Okeechobee to Bonita Springs Florida…

We enjoyed our two day stay at North lakes RV Resort but we certainly wouldn’t want to stay longer as there is little to do in this part of Florida unless you love to fish. If you are a fisherman then Lake Okeechobee is a fishing mecca. It is known for its large mouth bass but I was told by a resident that the crappie fishing was tremendous. I love to fish but don’t think that would be enough for me to stay very long here. We did go for a hike along the berm that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. This hike and bike trail is 110 miles and goes completely around the lake. Needless to say we didn’t do the whole trail…

The next days drive on sleepy back roads over to Fort Meyers was an easy one. Then we caught the interstate south to Bonita Springs and after 88 miles we pulled into our winter home for the next three months at Imperial Bonita Estates. We wintered here two years ago but for a shorter time. In fact this will be a record stay for us in one spot. I certainly hope that the dreaded full timer disease of hitch itch stays away for a good while. It will be a long three months if we get afflicted too soon.

We pretty much spent the rest of the day setting up our rig for the lengthy stay. The last time we were here in Bonita Springs we bought a 8’x20’ outside UV sun screen from Amazon that hangs from the awning and is tied down so we can leave our awning out for the duration. I really thought we would have used this last year but when we wintered in San Diego there was no need for a sun shade so this is the only other time we have used. It is certainly worth hauling around, nonetheless, as it makes staying here much more tolerable, especially with the record breaking temperatures forecasted for the upcoming week.

It is nice to stay in one place for a longer period in that we can get out our small artistic pieces that give the RV a more homey feel. Pottery, baskets, gemstones and special mementos can be displayed and not hidden in storage. Another big plus to longer stays is that we have a good mailing address so now we can make some special orders. First up will be to find a replacement hot water vent cover and some paint and clear coat to make it look like it belongs on Abbey.

We also put out our outdoor patio carpet, hung our UV shade from the awning, put out some festive lights and put a tablecloth on the picnic table. The outdoor carpet is nice on the feet and Sharon and I will use it as our outdoor gym. We have a set of 40 pound dumbbell weights that we both can use since they adjust according to what weight we desire to lift. An extra 40 pounds in the RV may not seem prudent to lug around but the health benefits certainly out weight the negatives of carrying them around.

The next day we spent driving around from store to store to resupply as we were very low on almost everything. So trips to Costco, Trader Joe"s and the local grocery store certainly helped out. Next up we need to find the local farmer’s market to load up on produce. Once all this is done we can kick back, relax and visit a beach or two…

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