Fort Wilderness December 2010

Just returned from 4 days at Disney visiting with friends from TN. Lovely site close to the outpost, only $62/night with a decent sized pad - lengthwise, not width. We nearly twisted our ankles every day coming down from the step as the pad stopped just where you would put 1/2 your foot. I really could have badly twisted it a couple of times - next time will park a bit more over to the Left. If we didn't have our plastic carpet, we would have tracked a lot of dirt inside. As it was, lots of needles. Great time though, easy bus rides, nice bike rides and great weather. Dog loved it, sits in the front seat watching the people go by all day long while we're gone - I suspect. We catch him in the front seat when we return almost every time. No barking though - great dog. Site 1628 this time. Much better than the low #s in the swamp. Great trip.

Myakka State Park

We spent Friday and Saturday nights at Site 54 in the Old Prairie Campground in Myakka River State Park. This weekend the temperature dipped into the 50s and the tent campers froze. I did feel sorry for them. As a result nearly every campfire was going and the smoke was thick. Luckily we don't have asthma or we couldn't have stayed. The OPCground is near the entrance, closest to the alligator bridge. The site itself is a bad one - only 50 feet from some sort of water processing underground machinery - probably septic but the septic mound was further away. Luckily in the RV we don't hear anything at all and our awning faced the other direction so we didn't have to stare at it. The tent campers hated it I'm sure - they were closer. This entry will remind me not to go to that campground again - unless the construction across the street turns out to be a great playground which is what it needs. This park is very interesting from the alligator point of view but the road in/out is very busy. We rode about 5 miles Saturday morning before the crowds got thick which was wise. I would not have liked to ride in the afternoon. They need a bike path.

I will say the restroom was very neat, nice hot water with nice nozzle and very close to the site - close to every site as the cground is tiny. I was happy to pull up stakes so to speak this morning to come home to our comfy, nonsmoky house. TTFN

Fort Desoto Site 123

Wonderful Friday and Saturday night at Fort DeSoto campground just to the west of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This is a very popular campground, very difficult to get weekend reservations because it is so nice. There were no fire ants on the site or the playground and June and Emma wore the playground out. It was wonderful to have it so close and in our RV, we weren't disturbed by the yells of the other kids at night time. Amazing. Beautiful beach, neat Fort, great wide bike path and lots of Geocaches. A great weekend. Site 123 is great. The best are waterfront but are not pet friendly so not an option.

The Care and Feeding of a DP

Took the RV up to the Tampa Truck Center this past Sunday for a Maintenance check. We knew what we were getting into - yes, $1900 dollars later, she hums. Well, she hummed before but we can relax knowing everything possible was changed, lubed, and/or checked. It is nice to know that we really did get a good machine, that the last owner did not ditch it knowing it was going to blow or something. I had visions of them telling us "wow, did this thing make it through Katrina?". But that didn't happen and plan on camping again soon. TTFN.

Little Manatee River State Park

Another pleasant weekend with the family: Friday and saturday nights. Got there at dusk, managed to get set up as darkness fell. We brought the bikes and enjoyed the 2 mile ride to and from (4 mile) the ranger station twice and multiple 1/2 rides and loops around the campground including in the near pitch blackness of last night with just a sliver of a moon. The river is disappointing to look at - maybe canoeing would be enjoyable but it seem to be a very narrow, tannin creek, not a river. There was the typical playground for June which was enjoyed. June and I painted pictures during the afternoon under the awning. Finally, it is cool enough to enjoy the outside. We stayed in Site 18 which was on the other side of the bathrooms -but we could cut through the opposite site when no one was occupying it for a shortcut. Other than the bike riding and seeing people ride their horses, this park does not have a real draw to return. We'll keep exploring.

Koreshan State Park and Historic Site

We spent a lovely 24 hours at this park in Estero FL over the weekend. We were in site 11 next to Mike and Ann in Site 12. It is a small tightish campground but still easily maneuverable in a 34 ft RV. We had S'mores for June and bike rode all around in the hot and drippy humidity. Gopher tortoises everywhere. The river was tannin colored so no swimming but people were enjoying canoeing. We had a great Ranger led tour of the Koreshan 19th century settlement yesterday morning at 10AM. It truly is a unique place and well worth seeing. They did a lot of work on the site which is evident 100 years later, with the state's help and ownership now. The CG was close to Publix which is a plus.

'Til the next time.

Blue Spring State Park, Orange City, FL

Wonderful two days over this Labor Day weekend at BSSP! It took us 3.5 hours to get there. Tim did a great job backing into a nice sized space. The bikes stayed nicely hitched to the new bike rack. We had Site 14, very close to the footpath to the Swimming Area. We really didn't need the bikes after all but it was still fun to have them. What a beautiful Spring! The day tripping crowd was huge but welcome because it is an area where there are alligators. Their noise of fun surely kept all of them away. We swam 4 different times from the roped off "Manatee Refuge Area" to the Spring itself. The water is 72 degrees and while invigorating to us, was too cold for long for June. She really froze quickly and became irritable and whiney. I spent over an hour by myself and found 3 foot Gar, turtles and lots of smaller fish. We only saw one baby alligator at Dusk after all the swimmers were gone. That was a little freaky but it makes sense. The Spring dumps into the St. Johns River not far away at all. June and I went in with our clothes once when we weren't planning to swim at all - but couldn't resist!

August in Fort Wilderness is HOT!

Visited with Lisa and Glenn H and kids this past week. Got Site 308 - the dreaded swamp loop that I couldn't back in last time. Tim not with me - had to stay home with dtr to get her to school and back. Told them at the gate that if I started Crossing myself and swearing, I would be back for another site - they sent two guys to my site and guided me in perfectly. Actually turned out to be a great location - close to the marina and thus to Bay Towers where Lisa and Glenn stayed. Nice visit but SO HOT! Dripping sweat interspersed with freezing cold wonderful A/C. Looking forward to the loss of humidity this winter. Bye.

I am not RV'ing but since seeing so many RVs here on my vacation in Alaska, must post. WOW, boondocking everywhere! I hope the state of AK doesn't make illegal before I get my chance to come up here with the RV someday. Having a wonderful time in Talkeetna, AK - bye!

July 4th weekend Silver Springs and Juniper Springs

We had a great weekend with the camper. Niece Sarah and BF Joe came down from their Georgia AF Base and met us at Silver Springs. We stayed at SS Campers Gardens P 10, right across the street from SS and Wild Waters water park. Saved us $7/day in parking fees. When the fireworks went off in the rain (rained out Lee Greenwood I think), we had front row seats out our RV window. June LOVED that. Silver Springs was just as beautiful as it was in 1971 when I was there last with my parents and siblings. The water park was small but fun and even Tim enjoyed Alligator Ambush.

Today after checking out of the CG, we went to Juniper Springs, just 20 miles up the road. It is on Federal land so our state passes were no good. Cost $5/person for the day use fee. What a beautiful spot! Tim and I were amazed. June thought it was pretty but cold. No gators (seen), only one turtle and lots of minnows. 25 feet down to the Spring. Crystal clear blue water. Can't wait to go find more springs but will be difficult to top this one.

Pic of interior

Here's the new couches. Now if it wasn't 200 degrees out so we could camp and enjoy some time outdoors...

The former dinette is upside down on the floor is now removed.

Couches In

That's it, the couches are installed. They had to take out a window to get them in (ka -ching) but all three fit and look great. Guests riding in the back for a couple of hours will be comfortable and overnight guests have nice new beds. Felt good to get behind the wheel just to drive her back to the storage lot. Can't wait to plan that long vacation next year with any luck.

The Couches are here!

We found out today that our three new sage-colored couches arrived at the RV Tech Center! Very exciting to know that soon everyone will have a place to sit! And we can get the Norcold RV recall fixed too. That just came in the mail yesterday - company has been doing the recall for 8 years!

Disney Weekend - before we are blocked out for the summer

Went to Disney's Fort Wilderness again June 4 and 5th. Thanks to work by husband, got out of here on time and to our site just at dusk. Were given 300 Loop - a dog loop - more swamp than campground after a week of rains. I suspect it is always wet though- cedars with knobs all over. It was tight in every spot and impossible to maneuver our 34 foot Class A no matter how I tried. When I broke out in a sweat and started Crossing myself after two tries nearly landing in a tree, I called it off and had hubby get in and we asked for a new site. We went back to Registration and said I need a BIG site please, dog or no dog. They gave us 536, across the way. It was simple to back in, in comparison. We had a very nice weekend. We got into the Magic Kingdom Saturday AM at Opening and got many rides in before 11AM. We napped and swam in the afternoon. We watched Princess and the Frog in the evening at the campground. Site 536 was far from the Comfort Station however - that was a bit inconvenient. It was close to the marina - relatively as the cg is so big overall. The camper worked great but I discovered a leak from the shower under our new floor. Dang it. Got to get that fixed before everything rots. We went to Animal Kingdom this morning until noon then drove home. Cleaned her out and put her away until likely August. Maybe.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well, we thought we'd need some extra space for some company this weekend so we set up the RV at Ramblers Rest, a campground very close to our home. Turned out we didn't need it but since we bought the Memorial Day Special and I can't stand to be away from the camper for long, I wound up staying out there with daughter for 2 nights. Hubby came to visit along with our neice and BF, we watched gators in the Myakka, fish jumping and many, many colorful crickets (eww). The park is really for winter visitors in Park Model homes and I imagine, campers during Season. For us, it was nearly empty except people seemed to miraculously appear in the pool. Very nice pool.
We had trouble again this AM when we were ready to leave. Seems that every couple of times we use the Leveling system, the air system cycles and won't close off some seal to allow pressure to build up. We had to call Good Sam again. We asked the diesel air brake guy if this is permanent or temporary fix and he said permanent so we'll see. I think we'll take it to Tampa Freightliner after the next camping weekend - which we can't miss. No leveling system until then or for sure, kicked out of the GS Club!

18 hours at Webb Babcock WMA again - for the sole purpose of making June learn to ride her bike - was a success. We were the only ones there because it has become too hot for tent campers. We kept the A/C running all night and were quite comfortable. Sunset bike ride along the winding road was lovely.

Why?

The purpose of this blog is to help me remember where we've been exactly, for future reference. Already the details of the campgrounds are getting mixed up and I want to remember what # sites we stayed at to help us avoid the unpleasant ones in the future. I will try to load a pic of each from now on too. That's all. Better than a journal on my computer because I can access it from anywhere in the world. How cool is that!

Third or maybe fourth? Trip

We did stay at Webb Babcock another time in there somewhere, same exact campsite. This time some jerk used a loud generator (not a "camp" generator) all day and into evening. Very inconsiderate. Did have an effect on enjoyment. Loved walking the long road though. Peaceful.

Went to Fort Wilderness last weekend, IronMan weekend. First time even in the RV. Tight spots to get through the reception structure but made it uneventfully. Site #1118 or 1119 - already forgetting , hence the blog idea. Loved the 1100 Loop - tall Pines , all shaded. I want to avoid the 600 loop as it looks new and has very small trees, nearly no shade at all. Would be noiser b/c backs up to Movie theatre and near pool. Ahh, now the reason for the blog is showing. :)

Second trip

Went to Oscar Scherer. Site 101 I think. Pull through. I liked, husband didn't b/c "not level". Private. Met up with M and A. They made oysters for dinner. YUM! Nice treat. More geochaches there. Rained 2nd day, Earth Day. Still fun.

First Trip

Went to Webb Babcock WMA. No facilities but nice sites. Stayed on Loop 2. Nice long quiet road. One Geocache. Dtr enjoyed very much.