Hobe Sound, Florida – Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Days 68, 69, 70
April 18, 19, 2016
Jonathan Dickinson State Park is in Hobe Sound, Florida. It is nestled in between the two busy towns of Jupiter and Stuart. Once we hit the mainland, you know the traffic started all over again. We are on our way North, but plan on taking our time. The view below is in Jupiter.
Jonathan Dickinson is one of our favorite Florida State Parks/campgrounds.
Hobe Tower is one reason.
E T our lookout dog is a very good spotter.
Another reason this is a great park is it’s access the Loxahatchee River. It can be a tricky paddle, because of the tides and currents, but if you time it right it can be perfection. Our first stop on arrival at the park is the Kimball Education Center to talk to a Ranger. We tell her our plan for an early morning paddle out to Trapper Nelson’s Camp. She looks up the tide info for us and tells us we are right on for a 7:00 a.m. start. It is a 4 hour paddle. Unfortunately, we are here off season and the Camp is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We will not be able to get off at the dock and tour the Camp. That’s o.k. with us. We have been there before and know next time we are in the area will try again. We were the first two paddlers out on the river on a beautiful cool, calm morning. We saw an alligator, lots of turtles, osprey and even a bald eagle with two fledglings. On the river I’m limited to taking photos from my camera. None of my bird or alligator photos came out decent 🙁
One of the afternoons we headed over to dog friendly, Stuart Beach. E T loved playing in the waves with this huge coconut that she found.
While walking the beach David asked me if I could live here. With this view I said “Yes”!
We can all dream right???
Next Stop … Sebastian’s Inlet State Park. We have a reservation here for NEXT YEAR for two weeks and want to check it out. It has been on our list of “recommended” must stays for awhile. David is on line 11 months to the day, everyday, booking for next year.
We don’t have a reservation for tonight. We’re hoping to get in on a cancellation. Otherwise we’ll just check out the park and campground and look for a commercial campground.
Up early again!!! Megan would be proud 🙂
Long Key, Florida – Fiesta Key
Days 65, 66, 67
April 16, 17, 2016
Why did the Hahn’s cross the road? At 8:00 a.m. on the Atlantic coast the temperature was in the high 80’s and there was not an Atlantic breeze to be felt. It was HOT and going to get HOTTER! Thank goodness it was moving day. We traveled 15 miles north and turned left instead of right. Fiesta Key is on the Gulf side. Our campsite is 100 ft from the water. We have a wonderful Northeast (Gulf) breeze. Good Move 🙂
Fiesta Key is a premier location Resort property that was allowed to deteriorate. Three years ago Encore Properties bought it and started a long term restoration. That year we were at a camping show and week stays were being offered for $250. We bought three prime season weeks. The next year we were offered $55 a night one week minimum. We came back for one prime season week. No offer this year. It is off season and our site has water, electric and cable, no sewer … $64 plus $8.50 tax … $72.50 a night. Prime season (winter) rates for this site are $115 a night. They’ve come a long way baby!
We do not have any reservations for the rest of our trip. Unlike State Parks in the Keys, there are plenty of empty campsites this time a year at any of the many commercial campgrounds, even on weekends.
Fiesta Key did get a significant number of tent campers come in for the weekend. This is my photo of the weekend!
Dinner our first night was at the Fiesta Key Restaurant, The Lobster Crawl Bar and Grill. The food is good, reasonably priced and the atmosphere is awesome. There was a pretty good Blues/Jazz duo entertaining on the patio Saturday night.
After supper we walked E T on a portion of the Overseas Heritage Trail out to the Channel #5 bridge.
Overnight a storm went through and cooled the temps down and kept the steady breeze. Perfect biking conditions. We biked 5 miles from the Channel #2 bridge to Robbies at MM 77 in Islamorada, to feed the Tarpon. We could have biked 7 miles from Fiesta Key, but we would have to go over the Long Key Bridge with the cars. I’m adventurous, not a daredevil. The photo below is a tarpon weighing at least 150 pounds. They have no teeth just hard gums. The slideshow is David and I hand feeding them. It costs $1 per person to go out on the dock at Robbies and see these monster fish being fed. For $3.55 you can buy a bucket with about a dozen pilchers (tarpon food) and hand feed them yourself. Either way it is very silly and extremely entertaining.
Photo of the Day!
Our days in the Keys have come to an end. It’s been a great time, but time to head north.
Next Stop Jonathan Dickinson State Park Hobe Sound, Florida
Anhinga Trail / Florida City / Everglades National Park, Florida
Day 63, 64
April 14, 2016
Sad morning, we are taking Rowan to Florida City to meet one of his Grandfathers and two Aunts. He is going to spend a few days with them in Miami before going home.
We did have time, before meeting them, to stop in Everglades National Park and walk the Anhinga Trail. The wild fire is under control and the trail had reopened. What a difference the weather makes. David and I spent a week in the park in 2014. The Anhinga Trail was loaded with wildlife. Almost every other tree had a nesting bird. The parking lot had been so loaded with buzzards that you had to cover your car with a tarp to protect it. It was like a scene from the movie The Birds. I was very excited for Rowan to see it all. We were lucky to see ONE Anhinga, two alligators and maybe a dozen fish. The culprit, the weather. One of the Rangers explained that January and February were so rainy that the birds could not build nests. In some areas there were 4 inches of standing water. The birds and other wildlife moved on. Oh Well! “Into each life some rain must fall.”
After dropping Rowan off we spent a couple of hours doing 7 loads of laundry. Oh well, “Life isn’t always a bowl of cherries !”
Our last day at Curry Hammock before starting to head North we decide to do a repeat performance of a few of our favorite things.
A walk on the 7 Mile Bridge. E T is missing Rowan!
We thought a visit to the Dolphin Research Center might cheer her up. E T’s friend Gypsy came right over to greet her and brought a friend.
Tersi thought playing ball would take E T’s mind off missing Rowan.
The Sea Lions were too busy napping to even give a nod, let alone a hoot!
David and I spent the afternoon kayaking out on the Atlantic. We had the perfect conditions …light and variable winds, in shore waters, smooth.
Below is a photo of a horseshoe crab swimming below at least 3 feet of water. The water is that crystal clear.
Another beautiful day in paradise!
Next Stop, one of our reliable stand by’s, Fiesta Key.
Marathon, Florida – GRAND Day Three!
April 13, 2016
Day 62
Sunrise
Rowan and David were going fishing on a Charter Boat. I was dropping them off and then taking E T for a swim at Sombrero Beach. The Captain cancelled the trip, because there were not enough people.
The Sea King is a new business/boat that David had gone out on last week. He liked the Captain and Mate. He also caught a lot of fish with them. They just don’t have a good reputation yet and don’t advertise widely enough. So, we went down the road and signed them up for an afternoon charter on the Sea Dog. This is a tourist favorite. David isn’t real fond of going with them. Reason being, tourists aren’t usually serious about fishing, it’s mostly about the boat ride. When the Captain and Mate sense this, they don’t always try to hard to find fish. My favorite part of going to the Sea Dog dock is the parrot. I’ve posted his photo before. As soon as we got there I started looking for him. A worker asked me if I was looking for the rest room. I said “No, the parrot!” “Oh! he’s in the garbage can”, I’m told. Sure enough! There he was picking through the trash. He had taken quite a liking to a Budweiser Beer Can Box and was very entertaining. When we left he surprised us by say “Bye”!
So, we all took E T to Sombrero Beach for her morning dip. When we got back to Curry Hammock we spent the morning Kayaking. We started out in the canal, went through the mangroves and out into the Atlantic Ocean. This is a fun paddle trail. Check out the slideshow.
David and Rowan had a great time fishing all afternoon. #1 they caught a lot of fish … 16 keepers! #2 They saw 2 sea turtles, a pod of dolphin and a huge bull shark. #3 It was a beautiful calm day out on the water. No photos, because their ace #1 photographer was back at the ranch blogging 🙂
After supper we headed down to Sunset Beach in Key Colony Beach … to watch the sunset.
A beautiful ending to a beautiful day.