Swamp

Wednesday's weather was downright perfect for a day in a Florida park. Mid 70's, sunny, with a gentle breeze.

Highland Hammocks State Park was definitely not crowded. Tourist season doesn't start for a few more weeks. No problem parking, and we had the trails all to ourselves.  We seem to be "early snowbirds".  :-)

Palmetto plants are everywhere. Small ones, big ones, dense stands and individual plants. I was enchanted by the light shadows playing on this pair and just had to include it in this post.

There are numerous, short loop trails in the park. We walked several, and our favorite was the Cypress Swamp trail.

It started with a short sandy trail which lead to a sturdy boardwalk through the cypress swamp. 

These were the only birds we saw, but were delighted to spot a turtle at the same time.

This was one section of the boardwalk that I did not like very much, especially where it was over a wide section of the open river. It was a bit narrow, and had no railing on one side. I would not have been comfortable if there had been lots of other people on it.

When we looked over the edge of the railing, we saw the water surface was popping with striders. They were so small we could barely see them, but their actions caused many rings. In some places we could see leaves moving with the slight current, but in other areas the water was still and mirrored the trees.

[From Craig] We did see places where numerous water-rings were caused by insects, but the water disturbance in the picture above was much too extensive to be caused by them.  I think it was upwelling from springs.

The image below is of the water reflecting the trees and sky overhead.

We kept looking for alligators, either in the water or on the banks but did not see any. We spotted one armadillo in a drier area. 

And I saw this guy, a king snake, on the sandy part of the path. Craig was ahead of me at the time,  and I swear he came within inches of stepping on it! King snakes are good guys and not poisonous. I generally keep my eyes on where I am putting my feet because I am such a klutz. If I want to look up or about, I have to stop. Looks like that might be a good thing in places like this.

We took many more pictures, but I'm sure this will not be our only swamp experience to post about.

They call the state park system the "Real Florida."  We are pleased to be discovering it on our walks.

Little Manatee River State Park, FL

It was only a 128 mile drive between Tavares and our next stop, Little Manatee River State Park, south of Tampa. Last January when I was making reservations for our park tour of the state, I had very little to go on as to which parks to try for reservations. I went mostly by the map, with the goal of being in the Keys for the month of December.

We are pleased with our new home. A large shopping area is only about five miles away.

The space is level with just enough open sky for the satellite to work. We have power and water, and there is a dump station in the loop. There are only 34 spaces.  The nice big shower/washroom building with two washers and two dryers is out of sight, but quite near our spot.  The spaces are separated by heavy growth of native plants, giving each camper good privacy. Although most of the spots were full when we arrived Sunday morning, by mid week we are almost alone.

We went on a short walk (less than 3 miles) this morning through pine and oak forest and through some very scrubby land. We got a peek at the river, but saw no wildlife. We met one other couple on the trail, and they asked if we had seen any wild pigs. No, but after that walked through large patches of ground that had been freshly rooted up and showed lots of pig prints. Last night's dinner party perhaps?

My plan is to have a home base and explore from there. We will be at this very pleasant park for the next two weeks, and will be driving to the Tampa area, Sarasota, and some of the parks and beaches nearby when the mood strikes us. 

Any suggestions of things or places we should see?

Florida at last!

After a wonderful five weeks in the North Georgia Mountains we headed out, drove through Atlanta as mentioned in my previous post, and spent two nights in Warm Springs. We stopped there to see the facilities where FDR spent time relaxing and exercising in the warm therapy pools.  As a polio victim he was the prime mover in establishing a treatment facility there.

He also built a small home there that was called the Little White House. It has been preserved and is open to the public.

All of the items and furniture in the house are just as they were when he was there.

This is the chair he was sitting in when he had the stroke that killed him.

We had watched the PBS series about the Roosevelts and enjoyed this look at the place and the things that meant so much to a great president.  We could use another great Democrat like him.

On Thursday we finally made it to Florida! Our first stop has been in Tavares at the home of our old friends Linda and Karl. 

For my California mountain friends:  Linda is as pretty and energetic as always. She is still a prolific artist and is constantly creating new things.

On Friday night we went to a costume street show. 

Karl,  Linda, and Craig 

Now here's the challenge:  What is Craig dressed as?

Hint, he has snow flakes stitched to his T-shirt.

I went as the same sort of mystery creature

We had lots of fun having people guess what we were that night, and many got it right.  I came up with the costume idea in just a few minutes as I accompanied Linda to a dollar store. $5 for 2 costumes.  

The next day I removed the beaks and eyes from our caps, and the snowflakes from our shirts. I will reuse them at Christmas.  Part of the RV way: always try to find more than one use for anything you keep in the rig.

On Sunday Linda took us around town for the area's annual Garden Tour.

Although it was sunny, a cold front had moved through and it was quite cool and windy. We are still new enough to Florida to be enchanted by the Spanish Moss in the trees.  Linda explained that it is a problem, because if there a hurricane comes through, the moss becomes saturated with  rain and makes the tree limbs very heavy and more vulnerable to falling.

The gardens we saw were very nice. We have some very nice plant photos. But I tend to notice the fun and unusual, like these guys I spotted on a small beach garden. 

 Not all flamingos are pink in Florida!

On our last stop on the tour we encountered this critter:

I wish I had put a coin down next to him to show how big he was. Our friend said they actually get much bigger that this one and can be a pest. 

Yikes, keep the doors closed on the RV, or get a saddle and we can go for a ride.

All too soon it became time to say "goodbye" and move on down the road. We hope to be able to stop here again for a few days at the end of our three month tour of Florida. 

It's always good to see special friends.

A Driving Adventure

I'm writing this more for myself and for my non-RVing friends, than for the experienced RVers who check this blog from time to time.

Sometimes the adventure is in the driving, not in the destination.

When we were first starting as motorhome owners, we lived on a windy, hilly road near a very busy freeway with several downhill curves and narrow shoulders that could be very scary. It was a good but expensive learning experience. 

When we were looking at our options for our drive out of the North Georgia Mountains, US 19/129 was our first choice. We drove it many times, going to various trailheads and attractions. From our park there were about 20 miles of difficult driving conditions, with a section of about 7 miles that had many 20-25 mph "S" curves going both up and down. Not the best choice for a Class A motorhome towing a Jeep. But in the worst places there was an extra lane, and although the shoulder was only a few feet wide, we hadn't seen any large rock walls leaning into the road. We saw some larger trucks going both north and south, but at the same time the traffic seemed relatively light.

We could do this. In particular, I (Merikay) could do this if I was the driver and the weather was good. I am more comfortable behind the wheel than white-knuckling it as the passenger. As the driver, I feel I can go as slow as I want and be in control.

But, after having been parked for five weeks, we had forgotten to tie down or properly stow a few things. On my first turn onto the highway we heard a large crash. Our table will fall over if not locked down. We forgot.  No damage, just a scare!  Craig fixed it while I kept driving. There was another class A towing a car just ahead of us, so my confidence got a little boost and the drive along 19 went smoothly. I'm not sure we would have chosen to go that way if we hadn't driven it by car several times first.

Next up, Atlanta. We were warned about the horrible traffic in and around Atlanta. 

Poo, what could be worse than Los Angeles? Craig is a much better city driver than I so it was his turn.

We had all day, and figured if we got caught in a slowdown we would just put up with it. We did need to stop at a Trader Joe's for essentials like ketchup, wine, and a few frozen items that only they sell.  On our travels we have stopped to shop at stores that have wide open parking lots like Walmart, but of course we have avoided tight lots while towing.  Following the advice of the more experienced bloggers, I looked at the chosen Trader Joe's on Google Earth, and even printed an image of the area. Both of us looked at it and decided we could maneuver through to the TJ's back lot and into to a much larger open lot where we could leave the Alfa with the Jeep attached.

I mentally patted myself on the back for being such a careful planner, but reality took over when we got there. The Trader Joe's was in a very urban area with lots of heavy traffic. We managed to drive the few blocks from the freeway without incident, pull into TJ's driveway and make our way around the back. The lot was very full, and (OMG) the driveway between the TJ's lot and the larger open lot, that I thought I had seen on the image, was blocked by a cement curb. The only way to get there was to make a couple of very tight turns, which I knew would be practically impossible with a 36' rig plus Jeep. 

But we stayed calm.

We ended up unhitching the Jeep and parking the Alfa in a tight corner spot with her rear end sticking out into the aisle.  Other cars could get by us. After shopping we returned and were happy to see several cars that had parked along our exit route had left. With careful guidance, Craig backed her out, got turned around and was able to exit the lot. I followed in the Jeep with the walkie-talkie. He found a larger lot down the road a bit to reconnect the Jeep.

Next challenge: Get out of Atlanta and back onto the freeway toward Warm Springs.

Our Rand McNalley GPS unit told us to turn onto Peachtree and then onto Piedmont. We did, but there was construction on Piedmont that required three lanes to merge into one. Not easy! We were then told to turn right on Buckhead Loop in 300 feet. Yikes, we were still merging. We squeezed over and were about to try for the turn when both of us could clearly see a sign that said this was Lenox Rd., not Buckhead Loop, so we drove straight through the intersection.  At this point we notice a cop waving his hands furiously at us, probably telling us to stop.  We did not.  I looked in the side view mirror and saw him throw up his arms as if in exasperation.  

The next intersection was not Buckhead either, and at this point the Randy was telling us to make a U-turn if possible. (Not !)  It then guided us in a four street turn-around putting us back onto Piedmont going in the opposite direction, again toward Lenox Road (which it insisted was Buckhead).  We were glad to see the cop had abandoned his post by this time, and was yakking it up with some other motorists, allowing us to make the turn without a problem.  I had little faith in Craig's comment of "maybe he won't notice us..." I guess it turned out traffic was so tight that unless we had caused an accident, he let us pass.

A few more blocks and we happily found the ramp back onto I-85 and drove the remaining miles to the Warm Springs area.  

Monday night we were happily settled into our spot at our RV Park for the night.  

It was a harrowing day's drive, but we made it.  Luck and patience were the keys.

Someday I might look back at this post and laugh at myself.  But for tonight, I'm just pleased we made it without a fender bender or worse.

Question about Caravans and Albuquerque Balloon Fest

I have a very long bucket list. 

For years I have wanted to go to the Albuquerque Balloon fest. Now that we are full timing, I am definitely looking at going for the 2015 fest next October.  For me, once a decision like that is made, it is never too early to start planning, and or making reservations.

I have been looking at several Caravan companies, and at the Escapee's, and FMCA as well as just going it alone.  I know in the long run, you get what you pay for. The Escapee's seem to do a dry camp HOP. FMCA connects with the Fantasy Tours company, and I read about another company called Adventure Caravans.  Each has it's own draw. 


As of now, we are not inclined to dry camp. I hate running, or listening to others run generators. 5 - 8 days of dry camping does not turn me on.

Adventure Caravans is the more expensive than Fantasy, but it seems to offer the more. 

Has anyone had any experience, either with the Balloon Fest, or with a Caravan deal? 
 Like I said, I know you get what you pay for, I'm just wondering what we want. To me it seems like going with a professional company is much like taking a cruise. Sometimes I like to be taken care of. Sometimes I don't need it.

If you don't want to put your advice in the comment form, please feel free to email.  

Another

Another beautiful, sunny, cool day.
   Another drive along North Georgia's mountain roads.
        Another hike.
              Another waterfall, or two!

Life is really hard on fulltime RVers.

The trees seemed to have recovered from the rain storms. Many leaves blew off, but many more are showing their autumn color. As we drove, a new blast of reds and golds appeared around each bend. 

Did you know that the leaves are really always this color, and that it is only because they are full of chlorophyll, which masks the color with green all summer, that we cannot see it. Now they are getting ready to rest through the cold dark months. The chlorophyll production shuts down, and their true colors come through.

Our first destination this day was Anna Ruby falls. 

The walk to the falls was paved and was less than a mile, but was quite steep.

It ran along a fast-moving stream that tumbled over many large rocks.












What is a hike in the Georgia mountains, without a super-falls as the destination? Anna Ruby Falls is quite wonderful as it roars over the rocks.

Like a previous area that we've visited, AR falls is the junction of two different streams, that spill over the edges of a valley side-by-side, to come together at the bottom of their almost-separate falls.

There were only a few steps, but a couple of nice observation decks.  This big rock didn't want to get out of the pathway. I guess it liked the nice sunshine.

Our second destination for the day was also a falls. The path to it was through an open wooded area, above the creek that it spilled into.

We could hear the water, but couldn't see it for most of the 3/4 mile walk to the falls.

The upper de Soto Falls cascades down three or more levels. There are several smaller pools below what is shown here.  They signs say that the name comes from a suit of armor that was found near the falls, and was attributed to the expedition of Hernando de Soto.  It being late October, we think it might have been an old Halloween costume...











There was also a lower de Soto falls, but nature called us to the parking lot with facilities...

This may be the last falls we will be visiting in this area.  We are moving on Monday, and will be getting ready and watching World Series baseball over the weekend.  

I'm the small figure on the road,,,

The trails to and from both falls were through gorgeous forests.  It is hard to believe that conservation-oriented people think that human activity can produce more carbon dioxide than the world's plants can handle.  Look how many trees there are!  

It has been a good stay, in a beautiful part of the country. 

The weather has been great except for a few rainy days, but even they were a nice chance to just relax. I've been watching the weather in Florida, and know we are moving on into much warmer temperatures. It looks like mid to high eighties is the norm. That's fine with me. If it gets too hot, we'll just crank up the AC and stay in. I'm looking forward to seeing new parks and places.  Maybe alligators! 

See Rock City!

In my last post I mentioned that on our 1975 road trip, we had seen many roadside signs for Ruby Falls. Their main competitor for many years was Rock City, which is also on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. We learned that the promoter of Rock City commissioned the painting of "See Rock City" on over 900 barn roofs in nineteen states between 1935 and 1969. I wonder how many are left. 

On our way over to see Ruby Falls yesterday, we saw some billboards for both attractions, and bought tickets for both as a package deal. 

In 1855 a Mr. Myers described Rock City as follows:
Just imagine rocks fifty feet in height, piled against each other, forming as it were underground passageways; I felt as though I was wandering among the ruins of some giant's castle.  Not that the rocks at all assume any regular forms, but there are long passages between them, sometimes covered, narrow, and then suddenly widening into large halls.

Rock City is a garden developed among the many very large rock formations. Although there was a bit of autumn color, I imagine the place would be spectacular in spring when all the rhododendrons and azaleas are in bloom. But that is true of most of the South!

Paths and bridges wound in and out around the rocks.

This part of the path  went down and between the rock walls. A very fat person might not fit.  I felt good 'cause I did.

Around every turn and up every stair was a new view. Given a good imagination you could feel you were in another time or exploring the riuns of another civilization.

There is more than one observation point/platform.

One of the most notable features of Rock City is a large rock outcropping called Lovers' Leap.

It is said that on a clear day you can see seven states from up there. 















The view of the city below and the distant mountains was pretty good.

This is the platform that the man in red was standing on, in the picture above.

When we were on it there was a young man who was not very happy with the fact that it was suspended over the rocks far below! I felt quite safe.

Up on the top of Lovers' Leap is a small bridge that is near the head of a water fall. We talked with another tourist about where the water was coming from. We all wondered if it was it man made or natural.

Later I asked someone who works there and was told that although it is almost at the top of the mountain, the water flow is natural.

We could see the water splashing into the pool below by leaning over the stone wall of the bridge we were on.




This is a more distant view as we made our way on through the garden. The preceding two shots were taken from the bridge where the two people in blue are standing.

    

All in all we enjoyed our time there, with the exception of one feature that Craig and I differ on. That being the Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village. I thought it was past its time in concept and Craig thought it was fun. The many fairytale figures done up in dayglow paint under black lights in a dark cave space, were about as enchanting as Chuckie or an evil clown. I'm sure it was amazing at one time, but no longer.

Have you encountered any "has been" attactions in your travels?