Morning Fitness in Fort Myers!

As promised we took photos of our morning routine!  

First Steve works out in the fitness room (this is a reenactment because I don't go with him!)

Then Pippin gets her exercise walking down to the pool area...she has put on a few extra ounces

 

Then it is my turn on the Nu Step for ten minutes.

  

It turned out that the Tiki Bar was open at the pool, which is live music and lunch.

 

Then it was my time to swim!  This is my view from on my back in the pool!

Let's all get some exercise!

Day 2 in Fort Meyers was all about establishing a healthy morning routine.  First Steve worked out in the fitness room.  Next I got ready to swim, and while we walked/scootered down to the pool, Pippin walked on her leash.  Then I did some of the leg machines in the fitness room and then swam vigorously for thirty minutes which I will increase over the next few days. This will be our morning routine while we are here.

Our outing today was to the Super Target which is quite close to our campground.  We wanted to see how it would compare to Super Walmart. I think the quality was better but the prices were higher.

Then we dropped off a list of prescription refills at the Walgreens that is right nearby as well.

It was about 74 degrees here today, but will drop to about 50 tonight.

We will take some photos around the campground tomorrow. 

Sleeping and Nesting in Fort Myers, FL

Today was a day to catch up on sleep and to start getting settled in.  Our first reaction to the Fort Myers Beach RV Resort is boy, we are packed in like sardines!  We didn't even think we had a picnic table last night, but Steve spied an unused one on the next site over this morning and snagged it for us!  We met our neighbors this afternoon and they agreed with us that there just isn't enough room between the sites here, but we are hoping that the beaches on Sanibel and Captiva Islands will make this worth it!

There is a heated pool here as well as a fitness center, so tomorrow we will start exercising!  There is also bingo which we enjoy, and "Art Class" which I want to check out.  Oh, and yoga is on the schedule so I will see if they can accommodate me participating in a chair!

Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center

I woke up at 6:30am and was out the door at 7:45am including eating breakfast...for ANYONE who knows me well, you will know this was quite a feat!  We left the rig at Lazy Days for a second day and headed out.

Since part of how we roll is to stretch every dollar when we can, our first stop of the day was at a Goodwill Supercenter.  We don't have these in CT, but it was like one of our Goodwills on steroids!  We made a great haul and we didn't even see the whole thing!  

Next we headed to the Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center.  This was a very interesting activity!  It was windy so we were bundled up!  The manatees were all sleeping in the warm water around the Tampa Electric Company where the water is about ten degrees warmer than out in Tampa Bay.  Lots of photos below!  

Grandkids, Gram, etc., you can watch the manatees from home on their webcams, which you can control:

www.tampaelectric.com/manatee

Scroll down and the cameras are on the right.

As we were leaving, we got a call from Lazy Days telling was our rig was ready!

Now onto Fort Myers Beach RV Resort!

Honeymoon Island State Park

Woke up very early to a chilly morning in Tampa.  Pip and I waited in the car while Steve took the rig over to the Service Center.  They have a shuttle bus to bring him back to the campground...this is quite the operation.

Our first stop was to the Whole Foods in Tampa to pick up a picnic lunch and whatever else struck our fancy.  My, it's easy to spend money there!

Then off to find the handicapped accessible beach I had found online, Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, Florida, ironically the town in which Steve's folks used to rent a condo during the winter, years ago!  It was great!  Not only was the beach accessible but they had BEACH WHEELCHAIRS!

We did some great beach combing, and Steve even waded in to rinse the sand off of some of the large shells we found!

Steve really liked the sentiment written on this bench!

Then we got a call from Lazy Days saying they were not able to finish our rig but we could spend the night in one of their bays, with water and electric.  We have to be up and out by 8am!

Lazy Days

Quick post today cuz nothin' really happened.  We left Golden Isles in Brunswick, GA and drove to Lazy Days Campground just outside of Tampa.  I'll bet they built this campground to accommodate the vast number of motorhomes who come to The Lazy Days megalopolis that is right next door...the RV service center, etc. that we are taking our RV to tomorrow morning to get some work done.

It's motorhomes for as far as the eye can see...............

Addendum to the Jeckyl Island Day

Gram surprised us yesterday with some Wild Georgia Shrimp for me and some New England Clam Chowder for Steve and we just ate that for dinner!  Delicious!  I didn't know that the marshes around here provide a huge supply of the country's shrimp.  The type of grass that grows in these marshes is what sweetens them up.  I ate twenty myself just now...I only wish we had taken a picture of them before they were devoured!

Jeckyl Island

Today started with a visit with Gram to her favorite grocery store, Harris Teeter on St Simons Island to pick up a picnic lunch to bring with us over to Jeckyl Island.  Also hit the only health food store on the Island for some things for me.

Then over to Jeckyl Island in search of a beach to have our picnic.  It was probably in the low 60s here but quite windy.  We found a beach that was accessible but had to have lunch behind the dunes to get out of the worst of the wind.

We tried to then move onto the beach proper but that didn't last too long since it was so chilly.

Next we went in search of what is called Driftwood Beach to see if we could find any interesting driftwood. That part was not accessible so Gram and I stayed behind...and are we glad we did!  We saw 4-6 dolphins swimming between the pier and the shore catching their dinner.  Granddaughter, we took 32 pictures and only caught this one fin, but I was determined to get a picture of a live dolphin for you!

Back to our rig to get packed up because we need to leave early in the morning for our next adventure!

Day of NO Misadventures!

Fun day with Gram on St Simons Island!  Only in the 50's today with a wind, so we wore several layers.  First was lunch at Barbara Jean's...one of the restaurants I found that has a gluten free menu...I had a double-sized salad with grilled catfish which is a fish I don't eat very often...quite tasty.

Next we took a cold and windy two hour trolley ride around the island...I think we ended up on our third choice of trolley tour but we still enjoyed seeing the sites to decide if there was anything special we want to revisit.

More shopping--a new sweater for Pippin and souvenirs for the grandkids (pretend you didn't just read that if you are reading this M&J!)

By now I was feeling a bit peckish so we stopped into a little bar and I had a plate of Wild Georgia (peel and eat) Shrimp!  Quite delish!

Made our plan for tomorrow and then back again to our little home-away-from-home!  A whole day without any misadventures!

Note:  It sounds like I'm the only one who ate but I didn't think everyone would want to know what everybody had! (Of note were Gram's Cheesy Grits and She-Crab Soup, Steve's burger & fries and fried clam strips with a beer!!!)

Rainy Day in Georgia

As predicted it is pouring rain here in Brunswick, GA.  We are loving our forced seclusion in our rig... I slept in, showers for both, continuing to organize and put things away.  Steve is doing laundry but luckily our site is just steps from the bathhouse with the laundry facilities.  Time to catch up with email, etc.

Quiet dinner in.  Plans for tomorrow?  Lunch at a restaurant I found online with a gluten free menu, a trolley ride around St Simons Island, and a bit more shopping.  Hopefully we will see some things on the trolley ride that we would like to investigate further on Sunday which is forecast to be sunny and mild.

Perhaps tonight we will catch up on Downton Abbey!

Real Family Camping: Tablecloth weights: who knew?

Real Family Camping: Tablecloth weights: who knew?

St Simons Island, GA

Today was our first day to spend with Gram on St Simons Island off the coast of Georgia (the island next to Jeckyl Island).  

We started our day with trying to find a car wash, because our shiny black car was literally gray with all the dirt, sand and salt it was pulled through from CT.  Well, our misadventures started right there because when we found one, I talked Steve into the deluxe car wash for $10 because it was sooooooo dirty, we fed the money into the machine and...nothing!  Steve went to try to find someone and the entire little plaza was deserted!  None of the businesses were still IN business!  Now mind you, our campground office sent us there!

We had to swallow that ten bucks!  We proceeded over this very big bridge over to St Simons and found Gram's condo.  It's really cute, the only thing wrong with it is there is a 15-30 minute drive to get to any beach depending on traffic.  This was going to be our nicest day for the beach, so that's where we headed.  

It was cloudy at first but then they parted to a nice sunny day. (I even have a pink nose and cheeks!). Steve took some photos of the beach and of a giant container ship that looks deceivingly close to the shore. Then lunch at a place right off the beach, and  shopping in some of the little shops right there adjacent to the restaurant!  A fun day!

On the way back to our campground, we found another car wash and finally got the deed done!

Golden Isles RV Park, Brunswick, GA

Day 4...on the road earlier...driving into the same very heavy slow traffic as last night...no idea what's causing this but onward ho!

38 degrees this morning in NC but it's a different 38 than in January in Ct...the sun is shining and you can just tell it's really going to warm up!

Note to self:  For hotel nights, set alarm for 7am, don't turn on the television, and try to condense jobs so we can depart ASAP!  It worked today!

Fast lunch break on Rt. 26, approaching I 95 in SC and now we remember why we do this grueling drive south!  It is be-u-ti-ful!

Arrived in Brunswick, GA at 4:30 this afternoon!  Wahoo!  Immediately got to work draining all the pink antifreeze from our lines with no incident.  The microwave is working fine plugged into electric, so it's something to do with the connection between the generator and the electrical workings in the rig...another thing to add to our list for Lazy Days!

Found that our dinette table is pulling away from the wall of the rig, so can't use it for now nor put anything on it.  A project for Steve to sink his teeth into as soon as he has time.

Tomorrow we are beaching it with my mom because after that it's going to be rainy here for a few days...drats!  We are leaving for Tampa on Monday, unless we call Lazy Days to push them off a bit, but I have no idea how tightly scheduled they are.

Been frantically trying to put things away and nest into our rig!  It's warm here and we're both sweating!  Quick dinner and then bed!

Oh yeah, we are at Golden Isles Campground in Brunswick, GA. It is a Passport America Campground so the rate is $16 per night.  The book says they have a three night minimum but we got that rate for all five nights, with full hookups!

Day 3 and our coats finally come off!

On the road again for day three!  We are behind schedule and keep trying to make up the time.  Cold this morning so we are still in our winter coats even though we are in Virginia.  

Lunch break in Radford, VA and WE TOOK OFF OUR WINTER COATS!  We are going to push it now and get as far as we can!

Our goal was to get into SC and we almost made it until we hit really heavy stop and go traffic and it was already dark so we got off 77S in Mooresville, NC.  We found another Comfort Inn...not the cheapest motels but we really need a refrigerator and a microwave to prepare our meals.  Newest rig problem is there is some kind of a disconnect between the generator and the microwave, etc.,  therefore, we can't prepare quick meals on the road...at least ones I can eat.  We brought quite a bit of precooked meat that is frozen and can be nuked easily, plus lots of frozen vegetables plus tuna mac salad for Steve.  Steve has scored breakfasts from the motels every am and my breakfast requires a microwave as well.  Plus we love the beds, pillows and down comforters on the beds, and every room has been handicapped accessible!

Tomorrow we need to get to our destination of Brunswick, GA near St Simmons Island where my mom is.  I am afraid to figure how many miles it is...may need to get up VERY early!

Phew! And it's only day 2!

Woke to about an inch of snow.  Delayed our departure from the Comfort Inn in Mt Aerie, PA because we could see delays on the local TV.  From the news we heard this morning, it seems we really dodged a bullet weather wise.  I heard about a bad accident on 95 in New Haven, and as we were traveling on 84W we could see a gigantic backup on 84E in PA, so good that we pulled over early.

Lunch stop in Carlisle, PA.   Note to self:  when stopping at a real rest area, try to park near the dog walking area!  

Decided we need some insulated bags to pack anything in that might freeze on the way down!  The olive oil has turned into a thick sludge.  I think the least expensive option would be the insulated bags they sell at grocery stores so we will look for them.

Next we needed to find a grocery store or a Super Walmart...need some provisions already!  This took longer than it should (of course, with us) so when we resumed we started to think about where we would land tonight.  We decided on Stephen City, VA just south of Winchester, VA

We missed our turn for the Comfort Inn and couldn't find a place to turn around.  We were on this backroad, and the speed limit signs kept decreasing...45 to 30 to 15...sharp turns, over RR tracks...oh yeah, it's pitch black with no street lights...we kept thinking we would see a sign for a rickety wooden bridge with a very low weight limit...

Anyway, we finally came to a church parking lot with a big parking area and cars with folks getting out!  Yeah!  Steve spoke to one kindly gentleman and he gave us some fuzzy directions.  Along the way we saw a jogger (crazy, I know in the pitch black) and spoke with him; he was much more clear.  Finally we found our way back to the hotel and straggled in.

On The Road Again, 2.0!

Our first day on the road!  It's a rainy day here in SE Connecticut, but I'll take that over freezing rain, sleet, hail or snow anyday!  We managed to leave at 10:00am which is really early for us!  But not twenty minutes in, the back up camera went out and we noticed a new sound...a thumping slapping kind of sound from somewhere in the front end!

We pulled over and luckily Steve could reset the camera.  He donned his rain gear and looked under the hood but nothing looked amiss.  We decided it was our awning strap flapping and resumed our trip.

Our route today is I-95S to Rt. 7N (exit 15) to Rt. 84W to Rt. 81S.  Our lunch break will be in Port Jervis, NY.  

I'm wearing my Seabands and have been able to read my Kindle while we are driving...yeah!

Stopped in Newburgh, NY for a quick break and it's getting colder and icy...not making good time so far because the driving is so hard because of the rain and sometimes sleet.  We have seen several sanding trucks.

Quick stop to make our lunch and then we will eat it while driving because we are behind schedule.  Pippin desperately wants to "go outside" but she won't if it is raining!

We are in the foothills of the Catskills and it's raining cats and dogs (sorry Pippin!)

Decided to change course and pull off in Lake Ariel, PA due to icing conditions.  We could see sanding trucks ahead of us on the highway, and decided to be prudent (I'm sure you're happy about this, Gram!)

Staying at a nice Comfort Inn, which is more than the Motel 6 we were going to stay in in Harrisburg, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

Advertising

I have decided to add advertising to my blog, but please be assured that any ads you see are only for products/services/sites that I personally use myself and endorse!  

You may have noticed that there is a button that will take you directly to Passport America.  Last winter, Steve and I saved $274 on campgrounds (not counting the $45 annual fee) by camping in as many Passport America Campgrounds as we could.  Their campgrounds are generally very nice, often also Good SAMs parks.

They offer 50% off their nightly rates, usually only on weekdays, but not always, and there is sometimes a limit on the number of nights the rate will apply.  There are also some limitations depending on whether it's on or off season for their location.

When you join they send you a nice campground guide to help you locate their parks.  They also have a nice app for Apple devices.

Check them out!

I also  have a button for E-Vitamins.  This is the website I use to order peppermint oil!  We use peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls to discourage mice from wintering in our rig in cold Connecticut!  Just tuck the cotton balls in all your drawers, cabinets, basically everywhere you can tuck them, and so far we have not opened up the rig to mouse droppings or chewed anything!  I know several members of our Good Sams camping club have used this technique with the same excellent results!

I use this same website to order many vitamins and supplements.   They are very reliable, and I fully recommend them.

A new year, a new rig, a new trip, a new blog!

2.0 is here!

Finally, our next trip south!  I just re-read all of last year's blog to re-familiarize myself with what we did and didn't do and more importantly, what we wanted to do differently next year.

In reviewing our wish list for our next rig, we got exactly what we wanted!!!   2002 Class A Fleetwood Flair, 32 ft with two slides, lots of storage for clothes and food and a great big cab with leather seats!   And two TVs!

No, we didn't win the lottery, we just found it on Craigslist and bought it from a really nice couple in Rhode Island.  We sold the Sunseeker on Craigslist as well.

We are leaving Connecticut on Jan. 18, 2015 with a much different plan!

We are driving a more inland route...Rt. 84 to Rt. 81, to Rt. 77 to Rt. 26 to 95S.

We also have reservations all the way until Feb. 25th after which we will meander north doing whatever we feel like.

Highlights include spending a week with my mom in Georgia where she is renting a condo for two months, a trip to Lazy Days in Tampa to get some minor work done on the rig, an extended stay in Fort Meyers, a Passport America Rally in Sarasota, a visit to Hobe Sound to see my stepmom and her hubby along with seeing some of our camping friends in a nearby town, and we may try to hit Nashville on the way north to visit the Antique Archaeology Store there cuz we're American Pickers fans!  

On the trip north we will also be poking around for possible places we might like to relocate to, so we can summer in CT to visit all the kids and the grandkids, and winter in Florida to escape the cold.

Please come back here to the blog to follow our Camping Adventures 2.0!