September 18, 2011 by LadyCC.

Friday, September 2, 2011

We’re heading to Salt Springs for the Labor Day weekend. We leave around 12:30 pm and arrive there about 2:30 pm on a sunny Friday afternoon. On the trip with us this time is CC (curb crusher-husband), LCC (lady curb crusher-me), TCC (teen curb crusher-13) and friend JB (also 13).

This will also be a mini family reunion for us as well with CC’s parents GD (granddaddy) and GM (grandmother) also known as the G’s, and CC’s Uncle T and Aunt D. We were originally going to camp with the NEFCC’s (North East FL Camping Club) but that didn’t seem to work out well this trip. I did hear they had about 45 people total in the group for this weekend though.

We arrive and start to get set up. The smartest thing I’ve done since the last long trip was to write down all the things we do to set up and break down the RV and post it next to the slide out buttons. Now instead of TCC asking me continuously if everything is done she can read it and work on the list. So I left TCC and JB to set up the inside of the RV while I helped CC set up the outside. Since we were staying 4 nights we set up the EZUP in our site.

The sites at Salt Springs are all asphalt where the RV sits and grass everywhere else. They are FHU in the RV section as well. The campground offers an old basketball court, horseshoe field and a small walking trail, but the best thing is the springs which are 68 degrees year round. This is where we were headed as soon as we finished with our setup.

CC’s aunt and uncle as well as parents weren’t at their sites so we went without them. We all grabbed our snorkels and jumped in the car for the short ride to the springs. JB had come last year so she knew what to expect. The water was very refreshing and it was not crowded at all on a Friday afternoon so we had the springs to ourselves. We saw a lot of fish and the water was very clear where the boils were. The boat people were already in place for the holiday weekend. Most of them stay on their boats in the mouth of the springs all weekend. After about an hour and a half we came back to the campsite to shower and start making dinner.

We were making our usual dinner for Friday arrival, which is hamburgers. It used to include hot dogs until TCC said she doesn’t like them anymore. About this time the G’s show up and tell us their adventures since they got here. They had the power go out on their site on Thursday and since every site was taken for the holiday, the campground couldn’t move them. So they called an electrician to fix the problem and after a couple of hours the power was working again. For their trouble they gave them 10 nights of camping. I wish it had been us… then we’d come more often.

Then they told us the trouble T and D had with their tires. They all went to Palatka to get it fixed as T and D have a class B RV and don’t tow a car. It was kind of funny as the G’s said they left T and D at the gas station to fill up- but 2 hours later they still hadn’t come back. Eventually they arrived and we all had a laugh about them getting lost at Walmart.

After we ate everyone had gathered at the G’s RV and were catching up on family events until late that night. The next day I had made plans to tour 3 wineries in the area and invited everyone to go. My dad (GP-grandpa) and his girlfriend (A) were coming up for the day to go with us as well.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

We have our usual breakfast of pancakes and get ready to go. We are just waiting on GP and A to arrive. They showed up and everyone sat down to drink coffee together until I reminded them we needed to leave. TCC really wanted her aunt D to go but every time we asked she had said no . But eventually TCC wore her down and she came with us. So we had a full car with 5 of us, and my dad and A followed in his truck. (I had warned him not to bring his car as we would be traveling on some dirt roads).

Our first stop was the Royal Manor Winery in Interlachen, or so we thought. I had programmed our GPS with the address but we ended up in a field instead. So we called the winery and the owner, Joe, gave us directions to get there. They are really off oft the beaten path. Signage would be a good thing for them to invest in.

The owner was actually away on a buying trip in GA but left his sister in charge. Unfortunately she didn’t really know too much about the wines. There was no wine menu to check off and she couldn’t tell me what the wines were made of. I found out later from Joe that he uses all types of fruit but no grapes yet. That is still to come. We started off tasting the first one and before I could swirl/smell/sip- D and A were asking for a taste of the second wine and so it went. There were 10 wines to sample but I felt hurried by them. Usually the wine steward takes control of the tasting but Joe’s sis didn’t seem to be able to. I finally chose the Royal Passion which is made from passion-fruit, hence the name. Royal Manor had a small gift store and sometimes they have ice cream but not today. Unfortunately for TCC, JB, and, dad there was no juice here though. They had a really nice place with lots of land for growing their strawberries , blueberries, and, blackberries. There were horses in the fields and lots of grapevines growing for the future wines.

After purchasing we moved on to our second stop of the day; Tangled Vines in Grandin. This one was more prominently near the road and the GPS got us there OK. They had 7 wines to try and I bought Carlos, which is a white wine, and D bought Holiday Cheer , also made with Carlos grapes. Both were very good I thought. This winery had more of an atmosphere to it as well. The steward was more knowledgeable and there were wine menus to read. There was a very nice store with lots of different crafts and wine items to purchase. D bought an egg peacock for great grandmother and some chocolates for the girls (which were very good-another reason to go back). I bought my cork globe here (remember I saw one up in the Grayton?) D was collecting wine glasses for her daughter but couldn’t find them. The clerk pointed up and if they had been snakes they would have bit us because they were hanging right over our heads! (Remember we’ve now tried 17 wines…) The clerk also invited us to try the grapes growing on the vines behind the store. I was surprised when I tried them because I tend to like white wines, which is the Carlos grape, but I really liked the Noble, which is the dark red grape. Didn’t I just buy a bottle of Carlos?! Still no juice here though.

We ate lunch that we had prepared earlier and brought since it was about 12:30 and then continued to the last stop at Log Cabin winery which was in Satsuma. This time we had to pay $2 pp to try the 5 wines that they had. There is an old log cabin on the premises which is how they named their winery. We couldn’t go into it though. The owner was really proud of her harvester which we saw a picture of on the wall in the store. When D asked her how much it cost she wouldn’t tell us, which we thought weird since she was the one who mentioned how expensive it was.

My dad, TCC, and JB had their own tasting because finally there was juice. The winery sold both Scuppernong and Muscadine juices. I bought TCC some Scuppernong since she had tried Muscadine in the panhandle last month. Here I purchased the Log Cabin white made with Carlos grapes again.

Now comes the fun part of the trip at least as far as CC was concerned. We had planned our trip so we would travel in a circle so we could ride the Fort Gates ferry back. It costs $10 per car and it takes 2 cars at a time across the St Johns River. The ferry is actually something that looks like an old pontoon boat pushed by a jon boat. (I think it’s more than that but that was my impression). It saves 50 miles of driving back the other way.

When we got to the ferry there were 2 cars ahead of us so we were able to see how it worked. The cars rolled onboard and seemed liked they barely fit. The trip across took about 10 minutes and then it came back for us. We were lucky that no one got on from the other side because we would have to back up to let them off and there was really no room to move the car.

When it was our turn to load I walked on instead of riding in the car because I thought that if it went down I would at least be able to swim back to shore. The rails were really rusty and the boat looked OLD. CC had sent me an article saying that this is a 3^rd generation business. I hope they’re not using the original boat. The breeze was nice as we were crossing so that much was worth it. As we neared the dock on the other side CC showed me that my dad’s truck tailgate was hanging over the edge of the boat. I wished that he had shown me sooner so maybe TCC and JB could have ridden right over the water on the tailgate . NOT!

After we were finished docking, we drove about 3 miles (it seemed) on a dirt road that runs next to the campground to get back. We all shared what we had done all day when we got back while getting dinner ready. The G’s and Uncle T had spent their day at the flea market across the street and then had lunch at the diner there. We had decided to do a shared meal with tacos. My dad and A needed to get back by 7 so we ate a little early so they could leave. There was more than enough food and plenty of desserts and D provided us with homemade ice cream too. YUM.

It was too late to go swimming but after GP and A left, CC and I walked down to the springs to see the elusive otters. On the way we saw 3 deer: a mom and 2 fawns. We didn’t get to see any otters that night but we will try again.

The girls watched movies while the adults opened the wines we had bought and enjoyed good conversation and music.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

CC and his dad GD ran this morning keeping to their workout schedules so they will be on track to run their ½ marathon at Disney in Jan. I got a picture of CC and one of Uncle T as he was walking but none of GD. He must have been up early because I didn’t see him. CC decided to wait until it was light outside because he heard there were bears around and he didn’t want to meet another one, especially since he had to share his milk with one in GA.

We then went in and had breakfast and sat around and chatted again until it was too hot, then we headed to the springs again. We stayed a couple of hours and T and D joined us toward the end. I think they were shocked at how cold the water was. It took Uncle T awhile to finally get all in and Aunt D’s toes turned black from the cold water. It was kind of scary to look at them.

We then went back and had showers so we could head out for a late lunch at Sparky’s in Astor. It’s home of the cheese skirted hamburger. All the meals we ordered were really good. Then we were going to Barberville which has the kitchiest stuff I’ve ever seen. We even got a behind the scenes tour of them prepping and painting some of the statues.

We were so full that CC and I took a walk around the campground and ran into Omar from NEFCC. Last year he had bought a 1941 Greyhound bus and started fixing it up. CC really wanted pictures of the unusual inside so he asked if he could take some. T and D were riding their bikes and we called them over and introduced then to Omar. The bathroom inside is really amazing. It has tiny mirror tiles on every surface inside. They even have a dishwasher.(Wish I had one sometimes!). Omar said he hadn’t used the bus since last year’s event.

After leaving Omar we walked back around to our site where the girls were watching a movie and braiding each other’s hair. We sat outside and chatted until time to go to bed.

Monday, September 5, 2011

CC and I got up early to see if we could spot the otters again. This time we were lucky as we were taking pictures of the sunrise CC saw one otter pop his head up near the stairs. We followed them to the grass island area near the boats and were able to get a couple of shots of them. When walking back we saw another deer feeding near the office area.

The girls still weren’t up so we went ahead and had breakfast without them and then walked around the campground. Lots of people are up and packing their stuff. We were able to see the person who runs the NEFCC site and talk to him about why I wasn’t able to log in. Hopefully he will be able to set it right soon.

Uncle T and Aunt D are going home today but the G’s and us are staying until Tuesday. We sat and had coffee and talked until they were ready to go and then hugged goodbye. It was getting quite hot so we took off for the springs again and just enjoyed floating in the water for a couple of hours.

Didn’t do too much today except watch the campers leave. Earlier the G’s and us decided we would have leftovers from taco night and we ate them around 2 pm. Just as soon as we got everything ready to eat the skies opened up and it poured for at least an hour. We didn’t care though because we were dry and inside enjoying each other’s company.

Later after the rain had stopped we cleaned up the site to get ready to go tomorrow. After we were hot again GM brought out root beer and we added Blue Bell ice cream and had root beer floats. As it got dark the girls watched another show and the adults sat around chatting until bedtime. We leave early tomorrow to get back to our ordinary lives.

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August 22, 2011 by LadyCC.

August 19-21, 2011

We loaded up this weekend and went down the road 30 minutes to a local county park in Apopka, called Kelly Park/Rock Springs. This is our 4^th stay at this park and we still enjoyed it. It is so hot here in Central FL so going to the springs is very refreshing.

About the campground:

There are 26 sites but seven are without power. 1 pull-through site but it has no power. Two Family sites, one with power. No pets or alcohol allowed in the park and they DO check. On duty sheriff deputy on site entire time park is open. Very family, group oriented park. No loud music, cursing or fighting going on. I even saw some loud mouthed kids at the springs get their entire family ejected for loud cursing. This is a very family friendly park where they don’t put up with rule breakers! Really appreciate that this park is so nice.

Only 15/30A at elec sites. Most sites were big enough for a 40 ft RV. The water hookups were to the back and left of the site (leftover from when it was only tenting) and the electric was at the front of the sites. Be sure to bring long enough hoses/cords.

Bathhouse was old but seemed clean. They have tried to update counter tops and stalls but showers have not been updated. You have to exit shower to get dressed- there is no dressing area, and nowhere to hang your towel or put your soap, etc. No A/C either. There is a small swing set in camping area next to bathhouse but park has two larger playgrounds in day use area that are updated and very nice.

Campground road is dirt and sites are limestone with concrete pads for the picnic tables. Site has a combo fire pit/grill. Dump station is very rustic but workable. Busy weekends you might get blocked on the road by an RV using it. Campground also has a pavilion for campers use with several tables and grills. There is a separate entrance/exit for campers once they check in because there is usually a long line at ranger station for day use persons and they let one car in as one exits especially in summer. Park closes in summer at 10 am and re opens at 3 pm for crowd control. There was enough privacy in campsites and a concrete sidewalk that led from the bathhouse to the springs swimming area.

Tubing was awesome. Get tubes outside of park on your way in- park does not rent them- or bring your own. River shallow enough to walk so it’s good for little ones. There is also a beach sand area near the swimming area. Water was between 68-72 degrees, felt great in August. Nice boardwalks to get you back to beginning or you could use hiking trails. Tubing takes about 25 minutes if its not too crowded. Plenty of lifeguards in tube run and swimming area. Concession stand had all kinds of food and was reasonable.

We saw birds, alligators, turtles, raccoons, and plenty of fish and the largest grasshoppers ever. There was a young bear going through the picnic area checking trash cans. They have added bear proof cans in the camping area since our visit last year.

No online reservations but park does take credit cards over phone.

Our site was shady as are most. It looks like they might have cut back some vegetation in some of the sites. We were able to get many stations on our digital converter box so TV viewing was ok and clear. Maybe in the winter so we can do some hiking as we haven’t had a chance to get to that yet. Park has a permanent orienteering course set up and several hiking paths to wander.

As a camper you can walk the spring trail after the park closes and see lots of wildlife come out. Our site was HUGE and next to the walkway. Lots of shade and they also sell firewood for campers now. Apopka is close by with many stores if you forget anything. Best value in Central FL in our book.

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July 21, 2011 by steve.

As noted in the previous post, Mr. CurbCrusher is suspended from writing the blog until further notice. Here’s LadyCurbCrusher’s take on our trip to Unicoi State Park in north Georgia.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Today we drive around Atlanta and check in at Unicoi. The drive was mostly uneventful except for all the white vehicles that went from one side of the interstate to the complete other side often without any warning. When we got off the Interstate the fun started with the ups and downs and double S curves of the mountain area. After 3 hours we arrived in the town of Helen and drove through it to get to Unicoi SP.

At Unicoi you check in at the lodge then go to your colored site. Our site was white for full hook up (water, electric and sewer). The sites are much closer together than in the other camping areas but we do have sewer so we don’t have to watch our tanks as closely here. When we arrived there were only 3 sites available to chose from so I picked site #26. It looked the longest at the time. One benefit was there is a small stream called Big Brook that runs behind our site and we have a cleared access to it. The mountains are not cool this year; they seem even more humid than FL right now. The outside temps are in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s but with the humidity it seems more.

After setting up we took a short tour of Unicoi. We started back at the lodge(which has free wi-fi), drove to where the beach is and then moved on to Anna Ruby Falls next door. We had stopped here previously about 4 years ago so we knew what to expect. We paid our admission($2 pp) and then parked and started walking up the trail to the waterfalls. This is a nice path that is paved until you come to the platforms with stairs right at the waterfalls. the path is only 4/10 mile so it is not too hard to walk but it is steep in several places.

After picture taking and walking back down we went into the store and bought ice cream to enjoy after the hot walk. They have a very nice store at the base and they carry a variety of merchandise. I really liked the pottery that comes from this area.

After returning to the campsite CC and I walked to the store and interpretive center in the campground while TCC went to the playground nearby. Then we had dinner and CC and I walked around the lake and went out on the docks to see if we could find fish. We met our neighbors from the Tampa area. They have a famous Golden Retriever named Rusty that has his own sidecar and trailer towed behind their motorcycle. He is so cute sitting up with his goggles on as he rides behind them. They told us he had his picture on the front page of the paper during bike week.

Monday, July 11, 2011

We started today by having our usual pancakes then going into Helen to look around. The traffic really seems to die off after the weekend is over. We just came off a holiday week as well so that probably slowed things down some. A few of the shops weren’t even open so it made the shopping much easier on the pocketbook. We saw some T-shirt shops we want to return to. CC saw a t-shirt that said “I’ve hiked the entire (width of the) Appalachian Trail” that he wants to acquire after doing so. TCC seemed fascinated with the glass blowing shop but no one was making glass figurines when we were there. After walking the entire length of the street we stopped at Troll Tavern which is right on the Chattahoochee River to watch the tubers go by and have lunch. We spent an enjoyable hour there and caught some pointers for when we tube tomorrow.

At lunch, we decided that we would go today to Blue Ridge to go check out Mercier’s Orchard. We stopped there years ago when we were in the area and wanted to go back. But first we stopped at Habersham Winery for me to try the wines. After purchasing a bottle we went across the street to Nora’s Mill and bought some of Grandpa’s Flour for making pancakes. Then another stop at The Willows Pottery for a beautiful plate and we were on our way. So after taking the scenic route, and stopping for a picture at Skeenah Gap Campground, where CC almost slid off the mountain in our previous 5th wheel, we arrived at Mercier’s.
We looked around and taste tested many great foods and decided we needed a strawberry/apple slushie for the ride home, as well as a jug of apple cider and some delicious pound cake. Taking another scenic route back to Helen we made our final stop of the day at Fred’s Famous Peanut Stand for hot boiled peanuts. TCC and I were still full from lunch so we went to the Lodge so she could log onto the wi-fi to check for some things. And CC made himself dinner and then when we got back he and I walked around the lake again.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Today started off exciting. CC was outside having his bagels and milk when a black bear walked up to him. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and he thought it was the neighbors letting Rusty, their dog, out in the morning. Only it was a young black bear. CC grabbed his bagel and ran back into the RV shouting “It’s a bear! It’s a bear!” I grabbed my camera and headed out to see if I could get a picture but when I peeked under the RV I saw its feet behind the RV and so I came back inside to get a picture out of the window. It was drinking the milk from CC’s glass he had left behind when he ran. I got a couple of pictures but we stayed inside until it took off. They did warn us at check in that the bears were active right now.

After breakfast we loaded up the car with our hiking poles and water shoes to go tubing on the Chattahoochee, also known locally as the “Hooch”. We chose Cool River Tubing based on some reviews we saw. We were expecting to pay a lot more but it was only $5 pp to tube either 1 or 2 hours. Since we brought our own sticks that’s all we paid. We elected to do the 2 hour tour so we and 6 others jumped on the old school bus and were driven up the road a ways to be let off at the starting point.

The first hour was great, since it was early there weren’t too many people on the river to bump into. Then we came to the mid point for the 1 hour trips and a cross country camp let about 100 kids into the river. After that it was hard to find a space on the river where you didn’t bump into someone. We had a great time and since the tubes had a bottom we didn’t even really get that wet. The water WAS very cold though.

We came back to the campsite and had lunch then decided to go to Goats on the Roof and the antiques store we saw yesterday but didn’t have time to go into. So we stopped at Goats on the Roof and there really ARE goats eating grass up on top of the store. You can pay a quarter and pedal a bicycle that will move the food can up to the roof where it dumps out and feeds the goats. The Weather Channel was there filming local GA interest stories, so they were up on the roof as well. Normally people cannot go up there, only the goats. Inside the store you can mine for gemstones and geodes. They also sell jams and jellies with ice cream and fudge. We bought TCC an ice cream cone and CC and I shared some peanut butter fudge on the way to the antique store.

The antique store does not look as big as it is from the outside. It is 3 floors and probably 6,000 sq ft of old stuff. They carried old linens, plates, glasses, furniture, and toys. We took awhile and looked around but didn’t see anything we couldn’t live without.

On the way back to the campsite we stopped at the picnic area to take a picture of the lake, the dam and Smith Creek. Then we chilled out reading and eating Fred’s peanuts at the RV.

Before dinner we were sitting behind the RV chilling out when I heard a weird whirring noise. CC got up and went to investigate what it was. I promptly jumped into his new gravity chair I had bought him for our anniversary since I hadn’t tried it yet. TCC was sitting with me when she said :There’s the bear!” It was walking down from the bathhouse area right next to our RV. I immediately jumped up and ran into the RV to get my camera. The camp host came running up and was trying to scare it away. I didn’t get any pictures because of him. The bear has done nothing wrong. It’s stupid campers who would won’t put their food away that attracts them. They have every right to be here in woods where they live. The weird whirring noise was the hosts making ice cream. No, we did not get a taste.

We also got to see the fireflies tonight. We don’t seem to be able to see those in FL. They seem to like meadows and forest areas which we don’t get to very often.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

We all got a late start today. CC made cinnamon rolls and then we left for Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in GA. We got there and walked the 6/10 mile to the top. We could have taken a van for a cost of $3pp but we needed the exercise anyway. The walk was very pretty much like Anna Ruby Falls without the river next to it. The walkway is paved and does incline the whole way up and down and has rhododendrons growing over the path. At the top is a movie about the area and an interpretive center with displays like bears and a locomotive. On a clear day you can see Tennessee, Georgia (to Atlanta), North and South Carolina. They also had a small store at the bottom of the Bald.

After we finished there we left to find a section of the Appalachian Trail to hike. We found a section near 75/17 where it crosses the Unicoi Gap and found the marker rock and white blazes. We went up the trail for about ½ mile and then turned around. The next stopping place was about 2 miles away from there. And that was one way.

We went back to Helen to get gas, and stop at Betty’s groceries. If you ever need anything while in Helen this is definitely the place to get it. Even the wines were cheaper than the wineries. They have it all. Food, sundries, firewood, bakery, alcohol and toys.

On our way back to the campsite we also stopped at Fred’s peanuts again to reload our supply of boiled peanuts. Then TCC and I spent some time at the lodge using the wi-fi before dinner.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Today we got started late as well. CC made us pancakes and then we headed out to Helen to pick up his AT t-shirt and whatever souvenirs we wanted. But we walked the whole town and they didn’t have the shirt in his size. We watch the tubers again before leaving and heading back to Goats on the Roof because he saw the same shirt there. We were able to find his size and bought more fudge this time, we purchased a variety of Butterfinger, peanut butter and regular chocolate because it was so good the first time.

We came back and had lunch then CC and I went to check out the lakefront beach area. I was sure the water would be cold because the stream behind our RV is really cold and it dumps into the lake, but the lake was cool not freezing like I thought. The water was a weird green yellow color though, but only in the swim area. The rest of the lake was a darker green. They rent paddle boats and canoes there as well as have picnic pavilions and a cafe with decks to eat outside.

After we spent about an hour or so there we came back and got TCC to go up to the Lodge and use the wi-fi and finish up our souvenir shopping. The clerk was telling us all about their intern program, where the students live in cabins at the park and do various jobs for the park. I think one of the craft rangers at the Nature Center is probably one of these.
We got back to the site and started cleaning up to head home tomorrow. CC looked at the weather forecast when he was at the Lodge and the weather will be much cooler next week. Too bad we already have something planned for then.
Our week here has been great. I always prefer to be on our own schedule and not those of other people like when we have visited this area before. It just makes the trip so much more relaxing for me.

Friday, July 15, 2011

We are on our way home now. It rained all night so everything around us is soaked. Good thing we packed all the outside stuff yesterday. While we were pulling out the group next to us was trying to hitch their travel trailer. The guy backed all the way into his hitch and bent it. His wife wasn’t giving him directions at all. I think the grandparents were actually still inside when we heard the loud boom of him hitting it. The hitch was bent down at an angle. Hopefully they were able to fix it. The mist was really pretty on the tops of the mountains as we drove down them. I tried to get some pictures of it but I don’t think I was very successful. We were listening to the radio and heard there was a horrible crash on I-85. We were lucky that we were taking I-985 instead it seemed like it was backed up for 10 miles.

We stopped once again at Lane’s Peaches to get our peach ice cream and some snacks for the trip home. We were able to see the production line start fresh with new peaches on it. It’s pretty cool to see it start at the beginning. The only real slow down we encountered on our trip home was an accident at mile marker 304 on the FL Turnpike. It looked like an Albertson’s 18 wheeler had clipped a mini van and crunched the passenger side in. I think 4 cars were involved. Traffic was crawling for a little while but there was nowhere to get off until just before the accident so we had to wait. That’s the second time this summer we had a slowdown on the Turnpike. Lucky we weren’t coming through earlier in the day. There were cars racing and one’s wheel came off causing a bad accident that closed it down for hours. We finally made it home around 8 pm and are unloading the RV. It will be nice to sleep in our normal beds again. Back to doing chores tomorrow.

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September 8, 2010 by LadyCC.

The Curbcrusher family loaded up, plus a friend of Preteen CC’s and headed up to Salt Springs for Labor Day weekend. When we got there we met up with CC’s parents the Old Insiders (or the G’s as PTCC calls them) and a new to us camping group, NorthEast FL Camping Club. Plans were made to have a hot dog cookout on Friday night, a potluck on Saturday night and a brunch on Sunday. Sounds good to us as we like to eat and meet new people.

We arrived about 3 pm in the campground and set up. Then said hi to the relatives and scoped out the NEFCC’s sites so we could find out the scoop about the goings on. We met with a couple of them and found out the sites for the festivities and then went back to the RV to load up to head to the springs. It was about 92 degrees out and the springs are always 72 degrees so we couldn’t wait to get in and cool off.

We haven’t been to this campground since August 2007 (see previous blog entries) and the park was closed for about 2 years as they renovated the springhead walls and nearby area. The campground remained open but everyone had to go 7 miles down the road to Silver Glen to swim so we elected to wait until they were finished before coming back. They new swim area looks great and the water looks clearer as well. The only downside is that they took the beach area away so no place to play in the sand  for the little kids anymore.

After cooling off in the springs we came back to get showers so we could head to the hot dog cookout. We have camped with other clubs in the past but this one is the most laid back. Usually there is a set time to start dinner and everyone gathers and a prayer is said then we eat, but this group had a window of time to eat, 6-8 pm, and everyone just helped themselves as they got there. Since we were newbies we didn’t know the protocol and didn’t know to just help ourselves until we figured out people had started to load their plates.  We met a few people that night and found out that there were a lot of people who lived near our relatives in the Leesburg area. Most of the club is from around the Jacksonville area so that was good news for them.

After eating and visiting, we went back to the RV and the girls watched movies and CC and I walked the campground for our nightly routine. Stopped and visited with his parents for awhile, then came back and had ice cream for dessert and went to bed.

Saturday started with our traditional breakfast of pancakes and then we went across the street to the small flea market that seems to be there most weekends. We started with the National Forest office and then toured the stalls. Bought some chow-chow which I hope to use soon. Then loaded up on boiled peanuts and watermelon and we were in heaven. Went back to the RV and got suited up for the springs again and spent a good portion of the day there again. Then came back to the RV and the girls took naps and CC and I read books for the rest of the afternoon until dinner.

Had dinner with the NEFCC, this time was a potluck, and afterwards CC’s dad got to play his guitar for the crowd. He played for about an hour and since we have been blessed to hear him play often, CC and I took our nightly walk again and the girls once more watched movies and made snow cones to eat. After he finished playing we once again visited until bedtime and then turned in.

Sunday we had more pancakes and then went to the springs again. The weather didn’t look as good as the other days so we got out earlier. The girls were tired of snorkeling and CC had taken all the pictures he wanted so we left. The girls went to visit and have lunch with the G’s and we went to find a store to get more milk. On the way, CC told me about his partner at work telling him about a restaurant in Astor that served a huge smothered hamburger and he wanted to see if we could find it so off we went. We found the restaurant named Sparky’s and had a delicious meal. The fries were some of the best I ever ate. Then off back to find a store and get the milk. When we returned the G’s had dinner ready for us but we were pretty stuffed but tried to eat some more. The girls couldn’t wait to get their brownies that they had smelled cooking earlier in the day.We stayed and visited some more with his parents as they were off to Pensacola the next day and we probably won’t see them for another month until they get back.

On Monday we cleaned up and said our goodbyes and traveled back  home to unload and do our laundry and restock for the next trip. It will be a first for us as our child will not be camping with us but enjoying the Nickalodean Hotel with her friends for the weekend and we will have the RV all to ourselves.

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June 12, 2010 by LadyCC.

We get up early and start downtown to see the Westward Expansion Arch. We hope we don’t run into too much traffic because there is a Susan Koman Run for the Cure going on today downtown at 9 am. They predict 70, 000 people at the event and have closed several exits on the interstate down there.

We make it OK and park in the garage. Our tickets we have bought are for 9:20 am but when we get there and through security we ask about going earlier and are told we can go now on the south tram. So we walk down there and have our pictures taken like on a cruise. Then we wait for the tram to come back. It runs every 10 minutes. The cars are tiny with 5 hard plastic seats in them but they let more than 5 people in them. Our car had 7 people. There was a family of 4 with kids as old as 5 that had to sit on their parents laps while we went up. It was a tight fit since the walls are curved. But it only lasted about 3 minutes to get to the viewing level. We got out and were able to look out the windows over St Louis and the Mississippi River. We took video and lots of pictures. The Old Courthouse was easy to see. After 10 minutes we caught the next car going down the north leg. This time we rode by ourselves. Then we looked around the Westward Expansion museum and PTCC worked on her Jr Ranger badge. They have several movies and a riverboat cruise as well as the tram tour. We finished up in the museum and PTCC received her badge then we walked across the street to the Old Courthouse where Dred Scott started his case about slavery here and went all the way to the Supreme Court with it. We took a ranger led tour here and then walked around the bottom and 2^nd, and 3^rd floors. You could not get to the cupola level though. PTCC worked on another Jr Ranger but received the same badge as across the street.

After finishing here we drive a few miles and go to the home of Ulysses S Grant called White Haven. This was his home after marrying Julia Dent, whose family owned the property, until they lived in the White House. We took another ranger led tour here. They let you wander around the house because nothing here is from the Grants. They had put their furniture in storage while in the White House and where they had it stored had a fire and everything was lost.

The part of the story that is interesting is that Grant was a staunch anti slavery person but he married into a very pro slavery family. He even owned at least one slave which he set free. His own father would not visit him at White Haven because of the slavery issue.

PTCC worked on another Jr Ranger and we watched the movie and toured the house as well as the museum that was set up in the horse barn that Grant built to start a horse breeding business after the Presidency. Unfortunately none of that happened and they ended up moving to New York and living there.

Next door is the Busch Wildlife area that has the house that Grant built called Hardscrabble that they only lived in for 3 months. The park is free to visit but you must pay a steep parking fee ($11 car). It looked interesting with different animals as well as the Clydesdale that Budweiser uses. We didn’t visit since it was getting late.

We drive back to Babler and check out the Visitor Center in the park. They have a great center with several displays of the animals that are native to the area. They also have a snake video but I declined to see that. When we got there a volunteer was teaching some kids about the animals in the area, I think they were working on their naturalist badge. PTCC doesn’t have enough time to work on this since we were gone so long today. We took a drive around the park and saw the area that the Olympic pool is in. The pool has been closed permanently since they could not afford to do the maintenance and upkeep on it.

We went back to the site and all of us took naps. It is very humid here and we were tired from the sun and getting up early. After we get up CC replaces our bath fan that PTCC and I bought the other day at Camping World. I am working on catching up our on blog and photos. Don’t know what PTCC is doing.

We’re trying to cookout tonight but the rain keeps coming. We have a 15 minute break before the next group of storms roll through. CC is grilling under the awning right now hopefully we will have cooked food to eat. I guess we’ll see soon.

We eat then take a walk, the rain has mostly stopped though we are still hitting pockets of it. We see a bunny on our walk near the edge of the woods. We come back and try to have a fire. The whole fire ring is wet though. We get a small flame going enough to have a couple of smores and roasted marshmellows then we quit and go inside. We need to be up early tomorrow to make it to Kentucky.

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June 12, 2010 by LadyCC.

I could not sleep because of my back hurting so I got up to write yesterday’s blog. It started raining about 4:30 am and the wind was blowing hard. We haven’t seen hail yet and I hope we don’t. Bad weather is supposed to go on all day today. Hopefully it will stop soon.

We get everything ready and move out for St Louis and our next stop. On our way out we discovered that CC forgot to get the thermometer and so he probably ran over it since it was sitting on the RV tire. He says he has a plan for the next one. I don’t think we’ll really need it for the rest of the trip since it is now hot and humid mostly everyday.

We got to a toll bridge after going through Plattsmoth,That we had to cross in order to go over the Missouri River. This bridge was very low and not too wide and cost $2.25 for us to cross. We waited until the other vehicles had crossed then went down the center of the road as we thought we might scrape the mirrors if we didn’t. Then once again we end up in Iowa. Then about 30 minutes later we cross into Missouri, our 16^th state on this trip. We continue on down the road into Independence, MO where President Truman lived.

We make a wrong turn into his Presidential Library (where I wish we could have visited) and finally found his historic site in Fire Station #1. CC was starting to get testy because of the small streets and having to maneuver the RV through them so it was good when we finally came across it. We parked across the street and went inside. PTCC of course did the Jr Ranger and we watched the film. You can get tickets to see the house but we had no time to do this on this trip. The site is very small and has a few displays so it did not take too long. We went back to the RV and had lunch, reset the car and moved on down the road. The rest of Missouri went by slowly, maybe because my back was in such pain. I tried sleeping for awhile but ended back up front talking to CC. I guess that was good because he was getting sleepy and was bored as well.

We finally pull into Babler SP in Wildwood, MO at 5:30 pm. Here you don’t check in, you go right to your site and the host will be around later to check you in. They only sell firewood from 6-6:30 pm every night. Our site is very nice though. It is shady and very wide with concrete and is level. Even the picnic table is on concrete. We have a water hook up next to us but only electric at the site. We’re tired so we watch the movie The Blind Side and hit the beds since tomorrow we have to be up early to go to visit the Arch.

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June 12, 2010 by LadyCC.

I got up early after the Weather Radio went off at 6:45 am. Thunderstorms are coming. So I got up and had breakfast and my coffee, then got dressed and started putting everything away that was outside. I grabbed our name sign and put it into the bin and stored my chair. Then I had to clean off the outside lights from the mud and store them. The only thing left is the bikes, but I will let CC handle them.

PTCC gets up early since the weather radio was on her side of the bed she was sharing with me and I made her turn it off. I must have sat wrong in my reading chair the other day because my upper back is really sore right now, it feels like I pulled something but I know I didn’t.

Right around 10 am it starts to pour so it looks like an inside day for us for awhile. PTCC wants to watch a movie so I said sure. Only she wants to watch one we’ve seen before but I veto that and suggest a new one. SO we end up watching Because of Winn Dixie. It was the perfect length because when it was finished the rain had stopped and we had lunch. PTCC then took off for the lodge and computer time and I finished cleaning up and getting stuff ready for us to leave tomorrow.

When I was done I took a walk around the 2 campgrounds and noticed that a lot of the sites have standing water (mud) in them. There were only 5 rigs in the reserved section of Little Creek. I tried to talk to the host over there but he brushed me off. So much for Mid western hospitality. The host in our campground has never said boo to us either.

When I got back PTCC was sitting on the picnic table waiting for me. I told her I was going to the lodge to check my email but she wanted to stay and watch TV, so I left without her.

About 4 pm we leave to go to Cabelas to check it out. We have Bass Pro but not a Cabelas at home so I wanted to see the difference. They had a nice animal display in the center but it was much smaller than Bass Pro. Very nice aquariums though. Prices pretty similar too. While there CC texted me that he was sitting on the plane and ready to go.

Then we left to go to Camping World. CC wanted to try a new fan in the RV bath and had found one in Council Bluffs. I had also looked up an awning screen that I wanted and it looked like they had it there.

I was able to find the fan. There was only 1 and the box looked like it was open so I wanted to make sure I could return it in Orlando if everything wasn’t there. I asked about the awning screen but they don’t carry the size Ii want, I will have to order it online. When checking out I asked the cashier where we could eat and she told me near Lake Manawa which is where we need to go next anyway.

So we end up at Cracker Barrel and have the sugar cured ham which is mine and PTCC’s favorite meal. After eating and browsing we drive over to Walmart to do our shopping before we need to pick up CC at the airport.

We finish up our shopping and while checking out CC has texted he made it to STL but they don’t have a gate for them so they are sitting on the tarmac waiting for another plane to push back. We finish paying and load our stuff into the car and head to the airport. We get there about 7:56 pm and CC has texted that he has just left the gate in STL so he will be late. That’s ok the airport is supposed to have wifi so PTCC will be happy.

We get inside the terminal and find out that they roll the sidewalks up at 7:30 pm. Nothing but a bakery shop is still open. Everyone except security and a couple of gate agents have gone home. SO we grab some seats where we can see the arriving passengers and wait. It takes the board about 30 minutes to update with the right time. CC’s plane was supposed to be in at 8:40 pm but now will arrive at 9:10 pm. PTCC entertains herself by playing with her Ipod and listening to music.

Finally about 9:20 pm CC is walking up the hallway. He was first off the flight. We get into the car and head out but he takes a wrong turn somehow and we can’t get on the road we need, so we are driving around downtown Omaha in the dark. Nothing is going on down here at all. No nightlife. After driving around for 15-20 min we finally get on the Interstate going back to Mahoney SP.

It takes us about 30 minutes to get there. We unload CC’s stuff and the groceries and get ready for bed. CC goes out to load the bikes since it is supposed to rain tonight like all the others. So we should be ready to go as soon as we get up in the morning.

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June 9, 2010 by LadyCC.

Last night we saw fireflies. They were magical seeing their green bodies lighting up. PTCC tried to video them but I don’t think she got anything that can be seen.

Today was a lazy day, this morning I biked up to the admin building to buy our tickets for the last play. Then we pretty much did nothing until lunchtime when we went to the water park again. Today is supposed to be the nicest weather day so it’s the one we picked to go on. We spent about 3.5 hours there and then went back to the RV took showers and had dinner. Then up to the lodge for computer time and off to the last play. Not much else going on. We’re supposed to get more rain tonight so it will be soggy and muddy again tomorrow I’m sure.

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June 8, 2010 by LadyCC.

It would be so nice if anyone who reads this blog would actually post a comment now and then. Even if they just post to dish me. That way I would know if anyone out there is actually reading it.

Well today we sleep a little late. It started storming at 3 am and didn’t finish until 7 am. So our site is once again under water (well, mud really). PTCC didn’t want to do any of the early Jr Naturalist programs so we waited until almost 11 am to go to the slingshot class. This time we decided to ride our bikes there. We aren’t used to riding up and down hills so much so we were really working to get there. But we made it in time. We got a new girl that had never taught one of the classes before. She usually works at the stables. It wasn’t much of a class, she gave us the slingshots and some beans and hung up the targets on a fence and told us to go at it. So we did for about 15 minutes.. I made a bet with PTCC that whoever hit the target first, the other would buy the ice cream. I won after a few minutes but PTCC wouldn’t admit it. She really is a poor sport.

After we finished with the slingshots we biked some more to get to the miniature golf course. They have a really nice course, as well as a driving range for real golfers. We didn’t keep score but PTCC was getting frustrated because I hit 2 holes in one during the game and she was having a hard time getting the ball into the hole. She kept chipping it off the tee pad into the grass. She improved during the game and finally got a hole in 1 on the last hole but her attitude didn’t improve.

We biked back and had lunch and then she went off to the lodge to do Spanish and surf the web while I sat outside and read a book. After an hour she came back and just watched TV until dinner. I think one of her friends is supposed to call her this afternoon, so if that happens she’ll be OK for awhile.

After dinner we take our last showers in the bath house. Tomorrow we will shower in the RV to load grey water. After the shower we sat on the marina dock and had our ice creams. It really is nice this time of day to sit here and watch the geese swim by. After that it’s off to the lodge to post this and let PTCC surf the web. I think I will try to have a fire when I get back to the RV. We won’t be able to have one tomorrow because we will be seeing the last play, and on Thursday CC comes back at night and we have to fetch him home. So I think I will take advantage of the nice weather tonight to have our last fire here.

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June 7, 2010 by LadyCC.

The weather forecasters said it would be raining early in the morning. They were wrong, it waited until 9 am to rain. We had a nice fire last night and burned all the wood that had been left by a previous camper. We even sent a picture to CC so he wouldn’t feel left out. PTCC called her grandparents and talked to them for a long time. She says she isn’t homesick anymore and wants to continue traveling. I don’t think I will go with her. It’s almost time to go home. We have a few stops left to make and then we’ll be there.

So the plan for today was to go to the wildlife safari. We waited until about 10:30 am to go and most of the rain had blown over by then. The safari had most of the animals we had already seen except for the wolves. We get there and pull up to the window to pay. For both of us it was $10. We aren’t allowed out of the car until we get to the wolf section and then again at the end, where the visitor center is located.

We start on our trek at 7 mph and the first thing we get to see is the elk. There are a few standing right next to the road but the funny ones were the elk laying in the grass. The grass is so high that you can only see their antlers. It makes it look like branches laying in the grass. They all had large racks with fuzzy antlers.

Our next adventure is with the white tailed deer. We come across a doe with her fawn. Since it had rained the doe was giving the fawn a bath. Another deer was down from them feeding and across the road the rest were congregating around the creek. Then we crossed the grate into the wetland area. This area has pelicans hanging around in a greenish swamp. Then we come to the wolf and bear habitat. We can get out here and walk a trail around their cages. After we cross a bridge we come to some owls on the side of the path. It was too hard to get pictures of them because the camera kept focusing on the wet chain link fence. The camera kept focusing on the drops of water instead of the animals.

Next we came to the American Black Bear. We only saw 1 in the cage and it didn’t want to walk closer to us so we got pictures of it cleaning itself in the corner. The habitat was actually pretty large so there could have been others hiding in the woods. We keep walking and come to the wolf habitat.

At first we didn’t see anything but then a wolf darts out from the treeline and comes closer to us. The first one we see is carrying either bones or sticks in its mouth. Then we see another one following the first, it looks like it has yellowish eyes and grey fur. We are standing on a platform above them so they walk right under us and come out on the other side. We then take a path and find another wolf laying right next to the fence like it’s sleeping but its eyes are blinking. I remember reading about the pecking order of wolves in West Yellowstone so this might be a beta wolf. It looks like the lowest of the pecking order, since it is by itself and not with the pack.

We then walk the path and since it has rained it is very muddy. This mud is like wet clay, not like mud in FL. This kind tries to suck the shoes off of your feet each time you try to take a step. Also the path is steep so we’re sliding at the same time as slipping in the mud. It is sticking to our shoes and we’re kind of hydroplaning over it. Finally we see the parking lot again and scrap the mud off of our shoes and get into the car to see the back side of the wetlands. This time we see swans, Canadian geese, and the smallest sandhill cranes I’ve ever seen. Ours in FL are sometimes as tall as an adult. These looked like babies and when I asked in the visitor center I was told they are adults. They just seemed SO small. We also saw some kind of small duck with babies swimming in the pond.

Our next path leads to 2 pronghorn antelope. These were the only 2 we saw in the park. If they have more they must have been hiding in the woods because we never saw any more. The last animals to see were the bison. They were all laying down under a grove of trees trying to stay out of the rain. Since we’ve seen so many on this trip we didn’t linger here. We drive back to the visitor center where they have toads, frogs, turtles, and many varieties of snakes inside. Then we walked around outside and saw a bobcat, bald eagles, and a swift fox. It had started to rain again so we headed back to the car and Mahoney park for lunch.

After eating lunch we head out again to the Strategic Air Command center. It is next door to Mahoney State Park. When I asked the cashier why it was here he told me the aircraft used to be about 30 miles away at an Air Force base but they were deteriorating outside and the government said they would remove them and send them elsewhere if they weren’t kept inside. So the locals raised $30 million to house the exhibits, and now most are inside. This wasn’t as exciting for PTCC and myself because we’ve been to Cape Kennedy many times but more than that: CC is from Pensacola so every time we visit he drags us to the PNS Naval air station and their museum which is very nice. As well as we have visited the Smithsonian Museum in DC. So this is not the highlight of our trip but we go and take pictures and video for CC so he can enjoy seeing it too. It is about f1/4 of the size of PNAS so we finish in about an hour. I can’t tell you what the highlights are because to tell the truth, I don’t care. They had some really large aircraft with wingspans that went from one side of the building to the other. But you couldn’t go into any of them and could only see the bomb bay on one of them. Most were too high in the air from the ground level to be able to see the pilot’s areas if they were clear. They also had a restoration area where they were working on 2 aircraft.

After finishing at SAC we go back to the park to take a rest and the sun is finally coming out. We drive through all the campgrounds and see most of the sites are empty. The Little Creek campground looks like they will lose most of their people on Wednesday. We still have the same 5 campers and we will lose 1 today.

Our site is covered in water and mud. We can’t get into the bins unless we step in slimy mud. Every site in this park is unlevel with a lot of water standing in them.

For the rest of the day we have no plans. I think we will go up to the lodge to check emails and play on the computers later but that is probably all we will do for the rest of the day. I asked PTCC if she wanted to do any Jr Naturalist stuff and she told me no.

Well we ended up at the indoor playground around 4 pm. This place smells like dirty shoes. I guess because they do ice skating in the winter so they have all those stinky boots to store the rest of the year. Also in the indoor playground you can’t wear shoes just socks so more smelly feet. This is a huge gerbil tube thing that kids crawl around in with ball pits and slides and rope ladders. We stay an hour and while there CC calls us. He got the campfire pic last night after he was asleep so he looked at it this morning and wished he were here with us. I told him he probably didn’t since I almost bought it this morning when I steeped off the RV stairs into slick mud nearly falling and busting my hip. So he agreed then it was better at home for now.

They also have a conveyor belt rock climbing machine. I’ve never seen one of these before. It looks like a moving sidewalk turned upward with handholds built into it. They charge by the minute to use it. I asked PTCC if she wanted to try it and she looked at me like I was stupid or something. So I guess not.

We go back and eat dinner, then feed the fish our leftover bread and take showers. After that we have ended up at the lodge to work on Spanish and general computer stuff. Tomorrow is supposed to be wet so I don’t know what our plans will be.

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