After a family-filled heart-warming Christmas in St. Louis, things were starting to look a bit wetter around the New Year. Historic rainfalls were falling on St. Louis and St. Charles. We were nice and warm and cozy in our RV at the 370 Lakeside RV Park (a fabulous little park where the staff even prepared us a homemade cookie tray for Christmas!), but if we didn't head out soon, it looked like the floods could impede our progress south. So wet and soggy as we were, we headed south in seek of warmer and drier climates.
The warmer came before the drier. We hit a Walmart for a night before we were south of Atlanta and made it to Indian Springs State Park in Georgia. The host couple there was very friendly and welcoming. He was from Quebec, and this was their first time doing the camp host thing. Although we do enjoy the convenience of pulling off the highway to stay at truck stops or Wally-Worlds, nothing beats hook-ups and the dark, quiet backdrop of the woods for a nice, peaceful night's sleep.
From Georgia we hightailed it south to Fore Lake Recreation Area in Ocala National Forest in Florida. From the outside, you might not know what to expect, but this campground was a diamond in the rough! Although it didn't provide any hook-ups, the price was right, $12 per night. And the weather was even right-er!
Marc enjoyed his relaxation in our hammock surrounded by saw palmetto and oak trees.
This was as good a place as any to celebrate New Year's Eve! We figured ringing in the new year in our RV with no electricity was pretty much right up our alley. All you really need is a bottle of bubbly, right?!
From there we headed to Everglades National Forest for a couple nights at Long Pine Key Campground. This is a beautiful campground with plenty of spaces to accommodate big rigs and tents.
We spent our two days riding our bikes around the campground, drinking wine, playing Sequence, and of course watching out for alligators! Of which we saw none, much to my dismay. :(
On the road into the Everglades NP there is a well-known fruit stand, or I should say a wonderland of tropical and exotic fruits! The Robert is Here fruit stand has been in operation since 1959 when little Robert Moehling was sent to the corner by his father to sell the cucumbers from the family farm. After an uneventful day and a box still full of cucumbers, Robert's father decided that Robert's lack of success was due to a lack of advertising. He promptly posted a sign stating, "Robert is Here," and lo and behold, Robert sold out of cucumbers within a few hours.
Almost 60 years later, Robert is still there on the same corner selling every tropical fruit imaginable from canistels to mangoes to star apples to sopadillas. My head was sent a-spinning as soon as I walked in! I had to limit myself to just what I could carry, but my-oh-my was it all delicious!
Our next stop on our Florida adventure was Geiger Key Marina and Fish Camp. This old Florida style fish camp sits 10 miles north of Key West on the very tiny Geiger Key.
Our site, while a bit tight as goes for all RV sites in the Keys, was beautiful. We could sit along the canal out back from our RV and look out onto the ocean over the mangroves.
There was a restaurant onsite directly on the water with almost nightly life entertainment- the spirit of Jimmy Buffet is alive and well in the Florida Keys!
Half the fun of driving Josie is seeing the reactions.
The other half is guessing whether or not she will start. :)
The view from behind our RV provided beautiful sunsets!
Although we enjoyed our time in the Keys, one thing we were a bit disappointed with was the lack of beaches. There are a few small beaches on Key West, and I believe there may be more accessible beaches in the northern Keys, but for the most part beaches (as we know them) don't really exist in the Keys. I even read that Key West ships in sand from the Caribbean to supply its own rock-lined beaches.
We did find a fun place to run the dogs and let them take a dip, however. This washed out abandoned road was located next to what is very generously called "Geiger Beach." Running directly alongside the Naval Base, this stretch was great for wearing out the dogs. It also provided us with our own personal airshow as the Navy fighter jets ran their drills.
Part of our excitement in visiting Key West was due to the fact that our Czech students had visited in September and set up a treasure hunt for us! We had a great time following their instructions to find their hand-written note carefully wrapped in a plastic bag waiting to be found.
One of the many interesting sights to see while wandering around the streets of Key West.
I don't know if you can tell by the tongue, but Lucy thoroughly enjoyed her time in the Keys. She is an island dog at heart.
Much to our delight, we got a lot of use out of our kayak in Geiger Key. We took it out on several runs, one time following inconspicuously behind a guided kayak tour to wind our way through the mangrove tunnels.
Marc got the chance to cast his rod a couple times as I enjoyed the sun.
After a week in the Keys, we headed north to south central Florida and set up shop at the Glades RV Resort in Moore Haven. For some bizarre reason, I didn't get many blog-worthy photos of our stay there. The Glades is a snowbird community of active retirees escaping the frigid temperatures of northern winters.
This park was filled with bike riders, pickleball players, and laundry room gossipers. This has got to be the friendliest RV park in the country. By the time we left, our arms were weak from all the waving hello!
We spent our time here cooking delicious meals and catching rays at the pool. Family friends Sandie and Bill call this park home in the winter months, and they made us feel right at home.
After a week at the Glades, we reluctantly trudged north into more winter-appropriate temperatures.
To be continued... in another sunny location.
