Calvin's twisted view

Click on this link to see Calvin's photos of time with the Hachi's

Perigee-Syzygy

Skewering Key West Pink camerones (shrimp)

Lisa, Calvin, Maria and Isaac

It was cloudy so we only caught a momentary glimpse of the super-moon

Trip Map

View 2011 Winter Work-ation in a larger map

A day of fun with Maria and Calvin

Ash-vegas!

We are staying in a lovely RV Park called Mama Gerties Hideaway in Swannanoa, NC. This place is mindfully carved into the side of a mountain and is very well thought out. We fall asleep at night to the sound of a burbling brook right outside the tin can and wake up to wild turkeys foraging outside the window. It's regenerative.

We have laughed and cried with Calvin and Maria and they are the perfect elixir that we needed to wind up this trip and help us transition home.

Welcome to South Carolina

This leg of the trip was around 350 miles. We left Jacksonville, Florida and drove through a chunk of Georgia than into South Carolina. South Carolina roads are much like riding a bucking bronco and we were all a little jangled at the end of the day and ready for a peaceful layover.

We stopped at one private RV park in Kinards, SC and did a drive through just to check it out and decided to keep on going. The next park on our radar was a bit off of the road and it was quite possible the gates would be locked since it was after hours according to the answering machine - but we were up for an adventure.

We drove into the park on crushed granite roads that sparkled like glitter. An owl swooped across the road and that lovely smell of the woods filled the Lazy Daze. We wound our way back into the woods and along side a beautiful lake and planted ourselves on a lovely site for the night. We were one of three RV's in the park.

One of our neighbors came over and welcomed us and gave us the inside scoop on the wildlife. She told us where to find the trail down to the lake and to watch for the bald eagle and her young that nested there. She warned of walking alone too far from the occupied area because of a resident bear.

The sun was getting low in the sky so we took a quick walk around the lake and breathed. When we returned I built a small campfire and ate dinner. The Park Ranger stopped by to give us the combination to the gate and reminded us to pay in the morning when the office would be open.
If we weren't on a mission to see Calvin and Maria, we'd camp here a few days. It's lovely.

Peeps

It was great to reconnect with Frank and Ed. These guys know everybody worth knowing. They introduced us to Essella and Maggie (and Chloe from the previous post) from Asheville and they are our kind of people. Thanks to the boys for inviting us for coffee and sweets. It was good to spend some time with them before we hit the road toward Ashevegas!

Petanque Court at John Prince Park

A serious game of Petanque at the park.

Sights around John Prince Park

Chloe

Chloe makes herself at home.

John Prince Park Campground

We left Key West this morning with a loose plan to check out John Prince Campground in Lake Worth, FL. A couple of nice guys (Ed and Frank) that we met at Easterlin Park in Ft. Lauderdale recommended it, and we seem to have similar tastes for campgrounds. So far, we're pretty impressed.

In our short time as campers we've decided that we tend to like state or county parks. These parks tend to have more green space, less campsites (translation - pepole) larger lots, some shade, bike path - or access to one, water, wildlife and decent bath houses.

We'll be here a few days an then off to Asheville for serious face time with Calvin and Maria.

Mahogany Seed Pod

Rainy Day

Lake Leo

A storm blew through Key West today. The snowbirds said it's the first real rain since January. One minute it was sunny and the next minute the sky was black. It moved in really quick. Every one hustled to get their awnings down before they were ripped off of the campers. Other campers quickly began retracting other folks awnings that were away from camp.

In the middle of trying to get an awning down (picture three humans hanging onto a piece of canvas in a shitfire windstorm) one woman told us she was worried about her husband who had gone fishing. He wasn't answering his phone.

A half hour went by and she got a call that they were safe.

We all stood around soaking wet and laughing at the sudden frenzy of activity when a fellow blew by and yelled "WET T-SHIRT CONTEST" we laughed and headed back to put on dry clothes.

Kayaking the mangrove

Terry, a fellow camper, offered his truck and a map to his favorite off the beaten path super secret beach and mangrove on Geiger Key at the end of Boca Chica road. We loaded up the loaner kayaks that the campground offers, packed a lunch and water and hit the road.

This place was loaded with schools of fish, coral geodes, Iguanas, Heron, Egret, Pelican, Anhinga, Cormorant and serious sun time.

Exploring the southside

We caught the bus and headed in to explore the south side and check out Ft. Zachary Taylor, a National Historic Landmark (and voted to have the best beach in Key West).

A few hundred yards outside of the park we stumbled upon the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. It's a wonderful educational center with artwork and interactive exhibits including a mock-up of Aquarius, the world's only underwater ocean laboratory (located three miles off the coast of Florida).

Homemade camper