On the 29th of August we set off for Rhode Island and Massachusetts to see family and friends. We took part of the Lake Erie Circle tour along Route 2 in Ohio. We spent our first night on the road at Gary and Tom's house in Conneaut, OH.
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| Cleveland, OH |
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| 60 Acre Wood |
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| Gardens at Gary and Tom's |
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| The gardens were in bloom |
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| Our first night back on the road |
We spent 5 days with Michael along Narragansett Bay. We socially distanced while outdoors and wore masks in the truck when we did run for groceries.
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| Michael's beautiful backyard, set up for entertaining |
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| Kayaking with Michael |
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| View from the kayak in Greene River |
Our first morning with Michael he spoiled us with a fettada for breakfast with our coffee. Michael and I went kayaking from Narragansett Bay to Greene River. We found a large piece of driftwood and brought it back to the house.
We had a really nice visit here, took a 10 mile bike ride through Goddard Park, Rocky Hill School Campus then back to Baycliff. We spent a morning shell fishing for clams for dinner one night. Michael had me shuck about 50 quahogs for chowder, we got about 3 bushels of quahogs. Life is so peaceful here.
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| Back porch |
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| Night time fire |
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| Goddard Park looking to East Greenwich |
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| Outdoor shower |
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| Our spot at Michael's |
The outdoor shower was fabulous, be able to shower outside looking through the bamboo in the backyard with no worries. We left Michael's after saying 'see you later' when we set off for The Lodge to see Karen for lunch. Later in the day, we set off for Hyannis, MA to see Tim and Steve on Day 9.
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| September 4 before we left Michael |
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| At The Lodge with Karen |
We spent 4 days in Hyannis after seeing Karen. We visit Tim Lee and Steve Payson. We had a great time playing cards, eating out at Spanky's Clam Shack, doing some shopping and most of all, catching up.
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| Hawk with dinner |
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| Buzzards Bay |
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| We had dinner outdoors at Spanky's Clam Shack with Tim and Steve |
We have been back on the road for 11 days, 8Sep we are making our way to Warwick Neck, RI to spend some time with Karen. Wee helped her around the house, laying 10 bags of mulch, putting the fire pit together for the porch and taking it easy playing cards, talking and laughing. Always a great time to see her, Michael, Tim & Steve when we are in Southern New England.
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| Mulch down and looking good |
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| Karen's garden were all a bloom |
Once we left RI, we made a brief stop in Worcester, MA before we start heading south through CT. We planned to stop in Tunxis State Forest but never found an entrance, we were running on fumes and finally found a gas station outside Hartland. We stopped in Litchfield and had lunch, then we drove to Washington Depot, got out and hiked in Hidden Valley Preserve along the River, where people were fishing along the banks. Was incredibly humid for the short hike of 1.79 miles and time it took (46 minutes).
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| Litchfield, CT |
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| Here we are in Historic Litchfield |
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| New Preston, Washington Depot hiking |
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| Hidden Valley, peaceful and serene |
We continued our tour of NW CT to Kent Falls State Park but when we got there it was closed. While on route to Saugerties Lighthouse we contacted Eric to see where he lived and found out he was in New Palz, about 40 minutes from the lighthouse.
We were able to parked on the road up from Eric and Toni, spent some time with them before we headed off towards Johnstown, PA after touring Minnewaska State Park Preserve down to Awosting Falls by bike. Th sun came out when we were down at the falls...such a majestic sight.
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| Keith, Eric and Wayne (thanks for taking the photo Toni) |
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| Awosting Falls |
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The views from the park are amazing over the Shawangunk Mountain Region
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| Lake Minnewaska |
We had a great time seeing Eric and Toni, their plans for their new home and meeting Toni's family. After lunch we set off again. At 19:30 we decided to stop for the night in Danville, PA off I-80W.
On the road we found Milton, PA in an old 19th century affluent borough. Old Victorians needing some repair, but still pretty. We saw a sign for Milton State Park on the island in the Susquehanna River. We could not resist stopping and hiking the Susquehanna South Water Trail for 1.8 miles.
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| Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890. Formerly, its extensive manufacturing plants |
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| Milton |
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| Milton State Park on an island in the Susquehanna River |
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| Railroad crossed over the island and river |
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| Susquehanna River |
We really enjoy getting off the interstate to explore this country. One way we see signs of interest and just turn off. So, we stopped in Bald Eagle State Forest, Raymond B. Winter State Park is within the forest. We drove up McCall Damn Road towards Eastville. We stopped and decided to hike Overlook Trail and make our own Loop. Overlook, Boiling Spring to the right onto Old Tram cross into Rocky Corner towards R. B. Winter to Boiling Spring, Overlook back to the road finishing 2.36 mile hike, duration 1.05.
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| Raymond B. Winter State Park Overlook Trail |
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| Tram Loop |
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| Overcast day, perfect for hiking back to Overlook |
We took back roads all day, once we went through Tyrone Borough we climbed altitude into the fog of the mountain on 453N, winding our way on narrow roads with steep drops on the right. We saw Amish Farms along the way, farmer hang seeding for the next crop.
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Beautiful view coming over the ridge
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| Amish homestead and farm |
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| Amish farmer putting down seed, took photo while driving by (a little blur) |
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| Small towns in America make travel so interesting |
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| Miles Township, PA |
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Snyder Township, the weather continued to play games with dense fog as we climbed elevation
We arrived in Johnstown, we took the Incline Plane, the steepest Incline Plane in the world that carried vehicles. Great read with an amazing view of the river, valley and Johnstown. The conductor was a super nice guy, chatting us up about the plane and COVID. After our arrival and walkabout above Johnstown, we made our way back to the top by RV and found a place to park for the night. We will slept the night at Tioga and Edgehill. |
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| Johnstown Incline |
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The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5-foot funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh Rivers, to the borough of Westmont on Yoder Hill.The steepest incline that carries cars in the World.
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The great Johnstown flood of 1889 is remembered as the worst disaster by dam failure in American history. In fact, it was the greatest single-day civilian loss of life in this country before September 11, 2001. The 1889 flood was the biggest news story of its era, and the biggest scandal, as many of the leading industrialists of the day were members of the club that owned the dam. The relief effort was the first major peacetime disaster for Clara Barton and the fledgling American Red Cross. These are just some of the reasons the 1889 Johnstown flood is so important in American history.
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| Parked on the corner of Tioga and Edgehill |
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| Nice to connect with family and reconnect. (Derek, Tim, Courtney, Wayne and Keith) |
We've already been on the road for 16 days, making it to Johnstown to see Derek, Cooper, Courtney and Tim. We are excited about coming here and visiting for a couple of days.
Courtney and Cooper stopped by the rig, we had a really nice chat. Cooper lives in Pittsburgh with his girlfriend, Samantha. He was leaving that day to go home, was really nice to meet him and Keith was really happy to see him.
We had dinner at Courtney and Tim’s, sat out on the back porch overlooking the trees. They call their home Treetop, appropriately named with all the birds feeding on feeders. Really awesome evening with them and Derek. We shared stories and our time having lasagna and wine. We had a lovely visit with Keith reuniting with family and meeting Tim.
We left Johnstown on 14Sep destination Cincinnati, OH to see our friend Darren Layne Turner. We spent the night making plans to see each other again before we headed to Daniel Boone National Forest.
We set off from Cincinnati around 8:25 heading out and over the bridge into Kentucky driving on back roads (Route 9 to 11, Indian Mound Drive in Mount Sterling) with an hour to go before we get to Red River Gorge Geographical Area in Daniel Boone National Forest.
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| We took the Sheltowee Trace Connector Trail to Suspension Bridge |
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| Red River Gorge, Suspension Bridge, Daniel Boone National Forest |
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| Turkey-tail fungus |
Once we arrived, we jumped out for a hike to the Suspension Bridge at Red River Gorge, drove through historic Nada Tunnel. Intense driving with chiseled rock on the top and both side. Inches to spare.
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Entrance to Historic Nada Tunnel
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| We decided to make things interesting and take the historic Nada Tunnel to enter the Red River Gorge |
The tunnel is 900 feet along KY 77 on the Cumberland Ranger District. The tunnel was built for use by the logging railroad during the early 1900's. The tunnel is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The tunnel is a one-way section of a two way road, drivers have to yield to those in the tunnel, watch for headlights. The tunnel is 12 ft wide by 13 ft high. The tunnel is known as the gateway to the Red River Gorge, construction began in December 1910 and completed September 1910.
Keith walked in front of the rig keeping an eye on the sides since the walls are irregular and could catch a mirror. We made it through unscathed, wipe the sweat from my brow and continue driving to the falls.
We hiked our second suspension bridge across the Red River towards Natural Bridge among several trail with varying terrain and elevation changes. Water was flowing from the natural and man-made waterfalls both magical and beautiful. The hike was physical but not too demanding but man did we work-up a sweat.
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| Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Daniel Boone National Forest, Slade, KY |
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| Keith getting through Fat Man's Misery |
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| Natural Bridge |
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| Lakeside Trail leads under openings in the rock formation |
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| Keith cooling off from a humid and hot day of hiking |
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| Natural Bridge State Resort Park |
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| Lakeside Hiking Trail |
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| Walking through one of the narrow openings |
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| Keith sitting under the Natural Bridge |
It's been 19 days since we left Alto, MI, the travel has been easy. We are excited about touring Kentucky and spending some time here exploring Daniel Boone National Forest as we head South and West towards Alabama and Florida.
We drove 9 miles to Dog Slaughter Falls, down a dirt road (Forest Road) off KY 90S about 3 miles on rutty, bumpiness. The hike we took was fairly easy to the falls over tree roots, rocks and water. The end result was a majestic waterfall, sweat pouring off of us, the humidity and temperatures rose to 81°.
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| The hike to Dog Slaughter Falls |
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| Keith hiking in front along the trail |
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| Approaching Dog Slaughter Falls we could hear the water |
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| Dog Slaughter Falls |
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| Taking a break to enjoy the falls |
The cliffs above us along the way were pretty incredible with caves and overhangs. Back to the rig we head for a 5 mile drive to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. We stopped at the Ridgeline Campground and got a spot on site 17, settled in before we hiked to Cumberland Falls.
We were not disappointed with this hike from the campground to the falls was 1.50 miles. Rock, concrete poured and wooden stairs made the hike down interesting when you add water. The falls were grand and serene, the power from the river flowing over the carved rock was incredible. Glad we did the hike but we had to get back before the sun finally set on us.
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| The view from a roadside picnic area off Route 90 |
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| The RV below the lookout |
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| Trail 5 hike down from the campground to Cumberland Falls |
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| Trail 5 towards the Cumberland River |
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| Cumberland Falls |
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| Just the two of us at Cumberland Falls |
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| Cumberland River Gorge |
We made it back to the campground, dripping wet with sweat we needed showers. Off to get bath stuff and we took laundry too. The shower was a real treat, after 3 miles hike.
We woke to rain, a down morning to finish laundry, clean the RV inside while Keith worked. There was no wifi available in the park but we could get some cell. We left the campground to hike Eagle Falls trail along the Cumberland River, we hd better views of Cumberland Falls from this trail across the river.
The sun came out breaking the cloud cover, turning up the dial on humidity and temperature to 87°. After this somewhat strenuous hike we were soaking wet with sweat and plotted our next destination, Mammoth Caves National Park 130 miles southwest.
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| Bridge crossing the Cumberland River to the Eagle Falls Trail |
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| Cumberland Falls |
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| Cumberland River Gorge |
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| Eagle Falls Trail, view of Cumberland Falls |
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| Eagle Falls Trail |
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| Rock formation above the Cumberland River |
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| Eagle Falls |
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| Cumberland River |
We arrived at Mammoth Caves National Park the next morning, Mammoth Cave Campground was sold-out but they were able to give us Site 1 at Houchin Ferry Campground for 1 night. We lucked out to get tickets for the Mammoth Cave the 14:45 tour, adding another UNESCO site to our list.
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| Mammoth Cave National Park entrance, we are psyched |
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| We have our tickets to take the self guided tour |
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Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
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| Due to COVID restrictions the cavern is only open up to the tuberculosis hut, 2 miles into the vast cavern. Masks are required the entire time you are in the cavern and does not distract from the experience. |
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| Exit/Entrance into the cavern |
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| Leaving the Cavern and the self guided tour 2 hours later |
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| Houchin Ferry Campground on the Green River |
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| Site 1 Houchin Ferry Campground |
Hurricane Sandy scratched our plans to stop in Orange Beach, AL. The hurricane struck Orange Beach and Gulf Shores dropping 25" of rain. We drove drove through Alabama into Florida. We changed the destinations along the coast on the Panhandle going west of Destin to further northern destinations. Found a place on iOverlander to boondock in Ponce de Leon at Morrison Springs Park.
We parked in the overflow parking lot to stay overnight after we drove into the park. The Springs were completely flooded from Hurricane Sally. They had 20” of water from the storm. We spoke to a local gentleman who said it should crest tonight and recede by next week.
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| Smith Groves, KY |
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| Nashville, TN |
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| We made it!! |
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| Wheeler Lake, Decatur, AL |
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| Mission Springs Park at Ponce De Leon |
Morrison Springs is one of the most popular diving spots in northwest Florida and well-known throughout the southeast. This 161-acre park was aacquired by the state in 2004 and has been leased to the county to maintain and preserve. The highlight of the park is a 250-foot diameter spring pool that produces and estimated 48 million gallons of crystal clear water each day and has been recorded to produce up to 70 million gallons a day. Three cavities allow Morrison’s frigid waters to surface from the underground aquifer. The deepest of these cavities, at approximately 300 foot in depth, eventually terminates in an underground chamber of unknown dimensions.
When we stopped in September 2020, there was a health advisory not to swim or drink the water. We found high land and camped overnight before driving to Port St. Joe, Cabos San Blas Lighthouse.
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| Cabos San Blas Lighthouse |
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| Entrance arch to the Historic District |
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| Visiting another State Park, anytime we can |
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| T. H. Stone is a beach state park on the Gulf of Mexico |
Walked around taking photos of the area and seabirds in St. Joseph Bay. Walked along the small beach getting shots of Green Heron, Perigrine, Sand Piper and other birds. Went back to the rig and we both walked over to Historic Port St. Joe. Mostly tourist businesses, many closed and remarks for ‘Ned’ to stay away.
We had lunch the continued on 90E then onto 30E before taking 30A onto the peninsular between St Joseph Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We walked the beach for a while at T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.
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| White Heron |
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| Green Heron |
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| Sand Piper |
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| Ruddy Turnstones fighting on Port Saint Joe Beach |
We decided to continue on 30E to 30A onto 98 East then 319 to cross over to St. George Island. We had dinner on St. George but could not boondock on the island. We had quite the drive at night with deer on both sides of the road, males with antlers and does eating on either side on pitch black roads. We found a place to park in Perry, FL.
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| The Cape St. George Light is a 72-foot high brick lighthouse which had originally stood for 153 years on St. George Island, Florida, until toppling into the Gulf of Mexico October 22, 2005. The pieces of the lighthouse were retrieved, and in April 2008, the light's restoration was completed. Eastpoint, FL on St. George Island. |
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| St. George Island, vacation homes along the beach. Beautiful colors. |
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| Historic Perry former train station |
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| Historic Perry, FL |
From Perry we continued our journey along 19/98S to Manatee Springs State Park in Chiefland, FL We decided to spend the day and an overnight there in site 70 with electric and water, warm showers a just across the road from us. We walked around the park to look for Manatee but only saw a large number of fish in the clear spring water. The park is really nice with deer walking around the park foraging. We did a hike on the Sink Trail Loop, around the sink holes and different varieties of trees.
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| Deer just casually roam the park |
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| Manatee Springs clear water in a serene location |
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| Peaceful |
We made a stop in Hudson to visit cousin Joyce and Aunt Mary, we had dinner with them. We had a great time catching up on things then left to head south to St. Petersburg arriving at 21:30 on 22Sep. We are getting closer to our commitment to volunteer at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound.
Having the opportunity to meet Terry, Jeff and Ray we stopped to see them. We had a fun time visiting them, touring the City and seeing points of interest.
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| St. Petersburg Pier from Vinoy Park |
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| North Yacht Basin |
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The Don CeSar
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| Morning Stars by Xenobia Bailey |
We went into St. Petersburg, walked through the Palm Gardens, The Pier then dinner at Lemongrass with Ray, Jeff, Terry, Dennis and the two of us. A really nice evening, Thai food, seating outdoors and fabulous weather.
We spent our time in St. Petersburg at Jeff and Ray's new home in Pinellas Park. We toured Florida Botanical Gardens and Heritage Trail in Largo. The Florida Botanical gardens were in full bloom. The heat was oppressive but the company was great. Keith sat in the shade and did some work.
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| Flowering Ginger |
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| Bird of Paradise |
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| Candlebush |
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| Ray and Jeff at Florida Botanical Gardens |
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Heritage Village located inside the Florida Botanical Garden
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| The two of us with Ray & Jeff |
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| Plant + Love Ice Cream (Vegan ice cream) |
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| Inside of Plant + Love |
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| Keith, Jeff and Wayne getting ice cream |
After we had dinner at the house we drove into St. Pete walked up and down Central Ave and Kenwood area. We had to stop for vegan ice cream, this was delicious. We spent a few days enjoying our time with Ray & Jeff then set off towards Orlando. It is 94°, inside the rig is warm!!
We spent a couple of days with Josh and JP, getting caught up on things, eye exams and new glasses, bingeing The Morning Show, taking walks and just enjoying their company, Nice to be with them again before we have to set off for our volunteer gig in Hobe Sound.
Drove to Jonathan Dickinson while Keith worked. It rained on and off. We got to the park at 16:30 then set up the house.
