We left Ortona Lock and Dam (near La Belle, Fl.) around 10:00 am, heading west on SR80, then north on I75 to SR44 then west a few miles to Thousand Palms RV Resort. This campground is near Lake Pansoffkee, Florida. We arrived around four pm making three stops along the way.
Thousand Palms RV Resort has several park models that are owned by the resort, and are available for rent by the week or month. But, the majority of the sites are for RV's. There is a nice game room, heated pool, and very nice rest rooms. However, the campgound needs a little sprucing up. There was a guy doing some trimming around the campground the last day we were there. So, hopefully, it looks better now.
After we had backed into the site, we realized we were rather close to the electical box. So, we moved the slide out before we unhooked to be sure we would have room. Yep, we had less than 1/2 inch to spare. Just like I had planned! Right!
Here, all three of us are enjoying a beautiful spring day at our site in Thousand Palms RV Resort.
These guineas are the "watch dogs" of the campground! They will let you know if some one comes around.
Since we only had one more day here and didn't want to spend the day waiting around for them to show up, we cancelled the service and decided to head out and see the sights. We headed west on SR 44 until it ends at the town of Crystal River, Florida, located on the Gulf of Mexico. There is a park and beach area there called Fort Island.
We took this board walk to the beach.
We walked along the beach for a while. It was nice to be on a beach that isn't packed with people.
From this pier, we could see several feet into the clear gulf water. About 50 yards away, we could see a dolphin feeding.
It was rather windy, so we didn't stay too long on the beach. As we headed back to town, we stopped and took this shot of Crystal River.
We headed back to Thousand Palms. But, at the last minute, decided we would see what Lake Pansoffkee looks like. It's a nice small lake full of fishing resorts. We took this shot at one of the resorts. I think Kallie likes this place!
Then we spotted this duck swimming around just a few feet from the dock. When we got back home, we consulted our trusty bird book but could not find anything that resembled this duck with the strange head piece and coloring.
Whenever we can not identify a bird, we consult Bird Man Barry. He identified this as a Muscovy Duck. Thanks for the help, Bird Man.
That brings us to the end of our stay here. Next, we head to St Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida, for some more fun in these beautiful Gulf coast beaches. Stay tuned!
While I was still working I spent many a day there in Crystal River, but not on the beaches or enjoying the campground. I did a myriad of projects at the FPC Nuclear Power Plant. In fact, out of all of the nukes that I did testing for, it was CR Unit 3 that gave me the greatest amount of radiation exposure. But that is a story for another day.
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