Moving along

Today we left Tomoka and headed west across Florida.  We spent some time at De Leon Springs State Park (Fountain of Youth territory) where we enjoyed the nature trail and identified some new birds for our lists.  We arrived late this afternoon at Blue Spring State Park, which is known as a manatee refuge. The manatees come into the warm spring water at this time of year, getting out of the cooler waters of the St. Johns River. 

When we walked along the boardwalk this afternoon, we saw LOTS of fish---the water is crystal clear.  And we did spot one manatee, though it was underwater and didn't come up for air.  Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get a good picture of one at the surface. 

We are continuing to enjoy good weather, though a few drops of rain early this morning startled me. (What was that popping sound on the skylight of the camper????)  There's rain in the forecast later this week, so we'll enjoy whatever sunshine we get in the next few days.  Today I was too warm in my long-sleeved T and jeans, and this evening  (8:00 pm) we still have just the screen door in place on the RV.  We're really enjoying the break from ice and snow!

AHHH---70 degrees!

After a very pleasant stay in St. Mary's, GA, we headed south again.  We had a good morning on the nature trail at Crooked River State Park, though we discovered that Ranger definitely does not like armadillos.  We are now at Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach. For those of you with as little familiarity with Florida geography as I, it's on the Atlantic side, just north of Daytona Beach.  We'll be here for a few days, and so far we're really enjoying the warmer temperatures (in jeans and long-sleeved tee this afternoon) and the change in scenery. 

On the road

We were able to leave Montpelier in late morning on Thursday, Jan 27, after waiting for the ice to melt off the roads a bit.  The past two days have been spent in putting miles behind us....and leaving the snow and ice behind as well.  Last night, we stayed on the NC/SC border at the campground at South of the Border, and yes, it is as tacky as you may be imagining. It was also COLD---29 degrees when I went out to walk Ranger early in the morning.    Tonight we'll be sleeping at a very clean, well-managed private campground in St. Marys, GA, having had hot showers and enjoyed sitting outside until sunset in the 60-degree temperatures.  What a nice change from winter weather in Virginia!  Tomorrow we're off to a state park on the Atlantic coast of Florida. 

Waiting on the weather

So the RV is packed and we're itching to go. Unfortunately the weather is not cooperating.  We're getting rain today, but it's supposed to change to snow overnight.  Depending on how much we get, we'll leave tomorrow morning (and head to SC) or tomorrow midday (and plan to stay in NC) or Friday. 

Preparations

As the departure time nears, we're into the preparation stage.  Dan is putting together a tool kit and adding items to the list of gear to be packed.  We've been discussing what type of meals we'll be having, what clothing we might need, and what route we'll follow.  We've done some shopping for kitchen items and started to decide what goes where in the numerous storage compartments in the RV. 

The actual departure date depends on weather, and right now next week is not looking good.  They're calling for rain/sleet/snow early in the week.  We're hoping to leave sometime between Tuesday and Thursday, and it seems it will most likely be Thursday.  With the constant cold weather we've had since early December, we're eager to head some place warmer.  With luck, next week at this time we'll wake up in one of the Carolinas. 

Taking the plunge!

Dan and I have talked about getting a small RV for years.  As he has gotten less comfortable with tent camping, the possibility of camping with heat, refrigerator, a mattress, and electricity for making coffee became more and more appealing.  With a six-month sabbatical from my job, the time seemed right  So on October 27, 2010, we purchased our 24-foot Itasca Navion from Camping World in Myrtle Beach, SC.