The Savage Traveler: 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

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.