A family visit to Z’hills before heading to Northern Florida

April 1-7, 2013
Zephyrhills/ Jasper, Florida
Majestic Oaks RV Park/ Florida Gateway Resort



Before starting our trip across country, we planned to stop in Zephyrhills to spend a little time with my family there before moving on. (My mother used to live here to be near my brother, some of her grandchildren, and her sister who all still live in this area.) We have found Majestic Oaks to be one of the best parks in Z’hills and even better is the April-December Passport America rate of only $16 per day. Another reason we like to stay here is the park’s proximity to Skydive City.  At least once an hour on most days you can look up and see the colorful canopies of multiple skydivers as they descend to the club’s drop zone. 



Six days gave us just enough time to visit with everyone in a relaxed way. My primary intention during this visit was to spend time with my aunt, my mom’s only living sibling, who lost her husband only a few months ago. As soon as I got up each day, I went to her place to have morning coffee with her—something she and my mom used to enjoy doing when my mom was still alive. Twice during the week, she and I met one of my cousins for lunch which in both cases was an added bonus I wasn't expecting. My aunt also joined me for dinner one night with my niece and her mom. I also managed to have happy hour with another niece and have my brother over for dinner one night, so we accomplished a fair amount of visiting in our short time here. While I was having girl time with my aunt or nieces, Vic kept himself busy with washing the motorhome and Jeep, getting an alignment on the Jeep, and making a few trips to Home Depot for various necessities. By the end of the week, we both were ready to start our new adventure first north then west to California.



During our two+ month stay in Fort Myers, Vic enjoyed getting out his yellow legal pad which he used to plan out our route from Zephyrhills to LA.  The only given was that we would need to arrive in Yorba Linda, California by or before May 22 as we agreed to babysit our three grandsons, age 4, 6, and 9, for five days.  Last year we had intended to travel  to Southern California via Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but instead we made a beeline for Rapid City, South Dakota to become residents. This is the year we will travel the southern route to California.

Vic’s plan typically has us staying an average of four days in each main stop along the way. We have a few nights that will be just layovers somewhere cheap or free. (Even though we have never stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot, this just might the trip that initiates us in this common practice.) Our typical travel days are only four or five hours of driving (200-250 miles or so), so Vic’s plan begins with looking for promising destinations of this distance. 


We have known for some time that our first stop after Z’hills would be near Jasper, Florida—a small town just south of the Georgia border as we purchased a Tampa RV show promotion of a four-night stay for $60 at the Florida Gateway RV Resort.

Even though this park seems to be in the middle of nowhere, we were enchanted with the photos of the premium sites they just completed at this park.







The premium sites normally cost $80 a night as they each come with their own jacuzzi, outdoor grill, patio set and umbrella, and built-in firepit.  They also advertise all day room service for any meal. The truth is I would probably never use this service, but I like the idea of having a few days of indulgences before our six week trek across the south.

We arrived at the park around 3 p.m. on Sunday. The first bad sign driving in was the poor quality of the relatively long road leading in to the park. It was full of pot holes and the gravel part was ungraded—an ominous beginning to what was advertised as a luxury park. Our arrival here revealed that much of the park is still a work in progress. They have about ten premium sites complete but it is clear they have plans to add more as they sell more memberships, something that they offer at various levels which includes free golf and other discounts.



We have to admit we were quite pleased with the site itself. There really is a private spa and even a carpeted patio which is quite nice, yet we can’t help but wonder if their plans were overly ambitious for an area that is little more than a big open field in the middle of nowhere.

Regardless, the price is right and we are looking forward to a quiet few days with hopes of finding some good kayaking spots in the nearby rivers.  And yes, I am looking forward to spending some time soaking in this private spa.  Gotta make the most of our Tampa RV show special. . . .

Easter weekend and saying goodbye

March 29-31, 2013
North Fort Myers, Florida
Seminole Campground



Note: This is the last in a series of catch-up blogs. In real time, we are finishing up our last day in Zephyrhills, Florida, before starting our trip back to the West Coast.

Our time here, ten weeks, is by far the longest we have stayed anywhere before. When we arrived in mid-January it felt like we had a long stretch of time to fill. Of course, my taking a ten-day trip to Oregon in mid-March also accelerated the passing of days. Now we are facing our last weekend, goodbyes to the two couples who have become like family to us, and the celebration of one of my favorite holidays, Easter. 
The festivities for this final week here began with Diane and Steve hosting a farewell breakfast on Thursday, followed by Mike and BJ hosting another breakfast on Friday. Good thing I have been dedicated about keeping up with Zumba as the calorie load has been pretty heavy lately.


On Friday night I hosted a dinner for Mike and BJ and local friends, Mike and Lois, as another last fling. Sadly, Steve and Diane left on Friday at noon so they weren't able to join us for dinner that night. All good times must come to an end, but this one is a little harder than last year as we are not yet sure of our plans next winter. I am learning that the ability to deal with goodbyes is part of the price we pay for this vagabond lifestyle. I am also learning that unexpected reunions are also much more likely to happen, so the most fitting goodbye is “until we meet again.”






Saturday became mostly a packing day for us as we planned to celebrate Easter by communing with nature at the beach.  We are pretty sure we won’t be returning to Seminole Campground so I also took the opportunity to walk around and take some final photos of the park and some of the wildlife—other than us and our parties!




I really like the old Florida feeling of this park and the fact that there is only one park model here. It is more like a campground than a resort and, for the most part, that is a good thing—especially because they provide fire rings on each site—one of my favorite perks.



With an abundance of live oak trees, comes an abundance of squirrels. Fortunately, they never bothered us. I have always love to watch squirrels.



These black-necked stilts were one of two pairs who frequented a pond in the park. I had never before seen this species so it was fun to add them to my Florida sightings.



These two rare species could also frequently be found nesting in padded chairs on the patio of a nearby motorhome.

On to Easter. We planned to go to Bonita Beach, a beach we had not yet been to this year to celebrate this rite of spring. What a glorious day it was as the high most days in the preceding week was only in the 60s, but by Easter Sunday, Florida weather had returned and the high was expected to be 80.  The challenge for going to this area is finding a parking place in one of the free beach access areas that line Hickory Blvd. There are several access areas less than a half mile apart and we didn't find a space until we reached the last one.  (Our parking genie gave us a scare.)





As is customary for the four of us at the beach, Mike, BJ, and I spend most of our time combing the shoreline for shells while Vic hangs out with all of our belongings while reading his Kindle. On  this day, I also spent a fair amount of time trying to get a good action photo of a diving pelican. I had very little luck with this endeavor and tried to give it up after getting over a dozen photos of only a giant splash. ( I could use some photography classes.)





The water must be full of bait-sized fish as the pelicans are extra active fishermen today putting on quite a show right in front of us. I don’t know why but their smug faces after making a good catch remind me of our dog Rico when he scores something he has been begging for.





After an idyllic three hours on the beach, we packed up with plans to stop at The Fish House Restaurant for lunch. Not only did we have another great lunch here—grouper and shrimp tacos, fried oysters—but Mike and Vic also scored another t-shirt for their growing collection.

We arrived back to the campground in late afternoon with the reality that it was time to start the packing up routine. Mike and BJ had more of a challenge as they rented a storage unit that somehow ended up packed with goodies. There is a noticeable difference when you live full-time in a motorhome and no longer have the temptation of making road trip purchases for a stick-built home.

Morning, April Fool's Day and Vic’s birthday, made us feel a little vulnerable for a possible prank. Having earned a reputation as birthday pranksters ourselves, we thought we better plan an early departure. At least the victims of our earlier prank had left town already so the threat was diminished. We ended up being ready to leave by 9 a.m.--unusually early for us, especially since we only had a two and half hour drive ahead. The only sad part was that instead of us taking Mike and BJ’s photo as they pulled out, the tables were turned. Last year when we thought we were saying goodbye for another year to Mike and BJ, we ended up having five other rendezvous with them in four different locales. Makes it way easier to put serendipity in charge of our futures.


 
The common refrain around the park as folks have been leaving has been “have a safe trip back.” Most folks are heading back to something--their “normal” life. It struck me that we are heading forward to something relatively unknown. I always think of Easter as a time of renewal and so it is a perfect time to pursue a new adventure in our full-time life on the road. Seems apropos to end this post with one of my favorite lines from Hamlet: “The readiness is all. . . .”  

A cold evening for drumming down the sun

March 27, 2013
North Fort Myers, Florida
Seminole Campground

Note: Still trying to catch up on posts from our time in Fort Myers. We are now at Majestic Oaks RV Resort in Zephyrhills visiting with family for a few days before starting a slow journey westward.



Ever since I read about the Nokomis drumming down the sun events in Sherri and David’s blog, In the Direction of Our Dreams, I have been anxious to attend one. Those of you who are also readers of Jeannie’s blog, Where’s Eldo, would also know that one of the largest drumming down the sun events in Southwest Florida happens every Sunday night in Sarasota’s Siesta Key. Now if you are really paying attention you would know that the last three months we were either in Cortez—just north of Sarasota, or Fort Myers—about an hour south of Nokomis—meaning we had plenty of opportunities to attend a drum circle. As things go it took getting down to the last week of our stay in this area before we actually made it. The only problem is we may have chosen the coldest night of the year for our drum circle initiation!



We also had a commitment to have one more opportunity to get together with a couple, Jean and Dave, whom we became friends with last year and have had the pleasure to see a few times again this year. They had been in Fort Myers but were now in Cortez. Getting together at the drum circle in Nokomis would be a mid-way point for both of us and, unlike Vic, they seemed genuinely interested in checking out this Gulf Coast phenomena.  Dave is a retired band teacher so drumming is something that naturally interests him.  Victor—not so much.  Regardless, we made a plan to meet at the Fish House on Casey Key for an early dinner, then check out the Nokomis event. 



The Fish House turned out to be an excellent choice as both the atmosphere and food were outstanding.  We arrived at 5 p.m. and within a half hour the place was hopping with at least a half hour wait. 







We took the next hour and a half enjoying Dave and Jean’s company before heading to the Nokomis Public Beach on Casey Key, about a two mile drive on a narrow barrier island past beach mansions ranging from $4-$10 million. We had never seen this area before and were fairly surprised at the decadence of the homes.

So just what is a drum circle? Drum circles are open invitations to people of any age or ability to participate in a sunset ritual. There seem to be regulars who show up and take the lead of establishing the circle and getting the beat going through drumming or dance. The circle is reserved for performers which typically include dancers, hula-hoopers, or jugglers, while the outside is reserved for those who gather with food and drink to watch and listen to the performances.

  
Because of the almost freezing temperatures this particular night, the Nokomis drum circle was held at the activity center instead of out on the beach. This change of venue was a disappointing one as gathering on concrete instead of in the sand definitely affected the ambiance.  Not surprisingly, there were much fewer participants and onlookers in attendance (according to my research) due to the cold temperatures and wind—the temp was in the high 40s with a wind chill factor much lower.



So, for the most part, the drum circle experience was a bust. No scantily clad belly dancers for the guys to watch and very few drummers to get the crowd going.  There were, however, some enthusiastic participants in spite of the cold temperatures.











About an hour after our arrival. I did manage to take a short hike to the beach for the actual sunset.  There was a large group on the shore trying to witness the green flash after enjoying several spring break cocktails.  No green flash appeared—as far as my sober eyes could tell. . . .



As the night was still young, just shy of 8 p.m., we made a plan to find a nightcap somewhere before the hour drive back to our respective campgrounds.  As luck would have it, we found a great little place less than a half-mile away called Pop’s Sunset Grill.



This waterfront bar has outside tables with firepits built into them. Unfortunately, the place was too busy to snag one of these tables, so we settled for a seat in the warm and windless bar for a farewell ‘til next year libation.  Our growing friendship is another example of what can happen when you strike up a conversation with someone in a campground—and a reminder to be open to possibilities that are present everyday.  Namaste.

Afternoon delight—at Lover’s Key dog beach

March 22, 2013
North Fort Myers, Florida
Seminole Campground

Note: I am still trying to catch up on posts since my trip to Oregon. Today is actually April Fool’s Day and Victor’s birthday. We have just pulled out of Seminole Campground and are headed to Zephyrhills where we will visit with family for a few days before heading north and west. Thanks for your patience with me!



Last year when we were staying at Bonita Lakes Resort in Bonita Springs, we discovered a terrific dog beach, Bonita Beach Dog Park near Lovers Key State Park.  Since we arrived here in January, we have been talking about taking the dogs to their own beach but on most sunny days we opted to take ourselves to the beach or go kayaking instead. Luckier dogs in our park had made this destination a frequent outing and our dogs were starting to feel left out. With only nine days left in this area, we finally made the 45-minute trip to the dog beach a reality. So we packed up the dogs, the tennis balls, the towels, and our friends Mike and BJ and headed to the beach.

The first thing you need to do before going here is check the tide tables as the beach practically disappears at high tide. I was happy to discover that the perfect time to go would be between 11 am and 2 pm or so I thought. It wasn't until we were loading up the Jeep that I realized I looked at the time for high tide rather than low tide—oops.  We decided to head out anyway and find some other things to do while we were waiting for the tide to ebb. When we arrived, there was still water to wade through to get to the beach but other dogs and their owners were coming and going. It turned out to be fairly accessible and the longer we stayed the bigger the beach became. Below is an internet photo showing what happens to the beach at high tide--it becomes a dog island!



We did not think to bring beach chairs and snacks, which would have made the afternoon more pleasant for us as it turned out to be a lovely day in the mid-70s with a gentle breeze.  But the most important thing is we did remember to bring tennis balls for Jetta to fetch in the water.



Other than the doggie daycare place, our dogs hadn't been off leash in quite some time. Their exuberance was infectious. It is hard not to have a smile on your face watching them race around the beach.



.

Jetta loves to fetch tennis balls and swim. Rico not so much with either. His favorite thing to do is be Mr. Friendly with all the other dogs on the beach.







As an avid dog lover, I find it quite entertaining to see all the different personalities of the various breeds that show up on the beach.  These three long-haired Dachshunds (featured above) made the most of their special outing.



Labrador Retrievers always seem to be the most capable swimmers. These three had a competition over who got to the tennis ball first. They were surprisingly polite about deferring to the winner who is in the lead.



 I read reviews about this dog beach from people who travel all over the east coast and it seems to have a reputation as one of the best. I think the tidal flow helps keep it clean and more pleasant for humans than most we have visited. Some people arrive to the dog beach by boat.  With the state park just to the north and spring break happening for many travelers, there was lots of activity in the area.  Another nice feature is they have a place to rinse off the dogs, a pretty important thing to do after playing in the salt water. 



After thoroughly wearing the dogs out, we waded back to the parking area, rinsed off the dogs and ourselves, and headed back to our campground via Fort Myers Beach. We stopped to pick up a t-shirt from Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille and some fresh seafood from Trico Shrimp Company, one of the many markets near Shrimp Boat Lane where the fishing boats unload their daily catch.  Mike bought large Gulf shrimp for the grill and I bought Mangrove Snapper which I pan fried Piccata style with lemons and capers for our shared dinner. After dinner we played cards (Phase Ten) and enjoyed harassing each other. The perfect ending for a delightful day.