QC91-06 Warmth Finally

January 23, 2009 (Fri) Alexander Springs CG (5) 30°@6 - A check of our propane supply level, long overdue in this high use time, showed it to be virtually empty. The gauge at the tank showed the pointer below the "E"! We'd planned on getting it on our way out of the forest but this required a change of plans. We'd gotten propane at the Ace Hardware store in Umatilla, 10 miles down the road, before so off we went. As long as we were there, we went on into the outskirts of Eustis, another 4 miles, to a Publix supermarket. We'd passed a gas station in tiny Altoona, FL that showed $1.89/gal. We thought at the time that we could do better than that. And we did - $1.87/gal in a station across from the Publix. On the way back, maybe an hour later, the Altoona station was showing a price of $1.84/gal. Oh well.

It turned into a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 70s and plenty of sunshine. You can bet that we took every advantage of it. Our campfire this evening was much more enjoyable without our backs being so cold.

Q047446 (35/1463 miles) To Eustis and back

January 24, 2009 (Sat) Alexander Springs CG (6) 36°@7 - When we came into the campground on Monday there was a sign at the entrance announcing "Campground Full" - an indication of how busy it had been here over the Martin Luther King weekend. By evening we  had the park practically to ourselves. Over the week there have been, maybe, six other units scattered around. Late yesterday afternoon and evening began to fill up again. After dark we could see flashlights flickering here and there in the woods and the sounds of children and large groups communicating. This morning we expected to see many more sites filled than we found. But there are still a lot of room.

Today was the kind of day, weather wise, that we came to Florida for - warm. It was shorts and T-shirt most of the day. We walked down to the springs this afternoon and there were even people in swimming. This seems to be a popular place for scuba divers - there were several in the water. Except for the point where the small lake (pond) is fed by the spring (20 to 30 feet deep) the water is quite shallow so most were "diving" just below the surface.

Pat fixed a wonderful lasagna for dinner. Five handed dominoes finished out the evening.

January 25, 2009 (Sun) Alexander Springs CG (7) 53°@6 - Breakfast this morning was compliments of Kaye - terrific bran pancakes with real maple syrup and bacon. Actually it was brunch after we'd all gathered for a short worship service in Bob and Pat's motor home. This has been a lazy day as it should be and warm enough to really enjoy being lazy. But the fighter jets from a nearby air force base came out in the late afternoon - just as Mark took out his guitar - and proceeded to drown out every bit of music, conversation and tranquility with their noise. It was far worse than the jet noise of a commercial airliner so often maligned. At least they weren't doing their practice bombing like they did last weekend.

January 26, 2009 (Mon) Alexander Springs CG (8) 53°@6 - Another relatively warm night. Kay took off about 9:00 this morning and headed Southeast to visit relatives in Vero Beach. She is planning to join us again in Monument Lake CG next week. We have enjoyed her company these last 7 days. After morning chores - not all that many while camping - we headed out to do laundry (Umatilla) - Bob and Mark were able to get some internet duties taken care of - and shopping (Eustis). For lunch we hit the Umatilla Pizza Hut lunch buffet. We sampled each of the selections, ate too much (of course) and, topped it off with Mark's favorite - Blueberry. Mid 70s and mostly sunny made for a restful relaxing afternoon.

Q047411 Alexander Springs CG, Ocala National Forest #38 B+ (x8)
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January 27, 2009 (Tue) Alexander Springs CG to Lakeland, FL (86/1549 miles) - We didn't have far to go so we took our time getting ready. Our last bit of packing was to stow the rest of the wood we'd worked so hard to carry, split and saw into Bob and Pat's RV basement. Then at 9:47 we were off  (53° Sunny). It was a relatively uneventful trip - except for watching Pat drive through a red light at one rather confusing intersection and almost get hit. We were able to stave off boredom by chasing down and evicting some of the many little brown lady bugs - thus enriching the gene pools of the central Florida population (of lady bugs) - that had taken up residence over the last week. Looking back we can honestly say that the week left us with many happy memories.

It's always a kind of culture shock to come out of the wilderness into the city traffic and this return to civilization was no different. But we managed and got to Lakeland, FL at about 11:30 where we stopped at the Walmart to do some shopping. We pulled into Ed and Kathy's yard at about 12:30. Our evening meal (actually late afternoon) was pizza buffet - yes, sinfully again - at CiCI's Pizza. Eating so much so late is not what old folks should do!

Q047532 Ed and Kathy's yard