Traveling from Mission to Ft. Myers, FL.

 The first day, 24th of February got us as far as Galveston Island State Park where we stayed overnight. The next morning we took a ferry across Galveston Bay. Sandy was pretty nervous about taking the ferry as wind were 25 mph with plenty of white caps. We made it OK and drove as far as Port Allen, LA where we got a camp site at the Cajun Country Campground.

 As we drove the next day we stopped at two plantations between Batin Rouge & New Orleans to tour the Nottoway Plantation & Houmas House. Both were well worth the time.

 The Houmas house.

 We ended up driving late and did not get to the Indian Point RV Resort in Gautier, MS until after dark. It was a good thing Sandy did not see this sign last night or she would not have stood out back and guided me into the camp site. We spent the next day grocery shopping and washing clothes.
 

 With a long was to go yet, the 27th found us on the road again leaving for Orange Beach, AL where we stayed at Gulf Shores State Park. We knew that Sandy’s cousin Roger and Mona were here so we met up with them and went out to supper.This is a real nice State Park, even with the damage from the hurricanes the previous year. Our camp site was on a lagoon that was easy walking distance to the ocean beach. We spent a short 4 days here, by short I mean we could have spent a month here and not get bored. The temperature was 70 degrees but we did have some rain, mostly at night and there were some tornados to the NW, N, & NE of us. Some within 60 miles, there was lots of damage with 11 people killed.

 Saturday 3-3-07 we were ready to hit the road for Ft Myers, FL. We have 4 days to travel 600 miles. We camped at the HO-HUM RV Park in Carrabella, FL. Our site on the beach backed up to the water.

 We came across the Yellow Jacket Campground quite by accident. It is located between Old Town and Suwannee, FL on the Suwannee River. While here we rented a boat and went up river to Manatee Springs State Park to observe the Manatee in the area.

 We even got in some relaxing.

 March 5th and we were on the road again stopping at Travelers Rest in Dade City, FL. where we had the worst sites for the overnighters. They were not even close for leveling. We finally found one that kind of worked, with lots of boards for build ups.
Finally, we are on the last leg, March 6th, to Ft. Myers where we are meeting up with friends Arlie & Mary and Dale & Mary. We stayed in the Orange Grove Home and RV Resort where Arlie and Mary Lou, who full time in their motorhome, were parked for the winter. They invited Dale, Mary and us over for supper. Interesting place to say the least. Even though it is gated the area around it is pretty rough and it was not uncommon to hear gunshots at night. Arlie said one year a bullet had come back down to earth and came through the ceiling of the motor home. He only noticed it later while sitting in a chair and saw light coming through the hole. After some scrounging around they found the bullet laying on a chair.

 The next day we went to Dale and Mary’s to get a tour of their site that they own in Cypress Woods RV Resort. Now this is much better, large landscaped sites, but then it cost more also.Dale and Mary invited Arlie, Mary Lou and us over to their place for supper. The high today was 85 degrees.

 Dale and Mary in front of their Newmar motorhome.

 This is looking towards the back to the lake behind them.

 

 

 

 While here Sandy and I drove down to Everglades City, FL & took the 10,000 Islands boat tour where we saw several Dolphins and Osprey in the area. They have a campground here that we are going to have to come back to and stay for a week or so.

A nother day Arlie, Mary Lou, Sandy and I went down to the Shark Valley observation tower in the Everglades. The tour guide informed us that an alligator’s sex is determined by what the egg temperature is at when it is hatched or incubated in the nest. We saw lots of alligators and birds as we toured the area.

 One day Sandy and I went to Satellite Beach to visit my cousin Bill and Cathy. It was the last time we saw Bill and Cathy before they both passed away.
March 13th and we heard first hand gun shots outside the resort this evening. 8-12 shots. Guess it’s getting time to leave.

Until next time,

Dave and Sandy