- June 5, 2021
- The Waves RV Resort to
- Ridge Manor Campground, Dade City, Fl
- 213 Miles 4 Hours
- $30 for a rustic site w/full hook ups
Today’s travel to Ridge Manor was pretty uneventful. The traffic was light and the ride was stress-free. We arrived at 2 pm and settled into our site. Tweaks were accomplished to the GPS in that Barry got a new phone and the live traffic feature needed to be switched to the new phone. It was a pleasant afternoon and evening.
- June 6, 2021
- Rocky’s Convenience Store & Campground
- Perry, Fl
- 185 Miles 3 Hours
- $34.99/per evening + tax $78.38
What a great day! Our short three-hour drive landed us at Rocky’ by 2:30. We spent very little time on I-75. Most of our travels today were on beautiful country roads with lavish livestock ranches lining the roads, along with spurts of nothing but trees and palms. Small towns were few and far in between. It begs the question of “where do they shop, get gas, go to school??” On the contrary there certainly was no shortage of places of worship in a large variety of denominations. Such a pleasant drive with very little traffic.
Rocky’s is charming. The store is quite large with a little bit of everything. Rumor has it the breakfast biscuit sandwich is a must have, so perhaps tomorrow morning’s choice. The campground is very nice. Certainly not a resort, it’s scattered with live oaks that are drenched with Spanish moss. So very pretty. With only 30 grass or gravel sites available the area is very quite. They have both back in and pull through sites and most with full hook ups. The only other amenity is a bath house. Only a few of the sites have picnic tables and there are no fire rings.
Once we settled in we hopped in the car and headed to Keaton Beach about 1/2 hour away. What a beautiful spot! There is a long pier that spans out into the water where several people were trying their luck at snagging some fish. All along this span of pier was huge limestone boulders. The beach and parking area is somewhat small but that did not deter patrons from enjoying some fun in the sun.
At a nearby convenience store I received suggestions of where to go for dining on the water. Another long tree and palm lined road for a good 20 miles before reaching civilization and a town called Steinhatchee. Simply lovely small town with homes built on stilts all along, and across from, the ocean. The first eatery we came upon was Roy’s Restaurant and according to Four Square the place to be. With the parking lot nearly full we could not debate Four Square’s suggestion. Roy’s mostly serves seafood, so seafood we ordered. Our server, Stacey, was attentive and very pleasant. Barry had the mullet and I the broiled seafood platter. Both plates were more than ample servings and both came with their salad bar that contained a variety of yummy of choices. After dinner it was back to the RV to plan tomorrow’s adventure.
- June 7, 2021
- Rocky’s for Honda fuel
- $2.99/gallon
- 10.9 gallons
- $32.63
The campground is barely half full, and my suspicion is that there is not much to do in Perry. We hung back on the hopes the torrential morning rains would end. We had our sights set on Forest Capital Museum State Park. We did finally manage to get out at 2 pm. Just a short ride from camp is a Cracker homestead. The term named because early Floridians would crack their whips to drive their cattle. The Whiddon house, built in 1864, was moved to Perry to provide an experience of rural life in Florida. It’s a quick self-guided tour; well worth the stop.
Upon us leaving, the caretaker, Mitchell, suggested another must see. Lafayette Blue Springs State Park. We took the half hour drive. The minute the car drove into the boundaries of the park…more down pours. We came this far and decided to wait it out. Good decision! Just a short walk from the parking lot we came upon two beautiful, perfectly clear, cold water spring pools that sit beside the Suwannee River. Quite the sight to see. The slippery slopes prevented us from enjoying a wade in the water. But Barry managed some great photos for everyone to enjoy.
- June 8, 2021
- Ho-Hum RV Park
- Carabelle, Fl
- $54.93 per evening; $21.98 deposit; $87.90 upon arrival
- $109.88 total
- Before leaving Rocky’s we topped off the RV.
- $3.05/gallon
- 38.08 gallons
- $119.45
Our 73 mile trip this morning was so very pleasant all along route 98 aka Coastal Highway. If you desire no traffic, smooth roadways and tree lined roads this route is highly recommended. An absolutely pleasurable drive. The closer we got to Carrabelle the ocean appeared. Ahhhhh!! Joy overcame me as we approached Ho Hum RV Park. It is small with 53 sites and a 250 foot fishing pier. We were fortunate to reserve one of the 17 waterfront sites. The view is spectacular.
We set up and were on the prowl. Heading west on 98 traveling along the coastline we had our sights set on a barrier reef to explore. Saint George Island answered our prayers. OMG! I could live here! A pure beach town. I was brought back to summers spent in Narragansett, RI. Quaint cottages, townhouses on the water, great spots to dine and a few places to shop for souvenirs. The western side is homes, some sitting on inlets, and many available to rent. Along the eastern end we drove through Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park. It is amazing! It offers nine miles of beaches, bath houses, picnic tables and grill shelters, observation decks and every imaginable outdoor activity. Canoeing and kayaking is popular on the Appalachiacola Bay. Boat ramps are available to the public. A full-facility, 60 site campground is there to enjoy and includes a 2.5 nature trail to Gap Point. The sand dunes are towering in some areas and simply beautiful. What a great day and a highly recommended vacation spot!
This stretch of the panhandle is well known for oysters! Yum! We love oysters! So our goal as we headed back to Ho Hum was to slurp some oysters! We see signs for oysters everywhere, but none of the restaurants are open. Nooooooo! Our last effort was a stop at Millender & Sons Seafood. Success! This was a great find. We purchased oysters, yellow fin tuna and smoked grouper. Delicious dinner at a fraction of the cost of dining out.
June 9, 2021
WHAT A DAY! Heading west on Route 98 the views are spectacular! Crossing over the bridge Apalachicola appeared on the horizon. We drove around this small fishing village that’s also rich with art galleries and boutiques. People were plentiful, sightseeing and dining in the many restaurants. Still a bit early for lunch we chose to move along and head to Mexico Beach. Mexico Beach was absolutely devastated three years ago by hurricane Michael. The destruction was surmountable. Nearly every home along the coastline was demolished. The devastation was so bad that trees and palms were stripped of their leaves and fronds for as far as the eye could see. Thankfully they are on the mend and construction is rampant. Michael’s wrath has brought much work to the local contractors and we saw many, many of them working to get the city back up and running.
While cruising through Port St. Joe, Barry spotted a couple of ships docked and curiosity just got the best of him. We tracked down those ships. Two Staten Island ferrys were being renovated. We drove up to the fence line and he got his shots.
Continuing forward and around some brush we drove right into a pile of beach sand. Nice, soft, deep, beach sand…ugh! There was no getting out without assistance; we tried! Some roofing shingles were toss aside and we made an attempt to use them as leverage to no avail. After several calls we finally found our savior. A wonderful gentleman arrived with is truck and pulled us out…$100 later we were back to our adventure.
Port St. Joe is a very upscale, newly built town along 98. The homes along the coastline are huge. The historic area is absolutely adorable and reminded us so much of Fernandina Beach and its downtown area. Cars are parked at an angle and the stores are eclectic. Lunch and dinner choices were of a large variety and many. We would have stopped here for a bite, but we really had our sites set on Apalaciacola.
Time for lunch! We returned to Apalaciacola to explore the funky downtown area and it was hot! No breeze and no ran for the panhandle in a very long time. Lunch was first on the to do list. The Station Raw Bar parking lot was packed as we first drove through on our way to Mexico Beach. And now when we returned…exactly the same. This was our lunch stop. More oysters! Garlic and Parmesan baked and an oyster po boy…both shared, delicious and more than enough food for both of us. Delicious! After lunch we meandered the streets, popped in and out of galleries and stores and had an absolutely devine afternoon.
Traveling along Route 98 one cannot notice that there is no shortage of Dollar General stores. We also came across a Dollar General market. Food markets are seldom seen, and you can absolutely forget the prospect of coming upon a big box store such as Costco. Dollar General’s are so prevalent that the people of Carrabelle have NO Dollar General signs in the downtown area.
Tomorrow the birthday boy and I move west and looking forward to more fun in the sun!
- June 10, 2021
- Eagles Landing RV Park
- Holt, Fl
- $40/per evening
- $80
- Fuel for the Honda
- 12.178 gallons
- $2.89 per gallon
- $35.30
Happy birthday to Barry!!
We are so happy we took the trek to Apalachicola and Mexico Beach yesterday because the GPS decided to take us to Holt via other roads. We were only on 98 for a short period of time before rerouting to 65, a few other country roads and ultimately ending up on I-75 for the last 154 miles of our 200 mile ride. And again we pass by homes here and there…no schools, markets, service stations…it’s mind boggling. We arrived at Eagles Landing at 1 pm. We are now in the central time zone. We had thoughts in mind of purchasing passes for the National parks so we headed to Gulf Islands National Seashore on Okaloosa Island. It was about an hour drive and the congestion and traffic as we neared Emerald Isle was unbelievable. The Seashore was beautiful. The beach was scattered with sun bathers and there were so many kite surfers…very cool! Unfortunately, the website misinformed us to the fact that passes were sold at this location. The caretaker gave us directions to where we could by them, but that location was yet another hour away. We had had enough of this fun in the sun traffic and decided to head back. Route 85, which was part of the route, was bumper to bumper traffic and it took us over a half hour to drive four miles! By this time we were nearing dinner time and we found a place in Milton, Fl…Coose’s. More oysters! This restaurant was adorable. Truly Louisiana-style menu and atmosphere. Blues music played softly in the background while we enjoyed some great smoked fish dip and oysters baked three ways. So happy to have stumbled upon this find! By the time we were exiting people were lined up outside waiting to get in. Clearly a locals favorite choice.
June 11, 2021
A lazy river ride today! Blackwater Joes, not too far from the Park, was noted as a place of interest. Upon arrival I was so apprehensive because the sky was looking dark and I was not happy about tubing in a cold river with yet cold rain pouring down on us. Yikes!
We were reassured on the rain; just a possibility of a brief shower. We paid ($20/pp), brought the car to the end of the route, and hopped into a pickup truck that brought us to a bridge were the river route began. Again I am extremely apprehensive now because the driver said the water temp was 64*! 64*! Encouraged by Barry I checked it out, because I was just about ready to renege. It certainly was not warm, but it was doable especially since the air temp was in the mid nineties. The one-hour ride turned out to be an over two-hour adventure. Many branches on the banks were low enough to run into…and run into them I did. The tube was big and my arms are short, so I found it very difficult to navigate with barely reaching the water. Barry is on a mission to find a paddle of some sort so I can “steer” this raft, and he’s successful! It helped, but what helped more was to simply hang on to him. Along the banks there are areas where we saw a family enjoying their day and above the banks were others camping along the river. This is a huge park offering quite a few amenities including canoeing, tubing, primitive camping and cabin rentals. It was absolutely a great experience!
- June 12, 2021
- Pine Crest RV Park
- Slidell, La
- $46.45/evening
- $92.90
Our drive to Louisiana was quite uneventful, even considering our three hour and 15 minute trek turned into four hours and 15 minutes due to a rerouting from I-10 due to construction. Lots of weekend traffic. Pine Crest is huge with over 200 concrete sites available, some with a lake view. Like most parks the sites are a bit tight, but for our short stay at each stop it’s not an inconvenience. We are away most of the day, so not a deal-breaker for us.
Early evening we decided to venture to the French Quarter, specifically Bourbon Street. We left the car with a valet in a parking garage just steps away from Bourbon…very efficient system. They send you a text and when you are ready to retrieve your vehicle you reply “get”, they fetch the car and bring it back to the entrance. It was all achieved in a matter of a few moments, and $25 for the few hours we were there was a great deal. Bourbon Street was littered with partying people from all walks of life having a grand time. The street wreaked of marijuana, trash and stale beer in many spots. We came upon a marching band of about six gentlemen playing jazz with a small entourage in tow and dancing with the music. We passed by one bar with live music playing songs from the 70’s. Otherwise, all of the bars were today’s musical genre. In the street and to the sides of the street were several duos and trios of boys drumming on, and sitting on, overturned buckets. Also, a couple of very good magicians drew large crowds to mesmerize…quite successfully! We popped into a couple bars for a cocktail and people-watching. The sights were many to behold. The lines to get into some of the restaurants were extremely long, whereas others…no wait at all. Were they “giving food away?” A bit of a head scratcher. Earlier we had passed by Le Bayou with an extremely long line trailing down the sidewalk. Now there were only a few ahead of us so we got in line and were seated pretty quickly. Inside we found several empty tables and not a lot of servers. Bingo! Like so many other places, they were short-staffed. A dozen oysters were brought to our table pretty quickly. They were glistening, plump, delicious and consumed in no time. We also enjoyed a pasta and shrimp entree and a spinach salad with shrimp. The food and service was good and pricing very reasonable. Enough of Bourbon Street…for me anyway.
June 13, 2021
Today we booked the Steamboat Natchez ($76) for a two hour, jazz band, river cruise. (Parking $35) It could also be a brunch cruise but that part was sold out. The lines getting onto the boat were loooooong! The ship was quite large and could accommodate 1200 persons; it could possibly have been a full ship. We took a table inside by a window with not the greatest view, but it was so very hot outdoors. Barry snagged us a snack, water and a couple of cocktails ($36) and the cruise began. It’s was a narrated tour for the first hour. On our return trip the jazz band played for about 20 minutes…then more narrative. I was not hugely impressed.
More impressive was Lake Pontchartrain that we traveled across to and from New Orleans. This lake is immense covering 630 square miles, 12-14 feet deep, 24.23 miles wide and 39.77 long. It takes approximately 25 minutes to cross the bridge over the river and the views are spectacular. And my last fun fact…it’s actually an estuary!
Good bye Louisiana…hello Mississippi tomorrow!
- June 14-15, 2021
- Circle K, Slidell, La
- Diesel 50.15 gallons
- $2.86/gallon
- $143.88
- DEF 3.047
- $2.98/ gallon
- $9.11
- Timberlake Campground
- Brandon, MS
- $33/evening
- $66.00
We traveled on I-55 along concrete roads. Lots of “lumpy” areas, otherwise it was a good 3 hour, 196 mile ride. We arrived at Timberlake at 1:30 which gave us time to get set up on our beautiful, reservoir-front site before checking out the lay of the land. My only complaint is the waterfront sites are back-in, so for us no view while inside the RV. The campground itself is huge, with nearly 200 sites that were thoughtfully laid out to allow for ample space and privacy on the Barnett Reservoir. Amenities include a pool, tennis courts, playground and hiking trail. Also available is a laundry room and bath house. It is quite apparent that many of the sites here serve as home to a lot of people. The lush and plentiful oak and pine trees give many of the sites relief from the hot sun. Our site happens to be in full sun. The heatwave we are experiencing keeps us from enjoying the outdoors, so we will use these two days to catch-up. The weather station is recording temperatures at 100*, but very little humidity.
On arrival day we did explore a bit, found a Target and did a bit of shopping. Brandon does not lack for restaurants and shopping. There is something for everyone here in this bustling town, and all just a few short miles from Timberlake. Not much is available in the way of activities, so definitely a working community. This is probably not a vacation destination, but for us it fits the bill. We need a couple of down days. It’s beautiful and very clean.
