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By Katrina Kane, on November 23rd, 2008 A little checking around quickly told me that I was about to miss a window of opportunity if I didn’t move fast. Florida is a major haven for snowbirds (people running away from Northern winters) from December through April. They know it and cater to snowbirds while also adjusting prices for RV parks according to the season. My best chance to see the Keys was now before December 1st when prices double. EEK! No way am I going to pay $60-80 a night for a piece of ground to park my trailer on. The state parks don’t change their prices but that is why they are usually booked up a year in advance for the season. I did check them and found 1-3 days available here and there in them but since the Keys are so long and have so much to do, that is not nearly enough time for a visit.
The drive out through the Keys on the Overland Parkway is lots of fun. The speed limits are low but the water and scenery are so beautiful who cares. It is very surprising to see so many well known stores, restaurants, and even schools out there in an area so well known to be hit by hurricanes and only 3 feet above sea level. All the fast food joints are there as well as the usual grocery stores and pharmacies. Even the fancier restaurants are there. Be careful of your speed. It is strictly enforced there, particularly near the deer preserve.
I got lucky once again and found a Passport America park in Marathon, FL on Grassy Key, Jolly Roger Travel Park. I got 5 days at the discount rate and paid for 2 more at the off-season rate to get a whole week to explore. The PA section is close to the road with lots of noise of course but I didn’t mind. I had no problem sleeping there despite the noise. No pool or clubhouse but it is very nice looking and has a great view. If you want to swim with dolphins, the Dolphin Research Center is very close (very expensive too).
 
Continue reading Marathon, FL and the Florida Keys
By Katrina Kane, on November 16th, 2008 It may not be spring vacation, but I just had to see what the big deal about Fort Lauderdale is. The drive down there from Apopka on the Florida Expressway was extremely expensive with all the constant tolls and paying extra for my trailer. I did finally manage to find a mini Sun Pass for $4.95 at a rest stop to pay tolls automatically but of course it was too late to actually be able to use it that day. You can use the I95 instead to avoid tolls but it goes right through every major city on the way which will really kill your time. I did eventually get on over to the I95 when I ran out of cash on hand near Lauderdale.
I popped into a C2C-Encore park in Fort Lauderdale, the Sunshine Holiday Resort. I hadn’t made advance reservations but a call to the Encore folks got me in that same day anyway. 🙂 Finding the park was not at all easy since it actually is in the big city off a busy street behind commercial buildings. The park has the stangest and least convenient layout I have ever seen. The spaces are very close together with 2 rigs sharing each pad in opposite directions with utility hookups on the wrong side for both. Arrows on the pad tell you the direction to enter the space you want. The pool and sundeck looked nice enough but I didn’t see a clubhouse and if you don’t speak french you can forget about mingling since this is a very popular winter destination for French Canadians.
While there, I went down to the Riverwalk. It was nice to walk around watching all the yachts tied up and the water taxis coming and going. The draw bridge rose several times for passing boats. It is clear from there that you are in a city of money.
   
Continue reading Fort Lauderdale, FL
By Katrina Kane, on November 9th, 2008 It’s time! I put on my magic snowbird wings and entered Florida for the winter. I’m hoping to stay 6 months in the warmth and see everything I missed last time. A stop at the Florida Visitor’s Center at the border is a great idea. Grab some free Florida orange juice and bunches of brochures with coupons off the numerous walls. For any questions, staff at the desk can help and they have bags for your brochures.
Driving through Jacksonville got a little crowded but the city is lovely from the I95. The drive took me right past Daytona International Speedway as well. I arrived in much appreciated 80 degree weather at Sun Resort RV Park, a C2C park. The sites are well shaded while mine provided a nice hole through the trees for my satellite dish. The long pull-thru space made it easy to navigate into a good position for my dish. The site is level and sandy with a concrete patio and table. From the looks of the electric boxes, the park has been around awhile. The pool is very large and has music playing. The bathhouse is very clean though old. The location is only 10 miles from Universal Studios theme park and 25 from Disneyworld.
While I was there, I took a day to go tour Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral just a week before the launch of the Endeavour space shuttle. With your ticket, you get 2 days to tour the facility which you really will need because there is just too much to see and do. You also get free admittance to the Astronaut museum nearby.
   
Getting to go inside a real shuttle was wonderful! The Shuttle Experience Simulator is an absolute must. I could ride that over and over. Tip: have a quarter on you to rent a locker. Loose items are not allowed on the simulator. The Rocket Garden was pretty cool. I got to walk on the same gantry there that Neil Armstrong walked on for his historic fight to the moon. Leave plenty of time for the tram tour. They take you out to the observation tower to see the launch pad. I saw the Endeavour loaded and ready to go on the pad. You will also see the Assembly building on the way and the Saturn V History building. They have great displays of the shuttle science modules and quarters as well as a view into a clean room where items are assembled to go on the shuttles. There are several places there showing IMAX films. I highly recommend hitting the picture booth there as well. I dare you to try and leave without a souvenir. It just isn’t possible after seeing the many gift shops there.
The Cape is a wildlife refuge btw. You will very likely see an alligator or two in the culverts along the road, possibly a manatee, and lots of buzzards. According to our guide, you do not want to be anywhere near the animals particularly alligators during a launch. The vibration of the engines really pisses them off!
For more pics click here.
By Katrina Kane, on November 2nd, 2008 King George RV Resort is a park that serves a particular need and should be taken that way. It is hardly a resort. The spaces are very close together, the pool is small, the “clubhouse” is closed during the evening, no campfires are allowed, and it is not the sort of place that engenders the usual RVer walk, stop, and chat. They lock the gates at 6pm so be sure you arrive before that. They provide the lock combination during check-in so you can get in and out while staying there.
What the park is, is an extremely convenient place to stop overnight on the way in and out of Florida and a good place to stay to visit both Okefenokee Swamp and Cumberland Island National Seashore. It is very easy to find this park just off the I95, there is a gas station very close, Walmart Supercenter is only about 8 miles away, the seashore is about 12 miles and the swamp about 35 miles. It accepts nearly all discount clubs including RPI, Good Sam, and Passport America so there is no reason for anyone to pay full price.
The prospect of seeing wild horses led me to St. Marys, Georgia to grab the ferry to Cumberland Island and National Seashore. There are currently no bathroom facilities or food sellers on the island so you should use facilities at St. Marys before leaving, bring water and a sack lunch. An expensive sack lunch and water can be purchased at a store nearby to the ferry dock. Consider also bringing a plastic poncho in case of rain, sun block, a heavy coat, hat and sunglasses. It can get very cold on the ferry and island with lots of wind. To park for this all day excursion, you must park down the street near the beige building rather than in front of the park and ferry dock. They make an exception for those with a handicapped tag displayed. Tickets for the ferry can be purchased in the Cumberland Island National Seashore Visitor’s Center.
Continue reading Woodbine, GA
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