Dang RV

Clermont, FL

By Katrina Kane, on April 2nd, 2009

I thought I would check out Bee’s Resort in Clermont, FL since it seems to be popular. It’s a C2C/RPI park. I found it to be a typical warehouse type park with very close sites packed in. It is out in the country away from shopping but very close to the Florida Turnpike to go to all the Orlando attractions. Despite the drought, their tiny lake was nice to look at with it’s 24 hour fountain and porch swing next to it. Some of the owners have added lights and decorative blinking lighthouses along the edge. The pool is cold but nobody seemed to mind during the hot days.

I got there in time for an all-you-can-eat chicken dinner. Holy cow! They plopped so much delicious different foods on my tray that there was no need for seconds. There was plenty of room and tables for everyone and a screened porch to eat out on as well.

For fun, I drove into Kissimmee. Thank goodness for the Sun Pass on my windshield while driving the turnpike. It really is so much easier than scrambling for change. I went to a huge outdoor store and got lucky. I found the adjustable rack needed to hold my BBQ when sites don’t provide a table and it can double as the trash bag holder I have been needing for my annual document shredding. I also found a tent pole which I plan to use as an antenna extension. I have external antennas for both wifi and my aircard which I plan to clamp to the pole and extend them above the trailer roof for better reception.

Just down the street I found a Disney outlet store where I snagged my Disneyworld Tshirt. They are just too expensive to buy inside Disneyworld and there are lots of these stores near there.

Apopka, FL Birthday Celebration

By Katrina Kane, on March 29th, 2009

Back down to Sun Resorts in Apopka to celebrate my birthday at Disneyworld FREE! I’m no fool. Somebody offers me a $79 ticket free, I take it! OK, so I had to pay for dinner, a scooter, and my nick knacks. Big deal. 😀

It didn’t start off well. I got to the resort in very fast time and they let me check in early. However, despite having a reservation 2 months in advance which is something I never do, they put me in the woods area with no sewer or cable hookups so no TV. Just getting into the spot was impossible because the road inside the resort is so darn busy and narrow. Luckily, a real relaxed pro came along and slipped it into the site for me. Whew!

The office told me reservations make no difference when using C2C to camp there. You get what is available when you get there. Geez! I was not at all happy since I even took vacation time off for this one and it was special. I spoke to someone else in the office the next day and was able to move into the other area with still no sat dish through the trees but cable hookup at least. Sewer hookup was nice too though really not the issue for just a week. While in that spot, I got to help a young man fix his electrical issue. Poor guy was not an RVer and just staying there in someone else’s rig. I showed him where the breaker box was and that he had tripped the breaker.

I spent an entire day at Disneyworld from 9:20am to 10pm. I wasn’t that crazy about going alone but hey, IT’S DISNEYWORLD! The line to check in for a free ticket was actually somewhat long. A lot of us were born on that day. Talk about a party! They gave us each a special pass card and a birthday button with our name on it. Wear the button no matter how old you are. I got told happy birthday by name at least 1,000 times that day by every visitor and staff member in the place. Not once did I feel alone that day. I also got sung to by the staff at the Disney restaurant, a first for me, and candles in my apple pie and ice cream. 😀 It was great! I highly recommend spending your birthday at a Disney park this year.

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Silver Springs, FL

By Katrina Kane, on March 23rd, 2009

Silver Springs, next to the Ocala National Forest, is the home of Silver Springs Theme Park where numerous commercials and movies have been shot due to its crystal clear 99% pure spring water. The Tarzan series of movies with Johnny Weismuller, Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges, Legend with Tom Cruise, one of the 007 James Bond movies, the commercial of a family living and eating underwater, etc. were filmed there. It is also an animal rehab and sanctuary as well as an excellent concert venue. The glass bottom boats and concerts are what brought me to stay for 5 weeks at Wilderness RV Park nearby.

Wilderness RV Park has been very nice with all the amenities including a pool, hot tub, exercise room, laundry, propane, a lodge and meeting hall for nightly activities, lots of planned activities, river access with kayak and canoe rentals, etc. The sites are wide open so no issue with my satellite TV though they do also provide cable TV free. My site was level on grass while some sites have a concrete pad. I highly recommend using a water filter on the incoming line. The water is loaded with both sulfur and chlorine so it smells pretty bad.

I had no problem finding things to do and entertainment in camp. I got on a treadmill for the first time and found I can actually do it despite my health issues and with no pain whatsoever. It is wonderful to do at night wih a TV available to watch while working out and a chair to sit in afterward to cool down and get over the dizziness it causes. There is also a sauna and shower provided while the bathhouse is right next door. The pool is unheated at this time but some folks still refresh in it on hot days. I gave the hot tub a whirl. I managed get in on a group campfire, a spaghetti dinner, Mardi Gras parade, a Space Shuttle launch, a corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patrick’s Day, several games of cards with very nice folks, wii bowling, and gator races (no kidding!). I loved game night with the bowling and races. I lost 75 cents betting on the gators but I also won twice and I ate at least that much in free nachos with tons of cheese and piquante sauce along with lime punch.

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Bushnell, FL

By Katrina Kane, on February 12th, 2009

Finally made it back to Sumter Oaks in Bushnell, FL an Escapees park. I had such a good time there last year with all the planned activities and wonderful people that I wanted to get in some time there again. I must say it was obvious here that many RVers are not on the road this winter. There were far more open spaces than last year. That was a bit sad though the park was still fairly full. They lost the person who ran the jam sessions last year on Friday nights so now the sessions are on Tuesday afternoons which does not work with my schedule at all. It is nice that they offer food at the sessions now though.

Met more nice people and at least one person I had seen there last year. Got my Escapee hugs both when coming and going. 😀 Last year they taught me Mexican Trains. This year they taught me Pokeno and they have an active Skipbo group going. The puzzle table is still quite active too. Of course, I did a little geocaching in the area too which has a LOT of caches including one .4 miles from the park that kept winking at me and daring me on my GPS.

The main reason to go there is for the Webster and Beauville fleamarkets. Webster’s is HUGE!!! It would take months of Mondays to see it all. I just went through all the covered stalls up front on 3 different days and managed to wear myself and my wallet out. Great deals abound there. $1 for used VHS tapes to replenish my library with new/old titles. $10 for 600 thread count egyptian cotton sheets (very popular). Any tool or repair item you may need for pennies. Tons of tshirts and sweatshirts. Puppies and birds. Shamwow shammies for $1.25 a large sheet. Cool window stickers that look like etched glass. Just about anything you want can be found there including fresh vegetables and hot food. Webster is very crowded but I had no problem finding what I wanted and didn’t know I wanted. 😉 Beauville is smaller but also a very good fleamarket. Parking at Beauville is free while Webster charges $2-$3 for parking. Be prepared for traffic jams long before reaching either market. Both are open on Mondays only from around 8am-2pm.