Overnight at Hilton Head

In this lifestyle, you never know what the new day will bring...

We were at our new campground at Mayport Naval Station and ready to drive to Virginia Beach in a day.

Pam saw on FaceBook that friends Steve and Therressa had been in Hilton Head SC.  She thought we might be able to stop along the route to Virginia Beach and have a late lunch or early dinner with them if they were still there.

Sure enough, they were there for a few more days.  And not only that, they invited us to stay at their space bedroom in the condo they were renting!

We decided 'Why Not?' and made it to Hilton Head in time for lunch.  They suggested a restaurant they liked - The Black Marlin - and it turned out to get a great choice.  And -- they had a coupon book with 'Buy One Get One - BOGO' for it, so it was even a bargain.

Talk about a great time!  It was fun seeing them again.  I think the last time we were together was in Sioux Falls when we went through there a couple of years ago to get Pam's driver's license updated.

We have been to Hilton Head a couple of times but we must have missed the main area.  They were staying in a development called The Shipyard in a condo that was on the golf course.  Like a lot of other places in the area, there were miles and miles of bike paths on the property.

And -- each condo unit had a shed with 2 adult bicycles.  No need to rent any.  The place itself was exceptional.  Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully furnished including kitchen and appliances and dishes.  Very nice.  Therressa was in the travel industry for years and found a deal online.  Under $350 for a week!

After lunch, we drove around the island.
First stop was Cligny Beach

 It was a pretty beach with hard packed sand which would have been great for bicycles.  Unfortunately it was windy and freezing!!

 There were a few other tourists like us checking it out.  I can imagine it would be a very crowded place in warmer weather.

 Next, we went over to the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge.  It looked interesting but it was closed for the season.

 We went over to the pier and saw how low the water was.

 It was quite low and the decking and ramp are designed to fall and rise with the tides.

 Interesting look where the barnacles had attached to the posts.

 We returned to the condo and hung out for the rest of the afternoon before the next task at hand -- selecting a good venue for dinner.

Once again we were able to use our BOGO coupons and ended up at the Skull Creek Boathouse.  Another fantastic seafood meal.  I opted for the shrimp and grits and thought it was very good.

After dinner we went back to the condo, had some dessert and got a demo on taking pictures with Therressa's Apple Watch and iPhone.

 The next morning we got up early and were on our way back to I-95 before the sun came up.

 And on our way to Virginia Beach.  It was a nice way to break up the long drive.  And fun to spend the day - with good friends at Hilton Head.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Florida Campsites

We have had a wonderful time in Florida this winter.  We have gotten an appreciation for some of the National and State parks/campgrounds. After our Habitat for Humanity gig in Macon Georgia last November we came to Florida. We have been here over three months.

Here's a look at the places we have camped since then:

A. Sumter Oaks, Escapees Park, Bushnell, FL
B. Bowling Green HFH, FL
C. Big Cypress National Preserve
D. Everglades National Park, Flamingo, FL
E.  Sigsbee Campground, Key West Naval Air Station, FL
F. Mikasukee Casino parking lot
G. MacDill AFB FamCamp, FL
H. Gulf Waters RV Resort, Ft Myers Beach, FL
I.  Sun-N-Shade RV Resort, Punta Gorda, FL
J.  The Resort Escapees SKP Park, Zolfo Springs, FL
K. Cloverleaf 4H Campground, Lake Placid, FL
L. Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, FL
M. Lake Griffin State Park, Fruitland Park, FL
N. Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL
O. Oak Grove Campground, Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL

Our favorites:

Sigsbee Campground Key West

Gulf Waters RV Park - Ft Meyers Beach

Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont

Our average cost for campground sites was $22.46 per night.

How about you?  What are your favorite campgrounds in Florida?

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Six Mile Slough

Florida and the Fort Meyers area has a lot of Nature Preserves and Wildlife areas.  We took some time one afternoon with our friends Tom and Cathy and went to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.

The slough (pronounced - "slew") is a 1.2 mile walk on a raised boardwalk through forested wetlands. The area was set aside in 1991 to allow for conservation management wildlife preservation.

The place is really an outdoor educational center.  Surprisingly, the preserve is not far from the well developed and commercialized areas on the outskirts of Fort Meyers.

We walked slowly along the 'trail' and tried to take it all in.

Along the way, we ran into a couple of volunteers who offered some good information.

We learned the 'Rouge' from 'Baton Rouge' was named after the read fungus that grew on the trees.

Like the ones we saw here.
Mostly though, we looked for birds

and turtles  (they are just off center from the log coming out of the water... I wish I'd brought my other telephoto lens)

and gators.  We saw a couple little guys but they were too far away to get a shot.

Mostly, I took pictures and we enjoyed our leisurely walk.

It was well worth the time and the $3 parking fee.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  And thanks too for the comments - we always look forward to them!

Until next time...

Big Cypress National Preserve

We've been out of internet range for about a week and its good to have it again.  After our time at Bowling Green, we drove south to Big Cypress National Preserve which is adjacent to the Everglades National Park.  We are now at Key West but since we will be here for a few weeks, there will be plenty of time to blog about that.

One of the goals of the Roadrunner Chronicles is to keep a travelogue of sorts.  We have trouble remembering where we were and when we were there… so a short post on some of the highlights helps.  This and the next blog will be about our time last week in the Everglades.  In a word -- it was Great!

We arbitrarily decided to spend about three days in Big Cypress National Preserve and did that.  The Midway campground was very good.  The price was $16/night  which included 30 amp electricity.

The site was level and we had no neighbors on either side for the most part, so we had plenty of space.  And we had a front window view of the pond in the middle of the campground.

With a dump station and water near by, it was fine and completely adequate.  From there we launched out and explored the area.  About a mile down the road, we went to the Visitor Center.

The main attraction there was the abundance of alligators.  Lots and lots of those boys...

We also went over to Shark Valley which has a great walking/biking path through the Everglades. 

Near the Visitor Center, we signed up for the narrated Tram tour.  It was excellent!  The wetlands turn into drylands part of the year as the Everglades drains and empties into the Gulf.

The water looks deeper but is only a few feet deep throughout the Everglades.

Along the way we say lots of birds.  There are over 150 varieties in the Everglades

Our driver was good and the docent was very knowledgeable about the Everglades, birds, animals and the whole history.

So if you get the chance to camp in Big Cypress, we recommend Midway campground.  And down the road less than 10 miles away is Shark Valley Visitor's Center with the Tram Tour you will want to take.

It was a great time in Big Cypress.  Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Until next time...