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!

weekend trip to Asheville

It has been quite a while since my last entry, and it has been a long hot summer. We decided to take a quick trip in the RV to the beautiful NC mountains. We spent the weekend in the Asheville area staying at Mama Gerties Hideaway Campground in Swannanoa.

Charlotte RV Show

We decided to check out the Charlotte RV show last Saturday. It turned out to be a beautiful day to get out and we really enjoyed the afternoon poking around the various types of RVs, accessories, and other vendor at the show. LOTS of people were there, most with smaller children. Or so it seemed to us.

We arrived about 1:30 PM, and were lucky to find a parking spot close by. Tickets this year were $10. I don't know, maybe its just me, but it seems a little excessive for a show that I'm sure charges a fortune to the RV dealers and vendors, then wants you to buy stuff as soon as you enter the door.

Having been to most of the Charlotte RV shows for the past 10 years or so, it was apparent that there were many less motorhomes on display than in past years. Some of the bigger dealers were there with a few coaches. But the Convention Center was primarily filled with travel trailers, fivers, and pop ups.

It is really amazing what can be done in the confines of a 21 foot travel trailer. It is obvious that they are able to focus on specific customer segments. For example, very small travel trailers that were great for a traveling couple. Or one that had multiple bunk beds for the travelers with smaller children.

Speaking of travelers with small children, the motorhome manufacturers are on the verge of turning their back on their bread and butter business; traveling couples. The floor plans of the few motorhomes we did see seemed to have lost all sensibility in trying to do "new and innovative" things in the small space and loosing sight of common sense.

Most of those we saw with full wall slideout rooms, tend to block off the rear of the coach while underway with the slide in. This means that the designers have to accommodate the owners while underway with a half bath that can be accessed with the slide in. What a waste of space for anyone that would like more kitchen counter or storage.

But it was a lot of fun to watch people, browse through the RVs, and run into a few old friends along the way. Comming home with a renewed appreciation of our 2005 Bounder may have just been worth the $20 price of admission.