Six Days on the Road

 

When we sold our Florida condo, we had to decide what to do with all the stuff we had collected there....biggest of which was an RV - second largest - a Honda Goldwing motorcycle.  Of course, we couldn't leave either behind, so we bought a cargo trailer for the bike, and Ron attached it to our van, and left me driving the RV.  Of course, this shouldn't be a big problem HOWEVER, for the past 20 plus years, Ron has done nearly all of the driving, and I was totally unfamiliar with the RV.  But we saddled up and headed out on our trek across the country - Central Florida to Northwestern Washington.

By the end of the first day, we had gone about 500 miles and gotten to Pensacola, FL, and I was dead dog tired, but getting pretty familiar with the RV.  At the beginning, I was careful to always select the gas island at the edge of the plaza, where I had lots of room to maneuver. By the time we got home 3,999.5 miles later, I could get to any available diesel pump (no scars or scratches in all those miles, color me amazed).

A little unscheduled stop!  As we were driving in the middle of Texas, we were in the middle of another construction zone, where both shoulders of the road were blocked.  Traveling in our normal right hand lane, I looked behind to see a truck with flashing blue lights approaching quickly.  We were already in the right hand lane, but now shared it with all the huge trucks and other vehicles and were jammed in like sardines.  We all moved as far to the right as the closed shoulder would allow, and the truck approached and passed spraying road sealant!  We were instantly covered head to toe with opaque material that quickly dried. Fortunately, both of us had full windshield washing fluid, and were able to more or less clear the windshield where we could at least see where we were.  We had just fueled up, but we still pulled off at the first exit to see if we could do a better job of clearing our windows.  We joined multiple other cars at the nearest gas station, where we found all the window washing bins dry.  The manager of the store brought water, but it was hopeless, and the vehicles were completely coated.  He gave us directions to a car wash, where we spent about an hour scrubbing the road tar off both vehicles. (Some swearing was involved)

I spent the next 100 miles or so mentally composing a letter to the Texas highway department. We noticed for the next several hundred miles the road was white where the sealant had been sprayed on all lanes.  It is a miracle they haven't killed anyone with the sudden loss of visibility in heavy traffic where the slowest speed was about 65 miles an hour (us).

We developed a pattern that played hell with our circadian rhythms - where we stopped at a highway rest area around 5 p.m., slept until about midnight, and then headed out on the road.  At the midnight hour, it was just us and a few trucks.  I left my windows open to stay alert, and it got easier when it got light around 6 a.m.  That got us through Mobile, Dallas, Fort Worth, and El Paso in the early morning hours where we could maintain highway speed and avoid traffic all the way through. 

Things were going fine until we got to Los Angeles around 4 a.m. and were breezing along on I-10 looking for our GPS directed turn onto 57 to get to 210.  We started noticing signs that said "All lanes closed ahead" but didn't think that could possibly be the 8 lane highway without some detour.  Wrong! Suddenly, we came to the 15 mile closure and ended up on a minor offramp into a residential neighborhood.  Our idiot GPS (both vehicles) kept directing us back onto I-10, but we kept heading north and west, and eventually found an entry onto I-210. Another unscheduled delay of about 2 hours. I think highway engineering departments may not be getting the brainiest people.

When we got to Redding, CA, it was only 4 p.m. since we had gained another hour when we entered California.  It was 74 degrees with clear skies, so we thought we should push on and get through the highest passes of the Siskiyous while we had a decent weather day.  We arrived at Rogue River with no road problems and not a speck of snow, but bone tired.  The only saving grace was we were only 350 miles from home, and knew this trip could end the next day. Even having to give back the last hour we gained to Daylight Saving Time, we were home in the light of day.

To other road warriors out there, this is probably not that interesting, but to all the armchair travelers, it might show what life on the road is like.  For me, I think 78 years old is old enough to give up on ever becoming a truck driver.  I was once again shown what you can do if you decide to, no matter what your age.  I'm content now to go back to reading and letting Ron do all the driving. And, if I never see LA or Tacoma again, it will be too soon.

Reflections of Florida

 

Florida is the only place in the Continental US that is dependably warm in the winter. We've been in Lake Placid since September, and I have been able to swim every morning. Of course, some of the people here think I'm crazy some mornings when it is a bit brisk, but even those cool mornings are rare.  I love getting up in time to see some stars and then watch the sunrise while I swim my laps

One of the many restaurants with outdoor seating overlooking either a lake, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Atlantic Ocean that we frequent.

The Moose Lodge on Anna Marie Island is one of our favorite lunch spots. It sits right on the Gulf in Bradenton, which is about 80 miles to our West. It pairs nicely with a visit to Costco, or time with our friends from Englewood.

So many great parks - The state parks' camping areas are jam packed during "the season", but many are close enough for a day trip.  Most have either tram tours or boat trips with experienced park rangers to provide information about the flora and fauna of the park and often history as well. Even if you don't take the tours, the walking trails are great.  Walking through forests, or along boardwalks across water through Cypress swamps, or through prairies, lets one realize just how diverse the state is. We took the glass bottom boat tour at Silver Springs and saw so many different fish and birds. 

On one of our walks when our kids were visiting, we saw baby alligators and were watching them when the Mama alligator suddenly rose up out of the swamp with a massive roar.  We were happy for the walkway above the scene but it still startled us.

Lake Okeechobee is the largest fresh water lake that sits fully inside the United States.  There is a huge berm all the way around the lake with a walking trail along the top, allowing great views and many fishing spots for many miles.  We've ridden the motorcycle all around the lake, and it takes all day.

One of the things we do down here is ride the motorcycle.  The best rides are with the Moose Riders. Since we look across our little canal to the Moose club, we joined.

February 26, 2022 - We rode with the Moose Riders through orange orchards with the lovely smell of orange blossoms in the air, past lakes and cattle farms, through a few quaint towns, and arrived at an out-of-the-way resort called "Cherry Pocket". After all the sparsely populated areas we rode through, we found at least 50 motorcycles and at least that many cars already there.  Lots of people in Florida right now.

We took up fishing, and have found some great parks where we can fish from docks.  A couple of channels from Lake Istokpoga to the Kissimmee River also have fishing spots.  So far, we have caught a couple of little Blue Gills.  We sent them back to grow bigger. It's just a fun way to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and look for birds and alligators and turtles.

Festivals and car shows happen every weekend somewhere close by.  This car show in Imokolee last weekend brought hordes of people from all over. At least 50 food vendors provided refreshments, and a live band kept the crowds entertained.

But things change - and we have sold our Florida condo and will try spending our winters in warm weather in a motorhome next year.

Fishing Adventure Begins

 We decided we needed a new hobby to keep us busy during our self imposed exile from Washington during the winter months when we live in our condo in Lake Placid, Florida.  We do have a motorcycle, and the development has a lovely salt water pool, and we read a lot, but that still leaves a lot of hours for us when we are used to working. 

Since there is water everywhere - fresh water in canals, lakes, rivers, and creeks, and salt water in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, we decided to look into fishing. My son, who is an avid and expert fisherman, suggested we talk to people who were actually fishing (they are everywhere) and observe their tackle and techniques. We didn't want to spend $1,000 on tackle for a catch and release fishing program, so we prowled the flea market in Okeechobee this weekend.  We found a fishing pole for $10 (you get what you pay for and it was definitely a challenge to use it).  The picture represents $16 worth of gear, and we still needed weights, leader, bobbers, and minnows.  That was another $16 this morning as we headed out toward Lake Istokpoga.

One of my favorite parks - used mostly by people launching boats into the main lake, but with lovely boardwalks and places to sit in the shade while we fish, and most important of all - restrooms with running water.

You can see my tackle box (Walmart Grocery Bag) and donated minnow bucket that Ron is carrying and me with my $10 fishing pole ready to take on Lake Istokpoga.

And I did have a bunch of bites and actually caught a fish...I had to blow the picture up a bit to make it look more impressive....but it was at least 6 inches long. I sent him back to grow a bit bigger.

    Fun day, even though I did end up with a bit of a sunburn.  I did learn what a Blue Gill looks like in person.

Starting A New Year 2022

First visit to the Farmers'/Flea Market in Okeechobee in 2022.So many varieties of peppers and tomatoes.

Even more than one type of eggplant!     

 

Pumpkin Patch and Hugelkulture Mound Progress

In the background, you can see the green bean trellis, then cabbages, then cucumber vine, then Marigolds surrounding the beets.  I harvested some carrots from it today, and was amazed at how well they had done.  We've been eating green beans, cucumbers, and beets already.  The cabbage are nearly ready:

Everything in the Hugel mound is flourishing. So is everything in the pumpkin patch.  Not sure what all I have there as I planted some seeds I had saved in the past.  I know I have a zucchini plant, but what is this monster on the zucchini plant?  As you can see, it has normal looking zucchini on the same plant.

I think if I set up a time lapse camera on the pumpkins I could actually watch them grow.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by fruit and veggies at the moment, but I love seeing the jars of jam and pickles filling up the pantry shelves.  

Summer is Here!

 

Volunteer Foxglove overlooking the lake in the morning sun.

Finally, lake is warm enough to swim every day, plants are getting sunshine to grow, and life is good!  My favorite time of year is late spring/early summer, but I actually love every season - if winter is very short!

Broccoli and cabbage in the Hugelkulture mound are thriving.

The pole beans have found the trellis and are growing by leaps and bounds.  Peas along the lakeside fence of the mound are producing peas. 

The beets at the north end of the mound are WAY bigger than the beets I planted in the main garden at the same time. All in all, the 14' x 3' Hugel mound is doing a lot better than the main garden.  But that may be because it's in full sun all day, and the lake is like a big heat sink that keeps the area close to the lake warmer.  Or it could be the composition of the mound itself - where the decaying wood in the bottom creates extra heat to the plants growing on top.  

Raspberries - I'm about a week away from being up to my eyeballs in raspberries.

The corn we planted early came up spotty, so the replanted corn is only about 2" tall.  The corn that did come up early is about 6" to 8" tall.  The coming days of warm weather should change that quickly.

Blackberries - looks like a year I'll finally get a crop of blackberries.

Strawberries every day now!

Lots of figs forming - hope I can beat the birds to them!

Apples are always dependably abundant.  I've been thinning every time I go to the orchard, but it is like one of the tasks of Hercules to get them all thinned.  

Some Family Pictures

 

March - In Florida - We had a first visit from family at our new place in Lake Placid and enjoyed our granddaughter and her family's visit.  The great grands are endlessly entertaining!

We took a short trip to Lake Okeechobee, where we enjoyed the sunshine on a pretty day in March.

May found us in Eastern Washington visiting for Eliza's birthday party and checking out the fishing on Round Lake.

Sammy, Addy, and Liza showed me their tricks on the play equipment in their new playground at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Sammy never took off his batman cape!

June brought us family from Salt Lake City, and a family gathering at the lake. In spite of rainy weather, we all had a good time.

  Tony braved the weather to take boatloads of children on their first fishing adventure.  He had a rapt audience when he cleaned the fish and cooked them for the kiddos to try.

Part of any gathering at our house is lots of food, and visiting and catching up with each other.  We missed having a gathering last year, so there was a lot to catch up on.

And swimming is always part of the mix - even on a rainy cold day.  The lake water actually felt pretty warm as the air was colder than the water.

     The cousins always enjoy getting together.  They play games, run around in the woods, fish, swim, and end up totally exhausted.