Our Road Trips

5/14/2016 5/1-15/2016

May is here and it is going to be a busy month. As we get set for several big events, we are also going to take some time to relax and get set for the summer. The first 5 days are spent with doctor's appointments, going to lunch/dinner with friends, getting a few issues corrected on the motor home & chilling. We also learned we had won the grand prize door prize while at the Orlando Firefighters Benevolent Assn. picnic...a free week at a cabin in New Hampshire at a time to be determined...nice!

On Friday, 5/6, we were supposed to be on our way to Flagler Beach but we had decided to postpone it a day and take in a Classic Albums Live concert at Hard Rock Live at Universal Orlando: David Bowie: The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Fun night of great music done very well...thanks to our daughter Lisa & Dan for the tickets & to CAL for the great show, we enjoyed the show a lot.

So on Saturday morning, we made the 2 hour trip to Flagler Beach and a 10 night stay at Gamble Rogers State Park campground on the Atlantic Ocean. This is our first time here. We have camped 6 miles north a lot of times, but never here. We have a nice spot, close to the bath house & the steps/ramp and facing the water. It is a horrible thing to look out at the ocean all day...well, not really.

Sunday was Mother's Day and we spent the day on the beach under our canopy enjoying the day. In the late afternoon, we came back to the camper, got showers & spent the rest of the day outside, playing Yahtzee & cooking shrimp & steak on the grill for dinner. It was a wonderful day.

On Monday, we are off to visit some more of Florida's State parks in the area. We visited 3 parks and then ended up in Ormond Beach at Outback Steakhouse for Bloomin Monday. Our friends Tom & Lynne Marine from St Augustine stopped by too and we had a nice dinner together. Then it was back to the camper for the night. Bulow Creek, Bulow Plantation Ruins & Tamoka Creek State Parks a very pretty places and all 3 very close to Daytona. Hard to believe these very rural looking places are that close to both a pretty major metropolis & to the ocean, maybe 3 miles from both in some areas.

Tuesday was more State Park exploring. We stopped at Flagler Beach on the way and had lunch overlooking the ocean & pier...nice spot. Then it was on to Washington Oaks Gardens & Faver-Dykes, which are both north of us and unattended on a Tuesday, but are both pretty nice places. The State Parks are not staffed like they should be, so the lack of staff is not too surprising. We spent the rest of the evening back at the camper.

Wednesday, I drove to St Augustine in the morning and together with 5 other OFD retirees, we replaced a fence at our friend Rob Mitchell's house so the dog has a place to roam. We all went to lunch and had a good time re-living old times & telling Rob stories. It was a good get together and we helped Rob's wife Sydney out...nice way to spend a day. Glad to be able to help.

Thursday, we drove to St Augustine and toured two forts, one a State Park & National Historic site, the other a National Monument. St Augustine is known as the Country's oldest city, so there is a lot of History there. Fort Mose (Mo-say) has an interesting history, dating all the way back to 1738, 38 years before the Declaration of Independence. Here is the story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Mose_Historic_State_Park. The Visitor's Center is very nice. Then we went by Castillo de San Marcos, a 344 y/o fort in St Augustine...over 100 years older than the US: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos. It was getting ready to close, but we spent a 1/2 hour looking around. We have been in numerous old forts and all are very similar in construction and design, that's why they all survived all these years. After they booted us out, we called & went to Tom & Lynn Marine's house and then went to Beaches at Vilano for some dinner and to watch the sun set...nothing like the Keys, but cool in its own right...nice way to end the day.

Friday, our daughter Lisa took the day off from work & drove up and spent the day. We took the canopy to the beach and spent several hours on the beach, just gabbing and enjoying the day. Late in the afternoon, we came back to the RV and changed and drove 4 miles up A1A to the Turtle Shack for dinner. While there, a big storm could be seen forming just north of us and it was fun to watch. We were sitting outside but never got rained on. Lisa headed home about 7 and we came back. I put the awning up and 5 minutes later it was storming here...lots of wind & rain. Perfect timing.

Today is just relaxing & working on this blog and watching a race on TV. I have a feeling tomorrow will be more of the same. The next two weeks will be pretty hectic and then we will be off on our summer cruise...166 days on the road, we probably need to just relax some more.

Stay tuned, we are just getting started.

Steve & Barb Larson

Rock & Brews owned by the band Kiss...in Oviedo

What a fun show at Hard Rock Live Orlando

This will be our view for the next 10 days

Barb enjoying a day at the beach

Fairchild Oak

Flagler Beach Pier

Wild looking storm brewing...not one drop of rain

Near Tamoka State Park

The road into the Bulow Plantation

Sugar Mill Ruins 180 years old

Barb being silly

Chier Tamokie

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Castillo de San Marcos

Bridge of Lions in St Augustine

Sunset looking through the Vilano Bridge

5/12/16 4/16-4/30/2016

After a great breakfast while looking at the Caribbean, we decided to just relax and enjoy our campsite and the beautiful surroundings. Barb sat outside in the shade reading most of the day, very hard to take. The breeze off the ocean is constant and very refreshing and it keeps the bugs away. The campground stays full with people from all over coming to enjoy the beauty of this place.

April 17, the day I officially become an old guy...65 years young. We both slept late and then drove to Marathon for happy hour at the Island Fish Company. Their big deal is a great place to watch the sunset, but this time of year the sun sets behind some houses across the bay, so it is not so special. We then drove across the street and south a few blocks to Sparky's Landing and had a nice dinner. It was a nice way to end the day, enjoying a fun spot with Barbara, couldn't ask for anything more.

We took another day to just hang out at our camper & relax. Being in the tropics gave me the urge to BBQ some shrimp for dinner, which was delicious. A lot more appealing than a cheeseburger in paradise. Barb spent the day reading brochures & articles by the tourism people in states we will visit this summer, out west. It seems there will be plenty to do wherever we go.

April 19 is our 47th wedding anniversary. We drove a few miles east to Lazy Daze and had a great lunch on the second balcony overlooking the Caribbean...very hard to beat. After lunch, we went looking for and found the Florida Keys Brewing Company, a micro brewery that only sells their beer from the brewery. So we tried several of their brews and made some selections for later. Then it was back to the camper for a bit and then across the street to watch another beautiful sunset. Nice finish!

After another relaxing day at the camper, we went for a ride on 4/21 and stopped at the Keys Fishery for lunch and sat again looking out over Florida Bay. What a great way to pass the time, enjoying the beauty of the Keys coupled with a great lunch. We then drove to the beginning of the old 7-mile bridge which has been closed to traffic since the 1980s. It is amazing that we actually drove across these bridges several times, especially this one and the Bahia-Honda bridge. We then headed back.

The next morning we are off to Key West & the opening day of Conch Republic Days, the annual celebration commemorating the April 1982 US Border Patrol blockade at Florida city which caused the folks in the Keys to secede from the union...read the story here:
http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm. It is a fun time, everyone is in the mood to party. We checked into a hotel and went walking towards the Sunset Pier. We made several stops along the way and enjoyed the Key West way of treating guests: lots of bars with live music, specials, and an attitude that they are glad you stopped by. We got a nice spot to join 1000s of folks in town to party but lined up to watch the sunset first, a Key West tradition that has been going on longer that we have been on this earth. It is amazing how everyone gets along and just goes with the flow. After the sun set, we waited for the crowd to disperse and then made our way to the Schooner Wharf Pub for the opening ceremonies and the conch shell blowing competition...what a blast. The guy who won had fashioned a home made trombone attachment to his conch shell...pretty clever. We then made our way to Capt. Tony's and spent a short time there and then hailed a cab ride back to our hotel. We had a night cap sitting by the pool...it has been a very fun day. Conch Republic Days are a celebration like no other.

The next morning after checking out of our room, we drove to Southern Most Point to see the long line for folks to get their picture taken at that iconic point, which the way I see it, is not even accurately at the right spot...oh, well. Then we drove to Truman Annex and stopped at the Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center, a free demonstration of how fragile the environment is in the Keys and how important it is to help preserve it...very nicely done. We spent 1 1/2 hours touring and reading to displays, very enjoyable. Then we drove to Ft Zachery Taylor State Park, walked through the picnic area to the beach and back to the car...very warm and calm. Then I got a PM from my cousin Don & his wife Debbie, who were in the Keys too, going to drive to Key West and stop at the camper on their way back to Ft Lauderdale. So we headed back north, stopping at No Name Key Pub for a pizza on the way. Shortly after we got back, Don & Debbie arrived and we spent an hour plus catching up. They were going on a 17 day cruise from Ft Lauderdale through the Panama Canal & back to LA, where they live. We are going to see them in August when we are out in Anaheim. That was a nice surprise seeing them. The last time I saw Don was in 2005 when my Aunt Helen died. That is what living on opposite sides of the US will get you, hard to find time to get together.

Last day in the Keys...14 days of paradise. We had been trying to find time to go to Pigeon Key and this was the last chance. They are only open on certain days and an escorted boat ride is the only way there. So we went to the Visitor's Center to learn there was not going to be a tour that day after all. So we drove back to Islamorada via Sombrero Beach and returned to Florida Keys Brewing to pick up a growler of beer for our son Mark. It was raining when we arrived, first time we had any rain the whole time down there...must mean it is time to go home. We went back to the camper and enjoyed the full moon rising over the water...beautiful end to a beautiful 2 weeks in Paradise.

The next morning, we backed up, hooked up the car and headed back north. It is with sadness we leave, for 2 reasons: We are leaving the Keys and we found out last night that a very longtime friend has been placed in hospice with pancreatic cancer. We have known Rob Mitchell since 1976. We drive slightly less than 1/2 way home & stop in Stuart again for a couple of nights. I tell Barb I think we should go back the next day so we can go see Rob. So, after a dinner at Outback, we get some sleep, Next morning, we drive the 3 hours home, get unpacked and get some rest, been an incredible 17 days. It is time to move on to the next adventure.

The next morning we drive to St Augustine to go see Rob. He has taken a turn for the worse. It is very sad to see. We only stay about 20 minutes, he is heavily sedated. He did recognize us and mention he has been following our escapades...all the cruses, concerts & the traveling. He also asked me if I was happy. Coming at that moment was awful hard to answer, but I assured him I was very happy. But inside I was not, because I was talking to my friend for the very last time. He passed into his next adventure a couple of days later. We will both miss Rob, a lot, but we also know that he is out of pain & suffering. Thanks for being a wonderful friend, Rob. I could tell Rob stories for hours.

The last 4 days of April were spent catching up on laundry, relaxing, doctors appointments and the preparation for our next adventures. It has been a fun month of April and May will be a hoot too. There is a lot coming up. The calendar is full all the way until November...Stay Tuned!!

Steve & Barb Larson