Day 13: Chilly day in Florida

After yesterday's storms came through, the weather was supposed to turn colder and very windy, and it definitely did that!  However, we also had some lingering showers overnight, which caused me to be outside in my PJ's at 1 am, covering the bike seats and the grill with plastic bags to keep them dry.

It was a blustery morning for Ranger's first walk, though he never seems to mind the cold.  We packed up and left Hillsborough River a little after 11, and by then, I thought the temperatures might be rising.  No....they stayed in the upper 40's all day, with winds continuing as well.  I was glad that Dan was driving in that wind which buffeted the  RV all along I-75 as we  headed north.

Our stopping place was just 80 miles away, at Ross Prairie State Park/Forest (different names on different maps).  We ended up with just the one night here because it's a Saturday, a tough day to get overnight reservations in a Florida park, and it is on the way---really very close---to our next destination at Rainbow Springs State Park, near Dunnellon, west of Ocala.  

I wondered what to expect, as this is actually an "equestrian campground".  The sites are all out in the open (which is nice today as we have the sun on us, providing a little bit of warmth).  They are all large pull-through sites, long enough for large horse trailers, and rather than being lined up in a row, they curve around in sort of a paisley pattern---very unusual.  And yes, there are posts to which to tie one's horse, and the state forest is criss-crossed with horse trails.  

So here's the view from our RV this afternoon:

Ranger seems to find those funny-looking big "dogs" across the campground road quite entertaining to watch.

We bundled up, with knit hats and gloves, and walked around the 2 1/4 mile "holly hammock trail".  The vegetation here is quite different from just a little farther south: no palm trees, fewer palmettos, lots of pines, and dense undergrowth.  

The campground host just stopped in to remind us to unhook our water hose tonight and leave the spigot dripping.  Temperatures are supposed to get below freezing.  But at least it's not snowing!