Savannah Day 1

Monday the 31st

We're about 20 miles outside Savannah so we headed for town around 10:00 AM. We drove into the historic district and parked right next to the City Market, a two block long 'square' with shops and restaurants lining the perimeter. We spent some time visiting different shops then went to one of the Carriage Tour stations and booked a horse drawn carriage for a historical tour of the area. Once again, because we were early there was only one other couple so we really got a personalized talk by the driver. We covered a lot of the district at a leisurely pace with time to take photos.

After the tour we had planned to have lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, "Lady and Sons", so we walked the three blocks to the restaurant only to find that we wouldn't be able to get in for lunch as all tables would be full for the next three hours. They don't take reservations, so you just have to get there early and get your name on the list.

Oh well, another day. Disappointed but still hungry we walked down to the waterfront and checked out the dining opportunities. After walking around for a half hour we settled on "The Shrimp Factory", a nice place with inside seating in a fine dining setting (table cloth and cloth napkins). I had Sauteed shrimp and chicken with mushrooms done in a white wine sauce over saffron rice, while Tina ordered Shrimp and Sausage Creole, a spicy dish done in a light red sauce and served over chicken baked rice. Yum!! Both entrees were very good.

Next we wandered along the river front checking out the shops then headed back towards town in search of some chocolate. It turns out the place we were headed for was no longer in business so we were directed to one of Savannah's ice cream institutions, Leopolds. They make their own ice cream. We both got a single scoop in a cup and wandered around town while we ate our desert. Yum, yum!! Savannah is noted for it's many "Squares" which are really parks with public art, historical statues beautiful landscaping and huge Live Oak trees. Many of the residential streets have the oaks on both sides of the road and the form a canopy over the street. Filled with Spanish moss, they give a sense of graceful elegance and you feel like life follows a slower pace here. Savannah is a lovely city and we intend to come back again and do some more exploring.

To see all our photos go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Kingsland To Tybee Island

Monday the 30th


NOTE: We currently have a slow net connection so I am unable to include photos in the blog. However, I have been able to upload all our photos.


Another beautiful day. The sun is out and it's about 62 degrees out. We had a quick breakfast and broke camp early. I -95 was busy, three lanes of 70 mph traffic for about 15 miles then it thinned out a little. I was looking forward to a nice easy drive up to Savannah. And I had one for the next 15 miles, then three lanes became two and we entered the "Thirty Mile Construction Zone", cue the echo chamber. Picture this --- two, eleven foot wide lanes. the inner lane with about a foot of paved edge. The outer lane with a continuous jersey barrier (except for exits) right next to the fog line. Heavy traffic. Me trying to herd 11 tons of steel down that outer lane at 60 mph with semis blowing past me on the inner lane. Oh yeah, and there are construction people and equipment everywhere. For thirty miles. Thirty continuous miles. Hairy!! But no mishaps, just a little frazzled, heheheh. But once through the rest of the drive was a cake walk.



We got to Savannah and circled around the north part of the city on I-16 which eventually dropped us onto a city street which, with a couple of turns took us to Bay Street and onto SR-80 all the way out to Tybee Island and Rivers End RV Campground. We pulled into the Park, registered and got the rig set up. We wanted to get in early so we could take a bike ride into Tybee center.



We ate lunch, walked the dogs and headed off for town. As we rounded the corner onto main street we cut over to one of the beach accesses and rode out onto the beach. Another flat wide beach with lots of shells and gently rolling waves. Nice. We rode down the beach for another mile until we passed under the Tybee Pier. Then we cut up into town and checked out the Marine Science Center, a nice educational facility especially for the kids. From there we rode to the end of town and turned around, riding back down main street to the local bike shop. We wanted to find out about about the bike trails. After we got our information it was time to head back. We rode through town then cut back to the beach and continued around the point passing from the Atlantic shore to the Tybee River shore where we crossed the dunes back to our camp.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, walking the dogs and planning our stay in Savannah.

To see all our pictures click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

This leg, 125 miles. Total for the trip so far, 5,867 miles.

Sunday the 29th

NOTE: We currently have a slow net connection so I am unable to include photos in the blog. However, I have been able to upload all our photos.

Amazing!! We got up around 7:15 this morning to a beautiful day!! The sun was shining, there were fluffy white clouds here and there and it was about 65 degrees out. I took the dogs out for a walk and the ground, though not dry, showed little of the violence of last nights storm. Being Sunday, Tina made a great hamsteak and egg breakfast with toast and jam. Mmmmm mmmm good!!

After cleaning up the breakfast dishes and watching Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood we loaded up the dogs, grabbed the grocery list and cameras and headed for the small seaport town of St Marys on the St Marys river. This is a beautiful sleepy little seaside village. We parked on the main drag and hooked up the dogs to their leashes. A short walk and we were at the river where there were about fifty young people getting ready to take the passenger ferry over to Cumberland Island State Park for a week of camping. We walked around a beautiful riverside park with a large fountain, trellised benches and bandstand stage then crossed the street to Trolleys Seafood Grill where we grabbed a table on the veranda looking over the harbor. Tina had a Giro which was very good (I got to taste it – yum) while I had a chocolate Sunday in honor of my good friend Don! With a maraschino cherry on top!!! Heavenly – heheheh!

We spent another half hour driving around the residential areas of town before heading back. A Short stop at the grocery store for some supplies and it was back home to the KOA.We spent the rest of the afternoon reading, watching Tiger win the Arnold Palmer Invitational and generally being layabouts. Tomorrow we head for Tybee Island just east of Savanah.

To see all of todays photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Flagler Beach To Kingsland Georgia

Friday the 27th

Took the day off to do laundry and other chores. Very windy with rain on the way.


Saturday the 28th

Up early, overcast with light breezes. Rained a lot last night. We got everything squared away and headed north on A1A by 8:30 AM. We planned to return to Ft Matanzas and St Augustine on our way to our next stop.

Driving north on A1A we passed Marineland and the Oceanarium. Crossing Matanzas Bridge I turned into the parking area to Fort Matanzas National Monument. Stepping out of the coach we met one of the volunteers dressed in a 18th century Spanish soldiers uniform. As we walked towards the visitor center I asked about the costume which included white hose, blue woolen breeches, a white blouse and jabot, woolen waistcoat or vest and woolen topcoat with tails. All topped by a bandana used as a skullcap upon which sat a tricorn hat with a company ribbon. In addition, he was wearing a cross chest bandolier with powder horn and shot pouch and carried a musket. He told me that even though the wool was not particularly heavy, it was issued to soldiers for their protection. Wool will only burn if it is in direct flame. So for those that fired cannons, sparks and flames from the touch hole would do no more than scorch or leave the occasional hole.

Walking down to the dock, he and his partner, also dressed in period military costume, joined us for the boat ride rode across the inland waterway to the fort. Once on the other side we were treated to a running discourse on the history of the fort and the life and times of soldiers stationed there. Five to seven soldiers and an officer were stationed there for a month at a time. The fort, made of Coquina Blocks, sedimentary stone formed from thick layers of coquina clam shells glued together with pressure and lime leaching from the shells, has three floors. The first is the outer platform for the cannons and watch station. The inner is the soldiers living quarters with bunks , mess table, and fireplace for cooking. Beneath the stairs leading to the second level was a 6,000 gallon cistern. The second floor was for the officer and included a bed, work table and storage cabinets for personal and military items. The third floor was really just the roof of the second floor with a three foot high wall around the perimeter.

Leaving the fort we crossed the water and returned to the coach. Back on A1A we continued north to SR 206 and headed west to SR 1, again turning north. Coming into St Augustine we were fortunate to find an empty parking lot where we could park the rig and car for a few hours. Just across the street was the Old Town Trolley Tour and Welcome Center. We bought tickets for the tour and were immediately ushered over to the old St Augustine Jail for a personalized tour of the jail hosted by deputy sheriff Mac, dressed as an officer of the law from the late 1800’s with holstered six gun and large sheriffs badge. Build by a company that specialized in building jails (and also built Alcatraz), the outer walls were four feet thick, floors three feet thick and everywhere the steel barred doors made of high quality steel.

It was a big building housing up to 42 prisoners at a time on two floors, the first for women the second for men. The jail has a restored gallows and a "birdcage" cell outside. Inside, the highlight of the tour is an animatronic sheriff Joe Perry, who gives a short speech from atop the maximum security cell block, holding a hangman's rope. After his talk, the jail fills with the disembodied recorded voices of unhappy prisoners (actually, more actors), and you are left to find your own way out. Also attached to the jail was a two floor apartment for the Sheriff and his family.

After our tour of the jail we boarded the open air trolley for a ninety minute tour of St Augustine. There are 18 stops along the way including the Ponce De Leon Hotel built by Henry Flagler, the land and railroad baron. The old hotel is now part of Flagler College. Also highlighted were the Lightner Museum, St George Street, Fountain of Youth, Oldest Wooden House, San Marcos Fort, City Gates Park and the statue of Ponce de Leon. We got off at St George Street which is a four block pedestrian walkway filled with old hotels, restaurants and shops. We walked about half way and stopped at Columbia Restaurant for lunch. Opened in 1983 by the fifth generation of family members, the Columbia features a mixture of Cuban and Seafood in a fine dining atmosphere. A nice place but the food was only so, so. We picked up the tour again and saw the rest of St Augustine finishing about 3:30 PM.

Getting back to the coach we took the dogs for a quick walk then cut over to I-95. Heading north once again we crossed the Georgia State line and took exit one. A mile later we pulled into the KOA and got a nice spot under the trees. We spent the evening relaxing and watching a little TV. The dogs got their last walk about 8:30 PM just as it started to sprinkle. We went to bed about 11:30 and listened to the storm brewing up before we fell asleep. An hour later we all awoke to a huge crash of rolling thunder. We were right in the middle of a huge thunderstorm! Lightning was flashing all about us, hail was falling in amidst the large rain drops, but most of all the noise was incredible. Poor Wicket was terrified and was barking and cowering on the floor. Punky wasn’t very happy either but wasn’t as noisy about it. This went on for about a half hour with one thunderous explosion less than a thousand feet above us. Eventually the storm moved off and we all managed to get back to sleep.

We arrived at the Kingsland KOA in Georgia about 5:00 PM. After getting set up we accessed the web and found a limited connection. We're here for two nights then we go to Tybee Island, just outside Savanah. I'll try to upload our photos and update the blog properly at that time.

We currently have a slow net connection so I am unable to include photos in the blog. However, I have been able to upload all our photos. To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Total for this leg, 120 miles. Total for the trip, 5,742 miles.

Visit To St Augustine

Tuesday the 25th

A day spent walking on the beach and relaxing in the sunshine! I went to Straight Shot Billiards after dinner and found a couple of players willing to share table time. We shot for a couple of hours playing both Eight Ball and Nine Ball. I was shooting at a 70 percent level, and won most of the games.

Wednesday the 26th

Today we decided to take a drive to St Augustine. After getting the dogs settled, making sure the A/C was set and putting water out we headed north on A1A. We actually planned three stops for today. The Oceanarium at Marineland http://www.marineland.net/, Fort Matanzas http://www.nps.gov/foma/ and the City of St Augustine http://www.staugustinelinks.com/st-augustine-history.asp.

Fourteen miles north we entered the small town of Marineland, home of the Florida University Aquatic Biology Labs and the Dolphin Research and Protection Preserve. We found a parking spot right at the front door and went into the center to purchase our tickets. The Oceanarium is right on the shore of the Atlantic and is primarily a learning and research facility working to to foster the preservation and protection of marine life with a focus on Bottlenose Dolphins. They work to inspire visitors to value and respect marine mammals and their environment. The dolphins reside in a 1.3 million gallon habitat designed specifically for the well-being of our animals as well as the safety and enjoyment of our guests. We arrived at a good time. There were several researh students workingwith the dolphins. It was very apparent how these creatures value the opportunity to play while being challenged with new learning experiences. We were there about an hour before stopping at the gift shop to pick up some post cards.

Our next stop, at Fort Matanzas turned out to be a little different than we expected. We parked across from the visitor center and walked up and through the administration building past the visitor center. Continuing down the path to the bay we found out that the Fort was actually across the bay on the opposite shore. To get there we had to board a shuttle launch for a ten minute crossing. Once on the other side we would be taken on a guided tour of the fort explaining its historical importance and how much work has been done on the restoration. The tour and boat ride would take about an hour there and back so we decided to try and do this on a different day. We really don't like to leave the kids alone for more than four or five hours since they are used to lots of attention and frequent walks. So far they have been really good when we've been gone for extended periods of time.

We got back on A1A and continued north another twelve miles to the City of St Augustine with a quick stop at SeaGrove Town Center to drop off postcards at the Post Office. Once we got into St Augustine Beach, development was pretty continuous and looked a lot like Lynnwood. Leaving Anastasia Island we crossed the Bridge of Lions into the old town. St Augustine, established in 1535 is the oldest city in the country. This is a very history filled community full of beautiful old buildings, public artwork and tree filled squares.

We were fortunate to find a place to park next to our lunch stop. I wanted to go where the house specialty was crab cakes so we went to O.C. Whites Restaurant.

O.C. White's has a History dating back to 1790, originally constructed by Don Miguel Ysnardy a prominent St. Augustinian. The House served as one of the first hotels in St. Augustine and was eventually purchased by the Worth family. In 1904 the Worth Mansion was bought by a local cigar maker, then bought again in 1948 by George L. Potter, the one time owner of Potter's Wax Museum before being moved in 1961 to its present location. We had a nice lunch in a tree shaded courtyard then walked through the restaurant itself, very interesting.

We left the restaurant and headed down one of the many one-lane one-way streets. Eventually we found our way to the Lightner Museum, which is filled with cultural and historical St Augustine artifacts. Next we walked through the atrium and out to the gardens in front of the Government building facing Flagler College. The college is named for Henry M Flagler, an early American industrialist, railroad pioneer and partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. In 1888, Flagler built the Hotel Ponce de Leon, his first in a series of luxury resorts along Florida’s east coast. A masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture and the first major poured-in-place concrete building in the United States is now known as Ponce de Leon Hall. This National Historic Landmark serves as the centerpiece for the Flagler College.

We walked around the heart of downtown St Augustine for a couple of hours before it was time to go home. This is a town meant for another stop. We're going to stop here again on our way north to take a tram tour of the city, it's really impressive and there are so many things we didn't get to see.

For all of todays photos, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Daytona Beach and Daytona Raceway

Tuesday the 24th

Today promises to be a great day. No wind, partly cloudy and supposed to get up to 75 degrees so we decided to go to Daytona Beach and explore the area. Since we are on a barrier island, we drove south on A1A past Flagler Beach, through Peninsula State Park and Tomoka Marsh National Aquatic Preserve. This stretch is perhaps one of the last undeveloped stretches of Florida Coast. As soon as we passed out of the Preserve and into Ellinor Villiage (an extension of Ormond Beach) condos and resorts proliferated filling every available square foot o space. From Ellinor down to Daytona Beach is a nice drive with beautifully designed buildings but the density of development is almost overwhelming. It's a shame too, it'll all be gone in the next fifty years with rising sea levels and increasing storm activity. But enough doom and gloom!

It's a beautiful day and we found a parking spot right next to the Daytona Beach Pier. Since it's getting on towards the end of the tourist season there aren't the huge crowds of a few weeks ago. The cable tram that runs out to the end of the pier has closed along with several other beach attractions. We walked down to the beach and under the pier for a way to check out the beach. It's certainly a nice beach, very flat with a gentle slope to the water unlike our beach which is quite steep from the seawall to the water. In Daytona Beach the waves gently flow up towards shore. At Beverly Beach where we are parked the waves come crashing in to shore with a roar like a freight train. Really dramatic but not conducive to beach bathing.

From the beach we walked back to the palm tree lined boardwalk along the seawall. To our left as we walk north on the boardwalk (which is really patterned cement and brick) are huge resort hotels, restaurants and shops. Everything is very touristy. We pass the Daytona Beach Hilton and stop to browse their oceanfront gift shop. Continuing down the boardwalk we came to a large plaza with a band shell at one end, obviously set up for concerts. Then it was on to the Oceanwalk Shoppes http://www.oceanwalkshoppes.com/ where we stopped for lunch at "Johnny Rockets", an All-American diner with tabletop jukeboxes that belt out tunes for a nickel. We had chocolate malts with our hamburgers and fries jut like going to the old time diners, fun!!

After lunch we walked over to a shell shop where I picked up a box of chocolate dipped coconut patties, yum! Arriving back at the car we pulled out and headed for the causeway to drive through Daytona Beach proper. Finding International Speedway Blvd we headed towards I-95 where we found the Daytona Speedway, part two of our trip to Daytona Beach.

This is a really cool place for NASCAR fans. We got our tickets to the Daytona 500 Experience and went into the main event area. Our first stop was the Daytona Dreamlaps Experience, an iWERKS motion simulator ride based on the Daytona 500. Woooohoooo!! Watch out for the wall! Stay off the grass, keep your head up and the pedal down. Lookout, here comes number 88 on the right, Man, there's only a couple of inches between us. Yikes, we just got bumped from behind!! Okay, here we go into the final turn, up the 31 degree banking and out onto the straight-away for the checkered flag. Yippeeee!! We did it!! Man, that was fun. Scary, but fun. I don't think I'll give up my day job though - heheheh.

Next we boarded the tram to take a tour of the track facilities. First we went up on the service road along the top of turn three where we stopped for pictures of the track facility. Then it was along the perimeter wall down to track level where we actually went onto the track at the center of the back straight-away. Driving along the inside of the track on the apron, we saw just how steeply the track is banked in the turns. Staying on the apron we complete our on-track ride and cross the start/finish line where we turn into the infield. Here we enter Victory Lane, get out of the tram and ascend the podium for a celebration photo! Really cool! Getting back in the tram we cross the track once more to the outer area for a chance to go into the stands before checking out the gift shop. This was a really fun day.

But first we went through the historical part of the displays with old race cars, exhibits of racing gear and other machines, past trophies and the history of NASCAR. This took us to the entrance of the gift shop where we found a couple of things for family back home then headed for the car.

Since we were close to I-95 we made the twentyfive mile trip north to SR 100 and Flaggler Beach in thirty minutes. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking the dogs for walks on the beach and visiting with our neighbors.

To see all our photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Trip To Camping World

Monday the 22nd

Today we had a late morning.It rained most of the night so all our outdoor carpets, chairs, etc., were soaked. But the sun was supposed to come out a little bit and the wind die down so we decided to head on up to St Augustine and look for a new table top barbecue.

We did some research online and settled on the Coleman Grill at $80 which was available at Camping World. I got directions and we headed up A1A along the coast. We passed Marineland (the town) where they have an Oceanarium dedicated to dolphin preservation and research. Further on we cut over to I-95 and continued north, some more, and even further, until at last we pulled off the freeway just a few miles from Jacksonville. Low and behold our exit also led us past two huge factory outlet malls before getting to Camping World. Tina was pleased... more shopping opportunities!

We parked and walked into the store to look at the barbecue. I wasn't very happy with the quality of the Coleman so we looked at several others before settling on the Weber Q100, a nice size and substantial construction too. I also got a set of awning clamps, ground screws and tie downs for windy conditions. Tina spotted a repair kit for our front window curtain tie backs to replace the velcro with snaps.

On the way home we swung off I-95 onto SR 1 and drove to Bunnell where we stopped to check out the Straight Shot Billiards Club. Very nice, we'll definitely make a trip over to shoot some. Since it was getting late, we headed home to feed and walk the dogs. After taking care of the kids we drove back into Flaggler Beach and went to dinner at a small cafe where they were having Greek night. We both ordered the special, Pastitsio, which came with a cup of soup, a big greek salad and flat bread. It was delicious but we couldn't eat it all, so took the leftovers home for lunch.

Quiet night, the rain had stopped and the wind was down. e watched a little TV and went to bead.

No photos today.

Mims To Flagler Beach

Friday the 20th

Today we went to the Titusville Walmart to look for a small portable Propane Grill and groceries. Big excitement! But no grill.


Saturday the 21st

Up by 7:30 to walk the dogs, we had a quiet morning getting ready to head out on the next leg of our travel. Once all the gear was stowed and hatches locked down we topped off the propane, said good bye to the Mims KOA (for the second time)and got on I-95 for the drive to Flaggler Beach. A leisurely run of about 70 miles. Exiting I-95 on SR 100 we turned east for the short drive to the coast. Once across the causeway bridge and onto the island we faced the Atlantic.

It was a beautiful day, about 70 degrees with a gusting wind blowing from the north. We got the rig set up, jacks lowered, gear out and headed for the beach. Man was it windy!! The tide was coming in and the waves were crashing and running up the beach with loud surf noises This is a really beautiful beach, golden orange in color caused by a heavy layer of crushed shells. With the wind whipping the water to a frenzy, spume was flying and scudding across the beach. Very elemental. Very few intact shells on the beach due to the strong surf.

We walked about a mile towards town before turning around. About half way back we noticed the clouds getting darker with little or no sun shining through. We thought it might start to rain and sure enough, it started to come down. We picked up the pace but with the sand so soft and slippery due to its composition, going was slow at best. By this time the beach was being sculpted into a series of small dunes sticking out from shore so we were walking up hill then down, up then down. By the time we got back to the coach we were pretty wet but it was definitely an exhilarating walk!!

After changing clothes we spent the afternoon planning our stay and relaxing. After dinner and walking the dogs, we brought in both slides, closed the windows and moved our chairs out of the wind. With gusts blowing up to 30 knots the coach was rocking and rolling most of the night.


Sunday the 22nd

Today we got up to a nice morning with the surf crashing right at our door step and the sunrise coming in the front window. Beautiful!! A couple of walks on the beach, with and without the dogs, short because the wind came back up, a drive into town to check things out, lunch, reading, naps and a general lazy day with the sun playing peek-a-boo through the clouds.

To see all our photos, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Miles for this leg, 70 - for the trip so far, 5,622 miles.

Okeechobee To Mims

When we left Okeechobee, our plan was to go to the Lucky Clover RV Park just south of Melbourne five blocks from the Atlantic. We would be there for six days with good weather to spend some time exploring the area. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. We had a nice easy drive and after 85 miles pulled into the park. It might have been close to the beach but it was really a mobile home park with a few spaces for transient RV's. We got set up but decided that even though this was a nice area, we didn't really feel comfortable spending time there. So we we decided to just spend one night and move on to a location farther north. When we had flown to Florida for a winter break several years ago, we had eaten at a really nice restaurant in Cocoa Beach. After some online research we figured out which one it was and called for reservations. Even though it was about a half hour drive north on Hwy A1A, "Florida's Seafood Bar and Grill" http://www.floridas-seafood.com/index.html was just as good as the last time we ate there. We started with Crab Stuffed Portabello Mushroom followed by one of the chefs specials, Garlic & Lime Shrimp with baked potato and salad. Mmmmmm good! After dinner we drove to a very nice billiard room called "Corner Pockets Billiards" http://www.cornerpocketinc.com/ and played on a nine foot Brunswick for an hour. This was a very nice place and reminded us of the setup we had at Houdini's only a little more room. We had a very nice evening then drove home and called it a day.

After listening to the gentle showers that came down periodically last night we got up around 8:00 AM and took the dogs for their morning constitution. After breakfast we packed up, hooked up the car and started north for a place called "Manatee Hummock RV Park" in Titusville. We stayed on SR 1 for the roughly 35 mile drive and pulled in about 10:00 AM. Unfortunately they didn't have room so we called the KOA at Mims and the gave us a place for the three nights we needed before going up to Beverly Beach. We were only about 10 miles away so made the trip pretty quickly. Going into the office to get our spot they gave us the same site we had when Marni and Emma were out for a visit last month.

After getting set up and having lunch, Tina went over and did the laundry while I took care of a couple of repairs. Then we went over to the pool for a swim with our books and drinks. We spent an hour at the pool to keep from getting burned and came back to the coach to relax for the rest of the day. The weather is surprisingly nice with a partly cloudy day, a light breeze and the temperature around 78 degrees.

Total distance for this leg, 130 miles.

Total for trip so far, 5,552 miles.

No photos for yesterday or today.

Two Days At Lake Okeechobee

Sunday the 15th

Up early to walk the dogs. Yesterday we stayed close to the coach and enjoyed a very relaxing day (we needed some down time to recharge our batteries).

Since we were only about 110 miles from Kennedy Space Center (as the crow flies) we finnished dinner early and prepared to watch the shuttle launch. We had the TV on the NASA station to see the countdown. After we saw the launch on TV we went outside to see if we could spot the Shuttle going up. Sure enough, there was a brilliant light from the rocket engines along with a huge contrail glowing red and gold in the sun. It was really spectacular and lots of our neighbors were gathered by the edge of the golf course to watch it.

That was our excitement for the day. Tomorrow we plan to explore the area.

Monday the 16th

The KOA we're staying at is located about a quarter mile north of the Lake, which makes it easy to get to by bike. Since Lake Okeechobee is like a big inland sea, when hit by hurricanes large walls of water can be pushed onto the land. To prevent more severe damage, there is a huge levee or dike built all around the lake.

Constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers, much of the material was pulled up from the outside perimeter leaving a long perimeter canal. In many places small communities have sprung up along the canal, but most of the land surrounding the lake is agricultural. The 100 foot (30 m) wide dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee has a well maintained paved pathway along the majority of the perimeter and is a part of the 1,400 mile long Florida Trail.

We rode to the lake and got up to the top of the levee around 10:00 AM. When you look out towards the lake you actually only see a small part of it. Lots of wetlands and eventually a line of clear water off in the distance. This is due to the ongoing drought and water levels are down over five or six feet. The average depth of the lake when full is around eleven feet.

Deciding to ride westward, the lake is on our left and down the steep embankment to our right is the canal. About a mile along we encountered a large sandhill crane right at the side of the trail. Apparently somewhat tame, he didn't seem too excited as Tina walked up to him taking pictures. Pretty surprising just how big this bird was - I estimated he stood four feet tall when he was standing looking at us.

Further along we say many alligators sunning themselves in the vegetation along the canal. At one point we saw a big one, maybe 12 to 14 feet long, just gliding along in the middle of the canal. Lots of snowy and cattle egrets everywhere you look, along with great white egrets, great blue herons, white pelicans, coots, gulls and other wading birds. And lots of lacy wing dragonflies!

We rode past numerous small RV communities and chatted with lots of people as we rode along. Eventually we came to MP62E and decided to turn around and head back. We had about a six mile ride by the time we got home.

Since it was lunch time but we wanted to take a dip in the pool, we changed into our swimsuits, grabbed our towels, books and a couple of cool drinks and headed for the pool. We grabbed a couple of loungers and got set up. Meanwhile a band was setting up in the poolside gazebo for a one o'clock concert. After a quick dip I went and ordered a couple of cheeseburgers with fries and brought them back to a table just behind us.

We had a nice lunch (these are real home cooked burgers - delicious) and with occasional dips in the pool, read our books, sunbathed and listened to the band. We finally decided to get out of the sun so we went back home and took the dogs for a walk and sat out under the awning. Later in the afternoon Tina gave the dogs a bath. About 4:30 we drove uptown to Okeechobee to return a couple of items to Bealls then drove around exploring. This is largely a rural area with agriculture the primary industry followed by tourism heavily supported by snowbirds.

To see all our photos, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Ft Myers Beach To Lake Okeechobee

We got up at the shrill of the alarm clock - 5:45 AM and it's still dark out. I quickly got the coffee started, did my morning routine and started the last buttoning up for our trip. Finally I took the dogs for their morning walk and got Tina up. By then it was 7:00 AM. With the few last minute odds and ends taken care of we pulled out of our site and got the car hooked up. Then it was onto the main drag and across the bridge at the north end of Ft Myers Beach. I was just 7:30, we had made excellent time. The previous day we had written down our travel directions so we drove through Ft Myers headed for I-75. Going north to SR 80 we turned east. It was a pleasant drive, mostly on back country roads and we reached the north end of Lake Okeechobee about 10:30 AM.

The Okeechobee KOA http://www.koa.com/where/fl/09325/photogallery/ was just a quarter mile from the lake. After pulling in and getting set up we went for a bike ride through camp and down the road to the lake. With the drought the lake is perhaps fifteen feet below normal. We walked out on the fishing pier and looked around, not much to see but we will probably do a nice bike ride on the top of the levee. We rode back to camp and changed into our swimming suits then rode our bikes back to the adult pool where we ordered cheeseburgers and fries for lunch. We ate lunch next to the pool then went in for a brief dip. Very inviting!! Grabbing a couple of lounges we spread our towels and lay in the sun reading and catching some rays. A half hour later we went back in the pool then onto the lounge chairs, etc., etc. - heheheh.

Finally we decided to head back to the rig where we could read in the shade. A couple hours later we had dinner then rode back to the pool area to see what was going on, turns out there was a wedding reception in the community center for one of the ladies who works here. Leaving the CC we rode around the park as the sun set then returned to call it a night.

Distance for this leg about 85 miles.

Total for the trip so far, 5,422 miles.

Dinner On The Beach

Friday the 13th

Today we spent relaxing and getting ready to leave. Tomorrow is the Ft Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Parade and the bridge closes at 9:00 AM so we want to be able to leave early. We have really been enjoying our time here at the Red Coconut RV Park. The nice weather with afternoon temperatures in the low 80's and beach walks have been wonderful with the gulf water temperature around 65 degrees.

Our last activity here is dinner at Anthony's which is right across the street from us and fronts right on the beach. We went over about 6:30 and were seated on the outside balcony with a view of the sunset. A really romantic setting!! Tina selected the stuffed shrimp while I ordered the Shrimp Scampi with a cup of Italian Soup for a starter. Everything was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our last evening on Florida's West Coast.

Relaxing By The Beach

Wednesday the 11th

After we finished breakfast and cleaned up we rode our bikes down to Times Square and went shopping followed by lunch at the "Smokin Oyster Bar". Tina had a half pond of boiled shrimp and salad while I opted for a Shrimp Caesar and cup of clam chowder. Both were very good. We spent the rest of the day today relaxing and taking walks on the beach.

No photos today.


Thursday the 12th

Spent some time reviewing our portfolio with our broker and made a couple of investment decisions. I think we may finally have reached a bottom, but don't quote me on that. Bought more GE and I'm looking to purchase some Citigroup.

Tina went to a craft class this morning and spent two hours with a fun bunch of ladies here at the RV Park. After lunch she went for a pedicure while I stayed home with the dogs. This afternoon we are going to see the a movie followed by dinner. We're looking forward to Scampi and Fettuccine.

No photos today.

Giant Flea Market and Swamp Buggy Races

Saturday the 7th

After putting off going to the Giant Flea Market http://www.fleamall.com/ in Ft Myers we finally decided to make the trip back up there.

We left the coach around 7:30 AM and stopped at a small cottage restaurant for breakfast, it was slow but pretty good and inexpensive. It took about 40 minutes to make the drive and we got parked in a great location right next to the main entrance. This place is huge! We spent about 3 hours just wandering the aisles. Weaving our way back and forth we probably covered about three miles. We bought a few absolutely necessary items, then stopped for some fresh vegetables before going to the car and heading home. It was pretty amazing. There were thousands of people there and we could have easily stayed all day. As it was we probably only saw 15 percent of what was there. Some booths were small stores, several easily over 1,200 sq ft.

On our way home we got stuck in the traffic going onto Estero Island. We forgot it was Spring Break and Saturday. It took about 45 minutes to go the last 3 miles onto the island. Once we got past the primary beach areas, we were back to the rig in a jiffy. Even so we had a fun morning.

The rest of the day we spent taking the dogs for walks on the beach and enjoying the beautiful 80 degree weather.

No photos today.

Sunday the 8th

Today we did something completely different, we went to the Swamp Buggy Races down in Naples at the Florida Sports Park http://www.swampbuggy.com/. It was a partly cloudy day with temperatures expected to be in the low 80's so we headed out around 10:15 in the morning for the 30 mile drive. We got there and found a parking spot right away in a huge field rapidly filling with cars. Yesterday they had the qualifying races so today was to be the finals for a half dozen different classes of race vehicle. I say vehicle since these are half boat half car designs. We grabbed a couple of pulled pork sandwiches and water and headed for the stands to try and find a seat. Oh yes, we also popped for a couple of seat cushions, the stands are old weathered 2' by 12' boards on aluminum scaffolds. They looked pretty rickety but felt solid so we grabbed a spot just past the finish line about 10 rows up with the sun behind us.

In addition to the super modifieds, there is an 'unlimited' class with horsepower in the 1,200 range, 'pro-modified two wheel drive' using big block chevy's modified with high performance parts developing up to 1,000 hp, 'pro-modified 4 wheel drive', 'Jeep' Must be a 4 cylinder American Jeep. Air Cooled Must be air-cooled. Usually powered by motorcycle or Volkswagen engines. 4 Cylinder Must be 4 cylinders. 6 Cylinder Must be 6 cylinders. V6 or straight 6. V8 Stock Must be stock V8 engine block according to manufacturer's specifications.

Racing was scheduled to start at 12:30 so we relaxed with lunch and watched the stands fill in. Finally, around 12:40 the announcer started opening the days festivities with a parade of the drivers followed by the national anthem and the traditional frisbee toss (from the drivers into the stands). Then it was racetime. They started off with a couple of super modifieds.

To give you a sense of what is going on, the track is an oval about a quarter mile around with the center field cut in two by a wide channel. The water varies in depth but probably averages three feet deep. There are two deeper pits that drop down to about five feet deep, the first about 50 yards from the start and the second just past the beginning of the channel in the center. The race pits are across the way from the viewing stands and the buggys come onto the course at the south end of the track.

The buggys are staged at the south end of the track, similar to the drags, although depending on the class of vehicle, they can line up nine abreast. Initially it looks like they are going to go counter clockwise around the track, but at the start the buggys leap forward from the start line charging for the channel through the 'infield' heading for the north turn where they sweep around to come down the front straight-away towards the start line. Going out of the straight-away around the south turn they complete a lap going up the back straight-away (past the pits) sweep around the north turn again and thunder down the front straight-away past the viewing stands and across the finish line. To get off the track the continue around the south turn and exit to the pits.

They ran eight different heats in the first half then took a short intermission. The second half saw 6 heats for final points and the trophies. The event was well run with a new heat lining up as soon as the track is clear. It was all very exciting and there were lots of surprises including a jeep that ended on its side in one of the deep mud holes with only its two left side wheels above the water.

To see all of todays photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Monday the 9th

A quiet day today. Tina did laundry and I went grocery shopping. The rest of the day we spent relaxing, reading, beach walking, eating and watching the sunset.

Tuesday the 10th

Another relaxing day. A little housekeeping, but lots of sunshine!!

Out and About In Ft Myers

Tuesday the 3rd

After waking up to temperatures in the low 40's we had a slow morning, not finishing the breakfast dishes until 11:00 AM. I spent the rest of the morning uploading photos and updating the blog while Tina went shopping.

We're expecting temperatures in the high 60's this afternoon so we'll probably be able to take some walks in shirtsleeves and shorts, yipeeee! Temperatures are in the mid 70's, we are taking lots of walks on the beach and occasionally doing a bike ride, just to get a little exercise. When we're not riding or walking we are relaxing in the sun with a book or working with Tina's shell collection. Life is quite pleasant right now - heh, heh! Put off going to the Butterfly Conservatory until tomorrow.

Just before sunset we joined many of our neighbors on the beach to watch the sun go down.

Wednesday the 4th

Took the dogs for a long walk on the beach to give them some exercise. Lot's of people everywhere so we decided to go the the dog beach south of Lovers Key. We got the small cooler out and made lunch so we could spend some time there. Got to the park about 12:30 PM and found a big crowd but we decided to give it a whirl anyway. The tide was quite a way out so we walked to the end of the spit and put our towel and cooler down.

We ate our lunch while the dogs played with some of the other, bigger dogs that were there. After we ate we got a chance to entice our two into the water. Eventually Punky swam out to where Tina was standing in about a foot of water while Wicket watched from the shallows. We stayed for about an hour to let the kids play themselves out. Eventually, it became too difficult to keep things under control with all the dogs around so we packed up and headed home. The dogs had a great time!!

Thursday the 5th

Today we decided to drive to the "Worlds Biggest Flea Market" http://www.fleamall.com/ in downtown Ft Myers. Getting under weigh by 11:00 AM we headed off the island. The Red Coconut RV Park is only a mile from the bridge off the island but it took us better than 20 minutes to get to cross the bridge. Finally off the island we picked up speed and drove out past Hammond Field (20 minutes and 12 miles further) where we will be tomorrow. Continuing into Ft Myers we reach the giant flea market only to find it closed. Bummer.

So we decided to try the Butterfly Conservatory up on Fowler as it was only about 5 miles away http://thebutterflyestates.com/public/welcome.asp. We found it with no trouble and parked, then walked over to the Conservatory. Entering the vestibule we found out it was $15 per person to go in. We thought this was a little high for the 15 or 20 minutes we'd spend inside although it certainly looked very nicely set up. So we took a pass and went over to Mother Natures Gift Shop where Tina found a number of really nice dragonfly pieces she liked, but again, a little too pricey for us. Since it was nearly 1:00 PM we stepped next door to Flutterbys Cafe and had lunch, followed up with a chocolate icecream cone in a chocolate dipped waffle cone from Caterpillers Ice Cream and Fudge Factory. Even though the Flea Market was closed and we didn't go in to see the butterflies it was still a nice afternoon out and about in Ft Myers.

After getting home it was time for a snooze followed by a walk on the beach and dinner.

Friday the 6th

Today we went to a Spring Training Baseball game between the Minesota Twins and Cincinati Reds. Again it took us about twenty minutes to get off the island and another thirty to get to Hammond Field and park. We walked the short distance to ticketing and picked up our tickets at Will Call. This is a really nice facility with seating for about 8,000. We grabbed some brauts and water then headed for our seats. We were fortunate they were in the shade about twenty rows up behind home plate and slightly toward right field. The temperature was about 76 degrees with a slight breeze so we were very comfortable.

As we ate our lunch the stadium filled and the grounds crew prepared the field, sweeping down all the dirt, shaping the pitchers mound, laying down the base lines and batters box.

We watched the teams warm up then it was time for the national anthem, well sung by a young lady with a good voice and a very personal interpretation of the melody. Where was Simon Cowel when I needed him... heheheh. Finally at 1:05 PM the game started. It was a very good game with several well turned double plays by both teams, good pitching and several well hit balls.

The final score was 3 to 0 in favor of the Twins. We left just before the eighth inning to avoid the traffic and get home to the dogs. Got home and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and taking the kids for a walk.

To see all our photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

More Fun In The Sun

Thursday and Friday

Sunny and high 70's - lots of beach walks, bike rides, relaxing, reading and enjoying our time in the sun. Puppies went in for their haircuts.

Saturday the 28th

Another beautiful day! We rode down to times square and then down to Bowditch Point State Park at the north end of Estero Island. We walked our bikes on the beach around the north end of the island winding our way through all the people enjoying the sun. Eventually we wound our way back to the park entrance and rode back to Times Square and got ice cream cones. We walked out to the end of the pier trying to eat our cones before they dripped all over us.

From the end of the pier we looked back at the beach on both sides and it was packed wall-to-wall with people sunning and playing in the water. http://www.picturesfrom.com/fort-myers-beach/. It looked like pictures of Malibu Beach in summer or Atlantic City. Finishing our cones, Tina walked over to a couple of Pelicans that were resting and was able to pet one of them - almost tame. Why didn't I bring my camera??? Returning to the shore we retrieved our bikes and wandered back towards home.

Sunday March 1st

Another sunny day but the temperature is in the high 50's and the wind is blowing. After looking at the maps of the area we decided to go to lunch at the Fish House in Marina Square at the south end of Estero Island. We packed up the dogs and headed out. We got to where the restaurant was supposed to be but it took us almost 15 minutes of searching to find it tucked away behind the marina on the bay side of the island. It turned out to be a very quaint place overlooking the Bay, a real old fashioned seaside restaurant. We both had the lunch special - tacos. Tina had lobster tacos and I had grouper tacos. They were accompanied by a small dish of slaw and several sauces of our choice. Everything was very good.

After lunch we drove down to Lovers Key State Park and found a dog beach wehere we could let the dogs off their leashes. The wind was blowing and with the temperature in the low 60's it was pretty cool. We got out to the beach and unleashed the dogs. They had a ball running around through the tidal pools and tearing across the sand to chase birds.

After returning to the car and drying off the dogs we drove home and spent the rest of the day in the coach reading and watching TV. The wind continued to blow and we ejoyed a mini-winter storm in our cozy little home.

Monday the 2nd

We got up early and rather than go to the Butterfly Preserve, Tina suggested we go to Bowman Beach on Sanibel Island to see what the storm brought in. Since low tide was around 8:00 AM we were able to get there while there was still a lot of beach available. But with the wind still blowing at a steady 15 mph and the waves cresting 4 and 5 feet as they crashed on the shore, it was pretty tough to find much. Eventually Tina found a couple of ancient conches burried in the sand so we snagged them and our bags of shells and returned to the car.

Since we missed lunch we stopped at a local hangout called "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger" and had, what else, a couple of Cheeseburgers along with an order of onion rings and a couple of chocolate malts - mmmmmm good!! Returning to the car we continued off Sanibel and drove home. The wind continued to blow and the temperature never got much above the high 50's so we did a few chores then took the dogs for a last walk along the beach across the street. Since there was nobody out there we were able too let them run all over the beach. They had a great time and were pooped by the ime we got back home.

Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to start warming up and by Thursday it's supposed to be back up to 80 degrees - yipeee!!

To see all our photos, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski