February 21 (Tue)
Paisley, FL to Altoona, FL (91/2373 miles)
Our adventure started, as would be expected, when we got off (7:45, 60°). Rather than going deeper into the national forest as we'd planned we went south to Altamonte Springs, a traffic congested suburb of Orlando. Our first stop was a laundromat, then a Costco, the Verizon store, and finally a supermarket. We're set, now, for another few days in the wild.
Well we're back in touch with the world again. The delightful young woman, Penny, in the Verizon store who helped us said, when we told her of our problem, "You probably just need a software up grade. I'll do it for you." She opened the cover and punched in some numbers, put it to her ear, and said, "I don't hear a thing." She then looked at the phone and announced, "You're not getting a signal!" (I thought I had told her that.) Anyway we have a new telephone - free because we are such good customers - and most of the accessories needed to make it useful with the computer - not free.
We are at Alexander Springs Recreation Area, only 12 miles by hiking (and mountain bike) trail from Clearwater RA where we were last night but we drove 91 miles to get here. The campground is in a denser forest of a wide variety of trees and shrubs. Getting too much sun isn't likely to be a problem here although there are some sunny areas.
Q029601 Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF #47 dry $8.50g B
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February 22, 2006, (Wed) Alexander Springs RA, Ocala NF (2) - We were promised as we came in to this campground that it would be quiet - we'd seen many ATV scars across the landscape as we approached the entrance. And it has been except for the trucks on the highway just out side the campground, the kid on a skateboard (motorized) going back and forth on the road past our site all night, the dog barking all afternoon in a campsite near us, and jets (military?) taking off from an airport not too far away. But we can't complain because we've used up our complaint allotment by asking to be moved from the campsite we'd been assigned because the pad was on too steep a slope.
The gatekeeper was cheerful and happy when we first came in but she did not want to give us another site. It's a strange situation here. The campground is mostly empty but has many - by far the greatest majority - of the sites designated as reserved sites. Meaning they are only for people who may call to reserve them. In most campgrounds these kinds of sites are available to drive-ins if they haven't already been specifically reserved.
This morning we walked down to the springs - where people were in swimming - and then took an interpretive trail through the woods. This afternoon we took a bike ride around the campground (to get away from the barking dog). Other than that we've enjoyed the warmth (75°) and what little sunshine manages to get through the trees.
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February 23, 2006 (Thu) Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF (3) - We "re-uped" for another 3 nights here - until Monday. It really is pleasant here and our neighbors are such nice people - they are here from Michigan for the whole winter in a 23' BT Cruiser (Motor home). The cell phone works, although the signal is very weak, so we have communication and can access the the internet for email.
This afternoon we bicycled down to the spring and went swimming. It is not a "hot" spring so we expected it to be very cold. It wasn't. In fact it was really quite pleasant once we got in. Joy swam out to the source of the spring but couldn't see much - not even the alligator that has been seen in the area - even though the water is crystal clear. (Apparently there is a momma black bear and cub who frequents the campground too but we haven't seen them either. A neighbor's dog has though. He put up quite a ruckus one night a couple of weeks ago.)
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February 24, 2006 (Fri) Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF (4) - This morning Mark fixed the flat tire on Joy's bicycle and this afternoon we walked part of the Florida Trail into the National Forest. We are happy to report that we didn't come across any serial killer wannabes. (This is the area - but not near here - where the original did his deed and was arrested earlier this year.) If we'd kept going for 12 miles - we only went 2 - we'd have come out at Clearwater Lake, where we were camped a few days ago.
Our neighbors invited us to join them at their (actually another neighbor's - the one with the barking dog) campfire last night but the rains came. It didn't rain all that hard but it was enough to make sitting around a campfire unpleasant to say nothing of damp! We accepted a rain check - so to speak - for tonight. As we sat around the fire we could hear someone nearby playing a guitar and singing - very pleasant. We could also hear a party in progress a way away in another camping loop. All in all it was a festive and enjoyable evening.
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February 25, 2006 (Sat) Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF (5) - This place was really jumping (for a National Forest) today. We rode our bicycles around the the campground and found almost all the campsites occupied. More importantly for us, all the non-reservable sites are occupied. That means we couldn't have gotten in if we'd waited until today to come here. Loop D, with the most large sites and all reservation-only, seems to be overloaded with young single (?) adults in tents. College kids? We expected it to be noisy once the sun went down but it was surprisingly quiet. The greatest disturbance to our - actually our neighbor's - campfire atmosphere was the sound of jets overhead. Joy thinks they were more overflights of the small military jets that had been buzzing the campground all day - practicing bombing runs we are told! (We didn't hear any bomb detonations although they've been heard in the past. Nice quiet campground, this.) Mark thinks they were commercial airliners out of Orlando International.
To Alexander Springs RA - #61-08
To Ocala National Forest - #61-07
February 12 (Sun) The Great Outdoors (5) - It was cold (42° over night, low 50s mid morning) and windy so our activity for the day was to venture into the outskirts of Orlando to hunt up a super Jo-Ann's Fabric store and a bead shop. Dorcas is learning the technique of combining beading with knitting to make mini purses that Joy has been doing on this trip. We couldn't find the bead shop - it has moved - and Jo-Ann's came up short on needed supplies. But a stop at Barnes and Noble yielded a sudoku puzzle book - something for Mark to do while Joy is working crossword puzzles - and a copy of Knit.1 magazine which has a pattern designed by Dorcas. On the way home we had a late lunch at Chile's. (The Olive Garden was our first choice but the wait time was 30+ minutes.)
Watching the Olympics occupied our time during the late afternoon and evening.
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February 13, 2006 (Mon) The Great Outdoors (6) - Colder last night (38°) making for a chilly walk this morning. Other than that it has been a "inside" day - too cold to be comfortable outside - except for Mike who went golfing with some friends. Joy went over and spent some time with Dorcas, knitting and beading, while Mark stayed home to work on taxes and reconcile our bank accounts.
The Great Outdoors #443 Oak Cove Dr (x3) #440 Oak Cove Dr (x3)
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February 14, 2006 Valentine's Day (Tue)
Titusville, FL to Orange City, FL (149/2237 miles)
Even colder last night (36°) and again a cold walk! This is supposed to be Florida! It had warmed all the way up to 48° by the time we got off at 10:36. Dorcas and Mike have been super hosts - thank you guys, it's been an adventure.
Our destination was Blue Spring State Park about 35 miles north of Orlando. To get there we started north on I-95 but left the heavy traffic after only a few miles to head cross-country to Sanford and then to Orange City. Along the way we stopped in Geneva - a nice little town, very friendly - to mail a package.
When we made reservations last week we could get one night - we wanted two. As we checked in today we tried again for two nights and got them. Apparently there had been a cancellation.
This park is noted for its manatees. In the winter they come into Blue Spring run to hang out in the relatively warm spring's water. After getting set up we walked down to the viewing area, a long boardwalk beside the run, where 25 or 30 of them were doing just that. For those who don't know, manatees are large mammals (air breathing) who, like dolphins and whales, live in the water. They are the elephant's closest biological relative and, although not very pretty, are the original mermaids.
Q029465 Blue Spring State Park #31 w/e $22.50 A
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February 15, 2006 (Wed) Blue Spring State Park (2) - It just keeps getting colder - 32° when we got up this morning! We decided not to walk - because it was cold and because we had logged 8 1/2 miles yesterday. Even so we managed to cover 4 1/2 miles going back and forth to the rest rooms, the dumpster and the manatee viewing area. We took our first trip down to the spring at about 10:00, after it had warmed up some. We thought we'd be ahead of the crowd. Nope! Reminiscent of our trying to see the bears fishing for salmon in Hyder, Alaska, we could hardly get to the rails to see the manatees. It was more crowded than yesterday! There were a lot of manatees though and all kinds of fish in the clear water. We walked down again before supper and the crowds were gone. So were most of the manatees! There were a few though and it was fun watching them - although they didn't do much or move very fast. The water was so clear that we could even watch the cormorants swimming under water as they went after fish. A great blue heron caught and tried to swallow a big fish and a large alligator moseyed along the shore on the other side of the run.
Blue Spring State Park #31 (x2)
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February 16, 2006 (Thu)
Orange City, FL to Paisley, FL (45/2282 miles)
It was warmer last night, 42°, and had warmed up to 64° by the time we got off at 9:30. After restocking the cupboards from a Publix supermarket in Orange City we headed for Paisley (isn't that an interesting name?) where a new campground, for us, is located. Clearwater Recreation Area is located next to Lake Clearwater (appropriately) in the Ocala National Forest. The campground is small, 42 sites, and rustic (no hookups). Most sites are large enough for the biggest of rigs - although some would give automatic levelers a workout. In fact there is a bunch of snowbirds - as the gatekeeper called them - in one area, some with class A motor homes and toads. We are in a site away from most other campsites so it should be very quiet here - no nearby generator noise or late night parties. But we are right next to the day-use area so there may be some activity during the day this weekend. We can see the small lake through the trees from both our living room and dining room windows and a small sandy beach is only a short walk away. The showers - just big rooms, one for men and one for women - are reminiscent of locker room showers except that these are roofless. We have opted to use Q's on-board shower facilities. But it's really beautiful here in this forest of live oak trees decorated with swags of hanging Spanish moss and palmetto. This should be a good place to spend a few days. We'll be here until Tuesday.
Q029510 Clearwater Recreation Area #22 dry $7.00g B (x5)
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February 17, 2006 (Fri) Clearwater Recreation Area, Ocala NF (2) - This has been a lazy day of reading, beading, and napping. We tried to get our email but the cell phone signal here is marginal to none. We walked around the campground this evening and explored a trail that must go all the way around the lake. We turned back because it was beginning to get dark.
We don't normally watch television while we are traveling but we've really enjoyed the Olympics on this trip. Even here the TV reception (from Orlando) is excellent - we don't even need to put the antenna up - so it has become our nightly entertainment.
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February 18, 2006 (Sat) Clearwater Recreation Area, Ocala NF (3) - The day use people began to come into the area next to our site at just before noon today. Although there were several cars in the small parking lot very few of the dozen or so picnic tables were occupied. And then everyone spent most of their time down on the beach.
The trail we started to explore yesterday does go all the way around the lake. It was quite a pleasant walk. There don't seem to be any other trails in the area. that's too bad. There are "service roads" that we could explore but we're reluctant to do that as there are "authorized personnel only" signs posted.
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February 19, 2006 (Sun) Clearwater Recreation Area, Ocala NF (4) - The weather was chilly, high of 60°, overcast and dreary. Even the day-use people stayed home. We couldn't help comparing this President's Day weekend to last year when we were in the grossly overcrowded Highland Hammock State Park.
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February 20, 2006 (Mon) Clearwater Recreation Area, Ocala NF (5) - Again no one here to take advantage of this beautiful park - not that we are complaining. The sun came out in the early afternoon and the temperature made it almost to 80°.
We think our phone is having a problem. We should be getting a better signal here and surely should have gotten a good signal somewhere as we drove here Thursday but it remains at the lowest level (one bar). Even our booster doesn't help it. So tomorrow we're off in search of a Verizon store to, maybe, get a new phone. At over 5 years old it's about time anyway.
Clearwater Recreation Area #22 (x5)
To The Great Outdoors - #61-06
February 4, 2006 (Sat) Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (4) - It rained all night! We were both awake off and on at different times and there were only a couple of times when there wasn't the sound of rain on the roof. This morning the puddles in the campground were big enough to be attractive to the alligators in the area - we didn't see any though - and to make lakes out of campsites. A fifth wheel trailer is sitting right in the middle of a big puddle in one campsite and the couple has to use their picnic table as a bridge to get in and out of it. During one of the breaks in the rain - when it was only sprinkling - we walked over to the office to see if any campsites had been freed up due to a cancellation - a real possibility because of the rain. There were, so we've moved into another site and are here for two more days.
Last night, knowing the rain wasn't likely to let up for a while, we'd picked up a jigsaw puzzle from the exchange table in the laundry area and we spent this morning working on that. At about 10:00 the electricity in the campground went out. This is not a problem for us, in fact we didn't even know about it for a while, but it is for the campground and the tent campers. The water - for spigots, showers, flush toilets, etc. - is supplied via electric pumps. And to make matters worse for the two fellows in the tent, a puddle dangerously close to taking over their site.
The rain stopped a little after noon and the electricity came back on soon after. The increased moisture brought out the peeping frogs which we heard as we walked around the campground and, as we ate lunch, a gaggle of turkeys came wandering through. But still no alligators near by. This afternoon we spent reading and watching for the sun to come out.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park #3 w/e $13.20 B+
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February 5,2006 (Sun) Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (5) - The water has receded somewhat although a puddle still surrounds the fifth wheel. And on our walk this morning we came upon a spot in the road that must have been completely under water yesterday - we had to tip toe through mud to go around a big puddle still in the road. Not much happened the rest of the day. We tried to sit out this afternoon after it had warmed up some - to 60°. It wasn't too bad in the sun but our new site doesn't get much of that. After a while we retreated back inside.
We feel a little sorry for those folks in the double wide sized rig. It appears they don't have a kitchen in it. All day long they walked back and forth to the restroom/laundry building to wash their dishes. They even made one trip to wash vegetables. It's surprising what you see when camped close to the activity center.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park #3 w/e $13.20 B+ (x2)
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February 6, 2006 (Mon) Okeechobee, FL to Sebastian, FL (155/2088 miles)
This has been an interesting day. Since we only had 78 miles to go and didn't want to get to camp Walmart (because there's no hope of getting into any of the very few campgrounds in the area) too early, we lounged in bed until after 7:00 (43°) had a leisurely breakfast, showered and did a small laundry. At one point Mark noticed a piece of metal hanging down from Q's retractable rear steps. It turned out to be part of the mechanism that pulls the step up. Long story short, now we have to muscle it up and secure it there with a bungee.
We arrived at the Sebastian Walmart at about 2:00pm and while Joy went off to cruise the women's clothing area, Mark went to check with customer service about overnight parking there - even though we'd been told that there are always motor homes parked there. He was told that it was OK with Walmart but the police may chase us away. Not wanting that at 3:00 in the morning, we decided to go back to Fort Pierce, where the noisy motor home was the other night. It was less than 30 miles south.
We'd no sooner gotten there when Barbara, Joy's quilter friend in Sebastian, called and invited us to stay in her driveway. So back we came. 78 miles turned into 155.
We all went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays - Barbara and Jack (our hosts), Alison and Jean (more of Joy's quilting friends visiting Barbara) and us.
Q029316 Jack and Barbara's Driveway
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February 7, 2006 (Tue) Sebastian, FL (2) - Joy, Barbara, Alison, and Jean (and Hildene) went on a jaunt in search of quilt shops in the Sebastian area. They found a couple and, of course, relieved them of some of their most beautiful excess fabric. Jack was off to an appointment for some golf. Mark and Q just "hung out" for the day reading and napping. We all got together again for a pot luck dinner (turkey, salad, rolls, and ice cream) and conversation by Jack and Barbara's pool.
Jack and Barbara's Driveway (x2)
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February 8, 2006 (Wed)
Sebastian, FL to Titusville, FL (85/2173 miles) - We didn't have far to go today so we took our time getting ready to go. When the others were up and about, Joy went into the house to hang out while Mark did some work on the computer. At 10:40 (68°) we backed Q out onto the busy road. Thanks Barbara and Jack for allowing us to park in you driveway. It made things so much easier.
Instead of the direct route (I-95) we went south to Wabasso, crossed over the Indian River to SR A1A, then headed north. This was an interesting island drive. The atmosphere was definitely "Florida beach". The homes (and condos) were up-scale, for the most part, and ranged from small to large. As we moved north the wealth moved south until the roadside was cluttered with fast food restaurants and surf shops - Cocoa Beach was particularly "touristy". There were several small county parks all along the way - mostly on the ocean side. We stopped at one opposite Patrick Air Force Base for lunch. We pulled up to Dorcas (Mark's sister) and Mike's pad in The Great Outdoors Golf and RV Resort at about 1:30.
Road side establishments:
Oop-a-daisy (a florist)
Flea Be Gone (a dog grooming service)
Q029401 Dorcas and Mike's Driveway w/e/s/c
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February 9, 2006 (Thu) The Great Outdoors (2) - We were up at about 6:30 (42°) and walked around the loop of Plantation Drive (5 miles). It was interesting to see again this residential park that has been build for RV enthusiasts. This year there seem to be fewer fancy golf carts - looking like mini automobiles - and more kayaks on top of toads. The people are still very friendly. Every one waves, if passing in a vehicle, or says good morning (etc.) if on foot or bicycle. In the afternoon we went with Mike and Dorcas to the Orlando Wetlands Park for some bicycling. This could have been a pleasant 6 mile loop around a couple of ponds but for the wind. Even so we had a good time and saw lots of wildlife. For dinner Mike and Dorcas took us to a buffet for some good old American food - all we could eat. And we, of course, stuffed ourselves.
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February 10, 2006 (Fri) The Great Outdoors (3) - Our big activity for today was shopping (at Walmart and Bealls Outlet) after our chilly (43°) 5 mile walk. This afternoon Mark borrowed Dorcas' WiFi connection to update our financial information and do other downloads requiring a high speed internet connection. In the evening we watched the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
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February 11, 2006 (Sat) The Great Outdoors (4) - We got busted today. We were sitting here in Q, Mark working on income taxes and Joy doing a crossword puzzle, when a cop car pulled up in front. We were told we weren't allowed on Dorcas and Mikes pad, private property not withstanding. It seems there is a rule - only one RV per site. Dorcas and Mike knew this but since so many sites have more than one RV, they thought there'd be no problem. Wrong!
The three sites across the road belong to a family who is very seldom here. Dorcas was able to get in touch with one of the owners who kindly gave us permission to use the pad that was empty - the others have a 5th wheel each sitting there. So we moved across the street.
This site has a view of a small lake and the golf course beyond. The water, electric, and cable hookups all work. A sewer hookup is also available. We'll be quite happy here until Tuesday.
The Great Outdoors #443 Oak Cove Dr w/e/s/c
To Kissimmee Prairie - #61-05
January 28, 2006 (Sat) Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress NP (4) - In the immortal words of King George III on the day the American Declaration of Independence was signed; Nothing of importance happened today. We didn't even do much in the way of intentional exercise - maybe a couple of miles walking, but that's it. The rest of the day we just sat around reading and watching the other campers come and go.
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January 29, 2006 (Sun) Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress NP (5) - There are 1144.57 square miles in Big Cypress National Preserve. Throughout the park there are gravel trails maintained for off-road vehicle enthusiasts and swamp buggy tours. A mile long "service road" connects the campground loop with one of these roads. This morning we walked out to the OVR trail and then north on the trail for a couple of miles. It was hard going because most of the way we were walking on limestone chunks ranging from the size of a big toe to a fist. It was a beautiful area to walk in but we had to pay close attention to where we placed our feet so as not to twist an ankle. We may have found some new muscles! Otherwise the day was a repeat of yesterday.
Our bicycle peddling muscles are beginning to accept the rigors of circling the lake several times a day, so longer jaunts will be easier later on. We look forward to being where we can do some.
Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress NP #5 dry $8:00g B- (x5)
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January 30, 2006 (Mon)
Monument Lake CG to Midway CG, Big Cypress NP (7.7/1688 miles)
We were up at about 6:30 and started out to walk around the lake just as it was getting light. As we approached the rest room facilities, about 1/3 of the way around, it began to sprinkle, the first precipitation of our trip. Rather than go on around as we had intended, we took the shorter route back. It was raining quite heavily by the time we were back in Q but, wouldn't ya know, it stopped just about the time we pulled the door shut. Our clean clothes were now wet clothes. Getting to a laundry had become even more critical!
We decided to move to this Midway Campground, only 8 miles down US41 to the east, because we wanted to check it out (it was closed for complete renovation last year) and because it has electric hookups and a dump station. The campground host at Monument Lake told us it would probably be full and, though he couldn't save us a site, expected to see us back. We thought that if we timed it right, we might get the site of someone leaving this morning. And that's how it worked out. We got here at about 9:30 just as small trailer was pulling out.
This campground is also very small - 26 back-in sites and a few sites for tents around a small man made lake. The road around it is less than a half mile long. Although run by the National Park Service, the atmosphere is very much like a much more expensive resort - without the fancy amenities. We are parked on an asphalt pad facing the lake with a picnic table and grill on a concrete pad beside us. The grounds are nicely manicured and our fellow campers seem very friendly.
Q028916 Midway Campground, Big Cypress NP #6 e $10.00 A
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January 31, 2006 (Tue)
Big Cypress NP to Fort Pierce, FL (190/1878 miles)
Jack is looking forward to this entry with some trepidation but we'll go easy. We got off from Midway campground at 8:00 (68°) after dumping and taking on water. The big city of Miami was ahead, but it was hard to realize it as we drive east on US41 . The road across the Everglades was almost devoid of human life. There were a few Indian villages along the way and an occasional car or RV passed us.
Hitting the outskirts of Miami in commuter hour was environmental shock! We were suddenly reminded of why we like camping in places like Big Cypress. With the help of Henry (for research) and Hildene (for navigation) we found our way into the city (Miami Lakes) to Costco and a laundromat. Lunch was at McDonalds because there was no hope of finding a rest area or uncluttered parking lot to fix our own lunch.
Stuart, FL - It was good to see Jack and Olive again and especially good because we didn't have to rush off to get to a far-off campground as we did last year. We were going to eat dinner at Carrabbas Italian Grill on US1 but even after calling ahead to cut our wait time in half, we waited almost an hour before giving up and walking out. Sonnys Barbecue turned out to be an excellent substitute. Thanks Jack and Olive.
A phone call to the Stuart Walmart had revealed that it was OK to spend the night in their parking lot (not a given in coastal Florida counties) but a sign as we drove into the lot read "No overnight parking, violators will be towed". We checked inside and found out that it was a new Martin County regulation. Not wanting to wake up in the clutches of a moving tow truck, we went on to the Fort Pierce Walmart where overnight parking was allowed. 15 or 20 RVs were corralled into a small section of the lot making it impossible to get away from a motor home with a very loud generator. At 9:30 the security man, whose job it was to ensure that no one strayed - as we did - from the designated "campground", said that the rig had been there with its generator running all afternoon and suggested that if enough of us complained he might turn it off.
Q029106 Camp Walmart C
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February 1, 2006 (Wed)
Fort Pierce, FL to Okeechobee, FL (55/1933 miles)
Sometime well after the end President Bush's State of the Union speech last night we heard loud talking over by the noisy motor home. Soon after that the generator shut down and the night turned quiet.
It was chilly when we got up this morning (50°) but we didn't turn the furnace on because we were running low on propane. As it turned out there was a Flying J truck stop on the way where we replenished our supply.
We were at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park last year and decided to come back again this year. Our plan is to stay 5 nights but we could only get three. There are no available sites for Sunday night but there are one or two for Monday night. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned.
Q029161 Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park #19 w/e $13.20 B+
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February 2, 2006 (Thu) Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (2) - This park is out in the middle of nowhere, north of Lake Okeechobee. Flat Florida landscape stretches out forever in every direction. There are trees (mostly palms) and hammocks (groupings of trees) here and there but grass field and swamp best describes the terrain. This morning we walked 3 miles out a trail into the prairie. On the way we saw hawks, herons, egrets, vultures, and other birds we didn't have time to identify. There were also several young (small antler racks) white tail deer. But the most fascinating were the spider webs. Yes spider webs. There were hundreds of them sparkling in the sun along the trail as we returned. Those little guys are amazing engineers. With only a stalk or two of grass for support they are able to construct a web that is almost perfectly round with each segment drawn as if by compass and straight-edge.
Our entertainment this afternoon started by watching a young couple, papers and maps in hand, look over the pull through site across the road from us. Over the next half hour or so they pointed, gestured and swept their arms around. They pointed at the trees, the sides of the road, the campsites next to them and across the road (ours included). They even got the campers from the next site involved. We came to the conclusion that they were the advance party for a large group. After a couple of false starts, they finally left.
Five minutes later a large white Volvo diesel tractor - the kind normally seen on the interstates hauling big box trailers (18 wheelers) - came growling into the site. Instead of a box, it was hauling a huge Teton Homes 5th wheel. It stopped half way into the site so the driver, the neighbor, and the campground host, on ladders and from the top of the 5th wheel, could trim back tree branches. Once the site was big enough they pulled the rest of the way in and unhooked.
With the 3 slides out the living quarters is only slightly smaller than a standard double wide home. When someone asked them why they needed something so big, the woman said "It's our home". Maybe so but we wonder if it's really worth it. How many campground managers are willing to allow their trees to be pruned like that? We can't help but wonder if they have a cherry picker and chain saw stowed away somewhere for emergencies. And we can't imagine running out the supermarket, or the local deli, or a restaurant in that big semi.
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February 3, 2006 Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (3) - We walked 3 miles out into the prairie again this morning, but in the other direction. It was warm but mostly overcast, although the sun did come out once for a short time. When we got back, the campground host told us that Okeechobee county, among others, were under a tornado watch until 3:00pm and gave us some tips as to what we should do if it began to get windy. Oh Good!
The winds came but no tornado. We stowed our chairs, rugs, bicycles and awning then went next door did the same for our neighbors because they were out in the prairie on their bicycles. They got back as we were trying to figure out how to stow their awning and just as it began to rain. And did it ever rain! There are big puddles everywhere in the campground. Luckily we have none of them in our site. Looks like it is going to rain all night, and tomorrow too!!
