Meet the Millers! Ocala National Forest, Florida
Hi Everyone! We’ve been so busy! Tonight we were scheduled to stay at our first Harvest Host campsite. A Harvest Host is a local business, usually wineries, breweries, fruit orchards, or bee farms, etc. that will allow RVs to park for free on their land for a night if the camper will make a purchase from their gift shop or buy one of whatever they’re selling. Today we plan to stay at our first Harvest Host, which will be a winery.
After setting out toward Satsuma, Florida, we decided we should call and make sure the winery was still expecting us. An answering machine picked up, announcing they are open only on Thursdays and Fridays and welcomed us to leave a message. We did, and of course, no one returned our call. Still hoping for the best, we continued down a now dirt a road with the RV in tow, until we saw a locked gate at our destination and a sign that said, "Closed for the Season." After a few moments of panic, our luck changed when we reached a man at an RV park a few miles away who sounded like he was at a party. He said. "Yeah, Come on! I got one space left; it's on the right when you pull in. I'm busy with a bunch of bikers and boaters right now, just come down by the tiki bar when you get parked, and we'll get ya checked in." When we arrived at Renegade on the River, it was like an oasis in the middle of what seemed to be Nowhere, Florida. It had lovely paver's stone roads and campsites, and at the end of the park, overlooking the Saint Johns River was a large tiki bar that would rival one in any beach town. It was Karaoke Sunday, and the bikers were a singin’. We're not exactly sure where they all came from as they didn't appear to be staying at the park, but they were sure there to have a good time and to take turns impressing everyone with their really good karaoke.
The only drawback at Renegade was that Craig needed to back the RV into our site. It took a few minutes, but he got it in without too much trouble. While at the tiki hut, we met "Dave" who told us this was a private resort, and he knew the guy who built this little slice of luxury in the backwoods of Florida. Dave used to sell construction materials and told us he retired off of the profits of the owner's expenditures when Renegade was constructed. He worded it slightly differently when he told us, though. We told him about our planned journey across the US. His eyes got big, and he said, "Oh Lord, I've taken some long trips like that too—my wife and me. How big is your camper?" We told him 34 feet. He said, "That camper is [gone] get a whole lot smaller before your trip is over too!" I admitted it might have already come in a couple of feet. He looked at Craig and said, "Just go outside. Everything is outside!" We laughed and enjoyed chatting while Dave gave us all sorts of RV maintenance and travel advice, which we're getting pretty accustomed to getting now. As we got ready to leave, we said we had enjoyed visiting with him and thanks for all the advice. As we walked away, he yelled out, "And remember, no matter what, always say "I love you" every night before you go to sleep." We waved goodbye and promised we would.
Monday, February 10, 2020
Only about an hour away, we arrived at our next stop, The Ocala National Forest State Park. State park camping has a much different feel from RV parks. RV parks offer swimming pools, activities, happy hours, snack bars, kayaks, putt-putt, and, most importantly, parking assistance. State parks can have equipment rentals, but more often they get you back to basics with no frills and usually a lot more space to spread out. People interact more from site to site and are more laid back. This particular park had virtually no internet or phone service, so we would be offline for three days. This would be an excellent spot for some true downtime.
Upon arrival, we learned our site was another "back-in" and offered a smaller area in which to maneuver than Craig was accustomed. As soon as Craig began to position the RV into our campsite, I jumped out of the truck and told the lounging onlookers that Craig had only done this a few times and may need some assistance. A man I later learned was "Don," said, "I see that." Surprised, I asked, " Is he not good already?" "Good for him, not so good for the man's camper he's driving up on." From there, Don helped Craig with the parking. Later, wedged in a tight spot and the camper a little too close to a neighbor's vehicle, Don yelled out loudly, "Ernie, We got a first-timer out here... You need to come move your van." Ernie quickly emerged from his camper and obliged.
While settling in, our friends, the Millers, arrived from Atlanta. Matt worked with Craig at UPS and also retired in December. Matt and Holly love Cocoa Beach (our next destination) and decided to come and camp with us for the next few days. The Millers stayed in a tent on our site. They had the largest air mattress you've ever seen. As Matt inflated the bed, a nearby onlooker noticed the bed that took up most of their tent. He said, "Man, If there's a flood tonight, we're all coming to your house." I thought that was hilarious.
Tuesday, February 11. 2020
A short walk from our site, Matt and Craig swam in the Salt Springs--a special feature of this park. You can read about it if you're interested, but in a nutshell, there are lots of minerals here, and everyone says the springs will heal whatever ails you. Year-round, the water is 72 degrees, which is cold, but the water is so clear and beautiful, it draws you in. Manatees love this spot, but since the weather had turned warmer the last couple days, they had gone to deeper waters. I had not planned to get into the cold waters and did not bring my bathing suit, but Craig convinced me to jump in with my clothes so I wouldn't miss out on all that could be seen by looking down into the water. I was glad I did; deep springs, the rocks, and the marine life were all fascinating. I regretted we didn’t have goggles, and we later went in search of them at a nearby store. That evening we enjoyed grilling our dinner, toasting marshmallows, and lots of laughs around the campfire.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Today the Millers and we will travel to Cocoa Beach. But first, Matt and I want to go back to Salt Springs with our goggles so we can see the fish even better than yesterday. We did see various fish, including plecos, and swam very close and personally with a turtle for a few minutes, which was quite a thrill.
Now off to Cocoa Beach!
What we learned: The presence of potassium, magnesium and sodium salts give the waters a slight salinity - hence the name Salt Springs. • When you try to use a household vegetable chopper you need 50 amps of power. • Many state campsites have 30 amps • Placo fish, related to the catfish, are bottom-dweller, suckerfish and are many times seen in aquariums. In the wild, they considered a nuisance to many experts because they are believed to be responsible for the destruction of natural and man-made structures. • Three days with no internet is liberating and refreshing—and getting back to the internet and phone is exhilarating. 😉
