QC01-14 Back into the forest

March 16, 2010 (Tue) Lakeland, FL to Titusville, FL  (94/3362 miles) 55/66°- It was a hazy 57° when we pulled out of Ed and Kathy's yard. They had already left for their job at Disney giving us the responsibility of locking the gate on the way out, which we handled admirably. We programmed Hildene to guide us to The Great Outdoors resort via Costco in Orlando (Joy wanted to return the shorts she'd bought in Brandon) and headed east on I-4.

The US192 exit off I-4 seemed a little premature but we took it anyway thinking that Hildene had a better way, then proceeded to turn the wrong way off the exit ramp. As we waited in the left turn lane to make a U turn, a kid (maybe early 20s) in a small car moved past us and ran into the back of a motorcycle waiting at the light. He had slammed on his brakes but hit the bike hard enough to knock the passenger up into the air and flip her around to land on her butt in the road. The bike went over spilling the driver also into the road. From our vantage point they both seemed stunned but not seriously hurt. The two people in the car ahead of us jumped out - he with a phone to his ear (911?) - and ran over to them. Almost before they reached the victims we heard a siren and saw the flashing lights of an ambulance come out of the line of traffic facing us. They must have been right there!

When it was clear there was nothing for any of us in the left turn lane to do, we moved ahead to the light, a little past the accident, and waited through 3 change cycles! For some reason, and there was none that we could think of, all the lights were cycling except for the left turn signal. We finally decided it wasn't going to change and pulled (illegally) back into the through lane to make our U turn at the next light. In addition to being a bit shaky, we were very aware of motorcycles for the rest of the trip. It's amazing the crazy risks some of them take!

US50 out of Orlando toward Kennedy Space Center is under construction - seems like it was last year too - and very slow moving until well out of the Orlando suburbs. Aggravating! We got to TGO about 2:30 and found Mike and Dorcas' site. Dorcas guided us to the site that would be our home for the next two nights.

March 17, 2010 (Wed) The Great Outdoors (2) 55/66° - The Brazilian Pepper is an unwanted invasive plant (as big as trees sometimes) that is taking over the flora in many parts of Florida. The Great Outdoors is aggressively fighting this invasion. For several years small teams of volunteers have regularly ventured into the underbrush to chop down the plants and kill the roots. Mike and Dorcas are part of this effort. This morning they took us out into one area to show us what they have been doing. It's amazing how much space these plants consume and how clear the area is when they are gone. It was also interesting to see how fast the native Florida greenery is beginning to fill the void. Later we went over to the new nature center where there are exhibits of wildlife and natural artifacts from the area. We finished our tour in the Jukebox Cafe and had Rubens for lunch.

This afternoon we relaxed at home while Mike and Dorcas attended an association meeting and migrated to their fifth wheel when they got back. We were promised rain but it only sprinkled now and then. The sun, when it was out, was warm even though the thermometer read only 66°.

Q059541 448 Oak Cove, The Great Outdoors RV and Gulf Resort.
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March 18, 2010 (Thu) Titusville, FL to Juniper Springs CG (97/3459 miles) 55/64° - We had a cup of coffee with Dorcas and Mike, when he returned from his walk, said good bye to them and pulled out of The Great Outdoors at 10:15 (57° cloudy). Thanks guys, for everything. It was good to see you. Mike, Dorcas and friends were talking about delicious red shrimp they've been having and suggested we pick some up to try, so we took a short detour to the Wild Ocean Seafood Market in Titusville to get some. Lunch at Chilli's and a stop at Publix for a few items to stock our larder were the high points of our drive here to Juniper Springs campground.

The gate keeper said, when we stopped to register, that there were only three sites left. That was surprising. It turned out not to be true. There were many available sites. We have no idea why she told us that, it would have been better, and less effort, to just tell us to go find an empty site like most gatekeepers do? After choosing a site, we were unable to ask why we had been so limited, the gal in the office was doing  the paper work while talking on the phone.

As we cruised the campground we saw that Paul and Jayne (from NJ), whom we'd met in Monument Lake CG in January, were here. Joy ran into them later and they invited us to their campfire at 7:00. Mike and Dorcas will be interested to know that the other couple there, Michael and Linda, were from Canandaigua, NY. We had great fun sharing travel and camping experiences. The fun was cut short though because it started to rain just as we put the last piece of wood on the fire.
 
March 19, 2010 (Fri) Juniper Springs CG (2) 47/71° - Yesterday the weather forecast for New York City was for a high of 70° We never heard what it actually turned out to be but it only got up to 64° here. This morning when we turned the TV on to the "Early Show", some of the the tourists outside the studio (in New York) were in short sleeved shirts. Our thermometer was reading 47°. What's wrong with this picture?

There's an interesting couple in a site up the way. We met them yesterday because we heard that they were having trouble with the refrigerator in their class A motor home - it wouldn't work on propane. Since we've been there, done that a couple of times, Mark thought he might be able to help. It turned out that it was a different brand so he wasn't much help. When he got there the man (name now in the wind) was walking around the campsite with a full overnight back pack and equipment, including a rolled up sleeping pad, on his back. In spite of his outfit, he didn't seem to be anxious to leave on any extended hike. Just the opposite, he seemed to want to talk. Later on, he (in full gear) and his wife walked by on the road. But they weren't gone long - maybe an hour at most. This morning they walked by again, both fully equipped this time and again it wasn't long before we saw them back at their campsite. A half hour or so later we saw their motor home pull out and leave. When they came back, we learned that the the problem with the refrigerator was that they were out of propane. Duh! They had said that their son and twin 9 year olds were coming to spend the weekend with them. When we saw two young boys wearing big back packs, just like grandpa, we knew they had arrived.

Many of the campsites filled up late this afternoon and evening. Several of them with young families. The kids around us, most ranging in age from 1 to 7 or so, are so cute. They all seem so excited about the adventure ahead.

March 20, 2010 (Sat) Juniper Springs CG (3) 44/73° - Two of the young couples each with 2 or 3 young children and apparently camping together, left late this afternoon. The reservation tag on their site posts indicate that they had planned to be here two more days. We wonder what happened. We heard a child crying early this morning and off and on during the day. This is not an unusual sound when small children are camping but maybe the problem was serious enough to cut the weekend short. One of the tents was brand new - the box was set out as trash. Was this a maiden voyage for one of the families? Will they ever go camping again?

It has been a beautiful day. The sun was out from behind fluffy white clouds about half the time. And it was warm enough to make it seem as if we are really in Florida after all.

Juniper Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #13 dry $9.50 A