Florida Finale

A few days ago, we left Florida behind, and it is hard to believe that our long-planned and much-anticipated three month sojourn in the Sunshine State has already come to a close. I’ll put the summary at the end where it belongs, though, and take us back a few weeks to when we had to leave our friends by the bay.

 

Our black tank valve issue was solved on our first afternoon at Nautical Point RV Park, with me heading to the store to pick up the part while TBG stayed back to get the tanks drained and prepared for the install. So far, so good!

With another day to fill and having been skunked on our search for Tupelo honey while in Apalach, we headed out the next day to Wewahitchka (Wewa if you’re local) a place known for it. Our destination was Smiley Honey, and they made us glad we’d not been able to get our honey earlier. We were offered samples of several delectable honeys, and while all were delicious, the buttery Tupelo was what we were after.

 

I can’t say enough good things about the proprietors of Smiley. They were welcoming, enthusiastic, and obviously very knowledgeable about honey. We came away with a big box of the Tupelo, one small bottle of rich Holly Honey that I’ll put to good use in some future recipes, and big smileys on our faces. After you’re done reading this post, I encourage you to click on their link above to learn about what makes Tupelo honey so special and get some for yourself!

_{**we get/got no compensation for this shout-out in any way, I just believe in giving a good word to those who deserve it!**}

 

Our next stop was the Sand Pond CG in Pine Log State Forest. The host(ess) was mostly MIA, the camp road was tight, we loved the well-spaced sites and especially our end site, it was quiet and dark, and the showers were great with water so hot it couldn’t be turned all the way up and a hand-held shower head. 

 There was just a bit of flooding to contend with, and we even spotted an otter inchworming its way across the road one day! Most of the trails and roads were dry enough for some good walks/runs, though. 

 

There was a nice boardwalk through the Pond Cypress, and TBG had fun with reflection photography. You can admire more of his pictures on his spanky new IG account @lichtimages

 

 We weren’t too far from the Gulf coast, and I convinced TBG we needed to go back to see the shore/beach one last time since it would be our actual last time. We decided to bike along the Timpoochee Trail.

 

 

It was not fun. The trail runs parallel to what they describe as a “scenic” highway, which is really a very busy, noisy road. The path crosses driveways every other minute, and you can’t see the water from it at all. After riding four annoying miles, we turned back and detoured into Deer Lake State Park, where we ponied up $4 to gain access to the water via a half-mile boardwalk. We walked our bikes out to the end and were pleased that the dunes and beaches were pretty, at least. 

 

On our last day, we drove down the road a short ways to access a trail head in another section of the forest, but upon arrival, we discovered that the trail was closed due to a prescribed burn further out. Phooey.

Speaking of prescribed burns, as we approached our last stop, the smoke increased, and we pulled into Bear Lake CG in Blackwater River State Forest to find that much of it was on fire — small fires, lots of smoke, fire personnel on location — but still our campground was on fire. The sites were oddly numbered and not signed at all, so after I disturbed one of the camp hosts, we finally got settled in. We also doused a nearby burning tree that was a little too close to the back of our site for comfort.

 We only had the time and the lung capacity to take a short walk around the camp loop, and that evening we listened to military aircraft of all types, and realized our site was directly adjacent to a very bright, very orange streetlight. Oh, we also had no cell signal whatsoever. Ten days loomed ahead of us.

 

Looking out from site #32 on a bright, less crowded day. Many of our ten days were gray and offered views of other campers instead of the sunny lake.

As much as it seemed like we would not be enjoying our last days in Florida, those first upsets abated. It rained overnight, tamping down the smoke. We heard no more aircraft for the duration of our stay. The shades took care of the bright night light. We knew ahead of time there would be no cell reception, but we had plenty of OATV and radio, and we drove a couple miles up the road a few times to connect and be sure nothing urgent needed our attention. There were also plenty of trails easily accessed right from our site, and one special surprise in store.

 Remember when we were in the Everglades, and they put out these houses for the Purple Martins, but we weren’t there long enough to see their arrival?

Surprise! There was an old wooden house at Bear Lake, empty-looking and leaning precariously, but I was certain those indigo birds would show up, and sure enough they did. It’s not that these birds are rare or especially unique, but they’re so wonderfully blue in the right light (I don’t see them as purple at all) and they don’t stay still for more than a nano second, which makes capturing them all the more fun.

Our first trail walk was on the Sweetwater Trail to the neighboring Krul Lake Rec Area. Much of it was comprised of the longest boardwalk we’d yet encountered.

In warmer months, it is a popular swimming area. There is an outdoor museum of sorts, featuring remnants of an old grist mill, sugar cane syrup extractor, and many more outbuildings of yore. One being this well-designed chicken coop. 

 

There were, of course, no chickens in the coop, but as we rounded the parking lot loop back to the trailhead, guess what came running across the lawn toward us?

 

Well, hello there, pretty girl! I speak Chook, so I conversed with her, and she said a little snack might be in order. Lucky for her, I had something chicken-friendly in my pack. But really it was lucky me to get a bit of hen-time.

We walked the Bear Lake Loop Trail several times, each time seeing something a little different.

 

 

There was a Wildlife Observation Station, which after the burn, left little wildlife to observe save for birds, who seemed to love the charred landscape.

 

 

One of the trails was designated for mountain biking. TBG rode it once, we walked it once, and walked/ran it once. That’s our definition of a multi-use trail. The sneaky deer liked it, too.

 

 

One day, we nearly tripped over a little critter in the middle of the path.

 

It (she?) was busy digging backwards in the sand, but since it (she?) is an aquatic turtle, all we could guess was that it (she?) was preparing to lay eggs. It rained hard that night, so when we went back to check the following day, the area where it (she?) had been digging was rain-smoothed and barely evident.

And with that, Faithful Readers, our time in Florida came to an end. The biggest highlights for us were being able to share Thanksgiving with family, visiting dear friends, the warm springs, and the manatees. Honorable mention goes to the crocodiles, the birds, and the boardwalks. We were amused by the fisherpeople, who reminded us of ducks and mudpuddles — anywhere there was more than a foot of water, there was someone throwing a line in. The weather was generally on our side, and even at its worst, it was better than most other places in the country. The roads were good, all of our several grocery pickups were nearly seamless, the people were welcoming, and we had no difficulties staying safe wherever we were. While it won’t make our short list of places we may someday settle down, Florida was darn nice to us, and we will cherish the memories. 

********************COMMENTS********************

Peggy I enjoyed seeing parts of Florida that the average tourist doesn’t get to see due to time constraints but it also solidified my opinion on the multiple reasons I would not live in Florida. Great place to visit but not a contender for a forever homestead

Chasing Dirt That’s just about the only way we like to see places — find the less-popular places to see and the least crowded times to see them! Definitely worth a visit for a lot of reasons, but, we agree, not a permanent place for us

Shannon That Tupelo honey place in Wewa looks amazing – I can’t wait to check it out when we return to the world of normal shopping! I also enjoyed getting your account of two new state forests where we can camp somewhat locally. We have yet to explore all the state and national destinations in our new home region, and I appreciate you giving us these previews.

 TBG Just avoid the hunting season otherwise you get to bear hunters clattering back into camp making noise up to 11, and up by 5 making a ruckus.

Chasing Dirt Now that we’ve dipped into our supply of Tupelo honey, I give even more stars to my review. Deeeeelish! We’ve liked our experiences at the state forests, though TBG is right about hunting season making things a little interesting in the fall/winter. When I was planning our Florida trip, I was pleased to find that Florida has a LOT of state forests to choose from!

 chapter3travels We’ve really enjoyed the Florida state parks but I had no idea how great these state forests were. I just wish they had electric hook ups. Well, that and cell service. Sewer would be nice. Maybe pavement. OK, maybe I’m just not cut out for state forests. They are pretty, though!

We ran into controlled burns when we were down that way too. They are certainly a little concerning, but they obviously know what they’re doing. There’s a reason Florida never has big wildfires. Still. When your actual campground is on actual fire, it’s a bit unnerving.

Anyway, I’m glad you guys enjoyed your visit to our beautiful home state!! Speaking of which, I love all the reflection pictures. They perfectly capture those creepy-in-a-cool-way Florida swamps.

Chasing Dirt The state forests DO have water and electric at every site! And half of the ones we’ve stayed at have paved pads (the most memorable being Cary SF with its huge, paved, spread-out sites.) The only one we visited that you wouldn’t like was Tillis because it’s a horsey place and dogs have to be put in the kennels. Otherwise, next time you’re down here, check them out!

The controlled burn only bothered us the first day with the live flames and the smoke coughcoughcough and, oddly, we didn’t find hiking through the burned out landscape all that awful. It did smell like an old campfire, though

Perfect description of the swamps — creepy-cool!

 RONALD M GODFREY Where are you two planning on being through the end of April? Polly and i are taking our RV to Orlando, then up to SC the end of March until April 16. Then we’re heading back home via the southern states and Arizona. Wouldn’t mind tagging up to visit and seeing TBG. He’ll remember me from the lazy B. 

TBG Howdy Ron. Good to hear from you. Sounds like you two are having a good time on the road.If you could use the contact email, contactchasingdirt@gmail.com and get me your cell then we can text.TTYL

Chasing Dirt Hi there! I think I got you two all connected with emails now, and here’s hoping we can make a connection eventually out here on the road!

Laurel I don’t like the title of this post (Florida Finale…noooo…turn around and come back now!). But other than that, this is a fine post!  I appreciate that you checked out so many state forests for camping. Although we’ve spent lots of time hiking and kayaking in state forests, we haven’t camped in any (except for Salt Spring, which doesn’t count because it has ALL the goodies of civilization). You found some beautiful places, and of course, made the most of every stay.

Smiley’s is now on our list for a visit for a Tupelo honey run. But I sure wish that cute smiling ambassador was going to be there to greet us! Love TBG’s cypress reflection photos. And by the way, we’re going to be putting up our very own Purple Martin house, so you have to come back for a visit! OX

Chasing Dirt I didn't like leaving, either, for a variety of reasons, the biggest being leaving you behind. It’s good to be headed toward more friends and family, but difficult that everyone is spread from here to there. The state forests really are a good option for us RVers and far easier to secure reservations. The biggest drawback has been the sogginess, but that’s not the forests’ fault

I wish I could greet you at Smiley’s, too. You will love the variety!

Purple Martin house?! I didn’t think Bayshore RV Resort could get any better, but we may seriously turn around now!

Pete Once again your photography and words transported me from my frozen water-less misery to a much more beautiful and warm respite thanks for sharing….

TBG Hoping the best for you Pete. I can’t imagine.

Chasing Dirt I’ve been thinking of you and our other Texas friends and hoping for things to improve quickly. I’m glad my post helped lift your spirits, though. I am humbled that you took the time to read and respond. You can take the man out of Alaska, but not the Alaska out of the man — you’re tough, Pete!

 placestheygo You definitely did a great job enjoying FL even with a very wet winter. You had a terrific wildlife adventure while there. We, too, enjoyed our visits there but it was never considered on our short list either. But…as soon as they remove the humidity, bugs, and tornadoes, we will rethink it! I did visit your honey website and ordered Tupelo Honey and an assortment of sample jars (they all sounded so good). I’ve never had Tupelo Honey before. I love your chicken friend!!

Chasing Dirt We’re with you, sister, wonderful place to adventure and play with family, friends, and manatees, but no place for humans to inhabit most of the year  I hope you enjoy the honey! Keep bus posted on the other flavors you got, too. That chicken was a most wonderful surprise! I wanted to scoop her up for a new pet, but TBG won’t let me have an RV chicken.

Lowe's Travels You have done great justice of showing the other side or the real Florida exposing their National Forest which most people are oblivious because they associate Florida with white beaches.

Hah, when I saw that pic of the flooded lake, I knew right away that we had camped at Sand Pond. It was also flooded when we were there! Like TBG I have several reflection shots.
I did not know how good Tupelo Honey was until we pulled over on a side road and got me a jar!

Great shots of the many Pine forest and you even were able to do some flat hikes!
It sure looked like you had a great time in Florida

Chasing Dirt I didn’t ever find your Sand Pond stay, bit we sure loved the email you took so much time to prepare for us! Now that I say that, I realize I should have formally mentioned that in the blog  Even without your helpful pointers, I often feel like we’re just copying you guys, almost always accidentally! Makes me so wish we could’ve shared more of these adventures WITH you. Hey, you wanna go to Alaska again 

Lowe's Travels Ha ha ha, we were there in 2019 and was not mentioned in the email I sent you. Yes let’s go to Alaska but we will just meet you up there! 

Dave Jones Are you and TBG happy to be back on the road ?

Chasing Dirt Hi, Dave! We are very happy to be on the road again. There have been changes and adjustments due to the pandemic, but, comparatively, we have had it very, very good. We’ve also been able to keep ourselves well isolated and safe. We hope you are well & happy, too!

 

Apalachicola FL

 

It is no small thing to be invited to stay at the home of friends you’ve only physically met once over two years ago, and yet that is exactly what our next adventure is all about. We met Laurel and Eric of Raven & Chickadee, another pair of full-time RVers, only three months into our first year of traveling. (I will refer to them collectively as LE for the rest of this post.) If you click on that link, it will take you to Laurel’s blog post all about that spontaneous epic holiday meet-up which spawned our continued, albeit virtual, friendship. Our travels since then have been in opposite directions, our two planned intersections in 2020 were sidelined, but we were finally able to find them at her folks’ house in Eastpoint, Florida where they have been for over a year now and where they had agreed to tolerate our moochdocking for twelve days.

Although that seems like plenty of time to get really sick of one another, it flew by, I took scant notes, not enough pictures, and I’m not completely thrilled with the ones we did take. That probably also seems like plenty of time to do all of the things we’d planned together via text and phone calls, but I assure you, we left more than a few activities undone and several conversations unfinished. That’s what’s supposed to happen when you’re busy having a such a good time, though, right? Right! Let’s find out what kept us so happily occupied.

The day finally arrived on which we finally arrived, and stepping out to get the car unhitched, I heard a call then spotted E waving from across the block.

We’re heeeeere!

 

 

Our premium site at Bayshore RV Resort came complete with water hookup, 30A service, extra fridge space, laundry facilities, and trash pickup! It also came with a great view out our windshield.

 Beyond the tree line is Apalachicola Bay, and we could see slices of it from the rig, as well as all the birds that came to the feeder and the holly tree every day. 

 Our first afternoon passed in a flurry of excited conversation, a nice ~3 mile walk on the paved neighborhood trail, and E’s delicious jambalaya enjoyed around the propane fire pit on their large, screened porch. That night, all was quiet except for what I thought was the sound of a heron. I didn’t look out, and now I regret that because E informed us it was really the family of foxes that lives in and around their house. We’d hear them a few more times, but never get a glimpse of them.

 In the morning, we opened TBGrille Food Truck, and folks lined up quick for TBG’s signature breakfast!

It was too cold and windy for us to enjoy our breakfasts together on the porch, but, as usual, TBG’s tasty specialty was a huge hit with the customers.

We waited for the day to warm a bit before setting out for a little adventuring on St. George Island. St. George is a long, skinny barrier island, north of which is Apalachicola Bay and south of which is the Gulf of Mexico. The eastern end is a state park, and that’s where we were headed for one of LE’s favorite short hikes. To get there requires a drive over a long causeway and then through the residential side of the island, which is packed with houses on stilts. Imagine any town full of many-storied homes with a mix of architectural styles, then imagine them all raised onto 10’+ stilts, and that will give you the visual.

LE are avid birders, especially E, and their excitement and appreciation are contagious. I couldn’t tell you all the birds we saw along the trail, but I do remember there were a lot of yellow-rumped warblers because E told us that they are affectionately known to bird enthusiasts as “butterbutts.” Now, that’s my kind of critter-namin’!

 he sun was warm, but the wind was still chilly, so we didn’t stay long at the beachy part of the trail. Back at the homestead, we later reconvened around the fire pit on the porch for warm bowls of my Zuppa Toscana and continued conversation. The wind was still whipping, making for chilly outdoor conditions, but Eric helped mitigate that by placing pieces of plywood all along the bottom screens. Some of the pictures I mysteriously didn’t take include any of us on the porch enjoying our fabulous dinners together, but most evenings were spent that way.

On our second full day, I availed myself of the laundry facilities, TBG spent the day replacing the hot water anode and one of the rear brake lights and installing my new bike seat. I also accompanied L on her daily fast walk, part of which I was going to run, testing out my new road-running shoes. Due to a miscommunication, I lost her, and when I doubled back to re-connect, she was nowhere to be found. I didn’t have my cell phone because I was relying on her with hers. I ended up running all the way back to the house, stopping occasionally, frantically calling out for her. When I got back home, I grabbed my cell phone, and TBG drove me back. She answered my text immediately saying she was on the trail. WTH?! Obviously, we caught up with her, TBG dropped me off, and we finished our walk. Turns out, she’d taken a side cul-de-sac (or two) to add distance to her walk and hadn’t been snatched by pitbulls, panthers, or predators like I’d feared. The new shoes, by the way, got more of a break-in run than originally intended and performed wonderfully. That evening’s feast was L’s chicken tagine. It was so delicious, I forgave her for scaring the shit out of me.

It was a beautiful day of deep blue sky, white sandy beach, snowy plovers, and seashells. LE taught us about some of the shells, and E and TBG each found at least one delicate white baby’s ear. On our return, another beach-goer pointed out a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins hunting offshore.

Just before we reached the parking lot, while we were on the boardwalk, I turned to say something to L, and looking back over her shoulder, saw the dolphins really jumping. We both watched as one leaped straight up completely out of the water! We shouted to the guys, who were already at the car, to come back and see the fantastic show. It was so exciting, I couldn’t help from yelling “Wheeeee!” every time one jumped really high. There could not have been a better ending to our beautiful seashell walk.

 

For our next outing, our local guides wanted to show us around the town of Apalachicola. You may have noticed that I titled this post “Apalachicola” and not “Eastpoint,” which is where LE’s house actually is. The two towns lie across the bay from one another, and while the house is, indeed, in Eastpoint, L’s family is originally from Apalachicola, and that is the name she most often uses when referring to their time spent in the area. Besides, Apalachicola is much more fun to say. 

  

“Apalach” is a true mix of new and dilapidated homes and businesses, many that way due to prior storm damage. Several of the residential blocks are beautiful and reminded us of Savannah. We wound our way through the neighborhoods, and into the charming downtown area where we ordered a takeout lunch from Tamara’s Cafe. We took our food down the block to the public picnic tables on the pier, where the grackles and gulls made repeated requests for a taste of TBG’s lunch of Grouper Cheeks, LE’s of Fish Tacos, and mine of Shrimp & Grits. Their pleas went unanswered.

Next we continued along the water to the boat yard, where E said there are almost always Black-crowned Night Herons perching on the boats. Sure enough, there were! 

 

We walked through the town’s small but nicely-kept botanical garden and then took a short jaunt along Woody’s Trail.

The town, while not large in a city sense, was much bigger than TBG and I had thought, and we really liked it. If it wasn’t in Florida where all too soon the heat, humidity, and bugs will make it nearly unbearable, we’d consider living there. It was a great way to spend the day, and by far, our favorite sighting was that of a pair of Apalach Lovebirds.

We went our separate ways the next day, TBG and I taking a five-mile bike ride on the neighborhood trail so that I could test out my new bike seat. I’ll talk more about it later in subsequent posts, but it’s a keeper.

That evening, we had a happy hour gathering around the outdoor fire pit with another pair of full-time RVers who we’ve come to know virtually over the past few years. Inexplicably, I have no photos of it. LE have been able to spend actual time with them this last year, while Shannon and Ken, aka Zamia Ventures, have been hard at work building their new home on St. George Island. Our visit was much too short, but we thought at the time that we’d be able to get together at least once more before we left the area and get an up-close look at their new digs. I guess that spoils the fact that we didn’t, but I’ll surprise you later with why.

I also have no photos of our scrumptious dinner, but I will brag about what we had anyhow. I, using my consummate Instant Pot skillz, brought potato salad and braised red cabbage to the table, while Grill Master E made delectable chicken thighs.

TBGrille opened again the next morning, and after filling our bellies with another Big Breakfast, TBG stayed home to work on some more RV maintenance while I followed LE to Carrabelle (McKissack) Beach. This is a place E visits a few times a week for birdwatching, and it’s a pretty beach to walk along birds or no.

You can see E has his spotting scope and tripod, and as we walked we encountered a man walking towards us with the exact same equipment. Turns out, it was another birder whom E “knew” from their postings on eBird, an internet birdwatching tracking database. We chatted with him and his wife, and he gave us some local bird sighting tips.

On his previous trip out, E had spotted some Piping Plovers, a near-endangered species. We were encouraged to spot these little cuties again on this trip, along with more Snowy and Semi-palmated Plovers. It was a plover-rich environment and a fun beach walk for us and them. We did not make that sandy seastar, but I wouldn’t put it past those crafty plovers.

That night’s supper was my Pollo en Mole and L’s corn tortillas and coleslaw. Delish! The following day was another mostly down day. I accompanied L on her daily walk, TBG washed the car, and I don’t have the data on E’s whereabouts for that day. There was another mouth-watering dinner of L’s fish chowder, and he did show up for that. Hee!

Following the tips from the birder on the beach and wanting to visit the Farmers Market, TBG and I followed E across the bridge again into Apalach. We were hoping to pick up some Tupelo honey, and we were all wanting some fresh produce.

It may have been the overcast chilly weather, but there were only a handful of vendors, none of whom had any produce and just one who had the honey, but it was only in very small bottles. E and I each bought our sweethearts a special chocolate bar, then we moved on to try to find the two birds we were seeking.

The first was a Peregrine Falcon that was said to be nesting underneath the causeway. All we located, however, was part of a rainbow and what we think may have been the falcon’s nest.

The second bird required a walk into the residential area of town, and we had to pass through a BBQ festival we didn’t know ahead of time was happening. Had we known, we may have delayed our outing in order to load up on some takeout BBQ. The aroma of all the cooking meats drove us crazy as we walked.

We were looking for a female Painted Bunting, which compared to the artist’s palette colors of the male, isn’t much to look at but would have been a fun bird to locate this time of year. I also reasoned that where there are lady birds, gentlemen birds are sure to follow. We persisted through some rainy sprinkles, but came up empty. No honey, no peregrine, no bunting, no BBQ. Boooooo! We warmed ourselves that night with a big pot of my black bean soup and L’s cornbread.

LE had a exclusive outing planned the next day with an Audubon worker to see a special place not normally open to the public. I’m not explaining that well at all, but suffice it to say they had an exciting day out planned, and we were holding down the fort. TBG washed the RV while I did laundry and cheffed up my special yellow curry, kale salad, and special chocolate pie.

And then…

TBG announced our black tank was leaking. What?! EW. “We have to leave!” I cried, “We can’t leak that all over their property!” It wasn’t quite as dire as that since it wasn’t actively leaking directly out onto the ground, but it did, unfortunately, mean that we’d have to leave in order to get to a place with sewer hookups and buy a new valve. This was not news we wanted to deliver.

When LE got home, we had dinner all set up on the porch, and we made sure to have them recount the details of their special day first. Then we had to break the bad news. L cried, I cried, the fellas looked seriously glum. We ate chocolate pie, which helped a little. We didn’t need to leave early at all, so TBG served one last Big Breakfast from the food truck, and L and I had one last walk in the warm sun. I didn’t lose her this time, and we’ll never lose the memories of such a lovely time with our dear, dear friends.

***************COMMENTS***************

kempnussbaum We wished we could have spent more time there especially after reading this write up.

TBG Ditto Kemp. Loving your blog BTW, http://travelswithtoohey.com/

Chasing Dirt It’s so hard sometimes to know ahead how much of your calendar to devote to certain places! Then throw in weather, and all bets are off. We have definitely mis-timed or overlooked locations, only to hear about some really great stuff we missed. I guess that just means there’s something to do next time! 

Shannon While we are of course sorely disappointed that we weren’t able to spend more time with you, we are thrilled that you had such a good visit to our area. You did plenty of great things and saw lots of critters, but as you know you also barely scratched the surface! I am most happy that you two and LE could spend quality time together. The lack of community and lack of human connection in these pandemic times is so hard, and a big dose of time together with friends sure can be a tonic for the soul.

Chasing Dirt At least you guys are in the panhandle, so if we’re ever back this way, it’s an easy place to get to travel-wise! There are always meet-ups on the road when you start traveling again, too. We wish, for many reasons, that we hadn’t had to take off early, but we are so glad to have had the time we did.

chapter3travels Who’s jealous? Not me. I’m not jealous. No Siree! Not jealous at all.

(sobs softly into pillow).Oh, I’m kidding. I am definitely jealous. What a fantastic visit you guys had! Great food, great company, great scenery, plenty of exercise as well as downtime… a dolphin show!!! Pretty much a perfect visit. Sorry to hear it ended on a crappy note (pun definitely intended), but at least it was at the end instead of the beginning. And I’m definitely glad you didn’t lose Laurel to a panther/alligator/other Florida hell creature. What an awkward blog post that would have been!

RV friends are the best and they truly make the experience so much richer. I’m glad you guys had such a great time and look forward to everyone being able to hang out on the road again soon!

 Chasing Dirt I don’t think I can sum it up any better than “perfect” and “fantastic.” It was both those things. I don’t know what 2021 might throw at all of us, but surely, surely it will see us able to re-connect with more of our RV friends on the road. Like, oh, I dunno. YOU?! Say yes, even if it’s a lie. Let me dream a little.

Laurel I still cry every time I walk out the door and you guys are not there.  Seriously, it was so much fun having you here, and so easy. It would have been nice to have the weather be a bit warmer for our evenings on the porch, but we all made the best of it!

We loved being able to show you two around our little hometown (one of our hometowns) and we sure loved all of the fabulous meals we shared! From morning Big Breakfasts served up at the giant RV food truck to our cozy dinners around the propane pit, it was all wonderful. Dang, we miss you guys! I hope we don’t have to wait another two years before we see you again!

Thanks for coming to visit. Y’all come back, now!

 

Chasing Dirt Don’t cry! I left you a kitten to cheer you up!

It was everything and more that we’d hoped for and anticipated for so long. How many things do we get to say that about in our lives? It won’t be another two years because, damn it, it just can’t be! It would be so much fun to meet in an area new to us all and explore. Let’s keep that plan in our hearts with a mind to making it so. We still need to sing and kayak and maybe sing in a kayak! Love you to bits, Sister Wife & Cabana Boy II.

 placestheygo I’m with Laura…totally jealous!!! You four had such a fun time with so many wonderful adventures. I love that you were serving up breakfast from the RV Food Truck. Your menu sign was so clever. You definitely had a primo site with a sweet view. The resort owners are truly the best kind of people. We sure miss being able to get together with them. Having outside distancing dinners around the firepit sound like a super good time. Your travels to the east coast and Florida were perfectly timed to meet up for an extra long visit with Laurel and Eric. A real bonus to all we are having to go through with the pandemic. I sure hope your black tank leak was a quick fix. I believe we had this same leak and a new valve solved it.

 Chasing Dirt We couldn’t have asked for anything more! Truly the best of everything. Well, they haven’t refurbished the hot tub yet, LOL! Being of like mind on how to be safe while still being able to visit put us all at ease, and even though it was a bit chilly early/late, the weather really cooperated for us.

The tank valve was a relatively easy fix and seems to be holding up — thank goodness!! It really STUNK that it shortened our time, but I have a feeling we’re ALL going to be able to do some serious catching up in person in the coming year

axobyo This is a very detailed write up. Enjoyed reading it.

 Chasing Dirt Thank you very much!

 

 Lowe's Travels Totally jealous! need I say more?

But I have to say LE are the best local guides in town! Miss you all.

Chasing Dirt We miss you a lot, too, but, if my calculations are correct, you’re getting some visitors soon yourselves!

Sharron @onlytherocks What a great time with friends met from the road. What a treat for all of you guys. Connecting with fellow RV’ers is truly something special.
We’ve spent a little time in the Apalachicola area and always enjoyed it. We’ve bought our share of their oysters which are some of the tastiest we have ever had. But I think I read recently that they have been farmed out . Dolphins are so fun to watch. Glad you got to see them Jump and twirl around. Beautiful pictures as always.

 Chasing Dirt It’s true that much of the oysters are outsourced now 

 Dolphins always seem so happy, don’t they? They sure did that day, anyhow! We were so busy enjoying the sites, we came away with far fewer pictures than we normally do. The time with friends was most important, so we can only be so disappointed. I hope some of this year allows us to intersect with more RV friends — they are the best, as you say. Here’s hoping someday those friends will be YOU!