QC01-08 More form Monument Lake

February 9, 2010 (Tue) Monument Lake CG (7) 55/74° - The campground has been sparsely populated for most of the day. At one point, about 10:00am, only 6 of the 26 sites were occupied. In fact we were the only customers in the 12 - 14 sites at the north end of the lake. It made us wonder if there was ever a time when it there was no one other than the hosts here. The sites began to fill again in the afternoon - maybe 3/4 full by night fall.

The breeze has been strong enough to make sitting outside a bit unpleasant. It was out of the south so wasn't all that chilly but it was annoying to have the pages flapping while trying to read or have the chair blow over as soon as we stand up. The sun is warm, though, and only occasionally goes behind a cloud.

February 10, 2010 (Wed) Monument Lake CG (8) 59/64° - There was another beautiful sunrise this morning. This really is great place for sunrises and sunsets - show stoppers almost every morning and every evening. On our walk we saw a car (only, no tent etc.) parked in one of the campsites. This is not unusual in itself but as we approached on the road, a man got out and came up to us and asked how to register. He said he'd come in last night while it was raining and wasn't able to figure out how to do it. We explained. He said he didn't have a pen and where is the bathroom. We pointed out the restrooms and said the campground host was right next to it and they would probably have a pen he could use - when they got up and went on duty. It was about 6:00am. He got in his car, stopped at the restroom, drove around the lake twice and left the campground.

When we got back from our walk we noticed the back of Q covered with little gray specks. They turned out to be small bug carcasses (gnats?). Apparently they took advantage of a good tail wind out of the swamp during the night only to find themselves smashed against a motor home. It looks as if Q had been going down the road backwards. We hadn't been aware there were that many around.

(113/2432 miles) - Bad planning and the approaching cold front conspired to send us out into the wilds of civilization again. Predictions of overnight temperatures in the 30s got us to thinking about the propane should we have to turn the furnace on. The tank was empty! The pointer on the outside gauge was so far below "E" it  was out of sight! It's a wonder we'd had enough to make coffee.

We passed up stopping at the Miccosukee Indian gas station near the casino because we also wanted to find a Publix Food market. Long story short we ended up in the western outskirts of Miami in traffic better left to the locals. We passed a gas station with a bulk propane tank and went back. It was no place for a motor home, even one as small as Q. Getting to the gas pump then to the propane tank was an adventure. The fellow who helped us was really nice. He spoke English fairly well and called Joy, "Mrs Lady". She liked that.

February 11, 2010 (Thu) Monument Lake CG (9) 40/66° - It was a cold morning but thanks to a full tank of propane Q warmed up nicely for our showers.

An old blue Chevy van backed in next to us last night. The spare tire was strapped to the roof as was a large tarpaulin wrapped bundle. Another large bundle hung on the back. Patchwork drapes covered the windows. This morning we noticed that they were parked closer to a neighboring picnic table than their own and were using it (or had as there was an open camp stove on it). In effect they were occupying two campsites and there was no indication that they'd paid for either one. We wondered how the campground host was going to handle the situation especially since there were no signs of life in or around the van for most of the morning. Correction - there appeared to be a cat hanging out on the back of the front seat. The young couple that finally emerged just before noon were obviously camping on a shoestring and could have come here straight from the 1960s. After the requisite stretching, scratching  and hiking up of belt less pants, he walked a little Pug. Then she held the leash while he puttered around reconfiguring and packing the van for travel, working first inside then outside. When he was finished, she climbed into the passenger seat and sat while he strummed his 12 string guitar in the back for a while. Then they left.

February 12, 2010 (Fri) Monument Lake CG (10) 51/63° - Our neighbors last night - they came in after we'd gone to bed - were a young couple in a small yellow tent. What was interesting in that was the size of the tent. When the had it taken down and folded up, the tent, fly, ground cloth, stakes and poles all went into a bag about half the size of a bag for one of our chairs!

It was windy all day - a chilly wind. The sun was warm but it was hard finding places in the sun and out of the wind.

February 13, 2010 (Sat) Monument Lake CG (11) 49/64° - We've talked about our neighbors here. Usually they are at least two sites away. Only twice has the site right next to us been occupied. One was the young couple in the old van the other night and even they were half way into the next site. Last night with all but 3 sites occupied and several motor homes in the overflow area, the site next to us is still empty! Many will slow down, look at the site then go on. It is really no different than any of the other sites along here except that it is a little bigger. We have begun to wonder what there is about us that is keeping people away. An old fella, he's at least seventy (that's a few years younger than we are) pulled into the site this afternoon. He must be a brave old fella! Actually rational thinking tells us that since it is the first empty site people come to as they loop around the lake, they want to see what else there is and end up taking one further on rather than looping around again.

February 14, 2010 (Sun) Monument Lake CG (12) 41/57° - The campground was completely full (with no overflow) last night. Even the tent area is well populated. We wonder how well prepared the tenters are for the cold. We would guess that most of them are from the Miami or Naples/Fort myers areas out for a long weekend. These people probably don't expect this kind of cold. The 41° this morning is 15 - 20 degrees below normal for south Florida. We have plenty of blankets and a furnace to take the chill off in the morning - as do most RVers - but weekend tenters probably have little more than summer sleeping bags.

We are heading north to Jonathan Dickinson State Park tomorrow. We'll have electric and water hook-ups for a change.

Q058374 Monument Lake CG, Big Cypress National Preserve. #26 dry $8.00 B- (x12)