MD to FL - Boondocking North Florida
Traveling from Maryland to Florida with stops along the way to see old friends, new sights and spend alittle time with my son and his family. Here is my journal, thanks for sharing with me!
First day of travel I did not make many miles but that was also part of the plan. Traveling down the Skyline Highway in Shenandoah National Park is beautiful! Trees in full color, slow winding road, many pull outs to take your time and enjoy the scenery. So glad this is a weekday and it is not overcrowded.
Meet another class B RV and we chatted a bit. They are doing the same as I am, travel a month then store the RV the fly home until next trip. They have gone to Alaska by way of the ferry, not the road all the way up to Alaska and their brother-in-law took the ferry back south so more people enjoyed the trip on the ferry. Great idea!
I camped overnight in Big Meadows campground on Skyline Drive. Spent time putting all my clothes, cookware and goods away, plenty of storage for me in this RV. Added bow and Stern tie downs to the kayaks and I feel allot safer if the wind comes up.
Kept hearing the gas cap gurgling. Smell gas frequently to. Not sure what's the issue here but will look into it.
Chatting with others in the campground and shared how to put a kayak on their RV, one man had just finished building and installing a sculpture in a private home in DC. Here's now taking some rest and hiking pieces of the Appalachian trail before going home on the west coast.
Early this morning as I walk and have my coffee the man next door to me tells me that a bear came through last night. He heard it growl 3 times so as soon as it's light enough he will be looking for tracks on the ground. Scary, he was in a tent!
Oh yes, I was 75 miles from DC and was getting TV from DC! Watching the news, I see that there is a cold front with wind and rain through overnight then rain until 10pm all day tomorrow. I decide that it's time to get off the mountain for I won't be able to see anything anyway. So I had a good first day on the mountain and saw allot of color.
Traveling US29 aka Seminole Trail, along the Foothills of the Appalachian showed more color than in Skyline drive. With overcast and rain, I made a good decision. Stopping at a grocery store and stocking up the refrigerator, I sat down in the parking lot to make lunch.
Hot tea perfect for a rainy day, chicken and tomatoes sandwich and most of all looking out at the colorful hills. Mmmmm this is one of my favorite things I have not done in many years!
Brown sign on highway for Amherst Historical Museum, I pull off e highway and tour the county museum. Artifacts of local Indiana as well as Farmers. A depiction of 6 Mills powered by water from the James River so I asked if there were any open for tours. 3 of the 6 were operating until this year when they were sold. Not open at this time to tour. There were active operating Mills water powered! Maybe when I come by another day?
Stopping in Lugoff, SC I searched for my old RV friends Kathy and Jerry, somehow, I had lost their address and phone number. Search by recognizing landmarks and roads I found them!
We spent allot of time catching up on what has gone on in our lives the last 10 years, so good to see old friends!
Stopping to see my son Doug and grandsons Zach, Alex where we spent the day at a remote-control park enjoying their hobby.
Finishing errands in SC I continue traveling down the southeast coast. Playing with speed I determined that traveling 60 mph I was able to achieve 18 mpg!! Woohoo! This is awesome. Previously going 65-70 mph as well as city driving, I was receiving 16 mpg. The worst mileage I had ever received was a trip Tanya and I did into West Virginia going over numerous hills and got 12 mpg.
I had retired from the Navy in Kings Bay, GA and understand that they have built a campground on base since I left. It is a beautiful campground with cement slabs for the RV and porch area, alongside a lake I used to fish when I was stationed there. Very nice I shall stay over here on occasion.
Heading now to Ocean Pond in FL where I had spent many a day fishing for bream and bass.
Back in the road and drove to Kings Bay, GA where I had retired from the Navy. Since I left, they built a RV campground that is really nice. Seems to be always full too. It's on a lake that I fished quite a bit when I was there, will have to come back when it's warmer to try some fishing.
Traveling 60 mph and I got 18 mpg! Woohoo! Love this RV!
Also went by my old place in Florida and brought back some memories. It's been 20 years since I have been back here and only a few things have changed, nice to visit.
I used to fish at Ocean Pond near Olstee, FL so I went back and camped $2.00 night primitive and got up early watching the sunrise from the kayak. Caught several bream on the fly just like I used to. What a day, camping, kayaking, fishing then a nap in the afternoon! Lovin it!
Spent 2 days in Ocean Pond then motored South to Ocala National Forest, stopped on the way to see Margarie Rawlings (author of The Yearling) home in Hawthorn, FL. I had gone by this many times in the past saying someday I would stop, in one way I am glad that I had not seen it before, another way is love life in the present. Oh well, now I've been there and happy I did.
Porch working area
Inside working area
Many visitors who were authors had stopped here to visit Margarie, their books are on this shelf.
The tour did not take too long but was very enjoyable.
Continued down to Ocala National Forrest to kayak, fish and clean and wax the RV.
Waking in the morning I realized that of all the nights on this trip this is the first night there has not been any noise at all. Even Ocean Pond had traffic noise from the interstate 3 miles away. Tonight there was no noise and I slept better than ever before. The stats are bright, no wind so no rustle of the leaves in the trees. I can hear an Owl in the distance. So peaceful.
Much warmer, windows open on the coach, morning is 45 degrees, pleasantly cool, supposed to get to 71 this afternoon - Woohoo shorts weather!
Spent 2 days at Eaton Lake in Ocala National Forrest washing and waxing the RV. Pump into a bucket for water, allot of elbow grease to remove black streaks from years of oxidation. This was allot of work to remove all the oxidation. Found a YouTube demonstration using LA Awesome cleaning agent, $1.00 at Dollar store. Wow this got the black streaks off really good. Maguire's wax looked good when this was all done!
Did not paddle here for the lake was weed choked and not much open water. Will try to find a shuttle for one of the springs for they run quite fast.
Meet a another class B - RV was a woman who travels allot, she shared a January meeting for boondockers in Arizona. Will look into that, sounds great!
She spoke of going to Alaska several times, breakdowns and great things to do. She had several different RV and this one is a basic ford custom van that she added refrigerator, roof AC, generator in rack in back. She showed me how she set up a basic van to travel and camp. Pretty good set up.
Saturday was fun day, went to Juniper Springs and paid for a shuttle then paddled through7 miles of subtropical Forrest on a clear spring feed creek. So beautiful, saw otters, turtles and Palm trees that had fallen over the creek yet continued to live giving a unique paddling experience. The shuttle driver said the first one out that day had seen a baby bear! I saw turtles and an otter, unfortunately I was not fast enough on the camera to get a pic of the otter.
I was using the Cetus for it is much more maneuverable. This reminded me allot of NJ Pine Barrens with swift flowing clear creeks - many winding turns requiring finesse to navigate the turns. So cool!
Remind you of a tropical location
These turtles have no growth on their backs, I assume the clear water affects that.
Love how the palm trees fall and continue to grow over the water
Juniper Springs Mill House - made electricity for the campground
The Juniper Spring itself
I tried some underwater shots but did not work out at all. I will continue to work on this so there would be more interesting pics!
Sunday is cooler and rainy, found a cypress tree lined lake I wanted to fish but due to the weather I did not launch. I saved it in my GPS so I can go back another time. I am learning that its ok to relax and not meet every thought or commitment.
I had experienced that Snowbirds travel south after spending time with family over the holidays. Listening to camp hosts and other travelers it is not the same anymore. The first cold snap and they are headed south. So, I determined that I should get a campsite before the Thanksgiving Day so I will have a place. Heading south to near NASA there are 2 military campgrounds with great ocean/sunrise views. Hope I can get a spot!
Tanya fly's to Orlando to visit on Thanksgiving Day, we searched things to do on Trip Advisor.
Friday, tour Kennedy Space Center, great tour, it is so fascinating the accomplishments the space program brought to mankind. Many exhibits of several different programs such as different missions, International Space Station and the future mission to Mars. Commercializing the space program combines scientific and resources to make new technology that will make taking humans to Mars possible.
NASA area / Friday and Saturday morning
Tanya's comment: OMG, this feels so good! I joined Tom for Thanksgiving weekend and am very happy. DC weather was cold, nights below freezing. Florida weather is very nice, 75 degrees. We stayed overnight in a park near Kennedy Space Center, on the shore of Banana River. In the evening, we went to the pier with our wine glasses. We could see the launch sites from the pier. A perfect spot to watch a rocket launch. We also saw 3 cruise ships. They are enormous. The RV is just perfect! The best way to travel. It's very comfortable, we have everything we need there, and can park anywhere.
As we drive towards the Space Center, we stop by the beach. The water feels warmer than air, very nice.
We visited the Space Center and took a tour bus to the launch sites and the assembly building. They do not let visitors out of the bus, but Tom took great pictures from the bus.
This is the Crawler which transports space ships from assembly building to the launch site. It is so huge!
This is a 2nd module of a rocket that launched a space module to the Moon
This is a Moon Crawler
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34436-d5575064-Reviews-Sams_House_at_Pine_Is
Cracker house, the white lower class is known as Cracker. This style of house is typical of a Cracker house, as this family became more wealthy, they built the white middle class house.
Daytona Saturday afternoon
Drive Beach Street and although it was very nice it is definitely not where the college kids come in spring break. The park and canals are cool and we looked but could not see a place to launch the kayaks.
Over the bridge to A1A and see where the college kids would go, found parking on a back Street and head off.
Kept seeing classic cars on the road so followed them to a parking lot where there were allot of cars! So many different models and designs, very carefully restored. Modern cars all seem to be much more similar in design than the old ones.
Tom's second car was a truck similar to this, called a classic car now - guess we can say Tom is a classic too??
Saturday night we stayed in a parking lot, the weather was really cooperative with no rain, cool nights and warm days. Left the windows open and can hear the ocean surf while we slept. Moring having coffee on the beach while watching the sunrise! AWSOME!
Sunday and Monday
The Fort was built in an unusual shape to eliminate any blind spots and allow for cattle to be kept in a moat surrounding the walls during a siege.
Inside the fort
Outside of the Fort
The woman who led the tour at the distillery was extremely excited about her job and the distillery! Very entertaining. She gave us a very animated performance: all stills had women's names, and she was describing them as if the stills were alive. We could tell she loves her job.
We tasted two cocktails with bourbon and gin. They were very good. We bought a bottle of the distillery's own cocktail mix. Mmmmmmm good!
Tanya's comment: Love this sign!!!
The streets and houses in Colonial Quarter are very well maintained, with allot of unique shops.
This is a Sears Roebuck house, ordered through a catalogue.
These are "prisoners" from the Old Jail.
Some houses in the Colonial Quarter had beautiful courtyards with statues and flowers.
Other RV models cannot carry kayaks on the roof
Such as magnificent building. Built originally as a hotel for the extremely wealthy - no expense was spared in the construction. People could not rent it for less than the entire season, from Christmas to Easter. Our guide stated that the "season" rent was $4,000 in the early 1900's today that is around $100,000. Too rich for my blood!
Kicking around, which one to choose?
Tanya's best pick! Going to look for a place to rent ATV and have some fun!
Tanya's comment: I can't wait for the day when I take Tom out to the woods for a ride on ATV!
We stayed in a hotel parking lot on the beach, worked great, no one chased us off, early morning sunrise with coffee while strolling the beach was excellent!
Notes:
Presbyterian church open tour 11am
Flagler college tour 10am, 2pm
Distillery tour free 10am-6pm
Sam Sebastian winery tour free
Chocolate tour, factory line, not free.
