March 25, 2006 (Sat)
New Bern, NC to Greenville, NC (128/3836 miles)
We left the Walmart parking lot at about 9:05 (34° overnight!), got gas and headed south to look at one of the campgrounds in Croatan National Forest we considered going to last night. It turned out that there would have been plenty of room for us. In fact many of the sites had young (pale green) grass covering them indicating: a) very light use, b) very light maintenance. We discussed getting a site there for the night but decided that since it was so cold (54°) and threatened rain, (and there was a vicious sounding dog barking somewhere) we may as well spend the night in the Greenville Walmart parking lot 50 miles north. But first we drove on south to Morehead City, sightseeing - very interesting area but is probably crazy in the summer like most beach resorts.
As a matter of corporate policy, Walmart allows and even encourages, overnight RV parking in their parking lots. Sometimes local ordinance - usually sponsored by local campground owners - overrides this policy. So for that reason, and as a courtesy, we always check with each store before settling in. We called the Greenville store, got transferred to management, and were assured that there was no problem. But just before we were about to fix supper the night security (small pickup) truck stopped beside us. He wanted to know the name of the manager Mark spoke to. Of course he didn't know. "Go inside and speak to a manager and let me know."
The clerk in Customer Service got on the phone (to a manager?) and was told that Walmart doesn't own the parking lot. It's OK for us to stay, lots of motor homes do, up toward the McDonalds but the police might give us a ticket. Mark flagged the security truck down and relayed the message. "What was the name of the manager you talked to?" Well, of course, Mark didn't know. "Walmart owns the parking lot and the buildings, all the buildings. Go back in and talk with a manager in person, not a little guy on the bottom, a manager. Talk to Barbara, or Robert, or Bill. Talk to Barbara." "If I get the OK, do you need something in writing?" "No. Just tell me who you talked to." (??) Joy was getting a little upset at this point. This was VERY unusual. Mark traced Barbara down (no easy task) "No Problem at all." and relayed the message to security, including her name, and received assurance that we would not be hassled by him or the police. It was all very strange. Everyone was smiling and friendly. There was never any indication that we weren't welcome but it was strange.
Tomorrow we'll be meeting Nephew Jake for lunch.
Q031084 Camp Walmart, Greenville, NC
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March 26, 2006 (Sun)
Greenville, NC to Franklin, VA (140/3976 miles)
The security guy was good to his word, we got through the night without either him or the police knocking on our door. And we slept pretty well to boot. We were up fairly early (35°), showered, ate breakfast, and wandered around the Walmart store for an hour or so. At at 10:00 we called Jake and he came over. He showed us pictures of his recent trip to Japan (what an adventure that must have been for him!) and he endured our pictures of our trip to Alaska. Then it was lunch at Ham's Restaurant and Brew House - delicious "bacon cheese fries" and hamburgers (high carb pig-out!). It was really great being with him and getting to know him in a way impossible in larger family situations.
At 2:30 we were back on our way again headed up SR-43 toward Rocky Mount, NC. Another couple of miles west we picked up I-95. Traffic was heavy and fast interrupted only when a reported car fire - we saw no evidence of a recent one - slowed everyone to a crawl. We did enjoy seeing the emerging wild flowers along the roadsides and median - daffodils, narcissus, and a beautiful large field of what looked like light blue violets. It looked like a bit of sky had fallen.
"No problem." was the friendly response at 5:30 when we asked if it was OK to spend the night in the Franklin, VA Walmart parking lot. So here we are. We haven't seen any sign of a security truck.
Q031224 Camp Walmart, Franklin, VA
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March 27, 2006 (Mon)
Franklin, VA to Home (406/4382 miles)
Up at 6:00 (32°) Clear. Several trucks came in last night (noisy) but no other motor homes. After breakfast at McDonalds down the street we were off at just before 7:00.
The 17.6 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is the largest bridge-tunnel in the world and in 1964 was selected as one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World. We've driven it several times and we did today. The water was very choppy and green. A few miles north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge in New Jersey we filled Q's tank with the cheapest gas we had seen since we left home - $2.23/gal at the Flying J. We got home at about 4:00 and found everything ship shape.
Q031630 Home
And Home - #61-13
To New Bern, NC - #61-12
March 19, 2006 (Sun) Stephen C. Foster State Park (3) - We had thought that we'd have a campfire last night but we decided that the mosquitoes had had enough to eat for one day. They aren't bad during the day but we didn't bother to go around and collect wood left by departing campers this morning because we won't have a fire tonight either. Most of the tent campers (and their dogs) left well before noon so the campground was relatively quiet most of the day. Since we're practically across the road from the rest room/laundry room, Joy took the opportunity to hobble over to do some laundry. An indication that concessionaires have not yet taken over the Georgia state parks, this one at least, is that it costs only 75¢ a load.
It's been cloudy most of the day but there has been a little sunshine warming up a small patch here and there. At 65° finding a spot to sit in was a priority and meant that we had to keep moving as the sun did. The park has two nature trails (in addition to many miles of water trails through the swamp). For our intentional exercise today we explored one of them and stopped by the camp store to see what they had to offer.
Stephen C. Foster SP, Okefenokee (Swamp) National Wildlife Refuge#44 (x3)
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March 20, 2006 (Mon) First day of Spring!
Fargo, GA to Savannah, GA (192/3354 miles)
Up at 6:30 (54°) - because we were awake, not because we were in any hurry - and pulled out of our campsite at 7:45. The hardwood trees have begun to leaf out giving them all a pale green glow. And the azaleas are in full bloom making even the poorest of landscaping a touch of class. We told Hildene to avoid "highways" so we were able to stay off I-95 without taking a lot of abuse from her. That gave us the opportunity to do some needed shopping and to eat a high-carb lunch at Taco Bell. We also stopped at several auto supply stores and a Radio Shack looking for a proximity switch for Q's rear step monitor light. No luck!
According to our travel notes we spent one night in Skidaway State Park back in 1998. Neither of us remembers it nor does being here spark any memories. The campground is quite full even for a weekday because, the gatekeeper told us, this is the season and the "Spring Breakers" are here. Oh good!
In the "People Are Interesting" department: The class C Lazy Daze motor home from Nevada that followed us into the park took considerably longer to find an acceptable site than we did. They even unhooked their toad after a while and drove it around the campground. They finally settled on the site behind us. 20 minutes after parking the motor home there they moved it (with the satellite dish deployed) to the site across from us. Then proceeded an interesting "settling in" routine all the world like a dog circling round and round in his bed before lying down. The leveling jacks go down, the satellite dish twists this way and that, the jacks go up, the motor home moves a few feet, and the jacks go down again. This went on for several cycles then the TV antenna went up and began to twist this way and that. (What makes all this even more curious is that there is a cable TV jack in each campsite.) Finally they moved the motor home closer to the utility post - but they didn't hook anything up. A couple of hours later the fellow came out and hooked up the shoreline for electric power and the cable TV cable and disappeared again without hooking up the water.
Q030602 Skidaway Island SP #4 w/e/c $22.50s +$3.00 entrance fee A+
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March 21, 2006 (tue) Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA (2) - This is a beautiful, though expensive (even with a senior discount), park. Walking through the whole campground this morning we saw that the campsites are all pull-through and very large. Some are even big enough for two 40' motor homes with room left over to park their toads and Q. We didn't see any doubling up though. Although open and roomy there is plenty of vegetation and enough trees to keep sunburn from being a concern.
It got very dark about mid morning and thunder rolled off in the distance but there wasn't much rain to go with it. After it cleared in the afternoon, we hiked out into the salt marsh. The gnats are really bad this evening. They seem to be coming in with impunity even though we're well closed up. It's probably just as well that we'll be leaving tomorrow
Skidaway Island State Park #4 (x2)
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March 22, 2006 (Wed)
Savannah, GA to McClellanville, SC (167/3521 miles)
We got up early (47°), showered (great showers), ate breakfast and were ready to go by about 7:30. But we planned to stop at the Costco (because it's there) in Charleston, SC and didn't want to get there before they'd let us in so we hung out until after 8:00. Sanitary duties (dumping and flushing) took up more time and we finally got off at 8:40 (51°). The road off the island took us over Moon River (among others) and into outskirts of Savannah. The traffic wasn't nearly as heavy as we'd expected. The streets through Savannah are among the most beautiful in the world. Along our route, huge live oak trees heavily draped with Spanish moss shaded not only the street but also the large old southern mansions lining both sides. Giant azalea bushes in full multi-color bloom only add the beauty of the route. Once out of the city I-95 took us North to Point South where we turned East onto US-17. After doing our duty at Costco and picking up some groceries at a Lion King - oops, a Food Lion, we proceeded through Charleston and on up into the Francis Marion National Forest.
Bumper sticker: "God told me she doesn't like Bush."
Q030769 Buck Hall Campground, Francis Marion NF #8 e $10.00s A
We've been at this campground twice before - once before 1997 when we started documenting our travels and again in 2003. We don't remember it being quite so buggy. The gnats attack in swarms the minute we step outside and in fewer numbers inside - they are small enough to come right through the screens! Almost too small to see, they pack a wallop when they bit and tend to leave welts that itch for hours (if not days). We used the vacuum cleaner to keep them at bay inside and waited until they decided to move on before venturing out for any length of time.
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March 23, 2006 (Thu) Buck Hall Campground, Francis Marion NF (2) - It got cold last night! 34° The local weather reports say that it went below freezing inland from here. This is South Carolina. It's not supposed to get that cold - especially in late March. It got over 55° during the day making outdoor activities a bit undesirable. The good news is that the gnats don't like it much either.
This campground is open and grassy much like many private parks except that here the sites are well spread out. And there are free trees standing scattered about. The parking pads are plenty long enough for any rig and are paved. Only electricity is provided at the site. We are across the loop from a channel that is part of the Intra Coastal Waterway. Occasionally a boat passes by in one direction or the other. Last night Joy saw the lights of what must have been a rather sizable yacht moving up the channel.
We had looked forward to camping here but the campground has deteriorated in the last few years. The rest rooms, although clean, are badly in need of physical maintenance. So much so that we felt uncomfortable using the showers. So it was Q to the rescue. And the fresh water spigot at the dump station had no way to be turned on so we had to find a source in the campground. The one we chose had a problem! It sprayed as much water straight up into the air as it supplied to the hose. When we got off at 8:20 (43°), Mark was soaked!
Buck Hall Campground, Francis Marion National Forest (x2)
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March 24, 2006 (Fri)
McClellanville, SC to New Bern, NC (187/3708 miles)
Overnight low 41°. And it rained off and on. The sky this morning was overcast and dreary as we headed up US-17. We chose US-701 rather than staying on US-17 to avoid the ultra heavy traffic through Myrtle Beach, SC but after doing laundry in Conway, we decided to have lunch at an Atlanta Bread Company (sandwich shop chain) in North Myrtle Beach. The traffic turned out to be much lighter than we'd expected but much worse through Wilmington, NC. We don't remember it being anywhere near that bad other times we've been this way.
As we approached Jacksonville, NC, we began to think that our chances of getting a camp space in the National Forest late Friday afternoon were very low. (Buck Hall CG was almost fully booked when we left this morning). So we decided to go on and stop at the Walmart there. It was super crowded - no place at all to park, much less spend the night. The Walmart in New Bern, 28 miles Northeast, is much better and although the highway is not far away, it is going to be our home for the night.
In a couple of more days we really will be home. We are thinking Monday, if we decide to push, or Tuesday
Q030956 Camp Walmart, New Bern, NC
Starting for Home - #61-11
March 11, 2006 (Sat) Lakeland, FL (2) - This has been another beautiful Florida day. They say that the temperature is above normal. That's all right with us. It got a little uncomfortable in the afternoon (86°) but that was all right too - better than being uncomfortably cold.
Mark spent the morning disassembling the automatic step mechanism, replacing the broken part, and reassembling it again. It wasn't an easy thing to do, especially since he had no idea what he was doing
Ed & Kathy's yard (2)
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March 12, 2006 (Sun)
Lakeland, FL to Englewood, FL (118/2814 miles) - Bright, breezy, and beautiful at 9:30 when we pulled out of Ed and Kathy's yard headed for Joy's mother's home. The clouds looked like big puffy balls of cotton. The temperature, when we thought to look, was 78°. There was only one small annoyance to mar the atmosphere. The step monitor light in the cab was glowing red indicating that the rear step was still down. It wasn't. It was/is a circuit malfunction. (They abort space shots for things like that don't they?)
We made a stop at Costco in Brandon but otherwise it was an uneventful trip down I-75. Bom and Gail (Joy's mother and sister) were waiting and happy to see us.
Q030062 SunTrust Bank parking lot - parked (x3)
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March 15, 2006 (Wed)
Englewood, FL to Lakeland, FL (114/2928 miles)
Our time with Bom and Gail (although she left to start her trip home to Seattle, WA Tuesday evening) was fun and relaxing. Joy went swimming with her mother each of the three mornings we were there (Mark went once) otherwise the activity was pretty much what you'd expect when family gets together.
Well almost. Yesterday afternoon, during a rousing Skip-Bo game at the kitchen/dining area table, a 3 foot long 2 inch diameter Water Moccasin (poisonous) snake slithered up onto the apron outside the floor to ceiling sliding door type window next to them. Joy was able to chase him (or her) away by banging on the window but he was back again this morning as we were packing Q getting ready to leave. The president of the condo association (with some assistance from Mark) was able to put an end to the threat. The details of the battle are best left undocumented. (But we will be happy to fill you in on it in person. Needless to say it was scary and gross. Now, everywhere I walk I look in the grass!! -J-)
After a stop at a discount mall in Ellenton, FL - where Joy bought 2 pairs of Easy Spirit sneakers at a discounted discount price - we arrived at Ed and Kathy's at about 5:00. We played dominoes in the evening and retired early.
Q030176 Ed and Kathy's yard
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March 16, 2006 (Thu) Lakeland, FL (2) - Our big adventure today was to go The Book Bazaar, a used paperback book store, to cash in the books that we have read for some we have not. We have found this to be the best of any book exchange stores we've found. They will take almost any book in half way good condition - they have yet to refuse any book we've brought in, even those that have been turned down by other stores - and they pay a good price for them. We are always surprised at the number of books we can buy for the credit we earn from the books we take in.
For lunch we went to a Chinese Buffet (Ling's) and made brief stops at Circuit City (Hildene's former home), Staples, and Home Depot on the way home. We played Dominoes in the afternoon as Ed and Kathy had to be out in the evening.
Ed and Kathy's yard. (x2)
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March 17, 2006 (Fri)
Lakeland, FL to Fargo, GA (234/3162 miles)
It was 58° when we got up at 6:30 this morning and 64° at 9:10 when we got off. We had planned to take SR 471 between US 98 and US 301 to get to I-75 north recommended by Ed and Kathy - it was a more direct and more scenic route - but decided to stay on US 98 into Dade City in order to get gas at the Flying J station there. It turned out to be a good decision. We paid $2.35/gal whereas the lowest we'd seen getting there was $2.49. (The price was $2.63/gal at a station in Lakeland where it was $2.53/gal yesterday!)
As Lunch time approached along 70 MPH I-75 (our speed was 60 MPH) it dawned on us that we'd forgotten to take the flags in off the back of Q. All that was left was one of the suction cups that secured the flag holder to the motor home. Oh well. It was time to get new flags anyway. We're sorry to have lost them though as they have flown over our campsites for several years in states and provinces from Prince Edward Island, Canada to Florida to Alaska.
Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee (Swamp) National Wildlife Refuge is much more crowded than we expected it to be. The last time we were here there were very few sites occupied - but then, it wasn't a weekend and apparently the "season" begins here on the first of March.
On the way in we were stopped at a police road block. We were told that it was a spot check of driver's license and vehicle registration. We suspect that there were other reasons. It was at the end of the 17 mile road, the only road into the the park. The trooper took Mark's driver's license and walked around behind Q (to call it in?) but did not ask for the registration. He expressed concerns about there being any campsites left in the park and wished us a pleasant weekend after giving back the license.
The lady in the registration office asked if we minded being in a handicapped site. "We don't, if you don't but a camper who IS handicapped might have a problem with it." "We have two others." was the response. So our plan of action is for one or the other of us to always be in the motor home playing the part of a handicapped camper so we won't be getting nasty looks.
Q030410 Stephen C. Foster State Park, Farrago, GA #44 w/e/c $17.60s A+
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March 18, 2006 (Sat) Stephen C. Foster State Park (2) - Georgia state parks don't have the restrictions on pets that the Florida state parks do. And the people here seem to be taking advantage of that big time. There are dogs in many sites. We are completely unaware of most of them, as it should be, unless their owners walk by with them. But there is one dog up the way that has been barking all afternoon. It became aggravating enough that we finally moved inside. (The fact that the air is chilly helped our decision some.) There are 5 dogs in the campsite across the way but we rarely hear a peep from them (much less a bark) even though their owners have been away from the site for several hours. We think they are in the process of being trained. When the people are around, there are two cars in the site, they seem to be unusually attentive to the dogs.
Mark spent some of this morning looking for the reason that the step monitor light doesn't work. With Joy's help he even removed the motor assembly and completely dismantled it - in less than half the time it took him the first time. The conclusion is that part of the proximity switch that turns the light off was thrown out with the broken part. A stop at an auto parts store should turn up a replacement for that.
Every time the ranger truck goes by we expect it to stop out front so that we can be thrown off this site. We have both been doing quite well practicing our "hobble". By the time we leave we should be very convincing.
Back to Lakeland - #61-10
March 4, 2006 (Sat) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (6) - The whole campground has filled up with young adults (20ish). Fortunately most of the large groups are in another area of the campground loop. We can hear them - and their loud music - but they are far enough away not to be intrusive. There is a young family across the way whose teenage son likes to have the radio on the pickup loud enough to be annoying. It doesn't last too long though and we can close ourselves in Q when we go into overload.
Nothing else of interest to report other than it has been cold in the mornings. The sun warms things up nicely though so sitting out has been enjoyable.
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March 5, 2006 (Sun) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (7) - Most of the young people have gone. They packed up and left this morning. We had a few hours of peace, even the fighter jets were quiet, but this afternoon the motorcycle enthusiasts started to come in - most with their bikes on trailers. (It is "Bike Week" in Daytona Beach a few miles east of here.) There have been a few around all week and we have found them to be considerate neighbors.
It was cold again this morning (40°) but the sun has been hot. We took advantage of that and the peacefulness by spending most of the day reading and taking a short hike to watch the canoes and kayaks being put into the water.
Just before supper we heard the sound of a low flying helicopter. When it seemed to be hanging around we went out to take a look. It appeared as if the door was open and a man was leaning out and looking down. About then a park ranger driving a golf cart pulled up and walked over. He asked if we'd seen a young fellow come by wearing blue shorts and a white shirt (Mark was wearing denim shorts and T-shirt) "No. What's going on?" "The store was robbed." (the concession stand at the springs). Apparently Mark didn't fit the description close enough - old age has its advantages - because he said thank you and went on to the next campsite. The helicopter circled until it began to get dark then all was quiet again.
Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF #22 (x2) #15 (x5)
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March 6, 2006 (Mon)
Silver Springs, FL to Altoona, FL (31/2556 miles)
It wasn't as cold last night, 45°, but the weather forecasts are calling for a cold front to move in tonight or tomorrow. It would be depressing except that the sun really warms it up during the day. We got off this morning at about 8:00 and turned west on SR-40 then south on SR-19. We did laundry in Umatilla then went on south into the outskirts of Eustis to a Publix supermarket.
Once replenished we headed back north to Alexander Springs Recreational Area where we were a week ago and found that Ed and Kathy had gotten there only a short time before. We had reservations this time to ensure that Ed and Kathy got a site big enough for their motor home. As it turned out it wouldn't have been a problem but this way was safer. We are across the road from them and are the only two camping units on the loop. The rest rooms are being rebuilt in this area which means a longer walk (or bike ride) but it's not too far.
As we sat out visiting, Bill and Margaret - our neighbors the last time we were here - came walking by and stopped for a short visit. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs in Ed and Kathy's motor home - there was an evening chill in the air and we were going to play dominoes inside later anyway.
Q029804 Alexander Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF #9 dry 8.50g (+ reservation fee & tax) B
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March 7, 2006 (Tue) Alexander Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (2) - It has been an interesting experience looking at campsites and trying to determine which, if any, are large enough for Ed and Kathy's 40' long class A motor home. And it produced an interesting phenomenon. As we researched the three National Forest Campgrounds - Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, and Salt Springs - our perception of how big 40' is grew and grew until we became convinced that there were very few sites big enough. But as soon as we let Ed and Kathy know that Alexander Springs presented the best hope with one, perhaps two sites, the sites all got bigger. Even at Juniper Springs, where the maximum pad length is 35', we saw a few sites that might actually take a 40' motor home. This morning we and Ed and Kathy walked around the whole Alexander Springs campground and learned from those who know best that there are very few they could NOT get into. It was also determined that the one they were assigned - the one we had recommended was unavailable - was the best.
This afternoon we spent reading, knitting and working on our sun tans (while trying to stay warm at 67°). This evening it was another game of dominoes.
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March 8, 2006 (Wed) Alexander Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (3) - Another cold (for Florida) night last night, 41° but again it warmed up nicely during the day. At about 10:00 we took off with Ed and Kathy (in their toad) for Silver Springs (the village). On the way we took a short tour of the Juniper Springs campground and found many of those sites - though not nearly as many as at Alexander Springs - were also big enough for their motorhome. In Silver Springs Ed and Mark went to a model trains store while Joy and Kathy did some of the clothing and consignment shops in the shopping center. The net result of this was two new railroad cars for Ed's G gauge train layout. Lunch was Chinese buffet (very good)
After we got back Bill and Margaret - our former neighbors - stopped by to tell us they would not be having the campfire they'd invited us to - too cold - so we had to resort to another game of dominoes in the evening.
March 9, 2006 (Thu) Alexander Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (4) - It did get cold last night (39°) but they say this is it for a while and maybe for the winter. That would be nice. As always, it warmed up and became a beautiful day. Bill and Margaret again invited us to their campfire but we decided to have one of our own.
Alexander Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF #9 (x4)
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March 10, 2006 (Fri)
Altoona, FL to Lakeland, FL (140/2696 miles)
Our thermometer recorded 57° over night. That's more like it! (51° in New York City.) After getting ready to go we loaded our leftover wood onto Q's rear step and took it down to Bill and Margaret's site. They are a nice couple and we look forward to seeing them again, if we stop at Alexander Springs again next year.
On the way to Lakeland we stopped in Umatilla to do some laundry and to replenish our propane. In Eustis Hildene gave us a late prompt causing us to miss a turn and unnecessarily get caught up in road construction. (It was really our fault. We knew the turn was coming up and didn't get ready for it.) We stopped at a familiar Chinese buffet restaurant in Lakeland for lunch and then went on to the Camping World store in Seffner. In Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park the mechanism that operates Q's rear step broke and we have had to deploy it manually since. We were able to get a replacement for the broken part at Camping World.
Ed and Kathy generously offered their yard as our next campsite even though they wouldn't be home. So here we are. They plan to be home early Sunday morning so we may see them then and maybe not. Either way, thank you, guys.
Q029944 Ed & Kathy's yard
Juniper Springs - #61-09
February 26, 2006 (Sun) Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF (6) - What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was warm and busy. Today it's too chilly (61°) to sit out unless in the direct sun (not much of that) and by early afternoon the campground was deserted. Our neighbors who like to have a campfire every night went out on their bicycles and collected all the wood left by the departing campers. It took several trips with it stacked and bunged to the bicycle racks. We went out to help, to repay their hospitality some, but by the time we realized what they were doing they had it all done - no wood left anywhere in the campground.
Tomorrow we're off to do laundry, some shopping and to check out another campground.
Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF #47 (x6)
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February 27, 2006 (Mon) Altoona, FL to Silver Springs, FL (59/2431 miles)
The priorities for today were to refresh our holding tanks (dump and take on fresh water), grocery shop, and do laundry. We went to a laundromat in Umatilla, FL (8 miles south on State Road 19). Among the discarded reading material there was a discount coupon for a used book store in Eustis, FL in a mall with a Publix supermarket. So we drove another 5 miles south. Then, fortified with food (including lunch at Applebee's), clean clothes, and new books to read, we headed back north into the Ocala National Forest and to Juniper Springs Recreational Area.
Q029659 Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF #22 dry $8.50g A
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February 28, 2006 (Tue) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (2) - It was the coldest night so far in the current cold snap - 40° - but it warmed up nicely. This campground seems neater then the Ocala NF campgrounds we've been in. We can't put our finger on why. Maybe it's the better condition of the paved roads through the campground, or the wider spacing of the campsites, or the openness, or the lushness of the greenery, or maybe even that the rest rooms are newer. At any rate it's enjoyable here. The fighter jets we heard from Alexander Springs fly over here too but here we can hear the explosions of their practice bombs. They do wonders for an afternoon snooze!
One of the reasons we came here this trip was to rent a canoe and explore Juniper Run through the forest. We did that this morning. It was 7 1/2 miles from the source of one of the springs - the stream barely wide enough and deep enough for the canoe - to a pick-up area in a wider and deeper river. Along the way we zig-zagged back and forth to follow the sharply meandering waterway. There has been minimum effort put into clearing fallen trees so in addition to constantly working to avoid hitting the banks - not always successfully - we had to duck under downed trees - many very low and one so low that we had to literally lie down in the canoe to get under it. Mark has bruised ribs from hitting a branch at another obstacle and a lump on the head from not ducking low enough at another. And we both have exhausted arm muscles that will be lame and sore tomorrow. But the beauty of the scenery and the abundance of wild life made the experience well worth while. Among other things we saw, maybe, 100 turtles, several species of of bird, 3 or 4 white tail deer and two alligators - one a 14 footer so close to the canoe that we could have touched him with our paddles.
We spent the afternoon, guilt free, doing nothing.
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March 1, 2005 (Wed) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (3) - We didn't actually go anywhere today except from one campsite to another even though Q's odometer shows 94 more miles. In the process we checked out Salt Springs Recreation Area north of here and went into Silver Springs to do some shopping and get fuel.
The Salt Springs RA is huge, at least the camping area is and we assume the rest of the area is too. There are 106 full hookup sites that is full all the time. The gatekeeper said that there was one site opening up in about an hour if we wanted to wait. We asked about the non hookup sites. "Oh, no problem," she said. "I thought you'd want hookups." She gave us a 10 minute pass to see the site that would be opening up and the "primitive" tenting area. The primitive area was practically empty but a little too primitive for our liking right now and more set up for tents than RVs. The RV area, on the other hand, was a typical RV campground - sites packed together in rows - and not really to our liking right now either. We had thought this might be a good place to meet up with Ed and Kathy next week but we discovered that there may or may not be space for one or both of us there at the same time. There is no maximum stay limit so the turnover isn't as predictable as it is in most places. We decided that Alexander Springs RA might be a better place.
Our trip to Silver Springs, after registering again here at Juniper Springs RA, wasn't at all exciting. We got gas and a few groceries. The Six Gun Plaza (a small shopping center) just east of the Walmart Supercenter on SR40 is worth stopping at sometime.
As we sat out reading this afternoon a cute little raccoon wandered into our campsite. Mark chased him away but he came back a few minutes later to retrieve his mate who had apparently been watching from the safety of a tree.
Q029753 Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF #15 dry $8.50g A
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March 2, 2006 (Thu) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (4) - We hiked another part of the Florida National Scenic Trail this morning (the other part was at Alexander Springs RA). This is an area hit by a couple of the hurricanes in 2004 so there was a great deal of damage done to parts of the forest. The National Forest Service sold off the trees, downed and otherwise, to commercial interests which has left some areas very barren. There must have been some control because the areas are few and small. Unfortunately many of the downed trees were not harvested so the places that were clear cut look pretty bad. Most of the time we were in the forest though which made for a pleasant and scenic walk.
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March 3, 2006 (Fri) Juniper Springs Recreational Area, Ocala NF (5) - A few campsites down the road from us there are two motorcycle camping units - two motorcycles with trailers. The trailers, each about 6 feet by six feet, cleverly open out into fair sized fabric (tent) living quarters. We were a bit concerned when we saw them pull in but they don't at all fit the stereotype - except for the long hair and tattoos. They are quiet as are their motorcycles. About the worst we can say about them is that they seem to have cigarettes hanging from their lips all the time and they don't bother to pick their little dog's poops. Yes, one of the couples apparently carries a dog with them.
We hiked the part of the Florida Trail we were on yesterday and also explored about a mile of it in the other direction. On the way back we stopped by the canoe launch area and watched a couple begin their adventure. There are signs all over warning that the canoe run is for those with experience only and not for beginners. We expect that that couple had a long tough go of it and probably got dunked more than once - it's a very rough course. As they started down the run the the park volunteer, also there watching, yelled to the woman in the bow to switch hands on her paddle. She was holding it backwards! We thought some of driving down to the pick up point to see how they made out but decided against it because it might have been a long wait.
