Return to Florida

New Orleans is hard to top. The next day we motored off to Biloxi, Mississippi. We stayed at the Cajun RV park, directly across from the white sand beaches. The air was cold and the area appears not to have recovered from Hurricane Katrina. There were a lot of vacant lots and old foundations. We noticed that the beach condos had flooded car parks which certainly limited their winter use. But the beaches were spectacular. I can't imagine what it would be like in warmer weather. Only problem: No dogs allowed on the beach. As the graffiti sprayed on one sign in Laugna Beach sai: No Liquour, No Noise, No Frisbees, No Dogs... NO FUN! We enjoyed the people and the food but the breeze was cold and the sun was in hiding most of the time.

After two nights in Biloxi we travelled into Florida along the Gulf Coast to a place called Navarro. It was definitely a winter RV place. We were lucky to find a site for two nights. Again the air was cold but the sun was shining. Their heated pool was covered by a big plastic dome. It was great to be able to swim but swimming in a plastic dome is erie to say the least. This whole area was well developed. Lots of things were within walking distance but there were no sidewalks, everybody drove. Richard and I ventured out to Wal Mart one morning but we were clearly walking against the grain here.

Two days in Navarro and we headed to Panama City Beach, where we planned to meet our new friends from Nfld. Todd, Dale and their family of mini-schnauzers, Hudson and Bridges (they are fans of the series Upstairs, Downstairs) We stayed at an RV park opposite the biggest nightclub in the US. On the weekend it has been known to have over 2000 patrons, ie. drunks... especially when women drank free! Luckily we missed the privilege of seeing it first hand.

Todd and Dale took us on a tour of PBC the first day we met up with them. We piled Matti, Ruff and Richard and myself in the back seat of their truck, well Dale, Todd, Hudson and Bridges occupied the front. I am happy to report that no blood flowed during our journey to the wonderful dog park where all four dogs ran free. Wehad a great laugh at Mattie's expense as the good old girl became smitten with a big dog....... and ran behind the confused dog with her tail wagging and her ears flapping.

After leaving PCB we travelled across the coast of the Florida Panhandle and stayed the night at Southern Comfort in Cross City (a gay camp ground under development). From therre it was on to Sawmill (actually a return) for about ten days.

On March 1st we arrived in Camp David and moved into the trailer that we purchased in January. Were very confused to find that when we started unpacking the Trek we had more stuff than we could fit in the trailer! It was a great month learning to use the trailer, renewing previous aquaintances and meeting up with our friends Regde and Ron from New Brunswick. Only downer with the stay was the servere weather that generated a tornado warning which lasted for an afternoon...and the rain, the rain: we wondered if the pond/lake in front of our trailer was going to flood our site - it came close.

We took a couple of days and went back to Camp Mars to get a feel for the place with more people in it than when we stayed there last December.

CALIFORNIA TO NEW ORLEANS

February 10/10 We stayed in Escondido, Ca. For three days. We spent some time at the local beaches that had just flooded the beachside streets and basements. In Newport we walked the dogs on the beach to the area where the surfers hung out. The waves weren’t as large as those at Lawrencetown beach. After we reached the street to walk back we noticed the No Dogs allowed signs. Mattie and Ruff enjoyed the forbidden dips in the cold Pacific Ocean. We took Highway 8 back to Yuma, Arizonia. It was quite a drive the level of evaluation changed more than 10% and it was down hill for 6 and 7 miles at a time. There were runaway lanes situated every few miles. It was in this area we needed gas and had to pay $3.46/gal. This is the most expense we have paid thus far. When we arrived at the border of Ca. And Az. we stopped to look at the beautiful sand dunes. We stayed a night in Yuma at a so-so KOA. We ended up in a little ghost town called Willcox, .(a great place for taking day trips to Tombstone and Bisbee) the next night. We stayed at the Lifestyle RV park. It was a jewel in the rough. It was a small park with an inside pool and spa and a great gym. We were told not to walk the dogs at night because there are javoline's in the area. These boar-like carnivores have no problem taking small animals under the cover of darkness. We drove to San Antonio, Tx. It is a beautiful city. We stayed in an rv park in a poorer section of the city. Poverty is rampant here. We enjoyed the River Walk...tour and Richard was impressed with the Almano. The site was very interesting. I was impressed with seeing Davey Crockett's gun and beaded vest. We met a german couple from New Caledonia, NS. We spent the next night in Sulphur, Louisiana. We were invited to a Superbowl party that night. Well as history would have it the New Orleans Saints, the underdogs won the game. It was quite a celebration. The next day we set out for new Orleans as we had previously planned. We arrived in New Orleans late Monday afternoon, Feb. 8. We booked into the French Quarter RV Park. We headed out to Bourbon Street. The street was still partying. There police and press everywhere. We really enjoyed the live music on many of the street corners. This is what I expected New Orleans to be. The jazz and blues bands were wonderful. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed our jambalaya and Cajun beans and rice. Since then we enjoyed blacken chicken and other spicy Cajun delights. As luck would have it we attended the “Super Bowl Victory Parade.” We arrived at 4:45 and the first band arrived at 7:30pm. We were in the forth row from the front and there were probably twenty rows of people behind us. We got to see the Saints and be part of the Who Dat Nation. It was quite a night. I have never been that intimate with tens of thousands of people before. It was interesting to watch the police use horses to push back a section of the crowd that had pushed a barrier closer to the parade. Many of the floats carried the team players, ie. Drew Brees, the kicker Danny Hampton and others and also the Vince Lombardy Trophy. After the parade we ventured out to find a place for supper. We had a great sandwich in a greasy spoon on Bourbon Street. This Superbowl win has been such a boost to the people of New Orleans. One man said who would have believed that four years after Katrina, the 44th president would be black, and the New Orleans Saints would win the Superbowl after over 30 years of trying. Its the beginning of the revival of New Orleans. On the night of February 10 we went to the first parade of Mardi Gras, The Druid's Parade. After waiting for two hours we went in search of it. When we finally caught up with it it was well worth the wait. The floats were fantastic. Most of the floats were named after holes, ie. Holey Cow, Fire in the Hole, Bung Hole, the Dark Hole, etc. I'm not sure why they are named this way. I'll let my imagination handle that one. This parade is a minor one. Both Richard and I found it hard to image what a major parade would be like. After the parade we went out to eat and have one last drink , as we were ready to leave New Orleans. Tired but none the less for the wear. On Friday the rates in the RV go up to $199 a night. We actually met someone who had a good friend from NS and he offered to let us stay in his backyard but we had been in NO for long enough, but were invited to come back again and stay for the whole Mardi Gras. We hoped to take up that offer next year. We moved on to Biloix, Ms and booked in at the Cajon RV Park. After setting up we were treated to a sleet storm and a couple of inches of SNOW are forecast for tomorrow. :( Labels: California to New Orleans... draft 2/10/10 by Roadtrek Duo Delete

January in California

We left Camp David on Tuesday, January 5. The temperature was 6C. People were dressed in coats, hats and mittens. It’s difficult to be happy about such temperatures but at least we weren’t shovelling it. After about 4 hours we stopped in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. After we ate we went to a WalMart to pick up important supplies(red licorice). It was filled with young people buying everything in sight. I felt like(and probably was) the oldest person in the store(except for Richard!). The cashier told me this was the first day of the inter term at two colleges in the area. The eye candy was spectacular if you like twinks.
After staying the night at a lovely truck stop, we set out from Tallahassee early the next morning. The temperature was -8C. I applied extra sunsceen to prevent frost bite.
Today is Friday,Jan8. We have been travelling since Tuesday. We passed thru Mississippi, Louisiana and into Texas. The temperatures have been low. It has been as low as -6C. We ended up staying at campgrounds so we would be warm, and it would also be more comfortable for the dogs. I was amazed by the length of the bridges(low) we drove over in Louisiana and Texas (bayou country). Houston is a large city. We seemed to be driving thru if for at least at hour on a four or five lane highway(one way).
We spend Thursday night in Schulenburg. We had a hot meal at Frank’s Restaurant (80 years in business). That night the campground shut off the water at 8 pm to stop the water from freezing overnight.
We drove out of the flat areas of Texas into hillier terrain. The roads go through beautiful rock formations and cacti line part of the roadway. The speed limit is 80 mph or 125 km.****(Alert... we just drove through a patch of road that had snow along the roadside, not a lot, but its white and the temperature is -1C at one pm).
In New Mexico we stopped and stayed the night at Las Cruses. It is a beautiful city rimmed by mountains on the north-west. We travelled on to Arizona the next day.
The first thing we encountered was the beauty of the mountains in Az. Desert surrounded by mountain after mountain. Route 80 to Douglas was a lonely road thru the desert and the border patrol was in evidence everywhere, from trucks, vans and on horseback. We almost ended up in Mexico but turned off just in time at Walmart row...
That afternoon we registered at David’s Oasis for the week. We were the only travellers there. There were fulltimers or longtimers there. The place was dead. The pool was closed but their spa was still operating even though it was winter. We were very disillusioned at first and felt mislead by the ads for David’s Oasis. One pull shower and two bathrooms didn’t seem enough for such a campground. The next day we visited Old Bisbee, a former copper mining town, hippy colony and now tourist town build into the mountain. It was enchanting. Everyone should visit Bisbee sometime in their lifetime. We also visited Whitewater Wash Wildlife Refuge. We witnessed the flight and landing of thousands of gray cranes. The sky darkened as they arrived and their beautiful flight patterns kept us amazed for one or two hours. This is another Az. must see!
After six days we packed up and travelled towards the Az. border. That night we stayed in a RV park outside of Yuma.
Early the next day we crossed the border to California. Within the first half hour we passed through the most beautiful sand dunes I have ever seen. They were spectacular. We motored on to Desert Hot Springs.
We visited Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City. This desert area is surrounded by beautiful mountains and hundreds of wind turbines. The area received 3-4 inches of rain, while we were there, surpassing the regular less than an inch yearly rainfall. Roads flooded in the area and sand blocked the local highways. It was interesting to watch plows push the wet sand off the roadways...BUT it wasn’t snow that had to be shovelled!!!
On Sunday we motored to San Capistrano to visited Richard’s friends Dan and Melinda and their four (rescued) standard poodles. After brunch we drove on the Pacific Coast Highway to Laguna Beach and walked the boardwalk along the ocean.
We went on the Palm Springs aerial tramway on Monday, Jan 25, up the Jacico mountain range. It was a spectacular view, sandy desert, desert cities, mountains and wind turbines turning in the wind.
After nine days we left Hot Desert Springs on Tuesday, Jan. 26/10. We travelled to Escondido where we booked into an RV park for three days.

Holidays in Paradise

Well its hard to believe that we have been on the road for almost 8 weeks. Waking up in the Roadtrek has become routine, as we both see it as our home. We spent nine days in Camp Mars not far from Fort Myers on the west coast. The weather was warm for a few days and not so warm on others. Enjoyed a couple of days at poolside.

On December 23 we booked into Camp David, a clothing optional place. Richard has enjoyed working on his overall tan but I am so much more conservative and have chosen to remain fully attired. We were welcomed here by so many friendly guys. We have attended a Xmas Eve potluck and a Xmas supper. We played Chinese Christmas gift. It was lots of fun stealing someone else's gift. Richard ended up with a bottle of peanuts and four shot glasses and I had bottle of wine and paper weight.

There are about twenty different inflatable Xmas decorations here, from Santa flying a plane to Rudolph rescuing Santa from a chimney.

Yesterday, Dec. 28, we went to the movie matinee of Avatar in 3D. (No thanks to Samantha, who took us km passed the theatre, but we did arrive on time...just!!!) We both enjoyed it.

There's a big New Year's celebration dinner this week and more. Ruff and Mattie are thrilled.

Miama/ Key West

We drove over 21 bridges on the Keys. The water was green and brilliant blue. The scenery was stunning. Leo’s Campground, where we stayed for three nights, was fairly nice for an intercity campground. The cost was three or four times the cost of other places we stayed. But this is Key West. We took a tour to get our bearings and did a little exploring of our own. Duval St. is festive and lots of shops, bars and places to eat. The lunch entrees started at $19.95. We didn’t eat out much. The dogs went for a brief swim along the man-made beach facing Cuba(90mi) across the Gulf Strait. Very few beaches allow dogs. This short stretch had beautiful sand and no sticks for throwing. Ruff was not impressed!!!!
The Aids Monument is located at this beach. It was quite touching. Over three hundred men died in Key West at the height of the crisis. Their names are etched in marble slabs on the sidewalk.
It was very hot in Key West about 29 degrees. It was difficult to function during the heat of the day. The eye candy was fine especially local joggers along the beach road. The dogs were confined to the air-conditioned trek. Mattie was grumpy because she loves to be outside but even she didn’t baulk at being brought in after her walks.
On Saturday, December 12 we moved on to the Everglades. On our way to Chokoloskee Island Park we stopped at a Everglades Park information area to walk the dogs and got a great introduction to the alligators. There were a number of them swimming in the waterway next to the centre and we saw them in the water swimming and also basking in the morning heat. We have some great pictures but I have no desire to any closer to them. Their bodies are an amazing feat of nature armoured, amphibian like feet and a powerful plated tail.
We arrived at the campsite mid-afternoon. The water is close but we can’t get close to it except walking on the dock or using a boat. So disappointing. This park is fairly expense. There are a lot of permanent(seasonal) people here. They are quite friendly but very loud and rarely without a drink. The men drive around in their golf carts with coolers of beer. Our two days here have been interesting.

Dade City

Last Tuesday, Dec. 1 we moved on to Dade City and are staying in a "family campground" called Sawmill. It is huge and made up of mostly permanent residents. The weather has been muggy and last night we had thunder and lighting. The pool is very nice and we plan to go in when we get a chance.

Today, Thursday, we drove to St.Petersburg and visited the DALI Museum. Dali work is phenomenal. The way that man's mind worked was frightening. (see pictures)

It has rained for three days. Its like being back in NS. The temperatures drop back to 8 at nite and didn't get much higher than 16 during the day. I'm not impressed!!!! The longjohns are going back on. We had the furnace on last nite.(Sat., Dec. 5/09)

On Sunday night we were at a DRAG show here at the campground. Did I mention Rico's Men?

Two well built, not well endowed danced as well.

We met two guys from NFLD. They stay in Panama City for the winter. We hope to visit them when passing thru.

Did I mention Rico's Men...

Crooked River State Park

On November 17 we moved on to Crooked River State Park. Wow what beautiful park! Again the sites are huge and we manged to get a private one. The park has a great view of the Crooked River. We visited the historic town of St. Mary's. What a hidden gem in south-east Georgia! The town is beautiful. It is situated on the Cumberland River and there is a ferry you can take to Cumberland Island where you can hike bike and even camp over night.

We visited historic St. Augustine over night November 23. Due to our reservations at Thousand Palms on Tuesday, we decided to come back later and tourn the old city and take a couple of tours.

Inverness ia a nice city in the western On November 17 we moved on to Crooked River State Park. Wow what beautiful park! Again the sites are huge and we manged to get a private one. The park has a great view of the Crooked River. We visited the historic town of St. Mary's. What a hidden gem in south-east Georgia! The town is beautiful. It is situated on the Cumberland River and there is a ferry you can take to Cumberland Island where you can hike bike and even camp over night.

We visited historic St. Augustine over night November 23. Due to our reservations at Thousand Palms on Tuesday, we decided to come back later and tourn the old city and take a couple of tours.

Inverness ia a nice city in the western part of Florida. Great for shopping and some beautiful boardwalks over the swamps here. Haven't see an alligator yet but sure we will soon as there are signs saying "Don't Feed the Alligators!" On the 25th we celebrated Thanksgiving with the other Rvers here at Thousand Palms. It was a potluck and the meal was unbelieveable.

Spent a quiet weekend here. Visited the campground we will be staying at over Christmas and New Years. It is quite isolated so we will have to take lots of supplies with us.