Koreshan Historical Village

We started the day visiting the Koreshan Historical Village within the Koreshan State Park. It's a nice, easy walk to see the preserved buildings and machinery this self sufficient cult used in it's time.

Very interesting to see and read what kind of people were inspired by this Koreshean ideology and left their earthly belongings to create a new community in this (at the time) untouched, Alligator infested swamp land. Most of the members had no matching skills to do so, but they learned and they did. 

They created this thick bamboo forest that is now mixed with palm trees an other intertwined plants and trees. Bamboo serves a dense and hard to penetrate protective fence. It is also a versatile resource from construction to food and many uses in between.

The sound of the old baboo forest is very unique. Almost like distant gun fire. The wind makes them rub against and hit each other to create the sounds. 

Turtles and Alligators roam free.

From there we moved on coastal roads north. Through Cape Coral, Ft Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte  to our sleep spot for the night at Myakka RV and Resort.

Tonight we put the refectix foil in the windows. It's going to be pretty cold tonight and the foil is a good insulator. Besides, the spot we are staying has not much privacy. Nice people around this campground. We arrived at Myakka RV and resort and were immediately invited to participate in their DAILY community dinner gathering. They don't sell beer but gave Tom one right away. I needed a little bit of ice and they provided without making me purchase a whole big 5 lbs bag. The wash house is sparkling clean and the grounds seem to be well taken care of.

9:04 pm and it is absolute silence around here. I think I'll sleep well.

WEST COAST OF FLORIDA

 

Good morning from the Koreshan State Park just north/West of Naples Florida.

We arrived after sunset at about 5:45 pm and the main gate was closed. Luckily somebody was about to leave and we were able to get in.  The campground is nestled in a forest of palm trees and other vegetation. Even between the campsites, it's a pretty dense jungle. All sites have power and water. 

We spent some time at the Big Cypress Wildlife Preserve and encountered alligators of different sizes sun bathing next to the road. Multiple different birds also posed for some photos.

This one was rather large

ADVENTURES IN VAN CAMPING

Tonight we stayed at Cedar Point Campground. It was cold and windy and I decided to prepare an egg salad for sandwiches. 

I'm in the passenger seat with all the ingredients and tools. With the cutting board on my lap, I'm chopping and slicing and dicing. Then transferred it successfully to a bowl. Mixed it all with mayonnaise and seasonings and was ready to scoop it into the sandwich bread. That's when it got difficult. Not sure what happened, but the bowl, the sandwiches, the egg salad....it all started moving at once. I tried to catch it (which made it worse), but suddenly there was egg salad everywhere! Thank goodness there was enough left in the bowl for two sandwiches. 

The initial cleanup revealed that mayonnaise does a much better job shining your dashboard than Armor All. I found chunks of boiled egg for days, even in the compartments inside the passenger door!

A non-slip mat is now on the shopping list.

01 - 01 - 2021

Welcome 2021! After the global challenges the past year presented, I'm hopeful that the next 365 days are filled with happiness, health, prosperity and excitement.  

Looking back at the changes in our travel habits, I must say that we really enjoy roadtripping and van camping.  I don't foresee us traveling to any foreign countries anytime soon and the idea of getting vaccinated to do so, does not appeal to me.

There is so much to do and to see right here in our own vast and beautiful country. One area we have neither visited nor traveled through is the upper North West of the USA. North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. That trip is in the planning stage for the month of May and June 2021. 

Considering the fact that we will complete our current Florida trip in March (or so), we have just enough time to take care of a few changes, do taxes, switch and reload our clothes to match the destination. 

But for right now, let's focus on Florida. It has been very windy here for days. Of course it is similar to being on an island, and it is probably normal since there is nothing in the way to break the wind pattern. We don't mind the wind when it is not bone chilling cold.

From our current location, Ft Lauderdale area, we are planning a few day (or so) trips for the week ahead. Then we cross over to the west coast. Follow along by signing up for email notifications!

TRAVEL BREAK

We were stationary but busy in Florida for the past week, helping a good friend getting her condo ready for the market.

The view when we wake up doesn't quite compare to waking up in the van.
 

My friend is up north with an aging husband and doesn't want to risk traveling at this time. Today we finish up with one or two more loads to the Salvation Army and the dumpster, and a little cleaning. 

This was a very special moment I caught at 4:00 am. It looked like a floating orange in the sky.

Next week we plan to explore the 1 to 2 hour radius and on 01/08/2021 we'll head to the west coast. Looking forward to roadtripping again.

DAY THREE ALREADY

We had a great start, rode into the storm that dumped 3' of snow in the north. We only got a lot of rain and high winds. It was cold, and it still is. The first night at the Oregon Inlet Campground we had power and with that a heating blanket. That's  our preference. 

We went north to Corolla, NC first to visit the Corolla Lighthouse. 

It was closed. Most of the attractions are closed because of covid. We skipped Bodie Lighthouse for that reason and went to Hatteras instead. Beautiful grounds, even in winter.

From Cape Hatteras we took the ferry over to Ocracoke Islsnd. It's about a one hour free ferry ride. That's miles we dont have to drive. Last night we stayed at Ocracoke Campground. There was no power. It was nice enough outside though to have dinner. But as soon as the sun disappeared behind the dunes, the temperature dropped. The hand warmers were a blessing! I only used one, but it kept me nice and warm.

Yesterday afternoon we walked the beach and came across the display below. I dont know what this is about, but it made me sad.

It was set up like a shrine. The bird appeared to be trapped in the branches

The branches were decorated with shells.

Surely a sad display

In the afternoon we visited the historic village of Ocracoke, NC. Of course, we are way off season, and most tourists are gone, businesses are closed and lots of renovation and construction going on to get ready for the 2021 season. Ocrakoke is a cute little village with a lot of fishing and boating piers. Of course it also has a lighthouse! 

Right right now we are waiting for another ferry to bring us back to the main land. We have white caps on the water. It was a 2 hour ferry ride for $15.00. It was very cold and windy outside so we climbed in the back of the van and took a nap.

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

 

30 SOMETHING HOURS TO DEPARTURE

I'm so glad I got the laundry done yesterday! It was so raw here today. Rain and ice cold wind all day. 

Tom had an oil change done, all fluids and tires checked. The van is in top shape. I used today to do a detailed pedicure, because for the next three months it will only be touch up and maintenance. 

Talking about maintenance - this morning we found out that all three members of our apartment management and maintenance team were terminated. No notice, and the transition to the new team took place today. With the original team, we felt very comfortable leaving for several month and never had issues. We did go to introduce ourselves to the new property- and maintenance manager and discussed our absence and the few things we need them to take care of while we are gone. They seemed nice at first impression. We shall see what, if at all, anything will change.

It feels really good to be ahead of schedule and not feel rushed or stressed. Tomorrow will be an easy day of loading last minute odds and ends, strap the chairs to the roof and go grocery shopping. 

We leave Wednesday and should be able to build Zen towers in the afternoon. I did see that it is supposed to rain though.

ODDS AND ENDS

TIME & DATE

Juice Plus+ came in today. We are now covered for about 4 month without reordering. Juice Plus+ is the one thing we refuse to travel without. Especially in 2020, we know how important it is to keep our immune system strong and responsive. Sometimes it is a bit challenging to feed ourselves in the same healthy ways we maintain at home. So far, we managed to bridge the few days when it was raining hard outside. But even if we eat junk for a day, we don't feel so guilty knowing that we have JP+ in our blood stream to protect us. 

The weather forecast changed and so has my schedule. It is supposed to rain on Monday. That's when I had planned to do last laundry. That will now happen tomorrow. We chose not to have a washer/dryer inside our apartment, and I have to walk a few feet outside to the laundry facility. Well, what's done is done!

More reinforcement of the bed is needed. The frame was sliding due to the vibration and bumps on the road. We'll adjust that tomorrow. A little bit if re-packing is also needed as more items have entered the van. I just want to make sure I get to the things I need easily without having to unload half the car. 

By Tuesday night, we should be all packed and ready to go the next morning, The first leg of our trip is only about 2.5 hours and as of right now it's supposed to rain there. I'll just ignore that bit of information. It will be dry by the time we get there!

4 DAYS, 22 hours

Did some housekeeping yesterday. Vacuumed up the remaining pine needles and mud from the last trip. Everything looks ready to receive bedding and luggage. We decided today to cover both mattresses with a warm fuzzy blanket. We can always remove it if we get too hot, but when it is still cold at night it might feel better. We already have reservations for the first week on the road. Two of the locations at the Outer Banks have no electricity and are directly by the ocean. 

Tom was always trying to find a comfortable lounging position - other than laying down. We had a surprise delivery from Amazon! Two inflatable boyfriend pillows! With our USB Air pump they inflate in 30 seconds!

My hanging window storage is filling up too.

Tom attached our power strip with USB ports with heavy duty Velcro. All under bed bins are labeled and easily accessible.

This top board on the mattress base needed some reinforcement. We didn't like the fact that it was already sagging. Now it is nice and sturdy. I still would not sit on that end, since that is the side where we shortened the base and it does not have the original support.

Tom did a test snooze. I cant wait to hit the road!