Back to the Keys

Scottsmoor, Florida.

We are finally headed back to our all time favorite RV Resort: Bluewater RV Resort, MM 14.5, Key West, Florida.   It is really in the Saddlebunch Keys about 9 or 10 miles north of Key West, with waterfront sites on Lower Sugarloaf Sound.

It is the first time we have been in the fall.  Earnest Hemingway says autumn is the best time to visit the Keys if you can avoid the storms.  Of course this year the hurricanes are giving us a bit of a break so off we go.

Being "retired" means we are not required to conform to a work schedule, so we left on Thursday morning and planned to go as far as the Daytona area to spend the night.

We followed the usual route out of the Charlotte area and picked up I-95 near Darlington SC. other than a few showers between Savannah and Brunswick GA, the trip was exactly what we wanted:  uneventful.

The only event, if you will, was in Jacksonville, Florida.  I like to take route 9A to the east of JAX instead of staying on I-95.  However the road names have changed; and my Garmin tried to make me take a short cut.  That resulted in me taking a wrong turn off of what was 9A (now I-295 most of the way.)  No worries, we were still on major highways and soon we found our way back onto I-95 south.

 The good part is the drive over the new bridge east of JAX.  Its beautiful and looks a bit like the new Ravenell Bridge in Charleston.

 By 7:00 PM we were near Scottsmoor Florida just south of Daytona.  We pulled into the Crystal Lake Campground.  It is a vary small, kind of old campground situated on the side of a little "lake" just (barely) off I-95.  We were the only transient campers there.  There were several long term residents, but they are in the back part of the campground. It is a Passport America campground and seems to  be a good overnight stop.

Tomorrow:  On to Homestead and hopefully a stop at Miami-Everglades Campground.

Getting Ready for our Spring Trip!

We are counting down the days until we get back on the road again.  Time for our spring trip to St. Joe Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas Florida.   We have been there before and are really looking forward to it again.

Location

There is still alot to do to get ready.  Due to a very busy work schedule the last couple of weeks, I am behind schedule.  Will it not be nice when I'm retired and dont have to worry so much about a work schedule?

This weekend we are going up to Raleigh to see our youngest niece graduate from NC State.  Thats an all day trip up and back Saturday, so maybe I can get a little done on Sunday.

I still have to wash the RV, re-sanitize the water system, check the tires, did I say wash the RV.  I spent two days scrubbing the roof back to white week before last.  What a job.  We had an overabundance,  more than I have EVER seen, of tree sap and pollen from our water oaks that surround our house.  Unfortunately, I had left the Bounder parked under one of them too long, and the top was almost a blackish green before I knew it.


I tried to find something that would clean it appropriately, including 409 and some kind of Rubber Roof Cleaner that I paid way too much for at Tom Johnson Camping Center.   Neither did much good.   Then I read that Dawn dish detergent is the best... but not so.  Finally I tried Spic and Span.  Yep, old timey Spic and Span mixed in a couple of gallons of water with a strong bristle brush and if finally came white again.


Now I just need to wash the exterior one more time and we'll be ready to roll.


Gas prices have fallen, so i think i'll wait as long as possible to fill up.  I have about a quarter of a tank left, so i'll go stop in SC on the way to Florida.  SC gas is about 20 cents per gallon less than here in NC.

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The Keys - again!!!

It seems like forever, but it was only last may since we were last in the Florida Keys.  What a beautiful place, even with the crowds of the winter "Snowbirds".

Unfortunately, we are only able to be here for two weeks due to work schedules and family commitments.  Let me rephrase that as a glass half FULL statement.   Fortunately we are able to spend two wonderful weeks here in spite of work schedules and family commitments! 

As you have probably observed, I am not a daily blogger, so I will hit the highlights of this trip and post some of the better pictures and stories.

Week 1 - Miami Everglades RV Park - Homestead Florida.

We left home in NC late Friday afternoon and headed south.  Nothing special, just the usual trip southeast then on I-95 (home for the next 2 days) southbound.   We pulled into the Brunswick GA Walmart parking lot just before midnight for a very quiet night and a late 8:00 AM start Saturday morning.

I-95 was the usual trek and thankfully without any excitement we pulled into the Miami-Everglades RV Resort just north of Homestead at about 4:00 that afternoon.

The RV parked was completely full; much different from our last trip here a couple of years ago in the summer months.  Then it was almost completely empty, but this time we were in the company of many snowbirds from Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada eh?

Here we are parked on site #24 8 at Miami Everglades RV Resort.

This is really a nice RV park with lots of open space and plenty of activities for the snowbirds.   There was even a wedding one evening while we were there.

This GIANT Chikee Hut was the center of many of the activities during the week.

Monday Feb 20 was the Presidents Day holiday.  We toured the Everglades National Park taking the road all the way to the end at Flamingo.  This was on the "Ahinga Trail".

The RV Park is in the middle of a very large farm/agriculture area called Redland Farm area.  These fields of ferns surrounded the campground where we were.












As usual, Bobbi doesn't really care where we are as long as she gets her daily ration of chicken or tuna!

Week 2:  Sunshine Key - MM 39 Overseas Highway.

This was our view from under our RV awning for the next week.  Looking west toward Bahia Honda and No Name Key with Fat Albert watching us?

On Saturday we packed up camp from Homestead and moved 3 hours south to Sunshine Key RV Resort.  It is the first real key going south on Seven Mile Bridge out of Marathon;  just before Bahia Honda State Park, then Big PIne Key another mile or two beyond that.  The lower keys have a life and speed all their own.

Each evening brought a fabulous sunset just like this one.







Sunshine Key is a great place for a winter stay in the lower keys.  I heard mixed reviews about the place as if it had 2 personalities so to speak.  But we arrived only to find it full of snowbirds, warm breezes, and clear water.  Just what you'd want in a winter time getaway.  However we have heard that it really changes to a totally different kind of place in the summer months.

Our site was a waterfront site on the north side of the Key, as far away from the noise of US 1 as you can get and still be on this little piece of paradise.  We were backed up right to the beach






We spent our days lounging around the RV, taking day trips to the lower keys,  and to Marathon....

...and down to Key West one day.  All the way to the very end of US 1.




Ummm...where is the other end?  We'll have to take a trip the other direction someday to find out.   I'll post that picture too!














The entire week we never tired of those awesome sunsets







So.. when we went to Key West, we had to make the sunset pilgrimage to Mallory Square.  The sun was setting and the place was packed.  Pam tells me to start taking pictures.  All I could think of was all those sunsets we had seen in piece and quiet from right behind our RV.    So I took a few pictures of the sunset at Mallory Square for comparison:

What a mob scene.  Its one of those things that you say you had to do, but I was glad to get out of that crowd and get back to the quiet of Sunshine Key!

Edisto Beach Spring Trip

We just returned from our early spring trip to Edisto.  It is the kind of place you can enjoy over and over.  The beach campground is our favorite.  Actually we have never stayed in the Pines campground; if you are going to the beach then we want to be on the beach.

Thursday was rather cold and rainy.  It was raining and in the mid 50s when we left home, and although the rain cleared up a bit, it was very windy at the beach.  We were on site #22 in the beach campground with a view out the door at the ocean and a view of the salt marsh out the front window.  Nice!

Friday saw a beautiful sunrise and a clear blue sky, with lots of wind. We spend some time on the beach but it was a bit chilly.  During the afternoon we decided to explore the island.   Edisto Island has a very interesting history.  It was originally settled by very independent and wealthy planters.  After the Civil War, many of the freed slaves stayed on the island.  Families of both are still in the area today. Many of he descendants of the enslaved Africans still maintain their Gullah culture.

We had dinner out Friday night at the Dockside Seafood Restaurant.  This place overlooking the waterfront at Edisto where the shrimp and fishing boats dock,  is in its 4th generation of operation by the same local family.  And they also operate the fishing boats so the food is absolutely fresh.

Saturday was a beach day.  Warm and sunny, temps in the 80s made for a lazy day, and pink faces and legs!  We stayed at the campground Saturday night, strolling around, watching the stars and listening to the ocean waves a few feet from our RV. 

We did have to move to another campsite Saturday.  SC uses Reserve America as their reservations system and sites can be booked 11 mos in advance.  This sometimes leaves various sites unbooked for a day or two as people book for a week or two at the time.  We were able to get the nice beachfront sites by booking one site for two nights, and the third night on another site.  

I didn't even take any pictures this trip. If you want to see some pictures of Edisto Beach State Park look at our dotphoto.com link in the menu on the right side of this page and see the Edisto pictures from 2 years ago.

Back home, RV cleaned up (almost), back to work on Monday.  And thinking about Key West in May. 

Spring 2011

Spring is almost here!

Wow, spring is right around the corner.  I cannot believe it has been nearly 7 months since I last posted something on this site!  Last year seems like a blur at this point.  But  hopefully things are going to be a bit different this year.

As you can tell from the lack of writing we did not do much traveling last year at all.  Due to a lot of reasons, most of our travels were very close to home.  We did make it to Edisto Beach last spring for a long weekend, and we have plans to be there again this spring.  In fact, in only a couple of weeks.  We are looking forward to that.  

 Another trip back on the books for this year is a return to our all time favorite spot, Bluewater Key near Key West, Florida.  We currently have that little trip planned for mid May of this year.

About the most exciting thing travel wise that has happened this year, is not with us, but with my cousin Debbie and her husband Herman.  They were able to take a Trip Around the World by Private Jet.  This trip sponsored by National Geographic Expeditions, was a 24 day whirlwind trip to some of the most exotic and ancient of locations on the planet.  You can read their story and see some of their pictures at this link:  Around the World in 24 Days.

Charlotte RV Show 2011
We did manage to make it to the Charlotte RV show a couple of weekends ago.  Not much has changed in the past year, other than even fewer motorhomes to walk through and oggle over.  Most of the dealer inventory seemed to be focused on younger families.  Many light weight trailers that can be towed behind an SUV.. all with bunk beds or plenty of sleeping accommodations for the youngsters.  The toy hauler category seemed to be much more substantial that last year as well. 

Our favorite quote was from a retired couple that we were talking to in one of the newer design motorhomes that had a set of bunks for additional children.   He said "My requirement is that an RV can entertain 6, feed 4 and sleep 2!"   I couldn't have said it better myself.

Our show favorite was the Tiffin Allegro RED.  (RED short for Rear Engine Diesel.)  Kind of an odd name I suppose, but we really liked the layout options.  We will likely go to a diesel pusher at some point when we can be assured of using it much more than we use our gas powered Bounder now.  However as much as we like it, now is not the time.  But I think we are hooked!

The Tiffin we like is the 36 foot model.  Not too big - we do like the state parks and some of the smaller campsites we have visited -  yet it is big enough.  And the ride is awesome.  Folks have told us how much quieter the diesel pusher is than a front engine gas RV.  And now I believe it.  The Tiffin is the first diesel pusher we have ever driven.   And it was like driving a golf cart!  Push the accelerator and off you go. No noise, no groaning, no racket of any kind.  Simply moving forward.  As I said, I think we are both hooked.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the spring and the new RV season.  Or I guess it is maybe the season for us folks that are still working for a living.  Anyway, I will try to be more diligent about posting on this site.

Hope to see you on the road!