Time to Chill... Need Your Sage Advice

mailboz to match the front door

The new house is surpassing our expectations and we can't get over we have our own pool! After a day of painting, decorating, building shelves and storage we are thrilled to cool off from this unrelenting heat. I am glad to be unpacked and settling in. Gerard continues to set up shop in the garage in 100º+ heat. I tried to talk him into a portable air conditioner for out there. I think maybe he is just trying to acclimate to our southern environ. Sitka and I are not doing so well.  We leave for walks at barely daybreak. He just doesn't want to venture more than a mile. A good day we only make it 2 miles. I am grateful to be spending the rest of my days painting and nesting in the air conditioning.

we're getting settled in

All of you in the Midwest are about to see the mercury drop and I am envious. I am getting ready to take Sitka to high country so we can hike and move around.  The heat and humidity down here keep us holed up inside.
This will be my first solo long trip. Gerard is content to take care of the kitties and take care of the homestead... still lots to do. I am excited to get on the road and the ZiOsmobile needs to be put through its paces to make sure all systems are still working.

Last year, we tried to head down the Eastern Seaboard, but Daniel....got in our way... Hurricane Daniel. I was going to head up the coast now.. but folks have been encouraging me to reverse my trip and start out with the Georgia, North Carolina and West Virginia high country... then hit the coast as temps are bound to drop in September.

Here's my loosely planned trajectory and if anyone has suggestions and recommendations, I would be ever so grateful:

My first day I will be off to explore Mt. Dora. It is one of those little finds to which adjectives like quaint and quiet were put in the dictionary.  I need to go wandering in little antique and junk shops. From there I will head into the Ocala National Forest for an overnight or two at one of the springs. Has anyone ever been? Do you have a favorite?... Ginny Springs, Alexander Springs or Salt Springs? The deal is the water is 72º ... guaranteed to cool us off.

Trying to keep the driving to 2-5 hours on any given day so I can stop and explore. A little more than 1/2  way up Goergia, I'll overnight at Magnolia Springs State Park. I can't get enough of crystal clear water. It is what I miss most about Minnesota in the summer.

I expect to wander around Northern Georgia, North Carolina and West Virginia for a couple weeks:
•Tallulah Gorge State Park
•Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway
•Shenandoah Skyline Drive
•Dolly Sods
•CannanValley
•Cathedral State Park
I was hoping to hookup with my new solo travel friend Margaret, but not sure if our paths will cross since I reversed my path. For the first time, I don't want to be tied to reservations now that camping spots have started to open up since family vacations have ended and the kids are back to school.

From here I will head to Assateague Island and I would like to skip Baltimore. Does anyone know the ferries and how I can get across the Potomac without getting into big city territory? I bet one of Scharoun cousins can help with this info.
Camping with the ponies on Assateague has been a bucket list item for decades. The Outer Banks with Kitty Hawk, Rodanthe and lighthouse after lighthouse is my dream drive.

The big stopovers south of there are Charleston and Savannah before hopping on A1A in Florida. Would love to know the must sees from anyone who has covered this coast.

The excitement of travel for me also lies in the planning. So this blog entry is the start of this new adventure.  Launch date was going to be August 28, but my foot wants to hit the gas pedal. Next entry will be from the road.

~Catherine

Catch-up (Where's the mustard) or We're movin' on up

Disclaimer: accident pics are from 2005.... OLD PICS... so on to blog post:

Heading down the road; UHaul in tow and confused kitty

How I had hoped to put some more miles on the ZiOs mobile this summer. But beyond our trip to Duluth to close up shop once and for all, and hauling the rest of our earthly belongings back down to SoFlo, no real trips have transpired. The Hearthouse is sold and closed for good and so is the Lake Condo.













We bought a house! We are moving in this Thursday, July 21st the 11th anniversary of that fateful motorcycle accident. Everything that happened that day has brought us to this moment.

July 21 2005 one minute on the back of a bike and the next...

...waking up in the hospital. July 21 2005

Who would have thought so many wonderful things would have come forward from this event?  I could never have imagined I would have settled in Southern Florida nor could I have imagined being retired and forging this fabulous life with Gerard Zimney. I have said to most of you that we have no memory of the accident for a reason. We always say it really was no accident. It did stop us in our tracks and made us find our way forward with each other... healthy and happy.

How far we've come

We are completely packed... Just a few odds and ends that we use for our daily living. These last few days lend some time to type these words and play catch up with you all. We are going to pack the cookware by Tuesday and then we will explore some new restaurants and let someone else do the cooking the last couple days.

We were so blessed to have sold the condo so easily and with a tidy profit. We had four showings and each brought an offer! Two were full price offers. The cash offer sealed the deal. AND the new house's appraisal came in 15k higher than what we offered!  Blessed beyond belief!!! In gratitude we are.

Moving to the new house has us mostly just moving in. We will do just a little painting just two rooms and then letting our possessions land in their new spaces and places. We thought we didn't want to take care of a home again, but truth be told we were just a tad bit bored with a home owner's association doing it all. So we will do our own lawn and pool care and I am so excited about getting veggies planted in a raised bed garden.

One of our previous neighbors said of their move,  what they loved most about leaving our complex is the privacy. Even though we thought we'd like condo life, it turned out it wasn't for us. One of the things I am most looking forward to is silence .... no more banks of air conditioners roaring 24/7. No one caring about the size of our van and the furry creatures will have a yard to roam again. No pool rules!

I am hoping by next week, we can pick up our kayak and take a relaxing break from the unpacking out in the water.

Hobie Revolution 13.. our new watercraft

We will be looking to add a second kayak, just trying to decide if we need to buy a second pedal kayak or if a paddle kayak will do the trick. Gerard is looking forward to building a rack for the kayaks. So many new experiences are on their way.

contemplating lawn mowing... looks at home in the new yard

To replace the social aspect, we hope to have friends and family come visit. Steve and Corine are on the calendar for the end of March. Let us know if you can make your way down to us. We will need to get you on the calendar because we think we are going to do some AirBnB also.  Playing host to others will provide a little extra income as well as connection with people. So let your family and friends know that we are a great place for a getaway. I will post pics of the guest quarters very soon. We'd appreciate your word of mouth. It will also provide an excellent reason to bake!

We have been inundated with heat and humidity. I think it will take some time for me to acclimate to summer in the south, more than this year for sure.  We have been indoors, in the air conditioning, no outdoor dining, no summer festivals... it's just too damn hot for me. However, I am itching to get some road time in. Once we are settled, Sitka and I will take off up A1A up to at least Assateague Island... farther up the seashore if we don't get too late in the season. Gerard says for now he is content with staying home and be in charge of kitty care. Sitka and I will be sure to bring you along for the ride through this blog.

SItka and my first solo trip to Chockoloskee Island in the Everglades

Itchy tuck knees, my yaks and what do you mean O’Leno… where’s Sven?

Post dating back to April 1, 2016

river hike in O'Leno State Park

 Yes, Florida has some strange sounding names of places. Oh, O’Leno! What a pretty state park. This park is located on the Santa Fe River six miles north of High Springs on U.S. 441 just 28 miles north of Gainesville. The park is made up of sinkholes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps and sandhills.  If there is ever a next time, I would choose the Magnolia campground closer to the river. But our spot was good enough and oh mother of all state park bath houses! Clean, new, beautifully tiled, hot water and pressure, benches, and plenty of hooks. It’s the little things, right? Our campsite being two miles from the river allowed Sitka and me to cover six miles a day on extremely picturesque trails. Once down to the river with a current moving at a pretty good clip, we followed the trail to the river sink. The river just seemingly ends, stops, disappears. It does just that disappears underground in a sinkhole for three miles and reappears at a spot they call the River Rise. Oh the wonders of nature.

At the river sink

the river sink... river just disappears

Driving in, we passed Ichetucknee Springs State Park. While at Manatee Springs, we were told if you have the chance stop at Ichetucknee, DO IT. On arrival at O’Lenol, we set up camp and back-tracked to Ichetucknee by car. The Ichetucknee River is crystal clear and contains eight major springs The head spring of the river was declared a National Natural Landmark. There are no motorized boats allowed and it is the most pristine spring-fed river. There is no camping here, but ample opportunity to see manatee, beaver, raccoons, alligators and every other sort of wildlife. The Blue Hole is an underwater cave where one can dive more than 40 feet below the surface.

Blue Hole at Ichetucknee Springs

One of our days in the area we took a drive down the backroads into Gainesville. There is a Trader Joes! Time to replenish supplies. I was surprised to discover horse country. Massive estates and rolling greens with every kind of show and race horse.

Leaving O’Leno, I so wanted to explore more of

the backroads on my way down to Myakka River State Park. No dull interstate for me and oh lordy, I-75 is some boring stretch of road. Staying off the beaten path is the only way to experience the beauty and uniqueness of an area.  On the way out of High Springs and shortly after Gainesville is the town of Micanopy (pronounced: mick-an-o-pee). Glad someone schooled me before I said My canopy.

Micanopy is a town that time forgot. Established in the early 1800s, this town played pivotal roles in the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. It was named for a short time Fort Defiance. Some of the bloodiest battles of the second Seminole War took place here. Originally the town was named after a Seminole chief. Not much has changed in many of the buildings they look much as they did from that bygone era. It is a sleepy, peaceful, antique haven.

Micanopy

Micanopy

Micanopy

Micanopy

Micanopy...see my car? Looks like I'm the only one in town

Micanopy

The home of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is here. You would know her if you read The Yearling or Cross Creek.  The house is a museum and is on Cross Creek.

along County Rd 475

I continued down U.S. 441, turning off onto 25A and landed myself smack dab in the middle of Ocala, Florida’s mall. How fortuitous to get lost. I got myself on 27th Ave and noticed I was going straight south. Seemed as good of a road as any to get me out of dodge, (Ocala). Soon I noticed I was on County Road 475, driving under tree canopies lining the road through the prettiest horse country I have ever seen…move over Kentucky. It is not unusual to see people on horseback trotting alongside roads in this region. If you are a gear head you could stop in to Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing and Antique Cars. It is run by Don Garlits himself. I just mosied on down the road. Gerard took a different path (I-75) and was way ahead of me. I still had another 4 hours to go on my current trajectory.

Myakka River

Eventually, the skies let loose and gave us quite the lightening show before Sitka and I arrived at Myakka River State Park just east of Sarasota, Florida.  Gerard had camp all set up and we were able just to escape out of the storm. 

Myakka is one of the oldest and largest river state parks. It flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pinelands. There are beautiful trails that take you through all of these diverse areas. It is a haven for kayakers. If the distances seem daunting, you can even cover territory by going out on an airboat.

Alligators abound in this park, so maybe staying close to shore will feel safer for some. Next visit, I will bring the kayak for sure.

This is it…. the last 5 days of the Old Florida Extravaganza. We will land at WP Franklin, a Civil Corps of Engineers Camp at the locks on the Caloosahatchee River. This camp is approximately 10 miles from home. Wow, home. We sold the Duluth house… so yes, Cape Coral will be home. It will give us a chance to regroup, pick up our mail, lighten our load (drop stuff off at our garage) and get our taxes off to the accountant. Better late than never. 

campsite at W.P Franklin

you can pull your boat up to camp.. plug in and let your boat rock you to sleep

llamas running to see Sitka... they were so curious

aren't they adorable?

5 days to watch the boats head through the locks on the Caloosahatchee River

So that's it folks... 2 months... come and gone. Still ...we have barely scratched the surface of all there is to explore in Florida. The next trip will have us venture north to close up the Duluth book of life.

And it’s time to go.

It’s March 14 and we pull out of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. We have been here for two weeks. We are slotted to spend the next two weeks up on the Georgia border, but even Gerard, who wanted to put down some roots is thinking it’s too long to stay. There are so many places to see and explore. 

Topsail camp site

We certainly took advantage of our full hook-ups at Topsail. For the non-rver readers… that means we can hook to electricity, city water and we have a sewer connection. At this park there is also cable and a swimming pool. Pretty plush. For us, full hook-up means it is time to do a little maintenance. We have yet to sanitize our fresh water tank since this trip has all had water hook up. One morning I woke up and thought, wow, we have our own sewer here… let’s take advantage of the convenience. We fill the tank with 30 gallons of water, adding 3/4 cup bleach and let it sit overnight.  I filled the gray and black tanks with this water the next morning and then emptied it all. So everything got a good rinse out. Then we filled the fresh water again rinsing it out one more time and voila! Any residual food particles in the grey tanks gone and I bet the sensors in the black tank are free and clear now also.

We enjoyed the time here, grateful for a site with internet, but I will be looking forward to more serenity in our next landing spot. It is spring break season and there are just a LOT of people here on the coast.

We drove northwest and quite noticeably we lost the palm trees. The drive felt an awful lot like Highway 2 in Wisconsin. We are now in Three Rivers State Park in Sneads, Florida on Lake Seminole and on the Georgia border. We are right on the line between central and eastern time zones. Officially, it is central time, but our phones say eastern. We are a couple miles off the road, so just  a  few trolling motors on some boats and birdsong…. ahhhhh so quiet.

Georgia on the other side. View from our bed at Three Rivers State Park

My first hike this morning had us winding between majestic pines. Spring and wildflowers are in abundance. All along the trail are trillium and white lilies. The trillium makes me think of Minnesota, but as I write this, Duluth is having a blizzard. No Trillium blooming there yet and I have to admit I am enjoying sundresses over parkas.  The pine forests differ significantly here as there is Spanish moss dripping everywhere and magnolia trees are interspersed through the woods. The magnolia tree is oldest recorded flowering tree dating back some 70 million years. This tree was used to set the classification system for all other trees…. oh the things you learn on these ventures.

 

Today will be toasty.. 87º. Finally, warm enough to be in the water and there is no going in the water here….gators reside! 

Gator swimming

If the forecast holds true, this will be our first time having 3 days of steady rain. I am glad we have the car at least we won’t be cooped up. We would like to go to Florida Caverns where we can tour the underground rooms of stalactites and stalagmites, soda straws, flowstone and draperies. Mammoth Caves it probably isn’t, but it will be a diversion from the thunderstorms.

How wrong can I be! Florida Caverns gives Mammoth Caves a run for its money. It was spectacular. The formations in the cave are every bit as spectacular as its Kentucky rival. 

inside the cavern

The tour is half the price of Mammoth and the trails above are a fairy wonderland, winding through landscape like no other. Margaret O’Neal, our new wanderer friend, and her dog Max met Sitka and me at the state park. We had just come off a night of heavy rain and thunder and lightening and storms threatened throughout the day so what better than to plan an underground excursion instead of sitting inside the campers. Rain stayed at bay and we meandered along the Bluffs Trails passing several cave entrances and clinging to crevice-filled limestone, Easter lilies and columbine were in bloom and we just missed the trillium. Lichen and moss and the rock formations had us believing we would surely see wee fairy folk.

 The day before Margaret, Gerard and I discovered an amazing local café in the town of Chattahoochee. Rutabaga Café is a tiny cottage tucked in a two house street. I was simply not  prepared for how incredible the good is here... to die for…creative menu, enormous portions and reasonable prices. Oh, and to hear the locals give this place praise is something. A few people stopped by our table and shared a number of stories about this town. We were told that people can order 7 nights of dinner to go! Well, we loved it so much we are having dinner there tonight. We may be eating at this wonderful establishment a few more times before we leave the area because our RV woes are not done yet.

Margaret and Gerard

Karma, karma, karma chameleon

same guy, different color

Yes, we have another problem. The morning after the thunderstorms, I rolled out the awning to dry it out and clean off the debris, we quick rolled it in when the storms started.  Knowing it was going to rain all day again, I went to roll it in and NADA, zippo, zilch… no power to the awning. What makes this a big deal is that if we get winds we have no way to get the awning stored. And I suspect we will fill the gray water tank and black before the weekend is over and we will need to move the van to go and dump and we can’t drive it with awning out! I am grateful, this time, we didn’t need to be on the road because we are here for the next 7 nights. Roadtrek has authorized us to get yet another mobile RV repair service, but in these dem, der woods, no one works on the weekends. When we go into town for dinner, we will pick up some paper plates and start using the campground bathrooms….argh! And that is not the only thing. The cO2 detector goes off randomly. I truly don’t get why this is happening to us and always on the weekend. I am not ready to give up yet. I love being on the road…. I just want it all to work.

No one ever did come to help us get the awning in. We, finally, got through to Roadtrek and they walked us through a manual awning retraction…whew…I was just imagining it being ripped off by the winds and what a mess we would have been in. The upside to many of these issues is we are learning how things work and will be more intimately knowledgeable about our systems and components of this home on wheels.

So, we were able to pull away from Three Rivers and make our way back down to the Gulf for one night in the pouring rain. As luck would have it, the rains let up enough to drive through St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge–one of the prettiest drives on this trip. It looks much like the Everglades and at the end of the road is Florida’s second oldest operating lighthouse. Sitka and I did a short hike before a torrential downpour drove us back to the car and the rains never let up. The rest of the day had us confined to the ZiOs mobile.  Tomorrow, we head inland and into our last week of the trip. We will land at O’Leno State Park not far from Gainesville. I have not thought much of spending time in the center of the state. I always think coast, coast, coast. However, the Old Florida has certainly surprised me with its beauty and serenity. The contrast of the extreme poverty and the enormous wealth always astounds me. Sometimes, I wonder whether or not I can truly make this place called Florida my forever home.

“Traveling- It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”- Ibn Batutta