Fort De Soto Campground and home!

This is a municipal campground located south of St Petersburg and VERY nice! Make reservations ahead of time.  We were lucky to get 2 nights but had to switch sites but that was easy for us to do.  The second site was on the water but all the sites are large and pretty and private with lots of trees.  It is a great place to kayak but too windy during our stay.  There are miles of paved walking and bike trails but they are not shaded.

We drove up to the pier and beaches which were beautiful white sand with lots of sea shells.  Pete collected a bunch for our little girls.  This is the most incredibly comfortable blow up "beach lounge" we have even seen.  These two girls looked very relaxed!

There was lots of kite surfing going on at the beaches.  It was a beautiful sight with the Tampa Bay Sunshine Bridge in the background.  The struts and the curve of the kites are actually blow up with a mechanical air pump.  These surfers were doing flips 15 feet up in the air!

This was the perfect place to put up our hammock and just rock away the hours of our last two days of vacation.

What a great way to end our 2017 Winter Florida adventure!
Happy husband, happy wife, happy dog--we are so grateful to have this time in the sun.  I think this was our favorite winter trip because we were able to spend time with so many of our friends and family.
We would love to do this trip again sometime.  Time to start planning for next winter's trip out West!



On the way home we stopped at Chassahowitzka River Campground and canoe rental. It is a cool spring fed river with manatees. Normally you can canoe or kayak in the river with the manatees but this year they did not come since it was such a warm winter. This is 15-20 miles south of Crystal river.

Cypress Palms in Orlando

We were pleasantly surprised how lovely Wyndham Cypress Palms is.  It is about 10 minutes longer to Disney parks but in a nice area with a good Activity Center.  There is free popcorn everyday, $1 ice cream sundaes M W and F afternoons, and two pools and hot tubs.  I went to a $5 facial spa where 12 women tried Beauty Control products.  It turned out all 12 of us were from Ohio and we had a great time relaxing!  We are here for a week.

Cypress Palms Pool #1

$1 ice cream sundaes by the pool!

Disney Springs was our first evening out with dinner at T Rex (eat at the bar and no wait!) By some miracle the parking garage at Disney Springs will accommodate the height of our van (9 feet).  The Lime Lot is good.  There have been so many nice changes to Disney Springs.  We love spending an evening there seeing street performers, watching the audience participation dance show, having Ghirardelli hot chocolate and soaking up the atmosphere.

Disney Springs Dance Party

Backstage Disney was a seven hour tour of how Disney works behind the scenes.  It is a tribute to the genius of Walt Disney and his "imagineers".  The bus took us behind the scenes and showed us how much of the "magic" happens!   Under the Magic Kingdom we walked some of the mazes of large interconnecting tunnels and acres of functional space that provide fast access to medical care, transport of supplies and cast members without the guests being aware of it.  The costume department and laundry facilities were amazing! We learned so much and the lunch at Fort Wilderness was great.  It was an expensive tour but we really liked it.  Once again it was a sunny beautiful day that ended in the Magic Kingdom watching the parade.  We learned that Fort Wilderness has a two hour free tour which is also good and the trails there are nice to walk.  You can also get a boat ride to Magic Kingdom from there.  You can also get a bus from Disney Springs that will take you any of the parks and maybe to the hotels--not sure about this--but a great way to get around free!

Our tour bus for Backstage Disney

Fort Wilderness Lodge

Up from the tunnels under Magic Kingdom

The Disney Parade

The Kennedy Space Center was our next big day and it was just terrific.  It was about 90 minutes from Wyndham door to door.  We like it better than Houston NASA Mission Control.  The park was so clean and each building was not to be missed.  $53 entry fee included a bus tour and 2 Imax films.  We felt it was well worth it!  They don't give you any direction as what to do first but someone told us to go on the bus tour first and that was great advice.  You walk to the back of the park to get the bus.  After that adventure, be sure to go to the Shuttle building right as you get off the bus.  The presentations gave me goosebumps and made us so proud of our country!  The Imax and the Pioneers films in 3D and well worth it but the Imax was very cold inside!  Other than that, it was a wonderful experience!

When you first arrive, this is what you see

An actual Saturn V rocket ready to go but not needed so is on display

Cargo bay of space shuttle

We've had a great time here with sunny 83 degree weather!  We leave tomorrow for two nights at Fort De Soto Municipal Park!

Back to Okeechobee KOA with Linda!

Introducing Linda to life at the KOA was so much fun.  She only had 3 days but Janel showed her the ropes.  We had a nice time at the pool and a songfest with guitar/ukuleles with Janel and friends.  Janel drove her back to the Fort Lauderdale airport which was very kind of her.  We were so happy she spent her vacation with us!

Pete and I went to the Flea Market in town looking for shot glasses for his coffee lattes.   We ran into a nice lady who sold him 2 for $1 and then threw in 3 more!  She seems to be making good money too!
   Okeechobee is cowboy country so friends told us we must visit Eli's Western Store in Okeechobee.  SO many fancy cowboy boots--about 5,000 pair!   It brought back happy memories of our time with our horses in New Albany.

The Elite Bassmasters Tournament was at Lake Okeechobee our last week there.  It was a big deal--one of only 12 in the country, entry fee $5800.  We enjoyed seeing the big "weigh in".

On our way back to Orlando we stopped at Taylor Creek to watch the alligators and beautiful birds!
It was another wonderful time at the KOA with Linda and Norm Rak and Janel and Dennis Behm!
We are on our way back to Orlando!

Pompano Beach with sister Linda!

We drove about 2 hours to the Wyndham Royal Vista at Pompano Beach which is a about 2 miles north of Lauderdale by the Sea.  Our balcony overlooks  the ocean and it's just beautiful.  We have been enjoying walks on the beach and sitting by the pool with live music.  The weather turned out to be perfect the whole week.

Breakfast with a view at the Royal Vista

Pelican about 4 ft away at nearby pier

Our beach-Royal Vista

Pool at Royal Vista

We ate at the Korean Restaurant, Gabose, recommended by our friends Sunny and Yun.  They told us exactly what to order and it was delicious!  It was a real experience.

Dinner at Gabose

We picked up my sister Linda from the Lauderdale airport and she stayed four days with us at the beach and then we are taking her back to Okeechobee KOA where her good friend Janel is staying.

Having Linda here has been so much fun.  There's nothing like sisters and I am lucky to have three wonderful ones!  We went to dinner at Lauderdale by the Sea and ate right next to the beach.  Kilwin's candy store was the next stop and after many samples we made the fudge purchase!

Relaxing at the pool

On the way to the beach, a McCaw

Dining at Lauderdale by the Sea

Kilwins

Linda was an expert hair dresser as she removed the gray from my hair.  Bailey watched the whole process with little interest!    

                                           

Compliments of Wyndham Timeshare and two hours of our time, we received 3 tickets on the Serenity Yacht which was a sunset dinner cruise along the Intracoastal Waterway.  Beautiful homes and yachts along "millionaires row".  One home had an Imax theater in it!  We went under two drawbridges and watched a pretty sunset.  Pete and I had done this cruise about 2 years ago but it was even better having Linda with us!  

On the Intracoastal

Okeechobee KOA seeing old friends!

We are thoroughly enjoying our return to KOA Okeechobee!  The 80 degree sunny weather is fantastic.  Everyday we are at the pool and hot tub.  There is live music there several days a week so it is SO pleasant!

KOA Pool

Relaxing in the hot tub

It is so much fun to catch up with Janel and Dennis, Norm and Linda, Sunny and Yun, Mary, Tom, Melba and Bob.  Sharon a hair stylist from Canada styled up Pete and I today.  There were about 10 campers who lined up for her $18 haircuts!  She does a great job too.  She only charged Pete $8 so he got a real bargain!

We have had a campfire and sing along with Norm and Janelle and friends.  Janel plays the ukulele.
The ukulele has gotten so popular that there are ukulele classes now with 20 people turning up.  The local music store has sold out of them twice!  Yoga class and line dancing lessons are great and everything is free!  We ate up at the Super Bowl party here.  Every day is so much fun and so relaxing.  The people here are wonderful and so inclusive.  So glad we came back here!

Evening sing along

Today we had Funnel Cakes at the pool which was made by Janel and Dennis.  It was delicious!
Speaking of delicious, Pete made Tuscan Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in his new Instant Pot.  A big hit.  Sunny and Yun had us over for Korean BBQ ribs--a real treat.  So we are dining well here at the KOA!

Dinner after a day at the pool

Funnel cakes with Dennis and Janel at the pool

Korean rib dinner with Sunny, Yun, Tom, and Mary

 Bailey is also happy at the KOA going on 3 walks a day and meeting new dog friends!  She is a "happy camper"!

Pete and I always get a kick our of all the activities going on here at the KOA.  Since it is on a golf course, lots of folks run around on golf carts OR they have these attachments on their bikes to haul their golf clubs around. 

Bailey resting after a day on the go

We drove to the fishing pier on Lake Okeechobee to see all the birds flying in to roost and the beautiful sunset.  It is a beautiful site and we always enjoy going over there!  We can walk there!

Sunset over Lake Okeeechobee

Some local fishermen!

Next stop .... Pampano Beach, Wyndham Royal Vista

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Pete was able to get two night at this great park.  Normally is booked solid but there was a cancellation. My Mother brought my sisters and I here years ago and I remember snorkeling here on the reef.  The water is too cold today for snorkeling but it was perfect weather for an amazing hike with Ranger Susan who was an expert in butterflies, birds and trees.  She captivated us all with her knowledge for two hours.  One of the trees she showed us was the Poisonwood Tree.  It is a relative of poison ivy and contact produces a terrible rash--think poison ivy on steroids.  The other tree is a Gumbo Limbo tree with a peeling bark that the sun shines right through.

Poisonwood tree

Kayaking trail at the park

We also went kayaking through the the mangrove trees.  They gave us a map and told us that if we didn't show up by 4 pm they would come after us and charge a hefty "finder's fee"!  The "trail" was not well marked but Pete did a great job getting us out of the maze and back in time.  It was an absolutely perfect day to be on the water--sunny and 80 degrees.

Two happy kayakers

The showers here are very nice...always a plus for us!  Our camper neighbor brought us over cookies she had just made so life is good.  There are "no see ums" that like our Ohio tender flesh and cause some itching but no mosquitoes.  Tomorrow we leave for the KOA at Lake Okeechobee!  Looking forward to seeing our friends there from last year!

Key West

We are staying at Boyd's campground which is in a great location but jammed with large RVs.  It is also expensive.  People settle in here for $3000 a month--they must really like this place....well, it is Key West after all.  Here a pictures of some interesting vehicles we have seen today.

Boyds Key West Campground

Truck at Hogfish Bar & Grill

Container home

There is a great "authentic Key West" restaurant called Hog Fish Bar and Grill that we heard about.  We could almost walk there.  It was terrific.  The best lobster bisque we have ever eaten and the Hog fish sandwiches were outstanding.  It is located on the wharf and behind it is this community of "container houses and stores".  The whole area is cargo containers, some on top of each other, made into living quarters and some wood working shops.  There are also all kinds of dilapidated sailing ships docked there with people living on their boats.  We talked with a mother who had three young children living on their boat.  They were having a great time.

Container home

The Bailey Buggy took us to a new part of Key West today-- Zachary Taylor  Fort and park.  It was $7 to park and tour the fort which was used in the Civil War and then updated.  The fort had a moat around it and was worth the trip--especially in Pete's eyes... all kinds of preserved cannon of various ages used at the fort at different historic ages.  The attached park was really great with a beach, shade and picnic areas.  It was the perfect place to set up our chairs and watch the famous key West sunset.  There were two large cruise ships in port to add to the ambiance.  The catamarans sailed by us with live music and tourists enjoying the sunset.  It was a wonderful day!

Ft Zachary Taylor

 

Our last day in Key West was spent exploring Duval Street and the many little shops,  We stumbled upon Garbo's which is a food truck that specializes in Korean BBQ and fish tacos.  It is a Diners, Driveins and Dives pick and had a long line.  The fish tacos were worth the wait.  The other big treat of the day was chocolate covered key lime pie!  It was seriously the best thing I've eaten in a long time!

Chocolate covered Key Lime Pie

We parked the Bailey Buggy at the parking lot on Mallory Square.  It is $4 an hour but it is right where all the street performers, vendors and cruise ships are.  We watched another beautiful sunset along with hundreds of others taking pictures with smart phones.

On our way North we we stopped at another restaurant (The Fish Camp on Geiger Key Marina) owned by the owners of the Hog Fish Grill.  It is the next Key north of Key West.
It was the same recipe for the lobster bisque and so good and the site was beautiful!  Definitely worth stopping by!