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Published: July 28th 2018
Two newest family members
Cooper, the rescue lab, loves to sit ON (not with) a human. He is very grateful for a loving family. Bolt, the Huskimo puppy, has a blue chiller pad that keeps him cool in the hot weather, and play just so long before heading to the pad to relax, nap, and cool down.We were looking forward to our trip to FL. Not because we needed to get where it was warm; summer in Florida is NOT the smartest time to visit. But we were going to take our oldest grandson, Drew, camping in the RV. So we readied the coach, and took off early one morning to head south. We opted to go the same route we had used in winter, down I-59, around Birmingham to I-65 and then around Montgomery to US-231 and to Fort Rucker, AL to spend the night at the military campground there. Great drive, good roads, and reservations for one night in the woods at a well developed campsite. For one night stays, the cat does not get to roam and so I walked him on a leash several times so he could enjoy the outdoors and tend to business. Early morning walk found the cat HIGHLY interested in some woods near the RV and suddenly the leaves on shrubs rustled. Out strolled an armadillo mama with 4 cute babies, looking like an Army convoy rolling down the road. They had noses to the ground, sniffing for bugs and grubs. Koko the cat was fascinated, but kept his
Pre-slide poser
Xander was very confident of his abilities on the water slide. He is tall enough to come down all by himself. Lost count of his multiple trips up the steps and sliding down. distance.
After breakfast we headed south to I-10 and then a long...LONG b-o-r-i-n-g drive across the panhandle to Jacksonville. Lots of iced coffee, cola, talking, munchies to keep us going. Finally we got to NAS Jacksonville and had our assigned campsite backed in among the trees. Reasonably shaded and cool...in the morning. Hot afternoon sun streaming in from mid afternoon on. We set up camp and went to visit the kids. Greeted at the door with vociferous barking....two new dogs added to the crew. A rescue chocolate lab about 2 years old and a smaller (for now) Huskimo, sort of husky like puppy only about 10 weeks. Oh, grandkids also excited, we think. They were actually quieter. After greeting all and hearing all the latest news, Josh went and made a yummy dinner. He and Jen are on the Keto diet and have lost weight, so are careful on what they eat, but still manage to give the kids (and grandparents) filling, healthy foods.
Jen was not home; her grandfather was in the hospital in Orlando and she had gone down with her Dad and other family. She came home late that evening. Her week was hectic, working
Xander splashing in
Xander came down feet first, sitting up, lying down, waving, yelling, laughing. Always the clown and extrovert, he really had a ball in the water. He and I went the kiddie area and splashed there a bit. some from home and taking time to go back to Orlando for an extended stay. We were happy to have a bit of time with her during the week. We took the family out for dinner one night just so all could have a break.
With the weather so hot, we suggested going to the neighborhood pool and surprisingly, Drew did not want to go. Apparently he now much prefers ocean so he can use his boogie board and body surf. So we went with Josh and Xander. Xander wanted to show off on the slide and shortly after arriving, he climbed the steps up and came whooshing down the water slide. Up promptly with a broad grin, we was up and at it again...and again...and again. Finally I gave in; couldn't resist the chance and road the slide sedately down, sitting up the whole way. (I knew I couldn't wear a hat coming down, but they made me hold my glasses! How would I know when I was close to the end???) After a trial run, I came down on my back, no glasses, and hit the water, skidding briefly across before sinking like a stone and taking
Keeping cool in the pool
Xander, Trish, and Josh relaxing in the mild water and chatting. Why sit in the sun when the pool was so comfortable? They were waiting here for me when I came down the slide and coughed to a spluttery stop. copious amount of water up the nose and down the throat. Xander, Josh and Trish considered it a highlight!
We would go over to the house in late morning and spend lunch with the gang, watching TV, talking, and relaxing. We'd usually be back to the RV for dinner so as to not be a burden on Jen who several days worked from home and one day went to Orlando. I managed to get to Chamblain's Book Mine, a super used bookstore, one morning to look for some books in series I read. I spent a couple of mornings at the RV park chatting with a neighbor who had just sold his home and he and the wife were going to be full timing in their almost new Tiffin 40 foot motorcoach. He wondered about places to stay in Virginia, national campgrounds, and travel issues. But from what we saw, he and his wife had a pretty good handle on things. Smartest thing we saw was he was asking questions of others and listening.
Though we had a good campsite at NAS Jax, we decided to take the grandson to St. Augustine to camp in the RV. I
Another family member
Scout is the remaining half of the terrier combo the kids had. Rocco passed away this spring. He was getting old. Scout, the female half, has always been the yippy one. She seems more mellow with the two new dogs. But here role is clear--keep all the animals from arguing and having a good time. She interjects herself often to maintain discipline (to little avail.) had spent time checking out various campgrounds on line and finally found my Goldilocks location. Some were run down, others were "resorts" of questionable value, and a couple right on the ocean wanted $80 to $100 a night for an "experience". So I settled on a state park south of St Augustine that was at the end of a 3.5 mile dirt road. Faver Dykes State Park is old timey Florida camping. There was low scrub palms, larger oak with Spanish Moss, and vines and tangles between each site, giving a real feel of privacy.
We met up with the family in a Target parking lot near the Navy base and got Drew on board. With barely a care, he waved good-bye and we were off. We headed south to the state park, looking for an "old Florida" environment of palmetto, oak, spanish moss and sand in a beautiful setting. Unfortunately, check in was 3pm and we were quite early. Our site was occupied, so we pulled into an empty spot, hooked up electric for A/C, grabbed a quick lunch, then Drew and I took the car and headed for the beach and some boogie boarding. It was about
Drew ready for his trip
We met Josh and family at a Target parking lot near the military campground. Drew was carrying his pack with clothes and games, Josh had the boogie board, and Jen had the blanket and pillow. 25 minutes to the beach but on a Sunday summer afternoon all parking spots were taken. We looked around, then headed south on A1A to another beach....plenty of parking places available. However, the beach access was closed, damaged in last year's storms. Instead, we crossed the road and down a boardwalk to the Matanzas River beach, a lovely stretch of packed sugar sand, warm water, and shallow swimming. We had fun, though no waves to use the boogie board.
Back at camp, we showered off, and moved the coach to our permanent site. We fixed chicken ala king for dinner, something Drew had never had and really enjoyed. Monday was a big day of adventures. We offered Drew his choice of Marineland (the original, on A1A and still operating) or the Alligator Farm (also an old timey tourist attraction in St Augustine.) He opted for gators so we went in early to avoid the heat, and walked the board walk under tall trees, viewing gators and crocs from all around the world. Overhead were folks on the zip line tour and lots of storks and ibis nesting. We saw Galapagos tortoise, skeletons of ancient crocs, and reptiles from around
Waving good-bye
With little seeming reluctance, Drew climbed in, we stowed the gear, and he waved good bye to his parents and brother. It was off for a new adventure. the world as well. Wandering a bit ahead of us in one large exhibit, Drew got close to the heavy plexiglass wall when a female gator lunged at him and hit the glass. BOY, did he jump. Then we read the signs and she was protecting a nest. We all laughed, but it was unsettling at the time. Although an old landmark, the Alligator Farm is well maintained and the staff recognized world wide for their skill and knowledge in handling these dangerous and endangered reptiles. We saw short films of some of the rescue missions they had been on.
That night was supposed to be a hot dog night on the grill and campfire after with smores. Unfortunately, the skies opened up for about 3 hours of solid rain, so we grilled the dogs in a skillet on the stove and settled for ice cream for dessert. Tuesday AM we packed up and headed back to Jacksonville. We drove up A1A because there was a beach that had a large parking area next to a gas station and I figured we could get Drew in the ocean with his boogie board. Well, the large area was there, but
Co-pilot Drew
A year ago when the kids were in AL, we took the coach to a local park for a picnic and Drew road at the dinette table. This time he had the co-pilot's chair up front and so we needed to have a brief lesson on how to read a map. He seemed to enjoy sitting up high and seeing far off. an 18 wheeler was backed in most of the way right in the middle. I checked it out and the semi driver walked back as well and it appeared to be hard enough to drive on. Problem was, I couldn't make the turn in back with the car attached. So I unhooked and we got on firmer ground. (At this point, I am obliged to point out that Trish was NOT impressed with this venture. She claims the sand was too soft and we were damn lucky not to get stuck! Not wanting to publically disagree, I hereby make note of her concerns.) Had the generator going for Trish (NOT going in the water) and Drew and I changed and headed to the beach. We had fun in the waves and finally Drew tired and we came out, went to the RV, hosed off outside at the outside faucet of the RV, then went in and changed. We got to the campground, reset and then drove Drew back home. It was a good experience and now we all have something to look forward to, our next trip. When brother gets a bit older, we'll try it with him too.
River beach
Drew really wanted to go to the ocean to use his boogie board. But the one beach had no parking and the other beach was closed. So we crossed A1A to the river and found a delightful beach of packed sugar sand and warm, calm water. We took the kids out for dinner one more time and Friday AM we pulled out, heading home. I had hoped to spend a few days in the Plains, GA area visiting the Jimmy Carter museum, Andersonville, and Americus. But weather was SO hot, we opted to drive straight back. It was good weather, good roads, and we coasted in after about 11 hours. Next couple of days we cleaned the inside, did laundry and then put the coach away until the next trip.
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Kim
non-member comment
Sounds like a wonderful outing with Drew. Miss you and Trish. Think of you and the kids so often. Love to all.