January 28, 2005 (Fri) Ochopee, FL - We've decided to stay here in Big Cypress through the weekend. There probably wouldn't be any problem getting a campsite in the Everglades on a weekend but we need to do some shopping and laundry before going that far away from civilization and trying to do that along with everyone else in South Florida might not be fun. We had a discussion about staying here at $8.00 a night of going back to Burns Lake where it is free. This place with flush toilets, a more manicured surroundings, and fewer people who might be seen as homeless if encountered on a city street, won out - even though the shower facilities here are a bit primitive. There is no hot water and no privacy (they're outside!) Like Burns Lake, the campsites are arranged around a small lake - about 26 in all, plus tent sites. Most are perpendicular to the road - Q's cab faces the lake - but some are parallel. We passed on these because they are little more than wide spots in the road.
Last night we went over to the campfire program. A young (30 she told us) ranger showed slides and talked about the geographical and biological history of the Big Cypress area. It sounds deadly but it really was very interesting. It even held the attention of a large group (25 -30) of older teens camping in the tenting area. It rained lightly just before the program started which added to the fun.
January 29, 2005 (Sat) Ochopee, FL - We've been wondering about the group of teenagers. They seem unusually well behaved for the situation they are in and this morning the bus that brought them here came and picked them all up - without their camping equipment. It turns out that they are middle and high school students from the Broward County school system in a service/study program. They have been spending their weekends traveling to various areas studying different aspects of local ecological, biological, geological, etc. systems. Some of them have even gone to South Africa, though it probably took them longer than a weekend. Part of their work involves collecting data that is passed on to official government agencies that deal with such data. Today the bus had taken them deep into the Big Cypress swamp to study the Florida Panther. Tonight, at the Ranger campfire program, they treated us to a presentation of what they had seen and learned here. Small groups gave a presentation with slide show about reptiles, birds, flora, fauna, panthers, etc. with each student giving a short talk. It was wonderful! What a great experience for young people.
January 30, 2005 (Sun) Ochopee, FL - The folks two and three sites away brought out kites this morning. One was a rather limp cow, the other an elaborate three mast sailing ship. The cow flew beautifully but the the ship never got off the ground (so to speak). After 15 or 20 minutes the cow developed a problem and plunged into the lake. Almost at once an alligator came to investigate. He stayed within a few inches of the kite as it was slowly reeled in. The group speculated whether he thought it was food or a possible mate. He sank below the surface of the water and disappeared when the kite was pulled from the water.
The night sky is worth a mention. It is beautiful with all its stars. At home the lights all around obscure most of them. Here we see so many that it's hard to pick out the constellations among them. Both last night and tonight we sat out at the picnic table for a long time just looking up at them in awe.
Q010154 Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress National Preserve #1 dry $8.00s B (x3)
Big Cypress NP - #51-07
Into Big Cypress NP - #51-06
January 24, 2005 (Mon) Englewood, FL - It's cold here this morning! 32° when we went out for our walk at 6:30. It made us think of what it was like at home but we weren't dressed as warmly. It made us think of how cold it is at home - in the teens from what we understand.
Q009883 - SunTrust Bank parking lot (parked) (x2)
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January 25, 2006 (Tue) Englewood, FL to Ochopee, FL (154 miles) Off at 9:50am, 51.6°, sunny - We both thought we knew the way so both Henry and our road maps remained out of service. But going down SR776 we began to question if we were on the right road. Out came the map. "We have to go back! 776 dead ends down here." So back north we go. Then east to SR776. But weren't we just on 776? Now were are going north on it. That can't be because we'd be back where we started and we aren't. Just as we were about to ask Henry for help we came to US41 and turned south toward Miami.
The devastation from Hurricane Charlie was obvious as we drove through Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Signs over or missing parts, roofs missing or badly damaged, businesses closed with back hoes and dumpsters in their parking lots, and a general feel of destruction all along the way. More surprising than the rubble was the number of buildings completely intact as if nothing at all had happened in the area. We couldn't help but marvel at the power and selectivity of fast moving air.
The Big Cypress National Preserve is separated from the Everglades by the Tamiami Trail (US41) as it cuts East West across Florida. There are 8 campgrounds in the preserve, 7 are free. We are in the free Burns Lake Campground. There are no campsites per se (and no hookups or facilities except for several portable toilets). But wide areas along either side of a dirt road circumventing the very small lake provide plenty of room to pull off or back in. We are parked so that the lake is out our dining room window. We set up our chairs in the sun beside the lake, read and watched a flock of swallows attacking insects over the water. It is quite peaceful here, or was until the single fellow in a VW camper next door turned on his radio (it was tuned to NPR!). It is off now though and the almost full moon has just come up over the lake. Need I say more?
January 26, 2005 (Wed) Ochopee, FL - The sunrise out our dining room window was spectacular - not a red sky but just a hint of the sun shining through low fog lighting up a few clouds and making silhouettes of the cypress trees across the lake. The fog had burned off by the time we had eaten breakfast and gotten our bikes ready to explore the back roads. Much, if not all, of Big Cypress National Reserve has been designated Florida Panther habitat. Although rare, sightings are possible. So as we rode out the long dirt road into the swamp we were on the lookout. According to our map there is a network of roads out there but a mile and a half out we came to a gate across the road with a sign informing us that a back country permit is required to go further. So much for seeing the illusive and endangered (there are said to be only 30 in the whole 2,400 sq. mile reserve) Florida Panther.
The rest of the day was devoted to decompression. Since leaving home we've been involved in a whirlwind of social? activity with relatively little time for ourselves. Today was a day to work on getting bored so after breakfast we sat out by the lake and soaked up the warm sun. About the most exciting thing we did the rest of the day was watch an alligator swim slowly by, turn and swim slowly back. Joy did spend several hours on some appliqué.)
Q010055 Burns Lake Campground, Big Cypress National Preserve #00 dry $0 C (x2)
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January 27, 2005 (Thu) Ochopee, FL to Ochopee, FL (99 miles) - Today we "did" US41 but first we had a brisk walk out to the highway and 3 times around the lake (4 miles total), took on board showers and ate breakfast. Our first stop was the only dump station in the reserve 6 miles West on US41 ($3.00 with golden age pass, free if we'd been paying to camp). On our way East again we stopped at the Ochopee, FL post office (about the size of a 3 hole outhouse) to take pictures. We'd heard that Turner Road was worth a side trip and it was - for the wildlife alone. Alligators, anhingas, egrets, alligators, coots, storks, blue herons, and more alligators all along the way. Further East on US41 we stopped at the Big Cypress Visitor's Center (where Bob and Pat got stuck last year) and got the low down on the flora, fauna and campgrounds in their jurisdiction. On the way we stopped under a telephone tower to make a couple of calls and check our email.
The Kirby Storter Roadside Park with a boardwalk into the swamp had looked like an interesting place when we'd passed by it so we headed back west - further west than we remembered - for lunch. At the end of the boardwalk - about a half mile out - we saw a blue heron standing on the heavy growth of water plants poised for fishing. Nearby, an alligator lay in the water waiting for someone to come close. On the right two otters wrestling playfully. The heron speared a fish, threw it into the air, caught it and swallowed it whole. The alligator watched and waited. The otters stopped playing and began to fish themselves, with some success - we could watch their progress through the water by the movement of the plants. A white heron flew down and landed on the water plants several feet away and almost at once speared a fish. The blue heron crept closer to the alligator looking for another fish. The alligator watched making low croaking sounds. The heron struck at a fish. At the same time the alligator struck at the heron - and missed. The heron flew away and the alligator turned and watched. Wow!
There are two free campgrounds at the East end of Loop Road. To check them out we had to go 25 miles East on US41. Since we didn't feel particularly comfortable about spending the night at either one, we came back West 20 miles to the Monument Lake Campground - 8 miles from where we started this morning!
Q010154 Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress National Preserve #1 dry $8.00s B
To Englewood, FL - #51-05
January 20, 2005 (Thu) Titusville, FL - We finally got a callback from Bates RV late this morning - for all the good it did. Don't have RV trouble in Florida in the winter! Bates couldn't fit us in until late February or March! We'll have to make do. This afternoon we went back to Cocoa. Dorcas and Mike wanted to order a name sign for their lot. Dorcas also wanted to go the yarn shop that had been closed on Sunday. Mark and Mike hung out at The Dog and Bone, a British pub next door while the women browsed. Joy had found the names of two quilt shops in Cocoa too so, of course, we had to check them out - without the benefit of a near-by pub. On the way home we stopped at a steak house for supper and finished off the evening with a big piece of pecan pie to celebrate Mike's birthday.
January 21, 2005 (Fri) Titusville, FL - Mark discovered - this morning, after struggling with the cell phone for a week! - that his computer is picking up a high speed wireless network signal. It must be one of the provided utilities here as is cable TV. So we were able to do some banking and clean up our server's email box. (We normally screen for specified email addresses while traveling and leave the rest on the server until we have a free and fast connection to the internet.) The rest of the day we just hung out doing mostly nothing. Constructive activities included getting Q ready to travel tomorrow (Mark) Knitting (Joy and Dorcas) painting shelves (Mike). In the evening we all played the final round of SHOUT, a video game about movies.
Q009656 The Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Gulf Resort #440 Oak Cove Rd
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January 22, 2005 (Sat) Titusville, FL to Englewood, FL (227 miles) - We walked in heavy fog this morning, as we did yesterday, but it was a bit warmer - our sweatshirts were almost too much. Dorcas and Mike came by about 9:00 to say good bye and we got off at about 9:15. Mark didn't think to look at gas gauge until we were well along on the Bee Line Expressway. There would have been no problem except there are so few exits on the Bee Line. By the time we got to one the gauge was approaching "E". Then we had to go another 10 miles before we saw the first gas station. Florida can be so desolate in areas yet so congested in others. We chose to go back to the Bee Line Expressway rather than take the much shorter route through Orlando because the traffic would be so bad. On the way we saw a couple of huge birds crossing the road up ahead. Very slowly! From a distance they looked like ostriches but closer up they looked more like blue herons or storks. We don't know what they were even though we had to slow way down to let them cross.
We stopped at the Brandon Costco again for a few things (and snacks) and a Books-a-Million to see if they carried CDs. They don't. We got here in Englewood at about 4:00 to find Bom, well on her way back to normal, and Frannie waiting. We'll be off again on Tuesday, mail picked up and laundry done, headed for the Everglades.
Q009883 - SunTrust Bank parking lot (parked)
The Great Outdoors - #51-04
January 16, 2004 (Sun) Titusville, FL - We took off with Mike and Dorcas for what started out to be a trip to a grocery store. On the way, which was really way out of our way, we swung by Cape Canaveral's Jetty Park Campground. It is just south of the Kennedy Space center and, while there are no launches scheduled that we know of, we thought it might be an interesting place to camp for a couple of days. Our intent was to check it out and make reservations. But after seeing the campground we concluded that someone wanting to spend their time on a Florida beach watching cruise ships come and go (and an occasional space launch) might have thought it worth the the $5.00 entry and $30.00 camping fees, we didn't. The campground itself was cluttered - the maintenance crews must have been on vacation - and very crowded. The camping units were parked nearly parking lot close.
Dorcas had heard of a yarn shop in Cocoa village (on the mainland across the Indian and Banana Rivers from the more famous Cocoa Beach) so we headed there. For Dorcas it's "no yarn shop left behind". The yarn shop was closed on Sunday but it was in what is called the "Historical District" which turned out to be a very interesting place to browse. There was one main street and several side streets filled with little shops - facades all painted in bright pastel colors. The shops were all of the type normally found in tourist areas. In addition to the yarn shop there were antique, toy, up scale clothing, candy, gift, etc. shops. Most of them seemed to have above average quality merchandise and little junk. Many had items we haven't seen anywhere else. There were, of course, several restaurants also. The one we chose for lunch had started life as a bank. The black bean soup was delicious.
January 17, 2005 (Mon) Titusville, FL - The last few days have been cold, rainy and damp. Yesterday we had to abandon our shorts for jeans and sweatshirts. I know, I know, there's little sympathy coming our way from up north but this is Florida. We have the right to complain. This morning the thermometer read 40° - it had probably gotten below that during the night - and we could have used hats and gloves on our walk. It has stopped raining though and the sun is out. Maybe warmer weather is coming. It would be nice to be able to sit outside.
This morning we went to the Walmart with Mike and Dorcas then came back and occupied ourselves with some housekeeping chores (picking up, putting away, laundry, sanitary dumping, financial record maintenance, etc.) This afternoon we just sat around waiting for it to warm up a bit. Joy went over to hang out with Dorcas in their sun room, both with knitting projects, while Mark hung out in Q to read, nap and practice his guitar. This evening we all went to The Plantation House Restaurant (in the park/campground) and had a great meal. We are really impressed with it.
January 18, 2005 (Tue) - Titusville (at least the parts we saw today) seems to be somewhat depressed - not the crumbling building type of depressed that is common in cities but more an out of business closed up kind of depressed. Many buildings along US-1 were empty and boarded up. The Titusville Mall (The Miracle Mall) where we went looking for a small somewhat unknown space museum was so devoid of stores and shopper's cars that we thought it had closed completely. We finally found our way in only to learn that the space museum had moved to the Sears Town Mall about a half mile down the highway. But that mall looked as bad as the first.
The museum was there though and well worth the search. It is operated by a nonprofit group of retired former NASA and contractor personnel who helped launch America’s men in space. They not only volunteer their time to the museum, but they have donated many of its artifacts, which they’ve personally collected over the years. It is said that it's even possible to see an ex-astronaut working there. We didn't.
January 19, 2005 (Wed) Titusville, FL - Our automatic sofa-to-bed mechanism failed last night. It wouldn't convert into a bed - not a good situation at 10:00 at night! Mark spent two frustrating hours dismantling the mechanism, removing the broken part, and reassembling it in a way that would allow conversion with manual help.
This morning Joy went off with Dorcas to a craft get-together while Mark tried to locate a dealer who would fix the bed (and a couple of other things) under Chinook warranty. Apparently (and surprisingly) Lazydays, an RV dealer near Tampa, no longer sells Chinook so will not accept warranty work. When asked where we could get this work done, the answer was "Don't know. Call Chinook." It turns out that their main competitor, less than 10 miles away, is a Chinook dealer. And so starts another story. Mark tried all afternoon to get in touch with the Bates RV service department for an appointment. He could only reach their voice mail to leave messages to call back - three times - they never did.
Q009656 The Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Gulf Resort #440 Oak Cove Rd (x6)
To The Great Outdoors - #51-03
January 11, 2005 (Tue) Lakeland, FL - The big activity of the day today was preliminary planning for our trip to Alaska. It looks like we'll all meet in Dawson Creek, British Columbia on June 20, go up the Alaska Highway, tour Alaska and get back to Prince George, BC via the Cassiar Highway by about September 1. It's going to be great fun! The other big activities were a trip to Walmart in the afternoon and a rousing game of dominoes in the evening. What a life!
January 13, 2005 (Thu) Lakeland, FL -The last couple of days have been devoted to relaxation, chores, dominoes and fun. We shopped, napped, puttered, read and nibbled. We talked about travel, hand crafts, model trains, and our Alaska trip. Each morning we took a three mile (more or less) walk with Bob and Pat. Our noon and evening meals were pot luck - except when we went out to eat at a Chinese buffet. Thanks Ed and Kathy for being such wonderful hosts. It will be hard to leave tomorrow.
Q009544 Ed and Kathy's yard (x4)
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January 14, 2005 (Fri) Lakeland, FL to Titusville, FL (112 miles) - We woke in the night to the sound of our automatic skylight vent closing. It had begun to rain and it was soon coming down in buckets. The sound of rain on the roof was so soothing and comforting! "Is the vent in the bathroom closed?" "I think so." "Good." It wasn't! In the morning the rug was a swamp and the towels and bathing suit hung to dry in there were wetter then they started. The clean up after our showers was more involved this time. Every surface had to be wiped down and dried. Luckily the toilet paper stayed dry though. Breaking camp was a wet process in the pouring rain and we were all soaked by the time we were ready to go. Bob and Pat took off first and we followed an hour or so later at 10:00. Ed and Kathy were leaving for a camping weekend too, but they still had more packing to do.
Bob and Pat had heard on the news that I-4 was backed up with a bad traffic accident with a fuel spill. They hadn't heard where it was but we all assumed that it was West toward Tampa - we were going East. But the Polk Parkway leading to I-4 which we took, after a detour to a discount mall, was backed up for 6 miles. A half hour later and after going only a mile or so we were able make an illegal turn onto an exit ramp and get off the parkway. Joy and Henry collaborated to work out a way to I-4 further east where we found the traffic moving at full speed. But it didn't last long. We ran into another traffic jam approaching Orlando and yet another on the Bee Line Expressway by-passing Orlando. I-95 northbound was not a problem though. But then, we were only on it a short distance.
Dorcas (Mark's sister) and Mike met us at the visitor's center of The Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Golf Resort where they were staying and led us to our site - which they own (they are renting another site for themselves this winter). Before, during and after a shared meal of chili and salad in their fifth-wheel we did much visiting and catching up.
January 15, 2004 (Sat) Titusville, FL - We slept in this morning because Dorcas and Mike were going to take us on a walking tour of the resort and they did - about a 3 mile walk. After lunch we went out on our bicycles to see more of it - 8 miles.
The Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Gulf Resort is not really a campground although there are areas that look like one and in some ways it is operated like one - a traveler can obtain a campsite for a night or two (or a month or two) and move on. But the sites, and there are hundreds, are all individually owned. It is actually a planned community where the "homeowners" are RV owners. Each "lot" has facilities for an RV (mostly large motor homes) whether they be only a concrete pad with hookups or a half million dollar home with an over sized garage. Some areas have lots improved with a shed only - our site is one - or sheds and a sun room (gazebo). Others are improved with roofs to cover the RVs. Still others have an additional building containing a kitchen, bathroom, and sitting room. And some have real houses to satisfy any taste. There is an 18 hole golf course, two swimming pools, a rec hall, a church, a library, a restaurant, a nature center, and a welcome center. Golf carts are the transportation of choice. These range from the lowly electric model available at most public golf courses to gasoline models designed to look like little cars with price tags approaching $10,000.
Q009656 The Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Gulf Resort #440 Oak Cove Rd
T o Plant City, FL - #51-02
January 7, 2005 (Fri) Englewood, FL - Well we're getting ready to move on tomorrow. Bom (Joy's mother) is making great strides, so to speak, in her recovery. She graduated from her walker to a cane after about a week and last week she resumed her daily swim. Her doctors, home care nurses, and physical therapists are all amazed at her strength and determination. At 93 she's an inspiration to us all. Although a little stressful, what with care taking (albeit minimal) and a bit crowded at times (Joy's sister, Gail was here also for 5 days,) we've enjoyed our visit. With the help of all of Bom's kind and generous neighbors we've eaten far too many holiday sweets but we've managed to keep our weight under control with a 6 1/2 to 7 mile walk every day.
Joy's sister Frannie comes tonight for her yearly 2 month stay so it's back to the Q and the highways for us. We'll be stopping by here once in a while to say hi and to pick up our mail but now we're free to wander.
Q009318 SunTrust parking lot (parked) x17
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January 8, 2005 (Sat) Englewood, FL to Plant City, FL (102 miles)- It was hard to say good-bye to Bom but not as hard as it could have been. She is in good hands with Frannie there and we'll be back soon. It was almost 71° when we left Quail's Run at 9:30 and a beautiful sunny Florida day. The traffic was "normal" for this this time of year in Florida - heavy but uncrowded - and the trip up I-75 was uneventful. Henry did a good job of guiding us to the Brandon, FL Costco where we picked up some things we needed.
There were a few groceries we needed too (items not available in Costco) so we decided to stop on the way into Plant City where we could also pick up messages from our home machine and eat some lunch. In the process if getting to the appropriate parking lot we passed through one intersection several times. Each time we saw a car covered with small statues (at a distance looking like it had spiked hair) and religious messages crossing the intersection. It was also there an hour later as we left the area. He must be spending his day going back and forth through that intersection. (Maybe he thought the same of us!)
We got to Ruth and Gordy's at about 2:30 and took Q over to the pool parking lot for the next couple of nights.
January 9, 2005 (Sun) Plant City, FL - We just kinda "hung out" with Ruth and Gordy today - they are so easy to be with. For activities we went to the Plant City library where there was a quilt show going on (no quilt show left behind) and took a walking tour of some double wide mobil homes on display. The quilt show was a good one for its kind but not spectacular. Looking at the mobil homes was very interesting. We had no idea they were so "elegant". They were, of course, spiffed up with all the bells and whistles (they were display models). They ranged from one to three bedrooms. We liked the three bedroom the best.
Q009420 Parked (x2)
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January 10, 2005 (Mon) Plant City, FL to Lakeland, FL (124 miles) - We left Plant City at 9:50 (67°) headed for Palm Harbor, FL. Thanks Ruth and Gordy for another wonderful time! Henry got us to and through Tampa (I-4 & I-275) without incident - even though the traffic was horrendous - but had a terrible time finding Carol's house. We went round and round so many times that Mark did the unspeakable - he asked for directions. It turned out that he had programmed the wrong destination address! After a delicious lunch with Carol and a couple of hours of relaxing chat we headed back East for Lakeland, FL. Exit 33 on I-4 is under construction so we had to go a couple of miles further to a temporary exit. With this diversion and the problem in Palm Harbor, Henry had a mental breakdown. He'd begin to tell us about the next turn but suddenly recite our location (highway, direction, speed, city, county and state) over and over until we deactivated the voice navigation. After several attempts to calm him down we finally turned him off.
We got to Ed and Kathy's at about 5:30 and found Bob and Pat already there. We all had a great time catching up and sharing our activities since we were last together but went to bed early. We'd all had a stressful day.
Q009544 Ed and Kathy's yard
