Return To General Coffee State Park

Gary and I have returned to General Coffee State Park in Georgia for our second visit. Of all the Georgia parks we have been to, this is our favorite by far. We're in the same campsite we were in before. It's as nice as any, and really close to the bathroom, although that doesn't mean as much to me as it does to Gary. There were several periods of light rain today, but that didn't stop Gary from checking the place out as much as he could. Surprisingly, he managed to take 186 photos, mostly of the lake and the farm animals. He fed Poncho and Jenny (our donkey friends) a bag of carrots, and is planning to do the same every day we are here. The donkeys are our favorites. He didn't take any really good pictures of them, but I know he will before we leave. We will spend four nights here this time, and we are already booked to stay here again at the end of the year. This is such a cool place, and there's lots to see and do. One thing I hope that Gary doesn't do is get lost on the trail like he did on our last visit. I was worried sick about him. He drove around today, and found the spot where he got off the trail and was given a ride back to the park entrance. It is SIX miles from here! No wonder he looked so exhausted when he came back to the campsite that night. I'll bet he won't do that again. It was kind of hot today, but I was partially shaded by the oak trees around me. As usual, I took a long nap while Gary was gone. I was tired from the road trip. I've attached a few pics for you to enjoy, and I'll do the same again tomorrow. There's no TV reception here, but at least we have internet. Bye for now.

Tomoka State Park

Our main reason for camping at Tomoka at this particular time, was that Gary was planning to attend the spring car show at nearby Daytona International Speedway. When he woke up on the day of the show, the weather didn't look good at all. He made the decision to skip the show. Instead, he explored the park, and spent all afternoon at various antique stores. I'm pretty sure he had more fun than he would have at the show. He saw parts of the park that he had never seen in our previous visits, and he returned from antique shopping with a couple of really cool items. It rained on and off all afternoon, but it didn't spoil his fun at all. As for me, I just hung out and took it easy at the campsite. There's a GREAT oldies station at 104.7 that Gary left playing on the radio for me to listen to. It's probably kind of odd that I like music that is older than I am, but I'm getting so familiar with some of the songs, that I find myself singing along with them. I have a TERRIBLE singing voice, and so does Gary, but that doesn't stop us from attempting to harmonize with our favorite artists. We're quite a team. I've included some pictures from around the park that Gary took while out and about. The first one is of Beach Street, which is the road that leads into the park. It's about a mile from the point shown to the park entrance. The coolest pic (I think) is of the Chief Tomokie statue at the north end of the park. The statue is very old, and has suffered from vandalism over the years. There was once a reflecting pond in front of the statue, but it is long gone. One of the park rangers told Gary that the statue will be renovated when funds are available. I hope that's true. It's an awesome piece of history that deserves to be saved. Tomoka Outpost is the building shown on the water with the boat docks behind it. It serves as the camp store and the canoe and kayak rental station. On most weekends, there is live music performed there. Tomoka is a laid back little park with nice campsites and facilities. Unfortunately, our two night stay this time was not nearly enough to fully enjoy the place, but we'll be back again next fall. It's less than sixty miles from home, so it's a good place to camp that's not too far away. You'll hear more from me soon as we get ready to head north for our final round of camping for the season. It's going to be fun!

North To Tomoka

One last parting shot of me near the bridge at Sebastian Inlet, and it was time to hit the road after three glorious days of camping. What fun we had! It was a nice day to travel, and our first destination was Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, FL. We visited the Ron Jon's in Panama City Beach earlier this year, and thought that was a big store. Ha! It was nothing compared to this one, which is the flagship store of the company. This place was HUGE!!! Gary picked up a few souvenirs, and we were on our way to Tomoka State Park. We have stayed at Tomoka many times before, but it's always been for the Turkey Rod Run car show at Thanksgiving, and we've always been with company. This is our first solo trip to this great little park. We usually stay in campsite #10, but it was booked when Gary made our reservation. He chose #9 instead, and I do believe it is even better than #10. Tomoka is vastly different from Sebastian Inlet for many reasons, but one is there are trees here. Oh, there were a few here and there at Sebastian Inlet, but there are LOTS of them here. I'm all nestled into my little shady spot, and I can recuperate from the sunburn I got over the past three days. OUCH!!! It was pretty late when we arrived, since Gary putzed around and took the slow roads to get here. But that's okay. We're in no hurry, and he likes to see as much as possible when we're traveling. After setting me up for our stay, he walked down to the Tomoka River to enjoy the sunset, and caught a glimpse of a raccoon on the boat dock. Another raccoon walked right past my screen door and didn't seem to be afraid when Gary said hello to him. WOW!!! More pics and stories soon. Anybody got any aloe?

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Day #3

The wind was still pretty strong on day #3 at Sebastain Inlet State Park, but the temperature had dropped considerably from our first two days. Since Gary and I prefer cooler days, we were thrilled. It was a picture perfect day, and there were LOTS of pictures taken. Again, I wish I could share more of them with you than the handful that I'm allowed. I seldom saw Gary except the few times he came back to the campsite to eat, charge the camera batteries, and download the pictures he had shot. He is really enjoying his new camera, and the picture quality is so much better than his old one. A big improvement for the park is the brand new Inlet Grill And Gifts building that is right next to the beach and fishing pier. It has only been open for two weeks. Gary says that the views from the second floor are spectacular. The photo of the fishing pier that I included in my last post was taken from there. The building replaces a 30ft. concession trailer that has seen it's better days. One of the squirrels that entertained me while we were here, was a very brave little guy. On several occasions, he walked right into me while the door was open. As you know, I LOVE squirrels, so I was happy he trusted me enough to visit. The day ended with a BEAUTIFUL sunset that looked SO pretty from our campsite. It was spectacular to say the least. Our three days flew by in a flash, and we were sad to have to say goodbye to this awesome park. But, I am sure we will come back here again. On to Tomoka State Park next, and I'll check in from there. Bye!

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Day #2

This is one of those places where photo opportunities are everywhere. Gary has taken over 500 photos, and I have really enjoyed each and every one. I regret that space is limited here on the blogsite, because I would LOVE to show you ALL of them. I'm picking some of my favorites, and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as me. The start of our second day here at Sebastian Inlet was less than ideal for photo taking. It was foggy and cloudy early in the morning, so Gary decided to go antique shopping for a few hours. Thankfully, the intense toothache he had when we arrived, had all but gone away. It was good to see him feeling more like his old self. Gloomy looking or not, this is still a really nice place to hang out, and I had plenty to look at while Gary was gone. There is LOTS of activity going on here, and boating seems to be the main recreation. Boats loaded with fisherman were constantly cruising along the inlet behind our campsite. Birds are as common here as leaves on a tree, and I have marvelled at all the different types I've seen. I've seen dolphin, fish jumping, and pelicans crashing into the water to snag some passing fish for dinner. It's AMAZING!!! Gary came back from his antique shopping empty handed, but the weather had improved while he was gone. So, he headed out to explore a little more of the park, and he came back with some COOL photos. Not long after he returned, the weather began to get a bit ugly again. Rain was predicted and never came, but the winds were CRAZY strong. I thought I was going to get blown right off my jack stands for about two hours. My windows were open, and my curtains were standing straight out! Although he tried not to show it, I think Gary was freaking out. He checked for reports of tornadoes, but luckily none were found. Once the wind died down, we settled in for a quiet and relaxing night. One more day to go here at Sebastian Inlet, and I'm hoping that day three is going to be as exciting as days one and two.

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Day #1

Gary and I arrived here at Sebastian Inlet State Park on Tuesday. What a pretty day it was, and what a GREAT campsite. This place is booked most of the time, so I know Gary had to try extra hard to get us in here. He did GOOD!!! We are in campsite #11, and just a few feet away from the beautiful blue-green waters of the inlet. There's no shade, but the view makes up for it. Man, it is pretty. After getting me set up for our stay, Gary hung out with me and took it easy. He had a terrible toothache that distracted from his joy of being here. With medications, he felt much better within a couple of hours. I'm glad I don't have ailments like humans do. There isn't much of anything that ruins camping for me. I don't even care if it rains as long as I'm camping. Anyway, back to the story. Gary has a Facebook friend named Penny that he had never met before. She lives in this part of Florida, and wanted to come visit with us while we were here. Penny owns her own soap company called Good Clean Fun Soaps (www.goodcleanfunsoaps.com), and when she arrived, she brought Gary a couple of bars of her wonderful soaps as a gift. How sweet! They smell SOOOOO good! I hope that Gary keeps some of Penny's soap in me ALL the time, because I have honestly never smelled better. Since Penny knows this area very well, she took Gary on a tour of the this park, and of Long Point Park, which is a county park right down the road. Gary says that maybe we can stay there sometime in the future, and for sure we will come back to stay at Sebastian Inlet again. This whole area is absolutely gorgeous. Many thanks to Penny for being so nice to us, and I hope that we can camp together in the near future. She has a 2012 Scotty Hilander that I am looking forward to meeting. More pics and stories from Sebastian Inlet will be posted soon. Have a GREAT day!

Exploring O'Leno State Park

I tried twice to upload photos for this posting, but Blogger wasn't cooperating. This happens quite often, and it's aggravating. Anyway, I've finally succeeded, although it's two days later than when I started this. We are home now, but as I promised, I wanted to share a few photos of O'Leno State Park. We had a nice time during our three night stay. There were lots of squirrels to entertain me while Gary was off checking out the park and the local RV surplus place. I LOVE squirrels, even though the grey ones here aren't as cool as the white ones at Ochlockonee River. There wasn't much going on in our camping loop until late on our third day. The weekend had arrived, and almost every campsite was occupied. Unfortunately, we had a large and rather rowdy group next to us that made our final night less relaxing, but that's the way it goes. You can't choose your neighbors. As the day began, Gary decided to go buy something he had seen at the RV surplus place. The rest of the day, he spent exploring the park. There was a prescribed fire going on close to the entrance that Gary got to see as it was happening. Usually, we see where the fires have been, but not while they're actually burning. Gary made his way down to the river. There's a pole there with bands around it depicting where the water levels had been over the years. The white band near the top of the pole is at least eight feet up, and that was where the water had risen to in 1964. I'm sure glad I wasn't around to see that. The whole park must have been under water. The suspension bridge was closed for repairs. You can see the scaffolding underneath it where crews are installing new support beams. The bridge completes a 1.44 mile trail loop. Without access, to see the whole trail, you have to walk the full distance out and back, for a total of 2.88 miles. Not wanting to miss any photo opportunities, Gary walked the entire distance, and then another trail for a total of nearly four miles. Better him than me. I'm WAY too lazy for doing stuff like that. There were lots of pretty photos taken, but liking wildlife like I do, I especially liked the photos of the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks in the river. That looks like a great place to be for a turtle, but not so much if you're a travel trailer like me. Well, in 9 more days, we will head out on our next round of camping. If not before, I will check in with you then. See ya!

Hanging Out At O'Leno State Park

Gary is happy that I talked him into camping here at O'Leno State Park. This three-day stay wasn't originally on our schedule, but I figured it would be a relaxing getaway in-between two longer campouts, and I was absolutely right. It's only about 90 miles from home, so if our favorite park (Paynes Prairie) is full, we can easily bop over here. It's just a few extra miles away from home than Paynes Prairie is. So far, Gary hasn't explored the park like he usually does as soon as we arrive. He's been more interested in antique shopping and going to an RV surplus and salvage yard that is right down the road from the park. He didn't find anything exciting at the antique stores, but he got some good deals on a few RV parts. He had so much fun looking at all the stuff there yesterday, that he went back again today. We've got a pretty good campsite here. There's nobody within five campsites of us on either side, so it's REALLY quiet. Actually, there aren't many people camping here in this loop at all. There's another camping loop here in the park, and it is MUCH more crowded. Serra has kept me company while Gary has been out shopping. It's much more fun camping now that I have her as a pet. She loves to camp as much as I do. The temperatures have been in the 30's at night, but in the 60's and lower 70's during the day. It's been sunny and perfect weather for camping. This is our second day of three. Tomorrow, Gary plans to go out and explore the park. I think he's already been everywhere in town that he wanted to go to, but it wouldn't surprise me if he makes one more trip to the RV surplus place. He LOVES looking at that kind of stuff. I'll check in tomorrow and show you some pictures of the park if Gary takes any. I'm SURE he will. Happy Camping, everyone.

The Ohio Travelers Discover St. Augustine

Our Facebook friends from Ohio, Joe and Tina Herald, have been in Florida for most of February. They've been camping all over the State in their '73 Hilander that they call the "Snotty Skotty", and their last stop was here in St. Augustine. Having never met Gary or myself, they made a point of coming over to the Green Acres Garage. As everyone finds out that visits with us, a few photos are always required before leaving. Joe and Tina were happy to oblige. We had a nice visit, and Joe was fascinated by all the junk that I let Gary store in my garage. Gary is a borderline hoarder, but I give him credit for at least being relatively organized. I digress. Anyway, Serra Scotty had to go out and check out Tina and Joe when they arrived. Tina even picked her up and said how cute she is. I totally agree. That's my girl! The morning after our visit, Gary met our new Ohio friends for breakfast at the Gallery Cafe. It's Gary's favorite restaurant, and Joe and Tina liked it almost as much as Gary does. From there, they went out to the campground. I wish I could have gone out to Anastasia State Park to meet the Snotty Skotty, but at least Gary got to meet him. I could tell from the pictures that Gary took that he is a good looking Scotty. I especially like his '55 Oldsmobile spinner hubcaps. They are SO cool! Tina displayed her finest Melmac dinnerware when Gary visited, knowing that he would appreciate the look of it. Gary has been buying Boontonware Melmac to display in the 50's kitchen in the house, and he showed it to Tina and Joe when they were here. Gary also got to meet Joe and Tina's REAL Scotty dog, Abby. She doesn't like camping as much as she likes her soft and cushy car seat. It does look pretty darn comfy. Joe and Tina invited us up to their place in Ohio. I would LOVE to go, but I think I'll have to turn my powers of persuasion up to warp speed to get Gary to head north again any time soon. Maybe someday. I'll put that on my bucket list. For now, I'm focusing on our upcoming camping trip to O'Leno State Park. I'll post from there if I can. Until next time....have a good one!