...well, it continues except for this brief stop at a RedRoofInn in Jacksonville for Van Work...
But, despite that, this Blog is dedicated to the Campgrounds within the Florida State Park system. I have put up their link, because if you ever plan to camp in Florida at the time of year when most people want to be in Florida you need to get on-line and do the ReserveAmerica thing. These are some busy campgrounds. And really, worth reserving for. They may not all have the incredible naturally beautiful surroundings of some of those New Mexico parks, but for the most part they are pretty damn near the top of the list. Most of the bath houses have out- door sinks - where I can do the dishes a lot more easily than in the van - and many have washers and dryers, which is of course one of my favorite amenities. Some of those bath houses even have private bath suites (I know the door says "family" bathroom, but hey, we're family!) and all of them have been clean and well supplied with soap! and paper towels! The sites are generally large and, except for poor Jon Dickinson (which still remains booked every weekend), they are usually well screened with greenery. Of course we haven't stayed in all of the campgrounds, but overall I would say Prime. Thank you Florida! And of course now that we understand the necessity of reservations, things have been going very smoothly; doing it on-line is even better.
We have those much appreciated although begrudged reservations at two more of these Parks before we get into Georgia by Sunday - Little Talbot Island and Fort Clinch. Both boast the Atlantic seashore as one of their offerings, and we are all about that.
This time last week we were just getting to know Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine. We liked it so much, we went back there last night after going South to visit Florida's Space Coast. Leaving last Friday morning, after four days in St. Augustine, we headed in heavy rain to Tomoka State Park, about 90 minutes north of Titusville (where we were shunned previously at local RV parks...thank goodness). Tomoka was truly a jungle, which we didn't get to appreciate until the rain finally let up on Saturday afternoon. Florida really needs the rain, so we didn't complain about the extreme moisture or the amazing thunder storms, but we did realize that we have had very few rainy days on this voyage. We think maybe Vermont? was the last real episode of rain? Ruby hates the rain - she will not go out in it unless absolutely necessary...which of course it is now and then, necessary that is. So for a day and a half she did not get out much - which is probably why she ate my beautiful starfish that I had found at Anastasia. But really, we have mostly been dry - which is not a good thing for some of the places we've been, but sure has made for a lot better camping experience. I would hate to be a tent-camper in one of those down-pour days like last weeks'. I am definitely not one of "those kind of campers"!
The Space Coast - Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral National Seashore - are the pictorial focus of this Blog. The Space Center was a bit of a disappointment, really. It's an amazing place, with a lot of history and plenty to see and do...but...it costs a fortune, and if you don't get there right when they open, they have made it very, very difficult for you to see and do all there is to see and do. They schedule the I-Max films in such a way that if you go to one (and you are supposed to show up 15 minutes early to get a seat), you can't just go to the other one right after, it might not be for another hour or so. If you take the bus-tour - which of course you must - then you really mess up your schedule for a movie or one of the other scheduled events. It was very theme-parkish, and in some ways, a rip-off. It annoyed me that if you did one thing, you couldn't do another because of time issues. And it costs...minimum...$32 per adult. That's a lot of dough. We did the bus tour, one I-Max (yes, the 3-D one, as you saw in that opening photo) and some stupid robot show that I think was just to placate people waiting for the I-Max. And we were there for about 5 hours. (This is when Ruby ate the starfish - both times I took her over to the kennel for a bit of boarding, no one was there to answer the bell). Still, the Apollo Center was pretty cool - we both actually got choked up over there, when all was said and done - and of course nothing could be wrong with an I-Max movie about the Moon. But still...
Canaveral National Seashore, however, did not let us down. We went there in the pouring rain on Friday and never really got to the beach. But on Saturday, after the Space Center, we drove through the adjoining Merritt National Wildlife Refuge, and this is a spectacular place of wading birds and marsh land. We once more tried to spot some manatees, but in this we once more failed. We were too late to return to the Seashore - they close those gates at 6PM sharp - but we would return there in a heartbeat.
And Sunday morning the sun and blue sky returned. We drove North again to Gamble Rogers State Park to stay in their parking lot-style campground, overlooking the Ocean. Not bad, although the A1A was a little close; it wasn't until late at night that you could really hear the ocean from your site. We (Kevin) listened to the Super Bowl on Sirius Radio. Monday we returned to Anastasia to get the last site big enough for the Van - the season at Daytona Raceway is beginning, and parks all around there are filling up with Race Fans. Gamble Rogers was really nice though - if we could've gotten that same site (#34) we would have stayed another night. We were just over the dune to the Ocean, and while that is not Beach Camping as we know it, it is the next best thing. We could walk Ruby on the Flagler County Beach, just down the road from Gamble Rogers, and just beyond that was another State Park with miles of undeveloped Atlantic coastline. Overall, not a bad stay.
Now, as we enter our last month on the road, our thoughts are beginning to turn in that direction. Personally, as some of you know, I am looking forward to several aspects of the return home. Bed and Bath remain at the top of that list, friends and family a close second. (ha ha). Plus we have our next project at Radcliff Mill to think and talk about - we are very excited about that and all it entails. It is hard to believe this year is drawing to a close - and I really don't want it to - but it is exciting to think about what we will be doing when we get back to Kent County. I think it it pretty good that we are actually looking forward to returning to our lives post-WeGo, and not dreading it! We have a great life there in the Land Of Pleasant Living, and frankly, we haven't found any other place during this year-long saga where we'd rather be. That's lucky, eh?
A few Pics to Post now. Bye, from Jacksonville Florida, until next WeMeet.
