NBNC>Florida: March 26; return to home

March 26, 2014

The motorhome is stowed, farewells to the Brown’s and Florida as we begin our travel homeward at 4:45 o’dark hundred on this chilly Wednesday morning. An hour later we are traveling past Orlando seeing the muted headlights of commuter traffic coming toward us as they venture to their places of employment at this early hour. Somewhat guiltily, but not too much, we are glad we are retired and not finding ourselves in the snaggles of going-to-work traffic.

 

As we neared Jacksonville first light was just greeting us. The start of a new day began with shades of rose pinks on the horizon and in a few moments the sun was greeting us for the day. Regretfully, we watched the blue skies and sunshine of Florida in our rearview mirrors as we crossed the Florida-Georgia state line at 9:30.  Compared to our journey southbound in December, today’s crossing through Georgia quickly passed by in ninety minutes. 

We waved adieu to I-95 at 3 o’clock as we began our eastbound trip on routes 13 and 55 to Kinston and then onto 70 to home.  After twelve hours on the road today we arrived safely in our driveway.  This Florida trek totaled 1,675 miles of motorhome driving; 302 gallons of fuel; 32 total motorhome driving hours and 93 days in Florida area codes. We visited with high school classmates, retired workplace friends, rv club friends, and Harbourite friends. We dined and supped as far south as the Keys, gulfside near Tampa and central rural surrounded by acres and acres of strawberries. 

During our respite we observed New Year’s Eve and Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and observed also National Tortilla Chip Day during happy hour, National Goof Off Day when we had absolutely nothing planned, and National Take a Walk in the Park Day at Biscayne Bay. 

We begin our countdown of 259 days until we begin our next trek to Florida and stake our levelers in Florida City and create new camping memories. In the meantime, stay tuned-we will be packing up and gearing toward Syracuse in May to visit family and friends. Thanx for keeping up with us as we travel the highways and byways, the main streets and side streets of our beautiful country.

NBNC>Florida: March 20-22 2014

March 20 2014

Two Old Coots!

Along the byways of central Florida, we ride with Avis and Jim through the quaint town of Lakeland, where craftsman bungalows line streets surrounding Lake Mirror. We strolled Hollis Garden that has over ten thousand trees, shrubs and flowers. 

The gardens were established as “rooms” including the vegetable room, which is planted with wonderful heading cabbages, ripening strawberries and ferny carrots. The yellow, white and red rooms reflect colors of flowers and plants blooming in rich, vibrant colors. 

Channels of water through tiered courtyard fountains harmonize with serenity and stillness of this oasis in the city. We continued to Lake Morton where more than 200 swans nest and swimmingly reside. The swans that gracefully preen and drift across the lake are descendants of the first pair of swans brought from England in the early 1950s, whose ancestors are direct lineage from swans bred during the reign of Richard I. 

The goal of the day was to return to Goodson’s Strawberry Farm in Balm to eat their strawberry shortcake and pizza. We were surprised to see the parking lot full and a line patiently waiting to place their orders at one end of the building while at the exit patrons are streaming out with bowls heaped with freshly sliced strawberries and whipped cream generously covering cake.  

It is a good thing Jim was driving or we all would have been rolling back to camp.  We follow along the country roads through prairies and crossroads. One of which is a place named Picnic. The proverbial ‘wide-place in the road’ Picnic was settled after the Civil War and as a crossroads was the gathering spot for neighbors, who lived several miles from one another. Ergo, the intention of the gatherings was to picnic. Nearby communities along the Alafia River include Keysville, which is all of 91 feet above sea level, and Welcome. These small communities were at one time prosperous farming areas that produced potatoes, sugar cane and corn. Our one last, unplanned stop for the day took us off route 630, near Fort Meade, to Streamsong, an 80 million dollar golf resort designed by Ben Crenshaw.

After driving nearly five miles down a country lane we came around a bend that focuses on an ultra-modern and sleek clubhouse that enhances its natural surroundings and molds to the landscape. While we did not see the two golf courses on property we learned that the courses are considered in the top ten for the country. The evening closed with a round of shuffleboard between Dave and me. (Yes, Dave won both!)

March 21, 2014

Today we ticked off another mission; meeting with Linda and Ed in Okeechobee. Dave is Facebook friends with both Linda and Ed, having attended elementary and early high school years with Linda in Fayetteville. Our drive through the backroads of central Florida led us to the northern shore of Okeechobee. After a lunch at Applebee’s we all drove about 4 miles to the northern edge of Lake Okeechobee to an elevated view of the lake where a pier stretches over a fresh water marsh. On this overcast day the lake was looked like watered-down chocolate and in the distance to the south there were plumes of smoke that showed some cane fields being burned. After a farewell to Linda and Ed we traveled back to site 400 and the watching of some March Madness. On the way back to camp the sun was reflecting across the grassland prairies where herds of black angus nibbled on bahiagrass and were framed by tall sabal palms gently arched in the breeze. About twenty-five miles north of Okeechobee we pass the remote Kissimmee Prairie State Park. It is a five-mile journey from the main road to the park’s entrance so there was not much to see from our vantage point.  Along the way we saw an Amtrak service that sped along with its destination of Tampa. One of the small towns we passed through is named Lorida; could not help but wonder how many people think there is a typo when writing to this address-Lorida, Florida!  As with traveling across the mid-west, there too is a lot of land and acreage across central Florida that is isolated and secluded. 

NBNC>Florida: March 13-17, 2014

Thursday, March 13

On Thursday, in the warmth of mid-morning we trekked our way westbound with Avis and Jim Brown on route 60 to eventually find ourselves in Seffner, just outside of Tampa at Lazydays RV. On the way we found ourselves at the ear-popping elevation of 112 feet above sea level in the town of Mulberry, where in the 1840s the longleaf yellow pine was logged and Badcock furniture store’s base was founded. If you are not from the south, Badcock’s is a dealer-owned furniture store now operating in eight southern states. Also in this area of Polk County is the world’s most productive phosphate rock mining.  

We find ourselves in Plant City at the quaint Whistlestop Restaurant, where malted milkshakes are still made by hand using the old-fashioned stainless steel mixer with scoops of ice cream, chocolate syrups, topped with fresh whipped cream, stemmed maraschino cherries and reminding us of long-ago soda fountains. We made sure that we did not refer to our server as “a soda jerk”. Which reminds me, do you know where the term came from? The kids, typically guys, who manned the soda fountain, made ice cream sodas that had flavored sodas added. The soda was added by jerking the soda water spigot. Ergo, soda jerk. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program. All menu items at Whistlestop are homemade, including the breads and soups. While enjoying lunch we tried to count the railcars passing by on the tracks just outside the restaurant. The train was long, there was no caboose, and we lost count. 

 We drove further down the road a bit to the Plant City Farmers Market.  With over 100 vendors most of the produce is sold to restaurants, grocery stores, and hundreds of fruit and vegetable dealers that sell along the road sides.  A plat of freshly picked strawberries was purchased for only 8 bucks.

We tackled the interstate to arrive at Lazydays, an RV dealer with an enormous inventory of new and pre-owned luxury motor homes to travel trailers. The vast sales team of Lazydays should be wearing roller skates for the ground they need to cover. If we have time we will probably return; but not carrying our checkbook.  After drooling over motor homes we went to Parkesdale Farm to salivate over their strawberry shortcakes. Parkesdale, near Plant City, is the largest family-operated strawberry grower in Florida. On average they harvest nearly 3 million pounds of berries per season. Also at the stand are fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, we noticed quite a number of fruits that had been imported from Honduras. It is assumed they get their fruits and veggies from the farmers market that we just visited. Interestingly, there was a type of onion-strawberry onion- that had a nice, pleasant bouquet. A sign indicated the onions are grown at the end of the strawberry rows because of the amount of fertilizer and water needed to produce this small, sweet onion.

Sunday, March 16

We had a pleasant two-hour drive to Cocoa Beach, to meet with Don and Sherry Payment. Don replaced Dave in the fire department at Carrier when Dave was promoted to the safety division there, many moons ago. Don and Sherry are newbies to the camping world, having jumped in with the purchase of a 35 foot motor home recently. Don and Dave spent a few hours reminiscing about the faces and changes of Carrier, while Sherry and I traded war-stories of rv travel. We will meet up with the Payments again during our annual trek to Syracuse in the spring.

Being traditionally Irish the Costello’s displayed the wearing of the green and enjoying corned beef and cabbage with other fine Irishmen (and not so Irishmen) at the park. Dave’s Costello family (Gaelic pronunciation is Mac Oisdealbh ) hails back to the MacCostello land that was known as the Barony of Costello until the end of the 16th century in what is now part of Mayo. In 1565, their seat of power was near Ballaghaderreen, which is now part of County Roscommon. The Costello name is quite common in the area both County Galway and County Mayo. As well, there is a village in western Galway named Costelloe. 

Tuesday is a planned R&R day. It is alot to keep up with retirement!

NBNC>Florida: March 8 - 11, 2014

Saturday, March 8

We traveled with Avis and Jim westward along 640 and 672 today: destination #1 is Balm Florida, where we will lunch at Goodson’s Farm Market and feast on their scandalous strawberry shortcakes and Cuban sandwiches. We find the strawberries nearing their peak harvesting in the uncluttered, nearly weedless acres and acres of berry plants.



On the way to Goodson’s we pass through Fort Meade, a quiet village that dates back to 1849 and also the location of an 80 million dollar golf resort investment by Mosaic, the seventh largest landowner in Florida. The golf resort, Streamsong, recently opened on land long ago mined for its phosphorous.  The remaining sand piled up over five decades ago and resembling dunes now has become a golfing destination.

Sated seriously with strawberry shortcake (say that fast five times) we continue toward destination #2-Tampa Bay-where we will cross over the 4 mile long Skyway bridge. The cable-stayed bridge spans Tampa Bay and is a popular spot for filming car commercials. Running parallel with the new Skyway bridge is the old bridge, which is now the longest fishing pier in the world and is a great area for reeling in tarpon, grouper, red sea bass and (holy) mackerel.

We ventured to destination #3, the seven mile long Anna Maria Island, which makes up well-known towns including Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. We stop at Anna Maria to wiggle our toes in the warm sandy beach and find a few shells to commemorate our brief visit.

Further down the road, after trafficking through Bradenton, Longboat Key and Sarasota and real estate that proves that there is life after earning your first 5 million dollars. At the southern tip of the barrier island we stop at South Lido Park and enjoy the sapphire blue of Sarasota Bay and the majestic Australian Pines.

  Driving through Sarasota, the streets are lined with expensive cars parked in front of even more expensive shops and restaurants.  We worked our way over to Sun n Fun to check out this nearly 200 acre rv resort, only to be told we could not check out the park unless we first met with a salesperson (for the pitch) and then to be guided through the park by said salesperson. So, we graciously accepted their color brochure and said ciao.  Time to eat! We returned to Anna Maria Island to Anna Maria Oyster Bar. The place was packed but we got immediate seating and enjoyed a delicious meal. Our return to our campsite was guided by clear, starlit skies.

Monday, March 10, 2014

In the early afternoon we met Dave’s cousin, Gerry and her husband, Ron, in Lake Buena Vista, enjoying a few hours of conversation and being determined to see one another next year. After lunch Dave and I gazed across the man-made lake and realized this was the first area we were at in 1981 during our first of many visits to Orlando.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Our roadtrip today led us to a rural town named LaBelle, about 75 miles southwest, to meet Pam and John Sage. Dave and John have known one another for over twenty years as a result of their working association while Dave was with Anheuser-Busch.  The Sage’s live near Green Bay and during the cold wintry days of Wisconsin they take to the road and stay in Naples.

Our path today took us to the crest of the everglades where the landscape is noticeably changed from inland to marshland.  Along the roadside are silver oaks delicately laced with Spanish moss. Traveling southbound we find ourselves following the ridgeline that runs about 150 miles north and south. The ridge is considered the highest elevation in Florida, reaching up to the clouds by 312 feet. The ridgeline is where orange groves spread out for miles and miles, acres of acres.

LaBelle, settled in 1889 by cattle drovers and trappers, remains a small rural town surrounded by large beef ranches, including the Lyke ranch that has been family-owned for over a century and spans over 330,000 acres. Along the highway fence-lines we see Brangus calves and heifers graze on bahiagrass lands. The Brangus is a cross between of Angus and Brahman, that has developed into a breed that are all black and a sturdy heavy beef cattle.

Heading south, and then north, we see road signs indicating bear are in the area; previously on the list of threatened species, the black bears live mainly in the forested areas. We didn’t see any so I guess they were “bearly” there! 

NBNC>Florida: March 2-5, 2014

March 4 2014-Mardi Gras Tuesday

This morning we leave Florida City when it is 81 and blue, blue skies on our way to central Florida’s Rainbow Resort. This will be our third year at Rainbow, where we enjoy the orange-groved area, and especially our time with Avis and Jim Brown. 

On our way northbound on Krome Ave we will be crossing over several main intersections that travel east-west (or west-east, depending on whether you will be seeing a sunrise or sunset) including Tamiani Trail (Rte 41) and Alligator Alley (rte 75). How sad to see the refuse and litter strewn along the highway as we cross the intersection of Tamiani and Krome.  Everything from sofas no longer suitable for sitting, to refrigerators unable to cool your beer and tires de-treaded.  I doubt these several miles of rubbish fell off the proverbial cabbage truck; appears more that this garbage was pushed off an F150.  As we cruise-control along 27 we are fringing the most eastern boundaries of the Everglades.  Turkey vultures are perched on barren trees waiting for their roadkill buffet.  A perfect perspective of massive power lines stretch out across the sawgrass prairie.

We are curious as to the extensive canal system that runs parallel with the highway and curls its way transversely through the sawgrass. As a result of years of hurricane devastations, floods and drying marsh lands the Army Corps of Engineers began its construction of water management through the Everglades, however, their initial formation caused extensive contamination, unbalanced ecosystems, and re-directing of wetlands for agricultural purposes. And, of course, the lobbyists became involved on the political and economic issues. What was, at one time, a natural course of water flow south to Florida Bay and wildlife habitats, is now regulated and habitats abandoned.

We pass by the southern entrance to Lake Okeechobee which is about 35 miles long and 29 miles wide and averaging twelve foot in depth. The lake’s rim height does not allow us to see the massive body of water, which is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the country and about half the size of Rhode Island.  I wondered about how the lake became a lake. It seems just a few years ago, 6,000 actually, wetlands covered this region and the lake area was a shallow, dry depression. The water table in Florida began to rise (I think this is when Noah was building the A-boat) and there was more rain. After several more thousand years (give or take another few thousand) the lake began to form and the thousands of years of limestone deposits created a natural dike until it overflowed into the Everglades. The catastrophic hurricanes of 1926 and ’28, killing thousands, crossed over the lake creating a storm surge over the dike. Afterward, the Army Corps of Engineers designed the construction of channels, levees and gates.

There is a sugariness in the air. Across the acres of cane stalks we can see plumes of smoke where the canes are being fired up, gathered and dumped in collection bins that will be carted to the nearby Domino processing plants. Very appropriately, the Clewiston school athletic field is named Cane Field.

From sweet fields to sweet calf faces, we pass by the Graham Dairy near Moore Haven. The dairy herd counts near 3,000 head on almost 2, 200 acres and is one of the top dairy producers in the state.

As we nudge along 27 we skirt through small towns and villages, one of them named Venus. As we go by Venus there are two very noticeable features: one is we are glad we didn’t blink; two is the elevation to a minor hill is noted. We are now 112 feet above sea level. The landscape is becoming greener and trees are taller. Orange groves extending miles and miles lend the wonderful, sweet scent of orange blossoms. Three hurricanes in 2004 devasted nearly 40% of the citrus crops across Florida. The growers are still recovering. And now they face another challenge, citrus greening, a bacteria that is spread by a tiny aphid. The fruit of the tree does not ripen and mature to be harvested on these trees that are decades old.

After four hours on the road we arrive in Frostproof, named to entice citrus growers to own land in the area, having never had a frost, only to have had a killing frost a few years later. Settling onto site 400 for the next month we will be visiting old haunts, new haunts and enjoying more of sunny Florida.

NBNC>Florida: March 3 2014

First Sunday of March:  How long have we been gone? Sixty-five of our guess-timated one hundred day southern excursion. Just a tad over half way home; just a tad over half way from the beginning. Either end of the road we are having a good southern-winter escape. No ice, no snow, no freezing temperatures. Just gentle ocean breezes swishing fronds on coconut palms, sapphire skies dotted with billowy white clouds. 

Today we began breaking camp; stowing chairs, re-organizing basement storage areas, cleaning tables and grill, checking tire pressure on the rig. All the usual stuff to do before taking the slides in, the levelers up and hitting the gas pedal.  We are counting the days, only 287 (41 weeks) to get ready for our next expedition to balmy, sun-drenched southern state of Florida. In the meantime, Tuesday morning we head northbound to central Florida to the orange-groved area of Frostproof. See ya soon!