Making it back to Florida

I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. My fellow bloggers know how it is, the further behind you get on the blog the harder it is to sit down and catch up!

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Okay so let’s catch up. We left Sulphur Lousiana on April 10th and traveled with Paul and Paula to Mandeville, Lousiana and Fontainebleau State Park . We weren’t able to get two sites together as we arrived without reservations. In fact, we were separated by about 4-5 sites. Supposedly there were only four sites available when we arrived. However, on-line there were over 30 sites available the day before! We paid $20 a night for three nights with 50 amp. electric, water and WiFi. However, there wasn’t a sewer hook-up.

Fontainebleau State Park site 50

We spent three nights in Mandeville which gave us a chance to visit with my brother, his wife, niece and nephews. We also spent a day wandering the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter with Paul and Paula.

New Orleans French Quarter

Cafe Du Monde

Moving along, we traveled to Milton Fla. and Avalon Landing RV Park for another 3 nights. We paid about $39 per night minus a 10% GoodSam discount for waterfront sites with full hook-ups and WiFi. The park is small but beautiful and we’ve been here twice before. We had reservations so we were able to get two sites together. While there, we were able to visit with our dear friends, Rocky and Gloria and Paul got to catch up with an old Coast Guard buddy.  

Rocky and Gloria enjoying the afternoon with us.

Maggie

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t fully cooperating as we had a lot of wind but, we were still able to enjoy the beautiful beaches. The bugs were biting in the evening and were a fitting welcome, back to the State of Florida.

Paula and Paul on the windy Pensacola Beach

Our next move was to the Silver Star Ranch, home of our dear friends, George and Bonnie. Paul and Paula traveled with us for the last time on April 16th (more on that later). Just two miles from the ranch, my TST Tire Pressure Monitor System went off alerting me that the right rear tire on the fifth wheel was loosing air and down to 89 PSI. (cold PSI should be 110). I continued traveling slowly on the county road to the ranch as Paul and Paula kept an eye on my leaking tire. Once on the ranch we got Paul and Paula parked and then moved my rig over to the equipment barn where George removed the tire after loosening the lugs with his air impact wrench.  We discovered a large metal object stuck in the middle of the tread.

Paul and Paula's rig at the Silver Star Ranch.

Paul and I loaded up the Goodyear RST G-rated tire into his truck along with the spare and headed to a local tire shop in Bronson, Fl. The shop repaired the tire and I had them swap the wheels between the spare and the repaired tire thus, making the repaired tire the spare. This was at a cost of $45.

Back at the ranch, we replaced the tires and got parked alongside George and Bonnie’s home. The timing couldn’t have been better with regard to the tire issue and arriving at the ranch.

Sunrise at the Silver Star Ranch.  Our rig next to the house.

The horses, Prince, Ruger and Doc.

We spent two beautiful days on the ranch with Paul and Paula before they had to leave us and head north. We had been traveling companions off and on since July of last year and we already miss them. We've become great friends and we plan to see them again down the road. It’s a lot more comforting traveling with others as opposed to being out on the road alone. However, we were doing it alone before we met and we’ll get used to doing it alone once again.

Paul and Paula ready to leave us.

After Paul and Paula left, we spent a few more days on the ranch and called around the Jacksonville/ St. Augustine area looking for a campground that could take us for a month or more. Our plan was to spend some time with our daughter and son-in-law. Our first choice was Stage Coach RV Park. So, Joyce called but was told that our Boxers would not be welcomed as they are on “the aggressive dog list”. We were shocked to hear that knowing that our boxers could only lick someone to death! So after several more calls we found a campground, Frog Hollow Court Mobile/ RV Park that would take us for a month with our Boxers. However, there was a problem with the site as the previous occupant got his motorhome stuck in the sand trying to pull out. After a few days, the park called us and told us the site was ready as they had brought in coquina rock and limestone to fill in the site. 

Foul Weather Delay of Plans

February 24, 2010.  The day started off cold, windy and cloudy with rain expected all along the gulf coast.  We had planned to move west today towards Biloxi, Misssissippi.  However, the weather caused us to cancel our plans and extend another day at Avalon Landing RV Park.


Joyce went to a matinee movie with Ashley and I stayed home with Maggie and Rico and made preparations outside for our move tomorrow.  I checked the air in the fifth wheel tires getting a reading of 76 lbs. at @ 48 degrees F.  I aired them all up to 78 degrees and put the tire pressure sensor/ transmitters back on the wheels.  Max is 80 lbs. however, I chose to not go to 80 due to the cold temps.
  

I loaded the bikes on the rack on the kingpin and a stowed the satellite dish and stand. 

I also picked up our solar lights and other miscellaneous items in preparation for an early departure.  I had read on a Carriage RV forum of a potential problem with regard to the slide motors.  Apparently the mounting bolts for the slide motors may come loose over time causing slide retraction issue.  Based on that information, I check out the motor mount bolts on the door side slide and discovered they were each about a 1/4 to 1/2 turn loose.  So I snugged them up for piece of mind.  I'll be checking the other large off-door slide motor soon.  The bedroom slide motor is located under the bed and it's the smallest slide so likely not exposed to as much stress. 


That evening we took Ashley out to dinner.  Unfortunately, Andrew is now back in flight school and has a lot of studying to do for the next 6 weeks of this phase.  He decided to study instead.  When we got back we all said our good-byes.  I'm sure it will be a while before we see them again.


We plan to leave to no later than 10:00 tomorrow.   Destination is a Gulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou.  It's a first come first serve park, so we shall keep our fingers crossed!

Chillin and Truck Maintenance

February 21 and 22, 2010.

The last couple of days have been beautiful, with cool mornings, slightly overcast and moderate afternoons in the low to mid 60’s. 

Joyce took Ashley shopping on Sunday and I stayed home with Maggie and Rico, except for a short windy ride on my bike.  Not a whole lot going on!  Sometimes It’s nice to just chill.

Monday, February 22, I had an oil change scheduled for my truck.  I got out early and made a trip to Walmart to buy 3 gallons of Rotella T 15w-40 oil for my truck.  A good diesel mechanic at a Dodge dealership had recommended this oil.  

I got to my 10:00 appointment at Milton Dodge a little early. My truck’s manual says to change the oil every 6 months or no longer than 7500 miles.  The truck itself has a sensor that detects something in the oil, which will cause the “change oil” message to come on in the overhead.  I haven't seen that message yet!

I had the first oil change at 2500 miles.  Today’s oil change was at just over 6600 miles.  However, I’ve owned the truck for 11 months now.   Even though it's early, I wanted to get it done now since we will be traveling more frequently in the next few months.

Back home and after lunch, I set out for another bike ride of about 18 miles on my mountain bike.  It was a bit windy, but it felt good.

A Beautiful Day for Kayaking and Bowling?

February 20, 2010.  The day started out cool and sunny, but warmed to the lower 60's.  We did the usual walks with Maggie and Rico and then set them up outside in the warm sun.  Joyce wanted to do some laundry at the park. 


I unpacked our Sea Eagle 370 Kayak and pumped it up in about 20 minutes.  I then took it on a solo ride in the salt marsh behind us.  I wanted to have it ready to go when Ashley and Andrew visited with us in the afternoon.


I took a bike ride down to the north entrance of Garcon Point Trail.  I then rode the hike/ bike trail on my bike.  It was one of the wettest and bumpiest rides I've ever done.  The trail was riddled with lots of tree roots and small ditches.  I had to ride through water from 1 to 8 inches deep as there was no way to avoid it.  I made it to the south entrance without getting too awful wet and muddy.  I then rode the 6 miles back on the road.


Shortly after I returned, Ashley and Andrew arrived at our RV site.  Before long, Ashley and Andrew were taking a short cruise in the Kayak.

Ashley was not entirely comfortable with the idea of kayaking/ canoeing in the marsh as she has an exaggerated fear of alligators and sharks. 

 
Joyce and Maggie waiting on the dock for the safe return of Ashley and Andrew.

Andrew and I then took a ride in the kayak.
  

We went out as far as we could get into the salt marsh.  Eventually the saw grass became too narrow for us to go any further.

Afterwards we made an early dinner before deciding to go bowling on Whiting Field.  I had not bowled in over 25 years and it showed, I bowled a 102, 107 and 95.

Andrew was awesome he bowled a 230 on his first game, a personal best.  He won each of the three games with ease.  He didn't have to throw as many balls as the rest of us!

Even Ashley beat me on the last of the three games we played.  

Joyce played a consistent game and nearly beat me on the last game.  I guess I can forget about a second career as a professional bowler!


It was almost 9:00 by the time we got home.  We walked the dogs and called it a day.  A great day!

Good Friends, Spanish Fort Alabama, Bass Pro Shop

February 19, 2010.  Another cold but sunny morning.  We got a late start and took Maggie and Rico for a longer walk.  We had plans to meet our friends Rocky and Gloria at their home in Spanish Fort Alabama.

We left our home at 1130 and got to their home about 12:30.  We made plans to eat lunch at the Olive Garden.  We had a good meal and then drove over to the Bass Pro Shop.  

This had been the first Bass Pros Shop that we had ever visited.  It set the bar high as far as the displays and merchandise. 

We had been disappointed in the Bass Pros Shop in Destin as it did not compare!

After looking around we visited some other stores in the area.  It was a lazy afternoon spent window shopping with good friends and excellent company.  Before long it was almost 5:00 and we needed to head home to Maggie and Rico alone in the rig.

We said our goodbyes and hoped to see Rocky and Gloria Soon.  We made tentative plans to meet later next week in Biloxi.  We plan on moving on Wednesday to the Biloxi area.

Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore

February 18, 2010.  It was a frosty start to a beautiful day with highs in the mid 50's.  

We had made plans to take a ride out to the beaches of Gulf Breeze.  We wanted to tour Fort Pickens, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Our daughter, Ashley had decided to go with us.  Andrew had to work.  We went to Panera Bread for lunch before heading out to Fort Pickens.  The fort has one daily tour at 2:00 p.m. and we wanted to get there in time for that.  We took the drive out to the beaches and soon came upon the sign board for the National Park indicating the entrance prices.

The national park service ranger station is actually located about 6 miles from the fort.  It was about 1:45 when we got to the ranger station.  We paid the $8 entrance fee and were assured we would make the drive in time to catch the tour.

It was a long drive down what is essentially a large sandbar on steroids.  You could see the water on both sides of the road behind the sand dunes.

Obviously, blowing sand can be a problem as it gets blown over the roads.  We saw a bull dozer at work removing sand in some of the beach parking areas along the drive.

Hurricane Ivan had blown across the island and the Gulf Breeze communities in 2004.  It not only caused severe devastation to the local communities, it resulted in the closing of the Gulf Islands National Seashore for several months.  Along the drive as we got closer to the fort, the sand bar widened and there were some areas with trees.  However, most of the trees were dead or dying as they had obviously suffered damage from the hurricane.

Before long we came upon the entrance to Fort Pickens.  The original construction was completed in 1834.  It was built with the purpose of protecting Pensacola Bay from attack from foreign adversaries.

However, the only battles the fort participated in were not with foreign adversaries but with Americans during the civil war.  Fort Pickens was a union fort and remained such during the civil war.  The confederate army attacked the fort by land in and effort to overrun it.  However, that effort was unsuccessful and it never fell to the confederate armies. 

The fort was frequently updated with larger and more powerful cannons.  In 1886, it housed Geronimo and several other Apaches as prisoners until 1888.  Geronimo became a popular "attraction" for the Pensacola area until he was moved to Mount Vernon Barracks in Alabama. The fort remained active until after World War II when it was then deemed surplus and obsolete.  The fort became a Florida State Park.  However, Congress eventually turned the area into a National Park.

Ashley took the tour with us.  Here Joyce and Ashley are standing on top of the fort near one of the cannon.  Behind Ashley in the picture above is Pensacola Bay.  It should be noted that the length of the island sandbar has fluctuated over the years due to the shifting sand and erosion by the waves and storms.  Behind Ashley and Joyce in the picture below is the Florida mainland and Pensacola Naval Base.

The park had a large campground with several loops.  However, Hurricane Ivan had destroyed the campgrounds.  The park has been working to repair the camp facilities.  From their website:  Beginning February 1, 2010, Loop A with 40 campsites with water and electric will be available to campers while the rest of the Fort Pickens Campground is closed so that contractors can replace utilities. There is not an exact date that the main section of the campground will reopen, but it is expected to be by March 1, 2010. Though some parts of the campground may remain closed until the project is completed later in the spring, the majority of sites--all with water and electric hook-ups--should be available for use by spring campers.

All sites are $20.00 a night, and on a first-come-first-served basis. All campers must register at the Fort Pickens Ranger Station between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m

We enjoyed our visit as it was a good way to spend and afternoon. If you are in the area, it's worth the visit.  If we had time, we would have explored the miles and miles of beaches within the park.

Blackwater River State Park

February 17, 2010.  The day started off sunny with freezing temps over night.  Some of our neighbors had frozen hoses.  I've insulated mine with pipe insulation and so far have not had to deal with a frozen hose.  The wind was still blowing at 10-15 mph making the windchill very uncomfortable.  The day warmed to near 50!


The park was holding a coffee and donut social this morning in the rec. room.  We didn't want to be unsocial, so we took advantage of it and met a very nice couple who told us about some interesting places to visit in our travels.


We planned to visit some old family friends in Crestview, Fl. about an hour drive away.  We took Joyce's car and enjoyed the nice quiet ride of the new tires.  We took a detour to Blackwater River State Park.

Deaton Bridge Road cuts through the park which has picnic/ parking areas on both sides of the Blackwater River.  These are manned by 'iron rangers' that visitors use to pay the entrance fee of $4.

We parked in one of the parking/ picnic areas and took pictures of the river which was not dissimilar to the Suwannee River with some notable exceptions.   

Blackwater River has an average depth of 2.5 ft.  The banks of the river are shallow and flat in contrast to the steep banks of the Suwannee River.

Blackwater River is billed as "One of the purest sand bottom rivers in the world".   It's designated a Florida Canoe Trail.  

We passed the ranger station and gates in route to the camping area.  The ranger station was unoccupied with a permanent sign indicating the office hours from 3-5 p.m.  Another sign advised campers to find their reserved site and check back at the ranger station between 3-5 p.m.  I thought it was an unusual protocol.   Situated among longleaf pines are two campground loops with 30 campsites that offer water and electric.  There is a single bathhouse building for both loops.  There is of course a dump station near the entrance on the exit side of the road.

We took a look at the campground which was neat and tidy.  There were only a handful of RVs with many open sites.  The majority of the sites were filled with the small gravel, the same as the gravel on the sites at Grayton Beach.  These sites are available for $18 a night.

The park itself was small and some of the trails were flooded.  We had considered staying at this park, but had decided against it as we thought it would be similar to Big Shoals with forests and a river.  We were looking for something different.

I think we made the right decision for us by going to Avalon Landing RV Park as it's much closer to our daughter and son in law.   If the weather had been better, I think Blackwater River State Park would be great for canoeing/ kayaking.


On the way out of the park on Deaton Bridge Road, we came across a training field, part of Whiting Naval Station.  

Helicopter trainers were doing maneuvers.  We stopped to watch and took some photos.  

Our son in law Andrew will be participating in this type of training in the near future.

In the afternoon, we visited our friends Bob and Janette in Crestview and were glad to see that they are doing well.


We got home by 5:00 and made plans to do some more exploring tomorrow.