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Veteran’s Day – Camping, Airshow and a Half-Marathon

Posted on November 28, 2011 by steveDecember 7, 2011

Just a couple of weeks after Halloween and the CurbCrushers are headed to Mr. CurbCruhser’s hometown of Pensacola, Florida. This historic City of Five Flags was actually settled prior to St. Augustine, but the Spaniards that set up housekeeping on the barrier island got introduced to the Gulf of Mexico weather phenomenon known as a hurricane and found their boats sunk, and their huts washed away. Fortunately, the CurbCrusher family settled there quite some time later when people had learned to build houses inland.

In addition to Veteran’s Day being a nationally recognized day of remembrance, for a number of years the Navy’s Blue Angel Flight Demonstration Team has held a homecoming air show at Sherman Field in Pensacola. There also happens to be a campground right across the street from Sherman Field by the name of Oak Grove, run by the recreation and welfare folks at Pensacola Naval Air Station. Through good fortune and the service of Father CurbCrusher (Mr. CurbCrusher’s Dad), we were able to make a family trip out of this and stay at Oak Grove during Veteran’s Day Weekend.
We arrived on Thursday afternoon, after the drive up from Orlando and got ourselves situated in the park. The trip was uneventful, and that’s how we like our trips. We did have a new toy to play with on the trip, a Droid Bionic phone from Verizon. Using he mobile hotspot feature, we kept an Internet connection for pretty much the entire trip, and Little CurbCrusher was happy to sit in the back on her iPod and chat away with friends while we drove. Lady CurbCrusher was able to Google stuff anytime she wanted on the trip, and we even streamed some radio along the way when the local station’s programming was wanting.

We started our Friday with breakfast, then packed our chairs into the cart and hiked over to the air show. We spent a good part of the morning wandering around the static displays. Lots of planes and stuff on display, and plenty to keep busy. The show portion started around 10am with a number of acts like Otto the Helicopter clown, Shockwave the Jet Truck, and a couple of heritage flights.

Heritage Flight - P-51 Mustang and A-10 Warthog

After a full morning of air show acts, and a good bit of the afternoon, around 2:30pm or so the main act got under way with the Blue Angels. Awesome show!



All the pictures from the airshow are on my Flickr stream.

Well, that wasn’t enough for one day. We walked back to the RV for dinner, then headed back over to the flight line for the night show. The Blue Angels don’t fly in the night show, and I was sort of wondering what a night air show would be like, and what could you see. It was pretty cool actually. A couple of the acts flew and had pyrotechnics that launched from the wings. The Shockwave Jet Truck made another appearance and the night ended it the wall of fire. All of the night show photos can be found here.

After a full day, and part of a night, at the air show, we slept late on Saturday morning. Following a leisurely breakfast, we headed out to Big Lagoon State Park located just west of the Navy base (Pictures). We also made a trip over to Ft. Pickens and checked out the campground. We had not stopped by Ft. Pickens since 2004, when we camped there right after Hurricane Charley had hit us in Orlando, but before Hurricane Ivan struck Pensacola. Ivan had pretty much destroyed the road to Ft. Pickens, along with damaging other parts of the park. Ft. Pickens has been open and operating for a while and looks like it should be a great place to camp again.

Sunday started early. Mr. CurbCrusher came up with a crazy idea last January. He and his Uncle should enter the Disney Goofy Challenge in January 2012. The Goofy Challenge is where you pay way too much money to have the privilege of running a half-marathon on Saturday and a full Marathon on Sunday at Disney World. The second part of the idea was to challenge Father CurbCrusher to run the half-marathon. Well, its been almost a full year of preparation and all the participant were in Pensacola, and they were having a marathon and a half-marathon. So we all entered the half-marathon for a nice brisk run. We all had a nice run and everyone finished within the cut off time. The pictures are not on Flickr yet, but I’ll come back and edit the post when they are.

So, what do you do after running a half-marathon. Go climb a lighthouse. Lady CurbCrusher had climbed the Pensacola light house before, but Mr. CurbCrusher and Little CurbCrusher had not. So we walked the half mile over to the lighthouse and climbed to the top. The view is wonderful, and the museum is pretty good also. Lighthouse pictures are here.

Fort-tastic Halloween

Posted on November 5, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

It’s Halloween again, and the CurbCrushers are headed to Fort Wilderness, the Disney campground experience. We’ve spent the last couple of years at “the Fort” for Halloween, and decided that this year would be no different. Lady and Little CurbCrusher headed out early, while I worked a few more hours so that we could afford the gas in the motorhome for the 26 mile trip. Since they went out around 9:30am, they experienced something we’d never seen before, no line at the gate. Of course it still took 20 minutes to check-in, but hey you didn’t have to wait for a bunch of folks.

Of course they had an ulterior motive for heading out early, a short trip to the Magic Kingdom. They took the boat over to the Magic Kingdom and rode a couple of rides and wandered around the shops until I arrived around 1:30. After getting the motorhome parked, we headed over to EPCOT to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival one last time before our passes expired. We had planned to stay until the fireworks, but after eating our way around the world, we headed back to Fort Wilderness around dark. We made two or three trips to EPCOT for the Food and Wine Festival this year, and all the Food and Wine pics can be found here.

Lemon Chiffon - White Chocolate Macadamia Mouse - Tres Leches Verrine

Back at Fort Wilderness, we had dinner and then wandered over to the Port Orleans Riverside resort to see Piano Bob. Lady CurbCrusher had read about Piano Bob on another website, and thought we should go visit. Bob does a good show, he interacts with the audience, and sings “old people” music according to Little CurbCrusher. However, we all had a good time. I don’t know if I could take Bob every night, but its probably a good once a year show to catch. The service is so bad in the lounge, that the show turns out to be free. If you can find a waiter, you can order drinks, but we had a hard time getting the attention of the two guys working the room. We ordered something to drink twice, and the second time it took about 40 minutes to have them served. So, take a bottle of water, go and enjoy the show.

We started the next day out decorating our site. As you see to the left, its not really a lot of decorating, compared with what some of the folks do (see below), but we put out a few things and tried and get into the spirit of the holiday. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the Fort, and ended the day with a Giddy-up-and-go package from the food place down near the marina. This is basically like visiting a KFC, Disney style. The day ended with a friend of Little CurbCrusher’s showing up to spend the rest of the weekend, and Halloween with us.

Two big things happen at the Fort over Halloween, the Golf cart parade and the trick-or-treating. There are a number of activities that take place, and rather than writing all about them, I’ll just illustrate them below.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Golf Cart Parade

The Pet Parade

Trick or Treating Candy delivered by train

Needless to say we all had a great time at Fort Wilderness. We were up early the day after Halloween and packed for the long 26 mile trip home. To see all the photos we took at the Fort, visit the CurbCrusher PhotoStream on Flickr.

It’s Labor Day weekend at Salt Springs (and a mini family reunion as well)

Posted on September 18, 2011 by LadyCCJune 30, 2016

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.

It’s too hot! Time to go to Kelly Park and tube in Rock Springs

Posted on August 22, 2011 by LadyCCJune 30, 2016

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.

CurbCrusher Clans Goes to Grayton Beach, FL

Posted on July 31, 2011 by LadyCCJune 30, 2016

Saturday, July 23, 2011

We are on our way again this week to take TCC(TeenCrusherCrusher) to 4H camp up in Niceville, FL. She has chosen a Marine Science camp this year. So while she’s away doing campy things, CC (CurbCrusher) and I (Lady CC), are going to explore the panhandle area.

We arrived at around 4 pm to Grayton Beach State Park. We had toured here about 3 years ago when one of CC’s cousins was married. We stayed at Topsail Hill State Park that trip but wanted to see other parks in the area. What also helped us to chose this one was a blogger on the FortFiends.net site that said he came up here often and gave some great pointers about what to see and do.

After setting everything up in the site, we put on our swimsuits and rode our bikes down to the beach. The water was blue green, hence the name of the Emerald Coast. Unfortunately the water also had bunches of sticky green seaweed stuff floating in it. You could look like the character in the Green Lagoon if you didn’t rinse off. The water temperature was fine, no shells to cut your feet on and the sand was powdered sugar fine. After our playtime in the water we each took showers to rinse the green from ourselves and decided to go out for dinner. We wanted Mexican food, so we set out to find some. We ended up at Don Pedros on Hwy 98, since the restaurant we wanted to go to didn’t seem to exist anymore. The meal was great and if we’re in the area we will go back.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

We explored some of Seaside today as its only a mile from our park. Most of the shops seem pretty high end with items we wouldn’t buy. But I guess they do have a market for most of it. We also drove to Publix (4.5 miles) to get hamburger buns and steaks for later in the week. This will be TCC’s last night with us so she wanted the hamburgers for her meal. Then we took naps and read our books, took a bike ride to the beach, had our showers and then dinner.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Today we are on a mission to get LCC’s park signs and stamps for her FL park book. First we take TCC up to the ranger station where she turns in her Jr Ranger book for 2 pins that she has earned by finishing the book. After making sure TCC has packed everything she needs for 4H camp we leave and head for Topsail Hill State Preserve. We get a new map there and 2 stamps, one for TS and one for Rocky Bayou. We then leave and head to Henderson Beach State Park which is smack in the middle of Destin. Lots of traffic here. We get our stamps and a new map and then head over to the Walmart across the street because CC needs flip flops. We pick up a couple of other things and go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. After we finished lunch we headed out to Rocky Bayou to get my park sign photo. We didn’t actually enter the park since Topsail had given me the stamp and Henderson has the updated park map on their park map as well. We find Camp Timpoochee and drop off TCC there. Their 4H camp seems more compact but nicer than Camp Ocala. We’ve heard the food is better there as well. Her cabin, unlike Camp Ocala has bunkbeds (so 10 kids to a cabin), and 2 sinks, toilets and showers so no waiting on others to get into the bathroom. Supposedly this is an alternative to going to Congress if kids would rather be at camp.

After dropping TCC off and saying our goodbyes until Friday morning, we head out to find Eden Gardens State Gardens. When we arrived we were just in time to get in on the last tour. The house was given to the State of Florida in the 50’s and it has the USA’s 2^nd largest collection of Louis 16^th furniture inside. Originally it was a house for a sawmill family and their workers and when it was sold it became a home and gardens. Because both times no one in the family wanted it, it was sold or given away. After our tour we continued on back to Grayton finding a tiny Publix in Watercolor that is much closer than the one on Hwy 98.

We took short naps and then read for awhile then decided we would go out to eat at one of the places we could bike to. Unfortunately in this area most places seem to be closed right after the weekend so it was hard to find a restaurant open. Finally we found one near us called The Little Italy Ristorante. We practically had the place to ourselves. Both of us ordered small pizzas and they brought us homemade bread and dipping oil to try. The food was very good. A couple of ladies that sat near us stopped at our table when they were leaving to tell us to spread the word about the place because they didn’t want to see it close from lack of patronage.

After dinner we biked back to the park and said hi to the ranger Jody. She gave us a couple of other places to eat if we were interested. We then biked down to the beach and walked around the waves for awhile.

Tuesday, July 26,2011

Today started with a short hike in the park. We biked down to the beach area where the trail starts. I thought I had a trail summary but I actually had the one from Henderson Beach instead. As we started walking through the dunes on the path it started to rain and continued to rain the whole hike. As least it wasn’t lightning, just thunder. So not too many pictures from the hike as I was trying to keep the camera from getting too wet.

We came back to the RV to load up and check out Camp Helen, another state park nearby. It started as a retreat for a textile mill owner and then was purchased by someone else to be operated as a resort. They added more small cabins and a recreation hall to the property. Today, you can picnic and swim in the bay.

After leaving Camp Helen we headed into Panama City Beach to go to the SeaBreeze Winery. Their vineyards are in north FL but they bottle everything in PCB. I was able to do a wine tasting and bought 2 bottles, 1 white and 1 red, which is surprising to me since I don’t like Muscadine grapes and I don’t normally like red wine. They have a slushie mix that you add to the wine and freeze and even CC wants to try that since he tasted it at the store.

After making my purchases we left to head to St Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach. I wanted my stamp and the park sign and we wanted to look around the park.

After arriving and finding out where to go for the stamp we toured the park. It is really big. They have 3 stores inside the park. Normally they have a boat shuttle to Shell Island but because of bad weather it was not running today. We walked the boardwalk near the fishing pier and the inlet area of the beach. Then we drove around the campgrounds. They have 2 and they must have about 174 sites total between them. It is the largest campground in Floria.

After checking everything out we left and headed back to Grayton State Park. On the way we stopped when we saw a boiled peanut seller but he only had Cajun peanuts. But a few miles down the road we saw another boiled peanut seller and were able to get regular peanuts from him. We need a few more things so we stopped at the Publix in Watercolor to get them and made our way back to the campsite.

Tonight we are marinating chicken to grill with fresh vegetables. Yum!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

This morning we decided would be our breakfast out morning. When we got up the rain was pouring down. This week has been pretty wet for a beach week. Mostly it rains early in the morning or right before sunset. The plan had been to ride our bikes to breakfast but because of the rain we ended up driving a ¼ mile away to a small cafe called, Another Broken Egg Cafe. Upon reading the menu when we got there it stated the cafe was started in Metarie on the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain near New Orleans. So in honor of that we started with beignets and then I ordered a Belgian waffle and CC had an omelet.

After finishing breakfast it was still raining so we decided to go ahead and travel to the last winery in the area, Three Oaks, in Vernon. This winery was really out in the middle of nowhere. After driving about an hour we arrived and were the only customers in the parking lot. The winery store looks like a grandma’s attic store. Very quaint and country looking. When we walked in I wasn’t sure we were in a winery then either. The store was filled with crystal and teacups. There was not much there dealing with wine or accessories for wine. The co-owner, Doug Biddle, was at the counter when we entered and he wasn’t very talkative. CC really tried to draw him out but I guess he wasn’t much of a people person today. When I asked to try the wines he didn’t talk up how they made them, what I should be tasting, etc. He just poured them into communion sized plastic cups and set them on the counter. After tasting I walked around the shop, and CC said Doug pulled out a magazine to read while he waited to see if I would buy something. I actually bought a white Muscadine because it did taste good. I usually don’t like the Muscadine wines as some have a bitter aftertaste.

Since we didn’t have anything else to occupy ourselves for the rest of the day, we stopped at a Publix to get coffee since I was running low, and then a small Walmart nearby to see what they had. I wish they could make the Walmart near our home like this one. It was about the same size as the store we had plus a small grocery with it. But it didn’t have the garden center or automotive area. Unfortunately there is a Publix in the same shopping center so it will never have the grocery inside the store.

Since we had such a big breakfast we skipped lunch and read and napped for most of the afternoon. About 2 pm we packed up and headed to the beach since the rain seemed to move out to the Gulf. We spent about 2 hours there and the green seaweed is still in the water. We saw a ranger on the way back and asked him about the vehicles on the beach and he told us that only Walton County residents that pay a special fee, and have 4 wheel drive vehicles can drive on the public beach.

We came back and took our showers and started preparing dinner. Tonight we are having steaks that we started marinating yesterday, baked potatoes, and a salad. I think this is the best we have eaten on any camping trip for awhile. After dinner we walked around the campground to mark down sites we liked if we came back. We met a family from Slidell, LA and talked for awhile with them. They seemed surprised I knew where Slidell was, but I told them I went to school at Millsaps and had a roommate from Slidell. The man said his son was going to school at Millsaps in a couple of weeks. Small world.We came back when it started getting dark and watched some episodes of Pysch, and then read for the rest of the evening.

Not sure what was wrong with CC tonight, he became very ill near bedtime. His was most unusual since he rarely is sick.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

We ate breakfast in the RV today and then rode our bikes up to the House of Klaus on the connector road. Grabbed a menu to look at later. Then we rode our bikes into Seaside for granola at Mordica’s Market. We had tried some granola there on Saturday but didn’t get it then, so we bought it today. Then we went a little further to a beach market when it started to drizzle on us. It actually felt good because the humidity is so high right now. After looking around we rode our bikes back to Grayton SP and ate lunch and then on to the beach.

Today the beach flag was red because of Tropical Storm Don that was heading to Texas. The waves were really kicking up. CC broke our boogie board trying to ride a few. Every year when we are at the beach someone cracks a board in half. We walked up and down the beach to the public areas. They are very crowded, not like in the SP area. We have plenty of room and each family has a front row seat of the Gulf. After a couple of hours we left and went back to the RV to rest, shower and get ready to go to dinner.

We rode our bikes back up to House of Klaus for dinner. CC had a large shrimp basket, the shrimp were quite big. LCC had a famous Klaus burger that was really good. We shared a peanut butter pie for dessert that was really good. We then went back to the beach for sunset photos. Lots of people come out at sunset to take family photos. You can tell who they are because they all dress in white and beige. It must be some kind of requirement. Many have a professional photographer with them.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Got up at 6 am to see the sunrise down at the beach. This was the first morning that is wasn’t raining or drizzling since we arrived. The beach was empty except for 2 people. Very serene. The tide was coming in and the waves were starting to hit the high water mark. We walked down to the public area to see the lagoon area that everyone hangs around in during the day. We got some good shots of the sunrise and some of the shore birds.

We came back and LCC made some muffins for breakfast and we starting getting ready to go pick up TCC from 4H camp. We left around 9am to get back to Timpoochee. TCC was very tired as usual but said she did like her week there. She did end up changing cabins on that first day though.

After picking her up, we headed to Walmart to replace our boogie board, and then to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. TCC talked about what she did at camp and who she met.

Then LCC wanted to check out some prints from local artists so we stopped by the Donna Burgess gallery but didn’t get anything. There is also another artist, Nina Fritz, but she doesn’t have a gallery here, hers is in Pensacola. I will probably order something from Paul Brent. He’s a panhandle watercolor artist from Panama City. We already own a number of his prints from long ago, before TCC was born, when we came to visit CC’s family in PCB for a long weekend and discovered him then.

We stopped at Publix on the way back for some milk because we all know TCC can’t live without any and we had run out. Then back to the RV so she could nap the rest of the afternoon. We find that it is best to let her sleep as much as she wants after camp since they tend to stay up later and get up earlier than she is used to at home. It helps to keep the crankies away if she catches up on her sleep. While she was catching her ZZZZZ’s, CC and LCC went to the beach to try out the new boogie board.

It was a double red flag day with one flag having a swimmer with a circle and line through it. This means No Swimming at all. Someone near us told us that a ranger had come by on a 4wheeler and told everyone to get out of the water a few minutes before we got there. About 4 or 5 people were in the water we noticed after we set our stuff down. So we headed in as well to try out the board. The waves were above our heads and the undertow was very strong. I’ve never seen that in the Gulf. It is usually very calm. Riding the big waves was a lot of fun though. No one ever came by to tell us to leave though. Since they were so rough we quit for awhile and just sat at the edge of the surf and relaxed. We saw 3 military helicopters fly by while at the beach. I had just commented the day before that we hadn’t seen any military planes which was unusual since we were so close to Eglin AFB.

We stayed until 430pm then came back to clean up and get the RV ready to leave tomorrow. CC worked on the outside while I cleaned up the inside. TCC was still sleeping. I heard my phone beeping with a message and found one from her Spanish teacher. I had forgotten that we set up a monthly call for today. She wanted to know if we could move it to 630pm. I said yes and was surprised when she called at 530pm. I had forgotten about the time difference and was in the middle of cleaning the bathroom. TCC even spoke to her but doesn’t remember it because so was so tired.

We had an easy dinner with leftovers from the week and TCC finally got up around 6 pm. After dinner we went back down to the beach for sunset again. The waves were starting to look more normal. Lots of people doing their family photos again as well. We stayed until the sun set then came back to watch Gnomeo and Juliet and then go to bed. It was a long day for all of us since we got up to see the sunrise and TCC was so tired after camp. Tomorrow we head for home.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Today we got up and went to Starbucks for coffee (a bribe for TCC to get her moving) and then into Seaside to check out their farmer’s market. They had everyone set up near the bandshell. It was quite small only about 8 tents but we bought homemade bread, the granola lady was there as well. Some were selling fruits and vegetables and one person had seedlings to sell.

After that we came back to the RV and finished packing to head home. CC wants to take Hwy 20 to get there so we will see how it works. Should take us about 7 hours with stops for food and gas to make it home.

**We did take 20 and it was much more peaceful driving than being on I10 and 331. I think we will make a note to take this way if we come back here.

Unicoi State Park, Georgia

Posted on July 21, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

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.

High Falls State Park, Georgia

Posted on July 20, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

Because of my slow nature, I’ve been suspended from writing for my own blog by Lady CurbCrusher. We recently made a trip to North Georgia and on the way stayed at High Falls State Park near Forsyth.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

We left Orlando around 9 am heading to somewhere in GA for the night. We’re on our way to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a week’s stay at Unicoi State Park near Helen.

Most of the trip will be up I-75, a trip we’ve made many times so really nothing new to see. I did not get my state line picture in GA because the sign was blown down along the highway. We stopped at the GA welcome station to eat lunch and pick up info on the places we were staying near. Then we hit the road again.

CurbCrusher’s partner at work told him about this place called Lane’s Peaches that we needed to check out. So just after Perry, in Peach County, at exit 142 we got off and went west for 5 miles to find it. Glad we did -they do have the best peach ice cream I’ve ever tasted. TeenCurbCrusher ordered that and I had the peach cobbler. I ordered a small and it was enough to save for dessert after dinner later. CC ordered a boring pecan pie slice, but he did say it was good as well. They have a large warehouse full of everything to do with peaches:jams, jellies, ciders, fresh peaches, and various household novelties. There is also a production line you can self tour that shows how they bring the peaches in from the orchards and pack them to ship all over.

After our refreshing repast, I gave a call to the KOA in Forsyth and the state park in High Falls to see if they had sites available and they both did. We aimed for the state park because CC loves waterfalls and this one had one that was 100 ft high.

We arrived at 5 pm, just after the office closed, so we were instructed to find a spot, park and the host would be by to collect our money. Well daylight was burning so we left a note for the host that we would be back later and then we left to find the waterfall. Since we would only be here one night we had to check everything out as soon as we could. We drove up to a parking area near the front of the camping area and got out to discover the old powerhouse that was built along the river. This was where they generated power for the area. The building was made of brick but there was nothing left inside, just the walls holding it up. We finished looking around there and then headed up to the parking area where we could access the waterfall. We found a trail to follow and with a short walk could see the waterfall. The trail led down to a platform for better viewing but we could see people actually on the rocks and in the water so we looked for a path to get us down there. We found a really steep one but continued on and soon we were walking on the rocks in the river.

The falls aren’t actually very high but they were still cool because we don’t have them in FL unless they are man made. We walked around the rocks for awhile taking pictures and then headed back to the campsite. The park is spread out with the day use area and the lake camping area(25 ft or less) on one side of the road, and the river camping area on the opposite side.

Back at the campsite (#81) we had dinner and tried to get TV reception, but unless you’re a Spanish speaker there’s not much you can get without a satellite dish. Even then you might not get too much because of the hills and trees in the way. The bathhouse was very clean and newer in the premium area and our site was a pull through on gravel with a table, grill, and fire ring and a light pole. Water and electric only though. The dump station was large but they are building a new one because it keeps backing up, according to a note I saw as we were leaving.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The next morning we continued to check out the park before we left. We went back to the day use side and saw the pool ($5 pp), mini golf, Yurts on the lake to stay in, and took pictures of the dam above the waterfall. Then we went to the office to check out their store. Most GA parks seem to have a small store located in or near their offices. In FL it’s about half and half. So we always check them out to see what they have. Today we found out that GASP has a new program for campers. If you stay a night you get a sticker and when you have 10 stickers you get a night for free. Since this trip has us staying 6 nights in GA we signed up.

After checking out the rest of the park we went back to leave the campground and continue on our way north.

Click here to see all of our pictures of High Falls.

Catching Up

Posted on June 30, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

The CurbCrusher clan has not been staying at home over the past few months, it’s just that Mr. CurbCrusher has been very lazy about updating the blog. So here is one post to bring it all up to date.

	Our camping trip in April was to Paynes Prairie State Park in Micanopy, Florida. We’ve been to this park in the past, and have always enjoyed our stays here. Located just south of Gainesville, there is a lot to do in the area from the nearby state parks, to trying to find to the buffalo that wander the prairie. Click here to see photos of our visit to the prairie.
	One of the things to do near Paynes Prairie is to visit the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. Santa Fe College is the former community college, now state college (in Florida most community colleges have now become “state colleges”), in Gainesville. They have one of the few programs in the country that teach folks how to be zoo keepers. In order to accomplish this, they have their own zoo that is open for guided tours. They have a variety of animals in an intimate setting, and your guide is a student in the program. It made for a great way to spend part of the morning. Our photos of the zoo can be found here.
	May found the CurbCrushers in Flagler Beach, Florida at Gamble Rogers State Park. The campground at this park is located right on the beach, so we were able to get a great amount of beach time. In addition, we made a trip up the coast a few miles and paid a visit to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, the one beach in Florida with a lot of rocks. Here are links to the Flickr albums from Gamble Rogers and Washington Oaks.
	Finally, in June we made a return trip to Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland, Florida. If it is summer in Florida, the best thing to do is head for the springs, cool water and lots of shade. We had a great site (93) overlooking the Catfish Hole, and spent a good bit of time swimming around the springs. We took part of the day and wandered over to the Dakotah Winery which is located just up the road. All the pictures from Manatee Springs are here.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Posted on March 18, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

For the month of February we decided to visit a park we’d never been to before, the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park located just south of Yehaw Junction. This park is truly in the middle of nowhere. After heading south on the Florida Turnpike from Orlando you arrive in Yehaw Junction and exit onto US-441. You then head south for another 15 or so miles until you turn west on a small county road. After another 10 miles or so, you head north until the pavement ends, and you are at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. But the campground and ranger station are another 5 miles up the unpaved road. Don’t forget anything you’re going to need for the trip, because it’s close to 40 miles to the nearest convenience store/gas station and more like 60 or 70 to the nearest grocery store.

The park is pleasant. There is a family camping area and a horse campground with water and electricity at all sites. There is a bathhouse in the family campground, but the horse campground just has a composting toilet and of course corrals for the horses. Since this park is so isolated, it has dark skies, and is great for viewing the stars, and there is a special camping area for the astronomy hobbies that show up during the new moons. The park has numerous trails that are open to walking, biking and horses. During our visit we encountered deer, wild turkeys and numerous other birds on our walking and riding outings, and sign of wild hogs but we didn’t see any.

The sunsets are beautiful here, but come prepared to read or just walk around. This is probably not a great summertime park, as there is little shade, and no water to cool off in. There were no ranger programs during out stay, but there was a young lady ranger that was very enthusiastic and visited the campsites with a traveling exhibit box to show off artifacts found in the park, and talk about the park and its history. It was sort of like having a personal ranger program. Not sure when or if we will head back here, but it was a great place to relax for the weekend.

Photos are here.

The North Side of the Everglades

Posted on January 29, 2011 by steveJune 30, 2016

About three years ago we headed south to tip of Florida, to Flamingo in the Everglades National Park. Because of the remote location of Flamingo, we never saw the north side of Everglades National Park and its companion Big Cypress National Preserve which are located closer to Naples, Florida. So, for the mid-January trip, we headed to Collier-Seminole State Park to camp and visit the Everglades.

Collier-Seminole State Park is located on the Tamiami Trail with Naples as the nearest city, and sits on the western side of the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades. The park has a campground with electric and sewer hook-ups, and a dump site. A number of the sites are close together, and you get more of an RV park feel than a state park feel in most of the campground. There are a few sites that have generous space, and we didn’t have any problem maneuvering and parking. The on-site volunteers are a great group of folks, and put on an ice-cream social on Friday and Saturday nights, with the proceeds going to the Friends of Collier-Seminole State Park. So the camping was great. The park has a canoe launch and dock, and a few nature trails, one which goes through a Royal Palm Hammock. We tried a ranger program that was scheduled at two hours for the Royal Palm Hammock trail. The trail is no more than a mile, and after 20 minutes and we hadn’t moved more than 100 yards from the start of the trail, we decided that we could walk the trail on our own. Also at the park is a “walking dredge,” which is a mechanical shovel apparatus that was used to create the Tamiami Trail. The thing is huge, and a must see for anyone that likes big machinery.

We also took the time to go over and visit the Everglades, the point of our trip. You can visit the Big Cypress Preserve, and the Shark Valley Visitor’s center. At Shark Valley there is a seven mile trail to an observation tower. The trail is a paved road, and trams do run on a regularly scheduled basis, or you can walk or ride a bike. We took our bikes (although rentals are available) and cruised back and forth to the observation tower. The road is flat, and you will see more gators than you can count and a lot of birds. There is a walking trail at the observation tower, that brings you up close to the gators, like the one above that blocked our path for a few minutes. The path was an out and back trail, and when we walked out, there was no gator on the path. When we started walking back, the gator was there, between us and our bikes. He finally moved when we started trying to walk through the woods around him and made a lot of noise.

For our pictures of Collier Seminole and the Everglades follow the links.