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Posts Tagged ‘Florida’

Is that a Whale? No, It’s Just Lani.

19 Apr

Kayaking to the Headsprings of Rainbow Springs State Park

I’m back and I promise I will catch up this week! Our final days at Rainbow Springs State Park were glorious.  The temperatures were in the 80s and it was sunny and hot.  So hot, in fact, that I finally got up the nerve to put a swimsuit on and spend some time at the Springs and the park’s pool.  Of course, I tried to go at times when there were no people since I’m a bit uncomfortable wearing a bikini with a pregnant belly.  (I swear, the bikini was the only swimsuit I had that would fit which is why it took me so long to work up the nerve to even go swimming.)  I may have scared some kids away but other than that, all was fine.  It felt great to be in water and get some much-needed exercise.

On Thursday, Chris’ brother came up and we took the kayaks out again.  This time, we made it to the headsprings, which is the main portion of the state park.  The water and grounds were beautiful.  Chris and his brother took the kayaks out again later that day once Chris finished work.  They swam in the headsprings where the temperature is always 72 degrees.  The water was crystal clear and the fish and turtles were abundant.  They even saw an otter. Here’s some video footage of Chris’ underwater exploration.  (Please pardon his loud breathing at the end. The fact that I edited video is an accomplishment. My audio editing attempts will come later.)

Chris’ underwater exploration of Rainbow Springs from Lani Pokrana on Vimeo.

After seeing their video footage and photos of the headsprings, I was determined to go one more time and check out the park’s trails and actually swim in the springs.

View from the trail

Chris and I returned on Friday evening, our final evening in the park.  We walked the trails, which were lined with vibrant pink azaleas.  The sun was setting and creating a beautiful color on the springs.  As the park was closing soon, we had limited swimming time, but we took advantage of the almost-empty swimming area.  Chris grabbed snorkel gear and our camera and took off exploring.  I enjoyed floating leisurely in the warm springs.  Sadly, Chris took video of this moment.  If you’d like to get an idea of what I look like swimming, just Google “whale swimming” and you’ll get a pretty good picture.  Thankfully, Chris took lots of video and not just the one of me and my belly floating contentedly.

We returned to our site and began our packing up process.  We both admitted to feeling sad to leave this park.  It was a great two weeks.  We met some fabulous people, including Jim and Julie from Ohio.  They were our incredible neighbors who shared their breakfast with us twice, dinner once, and then gave us their outdoor carpet.  Um…how awesome are they?

The swimming area at Rainbow Springs State Park

We also met a really cool couple from Canada, Marcel and his wife, Suzanne (I hope I’m not spelling her name wrong…).  They travel in a Safari Condo Alto.  Chris has really wanted to see inside one of these trailers so, of course, he wasted no time in introducing himself and asking for a tour.

Lastly, this was also the first campsite where family has been able to come visit us.  It was great having people over for a cookout and some outdoor fun.  We definitely left this park with some great memories and are hopeful for a return visit someday.  They ARE looking for camphosts.  Hmmm…tempting….

 
5 Comments

Posted in Airstream Living, Campgrounds, Outdoor Adventures, Pregnancy

 

Expired Warranties, Tumors, and Chocolate. Oh My!

23 Mar

Roadside art or a nuisance? What do you think of the Airstream Ranch?

Last week was an eventful, expensive and monumental week in our lives.  First, we realized that our Airstream warranty was expiring on March 17th.  Yikes!  This date became known to us about week before when I came across the paperwork and thankfully we were somewhat close to Bates RV, an Airstream service center.  Chris and I sat down and made a list of all of the items we wanted checked or repaired.  It included minor items such as a faulty latch on a cabinet, resulting in the cabinet opening during travel, to more involved items, such as an inoperable sewer flush and electric jack.  We also wanted our tires checked (to confirm how many new tires we needed), our battery checked, and a propane leak test performed.

You are now entering the Vintage Airstream Village

I called Bates and the soonest they could see the Airstream was March 16th, one day before expiration.  Phew! We dropped the Airstream off with our list of requests and said goodbye to our cute little aluminum home for the week.  We enjoyed our brief tour of Bates RV – a location that is well-known among Airstreamers for the “Airstream Ranch,” a roadside attraction along I-4.  In addition to the Ranch, they also have the Airstream Village at the front entrance.  The village, a setup of four or five vintage Airstreams, is actually part of the Sales Department.  Each vintage Airstream is an office.  It was quite awesome.

We recently learned that the Ranch was the subject of a lawsuit.  While many supporters of the Ranch consider it roadside art, some neighbors regard it as an eyesore and the County deemed it a nuisance, fining Mr. Bates $100 per day.  In February, a panel of judges considered the Ranch to be legal…not necessarily artwork…but legal, nonetheless, stating “county officials had not produced substantial, competent evidence establishing that the display created a nuisance, was a commercial sign or constituted an open storage of the vehicles.”  So, the Airstream Ranch lives on! (Here’s a link to an article re: the lawsuit.)

One of the "Sales Offices" in the Vintage Airstream Village.

Thankfully, when we picked our home up on Friday, we learned that our requested repairs were covered by warranty.  We learned that we need to have our roof resealed but it was going to be a very expensive task and by Friday, we couldn’t go forward with that expense or the time it took to have it done.  We’d also like to say a special “Thanks” to Pat of the Bates Service department.  Due to an unexpected staff shortage, they had a crazy week at Bates and by Friday, we were really hoping to have our home back.  When we had not received a call by 4:00 and were having difficulty reaching an actual person, we hopped in the car and made our way to Dover to inquire.  We were able to get in touch with someone on our way there and they confirmed that we could pick up the Airstream before 5:00.  Unfortunately, traffic was terrible.  So, thanks to Pat and a very nice woman working the desk (whose name we did not get) for staying past 5:00 on a beautiful Friday and waiting for us to pick up our home. We really appreciate it that they stuck around, answered our questions, and went over the paperwork with us!  (Hope everyone is feeling better!)

More "offices".

As I mentioned, it was an expensive week.  On Thursday, our dog, A.J. had surgery.  What began as a simple cleaning routine with a reasonable estimate turned into a tooth extraction and tumor removal procedure with a not-so-reasonable final, confirmed price tag.  I hope A.J. appreciates his pretty teeth and slimmer leg now.  I know he doesn’t appreciate the Elizabethan collar that he is forced to wear.  I do feel sorry for him with that hideous collar around his neck.  He bumps into things and looks at me with those big bug eyes that say, “please, what did I do to you? Why must you torture me?”.   I do remove it when I take him for a walk so others won’t laugh at him.  And, I take it off when he needs to eat.  But, when I try to put it back on, his resistance is growing more violent.  He’s not a happy camper right now.

An unhappy (and somewhat drugged) camper.

Lastly, it was a monumental week.  Yes, there’s the passing of the health care bill which is significant in our country’s history.  But, that’s not what I’m referring to.  And, while I have felt many baby kicks, last week we actually saw my belly move when the baby was kicking.  That was pretty exciting, too.  But, that’s not the event I am referring to either.  On February 12th, while we were in Savannah, Chris and I both purchased a Ghirardelli chocolate bar.  I finished mine approximately three days after purchase. (And, I was quite proud that it lasted that long.)  On Sunday, March 21st, Chris finally finished his chocolate bar.  He would only take a little nibble of the bar every few days and, at one point, he actually forgot he had the chocolate.  Meanwhile, every time I opened the cabinet, I swear the chocolate bar got up and danced and taunted me.  So, it’s finally gone.  I no longer have to look at the gold wrapper covering a hazelnut chocolate bar and test my willpower every time I open my cabinet.  It may seem so insignificant to you, I know.  But, trust me, the moment is totally worth an entire paragraph of a blog entry.

This week, we are back on the road in our super clean and nicely repaired home with two new tires.  It feels good.  We landed a great first-come, first-served spot at a fabulous Florida State Park and I look forward to telling you all about it…in my next entry.

 
6 Comments

Posted in Airstream Living

 

Oh Strawberries, How We Adore Thee…

10 Mar

Oh, Strawberries...how I adore thee...

We love strawberries.  In fact, I can’t stress enough how much we love strawberries.  Plain strawberries, sugar-coated strawberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream-covered strawberries, strawberry smoothies, strawberry shortcake, strawberry lemonade, and even, strawberry gum.  (I type this list while doing my best impersonation of Bubba from Forrest Gump.  I recommend you do the same.) Earlier this year during one of our visits to Tampa, the Florida Strawberry Festival was mentioned in conversation.  Chris and I, realizing that we would be spending a significant amount of time in Florida this winter, became very excited and checked online to see when said festival would be occuring.  Skip ahead two months and we have completely forgotten about the festival…until this past weekend thanks to divine intervention.

The Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida

We left Jacksonville not knowing where we were headed next. Typical.  Would we go to the Ft. Lauderdale area or to Tampa to see Chris’ family?  Hmmmm….  Once we got on the road we learned it was Bike Week and lots of campgrounds along the eastern coast of Florida were completely booked.  Not that we don’t appreciate motorcycles, but we weren’t in the mood for a lengthy campground search. And traffic, both bikes and cars, was…well…icky.  So, we began our trek to Tampa.  Along the way, I just happened to look up and see a billboard advertising strawberries at one of the local markets which just happened to cause me to search once again for the strawberry festival.  Oh my goodness…you guys! You’ll never believe it.  The strawberry festival in Plant City is happening RIGHT NOW.   And, even better, Plant City is on the way to Tampa. Guess where we’re going!?!?

A well-balanced meal of Krispy Kreme Donut Burgers topped with Cheese and Bacon. This isn't quite what we were expecting at the Strawberry Festival.

By the time we arrived, it was getting pretty late in the day and traffic getting to the festival was still pretty crazy. I was almost ready to give up but when you are pulling a travel trailer, turning around on a crowded, narrow street is not an option.  Luckily, we found a parking lot.  It cost $15 to park for the remaining hours of the festival.  But, guess what?  It’s also a campground! Oh the joy of always having your home with you! So, we were able to park overnight for $20 and were within a few hundred yards of the festival entrance.  Brilliant.

We both had visions of a gigantic Farmers’ Market environment, complete with Pick-Your-Own-Strawberries fields and strawberries galore.  I was thinking Willy Wonka and the Strawberry Factory or a layout similar to the one from my Strawberry Shortcake gameboard from when I was in kindergarten.  Chris apparently had visions of St. Pauli girls walking around with platters of strawberries.  Whatever.  We were both completely wrong. Not entirely disappointed but just completely wrong.

Don't forget appetizers and drinks to go with your Krispy Kreme burger.

Instead of being greeted with the sweet scent of strawberries, we entered the festival to the smells of funnel cakes and cow manure. It was more of a county fair complete with carnival rides, overpriced games that few can truly win, a livestock arena and the most absurd fried foods one could possibly imagine. It was also a quality people watching experience.  We wandered around watching kids excitedly line up for a ride that would most likely have me throwing up instantly. We were quite entertained by the number of people trying to win a goldfish or two.  And, we were amused by the types of food offered.  Sure, we are used to the typical funnel cakes and huge bags of cotton candy.  But, we both saw a booth advertising some foods that we have never seen before and that also frightened us.  Feel like dining at the local county fair?  Why not start off your gourmet meal with an appetizer of deep fried butter (yes, that’s right…fried butter).  Then, after that first course, go grab yourself a Krispy Kreme Donut Burger and uh…don’t forget to add the cheese and bacon.  Top it all off with some dessert of deep fried oreos and wash it down with some deep fried pepsi and you’ve got yourself a true county fair meal.  Um…yum?

Every strawberry festival needs to have a pig race, right?

I’m not sure if this was a strawberry festival or fried foods festival.  It’s a toss up.  (Oddly enough, I didn’t see any fried strawberries.) We did enjoy some time checking out the cows and chickens in the livestock arena as well as enjoying a good ole-fashioned pig race.  Who wouldn’t want to spend their Saturday night cheering on “Dustin Hogman” of the Swine Speedsters as he raced around the track to the sounds of screaming kids? It was a highly entertaining night.  But, where were the strawberries?

Our very own strawberry shortcake.

At long last, we found a hall that contained strawberries.  I saw chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh strawberries, and strawberry shakes. But, we happily settled on the  ”Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake” Booth where we loaded a bowl with cake, strawberries and tons of whipped cream.  It was definitely satisfying.  With bellies full of strawberries, we walked the few hundred yards back to our happy aluminum home and slept peacefully through the night with vision of strawberries dancing in our heads.  The next morning upon our departure from Plant City, we stopped at a great produce stand and bought a wonderful 1/2 flat of strawberries, freshly picked from a nearby strawberry field.  Best. Strawberries. Ever.

[Want to check out Florida's Strawberry Festival? Go to http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/ for more information.  The festival ends on March 14th!]

 
9 Comments

Posted in The Random and Unexpected

 

A Fort, An Old City, and Gelato = Perfect Day

08 Mar

Outside the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida

Well, hello there! It’s been awhile.  We’ve been tending to some personal matters, making important plans, etc. so I fell behind on my entries and realized I never posted about my glorious afternoon in St. Augustine, Florida. Oops! 

Our three weeks in Jacksonville were wonderful.  We went for  strolls on the beach and around the campground’s lake.  We enjoyed the sights and sounds of a family reunion, kids playing on the playground, and a very happy puppy playing in the ocean and running in the sand.  At the top of my “To Do” list was to see St. Augustine but I don’t think  it was on the top of Chris’ list.  He had already seen St. Augustine and I think had other things on his mind.  But, on one Sunday, he graciously agreed to my request and off we went to see this historical city. 

"Cover your ears!"

It was a spectacularly sunny day. (As it should be, after all, this IS the Sunshine State but lately it has been cold and un-Florida like…probably because I’m trying to live my life as a snowbird now and winter is not pleased with me.)  We were quite happy to put away our fleece jackets and sport our short sleeved shirts.  With the weather being so nice, the city was packed.  Luckily, we found a tight and somewhat overpriced parking spot for our monster truck, grabbed a map, and set off on our exploration.

The oldest wood schoolhouse in the USA

Our first stop was the fort, Castillo de San Marcos, which was constructed in 1695.  Here we enjoyed the benefit of having a National Parks Pass. We were able to walk up the ticket booth, flash our Pass, and gain access to the fort so easily!  Seriously…this pass is totally worth it! Go out and get yours today.  I love forts. My love of forts dates back to my childhood.  I have fond memories of visiting Fort Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia.  Additionally, I excelled at building forts in my backyard out of pinestraw, or in my living room out of bedsheets and blankets, and even as an adult, building forts out of snow.  I’m all about the forts.  We walked in and out of the different rooms of the fort, listened to the park ranger tell about the history of the fort and read the various exhibits posted around the fort grounds.  It was very informative and interesting. But, we were anxiously awaiting 3:30 p.m. 

Cathedral of St. Augustine

Finally, at 3:30 p.m. we rushed up to the second level of the fort and watched as men decked out in 17th Century Spanish Colonial uniform marched from the courtyard up to the second level and over to one of the many cannons that lined the wall of the fort.  For the next five to ten minutes, they demonstrated how a cannon is prepped for firing.  And, then, the moment all the children (and most adults) were waiting for: the uniformed men shout, “Cover your ears!” And, with that, the cannon is fired sending a puff of smoke into the air.  It was very exciting. 

After our tour of the fort, we walked over to the historical city streets and strolled along with the thousands of other tourists noting the nice cafes, shops, and churches.  There is a definite charm to St. Augustine and if I could have, I would have plopped myself down on a bench or at a cafe table and passed the remainder of the day by simply watching the happy tourists and enjoying the quaint surroundings.  Instead, we headed back to the truck to return to our campground but not without me finally giving in and stepping foot inside one of the many chocolate shops.  And, lo and behold, this one had gelato.  It was meant to be for this pregnant lady has been needing some gelato.  For anyone who cares, I chose the mixed berry flavor and it was fabulous. Oh happy day!

 
9 Comments

Posted in Outdoor Adventures

 

Life in the Slow Lane

23 Feb

Learning to live life in the slow lane... (Picture taken in the redwood forests of California).

One of our many reasons for pursuing the Airstream life was to actually enjoy our weekends.  We were finding that when living in our immobile home, we spent our weekends cleaning, catching up on chores/errands, and working on the house while longing to go out and see the sights, take a weekend trip, kayak, hike, or even just lounge in our hammock and read a book.  Sure, we probably could have found ways to make it happen in a not-so-drastic manner but that’s not our style.  So, we embarked on this journey with many goals, one being to finally get out and enjoy the outdoors (in activities that didn’t involve pulling weeds or mowing lawns.)

Enjoying activities we didn't make time for in our Pre-Airstream life. (Picture taken while kayaking in Scappoose Bay, Oregon.)

Unfortunately, I think we started our travels incorrectly and formed bad habits for life as full-timers.  First, our journey started with a somewhat rushed drive across the country to make it to San Francisco for a conference.  This means that while we stayed in campgrounds Mondays through Fridays, our weekends were spent driving.  Lots of driving.  We assumed that after the conference, we would learn to slow down.  And, we definitely did slow down compared to our first month.

We were then confronted with our second challenge.  It was mid-summer and we learned quickly that campsites during the summer can be hard to get for long periods of time.  We were lucky if we would find a site for an entire week and completely blessed if that included a Friday night stay.  This put us spending many of our Saturdays (and, sometimes, Sundays) traveling to our next site.  While our driving times decreased since our next destinations were never too far away, finding an available campground sometimes proved difficult.  As a result, we often failed to see everything we wanted to see or had to see some sights during a quick drive-by.

Enjoying beautiful scenery along the way... (Picture from Port Angeles, Washington)

It doesn’t mean that we didn’t enjoy our weekends.  We were out west where every turn brings you an even more incredibly beautiful sight. Car ride conversations usually consisted of “Wow! Look at that!” or, “That’s beautiful!” So, it was still an incredible journey and much better than cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry.  But, we still longed for non-driving weekends and definitely appreciated them when we had them.

But, why bring this up now? Because for the first time in our Airstream journey, we are at a campground for not one week, not two weeks, but THREE weeks!  THREE WEEKS! So, this weekend we didn’t worry about hitching up, finding our next campground, worrying about whether said campground would have internet, etc.  Nope…this weekend we enjoyed a relaxing, fun-filled weekend!

And, now enjoying walks on the beach at our current location - Jacksonville, FL.

Throughout our journey, we’ve enjoyed meeting up with friends who live in various places around the country and many who we had not seen in quite some time.  This weekend, we had the pleasure of getting together with one of my best friends from my childhood.  She and her family now live in Jacksonville so it was fabulous to spend an evening laughing over memories, catching up, and meeting her adorable children.

On Sunday, we spent an afternoon exploring St. Augustine.  We toured the Fort, saw a cannon firing demonstration, and walked the historic city streets.  I’ll do a separate post about St. Augustine later this week and post pictures of our time there as it is definitely worthy of its own entry.  It was a great afternoon.

Meeting our campground neighbors...

It helped that the weather was warm and the sun was shining brightly.  We came back to the campground feeling rejuvenated and satisfied.  Or, at least, I did.  Chris came back to many hours of work for Sunday evening. But, I still think he enjoyed the weekend.

Another benefit of slowing down is the chance to take in some local cuisine.  We don’t eat out often (not nearly as much as we did pre-Airstream life).  We enjoy cooking our own meals now.  It’s healthier and cheaper.  Plus, often times, there are not a lot of good eating options near campgrounds.  But, since we are just outside a large city we have quite a few eating options…good eating options. (Actually, did you know that Jacksonville is the largest city in land area in the United States? It’s true.)  We typically avoid chain restaurants (with the exception of the occasional Cracker Barrel or Subway on driving days), and seek out the favorite local establishments.  Sometimes restaurants are recommended to us but most recently, we have had good results by using Urbanspoon.com.

And, hoping the alligators don't make a meal out of me...

Since being in the Jacksonville area (we are specifically in Atlantic Beach) we have discovered two glorious places.  One:  DaVinci’s pizza, “where every pizza is a work of art.”  It’s a family-owned establishment that uses fresh ingredients.  The service is friendly, the pizza is delicious and the garlic rolls are a little taste of heaven.  They are convenient to the campground, too! If you are in the area, make sure you check them out: 469 Atlantic Blvd, Atlantic Beach, FL.  Make sure you tell them “Aluminum Bliss” sent you.  They will have no idea what this means but it’s fun to say, right?

Our other restaurant that quickly reached favorite status is Simply Tasty Thai.  And that it is! Great, friendly service and delicious affordable food. I love Thai food and have been craving Drunken Noodle for quite some time.  This exceeded my expectations.  Located approximately 2-3 miles from the campground, this was another Urbanspoon recommendation and I completely concur with the rave reviews.  You can find them at 2292 Mayport Rd in Atlantic Beach.

If you have any recommendations for the area (restaurants, sights to see, etc.), let us know…we’ll be here for awhile! Ah…finally…life in the slow lane!

 
10 Comments

Posted in Airstream Living, Campgrounds

 
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