January 21, 2007 (Sun) Juniper Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF - We
have the campground to ourselves again. Most everyone around us has
left, the cleaning crew has come around and raked up the sites, and it
is quiet. We spent the afternoon sitting out on our patio in the sun.
What a wonderful day it has been.
On one of the passes by the visitor's center, Mark took another look at
the pay phone thinking there must be some way to tell the phone to send
a dial tone to the computer jack. There was. And the instructions for
how to use the data connection were displayed as a banner scrolling
across a small window on the phone. We'd missed it because it also
displayed other stuff - like "Welcome to Juniper Springs Recreation
Area, Ocala National Forest." We'd never waited to see if there was
anything else!
January 22, 2007 (Mon) Juniper Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF - Today
was our day on the 7 1/2 mile Juniper Creek run. We rented a canoe,
signed all the releases (Juniper Springs et al is not responsible for
anything that may happen to us or our belongings, etc.) and set out down
the very narrow water way. It didn't take as long to get the hang of
negotiating the twisting, obstacle-laden stream as it did last year so
we didn't run into nearly as many banks or overhanging vegetation. The
two lowest obstacles - trees so low over the water that we needed to
actually lie down in the canoe to get through - have been removed. Even
so we got into trouble a couple of times and nearly went over once. We
made it though without getting wet - well almost. The storm due this
afternoon gave us a sampling in the form of light sprinkles now and
then. The 14 foot alligator we saw last year wasn't out this year - no
sun to bask in - but we saw lots of birds, including the largest white
heron we've ever seen, deer and turtles of all sizes. It was a
beautiful, though exhausting, way to spend a morning with nature.
Q035167 Juniper Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF #21 dry $8.50g B (x2)
January 23, 2007 (Tue) Juniper Springs Recreation Area, Ocala NF to
Titusville, FL (95/1539 miles) - We were up early this morning for no
other reason than we woke early. We took our time eating breakfast and
getting ready to go. We got off at 8:00 (60°) and headed south on US-19.
Our first stop was to do laundry in Umatilla (where our flat was fixed
last week). Then we stopped at a Publix market in Eustis and the Costco
in Altamonte Springs. With our closets and cupboards refreshed we made
our way to The Great Outdoors RV Resort. The adventure in this leg of
our trip was driving on city streets in the outskirts of Orlando, FL to
avoid the outrageous fees on Florida's toll roads. It's hard to say
which is more aggravating.
January 24, 2007 (Wed) The Great Outdoors RV Resort - It was sprinkling
and threatening to get worse when we got up so decided not to do our
walk this morning. We are parked 2 spaces from Dorcas (Mark's sister)
and Mike's pad, so getting to their place was no trouble (or exercise)
at all. (The same can be said about the rest rooms which are the same
distance in the other direction.) We spent the day with them visiting
and catching up. In the afternoon we went out and walked some of the
roads of this interesting RV park.
Mark make an appointment with a service facility in Sarasota to have the
problem with our refrigerator looked into. It probably needs no more
than a circuit board replaced but they will do a thorough check of the
system. We will stop on our way to Englewood
Q035403 The Great Outdoors RV Resort #436 Oak Cove Rd $30 e/w/s A (x2)
January 25, 2007 (Thu) Titusville, FL to Lakeland, FL (115/1654 miles) -
It rained off and on all night and was raining when we woke up - a good
day to stay in bed. It was still raining when we got off at 10:45 (49°).
The most direct route to Lakeland would have been the Bee Line
Expressway (toll) west to I-4 but that be through Orlando, FL, on one of
the busiest roads in the country. And traffic reports were particularly
dire. So we charted a route through Cocoa, St Cloud, and Kissimmee -
mostly back roads but wonderfully free of traffic and straight.
The temperature was up to 56° when we stopped for lunch in a Publix
parking lot. We overheard people in the complaining about the cold. We
arrived at Ed and Kathy's at about 2:00.
January 26, 2007 (Fri) Lakeland, FL - Jim and Donna (friends of Ed and
Kathy whom we met in Homer, Alaska) have been staying in Lazy Days (RV
dealer) near Tampa where they took delivery of and moved into their new
class "A" motorhome. Today they moved their home - they are full timers
- into Ed and kathy's yard for a couple of days on their way to Vero
Beach, FL.
January 27, 2007 (Sat) Lakeland, FL - It's hard to be with Ed and Kathy
any length of time without going to Chinese Buffet. Today was the day.
Before we went though, we all went to the Book Bazaar, a used paperback
book store, to replenish our book supplies.
January 28, 2007 (Sun) Lakeland, FL - Before dawn we heard a big class
"A" diesel start up. Jim and Donna were getting ready to leave. A short
time later they did. What an interesting couple they are and their
lifestyle, with no permanent house to return to or worry about,
stimulates some envy - though not enough for us to consider moving into
Q as our only home.
The bishop of Honduras was guest preacher in Ed and Kathy's church this
morning. A very interesting man and a terrific speaker. It is a large
church with a terrific choir and the liturgy was mostly sung. We enjoyed
the service.
January 29, 2007 (Mon) Lakeland, Fl - Big day today! We were up bright
and early, for us these days, at about 6:30 (39°) and, after breakfast,
joined the commuters and tourists headed east toward Orlando on I-4 with
Ed and Kathy. We pulled into a relatively empty parking lot at Disney
World at about 9:00 were we met Ken and Kathy - friends of Ed and Kathy
whom we first met in the Black hills on our way to Alaska. Epcot was
only a gleam in Walt Disney's eye when we last visited Disney World last
in 1973. Soarin' is a theater "ride" that simulates soaring in an
ultra-light aircraft - feet hanging free - over cities, canyons, and
other similar landscapes. It was almost as thrilling and scary as
actually doing it. A trip to Mars in a space capsule simulator was an
equally exciting experience. Joy "rode" the version that subjected her
to substantial "G" forces, especially during launch, but Mark, because
of his back, took the more gentle, senior citizens, version. But even
with this ride he gained plenty of insight into what astronauts must go
through - except for the crash landing on Mars! These were only two of
the many things we did - all well done as only Disney can do. We ended
the day by taking the monorail to Magic Kingdom then boarding the steam
"sight seeing" train around the perimeter. We would liked to have stayed
to see the fireworks display but we were all tired and cold, and home
took priority.
Q035518 Ed and Kathy's yard (x5)
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