I woke up feeling much more normal. I had the energy for a good walk this morning and did lots of loops around the campground pond.
I spent the morning catching up on some chores.
At lunchtime, we packed our bike bags with lunch and drove the Jeep to Pahokee Marina. We sat by the water and enjoyed our lunch.
Afterward, we biked about 5 miles. Today was the first day in several that I felt like riding and so 5 miles was enough for me. Tim wanted to ride further. He headed south on the LOST and I drove the Jeep to meet him at Paul Rardin Park another 5 miles away.
This great old banyan tree was the home for lots of lizards.
The lizards were slick and quick and so it was hard to get good pictures. Tim spotted this red and black beauty and I got two fast shots before he slipped away.
When we got back to the RV, it was 91 degrees inside. We ran the air until sunset.
After dinner, Tim changed the innertube in my front tire. Part of our ride today was on a rough gravel road and a sharp rock must have pierced it. He has changed a lot of bike tires in the past many years and he is getting really good at it.
I felt well enough to take a decent walk this morning. It was sunny and breezy.
Tim wanted to bike to John Stretch Park. It was a 5 mile ride. I decided That I wasn’t ready to bike. I took the Jeep to meet him there. I walked while I waited for him.
The berm is about 35 feet higher than the lake. Tim rode on the berm parallel to the highway.
From the park, we drove to Clewiston for gas and water and a few groceries.
After our errands were completed, we took a ride south of South Bay. There is a nice wide highway with lots of truck traffic that runs through miles and miles of sugarcane country.
We had another quiet afternoon.
Powered paragliders flying above the campground!
We had breakfast for dinner and then after 8pm, we went up onto the berm to see if we could see tonight’s rocket launch from the Space Coast.
The launch was scheduled for 8:34pm. We watched the countdown and waited…We heard on the broadcast that the rocket was fueled b-with one million pounds of kerosene and liquid oxygen!
We saw a bright red fireball on the horizon. It steadily rose.
I have been struck down by some sort of evil virus. I have had chills and aching and a terrific headache and coughing. This morning, I woke up with no voice. I did take an easy walk around the pond at the campground.
Compassion…
I was not feeling like a bike ride. Tim left the campground and hopped on the LOST. He cycled 6 miles to Paul Rardin Park. I did drive to the park to meet him.
I sat on a swing in the sunshine. It was a beautiful day.
I did a few chores but rested most of the afternoon.
This evening, we drove to Don Wuicho Cuban Café, a food truck nearby. I had a great Cuban sandwich and Tim enjoyed chicken empanadas and maduros.
Tim was in the mood to explore and so we took some dirt farm roads through the sugarcane fields.
We saw a feral pig but he was moving too quickly for a picture. We also saw lots of raptors hunting along the canals.
I started my walk with a sweatshirt on but had to go back and change after one lap…just gorgeous!
We packed our bike bags with pistachios and oranges and took our bikes out on the LOST or the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.
We could see sugarcane fields burning in the distance. There were pieces of ash floating in the air.
We biked to Torry Island. It was nice to just sit by the water. The warm breeze, the smell of freshly mown grass, the bright blue sky and the brilliant sunshine…what a perfect day!
We climbed to the top of the observation tower.
I saw a tiny glimpse of an alligator snout in the pond at the campground yesterday. Today we had our first real sighting. Normally, we would have seen gators in northern Florida but it has been too cold.
I know these golfers are glad for the improvement in the weather.
What cool birds. They are grey-headed swamphens. I didn’t realize there was a pair until I worked on the blog this evening.
We had a quiet afternoon and then we packed dinner and drove the Jeep to John Stretch Park. When we have stayed here before, we had been able to see a rocket launch. Today at 5:05pm a Starlink launch was scheduled. We downloaded the SpaceCoastLaunch App. We watched the countdown and then scanned the sky. We had used a compass to determine the most favorable angle. The Space Coast is almost due north of here. Not tonight…the launch was successful but we didn’t see anything at all. We have a couple more chances before we leave.
1191 January 26, 2025 South Bay on Lake Okeechobee
This morning, we took the time to exercise and walk. This is a very nice resort. There is a great pool, a spa, a gym, pickleball and tennis courts, volleyball, lots of clubs and activities… If we ever decided that we wanted to stay in one place all winter…this place has lots of attractive amenities!
We packed up and went to say goodbye to Fred and Jen. We had a really nice visit.
The ride today was a little more than 2 hours. We left the west coast and drove in the Florida countryside. The coast is so crowded with traffic and new construction…more and more houses and condos and golf communities. The interior is very quiet and unpopulated.
Soon, we began to see fields of black dirt ready to be planted with sugarcane. There were tiny plants and fields ready to be harvested. We saw burnt and burning fields as well. There were several tractor trailer loads of sugarcane headed to the processing facility.
We stopped again for groceries and supplies. We arrived at South Bay RV Park just after 1pm. Finally, we are warm! The sun was out. We were able to put short sleeves on and open the windows…what a nice treat!
I spent the afternoon making oatmeal and tuna salad and boiling eggs and cutting raw vegetables. I did some cleaning as well. Tim watched the Eagles and Commanders game. Our little Austin loves Saquon Barkley and he proudly wore his Eagles shirt and neon green shorts. He was beyond excited when they won a chance to play in the Superbowl.
We took our bikes out for a short ride at halftime.
This evening, we watched the sunset from the LOST or the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. We will spend a lot of time on the trail this week.
We had dinner as the second championship game began…Go Bills!
1190 January 24-25, 2025 Port Charlotte With Fred And Jen
One last walk on Friday morning at Sarasota Lakes. The skies were clear but it was quite chilly. The birds were out and about.
This wood stork must be accustomed to being fed. He walked within 2 feet of me before I turned and walked away!
We went to Walmart for more fresh water and a few supplies. As we were filling our 5-gallon jug, Walt appeared in the same aisle. It was nice to chat and say goodbye!
We drove a short distance to Harbor Lakes RV Resort in Port Charlotte. My Uncle Fred and Jen live here and we were lucky to get a site right in their development. We all visited and then went to All Stars for live music. We listened to the Tin Can Tourists playing classic rock…Buddy Holly and The Beatles and all kinds of other songs that we all knew the words to. It was a great evening with good company and good food and plenty of beverages!
The only thing that was difficult is that the owners were Bills fans. After last week’s game Ravens VS Bills where the Ravens did not win…this was a bitter pill to swallow! They even had old Bills games on the TV’s above the stage…
On Saturday morning we were all a little sluggish. I took a walk through the development and across the canal to the lake.
Fred and Jen came to see the new rig and then a little later, we rode our bikes to their place and had lunch. It was sunny and a little warmer and so we went golf carting. Jen drove us around the neighborhood and over to the Bean.
We rested for awhile in the afternoon and then gathered again to go out for dinner. We couldn’t find a place to eat because everything was packed! We went to the “Gourmet Gas Station. Fred and Jen got fries and fish, I got shrimp, and Tim got some white pizza. We took our carryout back to Fred and Jen’s. From their back deck, we watched the sunset. We were entertained by the wading birds and fish jumping. The alligators still have not made an appearance. It is just too chilly for them. Everyone was tired and we had an early night.
1189 January 20-23, 2025 Sarasota With Walt And Lisa
Happy Birthday, Debbie!!
We moved south to Sarasota on Monday the 20th. We keep coming south but the cold is right on our heels. There was snow and ice in the southern United States all the way to the panhandle of Florida…how crazy is this weather!
We arrived in Sarasota and it was too early to check in to our campground. We parked the RV at a Walmart and did some shopping for supplies. Then, we were having company for dinner so I walked across the street to Detwiler’s Farm Market. We got to the campground and I prepped a salad with greens, tiny sweet tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, and the delicious fig balsamic vinegar that we bought in Tarpon Springs. I found fresh pannochie pasta. It was especially ruffled with lots of nooks and crannies for the pesto to hide. I bought shrimp and crusty rolls. I got roses and wine and we were ready. Lisa and Walt came with more wine and delicious little shortbread cookies studded with cranberries. We hadn’t seen our friends for more than a year. We talked and laughed and feasted!
On Tuesday, the unseasonably cold temperatures persisted. It also rained. We decided that it was a good day to go to a movie. Walt and Tim really wanted to see A Complete Unknown. This is Bob Dylan’s life story. We all enjoyed the music and the movie. We wanted to know if the actors did their own singing. 29 year old Timothee Chalamet played the young Bob Dylan. He also produced this movie. Chalamet studied Dylan’s music for five years. He played the guitar and sang and he nailed his performance. The actress, Monica Barbaro, was Joan Baez in the movie. She had an incredible voice as well.
We went to McGrath’s Irish Alehouse for dinner.
On Wednesday, we had more rainy and cold weather. I think the high was 46 degrees. We walked but it was very unpleasant outside.
We went to visit Walt and Lisa for dinner at their condo. It was another evening filled with stories and memories.
Thursday brought even more nasty and cold rain. This was not the visit to Sarasota that we had imagined. We are grateful to be here as opposed to north of here. Temperatures at home have been brutal. Atlanta saw their second snowfall this week. Roads there were icy and impassable and the boys have been out of school all week. We are lucky to be here!
Today, Tim and I decided to drive to downtown Sarasota despite the weather. We walked along the bayfront.
There was a very cool display entitled “Embracing Our Differences.” The panels were about diversity and acceptance and love. The art was lovely and the messages were powerful.
We walked to Marina Jack for lunch. I was happy to see seafood chowder on the menu!
After our meal, we drove to Siesta Key to see the “most beautiful beach in America.” We must have taken the wrong road around the island. We saw lots of huge and gorgeous multimillion dollar houses on the water but we never did see the beach. Siesta Key was built up and crowded with lots of painfully slow traffic. It was foggy and raining and we just went back to the campground.
I started the laundry at the campground laundry and then as it was washing, I went for a walk. I switched clothes to dryers and resumed walking. I got laundry and exercise done…nice multitasking!
We have seen a couple of armadillos, a couple of snakes and several deer here in the park. Aunt Mary said that Florida panthers live around here as well but we didn’t see any!
We took our lunch to a pavilion along the Little Manatee River. The clouds were dark and stormy and while we sat there, the skies opened. The rain stopped and we walked back to the Jeep.
I went out this afternoon and found a nice nail salon and there I enjoyed some pampering.
This evening, we had eggs and toast for dinner between football playoff games.
We are watching the Ravens play now…we are hoping for a positive outcome but it is halftime and they are down 11 points…we shall see!
On Friday, I took my morning walk along the park road. This campground also has sites available for equestrian campers.
A Jeep guy with a sense of humor!
I went to run a couple of errands and then after lunch, we drove to Sun City Center to visit with my Aunt Mary and Nabi.
AS we entered their community we saw dozens of houses with blue tarps on roofs. There were many homes damaged here in the hurricane.
We enjoyed an afternoon and evening filled with stories and sharing memories. Mary made delicious chili and salad for dinner. We met their neighbor, Pat, as we shared ice cream and strawberries.
On Saturday, after our morning exercise, Mary went with Tim and I to the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach at the TECO/Tampa Electric Big Bend Power Station. The plant uses water from Tampa Bay for cooling and then, clean warm water is released back into the bay. This discharge canal attracts manatees in the wintertime. These gentle giants cannot survive in cold water. The electric company has developed this free viewing area. On this day, about 800 manatees were in the canal. These animals are endangered. There are only about 6,000 manatees in Florida. We walked the boardwalks to the piers.
We walked through the Educational Center.
We saw sharks and tarpons. Rays were jumping.
We also saw this handsome yellow crowned night heron.
We drove to Anna Maria Oyster Bar for a great seafood lunch.
We went to the outlet mall to purchase some flavored vinegars. Mary and I had fun tasting samples and making our choices.
We went to Starbucks so that Mary could get her free birthday beverage.
We brought Mary to the campground so that she could see our new rig.
I took her back home and we all had some rest time before we met again in the evening for dinner. We drove back to Apollo Beach to E Sushi and Grill. The sushi was outstanding and artfully displayed…we should have taken pictures. It was late when we got back to the RV. We had such a great visit and it was really nice to be able to spend time together and to be here to celebrate with Mary.
1186 January 16, 2025 Little Manatee River State Park
I took one last walk in the community neighboring the campground. This was a nice place to stay in order to explore and we enjoyed our time here.
Tim drove the RV over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near Saint Petersburg. There was a gorgeous rest area right along the water.
As we crossed the large beautiful bridge, I saw great flocks of white pelicans and dolphins leaping in the water below.
We passed Tropicana Field. The huge domed roof of the stadium was ripped off in Hurricane Milton this fall. It will cost more than 55 million dollars and won’t be completed until the 2026 season.
We arrived at Little Manatee River State Park before noon and check-in was not until 3pm. The campground host shooed us away and we were made to wait in a large parking area. We received a call shortly after 1pm saying that our site was ready.
We got settled and went out to get fresh water and a few groceries.
Later, we took our bikes and rode the park road.
I saw what looked like a flat dodgeball in the grass. It was an armadillo and I tried to snap a picture as it waddled away.
This evening, I grilled mushroom and onions and spinach and served the vegetables with orzo and bruschetta…vegetarian and delicious!
