Day 5: Myakka River State Park

Weather.com was correct: the rain moved in overnight, and we awoke to pouring rain on the roof.  I had a cup of tea, thinking that it would let up a bit; no luck.  A second cup....still no better.  However, Ranger did need to go out to take care of his business, so we ventured out and ended up soaked.  And the rain continued.

By late morning, the rain let up a bit, so we headed out again.  We got to the cafe and gift shop area, and the sky opened up again.  We waited under cover at the cafe for 10-15 minutes, and finally we headed home in the downpour.

However, by noon, it was looking a little brighter, and by 2:30 the sun was out. Temperatures were in the mid-70's.  

Meanwhile, we had been awaiting the mobile RV repair guy to look at the refrigerator which has been acting up when on gas (not electric).  He never showed.

But there was no point waiting around when the sun was out and the temperatures were warm, so we took a walk along the lake, going the two miles up to The Birdwalk, a boardwalk area where the birding is particularly good.  We saw ducks, egrets, herons, a stork, and an osprey.  Ranger was a bit reluctant to get started on the walk, but by the time we headed back, he seemed to enjoy the outing.

It was warm enough this evening to grill chicken and sit outside, though the standing water and warm temperatures led to....of course....mosquitoes!   We are supposed to be enjoying this warm weather for another day or two before cooler temperatures arrive early in the week.  

Day 4: Micanopy FL to Myakka River State Park

We awoke to 39 degrees, pretty cold for Florida!  However, our drive down I-75 today ended up at Myakka River State Park, near Sarasota, and this afternoon it's 70 degrees.  Lovely!  

We have camped here three times before, so we can find our way around easily.  Having arrived in early afternoon, we had time to walk up to Upper Myakka Lake for some birdwatching.  In just a short visit, we saw great blue and little blue herons, tricolored herons, glossy and white ibises.  

I took a bike ride up along the lake while Dan and Ranger rested.  Late this afternoon the clouds have been moving in, and there's rain in the forecast overnight and through tomorrow.  

Day 3: Saint Marys GA to Micanopy FL

Looks like Florida!

Yup!  We made it to Florida today.  It was a fairly easy 3 hour drive to our next stop at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.  We arrived around 1:30, had a late lunch, and headed out to give Ranger a good long walk along Lake Wauberg.

It was an overcast, cool day, but still---it's hard to complain about 60 degrees in January.  We saw lots of birds:  anhingas, white pelicans, grebes, and many little warblers.  Ranger enjoyed a chance to stretch his legs and to sniff lots of foreign smells around the park.  

We had a  campfire---cool enough by evening to where it felt wonderful on the legs!  Dan grilled hamburgers on the fire and we enjoyed a few beverages while watching the flames.  Ah...vacation!

Day 2: Lumberton NC to Saint Marys GA

It was a COLD  night in North Carolina, getting down to 30 degrees outside and 52 inside.  We had lots of blankets, however, so we were snug in our beds....until we actually had to get up and get dressed!  We were on the road again about 8:45, and the day warmed quickly as the sun came up.  

The drive along I-95 was uneventful, and we pulled off around 3:00, stopping at Crooked River State Park in Saint Marys, Georgia.  We're very close to the Florida border, and tomorrow's drive will be a fairly short one.  In mid-afternoon it was  up to 65 degrees, nice enough for a good walk with Ranger and warm enough to sit outside with a cup of tea, soaking up the sunshine.  

We've been to this park before, and it has a nice path along the Crooked River, with lots of pines, palmettos, and Spanish moss.

Ranger seems happy to be able to hang around outside, watching fellow campers as well as the dogs in neighboring sites.

Day 1, January 2016 trip to Florida

It's been quite a while since our last trip, but here we go again.  We are heading for Florida for a few weeks in the warmth.  But our start was certainly a cold one: high 20's and clear in Montpelier this morning.  The cold was a nuisance in hooking up the car, which we will eventually be able to do in about five minutes, but as newbies to this it took more than twenty.

So after our last trip, Dan was sold on the idea of towing a car.  After trading cars this fall in order to have a tow-able vehicle (trading my Subaru Impreza for a Honda CRV) and after shelling out a lot of money to have the towing equipment installed, we are ready to give it a try.

We pulled in fairly early for the night at a KOA in Lumberton, NC, close to the SC line.  Dan has been fighting a cold and is low on energy, so a few hours of relaxation in late afternoon seemed like a good idea.  Tomorrow's drive should take us to the GA/FL border, with reservations at a Florida state park for Wednesday night.  

Heading home

Our last day of travel covered about 375 miles, but it took us an hour and a half to cover the first 42 miles!  Route 80 (county road? state road?) was a narrow, winding road that took us from Breaks Interstate Park to Route 460, heading for Wytheville.  It went through tiny mountain towns that had, at most, a gas station with a convenience store, and the switchbacks were something I was glad not to be driving!  If you thought Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty "fixed" Appalachia, try driving through this part of Virginia.  It's hard to believe that some people still live this way in  extreme poverty.  It looked as if some of the towns had a bit of an uptick at some time in the past 20 years or so, but now there are many shuttered small businesses and run-down buildings.  Depressing.

I-81 through the western part of the state is always thick with semis and today was no different from other trips.  It is starting to look like autumn in that part of the state with red sumacs and yellowing leaves on trees.

Once home, around 4:30, it was apparent that there had not been much rain in our absence .The sprinklers kept the shrubs going, along with lots of weeds in those beds.  All the bird baths are totally dry, and the planter on the front porch needs a total replanting.  Oh well.  Lots to do in the coming days, getting back to routine after a three-week vacation.  Laundry....unpacking....grocery shopping.  We have the long Labor Day weekend ahead to take care of it all.  Still worthwhile spending time on the road in our little RV!

A Day of Exploring Breaks Interstate Park

We awoke to a foggy morning up here on the mountain, a good excuse for a lazy few hours of drinking tea and reading my novel while Dan slept late.

After a big breakfast, we headed out hiking.  By noon it was already getting quite  hot, so we kept it fairly short.  We started out on Grassy Overlook Trail which indeed took us to a viewpoint where we could see the road into the park.  Given this location, the hiking trails were rocky, with lots of ups and downs.

 Continuing on the Laurel Branch Trail which took us to Laurel Lake, we traveled along a narrow trail with dense rhododendrons and mountain laurels on either side .  (It must be beautiful in the last spring.)  

We covered only about 2 1/2 miles, but that was enough on a warm day (one of the warmest of the trip).  Back to our site for a relaxing afternoon, enjoying the scenery out back of the camper and the shade.

The sites have been filling up as the afternoon goes on.  Not only is this weekend Labor Day but also here at Breaks it's the weekend of their big Gospel Music Festival. Three full days of gospel.  The campground is supposed to be totally booked along with the overflow area. I think it's a good thing that we are heading out tomorrow.