Two Weeks in One Place

Today is the last day of our two week stay in Florida. I have to say the two week “experiment “was a huge success. We felt like we got to experience this state park, and the surrounding towns, in a way we haven’t before, while still having plenty of free time to relax and unwind. We did things we knew we’d love like mountain biking and hiking but also spent more time in Milton, FL (riding their Heritage Trail) and even drove to Pensacola for a day on the “real “ beach.

  

It was nice seeing the ocean but my favorite beach days were on the banks of the Blackwater River with Starbaby....even after seeing the parks resident alligator in an Oxbow Lake.

Another nice thing about staying in one place a bit longer was getting to know a wide assortment of fellow campers. We loved meeting Roland and Lynn who invited us over to talk about the meaning of life.Scott and Karen who shared their campfire and homemade cheesecake. Joel and Alex who had great camping tips and blueberry cobbler. Mike and Sheila escaping Wisconsin’s cold. Linda and her brother Bill, and Eric and Kathy who had their campers out for the first time. I can’t decide if only nice people camp or if camping makes people nice.

Consumerism

Every trip offers opportunities for learning new things. We thought we had a “varmit” proof outside trash can but discovered, on this trip, it’s not raccoon proof. The real irony was after Mark went out, in the middle of the night, to confront the rascal, the raccoon was peeping at him from underneath the camper. Mark is now questioning how cute my new bolster pillow is.

Speaking of new things, I thought buying a 19 foot trailer would be wonderful for curbing my desire to shop for “stuff “ because there just isn’t room to store things. However, I’m constantly being tempted to purchase retro/vintage items on Etsy. I love my new/used diner dinner plates and aluminum tumblers.

February-May 2018 Trip

Our last trip began with a solar eclipse at our son’s home in Tennessee. We kicked this trip off by first visiting our daughter’s family in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. After a fun filled few days we headed to Blackwater River State Park. Blackwater is a park we have been to before but decided we wanted to revisit. We thought it would be a good place to see how we like being in one spot for two weeks. The night before we arrived we received a call from the park staff informing us one road leading into the park was closed due to flooding. We are now so thankful we booked two weeks here giving time for the flood waters to recede so we can hike and bike along this beautiful river. Until then we are just 6 miles from the Florida Trail and Red Rocks Mountain Bike Trail so there is still plenty to keep us busy.

King cake on Mardi Gras Day

Hiking on the Florida Trail