We made an early start from Pocahontas State Park and drove Harvey to Cheek and Shockley where he was put into storage. Our taxi arrived on time and we were taken to Richmond train station. We had a couple of hours to spare but it was much nicer to have time on our hands than have to rush until the ticket office announced that our train was delayed for two hours! There was nothing we could do but sit it out. It got hotter and hotter and hotter and eventually we succumbed to sharing an ice-cold MacDonalds Milkshake. The wait was well worth it.....
The train journey from Richmond to New York was fantastic. We had a comfortable seat, excellent in taste and value for money fresh coffee and wonderful views from the train. We thoroughly enjoyed the six-hour journey which passed very quickly. We arrived in New York at around 7pm and managed to find the over ground train to take us to Jamaica Hub where we picked up the air train to JFK. From there we took the hotel shuttle and finally arrived at our hotel at 9.30pm, by which time we were rather hungry. So, we rang for a pizza and just about managed to stay awake until it arrived.
The next day we were up at 5.30am, took a quick shower and had breakfast at 6am, then it was on the shuttle and off to JFK where we took the airtrain to Jamaica. Here we learned that we could take the subway to the city and one train stopped exactly where we needed to be. It was a slow journey as it stopped at every station but once we managed to secure a seat it was interesting watching all the New Yorkers going about their daily routine. We had to collect our tour tickets at Madam Tausaud's and we were surprised to see a long queue. We soon discovered why. Their computerised ticketing programme had broken down and they were unable to issue any tickets. We were delayed for just over an hour and a quarter which was frustrating but once it was sorted out and we were on the tours it was excellent.
We started off with a Downtown tour which took us passed the Empire State Building and Wall Street to mentioned but a couple of landmarks and then we took the ferry around the Statue of Liberty. After that we went to the Top of the Rock where we admired New York from up high. It was a shame that it was a very hazy day (the worst they had seen in 20years!!) but nevertheless the views were amazing. Then it was time for the Uptown tour which took us passed Yoko Ono's appartment and Central Park. Having just eaten the remains of our pizza (left over from the night before) during the day, we were getting peckish and so we grabbed a quick bite before embarking on the Night tour which took us to Brooklyn and the Bronx. We finally got back to our hotel room at 11pm exhausted but elated at having had such a wonderful day.
On Friday we spent our time chilling out in the hotel before leaving for JFK. Our flight was on time and we had a very comfortable journey back to the UK where Nicky and Tim were waiting for us.
What a fabulous trip we have had. We have seen so much in terms of scenery and wildlife. We can't wait for the second leg.
We spent a very busy six weeks catching up with friends and relatives, carrying out maintenance on our house and doing masses of gardening. We spent ten days with Linda's Mum and managed to fit in two very enjoyable days in Norfolk. It was then time to say our goodbyes again in readiness for the start of our second trip on the evening of Tuesday 6 September after dinner with Chris and Jess and Nicky and Tim.
We travelled down to Heathrow on Tuesday 6 September via Nicky and Tim's taxi service, having had a farewell meal with Nicky and Tim and Chris and Jess. We arrived at about 8.45pm which was just right for an earlyish night.
We awoke early and had a leisurely start to what was going to be a very long day. We took the Hopper bus to the airport and the flight was on time. It was quite a rough flight with strong winds and just as we were about to land we got caught with a cross wind which was not pleasant. As a result of the winds we were about an hour late getting into New York but after our previous experience of long delays at New York airport we had built in plenty of time before our onward flight. We made our way to an upper departure deck and had a meal before getting the shuttle to the departure gate. It was bedlum as several flights had been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions but luck was on our side and our flight left on time.
The taxi was waiting for us when we arrived which was great as it was torrential rain. The taxi driver hadn't got a clue where he was going and asked us directions which, of course, we couldn't remember. He decided to start up his navigation device and tried to type in the address whilst driving! Linda suggested that he might like to pull over and sort out where we were going and he did so. Then we went on a totally unnecessary tour of the area and the meter was rapidly going round. We were furious. When we eventually arrived he said that he would charge $25 rather than the $38.50 that was on the meter which was still expensive for what should have been a 7 mile journey. He then literally dumped our bags on the soaking wet road and so Linda duly paid him and when he asked about the tip replied "I don't think so!" He spun off up the road, obviously a tad upset.
When we got to Harvey it was out ready for us all plugged in to the electric, his curtains drawn and the fridge turned on - what a great service from Cheek and Shockley!
On Thursday we awoke very early and unpacked. We went and paid our bill and got on our way. First stop was Food Lion where we stocked up on ribeye steak. It was on special offer at $5.99 per pound for a large joint of it and the butcher cut it up for us - 10 huge steaks for just $44.75 (£28) - we can't wait to tuck in. We then spent the day visiting other shops that we needed to go to and finally arrived at Pocahontas State Park just before 4.30pm. We were shocked at the number of trees that had fallen as a result of the hurricane that had passed through. We got out of Harvey and started walking towards the office when a huge cry rang out "Hey the Brits are back!" It was two of the rangers that we had befriended. Before we left the chief of police arrived and welcomed us back, saying he would be round to see us. We found our spot, had an easy meal and went to bed early, absolutely exhausted.
Friday was a lovely sunny day and we were up early as our body clocks had not readjusted. We went out on our bikes at about 7am for a ride around the site, exploring some of the loops. It was beautiful - the grass was heavy with dew, the mist was gradually clearing as the sun was breaking through and it was cool and yet not cold. We spent the day pottering about, or putsying as Linda's Mum would say, with Seamus doing little maintenance jobs on Harvey and Linda cooking a few meals for the freezer. It was very hot and humid.
On Saturday we slept a little later - 5.30am! We went out on our bikes and cycled around all of the loops. It was definitely the best part of the day. Not only was it beautiful but it was cool. The temperatures rose rapidly throughout the day. In the afternoon we decided to walk the Beaver Lake trail which is our favourite trail here. We climbed over several trees but then we met with a bridge that was under 5-6inches (12-15cm) of water or lots of fallen trees to clamber over. The humidity was extremely high and we were dripping and so we decided that since the area was swarming with mosquitoes we would turn back. The birds and the wildlife seem to have largely disappeared after the hurricane and so there is not a great deal about. We do, however, have a lizard that pays a daily visit to a tree at the side of Harvey. We then started looking at where we wanted to be for Christmas when our daughter, Nicky, will be joining us. We were amazed to find that we couldn't actually book a site for the entire period. However after playing about with the reservation system we managed to get what we wanted by agreeing to move site within the park a few times and so we were very pleased ourselves.
By Sunday we were back to normal with our sleep pattern - we awoke at 6.30am which is fairly normal for us. We went out on the the bikes again and went around the site again and down to the office before breakfast. Whilst we were having our breakfast there was a tap tap on the door and we were thrilled to see our friend, Cliff, whom we had met on every visit to Pocahontas, standing there. Later on we decided that the ribeye steak was so good that we would visit Food Lion again and purchase more whilst it was still on special offer. Linda drove Harvey around the site as far as the dump and on the way back she drove from the office. She is getting her confidence up for driving on a road! We spent a fair bit of time looking at possibilities for the next couple of weeks or so but nothing definite was decided. In the evening we went out with a ranger Krista and her family to see if we could call in the Barred Owl but alas it was not to be. We agreed to try again another night.
On Monday we were clearly still tired as we didn't awake until 7.15am! Again we went out on our bikes doing all that we had done the day before and this time we extended our ride down to the road where you turn into the park. We are now cycling a good 4 miles a day, if not more. We had a lazy day, doing a few maintenance jobs in the morning and sitting outside reading in the afternoon.
Tuesday morning we awoke just after 6am and we heard the Great Horned Owl calling. We got up and went in search of it but it soon became too light and the owl went quiet on us. We went out on our bikes but just cycled the campsite loops. We spent most of the day researching and planning our Christmas period when our daughter, Nicky, will be joining us. In the evening we decided to cycle the campsite loops again to make up for our lethargy in the morning.
On Wednesday morning we awoke with a start at 2.45am to Great Horned Owls, yes owls, hooting right outside of Harvey. We were up in a trice and out in search. We could hear that it was in the tree about 15 feet away from Harvey but we just couldn't see it. Then we must have spooked it because we saw it fly off to a tree a bit further down the road. We went off in hot pursuit. Despite keenly listening and looking we just couldn't spot it in the tree. It was calling and there were at least two, if not three replies. After about half an hour we saw it fly off. We went back to bed but Linda couldn't sleep and at 4.30am she heard it again just outside. She decided to leave it be and got up and opened the lounge window and sat listening to it calling - it was beautiful. The rest of the day was spent preparing for Thursday's departure - Harvey was thoroughly cleaned and all the laundry done. In the evening we went out with Josh and Turner two rangers at Pocahontas State Park in search of the Barred Owl. We had a brilliant evening - Turner introduced us to the Fowler toad (he caught it and stroked its tummy while it went into a bit of a stupour) and Josh enlightened us on beaver activity. At one point there was an almighty splash as a beaver gave us a warning by whacking its tail on the water. In the dead of the night, when all was quiet, it made us jump a mile! We tried at least four different locations but, alas, it was not to be. However, at just before 3am on Thursday morning the Great Horned Owl came to the tree just outside Harvey and sat hooting away.
On Thursday morning we were up, showered, breakfasted and on the road again by just after 9o’clock. We had four ports of call to do shopping and to collect Harvey’s spare set of keys which we had inadvertently left at Cheek and Shockley’s, before we finally got on our way to Prince William Forest. We selected our site and settled in. We were delighted that our dinner was ready to be simply reheated as we were very tired and by 8.30pm we were in bed.
We arose fairly early on Friday and cycled around the site which was about half a mile. After breakfast we embarked on our first hike – the Farm to Forest Trail. We soon met with two rangers coming towards us and they said that they had seen absolutely nothing en route but that it was a great trail. Within a minute Linda had spotted a family of three deer quietly munching away. We saw lots of birds including the Black-throated Blue Warbler. The hike was 2.8 miles and so by the time we got back we had a very late lunch (3pm) as it took us 2 hours to walk the first mile. There was lots to see and we were intrigued by the number and varieties of the different fungi which we later learned from George, our great camp host, had only surfaced a week after the hurricane which went through two weeks previously. Whilst we were having lunch McTash, our resident stuffed Tasmanian Devil, or rather Julie and Ron’s Tasmanian Devil became a star. Two campers walked by, did a double take at McTash who we positioned at the wheel of Harvey and then took a photograph of him. We wondered whether we should go out and negotiate royalties but then decided that it was too early in his stardom!
On Saturday we were awakened around 6.30am by a gnawing sound but we could not find evidence of unwanted visitors. We went on our morning bike ride around the site and noted that there were now about 20 of us on site – mostly tent campers. We hiked the South Valley Trail which was a totally different hike to that of the day before. This time we took our lunch with us and while sitting on our log munching it we watched a pileated woodpecker at work as well as numerous other birds. At one point we approached a small area of collected water and we saw two frogs leap into the water with a plop, plop. In the evening we went to the ranger talk about turtles, presented by Victoria, an Australian who had fallen in love with America and of course, an American.
Sunday morning we again awoke to the gnawing sound at around 7.15am and decided that it was coming from outside but who from??? We never did find out. We had a leisurely start to the day, a game of cards and then our bike ride around the site before breakfast - there were only about four of us left on site. We met up with our camp host, George, who was from Kansas and he told us that the fungi we had just photographed was called Jacko Lanterns. Our hike for the day was the Oak Ridge Trail and we managed 9.09 km or 5.64 miles. Again we took our lunch. On our way back we saw a red fox dart across in front of us – it was about 2/3rds the size of a UK fox and a really deep red/brown. We also spotted a butterfly which was camouflaged to look like a dead leaf – it was incredible.
On Monday we followed the same routine of cycling around the site to work of a slight stiffness from the previous day’s hike. We met George again and had a lengthy chat with him, thus not actually getting our breakfast until 10.30am – time was our own and so it was unimportant. We set out in Harvey to drive part of the forest loop road and then parked up so that we could hike the North Valley Trail which took us down to a waterfall. It was very pleasant although not spectacular but as we followed the river along Seamus made the spot of the day – a Belted Kingfisher. Unfortunately our photograph is not great as we were so far away but you can clearly see that it is the Belted Kingfisher. We will do better next time! This was a beautiful hike all along the riverbank with lots of undulations and plenty of spiders in their nests, dangling from the trees and bushes. We passed numerous paw paw trees with fruits that were so ripe they had fallen to the ground. In the end temptation got the better of us and we decided to pick a couple and bring them back to try – you are allowed up to a gallon of fruits, nuts and berries etc per day for personal consumption but we felt that we might be taking the bear’s dinner! By the time we got back to Harvey we had walked just over 9km or 5 miles again and Linda was very tired and had extremely sore feet but it was well worth it.
Tuesday - we awoke to rain which lasted all morning. We can't complain because it is the first we have seen for a long time. In the afternoon it cleared away and we decided that we would go on a bike ride because Linda's hips were still rather sore from the hikes of the previous two days. It was a wonderful ride around the scenic road and we got as far as car park I which we later discovered was about 3.5 miles from the campsite. On our way back we had our spot of the day - a rough green snake, sometimes referred to as a whip snake. It was lovely and very intrigued by Seamus taking its photograph. We assisted it off the road to safety from oncoming traffic. For our pudding after dinner we thoroughly the paw paws which we had picked on Monday. During the night Linda awoke to the sound of the Whip-poor-will, a bird very similar to our Nightjar, which makes the most bizarre call. We had heard that there was one resident around the campsite but this was the first time we had heard it.
Our departure on Wednesday morning was a little later than we had anticipated but we were not in any hurry as we had just 78 miles to go to our next campsite. We said our goodbyes to George, Oakridge campground's host and set off "on the road again". We stopped off for lunch at Leesburg and stretched our legs by having a wander around a couple of stores - Kohl's and Target. Would you believe it, the Christmas displays have started already. We arrived on site and had a chat with the host before setting up on a lovely site. It was up a slope, behind a bush fence which made it quite private and we could also adopt an excellent positioning for Harvey without needing to be up on blocks. Our host had introduced us to a pest bug called a stink bug which is virtually impossible to kill and which lets off a disgusting smell. They were absolutely everywhere and we had to be very careful not to get one in the RV. It wasn't long before the rain started and it was torrential all night long.
We awoke to a damp start on Thursday but the good thing was that the stink bugs had all but disappeared. We had a leisurely morning. Seamus went for a shower and returned nearly an hour later having met another Brit, Lynne, who had been living in the USA since 1967. It's a small world as she was originally from Canterbury but had connections in Shalford, Surrey, which is where Seamus's cousins Veronica and David used to live. During the morning we saw numerous deer crossing the camp road loop that was just above us. We went out for a walk and saw our first groundhog for simply ages and boy was he well fed! After about an hour of walking we had to give up as the humidity was extremely high and the mosquitoes would not leave Linda alone.
On Friday it was again a damp start after another very wet night. Linda spotted another deer but she didn't have her glasses on and Seamus said that it was a buck which we hadn't seen until now but, of course, by the time the glasses were found and put on the buck had disappeared! We went to wait to be collected by the hire car company that we were using for the weekend and met Pete, an ex 73 year old logger who was enjoying chewing his tobacco and watching the wildlife. He told us that the park used to be very popular but then they had "some faggots (gays) that had to be chased out" and the park decreased in popularity. He said that one day he caught one of them peeing on the tyre of his car that he had just cleaned and "boy it made him so mad" that he "struck him a punch right between the eyes and laid him out" - this guy is 5ft nothing and like a rake. He eats only venison, rabbit, squirrel and wild turkey and "he don't buy no cow meat". So, you may have guessed that he likes to hunt. When we got to Enterprise (car hire) they gave us a 5 litre Dodge pick up truck which was supposed to be an economy/budget car! We intended staying around Frederick that day and so arranged to change it on Saturday otherwise it would have cost a fortune in fuel and our budget would have been out of the window. It was fun while it lasted. We spent the day shopping at various places and getting the laundry done. It was a day of meandering around which we both thoroughly because it never left off raining and so it would have been impossible to go out walking. This park is actually disappointing in terms of hiking etc but is an excellent base for us to hire a car from.
Thankfully after another night of heavy rain we awoke to a brighter day on Saturday. We took the truck back to Enterprise and swapped it for a much smaller car which we was much more what we had in mind. We came back to Harvey and had our breakfast and then set out to explore the back roads of Maryland. We found a long scenic driveway called the Mason Dixie Highway which went across the north of Maryland and which we believe was the original North/South divide. It was wonderful and we were amazed at how the trees were really changing colour now. The area is quite clearly heavily into farming and sweetcorn was the number one crop - some of it for human consumption and some of it for animal fodder. We skirted the northern outskirts of Baltimore and then headed back. All in all, Linda (yes, Linda) drove the 168 miles as she wanted to give Seamus a break so that he could sit back and enjoy the scenery. We arrived back at around 6 o'clock, having had a wonderful day and so we decided to drive part of the loop road at the top of the site. The ground here was so much higher and we noticed how much more advanced the leaves were in changing colour. It was lovely at this time of day with the evening sun and we admired the view out over Frederick from an overlook.
On Sunday we were up, breakfasted and out by 9.30am. As we drove along the road Linda spotted a black squirrel close to town. It sat up on its hind legs and looked really cute but unfortunately her cameraman was not set up to take photos and so missed out. We headed north for Pennsylvania(PA) and chose to drive another scenic highway – the Catoctin Mountain Highway – and it was a lovely sunny day and so the scenery was at its best. Just before we reached Pennsylvania there was a series of signposts at the side of the road advertising fruit, vegetables, jams and pies etc for sale and they were all worded really well but the sign we liked the best was “Eggs from happy chickens”. As we entered PA’s Amish country we met with the road sign warning you of the horses and carriages and we wondered whether we would be lucky enough to see any. We were not disappointed. It seemed that everyone was out visiting because there was carriage upon carriage of varying types on the road – some had one horse and some two, some were open carriages and others closed. We were careful not to offend when taking our photos of the Amish people, some of whom were in their Sunday best whilst others were in working clothes. We even saw two children being pulled along in a cart by their father, walking alongside their mother. The horses and carriages even had their own lane, an extra wide hard shoulder, on the main roads. We went onto the back roads and were able to see view the farms and the communities – it all looked so tranquil. The thing we found so strange was when you saw both horses and traps and cars and trucks crossing the roads at junctions. We rounded off our day by having an Amish feast at Plain and Fancy Farm. We went to the restaurant and a couple in front of us were undecided as to whether to have the feast or the a la carte menu and so Linda helped them choose the feast by offering to share a voucher which she had printed off which discounted the meal by $3 per head. So, that was how we came to spend a very enjoyable couple of hours with Ron and Violet from Baltimore. The Amish feast was fantastic. It started with appetisers of warm rolls with a hint of cinnamon and apple butter, raison bread with icing, mixed vegetables dressed in a sweet vinaigrette and very finely chopped coleslaw. The main course was a special fried chicken, sliced roast beef, popeye chicken, mixed vegetables, a very smooth mashed potato, lightweight pasta and a very sweet sweetcorn. Dessert was a choice of about five different dishes including Shoofly pie which Seamus sampled and apple crumb which Linda chose and with it came a huge bowl of delicious ice cream and a bottle of Hershey chocolate. Shoofly pie is so named because the women used to make the pie and it was so sweet that it used to attract flies and as it was put on the shelf to cool they would shoo away the flies. At any time throughout the meal you could order more of any dish. We were full to the brim when we left. We drove back to Harvey and finally arrived home at 9pm – what a wonderful day we had had. Over the two days we had driven 425 miles and with the 67 miles that Seamus had driven in the truck we had covered almost 500 miles over the weekend.
Interesting PA facts
PA is home to more than 58105 farms with 7.7 million acres of farmland - average farm size is 133 acres.
92% farms are family owned, 6% partnership, 2% corporations and less than 1% corporate owned.
1 in 7 jobs are related to agriculture.
PA has 2164 Christmas tree farms, more than any other state.
PA produces more than 465 million pounds of mushrooms per year, more than any other state.
PA produces 82 million pounds of pumkins, 442 million pounds of apples, 1.2 billion gallons of milk, 71 million pounds of peaches and 7 billion eggs/year.
Each farmer in the state of PA provides enough food and fibre to feed 144 people for an entire year.
On Monday morning Linda drove the hire car back to Enterprise and did the paperwork while Seamus filled our water tanks, dumped our waste and then drove to Enterprise to collect Linda. Then we were “on the road again”. We stopped off for breakfast at a rest area and then continued on our journey to a Walmart where we had lunch, Linda had a haircut, we shopped for vegetables and fruit and skyped Nicky and Chris. However, it was on the journey between breakfast and lunch that we were following directions from the sat nav when we made a right turn at traffic lights only to be confronted by a bridge with a height restriction. We both breathed a sigh of relief as it was 13ft 6” high and Harvey was only 11ft 6” but this was swiftly followed by a sharp intake of breath as we both looked down and saw the width of the bridge. It was definitely no more than 8ft 9” at its widest and at its narrowest we reckon it was 8ft 7” and we were 8ft 6” wide. There was no going back as the traffic had boxed us in. Linda felt sick and was convinced that we were going to be wedged but Seamus kept his nerve and we just made it, unscathed – phew!!!
We were a little undecided as to whether to stay overnight in the Walmart carpark or whether to press on to Blackwater Falls in West Virginia. We both agreed that we would carry on and do the further 67 miles. It was not very long before we came across signs to the state park and so we switched off our sat nav and followed the signs. We had not gone more than a few miles when we met with flashing emergency lights. A trailer had gone over on the road and so the road was blocked and so there we sat for the next forty five minutes whist the services cleared the road. The drive was spectacular but as we knew that the light was going to be failing us very soon and the roads were narrow, bending first to the right and then to the left and then back again as we climbed the mountain, we didn’t appreciate the views as much as we would have liked. Seamus did very well and had more than earned the beer that Linda presented him with upon arrival at our site.
It was a beautiful campground set in a meadow surrounded by trees that were all in their autumnal phase. Grazing on the meadow were several deer and both red squirrels and chipmunks were dashing hither and thither gathering their nuts and storing what they did not eat. The people here were so friendly and we were made to feel most welcome. We had power for the first time for about twelve days and it felt like a real luxury. Harvey looked like Blackpool illuminations with all his lights burning. The other thing that we loved about the site was that whilst we could see and enjoy the trees we were positioned in the open and so had an abundance of natural daylight.
On Tuesday we awoke to a lovely sunny day and we spent the day catching up on maintenance jobs, cleaning, laundry and cooking. We met Jim and Patsy and Daisy May their golden retriever, who had a fifth wheeler just behind us. We chatted with Rich and Jules when we were doing the laundry and they had a fifth wheeler just behind us to the left. When we walked back from the laundry we admired Harvey who looked as if he was crowned in gold from the beautiful golden leaves of the tree behind him.
On Wednesday morning we decided to do a hike to Blackwater Falls. There was a boardwalk to it and you had to go down 214 steps to get to the closest point to the Falls. It looked spectacular and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to the water as it gushed over the edge and made its way, via the Mississipi, to its final destination – the Gulf of Mexico. We then hiked along the road to another scenic overlook from which you could see the Falls from the other side of the river to the right and to the left you had a beautiful of the forest with its coat of many colours. We continued along the road, admiring all the beautifully coloured trees until the sky looked as though it was becoming overcast. As we knew that thunderstorms were forecast we headed back. We were fortunate in that whilst we had several claps of thunder we didn’t get a great deal of rain. Our neighbours, Richard and Jules had been out to Romney and had bought apples and we were both presented with a “Johnny Gon” apple.
Thursday morning we awoke to rain and it continued on and off all day. We had a lazy day, reading and playing cards and then in the afternoon we discovered from the site office that we could get wifi at the lodge which was just 2.5miles away. Whilst we were in the office we discovered that the temperatures were forecast to plummet over the weekend and that there was a chance of snow on Saturday!! We quickly packed up Harvey and off we went. We sat in the car park and used their wifi to skype Nicky and Chris, catch up on emails and upload the blog. By the time we got back it was time for dinner and then in the evening we settled down to watch a DVD. It rained on and off all night and the wind blew a hoolie, rocking poor Harvey.
Friday morning was bright and sunny but there was a very definite drop in temperature and so we fired up the central heating and warmed Harvey up. We decided that we were going to stay at Blackwater Falls until Monday as the forecast was for rain and sub zero temperatures at night and we decided that we would rather have power and not be able to get out than drive to our next site and be without power. We rewrote our schedule for the umpteenth time! The skies were bright and the sun was shining and so we decided to make the most of the day by hiking to another viewpoint and to see another waterfall. It was a lovely walk, through the trees this time. Then we came across bear scat that was certainly not more than a few hours old and so we proceeded carefully and armed ourselves with a stick as Linda had managed to leave her walking pole behind. All was well and we saw no further evidence of bears. After our hike through the trees we walked to another overlook, of the gorge this time, and it was absolutely wonderful. We looked down a good 500ft into the gorge and you could also see right up the valley. The trees looked fantastic – bright green, dark green, yellow, gold, orange, burnt orange, red and brown. It looked as though it was going to rain and so we decided to head for Harvey. Just as we came out of the viewing area we crossed a road where part of a huge pine tree had been brought down by the winds of the previous night and was stretched across the road. We spent the afternoon in Harvey catching up with writing emails so that they were ready to send as soon as we had a signal and ordering a part for Harvey’s toilet which has decided to leak a little.
On Saturday morning we awoke to a very cold morning and white stuff gently falling – yes snow! We put the central heating on and waited for Harvey to warm up before venturing out of bed. The snow soon turned to rain and that continued to fall all morning. A couple of nights ago Linda thought that she heard a mouse. Seamus got a little cross with her saying that she was imagining it and Linda had to admit that she does hear the slightest sound but today he was full of apologies as he saw the evidence of mice in the bathroom cupboard this morning and so set a trap. Then Linda went to put some washing away and discovered that they had also been in a drawer and so we had everything out for washing and set another trap. Linda told Seamus to wait until she was in the dining area with her feet up, at which point he assured her that there was nothing to worry about as that they do not come out in the day. Linda felt a bit better until ten minutes later the trap went bang and we had caught our first mouse – one thing you can be sure of is that there will be more, watch this space! The rain turned back to snow and fell steadily into the early evening by which time we had had about an inch. We sat and watched a DVD and bang the trap went again – mouse number 2. By the time we went to bed the snow had turned to rain again and we were felt somewhat relieved.
It was a very cold night and when we awoke on Sunday - it was just 42 degrees in Harvey and so Seamus put the furnace on. There had been no more mice in the traps over night. It took a little longer to warm through today and the snow started to fall again. We decided that we would drive out to the Lodge just after lunch so that we could catch up on the weather elsewhere and update our blog etc. By midday there were very few of us left on site!
NB. We inadvertently missed off some photographs of Pennsylvania and these can be found in the Gambrill State Park entry.
We awoke yet again to more snow overnight - about 2" this time in some places where it had drifted. It was very cold in Harvey first thing - a mere 34 degrees F, 1 degree C. We had already decided that this would be the day to move off the Cheat Mountain and the snow simply reinforced our decision. It looked beautiful, especially with deer foraging for food. Most people had left by 10.30am and as no-one returned we assumed that the roads were ok. They did not do any gritting or clearing the snow here and so we were a little unsure of what it would be like. However, the roads were fine and we had a leisurely drive across country following the scenic route towards the Skyline drive and it was stunning. We had decided that we would do an overnight stop in Walmart in Moorefield as we wanted to use the internet and we had always had a good signal in every Walmart carpark we had been to - but not this time! We were in the bottom of a valley and got nothing and so we decided to push on to Winchester which is a much bigger town. Sure enough we had a great signal. As we were driving towards the Walmart we noticed a lot of eateries on the roadside and we decided that we would have our first Mexican meal of the trip - it was fantastic, especially the fried icecream. The Walmart was obviously a popular overnight stop as at one stage there were six of us overnighting there.
We arrived at Mathews Arm campground at lunchtime and after a light lunch went on a short hike. On the trail we saw a white tail deer about 10ft (3metres) away from us. It was laying down chewing its cud and was completely unphased by us. Within a few minutes it was joined by its fawn that walked across the path no more than 6 ft in front of us - again completely unphased by our presence. Upon our return to Harvey Linda noticed the most amazing fungus we have ever seen that was about 10ft (3m) up a tree. In the evening Harvey was surrounded by 6 female deer and one stag. Before retiring for the night, Linda suggested that we set mousetraps just in case of an overnight intrusion as we were in prime mouse territory. Lo and behold at 1am Linda heard a gnawing sound followed by a bang as the trap was sprung and mouse number three had been caught. They say things happen in three's, let's hope that it applies to mice and we've now caught the last for a while. Thanks Elaine for the hint on mouse deterrents - we will give it a go.
On Wednesday morning we arose early as we had a long drive ahead of us – just 29 miles! We left the site at 9am and stopped off at all the overlooks to admire the fantastic views. We pulled in at Skyland which is at 3680ft and is the highest point of the Skyline Drive. We noticed that there was a trail – the Stony Man Trail and so we decided to do it. There was a leaflet that accompanied the trail with markers detailing certain points of interest on the way, such as a yellow birch that was possibly about 50-75 years old and which was growing through a rock and had actually split the rock in half. It was about a 2-mile round trip to the top of the trail which was at 4011ft. The views from here were amazing. We could look back at where we had had our coffee break earlier and then we sat on the rocks enjoying the ravens playing in the thermals and with each other. One would land, pick up an acorn or a clump of berries and then fly off and the others would chase it and try and pinch whatever the raven had collected. They were such show offs too and could have entertained us for hours if we had thought to bring our lunch with us. There was a famous quote by the naturalist John Muir in the leaflet which read “Wherever we go in the mountains we find more than we seek”. We met an old man at the foot of the trail who must have been in his seventies and he was walking the Apalachian Trail – 2173 miles which runs from Georgia to Maine. He was carrying all of his kit in his back pack – incredible. We had completed part of it that day – only 2172.5 miles to go!!!! As we arrived at Big Meadows we came to the top of the mountain to a flat top of meadow full of plants and flowers. It looked so strange after driving up and round and back and up again and then arriving at a completely flat area. We found a lovely campsite that was in the full sun and it was reasonably flat. On the site there were many deer and we saw a lovely 8-point stag. This means that it had two antlers each having 4 points we discovered. During the night Linda heard the Barred Owl but unfortunately for her Seamus showed zero interest and soon resumed his sleep – it was only 10.27pm – what was he like!!
We awoke to another beautifully sunny day and the deer were meandering around Harvey while the chipmunks dashed hither and thither. We decided that we would cycle to the Visitor’s Centre and then hike the meadow. We took our lunch with us as we wanted to listen to a talk on bears at the Centre at 2pm. The meadow was very buggy and after we had left that and walked up a gravel road for about half a mile it got even worse and so we decided to head back. After the talk we walked a nature trail and saw our first Monarch butterfly. It was incredible how many squirrels and chipmunks were darting about and nuts were dropping from the trees like rain drops, courtesy of these busy animals. As we wandered along the path deer were munching away and took absolutely no notice of us at all. At the end of the hike we collected our bikes and cycled back to the campsite. We had both caught the sun that day – amazing when you consider that three days previously they had been under 3 inches of snow. The leaves were definitely beginning to change and we really wanted to see them as close to their best as possible and so we thought we would stay on.
During the night Linda again heard the Barred Owl – she looked at her watch and discovered that it was almost 7am and that was all she needed to waken Seamus so that they could go in search of it. Of course by the time we had got dressed and out it didn’t hoot again and so we never managed to find it. Nevertheless the early walk was not in vain because the sunrise was wonderful as the mist rose over the valley and the deer were wandering about enjoying an early breakfast while chipmunks were scampering about with their cheeks full blown. After breakfast Linda went to pay for another two night’s camping and spoke to the ranger on duty about the owl. She said that there was a resident Barred Owl on site and before she could ask any more he replied “is there?” and so she simply said “well that’s that then, you clearly don’t know if it has a favourite roosting spot”. Linda was not put off though because she decided to try the camp host and his reaction was even worse – he didn’t appear to know that an owl was a bird!!!
Our hike on Friday was to Dark Hollow Falls. We had to first walk to the trail head and then hike the Falls trail, followed by the Rose River Trail. The first part was very busy but once we got on to the Rose River trail most people had gone back and so it was lovely and peaceful. En route we met three fishermen who were fly fishing for brook trout. They were enjoying themselves and had a good banter with us, especially the guy smoking an enormous cigar. It followed the river along to another waterfall and then we hiked out of the valley. At the end of the trail we picked up the Apalachian Trail and hiked another mile of it back to our camp ground. All in all we had only covered six miles in 5.5 hours but it was tough going and we both had sore feet.
Saturday was another lovely day – temperatures were in the high 60s and we decided to give our feet a rest and drive out to see how the leaf colours were developing. We stopped at the Visitor’s Centre and asked where the best leaf colours were at that time. We were advised to go south which was lower because there were more maples there. We were not disappointed – one tree said it all. It went from yellow on one side through all the shades to red on the other side – a magnificent sight. Whilst we were at one overlook Seamus noticed someone on their mobile and we decided to try ours – we got an internet signal and managed to chat to Nicky and Chris and read our mail but then we ran out of battery power.
Saturday Cnt'd...................
We had a very late lunch looking out over the mountains and then made our way slowly back to Big Meadows Campground. As we entered the road to the campground we noticed that there was a sign saying that the campsite was full. There were 200 sites at Big Meadows and it transpired that it was Colombus Day weekend which was their busiest weekend of the year. In the evening we went to a ranger talk which was on fungi and so we were very pleased given our new fascination with the number of different species in Virginia.
Sunday was another glorious day and we decided to walk to Lewis Falls which was just under four miles (round trip) No problem we thought - hmmmmm - again it was almost 2 miles of steep downhill and 2 miles of steep uphill. Although it was hard going at times, it was definitely well worth it when you saw the falls and the panoramic views. The warm weather had brought out all the pesky bugs again and they were a real nuisance. We made it back for a 2pm lunch which was a much more reasonable time than the day before (3.30pm).
During the night the Barred Owl was back and when Linda looked at her phone she saw that it was 6-05am. Time to get Seamus up and go in search of it. As we went out of the van (we didn't waste time getting dressed this time!) it was pitch black and the sky looked as though it was studded with diamonds - it was absolutely gorgeous because there was no air pollution. We thought it strange that it was so dark and of course Ollie had flown further away and so we thought we would abandon the search. When we went back to bed Linda realised that she had misread her phone and it had actually been 5-05am - oooops! We decided to have a relaxing day for the rest of Monday and give ourselves a rest. So, after a morning of pottering about we went for a stroll around the campsite. It was quieter after the busy weekend and the deer were back to grazing around the campground and the chipmunks were scurrying about looking for more nuts to hoard. We met Frankie, an 86-year old man from Maryland who was full of life. He loved to travel and enjoyed telling us about some of his favourite spots. He had been camping on the skyline drive twice a year, every year in spring and fall for thirty years and this year he had managed to secure the site he had wanted for all those years! It looked out over the mountains and as we looked northwards from the site we were amazed at how the colours had changed since we had passed by six days previously. That was all we needed - we hurried back to Harvey and set off to enjoy the end of the day sun whilst looking out over the the tree-covered mountains - it was wonderful.
On Tuesday, 11 October 2011, Linda finally came face to face with the Barred Owl. Did she get Seamus out of bed again???? No, we had to resort to seeing a live exhibition at a ranger's talk on birds of prey and so the owl was on a ranger's glove. Nevertheless, presumably because we saw it in the park setting, it was still thrilling. And it was oh, so, so gorgeous!!!! Although the owl was about 2ft (60cm) in height, it was trying to hide and crouched down to make itself look much smaller. We also saw the Eastern Screech Owl (the grey one - there is also a rufus one) and the Red-tailed Hawk. These birds had all been brought into a rescue centre and could not be released back into the wild because their injuries were such that they would not survive. After the talk, which was very good, we set off for our next camp on the Skyline drive - Loft Mountain.
We pulled in at every overlook to admire the views and so by the time we arrived at the campsite it was about 3.30pm. It was a self registration site and so we picked up an envelope and drove around the site to see which one we wanted. Neither of us particularly liked what we saw and it had just begun to rain. We both agreed that there was no point in staying there for one night as planned because we would not have been able to go out and look around since it was raining. We decided to push on to the Walmart in Waynesboro for the night - it was free! We arrived late afternoon and did a little shopping. We went to bed just after 9pm and were shocked when we awoke on Wednesday morning at twenty to nine!!! We don't know what it is about Walmart carparks but we always seem to sleep extremely well. We had awoken to torrential rain and when we checked the forecast it was going to rain fairly constantly for another two days. So, we abandoned our plan of spending two days at Sherando Lake and set off to Walmart, Dublin - were we homesick? not a chance, it was Dublin in Virginia! On the way there we were reminded of Milton Keynes when we went on the John Lewis Highway. It was about 135 miles and we arrived at around 4.30pm. We selected our spot, close to other overnighters and Linda noticed an El Ranchero, Mexican restaurant and so decided that would do nicely for our evening meal. We both had chimichangas which were delicious but sadly they did not have any fried icecream.
The next day, Thursday, when we awoke in the clouds - no we were not taking any illegal substances - we were literally sitting in the clouds. We had our breakfast and waited for it to clear and then set off to Utt's Campground at Fancy Gap, stopping off at Food Lion where we buy most of our meat, on the way. We really like this campsite as we always receive a very warm welcome. We were very pleased as the part we had ordered for our toilet had arrived. We were given the same campsite as before as they knew that we liked to use the internet and we could get a reasonable signal from this site. it had definitely been kept for us because we had RVs either side of us. It was great - we had power AND a signal.
On Friday we were collected to go and pick up our budget hire car and again Enterprise did us proud. This time we had a Chevrolet Impala which was probably the poshest car either of us had ever driven. It had electric everything and you could start it in the mornings when you were sitting inside Harvey so that it was all warmed up for when you were ready to go. Linda loved the cruise control - it was the first time she had ever driven using this feature.
On Friday we were collected to go and pick up our budget hire car (the cheapest you could get) and again Enterprise did us proud. This time we had a Chevrolet Impala which was probably the poshest car either of us had ever driven. It had electric everything and you could start it in the mornings when you were sitting inside Harvey so that it was all warmed up for when you were ready to go. Linda loved the cruise control - it was the first time she had ever driven using this feature. So far we are at a loss as to why you would book anything other than a budget car.
We had learned that Mount Airy, the town where we got the car from, was having its Annual Autumn Leaves Festival from Friday through to Sunday and so we decided that we would look around there straight after picking up the car. On the way we stopped off at the Food Lion to use their bathroom. We walked over to the car and as Seamus was struggling with the fob to unlock it Linda had her hand on the handle and exclaimed that she had not noticed that the handle had a chunk out of it. She then happened to glance inside the car and saw a packet of Marlboro cigarettes on the seat. We were only trying to get into the wrong car!!!! It was exactly the same make, model and colour - thank goodness that the alarm didn't go off.
We had fun wandering around the festival looking at the various arts and crafts. I think that Seamus was secretly relieved that we have no way of storing loads of stuff in Harvey as Linda would have been buying up the stalls. We then decided that since we had the car we would take the opportunity of eating out and so we went to a restaurant that had been recommended to us. It was a very good buffet style eatery and they had everything you could ever want to eat. There was salads, different breads, mini burgers and hot dogs, spaghetti, pizza, hot pots, fish, Chinese dishes and oh so much more. You could even order fish to be cooked fresh for you – unfortunately we didn’t notice that until we had had our fill of savouries and needed to move on to the desserts where we were met with the choice of various fruits, blueberry pie, apple pie, apple cobbler (similar to our crumble), chocolate fudge, brownies, macaroons, a chocolate fountain and an ice cream machine – oh yes and at least five different cookies. All of the food was fresh and good quality and suffice it to say that we didn’t eat for the rest of the day, except for a cracker before going to bed.
We wobbled out of the restaurant and decided to go for a ride on the Blue Ridge Mountains, travelling northwards. We were rather disappointed that the wind and rain that the area had had a few days previously had largely destroyed the show of autumn colours. It was interesting to drive the parkway in a car and revisit places. Suddenly a strange noise started up. Linda was very concerned that she had set something off in the car but upon inspection could see nothing amiss and then she noticed the blue and red flashing lights in her mirror as the police pulled out to overtake her. She was terrified of what she may have done wrong but thankfully they drove passed and so she could breathe a sigh of relief. The siren was nothing like our nee naw and it was almost as if it was a siren with a dampened down sound. Phew!
On Saturday we had a fairly late start but we packed our lunch and decided to head off towards the south on the Blue Ridge in the hope that the foliage had not been weather damaged. Alas, we were disappointed to find the same situation as before and so we decided to head out towards the Iron Mountains. It was spectacular. The colours were gorgeous and we found a beautiful scenic route to take. We drove for the rest of the day admiring the views and colours, stopping off for lunch on the way.
We had a much earlier start on Sunday and we had departed the site by 10 o’clock, again taking our lunch and coffee with us. We headed out towards West Virginia and drove another scenic byway. This one had a length limit of 30 feet and it wound round and round and up and up and then round and round and down again in the Garden and Bushy Mountains. We thought that the colours and views were wonderful on Saturday but Sunday’s drive was even better. As we drove along a back road Linda noticed a deer come galloping down a field and she slowed down which was just as well because it leapt over the fence, trotted across the road and leapt over the fence on the other side of the road and then stopped to have a look at us. As we drove up the mountain two wild turkeys scuttled across the road in front of us – they really are weird looking birds - they have a prehistoric appearance. Later we spotted a bald eagle making its way towards the south. We stopped off for lunch at Hungry Mother State Park and enjoyed our rolls whilst sitting beside the lake under bright blue skies in glorious sunshine – what a treat! On our way back we saw a sign in a remote village location which made us laugh. It read "This store is open when we feel like it or by appointment only". There are notices on all the churches too and they are regularly updated - one that made us smile was "Autumn leaves, Jesus doesn't".
On Monday we did a little bit of shopping before dropping the car back at 11am. Enterprise then drove us back to our site and we spent the afternoon and evening relaxing and chatting to family and friends on skype.
From Tuesday to Friday we did a fair bit of maintenance, cleaning, laundry and cooking whilst finding time to plan some ideas for the next leg of our journey and email friends and of course time to relax. It is a real luxury having a signal and power and nice hot showers all together in one location.
On Saturday it was time to say a fond farewell to Fancy Gap. We had planned for an early departure but despite the last load of washing going in the machine at 7.30am we didn’t manage to get away until 11.55am. It was hard saying goodbye, knowing that we would be unlikely to see the people again – they so wanted us to say that we would be back. We filled up with propane nearby and then we got “on the road again”. We travelled through three states in three hours – Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, arriving at our destination just four and a half hours later. Our overnight stop was Walmart, Lancaster, South Carolina. We had gone from an overnight temperature of 28 degrees F to 76 degrees afternoon temperature – much better. We did our shopping, ate our pre-prepared stew and freshly made dumplings and settled down for the night. This time we only had one other overnight camper with us and he had a converted truck. Our overnight temperature was 47 degrees F, nearly 20 degrees warmer than the previous night – we were definitely heading in the right direction!
As we sat having our breakfast on Sunday morning in the Walmart carpark, Linda spotted two deer playing close to the woods just across the field to the right of Harvey – not a bad view considering we were in a car park! We set of for Cheraw State Park. We turned into the park and as we drove along the road we noticed some squirrels that were much larger than the grey and red ones we had seen and they had varying colour faces, ranging from dark brown/black through to white – they were fox squirrels. They live on the Longleaf pines and their needles are in threes bound together at the end. This park was also home to the endangered red cockaded woodpecker that lives on the Loblolly pine, the fastest growing Southern pine. Apparently the name means mud puddle which is where the trees sprout up from. Their pine needles measure almost 12 inches. We drove to the campsite and selected our pitch. We could see the lake from our windows and it was a gorgeous setting. We had a quick lunch and then set off to explore. There was a lovely boardwalk which spanned part of the lake and a bridge going across a waterfall – we liked it here. The normal grey squirrels were everywhere in the campsite and very tame. We met our neighbours – grandfather, father and brother and grandson. They had come together for a week’s hunting. Linda asked what was for dinner (she got the terminology right this time!) and was told skips. We both thought that perhaps it was a local fish but then the grandfather enlightened us. They hadn’t caught anything and so they were going to skip dinner! The weather was beautiful – lovely and sunny and yet not too hot – in the lower 70s.
On Monday we awoke to another beautiful day and we walked about 5 miles up to the nature trail and back in as many hours. There was so much to look at. We saw five species of woodpecker including the endangered red cockaded woodpecker and so we were chuffed with ourselves. Our intention had been to walk the nature trail but this had to be postponed until Tuesday. We called into the park office to renew our site for a further 3 nights which was the maximum we could do as they were full for the weekend – the site had just 17 sites available for RV camping. The park manager asked where we were going next and offered to let us use his computer to book the site – our choice would have been to go straight to Huntington Beach State Park but it too was full for the weekend and so we settled on Myrtle Beach. En route we met Ed and Sue from Charleston and who were here for a long weekend. When we told them where we were intending to visit they said that they had some campground information in their camper and would pop over later with it. They did and lent us the information over night.
Tuesday saw us up to see the sun rise over the lake. We were going to have an early-ish start and we left Harvey at 10.30am. We did not, however, manage to leave the site until midday. Firstly, we returned the information to Ed and Sue and of course had a chat with them. As we said our goodbyes to them we were approached by one of the maintenance guys who had been working on the site next to ours and he asked us whether we would like some pears and tomatoes from his garden – people here are so kind. We then got waylaid by our hunting neighbour – granddad – and he chatted to us about some of his favourite places to visit. In fact he reinforced what Ed and Sue had just told us. We cycled the 2.5 miles to the nature trail – up and over the bridge, along the boardwalk and then along the road which ran parallel to the park’s golf course. At the start of the nature trail we abandoned our bikes and hiked the 4.5 mile Turkey Oak Trail. About half way round there was a seat which looked out over a Cypress tree swamp at the top end of Lake Juniper. It was so tranquil and beautiful that we sat looking out for about half an hour admiring the view. We hiked back to our bikes and then cycled back to Harvey and sampled one of the pears that we had been given – it was delicious. We had an early dinner, watched a film and then turned in for the night.
On Wednesday we slept in a little later than usual but we excelled ourselves and were out walking and off site by 11 am. We decided that we would walk the golf course on the golf buggy path. It was another glorious day and we stopped for our packed lunch at the clubhouse which was half way round for us. We sat in luxury in two rocking chairs and watched a golfer practising – it made a real change from our normal log in the forest. By the time we got back to Harvey we had walked nearly 8 miles and Linda’s feet really knew it – we met our hunter neighbours who were having a day’s golf – they were flabbergasted that we had walked from the campsite. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and different sort of a walk for us and despite the fact that we didn’t see very much wildlife we really enjoyed it.
It had been a much warmer night and Thursday morning was lovely and sunny. We were sitting letting our breakfast go down when we saw the man who had kindly given us the pears and tomatoes. Seamus went out to say how lovely they were and when he came back he was holding another present – hog sausage. It was frozen and so we put it straight in the freezer – we will let you know when we try it. Apparently our friend is a farmer with a 60 acre farm and he has all sorts of crops and livestock – chucks, pecan trees, pear trees and a vegetable patch to name but a few. He had actually come on site to see our hunter neighbours because he had taken the son and grandson hunting the previous evening and the grandson, aged 20, had shot his first ever stag- it was a ten pointer. Whilst we would never hunt, we have to accept that it is part of life here and so we went to congratulate him later on. He was so proud when he showed us the photograph and it was a perfect shot straight through the heart – we managed to look impressed, we think, and to suppress the sick feeling for the few minutes that we were chatting. We went out on our bikes and cycled out to the furthest primitive campsite. The path was very sandy and in some places it was too soft for the bikes as Linda found out when she landed sideways on with the bike still between her legs! It was time to abandon the bikes and finish on foot. The campsite was called Camp Forest and it accommodated cabins for living quarters and a building which housed a very large kitchen and dining room. We had been told that scout groups and church groups used it but as far as we could see it hadn’t been used in a while although the kitchen stove still had the pilot lights burning and the fridges were switched on. Leading off from the camp was a path to a double “pier”, well that is what the locals call it – we would class it more as a boat landing dock. It looked out towards the start of the Cypress swamp. It made a perfect coffee stop, so much so that we didn’t want to leave.
Although we had taken lunch with us we decided to go back to Harvey to eat it as it was en route and we could deposit the ruck sack there. Afterwards we headed off on our bikes again to the park office. We left the bikes there and headed off on foot in search of our fox squirrels. They are quite skittish and so it took a while to get a reasonable picture of one but eventually one of them fancied stardom! All in all we cycled about 4 miles and walked about 4 miles.
On Friday morning we packed up ready to leave and just before our departure Tim, our farmer/maintenance friend knocked on the door. He had brought us some more Globe pears, a couple of peppers, a bunch of cayenne pepper and some more tomatoes. He had also brought samples of some new recipes that he was trying out. They were desserts for diabetics and they were absolutely delicious. Two of them were sweet potato based and one was virtually all fruit. In addition, we had a jar of wild blueberry and blackberry wine which was a sweet dessert wine. We are going to keep it for Christmas because apparently it is very strong as our hunting neighbours discovered the previous evening – after sampling the wine they were not capable of going hunting – we thought they looked under the weather when we said our goodbyes to them! Tim was trying out new recipes because about eighteen months ago he was diagnosed as diabetic and he couldn’t find any nice desserts that were suitable for him and he decided to make his own. He is ultimately thinking about creating a recipe book. He told us that he had shed 100lbs and his diabetes was now under control -brilliant.
We left at 10.30am and made our way leisurely to Myrtle Beach. It was definitely a tourist area and there were RV permanent sites everywhere along the highway – not really our scene. However, when we turned into the state park it was like entering a different world – much more our cup of tea but still very busy. We had got a good site within easy walking distance of the beach.
It was overcast first thing Saturday morning but that did not stop us from heading out for a walk on the beach. Linda watched lots of her beloved Macedonian penguins, better known as brown pelicans, fishing and then we walked out to the pier where the sides were lined with fishermen. They were catching a fish they referred to as “spots”. These were small fish about 4-5inches long and were being pulled out one after the other. Afterwards we walked along the nature boardwalk and then sat on a seat in the sunshine watching the birds. We were delighted to see the Loggerhead Shrike which we had last seen on the west coast. The afternoon was spent doing laundry and getting ready to move out on Sunday.
As we needed a new water hose and there was a Camping World nearby which, of course, was not open on Sundays we decided that we would spend the day in the park and then have a meal out and then do an overnight in a Walmart carpark which was within half a mile of the shop. So, before leaving the park we walked the nature trail and came across our first signs warning you about alligators! We were definitely in alligator country now. There were no alligators to be seen. In the evening we had another Mexican meal and it was probably the best we have had – whilst they have all been good, this one was just that little bit better. We were both determined to have a fried ice cream but we were so full we just couldn’t manage it.
On Monday morning we went to Camping World and purchased our new hose and then we noticed a sign that was advertising oil and filter changes at a very reasonable price. As we were within a couple of hundred miles of being due for a service we thought that it would be a good idea to get it done there and then if possible. We enquired and they were able to fit us in just after lunch and so we wandered around the shops for a couple of hours until Harvey was ready. We then headed off to Huntington Beach and as we drove down the causeway to the site we knew that we were going to love it there – so much so that we broke our golden rule of only booking in for two nights and booked in for a week. They had fresh water lagoons and salt marshes and a beach – what more could you want.
Tuesday was spent exploring on our bikes. We went to the Education Centre and spent quite a while looking at the various exhibits and then watched a ray and a horseshoe crab being fed and chatted to the very knowledgeable ranger. The ray was really cute and he flapped his fin out of the water on the side of the tank which was his way of asking for more food. The ranger told us that we would be most likely to see some interesting species in the fresh water lagoon which was readily accessible and so we decided that we would explore it in the afternoon. We walked out on the salt water marsh boardwalks and admired the views and then we thought that we would head back for lunch so that we could deposit the bikes and take an afternoon walk along the causeway and round to the fresh water lagoon. We were not disappointed. We were lucky enough to spot an American Bittern which was a first for us and as we looked around the lagoon we could see several alligators sunbathing. It was a lovely spot to see the birds and alligators from as we were concealed from their view but we could see through the reeds and bushes. When we walked back we decided to walk along the beach to our site and head back out to the causeway to see if we could see the wood storks which had been visible when we entered the campsite. Again we were not disappointed because although they were a long way off they all took flight and flew right over us. The many great blue herons, white egrets, snowy egrets and various waders were not a bit concerned about being watched and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing them catch their supper. We also got chatting to a man and his wife who spent their time photographing the wildlife at the park. We had actually seen their work in a book in the Education Centre and they had some fantastic shots.
On Wednesday we walked a very similar path to the day before but in reverse. It always looks so different when you do that. In the afternoon we walked the beach which is a favourite for both of us. There were no new spots but it was all very pleasant.
We walked the beach on Thursday and went up to a jetty at Murrells Inlet where we saw a poor sailor whose yacht had been anchored in the inlet and had hit the rocks and started to sink. The poor man had salvaged as many of his possessions as he could and these were strewn across the jetty. On talking to a ranger who had visited him whilst we were in the area we discovered that the man had been there for a week whilst they got permission to move him from the coast guard. It was a sorry sight and we really felt for him. We walked back inland along the jetty and Linda mentioned that the rocks along the side looked just like the place we had seen a kingfisher when we were visiting Julie and Ron in Oman. Lo and behold, whilst looking through the binoculars Linda spotted the Belted Kingfisher sitting on the rocks! We walked along a track alongside a marshy area and it was beautiful. It was very hot as we were in a sun trap. We knew that we were back in beach scrub land because we encountered our friends – the burrs. Boy are they painful when they stick in you and even when you see them and want to remove them you know it is going to stab you no matter how carefully you try to remove them. We re-joined the beach and wandered back to Harvey. It was a day of migration as we saw flock after flock heading south. As rain was forecast for Friday we decided to make the most of the beautiful weather and so we went out on our bikes in the afternoon. We cycled round to see the alligators and whilst we were there talking to two ladies Linda looked down at an irritation on her leg and was aghast to see no less than four mosquitoes feeding on her. We had completely forgotten that they would have hatched in the warm weather and they were certainly getting a good meal from us. One of the ladies immediately reached into her bag and pulled out some bug spray for me to use – the kindness here never ceases to warm us. We cycled back down the causeway and then went down a road that ran through the middle of the park to the north end of the beach and back again. We certainly got two days’ exercise in a day!!
On Friday it had the audacity to rain and the temperature had dropped to around 60 degrees. We decided that we would have a day of chores and then go into Murrells Inlet to get a few provisions and hopefully a good enough signal to skype family. We also thought we would have a chinese as we spotted one when we arrived. It was all very nice and relaxed.
Saturday was a breezy but sunny day and so we decided to do the beach walk again - it was bracing but thoroughly enjoyable. We walked up to the inlet and saw that the sinking boat had become completely submerged except for the mast and his belongings were still all over the walkway. We felt so very sorry for him. In the evening we heard the Great Horned Owl way off in the distance - we just love to hear them calling.
On Sunday we rode the bikes and did about nine miles in all. We initially rode up to the causeway and met a couple from Canada, Neil and Helena and chatted with them about the RV lifestyle. During the conversation we discovered that Helena is, in fact, British and had lived in Canada for many years. We learned from them that campers had been escorted in convoy off the Skyline Drive because of snow - what a good job that we moved when we did. Also during our conversation, we were invited to Toronto for dinner if we were passing - we might just do that one day! This trip is, for us, as much about the people that we meet on our journey as the scenery and wildlife - it is brilliant. We went to say goodbye to the alligators and whilst we were there we spotted a black crowned heron. After that we headed off to Murrells Inlet on the bike path and then back again - it was a lovely ride through the woods for most of the way and then on a cycle path by the side of the road.
We set off on Monday morning to Charleston where we were going to overnight in a Walmart on the way to Edisto Beach. It was so hard to leave Huntington Beach as it was such a beautiful place. Even a brown pelican had come to say goodbye - it sat on the side of the causeway as we were leaving. We headed off to Georgetown where we had located a laundry and we made that our breakfast stop too. The owner of the laundry was fascinated that we were going off to have our breakfast in Harvey who was parked just outside. Then it was off again and we reached Charleston in time for a late lunch. We called in to a couple of shops and then found our way to Walmart. It was actually the worst Walmart that we had been to as there was hardly any food for sale - it was mainly clothes and household stuff. We went to bed early anticipating an early start in the morning and we soon fell asleep until midnight when they decided to clean the carpark. I mean, I ask you, did they not know that we were fast asleep - very inconsiderate!! We awoke at 5.45am to, would you believe, the sound of the Barred Owl hooting away. At six o'clock the park and ride service which operated from the car park started its service and so it was time to get up. We had a quick cuppa and then headed off to Food Lion, another supermarket just down the road to stock up before heading off to Edisto Beach. As we drove out of Charleston we came to a standstill as we waited for a huge drawbridge to lift and let through about half a dozen yachts that were sailing the intracoastal waterway and it made us think of Ron and Julie because they had sailed this route a few years ago. Charleston was a city of bridges but Linda is so used to it now that she was not phased by it. Even as we approached Edisto Beach we had to cross an impressive bridge.
The site at Edisto Beach was literally right on the beach and it was wonderful to hear the sound of the waves hitting the beach. We checked in, set up and headed off for a quick walk on the beach before lunch. It was breezy but lovely and sunny - the temperatures were in the mid 70s. In the afternoon we walked the opposite way along the beach - we were told that if we were lucky we might find fossilised sharks' teeth or very large shells.
On Wednesday we decided to take a long walk along the beach towards the peninsular of Edisto Island and search for some good shells as it was low tide at the time. There were several people who had the same idea but we soon left them behind! Linda found a lovely Knobbed Whelk shell that was almost buried in the sand and so she was well chuffed. We met a local lady that was also shell seeking and she knew exactly what she was looking for. She gave us a Moon Snail shell and told us that it was unusual to see a complete one. She called us over at one point as she was frantically digging out sand. She had found the most beautiful conch shell that was about 12 inches long and when she turned it over the inside of the shell was bright orange. Sadly, she wanted to keep it herself. In the afternoon we decided to cycle along the beach road and we turned off towards Edisto Island business area to explore what was there. We came across a lake by the side of a golf course and there were several egrets fishing there as well as traversing the greens - it seemed so strange to see them there. We called in a local shop to look around and the shopkeeper gave us a map of the island and told us that we might be able to see dolphins swimming around the peninsula. She also pointed out a cycle route. We followed the route but unfortunately missed the turning for the beach access to the peninsula and so we made our way back to the site. All in all we think it is about 8 miles there and back and it is Linda's idea of cycling heaven - not a hill in sight, not even an incline!
On Thursday morning we headed out again to find the beach access on the cycling route and this time we followed the route from the start. It was a lovely ride which took you all along the back streets of the island. There were so many gorgeous properties there and we had seen in a local estate agent that many of them were selling for in excess of £1million. This time we found the access point, parked up the bikes and went in search of the dolphins. It didn't take long before we spotted them and we stood watching them for ages. They were about 20 feet from the shoreline. Unfortunately Seamus had not brought his camera because we never expected that even if we did see the dolphins that they would be so close to shore. So Linda had to try her best to capture a shot - it was not easy because her camera is so slow to react and dolphins are very quick but we got one pleasing picture and a bit of video. We decided that we must return at some point with the proper camera for the job. In the afternoon we cycled up to the ranger's station in order to make a reservation for over the weekend. We could not stay at the beach site as it was full but we managed to get a site on the Live Oak Campground about a mile away and then we could go back to the beach site on Sunday.
We left it as late as possible to move out on Friday as we simply didn't want to go but needs must. We got set up and headed out on our bikes to the Education Centre which was about three miles away. It was sunny but distinctly cooler than earlier in the week. We had a most enjoyable afternoon looking round all the exhibits and chatting to the Centre's host. It was whilst we were watching a short film on the area all that showed all that you could hope to see that we realised how lucky we had been as there was only one creature that we had not seen and this was the loggerhead turtle. Just as we were about to leave a racoon raised its head above some decking - it was soooo cute! Despite the fact that these creatures are very common throughout the USA, this was a first sighting for both of us. Sadly, it was too quick to be captured on camera. We rode back to Harvey and by then it had got really cold.
On Saturday we had a leisurely morning because it was cold first thing-just 45 degrees inside . Before heading out we called in the ranger's station to check out our proposed route for Sunday and were amused by a comment we got. The ranger didn't want us to take a certain route because it wasn't safe for cyclists and she "didn't want anything happening to her ferriners". We looked at her "ferriners????" we questioned. It transpired that she meant us - foreigners!! We cycled the Spanish Mount biking trail which crossed the marshes at several points. We took a breather half way round and sat looking out over an inlet where fishermen were trying their luck - we certainly didnt bring them any. Then it was off to the hidden shell midden which was incredible - so many shells tightly packed in a mound. At the end of the ride we turned off to the Education Centre to see if the racoon was there but it wasn't. Visiting the Centre again made us think of a citation that we had seen on the wall that we particularly liked. It was again one by John Muir
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world"
How true it is.
We left the Live Oak site on Sunday morning and it was a relief to get away from such a dusty environment. We headed out to Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area which consists of two large plantations: Bleak Hall and Sea Cloud owned in 1859 John Ferrars Townsend. This plantation had been recommended to us by two different sets of people. The only problem was that, according to the rangers, there was nowhere for us to leave Harvey whilst we cycled around the plantation. We turned down the road and it was a nightmare. It was a dirt road that was like a washboard and poor Harvey shook and rattled for 1.5 miles to the entrance. There was, however, no turning back because there was not enough room on the road. Eventually we arrived at the entrance and thankfully there was an ideal place to leave Harvey just outside. So, we signed in and went to get our bikes but alas Linda had a puncture and so Seamus had to repair it before we could head off. We cycled a somewhat interesting road - it was so sandy in places that Linda had visions of another sudden sideways fall but luck was on her side today and she managed to stay on. We turned off towards the beach and cycled the path right to it across the salt marshes. It was a beautiful beach laden with gorgeous shells but since January 2010 it has been illegal to take any of them-indeed there is a $470fine should you be tempted and caught. We walked about half a mile along the beach enjoying the views and then started off again on the bikes. As we came back across the salt marshes the tide had gone out and we saw thousands of mud crabs scuttling away as we approached. It was a lovely ride all around the plantation and we saw a pair of bald eagles take off. All in all we had cycled 7.5 miles and had a walk and so we were ready for lunch when we got back at 2.30pm.We drove back to collect our hang tag from the Live Oak Campground and returned to our favourite site at the beach. This time we were backed onto the salt marsh but still within very easy walking distance of the beach.
Monday was a glorious day - mid seventies and full sun. In the morning we cycled to the peninsula of Edisto Island where we had previously seen the dolphins in the hope of capturing some better pictures of them with the big camera. We had timed it for a low tide as that is when we had seen them before. We were thrilled - they were there again and we spent ages watching them and attempting to get a picture. This time the camera took the photo fast enough but the field of vision was so small we kept missing them. It really was a joint effort as the camera was very heavy to hold in position and so we took it in turns. We managed to get one reasonable picture where it was looking at us. We also saw a Lousiana heron fishing and it was amazing to see it twist its head this way and that and then lunge its neck forward to capture a fish. There were lots of wading birds and terns on the peninsula and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We wandered up the beach a little way and saw a mother dolphin and her two babies fishing - they were delightful. On our way back we called into the local fish shop and purchased a selection of fish for our dinner. We sampled a small piece of Mahi mahi, a flounder, some large prawns and a couple of scallops between us. We thoroughly enjoyed it - the flounder was our favourite of the two fishes. We also bought some snapper and gruppa which were for another day. The warm weather brought out another few stink bugs that have been lurking in poor Harvey - we wondered whether we would ever see the end of them!!
We left Edisto Beach at around midday and made our way to Beaufort in South Carolina where we were going to shop, dine out and spend the night in yes, you guessed, a Walmart car park. So, with the shopping done and Linda having had a haircut we headed over to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. This was our first time eating here and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had the salad bar which was delicious, accompanied by two hot garlic and cheese biscuits (similar to a scone) and then a main course. When we arrived back at Harvey we discovered we had a buddy for the night - another RV had parked parallel to us. All was well until 4am when they decided to send in a team to clean the carpark. We slept fitfully after that until 7.30am. This is twice now that we have been disturbed by the car park being cleaned - we are thinking of putting in a complaint to the management!!! In the morning we decided that we would do our laundry whilst in Beaufort and we also needed a post office and as luck would have it both were en route in the same parking area and even better there was a Walgreen's opposite where Linda could top up on her favourite bite cream in readiness for Hunting Island.
We eventually got on our way and discovered that we were in armadillo country as we passed two that were dead on the side of the road. Linda also saw two glossy ibises but alas there was no time for a photo. We approached a large bridge and noticed that there was a group of people waving boards around. We wondered what on earth was happening - the boards were blocking our route. Just as we got to them we could see that they were protestors who were claiming that the bridge that we had just got our wheels was not structurally safe!!! Too late, there was no turning back even if we had wanted to and so we crossed the drawbridge with everything crossed. We arrived at the park at about 1.30pm and were greeted by two camp hosts smelling strongly of bug spray - not a good sign. We found our spot, got set up, had a quick bite to eat and then headed for the beach. The site looked as if we were on a tropical island with all the palm trees and the beach reminded us of Botany Bay Plantation beach as there were so many trees that had found themselves in the sea as a result of erosion. It was a lovely flat beach and it was possible to cycle it at low tide and so we put this on our agenda for some point during our stay. We found another two sand dollars but unfortunately one broke. We were amazed at the thousands and thousands of birds (we could see scoters and scaups) resting out at sea. They were possibly taking a break during their migration to the south. We were again treated to the sight of dolphins fishing close to shore.
We awoke to a cold and windy morning on Friday with temperatures in the mid 50s and so we did not venture out on our bikes until 11am. We cycled along the main highway towards Fripp Island and stopped off at a wildlife viewing area. We heard a bird making a lot of noise and when it landed we could see that it was a belted kingfisher and so Seamus approached it carefully from the road to try to get a good shot whilst Linda remained on watch in case it moved. We were pleased with the results. We cycled on to a boardwalk area and here we saw a flock of ruby crowned kinglets and we spent a while trying to get a good photo - hmm better luck next time. Then it was on to the nature centre where they had a good display of live snakes, turtles and terrapins. From the nature centre we walked out on a pier and watched dolphins fishing. We decided to cycle back via one of the trails which passed the visitor's centre. Just outside of the building was an algae covered pond with a fountain in which a female alligator had set up home (we didn't see her). We watched a film about the history of the island and the lighthouse in the centre and then we headed back to Harvey. We saw another kingfisher, yellow throated warblers, woodpeckers, nuthatches and a tree creeper on the way back but we missed out on getting a photo of the latter. By the time we got back it was 3.30pm and we were definitely ready for lunch. It had started to get cold again and it got dark at around 5.30pm.
On Saturday we had an enforced day of rest as Linda was feeling decidedly off colour. She had awoken to a huge bite on her ankle that had swollen and she generally felt unwell. We managed just a short walk on the beach and spent the rest of the day in Harvey.
Thankfully on Sunday Linda was feeling better although her ankle was still a little swollen. It was another gorgeous day and so we decided that we would walk along the beach to the lighthouse as it was not too far to go. It was, however, still very uncomfortable for Linda to walk very far as her walking boots were irritating her ankle and it started to swell again. We abandoned the walk and took to our bikes. This was much better even if it was much further to go to the lighthouse by road. We purchased our tickets to go up to the top of the lighthouse and started the climb. On every platform on the way up there was information on the lighthouse's construction and operation and it was very interesting. All went remarkably well and Linda managed to get to the last set of steps when her fear of heights took over. There was no hand rail on the lefthand side of the last flight of steps and that, together with the fact that she was beginning to feel just how high up she was finished Linda off and Seamus climbed the last part alone and took the required photographs.
In the early hours of Monday morning we experienced our first violence since being in the USA but thankfully it was just two racoons arguing over something. It woke us both up and we were so busy watching that we didn't manage to get a photograph before it was all over and they each went their separate ways. On Monday morning Linda felt completely recovered from her bites and her ankle swelling had virtually disappeared and so we decided to cycle out to the Education Centre by road and then cycle back on the trails as it was such a lovely ride. However, the best laid plans and all that........ We set off after Linda had sprayed herself liberally with bug spray. We thought that we would look at the beach first and it was then that the plan was delayed because the tide was out and you could cycle along the beach. Neither of us had ever done this before and so we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was so hot by the sea that Linda remarked that it was not bug spray she should be covered in but sun screen!! The tide turned and we left the beach to start on our original plan and thoroughly enjoyed retracing our tracks of a few days before. However, this time there were no kingfishers, kinglets or dolphins to be seen which just showed how you needed to be in the right place at the right time to see the wildlife.
We set off fairly early from Edisto Beach back towards Beaufort. We were held up slightly at the drawerbridge as we left the island because a shrimp boat needed to go through but we enjoyed watching the whole process. We did a little shopping in Beaufort and then headed off to Georgia. We made really good time as it was interstate all the way. We arrived on site at around 3.30pm and set up on our site. There was a social hall just across from us and so we ventured over to see what was happening. There were four people having supper and we were immediately invited to have some food - again we were made to feel so welcome. It was nice to know that we were going to be here for a week and we felt sure that we were going to enjoy it.
The first day, Wednesday, we went out to do the laundry and met with loads of mosquitoes and "no see ums" and so we knew that we were going to have to be very careful. Other than that we generally relaxed for the rest of the day.
We had to make a dessert for Thanksgiving and so that was baked in the morning. At 2 o'clock we went over for the Thanksgiving dinner that we had been invited to. We had a wonderful time. The meal was incredible and there was so many different dishes to sample. During dinner we were properly introduced to the four people we had met on our first evening - Ruby and Bob and Dick and Donna - and we met Ruby's sister Sylvia and her husband Dick. Our Thanksgiving celebration lasted six and a half hours as we chatted away getting to know each other and learning about their lives. I don't quite remember how it came about but I came away offering to cook an Indian supper the following evening for our six new friends and ourselves.
On Friday morning we cycled a mile and a half to Piggly Wiggly's the local supermarket to get a few provisions and the rest of the day was spent preparing the food ready to be cooked in the social hall. I was a little worried that they may not like it and so I had also prepared a chicken casserole just in case. Ruby watched over my cooking as she is a very keen cook and she then got everyone assembled. I think that my chicken and coconut curry and chicken and tomato balti came as a bit of a shock to my poor guests as they had never had anything like it and it was rather hot for many of their palates so I was very pleased that I had made the casserole because they found that much more akin to the food that they were used to. I know that they really appreciated the meal and found it interesting to taste new spices and herbs for the very first time.
It was a little overcast on Saturday morning and we noticed that there had been an explosion of the "no see ums" and so apart from a quick trip to the showers we spent the day mostly indoors planning for the next couple of weeks or so. We had discovered that the last formula one race of the season was being broadcast on a channel that was available in the social hall and so Seamus was able to watch it which was a real bonus. In the afternoon we had a visit from Sylvia's Dick (Dick 1) and he brought his weather radio to see if we could help with tuning it. Later on Donna's Dick (Dick 2) called by to see if we would like to join them for a pasta supper. I had only just lit the gas to start cooking our and so that was quickly turned off. We had a lovely supper of spaghetti bolognese with home reared Angus beef from Dick 2's farm along with other ingredients from their garden. Ruby had made a shortcake and that was accompanied with fresh strawberries and whip and so we were well and truly spoiled.
On Sunday morning we were invited to go and seeSylvia and DIck 1's camper as he had made alterations to it. It is amazing what can be achieved to improve the inside space and the fact that Dick had been a carpenter all his working life certainly showed in the end result. In the afternoon Bob, Ruby, Dick 1 and 2 and Sylvia took us to a wildlife refuge, Harris Neck, that was about 10 miles away. It was wonderful. There were lots of alligators of varying sizes and one of them, clearly the boss, must have been at least 14 feet long. There were turtles, night herons, egrets, ibis, wood storks and vultures as well as numerous types of ducks. It was the type of area that we both love to explore. We were driven by Bob and he has a great sense of humour. One example was when we crossed an interstate that goes down to Florida and he said that it was "busy with everyone leaving Florida - hmm the tide must be out!" We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and we were then invited to join them for supper at the Golden Coral but Linda had got fish out of the freezer the day before but it had been abandoned in favour of having dinner with our new friends and so we declined.
On Monday it was time to do our laundry and then we were asked to visit Ruby and Bob whilst it was washing. Linda followed Seamus back to Harvey but it took her another half an hour as she was waylaid by another couple who had arrived the day before and of course had to get acquainted.
We said our farewells to our six new friends at McIntosh Lake (it is always difficult to leave a place when you have enjoyed yourself so much) and headed off. Within a couple of hours we had entered Florida, our ninth state in Harvey. It was a lovely journey as the area has an abundance of waterways and there were many salt marshes. We stopped off at a Walmart so that we could skype Linda,s mother and then headed off up the road and back again and then up the road - yes, we went wrong! We arrived at Little Talbot Island State Park which is a barrier island and booked in. The sites were nestled between the palm and live oak trees which looked very pretty but took some negotiation in terms of getting Harvey into position without catching low lying branches from the live oak trees. Seamus went to connect up the power and was greeted by two little frogs sleeping inside the electric hook up box. We had a wander around and settled in for the evening. It was not long before the Great Horned Owl was hooting close by - it is such a lovely sound.
On Wednesday morning we decided to telephone the site where we are going to be staying for a month or so in order to confirm our dates. There was a pay phone on site which we used and it was a good job that we made the call at that time because within thirty minutes a workman had removed it!!! We thought that we would hike the 4.5 mile loop through the woods and back along the beach but unfortunately high tide was only an hour away and it did not give us enough time to do the loop before it was impassable and so we went back the campsite and hiked the nature trail. It was gorgeous and Seamus spotted a bald eagle sitting in the tree watching us. We also saw a spotted sandpiper and a northern harrier which was flying low over the salt marsh. Later on we cycled to the beach and then went for a walk along it. We thought that it would be good to cycle along the beach and so put that on the agenda for Thursday.
We awoke on Thursday morning to the sound of two Great Horned Owls talking to each other - what a beautiful wake up call. We set off at 10.30am to do the wood and beach hike. It was very buggy and we were glad to get out of the woods but sadly we had been ill-informed by one of the rangers and the tide was almost fully in, making the beach part of the hike impossible. So, we had to brave it and head back through the bug infested woods. In the afternoon we took the bikes to the beach but would you believe it - the wind had got up and made it impossible to cycle against it.
We drove the interstate down to St Augustine on Friday morning and did our shopping at our usual venues - firstly Walmart and then Food Lion as we had discovered that it was in the next block. It was much busier than we have been used to but then we are in Florida where thousands of people flock to in the winter. We were going to walk to Food Lion but suddenly we became locals because the truck that was hemming us in had moved and we could get Harvey out with ease and so we drove there!!
We arrived at the park just after lunch and were amazed to discover that we could transfer our booking to a walk in site and that way we could stay for two nights over the weekend instead of just one. We had a great site, not far from wonderful hot, clean and spacious showers. We were soon on our bikes and off exploring the site. We went to the beach and walked along it for a couple of miles - we do so love the beach.
On Saturday morning we cycled around the site and visited the salt marsh and an old Spanish quarry. Here we learned about coquina which is Spanish for tiny shellfish and is the name given to a rock formation made up of millions of little shells which was mined for building material. In the afternoon we set off for the beach again and walked in the opposite direction to the pier. The sun was shining and many families were on the beach enjoying the weekend. Unfortunately we could not go on the pier because it cost $1 and we had failed to take any money with us!
We were up early on Sunday morning as there was a bird walk in the park, led by a volunteer and so we cycled down to the beach in readiness for the 8.30am start. It was a bit of a struggle but we made it! It was a very interesting walk and we were introduced to a new bird for us, the palm warbler, and learned how to see if a clapper rail is present. You simply clap your hands in quick succession and if it is there you will here a responsive squawk. We heard it but we couldn't see it. We then cycled to the salt marsh and saw a group of wood storks who were helping themselves to goodies from a fisherman's bait box. We saw lots of birds but nothing new for us. Then it was time to go back to Harvey, pack up and leave. We might have been sad that we had only two days here but this is where we will be spending Christmas with Nicky and so we will be back.
We left Anastasia State Park on Sunday morning and drove the 35 miles or so along the A1a coast road to Gamble Rogers State Park. We checked in for the four nights that we had reserved and we were told that we had been very lucky as this park is usually booked up the minute the sites become available, eleven months in advance. We had apparently managed to secure a cancellation. We parked Harvey pointing out to sea so that we could look out to sea at all times, even whilst still in bed. We were just 40 yds from the beach and we set our telescope up on the dashboard in the hope of seeing a North Atlantic Right Whale which uses this part of Florida for its birthing ground and nursery. There are only between 350 and 500 of these whales left in the world and so all shipping is on a 24/7 watch for them and are not allowed within 500feet of them. The whales have already been sighted in Georgia, making their way south to this part of the coast where they normally stay between mid December and March.
On Monday morning we set out to explore the park properly and we hiked the nature trail. Whilst we didn't see anything new we enjoyed the walk and managed to capture a Palm Warbler on camera. In the afternoon we sat outside enjoying the lovely warm sunny weather and the beautiful sea views because, for once, there were no bugs. We were desperate to stay on longer and had been told to keep looking at the park's availability on line. We needed a Thursday night in order to stay which we knew would be a tall order but when Linda went on line another site had become available for that one night and so we snapped it up as fast as we could - yippee.
On Tuesday morning we visited the park office and chatted to the office manager. We told her that we had managed to secure another night and how desperate we were to stay longer but that nothing was available. She said that she would have a look to see what she could do for us. It transpired that someone had booked a site for two weeks and had not turned up and so she agreed to release it to us. We were so grateful to her and we couldn't believe our luck as we still had a site pointing out to sea. It was a little more enclosed than the other site and whilst we could look out to sea from Harvey we could not sit outside on our chairs and see it but it was a very small price to pay for being able to stay as long as we wanted. We promptly moved site. In the early afternoon we cycled to Flagler Beach which was 3-3.5 mile ride. It was cycling heaven here, or at least Linda's cycling heaven, because there is a cycle path which runs parallel to the coast road and it is perfectly flat and wide enough for us to ride side by side. It was a lovely ride. We wanted to visit the supermarket in town which was on the far side of a very high bridge - about 45 metres high. Being a passenger in Harvey whilst going over a very high bridge is one thing but for Linda cycling over it was quite another! Seamus stopped at the top and wanted to point out something in the distance but Linda had her head down and yelled for him to get out of the way whilst she pedalled furiously in order to get to the other side as fast as possible, stopping for no-one and certainly not to look up and increase her awareness of how high in the air she was. Fortunately, the trip back over it was not quite so bad but she was delighted that a cyclist coming the other way towards her had stopped to let her through - perhaps he had seen the look of sheer terror on her face.
We made an earlyish start on Wednesday morning to cycle to Smith Creek Landing where we had been told that there was a lovely hike. We found what we thought was the turning and came to a parking area just before a bridge at Highbridge Road. We parked our bikes and walked along the river banks a little but it was clear that we were not in the right place. However, we did find it amusing to watch a cormorant struggle to get a fish that it had caught in the right position to go down the hatch - eventually it succeeded. So, we mounted our bikes and cycled another 2 miles or so down the road and we were still not happy that we were on the right track and so we did an about turn and returned to Highbridge Road parking area. Just as we were about to turn into it we noticed Smith Creek Landing on the opposite side of the road - never mind we needed the additional exercise! We had lunch in a picnic area and set off to do the hike which was just over 2 miles. We actually walked a little further in order to look at a restoration project where the park rangers have lowered the mud bank levels in order to create a salt marsh. We watched herons and egrets fishing and overhead saw two ospreys, one with a snake in its claws and the other in hot pursuit! When we returned to site we called in at the ranger's station to see if they could help us identify what we later discovered was a cotton rat which we had seen sunning itself on the hike. We mentioned that we had not seen any gopher tortoises and the were told to look in a certain area. We went off in search of them and whilst we saw their holes, there were none to be seen. However, on the way back we were delighted to see a beautiful red shouldered hawk and it did not seem to mind being captured on camera. By the time we got back to Harvey we had cycled about 8 miles and walked 3miles - it was a great day! In the evening it rained quite a bit as the wind howled and temperatures dropped significantly.
As it was much cooler on Thursday we decided to have a day of rest and do a few chores and a little forward planning.
From Friday to Tuesday we had enforced days of rest as unfortunately Linda was ill. She had to seek medical assistance on Friday morning and was prescribed antibiotics for her infection. It was not too much of a hardship to be Harvey bound though because the weather took a turn and it rained on and off on Saturday and Sunday and most of the day on Monday. It rained so much on Monday that our weather alarm was proved to be working perfectly as we had a code red when we were warned about flooding in the area. Six to seven inches of rain had fallen and another two were predicted by 12.45pm. We were delighted to see that the warning device worked without us actually being in any danger. As we sat in Harvey we watched flock after flock after flock of pelicans heading south, one behind the other. As the first pelican flapped its wings the rest followed in Mexican wave style. It might have rained but the temperatures held up and it was still 19-20 degrees C which was lovely.
On Wednesday morning we left our lovely beach site and headed south west for Clermont. We drove down the coast road for quite a way and it was gorgeous driving alongside the sea. We then took a scenic route through Ocala Forest and stopped off en route for a coffee, eventually arriving at Clermont just after lunch. We had been allocated a beautiful site overlooking a lake and we were delighted with it.
Thursday was a settling in day finding out where everything was and enjoying the glorious weather. The site has a pool which is solar heated but it was a little chilly for our liking when we dipped our hands in it. We introduced ourselves to our neighbours and investigated the good and not so good places to eat and shop.
On Friday we went to pick up our hire car and went in search of the snow people that Nicky so wanted to buy. We eventually found them and were shocked to find that there were only a few left. We promptly photographed them, emailed them home and awaited instructions. In the afternoon we ventured into Kissimee to check out the flea markets for disney memorabilia etc. It was like entering a different world - definitely not to our taste. We did, however, manage to buy some bath oil that is excellent for keeping the "no see um" bugs away. Weactually wanted to buy the oil that also had a bug repellent in it but alas there was none to be found.
We spent Saturday grocery shopping and attempted to solve a computer problem that we have developed but at a cost of $199 and the prospect of 10 days of no computer we decided that we would limp on until we go back to the UK in February. We scouted more shops for Nicky and then headed back home.
Our neighbours knew of a flea market and farmers market that might be suitable for us and so on Sunday morning we went to check it out. It was much better and Linda even managed to buy some of the special bug spray that she had been looking for. Not only does it smell very pleasant but it also feels very pleasant on the skin and so far, fingers crossed not a single bite has been detected - sheer bliss! In the afternoon we were invited to a Jam session where eleven guitarists/banjo/mandolin/pianist played music of various types and residents together with the musicians sang along. It was very entertaining.
Monday was a day of administrative tasks - sending out our christmas cards, writing to friends and updating this blog. We did have a diversion when a pair of Sandhill Cranes flew in and decided to graze by the side of the lake. They were beautiful and so tame. At one point one of them did a little dance for us, well ok it did a dance for some reason and we happened to be there watching them at the time. In the afternoon we decided to go out for a late lunch to the Golden Corral and were fit for nothing in the afternoon as our tummies were fully extended - we'll say no more!
On Tuesday we went out west to Homasassa Springs and visited the three Walmarts in the area to check that we could do an overnight stay there - we could stay over at any of them despite the fact that it said we would be towed away! We decided that the Inverness Walmart was the best one for us.
Wednesday was spent doing our shopping for Christmas and making final preparations for Nicky's arrival. Thursday was the big day and we set out for the airport giving ourselves plenty of time. We collected her balloon on the way and stopped off for a picnic en route. It was a very easy airport to navigate around and we soon found out exactly where we needed to be. We parked up and then awaited Nicky's flight arrival. Unfortunately, although she landed more or less on time, the flight was carrying a passenger who had been taken ill during the flight and so as she was seated behind the sick passenger Nicky had to wait for them to be attended by paramedics before she could disembark. Eventually she came through - exhausted from her flight and tiredness from doing so much prior to her flight but now it was time for her to relax. We set off for Harvey and called in for a pizza on the way to accompany the salad that was awaiting us in Harvey. An early night was had by all of us.
Unfortunately during the night poor Nicky awoke with her eye all stuck up and so Linda was soon playing nursemaid. We were up reasonably early, took back the hire car and set off for Anastasia State Park, taking the scenic route. We stopped off for lunch at Publix ( a supermarket) in Ormond Beach and Nicky was soon up for a spot of shopping whilst Seamus made lunch. Then we were on the road again and arrived at Anastasia State Park mid afternoon. We parked up by the beach and went for a short wander by the sea so that Nicky could have a paddle. On the way back we walked the boardwalk and when we clapped for it the clapper rail answered us immediately - just like magic. We set up on our site and put up our Christmas lights.
On Saturday we had a chill out day and just went for a short wander to the inlet to see what we could spot. We had great fun introducing Nicky to many different species of sea bird.
On Christmas Eve we again rested for most of the day so that Nicky could become fully recovered from her cold and tiredness. We introduced her to our new game and she loved it. We decided to open presents in the evening as we had to move site and also had lots of skyping to do on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day was rather overcast and at times there were spots of rain but we managed to have our Christmas barbeque outside - steak and vegetables followed by cheesecake and strawberries. A BBQ on Christmas day was a first for all of us. Nicky was now feeling much better. Our day was complete when we heard the Great Horned Owl in the evening.
On Boxing Day we drove Harvey into St Augustine and went to the sales. Nicky bought loads and loads of clothes and also kitted herself and Tim out with Christmas decorations for when they have their own house. In one shop Nicky and I got into trouble as we were using the men's changing rooms - we, of course were totally oblivious to the fact that there was even a sign designating it as men's changing rooms. We arrived back at the site and set up in our new location and then went off to Winter Wonderland. This was an area by the side of the park which had an ice rink and an area decorated with millions of tiny lights and displays to form an elf village. It was beautifully done and Nicky and I took a sleigh ride (a trap pulled by Sugar and Spice the ponies) around the village - it was so magical and we loved it.
We set off at 9.40am straight after breakfast and travelled down the coast road to Flagler Beach. We decided that we would treat Nicky to a jaunt over the huge bridge that we cycled over and she was astounded that her Mum had managed to do it, knowing how petrified of heights she is! We went into Publix on the other side of the bridge to do a bit of shopping and whilst there we all checked our blood pressures - all of our readings were excellent - this life suits us all! We then continued on to Ormond Beach where we stopped off for coffee and a snack and then drove on to a park by the river where we stopped off for lunch. We finally arrived at Lake Louisa mid afternoon. It was a very warm day and would you believe it we found yet another stink bug in Harvey. We relaxed in the evening as we were going to be travelling again the next day.
We awoke early to a cold morning and had to employ our central heating. We had breakfast and went for a walk around the site visiting two of the many lakes there. We walked as far as an orange tree research area and Nicky was delighted to spot a red shouldered hawk in a tree. All of a sudden there was a real commotion and three hawks were seen flying and screeching - red shouldered hawks are extremely vocal. We also saw bluebirds for the first time in Florida and Anhingas for the very first time. Nicky thought that the bluebirds were lovely. At midday we set off for Manatee Springs State Park.
On the way to Manatee Springs State Park we saw our first wild boar grazing in a field - it was enormous! We also saw a cattle egret sitting on the back of a cowin a field and wild turkeys by the side of the road - to think that we spent ages at the start of our trip trying to photograph wild turkeys and we could not get within half a mile of them because they were so skittish! We arrived at the park late afternoon and were welcomed on site by two pileated woodpeckers hammering away.
We awoke early and set off for a walk before breakfast as we had been advised that we were more likely to see the manatees in the Suwanee river between 7 and 8am. It was a very fresh morning and as we looked up the inlet it looked quite mystical. The spring was so clear and the water was 72 degrees. It is this temperature all year round. There were literally hundreds of black vultures and turkey vultures lining the sides of the inlet and when we got to the boardwalk which led out to the river there were about twenty black vultures on either side of the boardwalk. As we got to within two metres of them they reluctantly flew off. We were later advised that it is not a good idea to upset these birds as their defense mechanism is to throw up over you and since they feed on carrion it is not a pleasant smell! Fortunately we escaped without experiencing it. We were thrilled as we spotted three manatees in the river and we also saw a turtle swimming by. We returned to Harvey for breakfast and then set off on another hike through the park where Nicky spotted many new birds for her. After lunch we decided to go and take another look at the manatees but they were nowhere to be seen and so our early morning walk had definitely been necessary in order to see these slumbering river cows.
Nicky has now been with us for a week and is thoroughly enjoying life “on the road”. We left Manatee Springs very early, just as it was getting properly light and the road going out of the park was adorned with deer on both sides – during the day you didn’t see them at all. The road that led to Homasassa Springs Wildlife Park was dead straight and we actually travelled about 21 miles before we encountered our first bend. On the journey we spotted six little tiny boars at the side of the road. Sadly they vanished into the trees before the camera could be switched on and so we didn’t manage to get a photograph. Later we saw wild turkeys. We arrived at the wildlife and had our breakfast in the car park before entering the park. We travelled into the park by boat whilst our skipper told us little snippets about the place – we learned that Homosassa meant land of the pepper in Seminole language. The park was not really what we were expecting as apart from the manatees and some of the birds, much of it was like a zoo. However, it did give us the opportunity of getting up close and personal with some owls. We also met Louis, a hippopotamus. He had been a resident in the park when it was privately owned and when all of the animals were relocated when the state took over, Louis failed to find a home. It is policy that the park only contains native Florida species and so Louis was officially made a citizen of Florida.
We left the park mid afternoon and set off for Inverness, which is where we intended to spend our night in a Walmart car park – a special request from Nicky. We stopped off for more clothes shopping on the way and arrived late afternoon and set up for the night. It was a warm day and another stink bug emerged from somewhere. We all went to bed around 9pm and fell asleep straight away but we were all awoken at midnight by a couple having a domestic argument – the girl was accused of being unfaithful to the guy with Leroy, Earl and the Kid and her response was that she “was having a bad month”. We were in stitches listening to it all but then the guy said that his life was over and that he had a gun – we were then very concerned in case he missed and shot Harvey! Eventually – some two hours later they roared off into the night, each going their separate ways. It was certainly a memorable night and Nicky loved every minute of it!
We set off for Rainbow Springs State Park in the morning after breakfast and managed to get a little lost. We followed the signs to the state park but there was one missing and so we failed to make a right turn at the appropriate place. We checked in and went for a walk by the river. There were lots of canoeists paddling up and down and we heard and then saw the red shouldered hawk again.
On Sunday we went to the spring head which was about 7 miles away and walked around the gardens and then hiked the nature trail which was about 3 miles. We were delighted to see our first live armadillo foraging in the undergrowth. Unfortunately he was camera shy and so most of our pictures are of his rear end as he scuttled away. What a magnificent creature.
In the morning we had a fire and had breakfast by the fire which of course decided to shroud the picnic table in smoke just as we sat down to breakfast! We went for a walk around the campsite and called in the ranger’s station to check out two creatures that Linda had seen the night before on her way back from the shower – apparently they were pocket gophers and these creatures were responsible for the numerous mounds we had seen around the area. We left around midday and returned to Clermont, stopping off at the Oakwood Smokehouse for a full rack of ribs - delicious.
We had strong winds during Monday night and the temperature dropped significantly. We collected our hire car on Tuesday morning and went to the shops for yet more clothes shopping. We packed for our trip down to the south of Florida so that we could make an early start.
On Wednesday it was a very cold start to the day – the temperature had dropped to just one degree C and poor Nicky had not slept well as she was cold – annoyingly there were more blankets under the bed that she was sleeping on but she didn’t want to wake us up to ask. We decided that we would take the toll road down to Kendall and arrived just after 1.30pm. We had a quick lunch and then headed out to a visitor centre in the Everglades to have a look at what we wanted to do in the Everglades when we returned. Unfortunately we chose the wrong route as it took us 2 hours to get there and yet using a different route just 45 mins to do the return journey. The sky turned very dark as we headed back to Kendall and we felt sure that we were in for a storm but it passed and not a drop of rain fell.
On Thursday we headed off to Key West straight after breakfast. It was a gorgeous journey down. We stopped off at a visitor centre and Seamus spotted a snail kite fly into a tree just outside. We arrived at our hotel which overlooked the sea and we were given a room upgrade so that we had views of the hotel pool and the sea. As we went to our room we saw a very large lizard sunning itself on a rock – we believe it was a Knight Anole. We all decided that one night in the Keys was not going to be sufficient and so we booked in for an extra night and then changed our other reservations. In the hotel we were just 90 miles from Cuba but 150 miles from Miami. We all went for a swim in the heated pool and spent the afternoon relaxing. It was lovely in the pool but very cold when you got out as it was a little windy. We went for a short walk along the front and saw a horseshoe crab swimming along.
Friday morning was gloriously sunny and we drove into Key West – we rode around the historical part, saw the southernmost point of the USA and a huge cruise liner that had docked and unanimously decided that it was too commercialised for our liking and so we headed off in search of the famous endangered Key deer. We walked a couple of trails but saw nothing. We then drive around exploring the little roads that led to the island’s extremities and then we spotted several female deer at the side of the road. They looked like pygmy deer. Linda really wanted to see a stag and so we drove around some of the back roads and eventually we saw one. In the evening we walked along the sea front just outside our hotel for a mile or so to see the sunset. The island has several cockerels that roam around freely and when we walked back we saw one of them in the sea swimming along. There was lots to see on our walk - a sea slug, a lobster, sea urchins and lots of fish. Some of the very small fish created flashes of silver as they leapt out of the water. We were all weary at night and decided that we would order in a pizza for dinner - it was delicious.
On Saturday we were up early in order to avoid the 8.30am breakfast rush because we wanted to get up to the Everglades in time to spend the afternoon there. We made a short stop at Anne's beach on the way and Nicky could not resist going for a paddle - it looked so inviting.
When we reached the Everglades we decided that we wanted to walk the Anhingha trail as it was said to be excellent for bird and reptile viewing. On our way to the trail we spotted an alligator by a little pond of water and this was Nicky's first sighting of one in the wild - she couldn't believe it when Linda stepped out of the car to take a photograph. The Anhinga trail was really lovely – and sure enough teeming with wildlife and birds. Alligators lined the banks of the water whilst Anhingas sat in the trees drying off from a recent fishing expedition, their wings spread out. When Anhinghas are fishing they can look as though they are snakes swimming in the water. A new spot for us there was the purple gallinule. By the end of the walk Nicky was much more relaxed in the company of alligators. We returned to the Kendall Hotel, shattered.
Sunday was another fairly early start as we wanted to make the most of our time in the Everglades. We drove down to Flamingo in the southern part of the Everglades. It was a little disappointing but on the way back we stopped off at Mrazek Pond and it was wonderful. It was absolutely teeming with birds and Linda was thrilled to see her first roseate spoonbill. The weather was absolutely glorious and so we made this our lunch stop. We then headed off to the Shark Valley visitor centre. By this time it was 4.15 in the afternoon and so we decided to take the tour bus around the park. We climbed an observation tower about half way round and enjoyed wonderful views across the Everglades. Then we travelled the Tamiami trail which is the main road that runs through the Everglades and by the time we got to Naples which was where we were spending the night it was 7.45 and we were all hungry. So, we dined out and finally landed at the hotel at 9pm utterly exhausted. We all slept well and were up at 6.30am on Monday in order that we could have breakfast at 7.30 and leave for Everglade City where we were booked on an airboat tour. Our boat carried six people but we were lucky enough to have it to ourselves. We set off and were delighted to see dolphins fishing in the river before we headed into the red, white and black mangrove swamps – the Seminoles used to called the red mangroves walking trees as their red roots travelled out to the water – the roots can be seen above the water but they were pointing downwards. The ride was, in true American speak “awesome”. We glided across the mangrove swamps and the grass lands, skidding around the bends and coming to a standstill at various points to admire the alligators and belted kingfishers and numerous herons and egrets. It lasted about an hour and was great fun. Then it was time to head back to Clermont and Linda and Seamus took turns at the wheel, arriving back at Harvey at around 5pm. Before we had set out for our trip down south, we had decided to set a few mousetraps which turned out to be a very wise decision as we had caught one. We think that it had only been caught that day as it was not showing any signs of rigor mortis!!
We had a more leisurely start to Tuesday and Nicky and I went shopping for the last minute things she still wanted to purchase and also Nicky wanted a haircut which was much cheaper than in the UK. We chilled in the afternoon while doing the laundry and other mundane chores. Would you believe it - another stink bug appeared!! We were too tired on Wednesday to do a trip to SeaWorld which was a request from Nicky and so we had a day of rest and recuperation and went to SeaWorld on Thursday. She and I had been to Seaworld in San Diego a few years ago and thought it was wonderful but unfortunately the Disneyworld version did not measure up to it at all. However, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day and watched the dolphin show twice as it was spectacular but the number of exhibits was disappointing and every two yards there was a shop selling something or other.
Friday was departure day for Nicky and we cooked her a steak for her last dinner which she thoroughly enjoyed. We drove to the airport and arrived at exactly the right time for check in. They were loading the plane early and as Nicky had a little airport shopping that she wanted to do, she decided to go straight through to departures. Even though we would be going back to the UK ourselves in four weeks' time, it was a tearful farewell for all of us. Harvey seemed very strange with just two residents now!
We still had our hire car for a few days and so on Saturday we decided to go back up to the Flagler beach area and drive a scenic route that we had been unable to drive in Harvey because of height restrictions. The drive there and back was lovely and we had lunch at the beach and we had a lovely day but we were disappointed with the scenic drive as the scenery was essentially posh houses in front of the scenery.
On Sunday we were up and out reasonably early and drove the toll roads to Merritt Island. We had actually taken a wrong turn off the toll road and ended up further down the island than where we should have been as our intention was to visit the wildlife refuge. We travelled back up a scenic road and stopped off for lunch in a park. From our bench you could see the Kennedy space centre and we reminded ourselves that they were launching a shuttle the following week which were going to see if we could spot from our site in Clermont. When we continued our journey we managed to miss our turn off and ended up at the very top of the wildlife refuge and so we drove the only road through it from the north. Everything happens for a reason and after a few miles Seamus spotted what he thought was a Florida Scrub Jay - this is an endangered species that we had been looking for ever since we arrived in Florida. We pulled off the road and were amazed to see a flock of about 50 jays all busy collecting what looked like berries. We drove on and arrived at the wildlife loop road. As we drove around we were filled with amazement at the number of birds on the various salt lakes. There are couple of points where you could pull off the road and do a little walk to a lookout point and on one of these we spotted three American Bitterns which were said to be an unusual find in that area. Just opposite there was a flock of Roseatte Spoonbills and we spent a long time watching them dredge the bottom with their spoonbills. We were enthralled with the place and during our visit we spotted 6 new species of bird for us but it was not just the variety, it was the number of certain species. On one lake there were literally thousands and thousands of American Coots, for example. By the time we left there, we had very little time to see the Canaveral National Seashore as the park shut at 6pm but we had a quick ride out there and decided that we simply must visit both places again! We arrived back at Clermont, tired after our day but elated with our sightings and so we celebrated by going out for dinner - a delicious Mexican.
Monday was spent buying provisions to last us as long as possible whilst stationary at Bee's RV resort in Clermont. We were booked in on site until we return to the UK on 11 February. Sadly on Tuesday we parted with the car but having travelled over 2000 miles in just two weeks it was definitely time for a rest. During our second week on site we were lucky enough to view a rocket launch, a military rocket, which took off from Cape Canaveral Space Centre. Even though we were about 80 miles away it was still quite impressive. Our old neighbours, Tom and Ellie whom we had befriended had returned to site and we enjoyed several mornings and afternoons in their company. On Sunday afternoons we went to the Jam Session where musicians from the site come together and entertain visitors with their playing and singing. One week there were 18 musicians playing the piano, mandolin, various guitars, banjo, mouth organ, drummer and fiddle. We managed to find a resident who was willing take us to the airport for a very reasonable fee and so we were well pleased. Whilst on site we tried to maintain our fitness by walking the perimeter three or four times a day and then doing a few laps on the bikes. During one lap Seamus was collared by Cindy, the lady who was going to take us to the airport, and asked if he could help pick some grapefruit because she could not lift her arms for long at a time. Linda wondered what on earth was taking him so long but when he returned he had picked about 400 grapefruit!!! By the middle of the third week we were getting itchy feet and so decided to rent a car for the following weekend. In the meantime we went on an outing with Harvey as he seemed to have a wheel wobble at the 50mph mark and so we thought that he needed his wheels balancing. How wrong can you be. It turned out that we needed two new front tyres and new brakes - pads and calipers. From there, we went to buy new bikes and so all in all it was a very expensive day but we feel pleased that we discovered the worn brakes before it became an issue!
We collected our rental car and headed straight off to Merritt Island. Unfortunately at some roadworks we went wrong and so had to double back. Whilst going through a toll point there was a very loud horn sound and we wondered what on earth we had done - the only thing we could think of was the fact that we were close to the lorry in front as it had slowed right down but who knows? We telephoned the rental company to report it but they said not to worry as we were paying the tolls by number plate photographs - we hope that they are right because the toll violation fee was $100. We headed straight for the Visitor's Centre at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge area and spent some time watching the birds there. We were delighted to see the Painted Bunting, a bird that we had been looking for ever since we entered Florida. The male was stunning with all its colours but the poor female was simply green all over. We also saw a Hispid Cotton Rat there but when a Yellow Rat Snake appeared, it sped away as fast as it could go. Then we set off to drive the wildlife loop road. It was much less busy than the last time we had visited and so we were able to pull over and stop at various points much more easily. The coots were still in abundance and we spent quite a time watching Reddy Egrets fishing - they run hither and thither through the water chasing their prey. We went for a walk by a waterway and were lucky enough to see the American Bittern again and also a Sora, a new bird for us. As we were coming to the end of the drive we saw a male kingfisher sitting on the branch of a tree and we managed to get a good photograph of it. We had had a lovely day but it was not yet over. On the way off the island we saw a lot of birds that appeared to be skimming the water and when we investigated we discovered that they were, indeed Black Skimmers - another new bird for us. What a treat!
On the Saturday we visited the flea market in order to buy further supplies of the Avon Skin So Soft - some to replenish Linda's stocks and some for our friends, Maureen and Mike. Linda had made the mistake of not applying any oil on the day that we took Harvey out and when she stopped to talk to neighbours on her return she received almost twenty bites! We then drove around exploring the local area and suddenly we came to an abrupt stop. We had run out of road. There was no warning, no stop or give way sign - just simply no road in front of us. To either side there was what appeared to be a narrow road and what appeared to be an information point. We parked up and investigated. To our delight we had come across a cycle/hiking trail which ran 29.2 miles through various landscapes with four trail heads and so we decided that, provided we could get them in the car, we would go to a point further up the trail with the bikes and cycle it.
It was very warm on Sunday and Seamus managed to get the bikes in the car with ease. We packed our picnic and headed off to find a proper parking area for the trail. The trail had mileage indicators all the way along and so we knew how far we had cycled. Along the route we saw numerous Gopher Tortoises sunning themselves at the top of their burrows and crossing the road in front of us. We decided to stop after ten miles and have our lunch. It was far enough because of the temperature and the fact that we had not ridden any significant distance for some time. By the time we got back to the car our butts were definitely feeling it - we are going to see if we can get some memory foam to pad our seats! It was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and hopefully one to be repeated when we return in March as we intend to hire a car here for our first week and visit Merritt Island again.
The rest of the week was spent cleaning Harvey in readiness for going into storage and generally getting mentally prepared for the 40 degree drop in temperature that we knew was in store for us. There was one notable amusing moment on the night of 7 February after a warm day and the appearance of more stink bugs. Linda awoke in the night to the sound of a mouse in the trap. She woke Seamus exclaiming "what a ****** day, now we have a mouse flapping round in the trap". "Yes", replies Seamus as he dutifully gets out of bed and goes to the trap in the bathroom cupboard. "No" says Linda not in there in the drawer". Again Seamus dutifully went off to attend to it - nothing! One more trap to go but upon examination the chocolate was still in place and the trap had not even been set. Oh no, Linda had been dreaming!!!!!! Seamus was not amused - strange that - Linda felt that he should have been pleased because there was no dead mouse to deal with!
You will be able to follow our third trip which starts on 11 March by going to the same web address but instead of it being /thetigwells2, it is /thetigwells3. We do hope that you will stay with us.