Key West

So today we spoke to my son, Dan. Our grandson, Josh, is stable. Not out of the woods, but he was awake and talking with his dad.  His recovery will not be easy, but at least there is a plan for him. We had planned to head home, but will stay in close touch with Dan and continue with our trip for now unless things change for Josh.  

Having made the decision to stay, at least for one more day, we then were fortunate to get our campsite here for another night, and be able to play tourist for a day.

We headed off to Key West today, just to see it.  We thought, only 100 miles, so we should get there in an hour and a bit - NOT!  It took 2 1/2 hours!  The highway twists and turns from little islands, across causeways and bridges. Almost every island has a little town with shops and "tons" of touristy things like charter boat tours (remember Gilligan's Island?), scuba rental, and  fishing boats.  Add to that all of the resorts and condos..... We felt like had warped into the land of the rich and famous at times - just looking over the shoreline with beautiful Caribbean condos on the waters edge with palm trees everywhere!

The little Islands are called Keys and there are dozens of them. Largo, Islamorada, Grassy, Indian, West, Long.... there is even a "Nowhere" Key!  We saw some little Islands with no houses on them and thought about claiming one for ourselves..... what do you think??

The water was blue green and just shimmered! At one spot we saw a group of people on surfboards way out in the middle of the bay doing yoga! 

The drive to Key West was definitely an experience, but arriving was a bit of a letdown! We expected to see something really special, but it was just another version of Key Largo, but pricier. There was nothing to say where "Flipper" had lived. A nice beach with palm trees, beautiful white sand .... Really not sure what we expected, but oh well, we are not sorry we made it there. 

Long day, but fun just the same. We asked a fellow on the beach to take our picture - very nice, turned out to be French Canadian, small world, eh? 

The plan for tomorrow is to return to the Everglades National Park and visit the second campsite called 'Flamingo'. Flamingo is deeper into the glades(38 miles in), so the intent is to get a better look at more of the variety of landscape, vegetation, and the like. 

Key Largo

This morning started off on a very sad note with the news that a grandson, Josh, had been rushed to the hospital last night.  At this time we don't yet have any specific diagnosis or test results so we are anxiously waiting, and hoping for the best!

While waiting, we decided to travel just another a hours south to see a bit of the Florida Keys. We chose John Pennenkamp State Park in Key Largo. It was risky because we knew that parks down here are always full, but we took a chance, and arrived at 11:30 to a filled park, but were told we could wait till 1:00 in case of a cancellation, and so it happened that we got in at 1:30 to quite a nice spot.  

Please say a prayer for Josh.  We will wait another day but will head home if he needs us.

Everglades National Park - March 29

3 pm

It was only about a 30 minute drive from the Miami park to the Everglades National Park  entrance near Homestead. There are 2 'primitive' campgrounds in the park, and we have chosen the first one you come to, Long Pine. Huge campsites, lots of natural Floridian vegetation between them, no neighbours in sight. The grounds are quite empty but they say for most of the year it's easily filled up. And, it's only $16 per night, and sadly we had to pay the whole fare rather than the $8 per night that seniors pay if you are a Florida resident.

Wow, what a difference a day makes!  We spent yesterday in a resort with all of the amenities including heated pool, hot tub, tennis courts, club house, etc., etc.  ... today finds us in a true "wilderness" park..... In the Florida Everglades. No water, no electricity, no streetlights,   Okay, so there is a bathroom and you can get water from outside that facility, but that's the extent! We are all set up and the propane on our fridge is working (at least the indicator says so).  We have put out the big awning for shade and are ready to check out the Everglades.

Brilliant sun and 28 C, but a cool breeze under our side awning. As I  sit and write this, I am looking out at a mix of deciduous trees (flat shiny leaves like euonymous bushes) all sorts of shorter type Palm bushes and shrubs and lots of tall skinny pine trees.  Off in the bushes we are hearing something rustle near us.  Apparently there are 8 panthers in the park, but the park is HUGE so my vote is a curious squirrel.   Maxie is safely hiding under the bed in the trailer....

NB turns out the rustling was actually a bird upset with us for camping too lose to his nest!  LOL

8:30 pm

After setting up camp and resting a little, we went for a guided tour along one of the trails. This one, named the Anhinga Trail after the Anhinga bird, is a boardwalk that goes thru a swampy area where Joanne finally realized her dream of seeing real live alligators at close range ... Lots of them! The tour guide was a German lady who coincidentally came from the same German town as me, was a biologist and told some neat stories about the alligator species, such as they only eat 3 fish per week ....that's all! They don't need more cuz they never expend any energy, just lie around. They also injest a lot of energy from the sun. An alligator can go for many months without eating at all.

Following that we went back to camp and had a really 'country' dinner ...pizza! Since we have no electricity here we had to cook it in the turkey roaster which we plugged in at the campground washroom cuz there's power there. Have you ever gone into a campground washroom and smelled pizza cooking?

It's now 8:30 and pitch black.  And Since we are nowhere near a city or city lights there are thousands of stars. It is beautifully quiet aside from the crickets and birds, including owls. Very cool!

Miami Everglades Park March 28

Well, today has been a cooler day by Florida standards, about 22 C.  We spent the morning having a last visit with Dieter and Heather, then we headed down the highway in the direction of Miami ....  for about 15 minutes until we discovered that we had left our laundry in the dryer at the park.  After a quick consideration of time vs. clothing needs, we decided that clothes were nice to have, so we headed back to Riverside.  

Lots of palm trees along the highways, but also fields with crops that in some places looked newly planted. In others we saw what looked like people harvesting. And....... trucks loaded with oranges!! I remember the taste of fresh oranges is SO different from the store bought ones, so, tomorrow we'll look for a fruit stand and sample - a few!!

We drove through a place called "alligator alley", where I-75 cuts thru a preservation area, and expected to see alligators along the side of the road, but truth is that there are 8 or 10 foot electric fences well back from the road and another just like it about 20 feet inside the first.  Not sure an alligator could get through that.  Oh well, I was all set to stop the car and take a picture if we saw one, and that might not have been too safe so it might be all for the best.  

We stopped late in the afternoon at Miami Everglades RV park which, although perhaps a bit overpriced ($62 for the night), is very pretty, has everything you could want and is incredibly busy.  I took Maxie for a walk tonight and there are tons of young families with kids.  Oh, and a couple of Rottweilers in the dog park who, if we had been foolish enough to open the gate, would have had us both for "lunch".  

We brought our electric turkey roaster to use as an oven and had a fabulous ham dinner in mind for supper complete with roasted sweet potatoes.  Forgot that you can't use anything like a toaster or kettle when the silly roaster is turned on, so it took me a while to "reset the breakers" on the trailer!! (Karl and Max had gone for a long walk).  Oh well, all turned out well in the end.  We had a great, albeit late, supper.  

The sunset tonight is a beautiful red/pink.  What is the saying, red sky at night, sailor's delight?  

Tomorrow we will head straight for the Everglades National Park visitors' centre, about 40 miles away!! ... with the intent of finding a campsite in the Everglades Park. If that fails we'll carry on and look in the Keys.

A Visit with Dieter and Heather

So, tonight we were invited to Dieter and Heather's trailer for dinner, and, as usual, Dieter did a fabulous job with his BBQ skills, and the steaks were thick, juicy, and excellent. It was great to have an evening to spend with them, as it doesn't happen often due to all of our crazy schedules. 

Isn't it ironic that we need to drive to Florida to have an opportunity to mingle with my brother? Oh well, if that's what it takes .....

It's actually quite a neat place to meet!!

Arcadia Day 3 (Mar 27)

Well, it was bound to happen. Were woken at 5:30 this  morning by a booming thunderstorm and a severe downpour that even Joanne couldn't sleep through. (and little Max found his way up onto our bed to offer us his protection) But like most Florida storms it passed by very quickly, about 15 minutes, and all was quiet again. When daylight arrived a little later the clouds were breaking up and it began to look like another great day.

A bit cooler, but that was okay with us since 33 C was a bit warmish even by our "Canadian" standards.  Joanne spent the morning puttering around the campsite and I loaded up the Sante Fe and headed off for some adventures in the local automotive community/Walmart.  I was trying to find a home for my dead car battery (long story),  and after being turned away at Walmart, ended up finding an automotive junk yard, somewhere down a dirt road ......... where "slow" seemed like the pace everyone follows .....  Anyway, after asking and waiting and waiting ........  they did take the old battery and insisted that I accept something in payment - when I refused money, I left with a few cold drinks (pop) and a smile.  Love their way of life.  If more of us were like that, we wouldn't need meditation or yoga.

Anyway, I did make it home in time for a another lunchtime feast of shrimp.  

The afternoon clouded over and our neighbour, who spend their lives outside (their television is just outside their trailor under their canopy), told us that we were safe for another 3 hours.  So off we trotted to the pool for a quick dip.  What we found was a group of seniors playing pool volleyball - hooting and laughing and having a great time.  Didn't take long for us to be coaxed into joining in.  Not sure which side won - between Joanne and I we missed more balls than we hit, but it was great fun!!  

The rain started into our second game and when the thunder started, we headed back to our little trailer.  Two hours of rain and counting, but what the heck, it could be snow, right?? LOL!  Regrettably the temp outside has plummeted to 22C since the rain started.

Anyway, we're bound for a steak BBQ with Heather and Dieter tonight, and tomorrow they're calling for sun. Our plan is to head down to the huge Everglades National Park tomorrow for a few days. A ride on one of those airboats that skim over the swamp is on my bucket list!

Arcadia Day 2

Wow, it really felt like we were on vacation today!!
We concentrated on relaxing and just "hanging out".  After 3 days of travelling, it felt wonderful!!
Karl slept in until 6 am. (don't ask what time he usually gets up) and I just took my time ... it was at least 9 before I really got my day started.
Dieter and Heather came for a visit in the morning and we were given a walking tour of the park. It has expanded hugely since we were here last.
Okay, so we got our first experience of "hot" for the year........... 33 C!!!!!!  We were careful not to complain though, since we were told that back home in Kitchener it is still ... well ... COLD (Sorry, guys!)
We are rediscovering that Max is not happy with hot weather.  When we got back from our walk, he voluntarily climbed into the trailer (in the shade with a nice breeze blowing through it) and wouldn't come out.
So, the afternoon was spent snoozing and then we went for a refreshing swim.  There was someone selling fish just outside the main hall around noon, so lunch was shrimp, and supper was haddock, new potatoes, and salad.
Tonight Dieter and Heather invited us to a bonfire complete with roasting hotdogs and smores....      It was a great day.  Poor Max is currently snoring lying flat on the tile floor and Karl is counting his bug  bites...........

Surprise visit!!

As Karl mentioned, we made it to Riverside Campground.  Over the past few days it has felt like we travelled from "winter" through spring and now have arrived in summer.

Picture palm trees and  tropical looking plants with brilliant coloured flowers.  And....the warmth is heavenly, especially after we just checked out the temperatures at home ... 27C definitely feels better!!  

We arrived to find that Karl's brother Dieter and his wife Heather had just gone out for supper 5 minutes prior!!  But, that gave us time to set up the trailer and have supper.  It feels good to use our camper again.  

Of course I found the pool and even had time for a swim - the water was warmish, but still refreshing.   So, another hour and we finally found Dieter and Heather home.  We just popped in for a quick visit, but the look of surprise on Dieter's face was worth all the effort .......... part of Karl's plan! 

Arcadia FL Part 1

Success! We have made it to our first Florida stopover, at Riverside RV Park near Port Charlotte, Englewood, and Arcadia. It's 7:30 pm and the outdoor temp is 26C. Will stay here for a few days but not sure exactly how long.
Good news is we have our toilet fixed and are now able to have water in the camper, including the kitchen so that Joanne can more easily do the dishes!! (Isn't she a doll?!!)
Good driving today, the clouds and fog cleared about noon and since the it's been Florida weather.
Have always enjoyed Riverside. Great people. Resort is away off the main road so it is nice and quiet here, unlike a lot of campgrounds that are conveniently close to the highway.
Gotta go find my brother now, who hasn't showed up yet and still doesn't know we are here. Itching to see the look on his face!
More news later.

Almost Florida 2

Woke up this morning to an outdoor temp of 65F. We are busily forcing ourselves to adapt to not needing 5 layers of clothes!
The weather has been great the whole trip until yesterday when after lunch some high clouds rolled in and then drizzle which lasted thru the whole evening. This morning it's still dark (5:30 a.m.) so I can't tell if it's still cloudy but the drizzle has stopped.
So great to be outdoors and camping again! Woo-hoo!
So, as soon as Joanne gets into gear we will take advantage of the free breakfast this campground offers, then pack up and head for the camping supply store to see if we can get a new part for our toilet, so that we can turn on the water in the camper and get things 'moving' again, as well as being able to use the kitchen sink!
Then we move on to find the serious sunshine, my brother, and a swimming pool!

Almost Florida

Yesterday morning started with the fabulous sounds of birds singing, wow!
Lots of driving, we travelled around 500 miles almost straight south.  The weather gradually warmed until we ended our day with only light sweaters.  On the "flip" side with the warmth, there are little bugs here..... but only tiny things and not our infamous ticks, we hope!!
Just one mile from the Florida border we called it a day and set up in a pretty KOA campsite.  Hooked up the hydro and then the water .......  and immediately a gush of water came out from under the bathroom door ...  kinda made us step back and wonder if we were receiving some kind of message, sigh .......
So, poor Karl hauled out his tools and checked it out. Water "everywhere"! Thank God for my hubby's mechanical ability, because I had no clue where to start!  Turns out that the antifreeze we put in last fall didn't completely do the job and part of the line must have frozen and then the casing cracked open.  Karl pulled out the part and today we will check out the camping supply store in Jacksonville (which had "just closed" when we realized what the problem was).
 So last night we truly camped in our little trailer. We don't want a repeat of our "toilet gusher" so no running water for now.
But we're looking at the bright side, there's always a fresh start today!

Selma, North Carolina

With the delivery of the Roadtrek van to the dealer in Keystone Pennsylvania, our "holiday" truly began and we turned our little trailer south - 989 miles or 15 hour drive to our first Florida destination.

We had an initial set back with our car battery, silly thing died on us again.  Luckily for us we found a garage nearby who checked things out and got us on our way with a new battery in only an hour! sigh .....  cars!

After that (noonish) we made great time.  Under a beautiful blue sky, the weather gradually warmed until tonight we were able to do away with our coats and just wear sweaters!! The leaves on some of the trees here are starting to come out and other trees are in full blossom!  It feels like we warped out of winter right into spring - totally lifts your spirit. 

Lots of interstate driving today so not as much to report, but it feels good to on our way. We are settled into a nice Quality Inn (gotta love those coupon books) and found a Denny's nearby.

Max is a real trouper. He sleeps most of the time we are driving and never complains, except of course when we won't share treats. Who knew a dog likes popcorn?  

Karl is currently out walking Max trying to convince him to get down to business. Max, of course has tons of energy after his long nap in the car . . . 

Greencastle PA

Left home at 9:30 yesterday headed for Greencastle, just south of Harrisburg. Had the GPS set for 'shortest route' so instead of the Interstates, it took us straight down from Buffalo thru the centre of Pennsylvania. 

A little slower perhaps but what a gorgeous drive! Hwy 219 was very scenic thru the mountains, and then towards the end we were on some back roads for about 50 miles than were nothing less than "wow!" ... narrow winding roads (more like paths!) cut right thru the tree-covered mountains, lots of ups, downs, and sharp turns ... at times even scary but we came thru unscathed. 

Arrived in Greencastle just after 9 pm and found a Comfort Inn about 5 miles from our first destination, the RV dealership where we will drop off the Roadtrek van and then officially start our vacation, due south. Hoping to get as far as North Carolina today.

Max is ready too

Of course one of the first items of business is to look after Max.  Because of the long and very cold winter we have left him uncut for quite a while and he looked kind of like a sheep or sheep-dog that needed to be shorn. So today we had a visit from the groomer and now Max is also ready to go south.  See the photos!

Preamble to the Wandering Florida trip

OK ... so, once again it's getting time to get trip preparations done, hook up the camper, & go exploring. If all goes well, we'll leave on Sunday morning for about 3 weeks.  Start watching for updates by about Monday or Tuesday.