They Kicked Us Out!

Sorry I haven't give you any updates from Anastasia State Park before now, but things have not gone according to plan. After a nice Thursday, we were off to another good day on Friday. Sure, it was windy and kind of ominous looking with the impending Hurricane Sandy to the south of us, but we were all happy and getting to know each other. Everybody had a nice Friday, with some of our camping pals enjoying the sights of St. Augustine, others hanging out and visiting with each other in the park, and others checking out everything that the park has to offer. The rain had held off, and we were set to have a great evening. And then the park rangers came by and told us that the hurricane watch had changed to a hurricane warning, and that we would have to evacuate the park as soon as possible. Everyone was disappointed for sure, and surprised that a storm over 350 miles away would so drastically change our plans. It wasn't as devastating for Gary and I since we live right here in town. But others came from as far away as Tennessee to be take part in the fun. Gary quickly packed up for the short ride home. His usual orderly packing became a "put it anywhere it will fit" kind of thing. We had to go, and go NOW! Gary invited a few of the campers to stay at our house for the night if they wanted to. Most either went back to their own areas, or other campgrounds more inland. LouAnn and Dan (from Georgia) spent the night here in our guest room. Jim and Melodie wanted to stay with us as well, but Gary's phone was dead and he missed their calls. They ended up heading home. Gary and our guests had a good time hanging out and talking until 2AM! They came out to see me and my garage, and Gary spent the night in me as he has done for the past couple of weeks. Having LouAnn and Dan here helped to extend the abrubtly ended campout for awhile. They went to breakfast together this morning, and drove around downtown some. I went back to sleep for a few hours. I'm not used to being up so late. Our guests just left, so now Gary is unpacking the van while I catch up on e-mails and my blog posting. I've included a few pics of the beautiful but stormy beach that Gary took before we had to leave last night. What a bummer that we had to vacate, but better safe than sorry I guess.

Just Arrived At A.S.P. (Anastasia State Park)

We're here at Anastasia State Park for a weekend of fun with some of our camping buddies. A few were already here when we arrived, and a few more will be here later today and tomorrow. We have a beautiful campsite, and now all we need is some good weather. Hurricane Sandy is south of us out in the Atlantic, and I'm afraid that she will dump some rain on us. Such is life when you live in Florida. One way or the other, we will make the best of it. Until we know for sure how the weather will be, Gary set me up without my Halloween decorations. The few things that are out can either get wet, or they will be easy to pack up in a hurry. As you can see, Gary brought the portable ice maker for this trip. He has used it often at home, but this is the first time it has come along with us on a campout. Also, the little deck he built for me for my entry door was very popular and useful at the last campout, so it's back for another time. Our friends Richard and Sandy stopped by briefly, and Gary is about to go out and visit and take some pictures. But for now, I thought I'd share a few pics that have been taken so far. It's nice to have internet access right here at our campsite. I sure am glad that Gary got a little more tech savvy in his old age, and even happier that he's sharing his limited knowledge with me. We're a pair of old dogs that definitely learned some new tricks. More pics and stories as the weekend progresses, that is if Hurricane Sandy doesn't blow us away. Wish us luck!

Gold Head Branch State Park

After our glorious two days of camping with the mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs, Gary and I stopped for a night by ourselves at Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights,FL. It's a BIG park with nearly 2500 acres. From the ranger station at the entrance, back to our campsite, it was a little over 3 miles. I didn't think we were ever going to get there, but it was fun looking at everything along the way. Our campsite was large with lots of shade. I like that, and Gary always tries to reserve good spots that he knows I will enjoy. He does pretty darn well with that, especially considering he's not familiar with most of the places we go to. We arrived pretty late in the day, so Gary didn't have a chance to go out and explore and take pictures like he usually does. He made dinner and we watched Sunday night football together. It was a quiet and relaxing night. The following morning, I hung out at the campsite while Gary drove around through the park in the van taking photos. I thought he got lost since he was gone so long, but he finally made it back. Check-out time at the park is 1PM, and Gary had to rush to get me packed up and ready to roll. We barely made it out on time. This was a pretty and peaceful park, and it's less than 50 miles from home. I've already asked Gary if we can go back sometime during the winter when we can stay longer. I think he will give in and say yes, afterall, it's better than hearing me whine. I've been riding on my new axle now for over 400 miles, and other than a brake drum that is slightly out of round, everything is good. I am very happy to not be my saggy old self anymore like I was with the tired old axle that I used to have. I'm going to hang out and relax here at home for a few days while Gary catches up on some projects. And after that, we'll be off for three nights of camping at Anastasia State Park with a bunch of our friends. I can hardly wait!

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

What an AMAZING weekend! A small group of trailers got together for an invitation only event at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Gary and I were lucky enough to be included, and it was SO much fun! The park doesn't have a campground, but they set up a special area just for us, and supplied us with power and water. We were part of the 65th Anniversary celebration for Weeki Wachee. The weekend included a car show, free mermaid shows, and even a free lunch on Saturday for the participants. All of the trailers were on display, just like the cars in the show. We all know how cool trailers are, but the majority of people that came by didn't realize that fact. Nobody left without a smile. There were lots of questions, and a lot of oohs and aahs. I think Gary was pretty proud of me. Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any better, at the end of the day on Saturday, two of the famous Weeki Wachee mermaids came by to visit with us. They visited each trailer, and took lots of pictures with all of us. Luckily for me, the group pictures of all the participants was taken in front of me, WITH the mermaids! I gotta say, that was one of the coolest things that ever happened to me. I thought I was dreaming! It's hard to come back to reality after a weekend like that. Gary was very kind to me, and decided to extend the fun for one more night on the way home. He knows I love camping even more than he does, so we stopped for the night at another state park. I'll tell you all about that adventure next time, but for now, I need to get some rest. I'll talk to ya later.

The Sixty Mile Test

It's been a couple of weeks since the last time I escaped from the garage. Plans to go on another test run last week got derailed with Gary not feeling well. That's highly unlike him, and I'm glad he's feeling better. Before falling ill, Gary made some slight adjustments to my ride height and my brakes. With a camping trip across the state coming up very soon, he wanted to make sure the changes he made were working as expected. I'm happy to say that there were no disappointments. I kind of figured that we would go on a short test ride like we did last time, but this one lasted MUCH longer. Our first break was a rest stop on I-95, about 16 miles from home. Gary checked my wheel hubs to make sure there was no excessive heat from my wheel bearings and brakes. From there, we went to a HUGE subdivision called Flagler Estates. Gary has 2-1/2 acres of property there, and I had never seen it until today. It's a nice place to visit, but we're glad we live where we live. It's too far away from civilization for us. We slowly made our way home, traveling some back roads that I've never been on before. It was fun, and I enjoyed my time out of the garage. As a bonus, the temperature was in the 70's today, and that's a LOT better than the typical Florida heat. By the time we got home, we had traveled more than 60 miles. Now that Gary is happy with all the work he has done to me, I think we're ready to roll to our first campout with me riding on my new axle. I can't wait!