#summer2021 Journey to the Keys, Day 6 - St. Pete to Marathon.

It is another day on the road.  The journey south continued across the Sky Bridge in Tampa, Naples, Ft. Myers and the Everglades.  The KOA was nice but we did not take advantage of many amenities due to time.  

One last look at the view of the lagoon from our site - DW 47.

Weather was clear through our morning drive down I-75.  We teased each other that we should stop and look at Airstreams. We filled up with gas instead.  Price seems to be holding steady around $2.95, at least in the Naples section of South Florida.  

Stephanie drove from our fuel stop and was at the wheel when we entered the toll road in Alligator Alley.  The sign - no gas for 50 miles!

After Alligator Alley we turned onto South 29.  Watch for panthers!

We got in 2 national park visitor centers - Big Cyprus Preserve and Everglades. 

Then in Homestead, Robert is Here Fruitland.  We bought a Mamie Sapote, a couple of mangos, and a dragon fruit.  The Salome we shared at supper. Then off to watch the sunset at Jolly Roger. It is going to be a wonderful 3 days!

#Summer2021 Journey to the Keys, Day 5 - Treasure Island and St. Petersburg

Early rising today.  Pancakes on the blackstone and then off to the beach.  We are about 5 miles from Treasure Island beaches so we went there.  The sand was fantastic!  

And for all our travels this was Sadie's first time to the beach!

After the beach we returned to camp, washed off the salt and sand, and headed back to Treasure Island to do a bit of shopping.  The view while I waited for everyone was great!

We didn't really find anything that interests us, but we certainly found where the big money lives!  

We came back to camp and walked and generally enjoyed the locale.  Supper of burgers on the Blackstone, and a boardgames or two at the picnic tables.  We plan to leave at 8 am ET, so we all packed a few thing away to save time in the morning.  

Florida Keys, here we come!  We did enjoy our time here at St. Pete, though!

#Summer2021 Journey to the Keys, Day 4 - On the road to St. Petersburg

Last night was a tough one in that we were in bed late after a late meal.  The bottle of wine didn't help either.  Stephanie was up a good part of the night with a migraine from the sugars in the riesling.  She is very sensitive to sugar.  But it was our anniversary and to celebrate we had a bit of wine by the light of a lavender candle.

All were ready to depart by 8:30.  We carefully navigated the washboard road (although the owner told us of another way out) and hit the road.  We decided to take Hwy 20 and Hwy 98.  Speed limits were slower but it was a shorter distance, and we travel slow with the RVs anyway.

Around noon we stopped at the Hampton Springs Hotel historic site, walked the grounds and had lunch.  The dogs appreciated being out.  Sadie rode with her grandparents for awhile from here.

We gassed up nearby at a station ($3.09) and waited on the rest while they filled up at Walmart.  I chose not to because I was worried about space.  A heavy rain started, but cleared quickly.  Stephanie took the wheel about half an hour later.  Hwy 98 is a really good road!  This is probably the most southern part of the South!

I have discovered that I prefer pulling on the smaller highways.  Less stress of trucks swaying you as the pass.

Sadie rejoined us as the traffic started getting heavy, and I took over driving.  The traffic through Tampa was heavy but manageable.  They have a unique road system here.

After getting setup at the KOA we had quessadillas for supper, then Sadie, myself, and all other except Steph went to the beach until dark.  It is the nicest beach we have yet seen. Parking was $2.50 per hour.

Once home against we visited and discussed the day, and turned in late.  Tomorrow will be nice in that it is not a travel day!

#Summer2021 Journey to the Keys - Day 3

Day 3

We got up early and prepped the camper to leave.  There was time to walk the dog to Biloxi Beach.  Cajun RV had breakfast Danish and coffee at 9, so we had a sweet roll and drove with the camper to visit some portions of Beauvoir that we missed yesterday.  We toured the museum and presidential library, and then walked to the cemetery.  It took awhile but we finally found Col. Prentiss Ingraham.  He is an interesting story; for all his wealth when death was near he wanted to be with his comrades in arms.  

We were on the road by noon, and we're able to meet up at the Florida welcome center with the rest of the family.  We bought a SunPass for the toll roads and set on down the road.

We arrived at our very first Harvest Host spot (Southaven Grace Lavender Farm) and heard the story of the family that runs it.  We shopped their homemade lavender products and then went to eat seafood and meet family in the town of Lynn Haven. The restaurant was called SimpliSeefood.  Not a fried item on the menu, and it was very good!  It was a good visit with good food. 

Then to Walmart to fill the tank and get a replacement for our bottle of broken Reisling.  We had bought it for our anniversary evening, but it fell and broke when the fridge came open. 

After our return we enjoyed our bottle of wine, caught up, and discussed tomorrow's route.  Tomorrow will be a long day.

#Summer2021 Journey to the Keys, Day 1 and 2

Day 1

The rain, which we thought was going to be an issue, was not, and we were on the road by 7:30.  Slow going, as we knew it would be, with an average of around 58 mph and 8.5 mpg.  The truck and trailer worked well together and we made decent time.  Two fill up over 423 miles, which did make for a long day.  

 The highway traffic wasn't bad.  Roads through Louisiana, on the other hand, were rough and in need of repair. The only construction that we hit was south of Jackson, Mississippi, though.  Our first night's stop was in Florence.

We stayed at Wendy Oaks RV Resort.  It wasn't a resort by my definition, but it was cute and I think they gave us the best site in the park - #15 @ $42/night.  There were Muskovey ducks all over and the large pond looked like a good place to fish.  The sitting area outside our door gave us the opportunity to read a bit.  There was some road noise but it didn't bother is, and we slept well.

DAY 2

We got up early and prepares to leave.  We did not unhook the truck last night because there wasn't much of a point.  Our intention was to eat at the camp anyway.  Stephanie checked the weather and there was predicted storms along our route of travel, so we were on the road by 9:30.  We hit heavy rains and construction around Hattiesburg and we pulled off at a roadside picnic area for lunch and a pit stop, and to wait it out.  These rains seem to be coming from Hurricane Elsa.

We got settled in at Cajun RV in Biloxi - $57/night, and rested with a gentle rain outside.  Around 3 pm we left camp to see what there was to see.  We are collecting fridge magnets of the places we go, so we went to a souvenir shop and got one for Biloxi.  Then, it was to Beauvoir for a tour of the Jefferson Davis home and presidential library and museum.  It was an excellent tour!  They closed at 5 pm so we shall return tomorrow for a visit to the grounds, cemetery, and book store.

After supper of bacon and eggs, we visited the beach.  Then home, showers, and bed for preparations for another day.

#Summer2021 Epic Trip to the Keys - Preparations

The month of June flew by with wet weather and doctor's appointments.  Stephanie's broken arm continues to heal but whether surgery will be necessary remains to be seen.  

And over Independence Day weekend we finalized preparations for our trip to the Keys!  RV style!

Gibbs Outdoors gave the camper a good check over, and we are now fully equipped with a TPMS system to monitor our tires.  

The weather my be a concern.  Hopefully not!  Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Elsa is bound for Florida and should pass by Panama City the day before we arrive.  Talk about timing!

Now for a truck wash and some last minute packing, a family 4th of July Celebration, and some last minute work to do.  

36 hours to blast off!

#Summer2021 - Purtis Creek State Park

In preparation for our epic summer trip we scheduled a few weekdays at Purtis Creek State Park.  Stephanie's broken arm meant a delay, so we postponed things for a week. 

In an attempt to photodocument our adventures, I present to you a brief video:

FFW at Putis Creek State Park