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