March 11, 2014   If you’re tired of reading about all of the wonderful places we have been going read on, you’re going to like this one.  If you have been to New Orleans and think it’s just wonderful, stop reading, you’re not going to like what I’m about to write.

This is the worst place I’ve ever visited.  It stinks, really stinks, like rotting garbage. The streets are filthy.  According to our “Buggy Tour Guide” New Orleans is slowly disintegrating (rotting) from infestation.  He named termites … and was vague on the “variety of other bugs and insects”.  My guess, for the BIG ONE he didn’t name would be cockroach.  EEEEYYYOOOOUUUU!  He pointed out small silver caps in the sidewalks that are full of insecticide (poison).  But don’t worry they are carefully monitored by University students.

The University of Boozers maybe?  If you are an alcoholic wannabe, come to New Orleans and your dream will come true.  Bars here are required to close down for ONE HOUR a year!.  On the day after Fat Tuesday (Ash Wednesday) all bars must close for one hour, so they can clean the streets.  We are actually here during the cleanest time of the year! I cannot imagine the odor during the summer heat and humidity.  People must either walk around with clothespins on their noses or the more scientific explanation would be drunk people lose their sense of smell.

I’ll get off my soap box and tell a funny story.  We are walking down one of the streets in the French Quarter. There is a young (maybe 20-25 yr old) dirty, unshaven, slightly intoxicated, WHITE male, half sitting, half laying against a wall.  He looks up at David and slurs “Hey Daddy! You got some cheddar to spread on this cracker?” I burst out laughing. David didn’t here what he said. He’s say “What?  What did he say?”  Good thing we had walked away before I told him what he said. David probably would have gone over and kicked him and told him to get off his lazy “butt” and get a job.  Then David would have got knifed.

Another memorable moment was when we were standing with a group of tourists waiting on a corner for our shuttle.  The group was approached by the most hideous, filthy “gray” woman.   She looked like she had come out of a graveyard.  She had sores all over her arms.  I kept thinking, don’t make eye contact, don’t make eye contact. She proceeded to lecture the group on safety tips for tourists. Men keep your wallets in your front pocket, ladies hang your purses across your chests … blah … blah … blah. As I slinked as far away from her as I could, her hand was coming out for a “gratuity”.  I didn’t look close enough, but I’m pretty sure her shirt said “Gratuities are kindly accepted and appreciated.”  That’s as common a sign here as “Don’t feed the alligators” is in Florida.

Travel Tale … Here’s the last funny one.  I have a ton of them, this place is bazaar.  We had coffee and beignets at the famous Cafe’ Du Monde. The atmosphere was fun. Lots of characters, especially the waiters and waitresses. My guess is they are hired for their ethnicities and character, there was a variety.  I was in the ladies room when David was seated and ordered.  One cafe au latte and two orders (6) of beignets. The place was packed. Waiters and waitresses were everywhere delivering trays FULL of orders to three and four tables at a time. We’re waiting and waiting and waiting.  I say to David “Are you sure you ordered? Do you see our waitress?”  He say’s “Yes, I ordered. No, I don’t see her.”  Then I see her coming … I KNOW this has got to be her.  Boom! Boom! Right down through the crowded tables. A robust Asian woman with attitude all over her face. All she has on her tray is our order, one cafe au latte and 6 beignets. The cafe is spilling all over the tray.  There are no checks here. When your order is delivered, you pay and you better have cash.  Ms Waitress of the Month says “$8” to David.  David hands her exactly $8.    She scowls at him and stands there glaring at him.  “I lean over and say “I think she’s waiting for a tip, NOW.”  David gets flustered and starts fumbling in his pocket for a tip, meanwhile the glare is almost blinding.  Thank God he had singles and didn’t have to ask for change.

In New Orleans you better have lots of singles, EVERYONE expects to be tipped and not in change. I heard a street performer yell at someone for throwing change into his bag.

This is our last night here.  Our plan is to go back into “the armpit” tonight for dinner.  Cockroach du jour at The Swamp. It’s a real place, check it out on line. It is one of the most disgusting places down there. Young people wait hours in long lines to get in. Girls and girls only are allowed to dance on the bar.  Only joking!  We’re NOT going there.

The place we’re really eating at is where Napoleon Bonaparte was given refuge in the city. It’s very historic and funky.  My meal will be liquid and I’m planning on smuggling in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my purse.

Note to Vegan/Vegetarians you would starve here.  EVERYTHING is made with sausage, pork, beef and seafood.  I don’t know where chicken went, I think the 20 pound Nutria (giant rats, that are also a problem here) must eat them.
My first restaurant meal here was a French Bread Pizza appetizer ($9) that I was told they ran out of sauce, but would I like tomato paste. I opted for canned diced tomatoes.
Second was a spinach salad ($8) that actually had a delicious dressing and crunchy candied pecans (I hope they were pecans).   Those were the only two things “vegetarian” I could find on any menu.  One waitress was quite perturbed with me, she was tapping her pencil on her pad and tapping her foot on the floor as I was looking at the menu. It’s all about attitude here in New Orleans!

We did stay at a very nice campground.  Pontchartrain Landing.   A New Orleans Waterfront RV Park, 6001 France Rd in  New Orleans  (Site # 82).

Next Stop … heading north

March 10, 2014  We have reservations at Gulf Shores State Park campground.  It is more like a resort than a campground. It’s big, clean and has every amenity that you can imagine.  Three lakes for kayaking, a pool, marina, golf course, miles of hiking trails, paved biking and rollerblading paths, even an Alligator Marsh Trail.  I biked jungle trails in the Everglades, but the Alligator Marsh Trail creeped me out.  I think they filmed Jewel of the Nile there.

The area is quite a bit more touristy than St George Island.  David and I both agree we could spend two weeks here and never put a dent in all the things to do.

Today we went to the Gulf State Park Fishing Pier. The pier is open 24/7 and has ambient lighting at night. The beach is miles of pure white sand, a beachcombers dream.

We toured Fort Morgan, where during the Civil War Admiral D.G. Farragut gave his famous order “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”  We had brought our bikes so we were able to tour the grounds without it taking all day.

On the way to Fort Morgan I had spotted a sign for the Pine Forest Trail.  David thinks I’m trying to kill him, but I “encourage” him … it’ll be fun.  A mile and a half ends up to be more like five. It went from dense forest to the beach, simply beautiful.  David survived and was treated to the best shrimp and oyster dinner he ever had at Bubbas Fish House.

Today we’re up at the crack of dawn to hike the Middle Lake Overlook .  I’m on a mission to spot an Armadillo.  Then we’re on the road to New Orleans and then we’re headed home.

We have to go home and rest. We are both laughing, because we are calling it a day earlier and earlier.  We should have bought stock in ibuprofen and muscle ain cream before we left.  I don’t know anymore what the date is, what state we’re in or what time it is. David says I have a case of C R S. …  Can’t Remember Shit!

Travel Tale … This is a funny story.  In Alabama people are very friendly. They also speak very funny and fast.  We go to the campground front desk to get some directions.  Bubbling Billy Bob pulls out a map and starts rambling and pointing all over.  I take a look at David’s face and almost burst out laughing. I’m understanding maybe every 3rd word Bubbling Billy Bob is saying.  I know David might be getting every 4th or 5th word. I think BBB realizes it and slows down a bit.  Now I understand what he’s saying. This is where the fishing pier is … This is where I live … This is where my baby brother lives … This is the road to Fort Morgan … You have to eat at my favorite restaurant it was built in 1818 …he goes on like this for what seems like forever.  We walk out the door and we’re both laughing.  I ask David “do you have any clue where we’re going?”  He says “No, but I know where his second son was born?”  Thank goodness we have a map.

What a good time we’re having!  Next Stop New Orleans.

March 6 – 9,  2014  St. George Island is beautiful. The ride over the causeway is an awesome introduction. We are staying at the St George Island State Park campground.  There are nine miles of pristine beaches.  The sand is so clean that when you walk on it it squeaks.  Miles and miles of biking and hiking trails.  If you’re looking for fancy restaurants or tourist attractions they are not here.  We drove 15 miles back over the causeway and on the Big Bend Scenic Hwy to Apalachicola last night to find a seafood restaurant.  We had dinner at Boss Oyster sitting at a picnic table on the deck overlooking the St George Bay. It was like going back in time to a fishing village in the forties and fifties.  If we hadn’t eaten too much and had saved room for dessert we could have shared a banana split at The Olde Fashioned Soda Fountain.

Our first bike ride takes us miles to the tip of the island and is a shell heaven.  There are millions of little tiny shells.  We can bike miles and miles here it is very flat.

Our only disappointment is it’s cold. The temperatures have dropped and it’s drizzling.  There are great kayaking opportunities, but the weather isn’t co-operating.

By mid morning we are able to go hiking. It turns out to be one of my best and exciting bird spotting days.  I got the most wonderful photos of a gorgeous male blue heron all decked out in his feathery finery ready to go out on the town to court a lovely lady heron. The miles and miles of hiking trails in the park are well maintained with lots of boardwalks and lookout.

Next stop Gulf Shores, Alabama

March 1 – 5, 2014  We say a bittersweet Goodby to the Keys and head on down the road. First stop, Krome Ave in Homestead, Fl. to pick strawberries, tomatoes and whatever else is ready to pick. After that Walmart to restock and then Big Cypress National Preserve.

We get a campsite at Monument Lake, site #5, right on the lake.  We watch alligators swimming around in front of our site.  We take a ride in the car to the Oasis Visitor Center and I get some fabulous photos of, what else, alligators and oh! some birds. Actually I get an absolutely gorgeous photo of a male Anhinga.  I’m thrilled.  Then it’s down the road to the Kirby Sorter Roadside Park. We walk a 1/2 mile  boardwalk trail out into the Everglades.  We see all 5 main habitats of Big Cypress hardwood hammocks, pineland, prairies,   cypress swamp and estuaries.  Another phenomenal job by Mother Nature.

Back at the campsite we have a dinner of fresh con on the cob, fried green tomatoes and fresh strawberries and ice cream for dessert.  We watch another beautiful sunset this time over Monument Lake.

Next Stop … Saint George Island.

Feb 20 – 28, 2014  We’re back at Fiesta Key and aren’t as lucky as the first time, we don’t get a waterfront site. It’s still nice, warm and relaxing.

We put our bikes on the back of the Volvo and head over the Channel 5 bridge.  There is no bike path that goes over the bridge  and it’s really not safe to bike with the traffic. So we park on the other side where the bike trail continues and bike 7 miles to Robbie’s. Robbie’s is a marina famous for feeding the Tarpon.  If you’ve ever come to the Keys and didn’t feed the Tarpon at Robbies you’ve missed out.  When we get back to Fiesta Key we round up John and Nancy and take them to Robbies.  If you think it’s fun feeding the Tarpon, watching people that have never done it is twice the fun.  We all had a ball!  The Tarpon are huge and they come right up out of the water and eat the bait right out of your hand.  Sometimes you feel “fish lips”!!!

We take John and Nancy into Marathon to do a little grocery shopping and a side trip to Sombrero Beach.  It’s a beautiful day for a walk on the beach.

David and I put the bikes on Half Pint and head over to the Marathon bike path. This is one of our favorites in the Keys.  You’d think all the paths would be the same, but the scenery is very diverse.  You may see beautiful homes, mangrove forests, ocean views, maybe even an iguana or two or ten!  After our ride we head to The Wreck for dinner, another one of our favorite places to eat.  We’re sitting out on the deck and this man comes in and hollers “Who’s Volvo is that in the parking lot?”  I panic because I thought he’d hit it. He may have been a we bit tipsy.  Nope, he didn’t hit it. Yes, he is a little tipsy. He has to come over and talk to us and tell us “when he had his PV544 story”.  We laugh together. What a character!

We spend our last day in the Keys Kayaking out to Indian Key. It is this beautiful “island” with walking paths full of plaques with information about  plants and History of the Keys.  There are ruins and lookouts that you can explore.  It’s an easy kayak ride, but from experience, take my advice, watch the tide.  We walk the boardwalk at Anns Beach and then head back and pack up.

We’re sad to leave the Keys, but on to our next adventure, Big Cypress National Preserve.

Feb 12 – 19, 2014  We traveled 35 miles south from Fiesta Key to Bahia Honda State Park. We have reservations for a week.  We have another awesome site, #16 in Buttonwood, right on the water.  The week is spent walking, biking, snorkeling and kayaking.  Our Sea Eagle inflatable is fantastic!   We have one windy day and head into Key West on the bus. We have Half Pint, but the bus is the only way to travel in the Keys. You get to enjoy the views, not worry about traffic or parking and you get to meet the “locals”.  We are creatures of habit and head to Fogarty’s for dinner. Mallory Square for sunset and The Bull for drinks and entertainment.  Our favorite singer, Sallie, isn’t working tonight.  If you close your eyes when Sallie is singing you’d think Janis Joplin was alive and belting out the tunes.  In between all that, we walked to the Southern Most Point and passed Ernest Hemingway’s House. Key West is great fun.  There is something for everyone there.  I’m sure it gets crazy, but we’re home before midnight.

Valentines Day we go to a Luau at Fiesta Key with John and Nancy.  We entered a dance contest and won consolation prizes. Everybody that was dancing did. They roasted a pig, which I’m told was delicious. I’m still vegetarian and stuck with the rice and fruit.

Sunday we go to Church at St. Paul’s. The priest should have been a comedian. He had the entire congregation’s attention from the minute he started speaking.   He gave the best sermon I’ve heard in a long time.  We go back to the flea market and No Name Pub, but this time for lunch. Gotta mix it up a bit.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night to high winds and torrential downpours.  I was ready to put on my lifejacket, but it was in the Volvo, so I rolled over and went back to sleep.  It was still yicky this morning so we went for a walk around the marina. This gigantic manatee was hanging around the boats. As we approached, I saw all the propeller scars on her back and almost cried.  She was trying to drink the fresh water run off from a boat.  David turned on a water faucet and directed the flow toward her.  She came over and was almost drinking out of his hand. She turned and rolled enjoying the treat.

We attend a Ranger led “Star Party”.  We star gaze and listen to a talk on the “Sky”.  We saw Orions belt, Beetlejuice, and Jupiter.  National and Florida State Park Rangers are the best.  I have started photographing and identifying water birds and a few spiders. I spend a lot of time in the Nature Center and the Rangers at the desk are so nice and helpful.  If I were young and thinking of a career I’d want to be a Ranger.

February 19, 2014  We go back to Fiesta Key for another 10 days

February 1 – 12, 2014   I don’t think I will ever tire  or stop marveling from the views driving into the Keys. Starting at mile marker 110, let the views begin.

We are a little nervous. We have reservations for 3 out of the  4 weeks that we’ll be in the Keys at Fiesta Key.  It is a campground that we’ve never been to and has been recently bought by a conglomerate.  We got an unbelievable rate per week at a camping show.  Another Adventure!

At mile marker 70 we turn into “paradise”.  Our first impression is good. I’m not saying the whole impression is favorable, but efforts to improve are noticeable. BUT, big BUT, Mother Nature does not let us down. Our sit #575 is waterfront, with the best ocean view we’ve ever had at a campground.  We are facing “sunset”.  Our front yard is an awesome “all natural” aquarium.  We watched two horseshoe crabs being romantic while one was being ridden by a conch. We have very nice neighbors from Nashville, TN.

Feb 2, 2014  We bike out to the road and get on a very nice paved bike path. Seven miles from mm 70 to mm 63 to the Conch Key bridge. We bike, still on the bike path, 2 miles of beautiful, beautiful ocean views from the bridge. We stop to watch 4 Cubans trying to catch a Nurse Shark.  The shark probably weighed as much as all 4 of them together. There was no way they were going to bring this shark in, it was playing with them. This was one better than watching a Three Stooges episode.  At one point, one of the guys looks at me, I’m taking photos of the shark.  He yells to me “Hey lady, take a picture of us 4 Cubans!”    They stop and pose. I take the photo and they go back to there nonsense.

We have developed “Key Disease”.  We have no concept of day or time. Every moment is enjoyable.  We meet 2 old friends of David’s from Connecticut. We’ve met many new friends.  I played mahjong at the Marathon Yacht Club and plan on going back next Tuesday.  David went fishing on a charter and caught 16 yellowtail fish.

There is a  Mexican Pot Luck dinner tonight at the campground.  David has been on a mission researching inflatable Kayaks. He ordered a Sea Eagle 370 Pro Pack. We can’t  wait for it to arrive.

Feb 8, 2014  David’s cousin’s John and Nancy are coming today.  We ride our bikes  out to the Channel 5 bridge, mm 71.  It’s going to be fun being “tour guides”. They have never been to the Keys before.  We go to the Big Pine Flea Market, Lunch at No Name Pub, Key Deer viewing and introduce them to some of our friends that live in the Keys.  We go to Church at San Pablo.  Every day Nancy and I do water aerobics and John and David “sunbathe”.  The days are just warm, relaxing and totally enjoyable.

We spend 12 days at Fiesta Key and then head to Bahia Honda State Park.  We have a week there and then will be back to Fiesta Key.

Jan 27, 2014  Enroute to the Everglades we hit our first traffic jam (accident) not a horrible delay, but Florida drivers are crazy!  If you’re a timid driver, take a bus.

***** What an amazing drive into the Everglades.  I always talk about amazing scenery.  This scenery is so different.  You hear about different species of flowers, trees, butterflies, animals, Mother Nature holds the Gold Medal for the Everglades.

It’s HOT!  It’s January!   We went from temperatures in the 50’s and low 60’s to high 80’s.  hot, humid and sticky, but it’s the Everglades.

Our first bike ride is the Guy Bradley Trail. One mile from the campground to the visitor’s center, all paved, views, views, views!  The Bay covered with Keys, an osprey nest, birds, NO snakes. I’m on the look our for the Pythons. I’ve heard all the hype.  We are on the lookout!

Our campsite is awesome. We have shade all the time.   We have signed up, in advance, for a FREE 3-4 hour Ranger led canoe trip tomorrow.  Today is  hiking and biking.

We ride our bikes to Bear Lake. The road to the lake is 4 miles. We are suppose to hike the trail, bikes are not allowed.  We take a look at the hiking trail … Holy Batman! It looks like a jungle! There could be anything in there, like alligators or pythons!.  We have not seen a single person since we got on Bear Lake Rd.  We decide we’ll ride our bikes and if we see people we’ll pull over.  We apply our 1/3 can of bug spray and off we go “jungle biking”. The trail is spooky, scary, eery, but a bit thrilling.  We ride in 2 1/2 miles to the lake.  We take a quick peak and head back.  We never see an alligator or snake. We do see birds and butterflies.  That was fun!

Our plans for the evening … a Ranger talk about “Romance in the Everglades.  Sounds good?  It’s all about the way critter of the Everglades court and mate.  After hearing how pythons, octopus, black widow spiders and praying mantis get romantic , I have a hard time sleeping. I didn’t mention at the beginning, but Flamingo Campground (where we are staying) is 50-55 miles into the Everglades.  In a vehicle it’s one in and one way out, Basically we are the minority among all the critters listed above and lots more, like panthers.

Jan 28, 2014  We wake up in the night to thunder, lightening and torrential downpours.  In the morning it’s drizzling. Will they cancel our canoe trip?  We decide to drive the 10-15 miles to our meeting place, Nine Mile Pond.  The Ranger is there and it’s a go, as long as there isn’t any thunder or lightening.  The rain stops, skies clear, but we have clouds.  Nice, no beating hot sun.  Perfect weather for canoeing.  Another 1/2 can of bug spray and off we go.  There are 10 of us (5 canoes). The Ranger, Mandy Clark,  is in a kayak. She is wonderful. vWe see endangered species of birds, lots of alligators, the biggest crocodile I’ve ever seen. I hear what I think is a giant bullfrog and Mandy says “It’s a  gator “bugling”, just like Elk do. We heard about this at the “Romance talk”.   Now we’ve heard it, awesome!  I hope this doesn’t mean we’ll see cotton mouth water moccasins, coral snakes or diamond back rattlesnakes. We’re on the lookout. We canoe in and out and all through mangroves and grasses of the Everglades. What fun!  Time to head back. Prime alligator sun bathing time!  On the shore, right near the canoe rack is a JUMBO alligator, sunbathing.  Oh, No!  Mandy says not a problem, we’ll just land  to the right of the big guy.  David and I hang back and let two other couples land first.  Now we have a couple of canoes between us and the gator. He is motionless.  I ask Mandy ” Is he a stuffed animal and the park staff put them there for our entertainment?”  She said “No, and I don’t suggest you get any closer than we are.”  I believed her.

We spend the afternoon walking with Ranger, Shauna, learning the history of the Everglades and about different birds and trees here. We see a manatee, more alligators, more osprey nesting. There are some pretty terrific National Park Rangers and programs.

Jan 29, 2014  Biking the Rowdy Bend Trail and Snake Bight.  I’m wondering if we’re pressing our luck here.  No snakes, so far. We had rain again overnight.  We bike 6 miles to Rowdy Bend and it’s wayyyy to muddy.  We head up to Snake Bight. I am really looking forward to biking there because I’ve heard of an awesome overlook boardwalk  at the end of the trail.  Hurray! It’s dryer than Rowdy. Off we go into the wild green jungle. The sign at the entrance says 72 inch path.  We were lucky if it was 20 inches in  some areas.  We did meet 2 hikers coming out and 2 on the boardwalk. This was a popular trail.  I’m thinking we’re crazy!  This is nothing like anything we’ve done before. It is so exciting. At the boardwalk it is low tide.  We have a view of muddy flats. How can mud look so good? On the way back we stop at a couple of lakes.  We see some very interesting birds and butterflies. One of our Ranger talks was on butterflies. It’s pretty cool being able to identify them.  We also learned about their host plants.

We’re almost back to the campground and David gets a flat on his bike.  Fortunately, it didn’ go flat on the bike trail. David would not have liked walking through the “glades”.

Jan 30, 2011  We have to get up early.  We are heading to another campground, close to the entrance to the Everglades, Long Pine Key Campground.  It’s a first come, first serve campground. still in the Park,  No hookups, but nice paved roads  and sites.   We set up camp and head into Homestead for a “work” day, laundry, shopping, post office and “pick your own” strawberries and tomatoes.  Where else can you “pick your own” in January?

We do all that and have time for a side trip to Biscayne National Park.  It is not a “knock your socks off” park, but like all National parks they have there own uniqueness. We attend a  Ranger  talk on the history of the park.  We also took a walk on a very, very nice  trail. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.  After dinner at Sonny’s Bar b que in Homestead we head back to the Everglades.

We have one more “must do” in the Everglades, The Anhinga Trail.  We pull into the parking lot and it’s like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds, excpt these birds are common buzzards.  The park provides tarps to cover your cars with.  The buzzards will peck anything rubber on your car.  We are not leaving Half Pint to the mercy of the Buzzards.  David and I take turns guarding the car and walking the .8 mile trail. I see more birds, alligators, butterflies and tourists then  I’ve seen anywhere else, at one time,  in the Everglades.  Still no snakes!

Next stop Fiesta Key.

Jan 26, 2014  We are enroute to visit our son-in-law,Chris, NINETY-NINE year old grandmother in Land O’ Lakes , Florida.  But first priority we need to find a campground for the night.

David and I love Florida State Parks. We have camped at many and have NOTHING bad to say about any that we have visited.

We get lucky, again.  The Ranger at Little Manatee River State Park, was awesome.  When we called the campground, not the reservation line, he said he had two sites available for “drive ins”.  Rarely will park personnel hold a site for you.  He said he’d hold one for us. We were able to have a fantastic lunch and visit with Nanny and then head to the park.  I’m convinced that Nanny is 99 and still going strong because of her upbeat, positive attitude. I don’t thing I’ve ever heard her complain.

Before dinner, we have time for a walk on the nature trail.  We would have liked to have rented a canoe and explored the river, but we have reservations at Everglades National Park.

Jan 24, 2014  On our way to visit our friends Lenny and Gerry in Hernando, Fl.  “Snowbird” season in Florida and we didn’t make a reservation at a campground.  The State Park is booked solid.  We try an old stand by from a few years ago,  Sandy Oaks RV Resort, in Beverly HIlls. They have ONE site. Hurray!  They are a little more expensive and much less “nature” oriented than the State Parks, but it’s a nice, clean park with friendly people and they have entertainment on the weekends.

Jan 25, 2014  We spend the afternoon with Lenny and Gerry. Gerry and I go shopping and the guys do car stuff.  We had a “mouse” incident and I needed to find a new a new comforter for the RV.  It was still cold and I got an awesome deal on a winter comforter.  We go out to dinner, make plans for the next day, to go to the Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum Car Show.  We make it back to the campground in time for Sat night entertainment.  Ronald Noodleman, comedian ventriloquist.   VERY corny, but lots of laughs.  The concession stand sold water, soda and beer … all 75cents.  Beer it was and Ronald was funnier!  We sat with a nice couple  from Michigan.  You meet the nicest people camping.

Jan 26, 2014   Hurray!  Finally a nice warm day!  We head out and meet Lenny and Gerry enroute to the Don Garlits charity car show.  We are in the 1964 Volvo PV544 (everyday driver) and Lenny and Gerry have there 1944 Ford (mint condition classic).  David is going to park in general parking, but Lenny convinces him  to park in with the classics. David was “tickled” when the 64 got as much attention, if not more than the 44.  David has an uncanny way of picking unusual cars.

Another fun filled day.  Next Stop Land O Lakes, Florida