Rim Ride to Taylor Creek

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Our friend and neighbor, Barry, stopped by today to see if I would like to join him on a bike ride to Taylor Creek today.  I said sure, and we departed under sunny sky's and perfect temperatures in the low 70's.  From Ancient Oaks RV Resort to Taylor Creek is about 4 miles each way along the rim trail on Lake Okeechobee, Florida. 

This would be my first ride on my new bike outside of the park and a chance to see Lake Okeechobee from the top of the rim.  The rim was made to hold addition water when tropical storms and hurricanes pass through south Florida.  There is a bike trail along most of the rim that encircles the lake.

Lake Okeechobee is the largest fresh water lake in Florida and covers 730 square miles which is about half the size of the state of Rhode Island.  The name Okeechobee means "big water" and was formed in the wetlands of South Florida about 4000-6000 years ago.

 

As we headed North, Lake Okeechobee is on our left.

 

The canal is running along our right side.

 

More shots of the Lake Okeechobee 

 

 

Here we are at Taylor Creek where a new flood control gate is under construction on the left.  To the right is where Taylor Creek joins the canal and looking straight ahead is the continuation of the canal around the lake.

 

The pontoon boat is on Taylor Creek heading to the construction site.  There is a Blue Heron in the center of the spit of land in this picture.

 

Barry is enjoying the views while standing on a bridge that crosses the canal at Taylor Creek.

 

Returning back we spotted these Ibis and Egrets feeding along the path.

 

The large birds on the post in the center of this picture are vultures.  We didn't want to stand still here too long, they might think we were their next meal! Ha!

 

 

Back to the park we headed.  It was a great ride and another beautiful day in south Florida.

 

 

 

 

Jupiter Lighthouse and Jensen Beach Florida

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

We've been in Okeechobee, Florida for a month and finally took some time to explore part of Florida's Eastern shore line known as The Treasure Coast.  Our friends from Kentucky and neighbors in Okeechobee, Barry and Susan, went with us as our guides.  Our plan was a short two stop shopping trip, and spend the rest of our time sight seeing.

We left Okeechobee heading south on US highway 441, then took Florida Highway 714 to Stuart, then south on Highway 1 to Jupiter, Florida.  We arrived at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse about 11:30 am and went to the gift shop and found a small replica of the lighthouse to join the others we have collected on our fire place mantel.  While browsing through the gift shop we inquired about the light house tours.  The next tour was about 45 minutes from starting and would take another 45 minutes to complete.  Since our stomachs were screaming "feed me, feed me", so we decided to have lunch first.  The gift store clerks suggested Guanabama Restaurant.  They said it has good food and you can eat out side along the river and it was a short drive from the gift shop.

Here's a shot of the lighthouse taken from the parking lot.

 

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse started in operation in July of 1860.  When it was built, it was the only building within 100 miles in any direction.  The 108 foot tower was built on atop a 46 foot hill about 1/4 mile west of the nearest beach.  The combined height of the tower and the hill, along with a new First Order Fresnel lens would project its beam 23 miles out to sea.  The lumber, bricks, and iron works were supplied from the Philadelphia Navy Yard and brought 1,000 miles to Indian River by a large schooner-steamer.  The schooner-steamer landed about 35 miles to the north.  The materials were then loaded on to shallow draft barges that could navigate the tricky Indian River to Jupiter Inlet.

 

This is the draw bridge we would be crossing to get to the restaurant.  We watched as several sail boats motored through the opening.

 

Since we had to wait for the draw bridge to close, we took this picture of the four of us.  L to R: Barry, Susan, Kitty, and Craig

 

 

Our lunch at Guanabama Restaurant was fantastic!  If you are anywhere near Jupiter, Florida, drive, sail or crawl to Guanabama Restaurant.  Be sure to wear loose fitting clothing because you will be stuffed when you leave this place!  Three of us had the Crab Cake BLT, and Barry had the best fish tacos he has ever eaten, and I think he has eaten quite a few fish tacos around the country!  The three of us agreed, that was the best Crab Cake BLT we had ever eaten.  Aside from the fact that it was the only Crab Cake BLT we had ever eaten, it was truly delicious.

 

Here's some shots of Guanabama Restaurant.

 

 

This is the view from our table.  A barge was installing pilings for some new slips when it sank.  The crew is trying to raise the barge and we watched all of the action while we stuffed our faces! You can see part of the sunken barge in the lower left of the picture below.

 

This restaurant not only has great food, but lots of handsome men hang out here.  Here's a picture of a couple of them! Ha!

 

 

After putting on a few pounds at lunch, we decided to head north on US 1.  We ended up at Jensen Beach and took these photos.  The wind was pretty strong and the surf was really pounding the delicate shore.  No doubt those extra pounds we gained at lunch kept us from getting blown away here!

 

This is the Atlantic Ocean looking along the coast line towards the south.



 

This is looking along the coastline to the north.

 

The four of us again.  L to R: Barry, Susan, Kitty, and Craig at windy Jensen Beach.

 

Now it's time to head back to Ancient Oaks RV Resort.  Hey, we can still make it back in time for happy hour!  A great day with great friends.  We are really enjoying our stay in South Florida this winter!

 

 

Florida Flywheelers

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Five of us from Ancient Oaks RV Resort in Okeechobee, Florida decided to drive to Sebring, Florida to see the Flywheelers.  This is a collection of all types of engines and vehicles used for a variety of tasks.  We saw some interesting machines here along with a sprawling flea market.

We left about 8:00 am and stopped at Pogeys Family Restaurant for breakfast then drove about an hour to Sebring.  It was a cool start this morning; but, the temperature had warmed to 63 degrees by the time we started walking through the exhibits.  It was a little windy, making it feel colder than it was.  But, it warmed into the upper 60's and was a wonderful day.

Here's the crew that made the trip. 

L to R: Kitty, Ron, Debbie, and Randy

 

 

While many of the displays were interesting, I was fascinated by the many different modes of transportation peoples used to tour the outdoor show.  Many people brought their golf carts while others brought riding mowers and an assortment of other amazing means to get around the acres of displays.  So, I have divided the following pictures into two groups, display items, and mobile carts.  It's like going to Wal-Mart to see some interesting people, you go to the Flywheelers to see interesting mobile carts.

 

The first group of pictures are some of the items that were displayed.

 

This machine pumps natural gas from gas wells.  It was built in 1914 in Buffalo, NY.  The fly wheel is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 12 tons.

 

 

 This is a 1946 Schwinn Wizzlor motorized bike.

 

 This machine was built in 1912.  It is being used here to make ice cream.

 

 

This second group of pictures is a small sample of some of the contraptions people used to tour the displays.

Need a tow truck?

 

 57 Chevy

 

 I saved the best for last. Check out the deer head!

It was another fun day in Florida.  But it wasn't quite over yet.  We just had to stop at Red Lobster on the way home!

 

 







The Villages in Florida

Sunday, November 4, 2012

We jumped in the car and headed from Okeechobee to The Villages, just a little north of Orlando, to meet our friends Glen and Laura.  They have a home in The Villages which is a sprawling complex of retirement homes and recreation facilities that encompasses the better part of three Florida counties.  You may remember Glen and Laura from our July blog camping at Rock Cut State Park near Rockford, Illinois.

We arrived at their Florida home just before noon.  While we visited, Kitty and Laura fixed a quick lunch, then we took off for a tour of The Villages and a stop at a craft fair.  Each section of The Villages has a different theme such as the beach section, the water front or landing section, the Mexico section, etc.  The stores in each section are designed to blend with the theme for that section and each section has their recreation facilities such as swimming pools, billiard rooms, golf courses, exercise rooms and much more.  The Themes remind me of Disney World and were designed after consulting with the Disney designers.  It's a very pretty area with beautiful landscaping, manicured lawns, flowers, and lots of homes.  Golf carts, walking, and autos are the main mode of transportation in The Villages.

Here's some shots we took while we were at the Landing area.  The Lake and dock were designed to blend with the landing theme for this area.

That's me on the left and Glen on the right. We're looking for alligators! 

 

 L to R: Craig, Laura, and Glen

 

 This is Laura

 

 Craig and Kitty

 

Here we are at their Florida home.

 

 

After spending the night at their home in The Villages, we headed back to Okeechobee making a stop at Camping World to return a bicycle seat cover, then returned to Ancient Oaks RV Resort in time for happy hour.  We always enjoy getting together with friends and we had a great time together.

 

 



Hurricane Sandy in South Florida

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Okeechobee Florida is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico in Southern Florida.  It is about 40 miles from the east coast of Florida.  We are thankful that Hurricane Sandy stayed more than two hundred miles from the coast.  As I am sure you have heard, Sandy grew in size as it headed north creating massive destruction along the New Jersey coast line as well as hundreds of miles to the north, south and west.

If you have been following our blogs, you saw that we were in Hatteras, North Carolina only a few weeks ago.  The outer banks of North Carolina were hit with high winds and tidal surge.  The tidal surge actually spilled over stretches of highway 12 that runs almost the entire length of the outer banks.  Had we been there, we would have been forced to evacuate.

Here in Okeechobee, for two days, we had wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph and rain that came in waves.  It would rain hard for awhile, then stop for awhile, then start all over again.  We did not have any damage or power loss here.  But, as Sandy moved farther north, the winds shifted out of the north in Florida and caused the fronds on the palm tree next to our 5th wheel to sweep against our bedroom slide roof.  Inside the 5th wheel, it sounded like a heard of large mice running across the bedroom slide roof making sleep almost impossible.  So, the next morning our neighbor cut several of the fronds off the tree, and we could finally get some sleep.



 

This is the tree that received a hair cut!

 
We are indeed thankful, that was our only issue with Sandy, and our prayers go out to all those who suffered in her path and lost their homes, and for some, their lives.

Arrival in Okeechobee, Florida

Friday, October 19, 2012

We left the Stagecoach RV Park in St Augustine, Florida and headed South on I95.  This 225 mile trip will be our last one this year pulling the 5th wheel as our plan is to spend the winter there.  The trip was very smooth getting here.  As we approached the Park, the GPS was telling me our destination was on the left.  I kept looking to left and didn't see it, so I looked to the right just in time to see Ancient Oak RV Resort as we passed it.  Randy and Debbie were standing at the gate waving as we drove by.  I was able to stop on Highway US 441 and back up enough to get in the front gate of the Park.  Randy jumped into the truck and directed me to our spot.

As we approached our site, I could see that this was going to be a challenge getting the 5th wheel into the site with the narrow streets allowing little wiggle room.  After looking the situation over for a minute, we decided we weren't going to fit in this site and we headed back to Illinois!  Ha! Just kidding. 

We drove around the block and came in from the opposite direction.  We were fortunate that no one was in the site across the street from ours, so we were able to head into it and back into our site.  After some jockeying, we were setting up and meeting neighbors at the same time.  In the 89 degree heat, talking with the neighbors was welcome relief from the heat.  We quickly realized everyone here is very friendly and not shy about introducing themselves.  Later, Kitty and I put our heads together and could remember the names of about half the people we met.  That proves our theory that our two brains together equals one normal brain!

 

 

 

 

Our site is paved and has water, electric, sewer and the shed in the back corner of our site has a washer and dryer.  That beats packing up dirty clothes and trying to find a laundromat.  The Park boasts a recreation hall, spa, heated pool, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard courts and boat docks.  There's mega activities here including bingo,cards, dance classes, craft classes, pool tournaments, aerobics, and water exercise.  It should be a busy winter full of activities.

 

For those who want our mailing address for this winter, it's as follows;

 

Craig and Kitty Simmons

c/o Ancient Oaks RV Resort

5348 SE 65th Avenue, Box 664

Okeechobee, Fl. 34974







St Augustine Florida

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

It's time to leave Skidaway Island State Park.  We really enjoyed our stay here.  The campground was great and Savannah is a very interesting town with lots of history and charm.  We are headed 180 miles south on I95 to St Augustine Florida.

We arrived at the Stagecoach R-V Park around mid afternoon.  This campground has 71 sites, mostly pull through sites, all with full hook ups.  The campground roads are gravel and the sites are grass.  We were all hooked up just minutes before the rain started.  The rain lasted a good 20 minutes, and typical Florida, the sun came out and you couldn't tell it had just rained.

We have been to St Augustine many times when we lived in Jacksonville several years ago and we were able to find the lighthouse and fort without using the GPS.  Now that we knew for sure what we wanted to see in the morning, we headed back to the campground stopping at a nearby Cracker Barrel for supper.


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Since we are both fighting colds and had trouble sleeping last night, we decided to shorten our agenda for today.  The first stop is St Augustine Light Station.  This light station was established in 1874.

 

This view of the light is from South Ponte Verda Beach a few miles away.

 

Next, we drove by Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.  We didn't stop here since we had seen this fort years ago and we were feeling the affects of our colds.  So, Kitty, looking like a typical tourist, took these drive by shots.

 

 

Driving a few miles north, we stopped at South Ponte Verda Beach to relax and enjoy the ocean for a while.

 

 

 

Here's a short video of the beach.

 

 

 

Tomorrow morning we leave St Augustine and will arrive at our destination for the next few months, Ancient Oaks RV Park in Okeechobee, Florida, where we will join our old friends Randy and Debbie, Barry and Susan.  We have been looking forward to this since we made the reservations back in May.  Wow, what an adventure we've had getting to this point.  It's hard to believe we are almost there.  Please keep checking our blog as we plan to have much more fun in the sunshine state to share with you!