QC11-05 Clearwater to civilization

January 20, 2011 (Thu) Alexander Springs RA to Clearwater Lake RA (24/1802 miles) 44/73° - The showers here are controlled with push buttons. Which means that you turn them on by pushing in a button on the wall. The water is supposed to stay on for a (reasonable) length of time then automatically turn themselves off. To save water? Apparently they have outlived their usefulness. Now they stay on for about 6 seconds before needing to be pushed in again! Hardly time enough to pick up the soap! It makes for an active shower.

Clearwater Lake campground is as beautiful as we remember it from when we were here several years ago. We tried to get in a couple of years ago but found the reduced capacity (for restroom construction) full. This time we were lucky to have the choice of two sites - why the other empty non-reserveable sites are not available to us is a mystery. After settling in we made a shopping trip into Eustace and Mt Dora to pick up a few things we'd forgotten the other day - we've got to make sure everything is on the list! Then we came back and watched the sunset through the trees over Clearwater Lake.

January 21, 2011 (Fri) Clearwater Lake RA, Ocala NF (2) 60/70 ° - The predicted rain came early in the night and kept up all night. At least it was raining whenever we were awake. It's been gloomy all day with brief periods of rain - even though forecasters said they would end around noon. There hasn't been much we could do but wait for better weather - and all those people who are suppose to be coming in to fill up the campground. We found some wild oranges on the ground outside our door that the rain (or squirrels) apparently knocked down from the tree in our site. We shared one for lunch. It was delicious.

When we came in yesterday the gate keeper hinted that the campground would be full this weekend. It appears that it might be headed in that direction. All but one of the sites on this loop, where the new restroom and the showers are, is occupied. The only exception is the site we were on the last time we were here. The other loop, which is more primitive - it has an old restroom and no shower facilities - was only about half full when we walked through late this afternoon.

January 22, 2011 (Sat) Clearwater Lake RA, Ocala NF (3) 50/53 ° - Our campsite is quite a large one with the pad set at a 45° angle to the lake through the trees. There is more than enough space to put another campsite or two on our starboard side but the site on the other side is close. In fact when the people came in yesterday afternoon we thought they were going to pitch their tent right outside our door - some distance away from their car. They ended up moving it but it was a worry for a while. This would be a much better site if it were move over ten or fifteen feet.

The thermometer never got above 53° this afternoon. The sun was warm but the breeze made it too cold to sit outside, especially since there is very little sun actually reaching our site through the forest canopy. There was plenty of warming on the trail around the lake though. We remember it from our last time here as being in a rather thick forest. Now it is sparse with evidence of fire having passed through in the last year or so.

January 23, 2011 (Sun) Clearwater Lake RA, Ocala NF (4) 37/54 ° - Another cold night! But not as cold here as in as Ocala to the northwest. TV reporters said it was 27° with a wind chill of 28°. We are wondering how that could be. After a quick trip into Eustace to pick up the New York Times and a couple of bagels for lunch we settled in to wait for the sun to warm things up. Around noon Mark was out with his camera when he heard someone ask if he was taking pictures of the squirrels. He turned and saw Rick and Lynn, hosts from Alexander Springs, sitting in the host golf cart. They are here to fill in for Carol whose husband is in the hospital. It was good to see them again.

Q072938 Clearwater Lake CG, Ocala National Forest. #18 dry $8.50 A (x4)
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January 24, 2011 (Tue) Clearwater Lake RA to Lakeland, FL (101/1903 miles) 45/70° - There were three Sandhill Cranes wandering around in the road by the restrooms this morning but they were gone before we could get the camera out. It was too cold to spend any time looking for them so they went unphotographed.

We only had a few miles to go today so we took our time getting ready and pulled out about 8:50 (50° clear). The trip to Lakeland was relatively uneventful except for missing a turn in Groveland. As we approached what must have been where that turn was there was a boy on a skateboard riding down our driving lane toward us. To go out around him as meant we were forced to ran over a board with nails sticking up. No puncture that we know of yet but the distraction caused us to miss the road sign for the route we wanted to take. Hildene guided us down another road which turned out to be better. We found out later that we would have hit many miles of road construction the other way.

We got to Ed and Kathy's about 10:50. Bob and Pat arrived at 12:10 and we all went out to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for lunch. We will be here enjoying a bit of civilized living for 4 days then head on down to Englewood to visit Joy's 99 year old mother.

Q073039 Ed and Katy's yard