May 7, 2018  Myakka and Sarasota area

May 6, 2018 Fanning Springs versus the Flea Markets
On our way to Fanning Springs, we saw a flea market in Chiefland. We spent a little over an hour here, all of us finding a bargain or two. We had a picnic lunch with us, and pressed on for the springs after shopping. It was a little overcast today, so the water felt colder than it should. It was Sunday afternoon, so the swim area was crowded with families. I think a weekday would have been more fun for us. After eating our picnic lunch, we decided to go to Ocala and find the I75 Flea Market. It was getting kind of late in the day, and many vendors had started closing up. The market was huge, and would be fun to go back to when all of the vendors would be open.

May 5, 2018 Cinco de Mayo – Let’s find some Mexican food! We had such a fun in the sun day yesterday that we decided to take it easier today. There was market days in Dunnellon, so we stopped here first. All of us found bargains and things to take home. Next, we went to the Homossassas Springs Wildlife Park in Homosassas and saw all of the animals there. The manatees are amazing, huge creatures. They move so slowly, and enoy their Romaine lettuce. On the way through Crystal River, we found Riviera’s Mexican food restaurant. It was very good, even if it wasn’t TexMex!

May 4, 2018 Kayak day! We rented kayaks in town at Aquatic Wilderness Adventures next door to Swampy’s. This was the best value! They took us to K. P. Hole County Park, where we launched the (double) kayaks. We paddled up river to the headsprings, then turned around and floated and kayaked back to town. In all, in took us a little more than 4 hours. We saw turtles, fish, and otter. The river is so clear! You can see springs bubbling up all along the way.

 

May 3, 2018 We took a short drive to the Headsprings to have a look. Its been 10 years or so since we have been here, and it has really changed. I remembered it being more manicured in the grassy public areas, and I don’t remember there being so much water grass in the river. Its still a beautiful place, and there was construction going on for a new bathhouse/restroom. It was also time for a Walmart trip, and to Winn Dixie for some fresh produce. On the way back, we saw a road side produce stand, and bought some things there too!

May 2, 2018 Destination Rainbow Springs! We took our time getting up this morning and enjoyed a bit of Port St. Joe. Then, on the drive, we saw quite a few nice towns that would be good to visit on a later date. Appalachicola was a quaint town. After arriving at the Rainbow Springs camp, we set up the trailer, got our things in order, and sat down outside for happy hour. All of a sudden, in the brush near me, I hear an animal squealing, and see a snake coiled around something a squishing it. It was a yellow rat snake killing a rat. I was jumpy all night!

 

May 1, 2018 This was another pretty long day of driving, but we had the best scenery! I hope we can either stop back through and stay in Destin, or make that another trip. It was truly beautiful. We took the scenic route down Hwy 98 to Port St. Joe, and it added time onto our trip. Sorry guys, but I enjoyed it! We camped at Presnells Marine and RV Park on the bay. It is a very nice campground right on the water. You can even rent boats here. We drove to Cape San Blas to pick up sea shells and took a long walk on the gorgeous sand. Back at camp, we enjoyed the sunset and a good pork rib dinner.

April 30, 2018 Off on a new adventure! We met the Lingos at Buccees in Angleton, TX and after fueling up, getting ice and iced tea, we are off! Missing the Koethers on this trip, as they have had to cancel just before leaving. We hit the road eastbound – to Biloxi, Mississippi. We camped at Southern Comfort RV park right across the road from my favorite Biloxi restaurant, Shaggys! How perfect is that? The campground is a little older, but very comfortable for a night or two. We were in spot 54 and it was just fine. The Lingos were in 61, and they said the trains that came through at night were loud. We didn’t hear a thing. Back to Shaggys- we had a delicious meal there. The crab cake and fried green tomato stacker is awesome. I hope we stop in Biloxi on the way back home!