Winter Trip 2015: Reflections

• Sometimes I really feel we’re charmed as we travel. This is especially true this year as we encountered such wonderful weather in Texas; then since we left they have had snow all the way to Big Bend. We had good enough weather to enjoy Mardi Gras while we were in Louisiana, when it changed and we drove all the way to Florida to find better, and it has been cool and rainy there ever since. Florida had a freeze that went all the way to Miami before we came. Since then it was in the seventies and then eighties with just one day of rain that was easily worked around. And the final week of our trip was all sun and in the eighties. In the meantime at home there have been record breaking low temperatures and snow that has hung on and added on since just after we left in January. Even as late as Tuesday before we returned they had a Winter Storm that dumped 5 more inches followed by below zero temperatures. Yet the week we got back the forecast was for temperatures in the forties and fifties with mostly sunny skies and no precipitation. How lucky are we?!?!
• We are doubly blessed to have easy communication while we travel and good friends (including relatives that feel like friends and friends who feel like family) to meet as we travel. These dear people punctuate our time away from home with love and connection that is very, very important to me, especially. I’m not sure I could be absent from the familiar for 6-7 weeks at a time and enjoy it so much without them.
• I must also mention one more time how incredibly fortunate to be what I call RoHMs—Retirees with Health and Means. I don’t for one moment take for granted the fact that we are healthy and wealthy enough to go out for nearly two months every winter and see this beautiful and diverse (in scenery, animals, plants and humans) country, and enjoy it in comfort and safety.
• We traveled 6371 miles and averaged 16.0 miles per gallon, using 396 gallons of gas. The truck and camper make for very comfortable traveling and we will continue with them for the next few years, at least, as long as everything (vehicles and our aging bodies) holds up. This was really some of the easiest driving going down and coming back that we have had in the 6 years we have been away for the winter. We had some very long drives but we didn’t have to deal with ice, snow or rain (except briefly in northern Florida), which was a relief. On the other hand, we returned to the most snow on the ground that we had ever found.  We usually come home and pretty much can begin some early yard work to be ready for spring. That time will be a little later this year!
• In less than 48 hours we emptied the trailer, get everything put away, did all the laundry, washed the trailer and got it put back in the garage…all in forty degree temperatures with no precipitation.
• Our next trips are to the Virgin Islands with Heidi and Kris from April 19-30, and a “Journey to the Black Sea” river boat trip on the Danube from June 4-21 with Pat and Ross. Come back then and read all about the journeys of The Savage Traveler.

Snow greeted us on our return

Winter Trip 2015: Heading towards home

Thu. Mar. 5-Sun. Mar. 8: It was a real luxury to have as much time as we needed in the morning to winterize the camper. As we worked in 80 degree humid conditions on that, and packing in suitcases for the end of the trip, Oiens finished installing their screen and packed up the van to exchange at the RV place in Lakeland. We all went to Tim’s Café one more time for lunch and then bid each other God Speed and safe travels. Marv and I got on I75 and headed north. We stopped for an hour or so at Payne Prairie State Park late in the afternoon to hike a bit, stretch our legs, and eat wraps Marv had made the night before. 

Eagles' nest right next to the walk to the Visitor's Center

Those black dots are wild Spanish horses feeding on the prairie

Those brown specks are deer feeding on the prairie

Selfie!

The brown "swoosh" is a juvenile eagle wing flapping

A well- (and recently) fed water snake

Sunset at Payne Prairie

By evening we were driving in light to heavy rain showers and the temperature dropped sharply. We were so relieved we had the camper taken care of and wouldn’t have to set up again. The America’s Best Motel at Lake City wasn’t nearly as nice as the one we had stayed in in Arkansas but we made do and got back on the road early Friday morning. At Forsythe in southern Georgia we got off the highway and drove just a few blocks to their Historic Downtown District, where there is an old Courthouse in the middle of the downtown square of shops.  On one corner across from the Courthouse we found The Prime Palate restaurant. There were plenty of locals in there which is always a good sign. One can order from the menu or just eat off the Buffet, which we did. This was all good, greasy, authentic southern cooking with dishes like Black-eyed peas, cornbread, baked and/or fried chicken and/or fish, meatloaf, peach cobbler, carrot cake, and more. We were stuffed as we left so we walked around the square just to work off a little bit of the food before we climbed back in the truck. 

The Prime Palate

County Courthouse in Forsythe, Georgia

We made it to Atlanta and spent about an hour in traffic getting to Rachel and Mike’s new home where we met Cecelia and I gave her a bottle and held her a long time, while Marv played some ball in the backyard with Mikey. 

Mikey is loving the new backyard and playset

Rachel with a wide-eyed Cecelia

Marv and Mikey get out the Thomas Train we brought him

We also changed our reservation at a Comfort Inn in Chattanooga to one in Pioneer, Tennessee because we thought we could drive further before bedtime. That turned out to be a nice, newly remodeled motel with a full, hot breakfast. Steady driving on Saturday took us to an hour outside of Cincinnati where the traffic slowed to a crawl. The hold-up really didn’t seem to be because of the snow & ice storm that had mucked things up just a few days before. Luckily we could listen to the MSU/Indiana basketball game as we waited. At Covington, Kentucky we stopped at an Applebee’s for a late lunch while we watched the Spartans squeak out a win in the second half. Whew! We made it to Carmel before 5:00 and Ken, Jen and Josh were still there following Jordan’s 7^th birthday party. Jordan opened our presents and started the Star Wars vehicle we had given him. We had intended to take everybody out for dinner at Max & Erma’s (a new favorite because of their Ice Cream bar) but it was an hour wait and no one had the time so instead we went to McDonald’s Playland. Ken and family headed home, the kids went to bed and we spent a quiet evening on our tablets as Craig worked on a big project he needed to finish. Sunday we left Craig working at home while the rest of us went to St. Peter’s UCC, and Marv and I sang in the choir with Sarah, as usual. We got home after noon so Marv and I stayed to watch Jordan open his family presents and then we got back on I69 to head north. 

Eli, Jordan and Analyn

Jordan and Analyn

Jordan loved the Bow and Arrow set from Eli

Our final stop was at Ken and Jen’s where they fed us yummy Chicken Enchilada soup and we celebrated Ken’s birthday with presents and Jordan’s extra MSU cake, which Cessa had made and he graciously donated to Ken. We got home soon after dark (since this was the first day of Daylight Savings Time), where we found everything in good shape. Hadley had turned up the heat in the house and we emptied the cab of the truck before we fell into our familiar bed with relief, joy and gratitude for another fantastic Winter Trip.

The Belated-Birthday Boy

Josh helps Ken open his present

Winter Trip 2015: Lithia Springs Part 2

Sat. Feb. 28—Mon. Mar. 2: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEN!! Oiens came over to our picnic table in the morning to enjoy cinnamon apple oatmeal pancakes that Marv whipped up. Just as we finished eating it began raining. We went under our awning for a while as the rain increased. Oiens went back to their van to do more work on the new RV and Marv and I read the paper, Marv outside and me inside as the rain came down in buckets. After lunch Janice and Lou went to Lakeland, to revisit a View RV that they had seen but not driven. Marv and I drove to Bradenton Beach to John and Brenda’s Beach House. In the morning John had driven to Sarasota to pick up his mom, Louise Sternberg. The five us sat and chatted as the rain continued the rest of the day and the temperature hovered in the mid-60s. When the rain let up a little bit John, Brenda, Marv and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Then we had a good meal of Marv’s cornbread, white chicken chili, and salad, with strawberry pie for dessert in honor of Louise’s birthday the day before. By then the sun had set and the rain had begun in earnest again, so we headed back to Lithia Springs. Oiens were excited to tell us all about the View that they had effectively bought. It will take another trip back to Lakeland and some time to switch vehicles and prepare the New West to be left at the RV place to be sold on consignment so they were back with the New West for a few more days. It had finally stopped raining for good and the temperature was, at 65°, as low as it was forecast to be for most of the week.

Louise and Peggy get caught up before dinner

Peggy, Marv, John, Brenda, and Louise

Sunday dawned with the temperature in the high sixties and rising fast. It was very humid but it was nice to finally have “real” Florida weather. Oiens invited us for breakfast burritos over which we lingered. Then we all hopped on our bikes, intending to ride the bike paths in Fish Hawk Reserve together. But first we stopped at the headquarters to sign up for two more nights at the Springs. While doing so we found out that the heavy rains had swollen the Alafia River and that the springs were also high enough that the beach was under water. This means that both are closed at least for the day so we couldn’t paddle our kayaks as intended nor cool off with a swim. That was pretty disappointing. We rode the bikes to the springs to see how high it was and then to the river, where the docks at the put-in point are also underwater. Instead we took the Oiens’ Petanque sets to one of the group camping areas and played a couple of games as the temperature climbed into the mid-eighties. There was more sun as we played, along with some thunderheads. A man from Michigan was camped right next to where we were playing and he came over to chat and then offered to show us his RPOD travel trailer, which gave us more to think about in terms of what we may change to in the future. After lunch Marv and I read the paper and other things in the shade of our awning while Lou and Jan worked on their finances to cover the cost of the View. In the late afternoon Jan, Marv, and I rode our bikes around Fish Hawk Reserve, where we found that most of the huge retention ponds had at least some water in them now. Afterwards we relaxed with some cold beers, again in the shade of our awning. As the sun went down it cooled off a little bit. Marv grilled chicken breasts for our dinner and the Oiens brought their dinners over to eat at our picnic table. They headed back to their campsite and we did dishes and then took very welcome showers before doing some computer work, looking for campsites available for us to finish off the week. It was harder than it had looked earlier when Marv searched and it appears we may end up in southern Georgia for two nights. Stay tuned….

There is no beach at the edge of the spring water. Usually the beach is
about 15 feet all the way around.

We always have so much fun with the Oiens, even if we’re not doing much of anything and this chance meeting was no different. Monday was another relaxing morning of reading the paper and lingering over coffee, deciding that we would stay put at Lithia Springs for two more nights, winterize the camper there, and then stay at a motel Thursday night on our way to see Rachel and Cecilia in Atlanta on Friday. The Oiens continued to get things in order for the new RV. They had had a bad night when three people pulled into the campsite next to theirs at midnight and proceeded to yell and swear and carryon in a terrible way for an hour or so. They were quiet for a while and then started up again about 3:00. Oiens were too shaken and terrorized to do anything but wait for it to pass. We hadn’t heard a thing and it was quiet in the morning. Around 9:00 the three people left in their car, but not before we heard them tell the Host that they were staying for a few days. Lou and Jan talked to the Host and then the Ranger at the headquarters and found out others had reported the troubles and that they should call the Ranger if anything more happened. In the late morning we all drove to Lakeland in Oiens’ van. We parked at Joker Marchant Stadium in the large field and Lou popped the top to show it was a camper and we left it with “For Sale” signs displayed. The four of us bought bleacher seats in the shade and waited for Ross Mack to arrive, then we watched the annual first game of Spring Training for the Detroit Tigers playing Southern Florida College. We watched the game last spring and enjoyed it so much we made sure we saw it again. It was a perfect day for baseball, sunny with temperatures around 80°. As usual, the Tigers beat the college boys, but a good time was had by all and we got to see some Tiger starters play the first inning or so. After the game Ross left and the four of us drove to the RV place to visit the View, since they won’t take possession until after we have left. It’s very nice and in excellent condition and will give them so much more living space than the New West has for all these years. We spent a long time back at our campsite relaxing, playing ladder golf,  and talking until the sun set and things cooled off a little and the mosquitoes came out in force. Marv and I made big salads from leftover chicken from the night before and Oiens had sandwiches in our camper. As we finished up, the rattle-trap car for the campsite across the road returned and we could hear the yelling and abusive language before they turned off the car. Things were escalating so Lou called the Ranger who said he’d be right over. He parked a few sites down and listened, and talked to Lou a little bit and then he evicted the trio, waiting to see that they packed up and left. Things were then quiet and we went to bed.

Plaaa-aaay Ball!

Peggy, Ross, Marv, Janice and Lou

The kitchen and dinette area in the View with the slide-out retracted

Janice and Lou with their new home

Marv, Peggy, Janice and Lou with the new RV

Tuesday after we signed up for two more nights we saw the Ranger as we finished up. We found out that the trio had been sponsored by a local church, who periodically will give homeless people camping gear and put them up at the park. This group was clearly on drugs and had some mental illness issues. They had left several items including a TV at the site and had sat outside the gate for a long time before finally leaving. One wonders where they went from here. We drove to Tim’s Café for a late breakfast/early lunch and then found several hard to find items we had needed like postcards, chalk to keep away ants when we park for an extended time (us), and a seam ripper (Oiens). We also bought a six pint box of local strawberries to share for $5. After our large meal we were satisfied with ice tea and munching strawberries until dinner. We played several games of Ladder Golf and I baked some biscuits and prepared strawberries. Marv grilled steaks while I made a big salad. Oiens brought over egg salad sandwiches and we ate dinner in our camper again to get away from the mosquitoes. Then we all had strawberry shortcake for a real taste of summer. When Oiens went “home” Marv and I took a long walk around the campground by the light of the almost full moon, contrasting this walk to the one last month in Big Bend. It was equally clear and lovely but the temperature was warmer this time, in the low 70s.

Ladder Golf

Ladder Golf

Wednesday we had thought we might take our kayaks on the Alafia River, which runs through the park. But Lou and Jan were intent on replacing the last screen in their van before they sell it, and spent much of the afternoon working on it. Marv and I took a path from our campsite into the “jungle”, which turned to the left and surprised us by leading quickly to a bend in the river. We had no idea we were so close to it! The river was still rushing and full and we could see that we wouldn’t be able to paddle up it and then float back as we had last year. However, we also found out that the spring was open for swimming. Since this was about the hottest and muggiest day yet that was welcome news. We returned to inform the Oiens and found out we were all invited to our Canadian neighbors to play a new (to us) game called “Kubb" (pronounced Cube by Albert and Ben and Koob online).  Albert and his daughter’s father-in-law, Ben, led us to the court they had roped off behind their two fifth wheels and first taught Marv and Lou how to play by throwing baton-like sticks at cedar logs (the Kubbs) while Jan and I watched. Then the Dunns beat the Oiens in the second match. It was great fun but we were all hot and sticky by the end so a dip in the springs felt wonderful to cool us off. Lou never got in the water but instead returned to the campsite with the Petanque balls for one final match in the shade of the Live Oaks next to the springs. We all shared the chili I had made in the CrockPot in the morning and had strawberry shortcake again for dinner. 

The Alafia River

The Alafia River

Lou and Ben play Kubb

Albert and Marv playing Kubb

Note the sand beach around much of the spring.

Peggy, Marv and Janice cooling off

Winter Trip 2015: Lithia Springs Part I

Wed. Feb. 25-Fri. Feb. 27: We were driving from Alexander Springs to Lithia Springs, west of Tampa, and getting some errands done on the way. Along the way we found out that our empty propane tank had a faulty valve and so it couldn’t be filled until that is fixed. We stopped in Lakeland to get a new trailer tire at a Discount Tire and have lunch. I sent out a text to update a few people on our progress as we drove on to buy groceries and get a campsite at the Springs. To our mutual amazement we found out that Lou and Janice were in Lakeland and on their way back to LazyDays RV dealership, where they were going to camp for the second time as they seriously pursued a new RV to replace their New West converted GMC van. That put them about 15 miles away from us! Marv and I got settled and rode our bikes down to see the spring and continued on to the bike paths that wind through the vast and growing Fish Hawk that is being built on a huge tract next to the park. We could see additions and growth since last year when we were here. We found a small pond and enjoyed watching a flock of Bufflehead Ducks along with an Egret and a Great Blue Heron. Without ever leaving the area we rode over 6 miles before we returned to our campsite and made dinner.

Lithia Springs campsite #29

Lithia Springs campsite #29

Riding part of the bike path

Riding the endless sidewalks of Fish Hawk Reserve subdivision

Riding the endless sidewalks of Fish Hawk Reserve subdivision

A pair of Bufflehead Ducks

Swallowtailed Kite

On Thursday, after I put sauerkraut, sweet potatoes and Andouille sausage in the CrockPot, we headed to LazyDays and spent most of the day looking at new and used RVs that Janice and Lou were considering and also a few trailers that we might consider in the future. We even had a free lunch at the dealership with the coupons Janice and Lou had accumulated. Around 5:00 we all headed to Lithia Springs where Oiens decided to join us as they considered their options. The gate was partially closed at the park and the ranger said that they closed at 6:00 but that the camping had closed at 5:30. We managed to convince him to let us pay for a site for the Oiens and have them settle up for more days tomorrow. But as we negotiated, Janice and Lou arrived and managed to get the site across the road from us. They got settled and then we all enjoyed our CrockPot dinner at our picnic table on a lovely, balmy evening. We couldn’t have planned for a better outcome, and were all amazed that it had all happened spontaneously in two days.

Oiens first campsite (they moved after a ruckus) 

Lou and Peggy

Janice and Marv

Friday we all spent a relaxing morning lingering over coffee outdoors at our campsite. Nearly at noon Marv and I went to do the last laundry we’ll have to do on the trip while Janice and Lou took care of business related to Social Security and financing a new RV.  It was a cloudy day and never got much over 65° so it was a good day for such activities. We ate late lunches separately and then played a French lawn ball game called Petanque on the empty campsite next to theirs.  After a small Happy Hour Marv drove the four of us to a nearby Beef O’Brady’s where we could eat dinner and watch the Spartans play Minnesota at home in basketball. Sadly, MSU blew the lead they had held the entire game and let Minnesota tie it up at the end to put it into Overtime. Then Free Throws and being outplayed lead us to a 5 point loss. So Sad. 

Playing Petanque. Can you find Janice's small metal ball in the air?

Playing Petanque. Can you find Marv's small metal ball in the air?

Winter Trip 2015: On to Florida

Fri. Feb. 20 & Sat. Feb. 21: The next 36 hours were not the highlight of the trip. After our third night in a row close to freezing we were hoping to find some warmer weather. We got on I10 and drove for nearly 12 hours. After several drives when we had driven all day and were still in Texas, this time by noon we were entering our fourth state of the day, Florida. As we traveled we decided to just go as far as we could and stay at a motel and have a nice dinner at a restaurant. By 8:30 we were around Gainesville so we decided to get off and find a place to stay. But our first stop told us there was a basketball game and a soccer tournament in town and that without a reservation we were not going to find anyplace. He suggested we go 45 minutes south to Ocala and try our luck there. On arriving we found that there were very few rooms available there, either, and even the lowliest of joints wanted $180+ for a room. The Howard Johnson’s had only two rooms left for over $220. We just couldn’t justify that so instead we found an RV park nearby. The chipper recording on the phone said it was after office hours but to come on out, take any available site, and they’d settle up in the morning. When the GPS got us there we were met by a locked automatic gate. As I stood there trying to figure out what to do and Marv tried to figure out how he’d get the truck and camper turned around, a small truck zipped up to the gate, causing it to open, and then drove away. We could only assume they had seen us on their security camera and let us in that way. We drove slowly through the huge, crowded but seemingly deserted camping area, searching for an open spot. Finally, we found a small one at the very back of the park against the fence. With no street lights Marv got the trailer backed in and squeezed the truck next to it. As we set up we realized the electrical box was smashed apart so we would have no power. But we can make do without and we were in no position to quibble. We did a minimum set-up and warmed up leftovers and made potato salad for a very late dinner. A walk around the park showed us that the restrooms were very close by and that there really were no other open spots. We were exhausted when we fell into bed and slept pretty well, considering.

In the morning we both took showers in the nice, big bathrooms. They gave us a break on the site for having no electricity, charging us “only” $34 for the night. We packed up and got away by 9:00. The rest of the morning was a comedy of errors trying to find a place to fill our propane tank (which we couldn’t do when the second place we went, a U-Haul, said the tank would have to be re-certified because it was over 12 years old and only an Ameri-Gas place could do that. None were open on this Saturday morning). While getting gas for the truck, Marv noticed that the passenger side tire on the trailer had broken treads (the fifth tire we’ve had to replace) and had to be removed immediately. He pulled over at the gas station and changed it, which is a very big deal and involves opening the camper in order to get to the tire and wheel well. We’d have to find a Discount Tire during the week to replace it. While he did that, I was on the phone finding out that Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest where we wanted to stay had no openings until Sunday. Luckily, Alexander Springs also in the Ocala National Forest said they had one opening and might have more in the afternoon. By the time we got there they had two openings and we gratefully took site #30. We have visited the day-use area there before but never camped there. The site was large and on a corner lot with no one on one side or behind us. There is running water, flush toilets, and showers in the bathhouses, but the sites have no electricity or water, like State Parks do. We got set-up and made lunch and then just took it easy for a while and tried to recover from the traumas since leaving New Orleans area. The temperature got nearly to 70 and there was a lot of sun, with warmer temperatures and sunny skies forecast for the next few days. We rode our bikes about 2 miles around the campground and the day-use area and visited the springs, where several people were swimming. Things were looking up as we played some Cribbage sitting under the pines on our campsite before having leftover Red Beans and Rice with salad and cornbread for dinner. The campground was very crowded and a little noisy but we knew it would be much quieter as people left from weekend stays.

Sun. Feb. 22 & Tue. Feb. 24: We made the best of our time at Alexander Springs. Both mornings were spent getting up in a leisurely manner and reading in the warm sun as the temperature rose into the upper 70s. Monday we rode 6 miles of the Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail. It started off a short spur trail through a dense natural woods across the main road from the campground. The trail itself is through a Pine Hammock of mostly tall thin Long Leaf Pines with all their growth at the tops, leaving a clear understory through which we could see a long ways. It is a sandy trail but well maintained with most of the way covered with pine needles and leaves and just a few loose sand patches. Had we known that the trail was so good we would have packed a lunch and done the 11 mile loop, but as it was we went out about 30 minutes and then came back and ate lunch at the campsite. Afterwards we rode back to the Spring and went for a dip in the clear, refreshing water. At the store there we bought a pint of strawberry ice cream and ate half of it on the patio before we took the rest back to the camper freezer. After dinner we built a fire and enjoyed the now nearly deserted and very quiet campground, feeling like we were alone in the forest. I checked out a rustling on the other side of our site and found a large armadillo hopping along with a big bundle of leaves packed between all four legs. She froze when I shined a light on her so I left her alone to continue. I wondered if she was about to give birth and making a nest. The stars shone brightly and it was a lovely evening.

The view over Marv's handle bars

On the Paisley Woods Trails

We call these immature Long Needle Pines "Muppet Trees"

Our large camping site

Marv adjusts to the 72 degree water

He's in!

A Lesser Blue Heron flies over the the aqua water where the springs bubble up

Tuesday was pretty much the same but instead of biking, we took our inflatable kayak to the spring outlet and paddled as far as we could on the crystal clear creek until water lilies filled the waters to the point that it was too hard to paddle. Along the way we saw a large alligator, many herons, a few anhinga, and countless turtles sunning themselves on the logs at the edge of the water. It was calm and peaceful with a stiff breeze riffling the top of the water and giving us a bit of a challenge some of the time. By the time we finished and deflated and put away the kayak we were pretty warm so we biked back to the spring and had another swim. We took their 1.1 mile Timucuan interpretive trail highlighting the plants and their uses of this area where there used to be a Native American village. We both took showers after our hot, strenuous day. Then it was time to start packing some things to leave the next day. We used the rest of our wood for another campfire. When we put away our chairs and the bikes at the end of the evening we found we had ridden the bikes 10.3 miles while in Ocala.  

Looking down river

Seven turtles on a long

Male anhinga

Show off! But he let us get within a few feet and didn't fly away.

Timucuan Trail

Alexander Springs from the opposite side of the park