December 7, 2020

Northern Florida

Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park White Springs, Florida

I took my early morning walk and at the end it began to drizzle.  We had rain then most of the morning.  We rode on 75N, an ordinary highway without much scenery.  It was a great time to get the Christmas cards ready to mail!

We arrived at Stephen Foster State Park in late afternoon.  There were no rangers at the entry station.  I walked all the way to the campsite to see if it was vacant.  Then, I walked to the camp host to inquire.  I called Tim and he met me with the RV.  We were finally able to get settled.  We got on our bikes to explore the park.  This is actually a really neat place…but because of COVID many of the park features were closed.

The park museum…closed.

The Festival of Lights…not on Mondays.

The Carillion Tower…closed.

The gift shop and craft village…closed.

This park is named for Stephen Foster who wrote the song “Old Folks at Home” or “Way Down Upon The Swanee River.”  It’s actually the Suwanee River. 

We rode down to the river.

We rode to the town of White Springs and saw the springs.  This sulfur hot spring was used by Native Americans for healing.  Later, this town became a tourist destination and an inn was built and people would come and soak in the springs. 

Tim continued on a tour of the town and I took myself back to the campground.  He found Adams Country Store established in 1885. 

The old truck out back.

This will be the last blog entry for a while.  We are headed to Atlanta and will be there for the holidays.  We plan to resume our traveling on January 4^th as we head west to Arizona for the winter.  Check back with us in early 2021! Until then, may you find joy this holiday season!

December 6, 2020

Aunt Mary and Nabi

Sun Lake RV Resort Ruskin, Florida

Good morning sunshine!

We stopped for groceries along the way and then arrived in Sun City Center in early afternoon.  We were here to see my Aunt Mary.  She took us to a local orange picking outfit, Dooley Grove.  We picked sweet smelling honey bells.

We returned to the house and chatted with she and Nabi all evening.  We had great food and drinks, and a masked, socially distanced visit.  It was so nice to be with them.  I have always valued my relationship with her, also a nurse, she has always been my mentor and inspiration.

December 5, 2020

Heading North

Monument Lake Campground Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

Last morning walk at Pennekamp.

Sometimes, here in Florida, you need a reminder that it is December and almost Christmas!

We left Key Largo and stopped in Homestead to fuel the RV and the Jeep.  We went to Roberts one more time for mangoes and papaya and avocados.  Then we took Krome Avenue all the way to 41.  We made a reservation for one more night at Monument Lake.

When we pulled in, we saw this roseate spoonbill hanging out with a bunch of ibis.  Apparently, he has been here for the past 3-4 days.

I learned a new alligator fact today.  If you estimate the length in inches of an alligator from snout to between the eyes, it is equivalent to the gator’s length in feet…this guy is about 8 feet long!

The gator and the ibis must have some kind of understanding…

We had a relaxing afternoon.  I read outside, sitting in the shade of a palm tree. 

We took a sunset bike ride, loops around the lake.  The pink and purple clouds were reflected in the still water and it was stunning!

December 4, 2020

Long Key To Duck Key

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Key Largo, Florida Day 5

We did our usual morning workouts and then drove to Duck Key. We left the Jeep there and rode our bikes on the bike path along Route 1. This route took us over several bridges that connect the smaller keys. There were pedestrian or fishing bridges that we were able to use to cross. We saw lots of guys pulling fish in.

We rode into the wind first. It was a warm but cloudy day and was actually perfect for biking. The clouds changed the color of the water…still breathtaking. We did about 12 miles.

We drove into Marathon to the Sunset Grill where we ordered carryout salads. We ate our lunch at the Marathon Community Park.

This evening we took our dinner to the beach here at Pennekamp.

We stayed out until the no see ums or biting midges chased us back to the RV.

December 3, 2020

Southern Glades Trail

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Key Largo, Florida Day 4

I started my day with an easy walk through the campground.  I still got my 2+ miles in but as a slightly slower pace. 

We drove to the parking access area for the South Glades Trail.  We biked for at least 6 miles and then turned around and headed back.  The trail was gravel and kind of bumpy…but the scenery, solitude, and silence made up for the harder work…even the headwind on the way back! 

We saw lots of birds and a gator but the animals here are less used to people presence and they were skittish.

This fish was not laying on the path on our way in. We think that maybe a bird had just dropped it. It was a good ten inches long and still alive. Tim picked it up and tossed him back into the water. The fish eagerly swam away! Happy ending for this guy!

The blue line on the map below is the canal we biked along.

I spent the afternoon doing some errands and then had a marathon online shopping experience.  Christmas is coming and Santa must get her work done!

December 2, 2020

Islamorada

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Key Largo, Florida Day 3

At 8am I was on the phone with Holiday RV Repair.  We needed extra help with our steps.  They were fully booked and so were their mobile guys…but they said if we could get there as soon as possible, they would diagnose the problem and see if they could help us out!  We packed up the RV very quickly and we were at the shop before 8:30. 

Lou had they guys look at the steps and they found the problem, they had an extra control panel, and they fixed the steps!!  We were back at Pennekamp by 10:00.  Thanks Holiday RV!

We decided that we would do our usual morning stuff.  Tim did his workout and I went for a great walk.  I also hiked the two nature trails.  I got 3 miles in very easily.

We left in the Jeep at lunchtime and headed for Islamorada or “The Village of Islands.”  We biked along the Overseas Highway or Route 1.   With the glistening blue waters as our scenery, it was a relaxing and lovely ride. 

A stop at a bridge.

Two iguanas resting in the sunshine.  We saw lots more, closer to the trail but they scampered away as we got too close.

The Hurricane Memorial honoring the lives lost in 1935 when a 17-foot tidal surge devastated Islamorada.

Lunch in the park.  These statues are new.  We aren’t sure what they mean…

We were out until late afternoon.  We decided on eggs and mango for our dinner.  Then, we took some wine and went to sit by the beach to watch the stars pop out.

December 1, 2020

Enjoying the Keys

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Key Largo, Florida Day 2

I had a great walk around the park this morning. It was a little cooler and it felt wonderful to be outside and moving! I heard there were snow flurries at home…NO SNOW here!

Later this morning, we took the Jeep and drove down Route 1. We took our bikes from Robbie’s in Islamorada. There was construction on the bike trail so we headed back, loaded up our bikes and rode down to MM 72. We cycled there for a couple of miles.

We then drove further south to Marathon Key. We stopped to get lunch and we took our picnic to Curry Hammock where we sat by the water and then walked along the beach.

It is just so beautiful here. The sky was cloudless. The water was all shades of green and blue. There was a crosswind so we were comfortable riding. We had a great day.

We got back to the RV at around three. The rest of the day was spent getting groceries and Tim tried again to work on the steps…no success even with the new motor. We are going to try to get some help with it tomorrow!