Side trips to avoid the storm

Because we are careful about the weather when traveling, we decided on one last sight-seeing side trip on the way home. Inspired by a TV documentary, we veered off the main highway to visit Plains, GA, home of President Jimmy Carter. At the National Historic Site, we visited what was the High School, now the Visitor Center, arriving just in time to hear President Lincoln address a large group of students. He was quite impressive and very knowledgeable of the history of Lincoln's lifetime.

We also stopped in town to purchase some Carter Peanut products.

Following morning we stopped to see Stone Mountain, just outside Atlanta, GA. Grandpa B had always wanted to see the carvings of the Confederate Heroes....General Robert E Lee, General Stonewall Jackson, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Like I was inspired by my grandparents to visit various places, he was reminded of his relatives trips to the South. "They used to go to Florida and get inexpensive  new dentures and glasses along the way. These days we go to FL to buy RV's, " he joked!!

Our last night on the road we will stop in Akron, OH. Before leaving there Monday AM, we will stop into Sister Ignatia Chapel at St. Thomas Hospital to offer our prayers of gratitude for our good fortune, safe journey and happy adventure.

Homeward bound in our new Rig

This last week of our adventure has been full and busy!

Our last 5 days in FL were spent at Lazy Days, the largest RV dealership/campground in the US. We had gotten two free days when we visited their booth in Hershey, PA last summer. When I say big, that's no joke! This place sells an average of 900 RV's per month!! We got free breakfast and lunch each day, as well as time in the pool and jacuzzi.

So while I visited a friend in Tampa for the day, Grandpa B went RV shopping. He loves to shop! We had no intention of buying, but he found a deal we simply could not resist. So we traded the 2006 Coachman for a 2010 Georgetown with only 2100 miles on it! Previous owner had it only 5 months, and traded it on a diesel model, so he took the initial hit on the lost equity. And we got an extra free day to transfer our stuff into the new RV. Exceptional customer service made the whole thing a very pleasant operation, and we would definitely recommend Lazy Days to anyone interested in going to Tampa to buy an RV.

And Thursday afternoon, we started on our homeward journey. Just love the full windshield for sight-seeing.
So, here she is:

Have not come up with a name for her yet, but she is definitely "Beyond our Wildest Dreams"!!

Strawberries and sponges

I had hoped to get a photo of the "World Famous" Parkesdale Farms strawberry shortcake, but it was a bumpy adventure getting there yesterday. First of all, we had left RV and toad unattached, as RV needed fuel and maneuvering both vehicles in most gas stations is difficult, at best. So we each set our GPS and headed off separately. Well, they didn't match routes, so we were confused, to say the least. But as I approached the Farms, a motorcycle accident occurred just ahead of me, tying up traffic and adding to the confusion. So I cell phoned  Grandpa to wait at a nearby lot while I stood in a long line to order 2Shortcut Plus desserts for take out. Worth the wait! Yummy, fresh and huge.
www.parkesdale.com

 Today we spent the afternoon in Tarpon Springs, where the Greek community grew around natural sponge diving. The sponge dock area is a tourist attraction noted for ethnic restaurants, shops and harbor cruises. We also saw the Greek Orthodox church, St. Michael's Shrine, the bayous surrounding a lovely park and gracious homes. A Greek sampler platter including flaming cheese (Oopa!) followed by Greek pastries, and we were back at camp with full tummies and happy exhaustion.
www.spongedocks.net

Farewell to Mickey & Co.

Wednesday afternoon we took a stroll on Disney's Boardwalk. This is actually an area of Vacation Disney, with time share units among the 25,000 rooms available in Disney resorts throughout the property. Surrounding this small lake, which has boat connections to Epcot and Magic Kingdom, are Boardwalk, Beaches, Dolphin and Swan resorts. Along the boardwalk are shops (Disney retail is everywhere throughout the properties), snack bars, restaurants and nigh clubs for adults.

Thursday we did Disney Hollywood where Grandpa B rode the Tower of Terror Elevator. We took the back lot tour, saw the Little Mermaid show and the Beauty and the Beast Musical.

By now, we'd reached the Disney saturation point, and merrily went down the road to Winter Haven.
Here, where Cyrpess Gardens once thrived with it's water skiing shows and lush gardens with Southern Belles, a Legoland Park is being constructed. With that, I believe, Florida should become the Most Amusement Park state!

This afternoon we're going to explore Spook Hill in Lake Wales, hoping to find out if cars really do glide uphill on this road!

P.S. Yes, they really do!

And then we happened upon a wonderful seafood restaurant! Great gumbo, coconut shrimp with a Key Lime Hot Pepper dipping sauce (God, I wanted that recipe! Citrus-y sweet with a nice after bite of pepper) and lovely fried calamari with fresh marinara sauce.

Epcot

Tuesday morning we began our day at Epcot, where we saw Captain EO, rode the Future in the Space Dome, went Soaring, took a boat ride through hydroponic greenhouses, rode through Nemo's world in a clam shell, watched as Crush the Sea Turtle, animated, interacted with the children in the audience, had Mexican lunch in an Aztec pyramid, then rode Test Track! OK, that last one did me in! So we returned to the RV for a nap and to let my upturned stomach settle.

We returned to Epcot in the evening, where Bernie got some wonderful night time photos.

At 9 PM, tired and aching from 2 days of walking through the parks, we watched amazed as the fireworks, laser show, digitalized globe, and music filled the night air!

Today, we are too tired to do another park, so we'll save Disney Hollywood for tomorrow.

Doing Disney

Disney World is Amazing....and Exhausting!

We arrived here on Sunday, early afternoon, set up on our campsite, and decided to first explore Fort Wilderness. This is what one expects of an RV Resort! There are horses and ponies for riding, a marina, boats, bikes and Segways to rent, a pool with Splash pond, planned activities like crafts and games, and every evening a Campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale followed by an outdoor movie.

Bernie delights in seeing little ones enjoy themselves, and in offering to take family photos.

Monday morning we set out for the Animal Kingdom, which neither of us had ever been to. Imagine the very best Zoo ever, designed by imagineers as well as environmentalists, and you have the basic idea of Animal Kingdom.

Face-painting is a Disney art form here.

We enjoyed traveling through the African and Asian "jungles" to observe the animals, whom we noticed were much more active and engaging than in normal zoos. We attended a bird show and I got to play in the Africa band!

Best of all were the Musical shows, Finding Nemo and The Festival of the Lion King!

And, of course, a Disney Character Parade.

After a 10 hour day at Animal Kingdom, we fell into bed exhausted!

Sunset on the Beach

We have been hoping to watch a sunset on the beach since being in the Keys, knowing that on the Gulf Coast we would get our opportunity.

It was a challenge to find a seafood dinner, not because of the number of restaurants, but by the traffic,  crowds and prices. We’d missed “early birds” by mere minutes, and refused to pay $25 for a meal that 5 minutes earlier was only $10.99! But we did find a place that was affordable and amicable. Every license plate in the parking lot was out-of-state, and we chatted with folks from New England while waiting for our meal.

Then we raced to find a parking spot accessible to the beach! It may not have been the most beautiful sunset ever, and there was a very chilly north wind blowing right down the beach, but we enjoyed the soft white sand, found a sea shell, and connected in a way that only seems to happen when we share a sunset.

Manatee

Here in Florida, the most talked about and cherished at-risk animal is the manatee. These gentle, quiet, sea mammals are similar to seals or sea lions, but less energetic. So on Wednesday, after visiting my aunt/uncle in their retirement community, we drove to the Manatee Viewing Center provided by the electric generating plant nearby. This shallow, protected channel, is popular with the manatee families. We saw cows with their calves, as well as many older manatees. When in the open, manatees are often hurt by the propellers of motor boats, and manatee watchers learn to identify individual manatees by their scars.

We watched as fish schooled around each manatee, presumably to get a free meal of smaller critters which catch a ride on the manatees' backs. This, of course, provides an easy lunch for the local pelicans.

Under the Big Top

Did you ever want to run away and join the Circus?

Sarasota was the winter headquarters for the Biggest Show on Earth, the Ringling Circuses. John Ringling, with his wife Mabel, were not only the owners of this circus, but patrons of the arts. They built a magnificent winter home here, which has now become the Ringling Museum of Art, operated by Florida University.

The visitor's center, just inside the main gate, features a theater, restaurant, gift shop and library. Here you purchase your tickets to tour the Circus Museums, C'd'zan (their palatial home and gardens) and the splendid Museum of Art, featuring their impressive collection of old masters and statuary.

First we went through the world largest miniature circus, an 50 year, unending scale of the Big Top and all it's surrounding structures, circa 1920, the Golden Era of Circus. It's very detailed, and we had the honor of hearing the model maker's wife explaining details to a group along the way.They are still adding features. This display showed the teamwork needed to put on the huge circuses that traveled the country, and made me consider what it might have been like to actually run away and join in.

Then on to the Circus museum, which features all things circus, including ornate circus wagons, costumes, and other artifacts. Here we also had the pleasure of listening to the volunteer who has painstakingly restored the Ringling's personal Pullman car, which traveled along with the circus train from town to town.

Lastly, we toured their home, an ornate, palatial manor right on Sarasota Bay. The Ringling's entertained at lavish parties and hosted many important dignitaries, including US Presidents.

Edison & Ford in Fort Myers

On our way to our next campsite in Bradenton, we stopped in Fort Myers to see the Winter Estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. These two great inventors and industrialists were good friends and neighbors here in Florida during the winter months. The grounds are lushly planted, as Edison was trying to find plant sources for domestic rubber and Ford enjoyed gardening. Palms, fig trees, ficus, bamboo, and mango trees are just some of the plants here.

On the grounds are also museums with a restored Edison Botanical Lab. And, of course, a few model T’s, including one designed as a “chuck wagon” for extended family road trips taken by the two families. Rather like a precursor of the modern RV.

Grandpa's part

I snapped this photo earlier this week, and it speaks volumes about how B is spending his time on this trip! Sometimes he's like a kid addicted to a hand held computer game; sometimes he finds the most amazing bits of useful information. At times, I'm downright jealous of the attention that iPhone gets, or I get frustrated with our dependency on the electronic world and yearn for old fashioned common sense in navigating. Other times I'm so grateful when it leads us to the next gas station, WalMart or campground!

Yesterday was a housekeeping, shopping and beach scouring day. After dinner, I took lawn chair and light jacket to the local park where they had Movie-in-the-park night. Like going to the drive-in without a car!

This morning was cloudy and a bit cooler as we set off to visit my friends in North Port. And what a lovely afternoon we had with Paul & Dianna. Hopefully, they'll join us in Bradenton later this week for seafood dinner.

Super Bowl is on, but I'm enjoying hearing the neighbors reactions to the game more than the game itself. I do have a small wager on the Packers, however; sure glad it's one of those bets where I end up a winner either way (wink).

And I'm enjoying my second novel of the trip, Candace Bushnell's "One Fifth"

Bonita Lake Resort

As we drove across the Everglades, we did see alligators lounging in the sun and swimming in the canal along the road. Quite a few tropical birds as well, some sitting with their wings partly spread to show off their colors, likely in hopes of attracting a female. 

We aren't sure what qualifies an RV Camp to label themselves a resort, except perhaps full hook-ups, pool, planned activities,and a higher price, but this place is quite nice. An older park, where we seemed squeezed in because RV's are now larger and have push-out slides, but very friendly and with lots to do if you wish to participate. For instance, Fridays at 8PM is Movie night, complete with fresh pop corn. Tomorrow AM is a pancake breakfast, just $3; and Sunday afternoon a Super Bowl Party.

I took this photo at the little lake that the resort is named for, while taking a late afternoon walk. There I saw some very odd ducks, with faces nearly as ugly as a turkey, and I think a small alligator swam by too.

We are between Naples and Fort Meyers, and on Sunday we will visit my friends Paul & Dianna in North Port. Perhaps we'll check out the Regatta in Port Charlotte (a good photo op, no doubt) or maybe we'll just kick back and relax for a day.

City Lights

After a housekeeping day yesterday, we decided to brave the traffic and go see Miami Beach at night. The lighted buildings, myriad of people, smells and music made us glad we did! All along Ocean Dr, each little hotel has it’s own outdoor café with live music. There was one joint featuring female impressionists and a gay pride flag flying demo. Such a lively downtown atmosphere was fun to absorb.

Today we move on, across alligator alley to the Gulf Coast, Naples area for the weekend.

Happy Anniversary

On Wed, Feb 2nd, we celebrated our Third Wedding Anniversary by driving down the Florida Keys.

Route One begins in Key West and travels up the East Cost, 137 miles to Miami, and northward.

It was about a 3 hour drive down to Key West, over many islands and bridges, through small towns and resort areas. Locations on the map are listed by Mile Markers.

About another mile south of this sign, we visited the monument that marks the southern most point of the USA, east coast. Here we're closer to Cuba than to Miami!

There was a cruise ship in port (Bernie & I had been there on a Western Caribbean Cruise a few years back), so the town was busy with tourists. But that's what this point of land loves! We drove through the Historic and shopping districts, the pier area and met a few very colorful people.

Then we headed back north, stopping in Islamorada Key for a seafood buffet dinner and a moonlight stroll on the beach. A lovely way to celebrate a very special day!

Ah, the beach

Today we went to Miami Beach and Hollywood. But let’s back up a couple of missed days……….

On Sunday, we went to visit my friend Joyce in Boynton Beach. Joyce and I were co-workers briefly at DeGraff Hospital, and though we’ve kept in touch through Emails, we hadn’t seen each other in 11 years. It was so nice to finally have a face to face conversation, and for us to be able to introduce our husbands.

Monday was moving and set up day, also my day to not feel so well. I dozed through the 2 ½ hour trip to South Miami, where we set up at a County park adjacent to the Metro Miami Zoo. Then I slept some more.

When I finally awoke, we decided to go shopping. Remember, we weren’t going to buy our clothes along the way? But it seems neither of us packed shorts or sandals, because we’d kept hearing how warm it wasn’t in Florida! So, off to the Malls we went!

Now, fast forward to today. Miami metropolitan area is large, wealthy, thriving and traffic burdened! Took us nearly 2 hours to get over to Miami Beach (island) and the Historic Art Deco area. But it was worth it! This was the original tourist area, full of small, elegant hotels built in the 1920’s, across from a lovely park and public beach. The area is still in the process of being restored, and still quite popular with locals and tourists. We noticed a lot of neon tubes and mini lights adorning the facades, and wish we could see it in the evening all lighted.

At the north end of the island, stands a sculptured memorial to the Holocaust victims. Hundreds of gaunt, frightened, naked bodies are crawling up an outstretched arm bearing the tattooed number of a Holocaust prisoner. The surrounding pool reflects the misery and hope of those climbing toward freedom. There are 2 other statues in alcoves bearing quotes from Ann Frank’s diaries, as well as a black marble wall with explanations and names of survivors. A very moving monument.

And finally, our stroll on the beach! In our previous lives, we’d both been to Hollywood and walked the boardwalk there, so we wanted to see it again. And how it has changed! No longer wooden, it should now be called the Broad Walk! A wide expanse of decorative brick provides area for walkers, bicycles, roller blades. It spans an area between the beach and the very edges of the small hotels and vacation homes there. There is still an amphitheater and a new water-pad play ground about in the middle of the 2.5 mile trail. Also souvenir shops and lovely restaurants with outdoor and indoor seating. We enjoyed a sumptuous Greek lunch.