TOUR AMERICA, 2020: OCALA, FLORIDA, THE SUNSHINE STATE

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It:  Silver Springs State Park Campground, Ocala, Florida

September 23, 2020

Temperature 82 Degrees

Oh No, We Can’t Go There

A Strange Place to Sleep At Night

My First Hike

Monthly Maintenance Finished – For This Month

The end of next week we were supposed to move again to another Florida State Park.

Yet, I had this uncomfortable feeling about this park.  Maybe it was because when I first made this reservation we had a smaller rig and a portable satellite antenna.  Since the park was only an hour and thirty minutes away we decided to take a road trip on Monday.

We are so glad we did.  I would never be able to get Elvira in or through this park.  The entrance road was a single lane road with no room for two way traffic.  I don’t know what happens when one rig is entering and another is trying to leave the park.  Then there is the road in the park itself.  It, too, is narrow and twisty.  Moreover, the sites are so small cars are half parked on the road making getting through a real nail biter.  Finally, the site we had picked we would have never been able to back into it.  Oh, maybe with an hour or more of work we might have gotten in.  But why bother.  We came home and cancelled the reservation.  We’ll go directly to Bushnell when we leave here.  After, we are finished . . .

This was our next stop.  We’ll be going here next week to have some front end work done on Elvira.  They had stated on the phone that since we’ll be here overnight they would be able to put us in a spot where we’ll be able to plug into a 50 amp outlet.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that that spot would be inside one of the bays with the garage door closed!  This will definitely be a first for us.  In the past we’ve parked overnight in a funeral home parking lot, in a field beside a barn, in the middle of a wine field, and some other rather odd places.  This will be one of the strangest places we’ve spent the night.

As for Tuesday.

With no hint of rain in the forecast nor in the sky above I decided to hike one of the many trails in the park.

This was the closest trail to our site so I decided to start here.

Off we go.  This should be a piece of cake.  Just follow the green arrows.

Quiet and peaceful.  It is obvious by the height of the grass that not many pass this way.  As I walked this trail I couldn’t help thinking of those long ago who called this forest their home.  Who hunted and farmed here.  Those that through their efforts made this area the prosperous town it is today.

Yup, just follow the green arrows.  But which one should I follow!

Some of the many animals that are said to call these fields their home.  Unfortunately, I did not see a one of them during my walk.

I was half expecting a troll to be waiting beside this sort of trail block to collect a toll.  Yea, I’ll admit it I have a very active imagination.

A touch of color along the way.

An hour and about two miles later I was back home.  More trails await me in the coming days.

Back home I decided to take care of a few items that needed attention.

Anyone know what this is?  No, it is not just another old sock.  It is a special kind of old sock.

It is a super duper luper slide seal lubricator!  You put some baby powder on the sock which is tapped on the end of a pole and you slide it up and down the slide seal.  Now that you know that I’m sure you can deduce what was one of the things that I did today.  Each and every one of them.

I also went around and lubricated everything else that moved, rolled, slid or whatever.  While I was at it I made sure every screw I could find was tight.  It sure is amazing how many can come loose over the years.

I also finished my monthly maintenance chores today.  All good again for another month.

Now while I was busy doing all this Ms. Barbara was busy as well.  Breakfast time she made me a cheese and chili omelet with fried spam on the side.  Come lunch time she made a huge crockpot full of spare ribs.  Everything was so delicious.  She also kept busy all day doing laundry.

So though we haven’t been doing a lot of sightseeing we’re keeping busy on The Road of Retirement.  The days are becoming more tolerable as well as the nights.  Point of fact we can even keep the AC off at night.  We’d like to do the same during the day but can’t because if we do we’re swarmed inside by Florida love bugs.  They don’t bight or anything like that but they are just a darn nuisance.  And they are small enough to get through every small crack in every window.  They are only active during the day but not at night.  Hence, the windows must be closed during the day.

Thanks for checking in with us today.  We always appreciate your company as well as your comments and suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, enjoy the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!