Went all the way to Alabama to escape Eta!

We thought running from Eta was going to be pretty easy but apparently not. We planned to hang out in Inglis, Florida watching the depression but every time I looked at NOAA’s website the path seemed to be heading toward us.

On a rare sunny day so we drove over to Yankeetown on the gulf and walked some trails in the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve. We found a nice boardwalk hike which was short, a mile or so, but at least we were excited to sneak in a hike in between showers.

After spending two days Inglis Florida we moved on another 140 miles to Lamont Florida to Stones Throw Away for one night. We stayed just one night because Eta would continue altering our plans as we it seemed we were always in its track.

The next morning we broke camp again and drove another 146 miles to Bass Haven Campground in Funiak Springs, FL way up in the panhandle of Florida hoping we might have found our way out of the the path of Eta. We scored a pull through site at this Passport America park right on the shore of a large pond with a nice water view.

We had rain but enjoyed the non rainy times sitting outside and watching the egrets feeding on small fish. I thought we might stay another day but after checking  NOAA’s website we were still in a slight risk of Eta coming our way.

Moving on we pushed westward  to Wilderness RV, another Passport America park we have stayed at before, in Robertsdale, AL about 106 miles further west. Finally it looked like we are out of the path as Eta which has altered its course to head back into central Florida and not up into the panhandle as had been suggested the day before.

At least here there were occasional non rainy spells so we snuck out for a drove over to one of our favorite Alabama coastal towns, Fairhope and then over to Gulf Shores to check out the beach. We noticed a lot of trees still down from Hurricane Sally which was a reminder about how active this hurricane season has been. It sure was nice to have our bare feet in the squeaky white sand ……

NOTE:  We are currently in Gautier, Mississippi for three nights before heading onward towards Texas…

Left Key Largo and a Tropical Depression is Altering our Plans…

Wow! We got caught up in all the election results and forgot about blogging. That and there is a tropical depression out in the gulf we have been monitoring as well. When our time was up in Key Largo we drove 81 miles over to Midway Campground in the Everglades National Park near Ochopee, FL.  We planned to spend more time there but with the depression brewing up we decided to only stay two nights.

That did give us time to check out one of our favorite bike trails in Shark Valley. We used our National Parks Senior pass for entry and rode our bikes about 12 miles on the trail. My first impression was we have never seen as much water in the everglades in all our visits until this year. There was water everywhere as we noticed immediately as the water had risen so much as to cover the road in places.

As a result we saw way less wildlife as the critters chose plenty of places to hang out rather than in the deeper waters near the visitor center. We were still able to see some alligators and a few birds while on our the bike ride. At one point I was looking out over the swamp when I suddenly saw a water snake right in front of me. If I hadn’t seen him when I did I would have surely run the poor snake over.

The highlight was seeing a hawk making a kill on the trail beside us. We aren’t exactly sure what it was but my guess was a mouse from the distress calls it was making. We took a few photos zooming in on its talons but still couldn't tell what it captured.

The next day we hiked a few of the boardwalks in the area and spotted a few more gators some of which were quite large.  After our two nights we drove on up to the WP Franklin Locks campground, a COE park. We love this park and this time scored a great waterfront site. Again our plan was to stay longer but it was now becoming apparent that the tropical storm going through Central America was going to come our direction for sure.

Knowing we would be making a mad dash out of the storm path we decided to stock up on groceries and made a long loop drive to include a Trader Joe’s to pick up some favorite items there as well. I also snuck in a quick visit to Bonita Beach (one of our favorite beaches in the USA) just for memories sake. We had originally planned to winter there but alas, Covid changed our minds. I’m glad we made the quick stop.

We are now sitting in Inglis, Florida still watching the depression and altering our plans as we get more info on its track.

Key Largo, Florida…

One last morning I enjoyed watching the sunrise and boats navigating their way through the St Lucie Locks. Sharon and I had breakfast afterward and hit the road. It would be a long drive down the congested Florida toll road to Miami until we pulled into our next campground for a one night stay at Larry and Penny Thompson Park in south Miami, FL.

Larry and Penny Thompson Park is a reginal park near the Miami Zoo.When we arrived it was under massive renovations as many of the campsites were unavailable. The campsites are arranged in circular pods and after checking in we pulled into our site for a night. There are some great walking/biking trails adjacent to the park and after strolling around we decided this would be a good spot for an extended stay. Maybe, next time…

The next morning we made our way down to Key Largo, Florida in the northern Keys to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, We set up camp and didn’t do much for the first few days as the weather was stormy. It rained intermittently throughout the day. but we were happy to be chilling in the Keys nonetheless.

Key Largo is more populated than anywhere else in the Keys but still has the scenery making the Keys what they are, a tropical paradise. We took many walks in and around the park taking in the sights, This state park has a few nice but short trails with one doing a great job of identifying the vegetation of the hummocks in this part of the Keys.

This park is known for its snorkeling but don’t expect as we did to see anything near the shore within the park. To really have the great snorkel experience, one has to go out to the reefs about 7 miles offshore. We did a little snorkeling off the shoreline of the park and although we saw a few fish in the sea grass covered bottom it really wasn’t worth the effort.

Sharon’s snorkel disintegrated while she was snorkeling meaning we would need a new one should we decide to do anymore. Fortunately we discovered the park has an on-premise dive shop with decent prices for snorkel gear. However, after watching a few of the chartered snorkel boats leave the docks packed with people we decided in this Covid world we wouldn’t charter a boat to the reef this time around.

While we totally enjoyed our stay in Key Largo we were certainly disappointed that we didn’t get in any quality snorkeling and with the windy, choppy sea days we also didn’t bother to inflate our inflatable sea kayak to tour the mangroves. To add to the depressing circumstance of our Covid world , the park had a ghost town feel to it as we never saw more than one charter go out daily, There is also a free aquarium within the park which receives high reviews but is closed due to the virus. The normally happy, bustling park was very quiet indeed..

However, there were also highlights. We enjoyed driving further south on highway 1 savoring the views of the turquoise waters while stopping to stroll on the abandoned bridges. Our morning walks were delightful as we often saw interesting birds and even saw a foraging Ray in the sea grasses just offshore.

Best of all we were able to enjoy some little tiki bars with outside decks overlooking the waters offering that wonderful, relaxing Keys experience. Our favorite was Sharkeys! Other days just simply sitting outside at our campsite watching the birds and the iguanas in the mangroves was very entertaining. . While the green iguanas are an invasive species they are still great subjects for photos and as we watched them we couldn’t help but see the miniature dinosaurs they really are…

NOTE:  We are currently in Alva, Florida at the Franklin Locks COE Park.

Vero Beach, Voting and a Change of Plans…

Leaving Flagler Beach, Florida we made a longer than normal drive of a bit over 150 miles to our next stop at Vero Beach, FL. We will be here for two nights as we plan to visit Sharon’s cousin John and his wife Penny who retired in Vero Beach after spending many a cold winter in Michigan.

John and Penny have been extremely careful, as we have, dealing with Covid so we decided to do some activities while paying attention to socially distancing and staying outside as much as possible. We pulled into Tanglewood Village Co-Op, a Passport America park which we have stayed at before.

When we first visited John and Penny they lived in a smallish condo which was too small for their liking, so they have since found a nice sized home in Vero Beach. It was fun walking around their beautiful neighborhood and seeing their new digs. Not to mention Penny made us a fabulous dinner. What a great day!

The next day we took a nice long 3 mile walk through the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (the first NWR in America) and later decided to have dinner at the American Icon brewery which has a large outdoor venue. Not only did they have some good brews they had some pretty good food as I had a burger and Sharon had some great blackened mahi on top of her salad. It’s always fun to see John and Penny!

The next morning we headed further south but waited until after lunch since we were  driving less than 50 miles to the Corps of Engineers park, St Lucie South in Stuart, FL. We only planned to stay two nights and move on down to Key Largo. However, tropical moisture was slamming this area with heavy rains and worse there was a tropical disturbance impacting the weather in Key Largo.

Not knowing for sure what the tropical disturbance was going to do we added on a few days at St Lucie South when I discovered someone had cancelled on a waterfront site. Since this site would be $15 per night using our Senior National Parks Pass we added there and cancelled three nights for Key Largo. If we were going to have to sit in rain we might as well pay $35 per night less. We also definitely needed to watch the disturbance in the Caribbean to make sure it wasn’t going to completely wash out our Key Largo plans.

St Lucie South was a great place to wait out the storms. We discovered great walking from this park over to Phipps Park which has some boardwalks to stroll and view the birdlife in the area. We also were able to sneak in a short hike here and there between rain events including a nice one at Savannas Preserve State Park. And best of all was sitting in our front yard watching all the huge ships, sailboats and yachts making their way through the St Lucie Locks.

And while we were here, we voted!!! Don’t forget to vote!

NOTE:  We are currently in Key Largo, Florida. 

A Boardwalk Hike, Beach Time and a Visitor!

We continue to enjoy our stay in Flagler Beach, Florida. Every morning we take a long walk from our campsite across the road over to the beach and check out the shells. This is a great beach for shells and even thought the surf was calm when we first arrived it has been a bit rougher each day.

During our long walks we sometimes spot some dolphins which is always a treat. One thing we like to do when walking the beach is to pick up trash, especially plastics. We have noticed this year that there is a lot less beach trash which makes us happy but nonetheless we can still usually gather a handful during our walks. At least it is one less handful of plastics on the beach…

Near our park is a nice boardwalk wandering through the mangrove swamps on the bay side We spotted lots of waterfowl on the boardwalk and I was even able to see a Clapper Rail (sorry, no picture) swimming with his/her feet across a small canal. It was a rare sighting indeed. These walks have sure been a nice distraction from all the Covid news and politics in our world right now.

Each morning I ride my bike over to the beach side of the park to watch the morning sunrise. Soaking it all in I head back to Sharon waking up so we can enjoy breakfast together. It has been so rejuvenating being here relaxing and savoring beach life.

One evening during happy hour at the park Sharon spotted a Gopher Tortoise munching on the grass behind our RV. It wasn’t until I watched it for a while and realized the turtle was a frequent visitor since the grass had been “mowed” shorter as compared to the grass closer to us. It must be a favorite location for happy hour food for the Tortoise.  Next I happened to glance over at one of the campground power pedestals and felt as if we might be being watched! See what I mean by looking at the picture below…

On weekdays we end each day with a happy hour at one of our favorite beach bars sitting in outdoor seating on the second deck looking out over the surf. All too soon, one happy hour at Oceanside Beach Bar would hail the end to our stay at Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area. Flagler Beach will always be one of our very favorite places to visit……

NOTE:  We are currently in Key Largo, Florida. 

Back On the Beach in Florida…

We made the short 30 minute drive south and pulled into Walkabout RV Park for the weekend. It was nice to be able to stay at a Passport America park that allows half-priced weekend camping. With weekends becoming not only more expensive to camp they are also becoming quite scarce as more and more campers seem to be on the road.

The park is owned by a Kiwi couple (New Zealanders) and their children. We have stayed at their park several times over the years and it has been fun to watch how it has evolved into a really nice little park. We also love the chickens and ducks released most afternoons to roam the park and I even had one stay with me during happy hour outside the RV.

During our stay we decided to take a drive down to Fernandina Beach in Florida about an hour or so away. We haven't explored this area so with the weather a bit rainy we figured it would be a nice drive. We found that Fernandina Beach has some nice beaches and has a quaint little town for exploring. Luckily near the end of the day the sun came out so we stopped at the Sand Bar for happy hour on the beach.

Upon leaving Walkabout, our next stop on our road south was at one of our favorite state parks near Flagler Beach Florida, Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area. We will stay for five nights as we were lucky to pounce on someone's cancellation.As we were pulling into Flagler Beach there were some heavy rains off the coast so we hurried to set up.

After setting up we strolled through the park’s really nice and short nature trail on our way over to the beach. Usually the surf at Flagler Beach is  pretty strong but our first few days there was not much wave activity to speak of making the beach strolls quite pleasant.

As always we enjoyed looking though the tons of shells on this stretch of beach. We often walk the beach to the south from the park but occasionalyl will also head north. Few people are ever on this beautiful beach making the strolls quite peaceful. It sure was good to be back on the beach to hear the surf, the seagulls, smell the sea and watch the Ospreys and Brown Pelicans diving for food.

We even spotted numerous dolphins just offshore. I am not sure we have ever seen so many dolphins as we did one afternoon on the beach as there were hundreds of them. There must have been a plentiful supply of fish to feed on as there were many groups of them hunting the waters offshore. So happy are we that we decided to embrace this lifestyle where we can find a measure of peace in these tumultuous times.

NOTE:  We are currently in St Lucie South COE Park in Florida. 

We Walked Across Two States…

We sure enjoyed our three night stay near The Villages but it was time hit the road. We will be moving a bit faster than normal since we have reservations at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville, Louisiana on March 16th. Therefore we drove over to Lamont Florida for just a one night stay.

We found a nice little hike in the nearby town of Monticello Florida. The Monticello Ecological Park was a gem especially since spring is nearing as there were lots of plants in bloom. The short loop trail had a boardwalk which took us to the height of the tree canopy offering glimpses of what mostly just the birds see. It was a nice hike to end the day’s travel.

The next day we drove to Eastbank Corps of Engineers Park just across the Georgia state line. This was a fabulous campground and we scored a beautiful site. We set up camp and took a stroll to the spillway a little over a mile away. Interestingly when we walked across the dam we crossed back into Florida meaning we walked from Georgia to Florida! Hah!

Spring was also emerging here as many early bloomers were on full display. It offered a sight of beauty in an otherwise woodland in total disarray after the hurricane blasted through last year. All around us there were many trees snapped in half  making the forest look as if it had been bombed from up above. The only reason we are camped this far north in the Florida panhandle was because our favorite campground in Mexico Beach was decimated by the hurricane as well.

It was cloudy and threatening rain on our second day. We did however sneak another walk over to the spillway where angler’s were working hard to catch an elusive striper. The Ospreys and cormorants at the base of the dam were having much better luck catching shad and other fish than the anglers.

Earlier in the morning the fog was thick and offered up some fun for the photographer in me as I snapped some photos of another angler trying his luck in the wee hours. I love how the grey of the fog melds with the greys in the lake to make things appear to float. Surreal….

NOTE: We are leaving Fontainebleau State Park today and will head west to Betty’s RV park for a month before continuing on towards Texas…