Back To Myakka

Sunday January 11- Its a good day to travel. No rain, not much wind and some sunshine. After Jeff did some research he found a different route, the good news is it cut off around 50 miles, the bad news is its a lot of 2 lane roads. We left around 9:30 and arrived a little before 1.00. We had to wait before going to our spot. Our spot is located in the Palmetto Ridge, the new area. Our site number is 88. Jeff did good on this site, its really big and private because its surrounded with trees. It was a little tight getting in but we got her in. Then we set up and unloaded. One of the things I love about this park is all those amazing trees. But with every park there are good things and bad things. The internet here is spotty at best. We even changed carriers and even with Verizon still no good. They do offer free Wi-Fi at the Myakka Outpost. I couldn't wait to go look for gators. I jumped on my bike to go down to the bridge. On the way I saw deer and turkeys. When I arrived at the bridge they were waiting....gators.

 

Another thing I really love about this park is all the wildlife you never are disappointed. It seems there are always some kind of critter waiting behind every turn or hiding behind a tree.


Monday January 12- Its cloudy out there today, I hope that rain isn't following us. I did get out and walk this morning, I took my umbrella with me and it had started sprinkling on my way back. We had planned to take Jeff's bike into town to get it worked on. He has tried to get it running right but no luck. While we were in town we decided to go check out a couple new spots. We looked at turtle beach, looks like a great place to launch the kayaks. Then we went over to Siesta Beach, its the biggest beach I've seen around here. This beach was so pretty and it was cloudy. I bet when the suns out its gorgeous. Hopefully we'll get to find out. We had lunch at Sonny's BBQ, it was good. We picked up a few things we needed and headed back home. Its fun to get out and explore for some new places.

Tuesday January 13- It was a real pretty morning and it makes me want to walk in the morning. The scenery is so pretty. When I got back Jeff had decided to do some more cleaning. He got up on the roof to clean it. I cleaned up the A.C. cover. It had mold and mildew on it. I used one of those mr. clean erasers. Boy do those work good, took all that right off. Didn't even have to scrub. Makes cleaning fun. well kinda. After cleaning we took the pups for a walk, the weather had started to change. The clouds were coming in. Still a good day we got some things done.




Wednesday January 14- It was chilly this morning. We had planned to go to the big R.V. show in Tampa. We went out for breakfast before hitting the road. The drive wasn't bad until we got close. Yikes the traffic was crazy....we were on the interstate bumper to bumper for at least 1 &1/2 hours. So aggravating. When we finally arrived and headed into the show we had to wait in line to get tickets.

Well after all that waiting we were ready to do some looking around. The place was packed, Jeff thought for sure they were giving away RVs, but that wasn't the case. We found a couple things we couldn't live without. We also got to check out some different RVs that we hadn't seen before. The good thing, I'm still liking mine. None I wanted to trade for.

If you are a people watcher than this is a good place to be. It was just too busy for us. We like people but not that many at a time. It was hard to look around in the buildings where the suppliers were selling there stuff. Then we didn't want to stay too long because of rush hour traffic. This was our second time to attend and I don't think we will make a third trip. When we got home we were tired. The dogs had missed us. So we walked them and called it a day.

Thursday January 15- Another cloudy cool day. Jeff and I decided to go back to the Canopy Walkway. We did this 2 years ago and I wanted to go back. We walked there, then you climb up a platform to the walkway that is suspended 25 feet above the ground and 100 feet through the hammock canopy. Then you climb up to the tower that soars 74 feet in the air to present a spectacular view of treetops and wetlands. With the weather, no crowds that's for sure.























Even with the cloudy skies the views were very nice. It was a bit chilly but the rain held off. I wanted to show Jeff a fishing spot, so we were walking back and both of us heard this weird noised. I think we thought a panther but after investigating we saw a alligator up river raising its head up and making these loud groans. Boy that was something to see and we did.

Friday January 16- Made plans to go to the dog races today. Jeff wanted to go to Bob Evans for breakfast so we found one close. I usually like there breakfast but I had the worst pancakes ever. Not a very good start to the day. We went to the matinee at the dog races. It was $.50 to get in and $.50 cent beer and hotdogs. The place was hopping. My favorite thing was the greeters outside. They had some greyhounds that were up for adoption. Boy it was hard to walk away from them. What nice dogs they are. We had a good day and the weather had changed. It turned into a beautiful day.

We even picked a couple winners, in this picture that was our dog #6. I picked it because its name was WIOWA SHIPPING, then when it was wearing hawkeye colors I knew it was a winner and it was. We aren't big gamblers, I think we had a couple winners and came out ahead. So that was a good day. We didn't stay for all the races because we know how traffic gets. We left just in time and missed most of it. We got home and the roast we put in the oven this morning was ready to eat. Don't you love a slow cooker.

Saturday January 17- Brrrrr it was really chilly this morning. We had planned to hike into the deep hole. We waited awhile to let it warm up. First we needed to get a permit for the hike. They only allow 30 people a day into this area. We hit the trail around 9:45. It was 2.2 mile hike into the deep hole. The hike is pretty easy its flat and easy to follow. I couldn't wait to see all the critters. Again we did this 2 years ago and I couldn't wait to see it again.

When we walked into the clearing we noticed all the gators in the water and around the shore. Then I noticed a tree that was full of roseate spoonbill. When we were walking I scared this one and it flew up to the tree with all his other friends. Jeff was checking out all the gators and we both couldn't believe the size of these monsters. We did run into some people there. We even saw a couple kayakers come into the deep hole. I was nervous for them. Its just amazing watching these incredible animals. I never felt threatened and I didn't want to leave.

We had to get back so I took one last look and we headed out, the walk back wasn't nearly as fun as the one in. It seemed long and had warmed up. What a great trip.

When we got back we had lunch and then we headed into town because Jeff's bike was ready to be picked up. He was really missing his bike in this area. There is lots to see and a bike is a great way to see it all. Oh what a great first week here. My only complaint is the time goes so fast.

Part 2 at Jonathan Dickinson

Sunday January 4- No rain this morning so we decided to load up the kayaks and head to the boat ramp in the park. We got in the boats and headed up the Loxahatchee River. As we were putting the boats in the water we spotted a sea otter, so the day started off good... a critter before we even left the shore. Our goal was to make it up the river to Trapper Nelson interpretive site...also known as the wild man of Loxahatchee. It was about a 4 mile trip up the river. It was a beautiful day and the river had lots of turns and curves. We picked a perfect day and even with it being Sunday, not crowded.

The upper Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River is one of the few wild and natural rivers remaining in southwest Florida It has remained virtually unchanged. The river winds from a completely freshwater environment to the saltwater mangrove community. There are lots of critters and the vegetation is remarkable.

On the way back we spotted a manatee and these crazy jumping mullets, and boy could they jump.

The trip down the river was a bit easier, there was a pretty good current that really helped us out. We had a great day on the river and would recommend this trip. If you don't have a kayak of your own they have rentals at the park, or you could go on the guided pontoon boat tour from the park.




Monday January 5- We got up and Jeff had me go outside to watch the space station fly over, you could see it very clearly. Then I looked in the other direction and saw the biggest moon, what a sight...or 2 sights. We decided to go for a walk, we found a nice path that went through the woods. Some of the path was sandy and some was paved. Very quiet and very nice. Makes you want to go for a walk. Today we headed to town to get a few supplies. Had planned on doing the lighthouse today but it clouded up so we decided to wait. It seems to do some kind of raining almost everyday.

Tuesday January 6- Another great day for a walk. I always do better when I have a planned route to walk, takes the guess work out of it. When we got back the weather still looked good so we headed to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. When we arrived we saw a bus so there were lots of kids there. To go see the lighthouse you have to buy a ticket and you take a tour. The ticket was $9.00 and our tour guide Wibb was full of interesting information. We picked a great day it was beautiful. Another bonus was this awesome banyan tree at the base of the lighthouse. Pictures don't do it justice.

After the tour, Jeff went in the museum and watched a short movie, I hit the gift shop. It had lots of neat stuff but one thing in particular..a pink flamingo which our granddaughter ordered. So of course I made a purchase. We headed back home and I tried to get the laundry done before the rain came, I almost made it but thank goodness they have laundry facilities here. I used the dryer to finish up.




Wednesday January 7-We decided to ride our bikes this morning. The more we see of this park the more we like. When we got home we both somehow started doing some cleaning. Jeff on the outside with some more waxing, me I worked inside.





Thursday January 8- There was a cold front that arrived last night. It was so funny watching the weather this morning. The weatherman said you better bundle up its gonna be cold out there with a wind chill. In his next breath he said the high would be in the high 60's. When we went out for our walk I put on a hooded sweatshirt and I had to take it off because I got hot. Boy if they want to experience cold they should head north. Took advantage of the cold weather and made soup for supper. Since the weather was cool and rainy we took in another movie. Went to see Wild with Reese Witherspoon...pretty good.



Friday January 9- Jeff worked on a year end report. I went for a nice bike ride. I took some different paths. Again I loved it.  I ended clear down by the river, a real nice ride. On my way home it started sprinkling so I picked up the pace. As soon as I got home the skys opened up and it poured. I'm glad I made it home before that happened.



Saturday January 10- Our last full day here at Jonathan Dickenson. It was a nice day so we got busy putting stuff away. Loading up the bikes and boats. Jeff has been wanting to go to Tiki 52 since about the first day we got here. Its a bar not very far from the park
with live music. He got on the internet to check out the music and its a good thing. The night he had picked to start was something neither of us would have liked. Tonight was different. When we arrived a big football game was going on so the music started late. The bands name was Killbillies. Can't really classify there music but both of us really liked them. It was a nice evening with great entertainment.

Well again those 2 weeks really flew by. It was our first visit to this park but it wont be our last. We will definitely be back. We love the park and what it has to offer and also love the area around it. So much more we need to see here...til next time bye bye Jonathan Dickinson.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2014 End of Year Recap

Well 2014 has come to an end and I am looking over some of our year end facts and figures.  I use these as I prepare our 2015 budget.

For people that like to track and compare these kind of things I have prepared a short summary of our 2014 activities and some expenses.

5095 towed miles

14038  miles driven

1102 Gal. Fuel   $4005.00

Ave Cost 3.63 per gallon

MPG  12.74 Combined

28 Campgrounds  $6117.00

13 States

We started 2014 in Florida spending time in 7 State Parks and 1 COE park. After Exiting Florida we made our way north stopping in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri and then on to Keokuk, IA to do our annual doctor appointments and visit with family and friends.

Mangrove trail at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo

Alligators at Myakka River State Park near Sarasota

Dolphins at St Joe Peninsula State Park

Alabama Space and Rocket Center  Huntsville,AL

We then traveled to Palo,Ia to Camp Host at Pleasant Creek State Park for 5 months and spend time with the Kids and Grand kids. On Oct 8 we headed south to Keokuk to attend a wedding and then straight east through Illinois,Indiana,Ohio,Pennsylvania,and landing in Maryland to spend a week in DC.

World War 2 Memorial

On  From there a week in Williamsburg,VA, a week in Kitty Hawk,NC and a visit with friends in Charleston,SC.

Yorktown Victory Monument,VA

Wright Brothers Memorial Replica Flyer

Meeting a Charleston Fire Fighter

With the weather starting to change it was time to get to Florida with  a repeat stop at Sebastion Inlet for Thanksgiving and then to Bahia Honda and Curry Hammock for most of the month of December, bringing in the New Year at Johnathan Dickinson State Park located in Hobe,FL just north of Jupiter.



Sunset from our site at Bahia Honda
 

Launching kayaks from Curry Hammock


 

Jonathan Dickinson State Park



WOW  What a year!



Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Sunday December 28-Its moving day, and going to a brand new place for us. We have heard some good things about this park so we are excited to visit it. The weather was good for traveling. We didn't have too much to put away because we had already done most of it. Funny thing I ran into a gal and her doggy this morning that were our neighbors last year at Bahia Honda, so I talked a bit to her. We hooked up and was on the road around 9 o'clock. Traffic wasn't to busy heading north til we got close to Miami. That wasn't the case for those heading south, that was a mess. We stopped at the travel plaza, just to check things out. When I went into the rig I noticed some water on the floor under the drawers below the refrigerator. After some investigating found the drainage hose outside was clogged so Jeff took care of that. I cleaned up the water and thought we were done with that mess. We found the park, found our site #78 and backed her in. The site is large but we still had some issues getting in....one of those days. This site is a full hookup...water, sewer, and 50 amp service. We plugged her in, set up the sewer and water lines and put the slides out. That's when I noticed the floor behind the sink and in front of the stove. This is hidden when the slides are in and so we didn't see that water had made its way back there. Well we have hardwood floors so now at the seams its bubbled up a bit. Yikes...not good. On a good note our little wiener dog Soffee is 14 today.

Monday December 29- Since we haven't had full hookups for the last month or so we had plenty to take care of. It sprinkled first thing in the morning but that didn't last long and was followed by a rainbow. I got started on the laundry and it took most of the day getting that done. Jeff was busy doing some cleaning of the tanks. We unloaded the boats and bikes. Jeffs still having issues with the shifting on his bike. He worked on that some. We got in the truck and drove to the other end of the park. There is so much to do here. There is a big education center that has programs and exhibits for all ages. You can kayak, canoe or enjoy a guided pontoon boat tour. The biking includes paved and off-road trails. You can climb to the highest natural point in South Florida by climbing the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower. You can also take a guided horseback riding tour. This is all inside the park....so much more outside the park in the surrounding area.

Tuesday December 30-We decided to run into town to Walmart and the grocery store. The Walmart was crazy it seems they are in the middle of a remodel and you cant find anything. Let me give you an example, I was looking at nail polish and across the aisle was the frozen food...kinda crazy. We stopped and washed the truck on the way back. That was really bugging Jeff, we did it together and it does look better. We made our way back to the park and then had to unload and put everything away. It felt good to get some things done. Jeff is still trying to get his bike running right. It was nice out there so we set outside and enjoyed the rest of the day.


Wednesday December 31-Oh what to do....its rainy today then it went to cloudy. Jeff went out and started washing the rig, it started misting and it pretty much did that the rest of the day. I made some caramel corn for our big evening tonight. It did stop misting long enough that we got the dogs walked. After supper we had an exciting game of skipbo...I won..Happy New Year to everyone out there. I hope you have a healthy, happy and safe 2015.

Thursday January 1-A new year so we both are going try to be a bit healthier. It was rainy to start but it cleared up so we walked to Kobe Observatory. It was a good walk, it was really hot and humid but we kept on trucking. When we got up on top of the tower there was a nice breeze to cool us off.

After our walk Jeff tried to get some waxing done on the rig between rain. I watched the winter classic...the Blackhawks lost. We had reservations for supper tonight at my favorite special restaurant. Jeff got me a gift card for Ruth Chris steak house. We like to wait til all the craziness is over before we celebrate. It was a great night and the food was wonderful. It was a perfect way to bring in the new year.

Friday January 2-Started the day off good again. We went for a walk but it was shorter than it should have been. We got to visiting with the neighbors, then the park ranger came by and we got to talking to him. We have been talking and we  think we are going to try to get a camp hosting position here in Florida. We talked to the ranger about hosting and he gave us the name of who we needed to talk to. No time like the present so we headed up to the Kimbell Center to look around and find out what was required as a host. We got an application and had a good visit with the ranger. The weather is a little iffy. Rain, sun, rain, sun. We took a chance and drove into the Busch Wildlife Preserve. A nice place to go, its free to get in and has lots of critters to check out. Its a rescue place so they do lots of good work. We got to see  birds, black bears, panthers, alligators, foxes, and sea otters. It was a good place to go and easy to find.

Saturday January 3-Again the weather wasn't what the weatherman had predicted. We walked but not very long. I came in and made strawberry shortcake and got supper ready to make. Jeff again tried to wax. We had planned to take the kayaks up the Loxahatchee river but we want a better day for that.  Jeff had a good idea....movie day. He found a theater and off we went. It was easy to find and its was a super nice theater. The prices are reasonable and the popcorn was great. It was clean and the employees were friendly and super nice. The movie we saw was Unbroken and its was well worth the watch. Both of us liked it. The Cobb Theater was located in a mall area but it was very unique. Lots of different shops and loads of restaurants. Jeff stopped at The Yard House for a beer before heading home. It has 130 selections of beer on draft. We couldn't help thinking of our friends Janie and John, you would love it. Since he got beer we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for a piece of cheesecake to take home. Everybody was happy and we made our way home. After all that popcorn, and cheesecake we took the pups for a walk or maybe it was more for us.

Our first week is gone here at Jonathan Dickenson, we are really loving this place, so bring on week 2 cant wait to continue to explore.