Final Full Day at Koreshan

It is still cool out today, but there is lots of sunshine.  I wanted to make a drive to Lovers Key State Park Beach for a few hours, but Gus was not cooperating.  We couldn't get him to stop barking, so Jim ended up staying with Gus while I went to the beach alone.  It sucks but at least I had the opportunity to spend a little time walking on the beach. 

It would have been more fun to have Jim or RuthAnne or Kat or Mary or Sharon A or Marybeth, or any of a number of friends, but it was still a beautiful scene.  Instead of having a friend to keep me company, I talked with Jocelyn, one of hundreds of talks we have had in the past 17 years, since she went to be with God.  Hard to believe it was almost 17 years ago....seems like only Yesterday! She would have loved to join me on the beach for a long walk and some mother-daughter time.  

The walk back to the car provided much scenery of its own, from birds sleeping in the trees to two raccoons crossing the pedestrian bridge headed who knows where. 

Beautiful, Cool Day

Yesterday was a great day for visiting the dog park.  We spent about an hour there, Gus playing with most of the dogs in the large dog area. He finally wore himself out and it was time to go.  Wish we had known then that he would be sick overnight or we might not have taken him.  Hopefully he will be ok by the end of today.

This week we have seen an assortment of wildlife, including raccoons, eagles, and even an otter came through our site before heading back to the river.  We have heard a lot of rustling in the shrubs throughout the park, but this was our first sighting of an Armadillo this trip.  

Farmers Market

Every Sunday there is a farmers market in the village of the park.  Today there were 2 vendors selling fruits and vegetables, at great prices.  I got a large head of fresh Romaine lettuce, 5 large tomatoes, and 2 green peppers all for $4.  I also got two loaves of fresh baked bread.  Other vendors were selling seafood, guacamole, baked goods, jewelry and other trinkets, soap, honey, and other craft items. 

Koreshan Village

It is about a one mile walk to the Koreshan Village in the park.  I spent a good deal of time reading the signs posted outside each building, and listening to a ranger talk about the history of the religious cult of people from the late 1800s to about 1960. The Koreshan Unity was founded by Cyrus Teed who viewed himself as  The Profit, and convinced his followers to join him in a celibate community, first in New York, then moving to Chicago, and finally ending up in Florida.  After his death, the cult died down to only 5 remaining members and the property was finally sold to the state.  The state has done a terrific job of restoring and preserving much of the land and the history, while turning some of the land into a campground with access to the Estero River for Kayaking and canoeing. 

Relaxing Days

Yesterday we had showers on and off throughout the day, so other than several dog walks, we chilled out at our site. Gus had thrown up a few times, most likely from drinking salt water, and I had some intestinal distress, possibly from eating something with high fructose corn syrup.  Today, both of us are better. 

We visited  dog park nearby for over an hour, where a group of retired gentlemen apparently hang out with their dogs on a daily basis.  Gus played with several dogs, big and small, and was ready to go home after an hour.  We will certainly visit there again several times while we are here.

NOTE: I am having problems publishing with pictures. Hopefully I will figure out a solution soon.

Gus goes to the beach

This was Gus's first time at the beach and in the water.  We were very hesitant to let him off lead but finally did.  He wasn't sure about the water but loved playing with other dogs.  The dog beach has a big sand bar at low tide that disappears at high tide.  We were there halfway between low & high tide, so he wasn't in the water too much, just enough for a first time.

First Full Day at Koreshan

Thursday we drove to Bushnell, to a Walmart with special parking for RVs and trucks.  Yesterday, Friday, we continued our journey South to Bonita Springs, FL south of Fort Myers. We are at Koreshan State Park until Feb.1, site 49.  They have done a nice job of cleaning up sites and upgrading utilities. It now has 50 amp service and many sites that can handle a 38 ft RV like ours.  The website has not been updated to show the improvements, so we will make a note of all websites we can fit into for future reference. 

Right now we are simply enjoying the warmer temps and bit of sun, although today it is quite cloudy.   We have located a big dog park, and a dog beach to visit with Gus in the coming days. 

Last night we got news that our next door neighbor's house was on fire.  No one was home which was a blessing.  We are glad we are down here, far away from the scene. Otherwise I am sure they would have blamed us for the fire as they have been blaming us for everything else we had no part in.  I hope the fire marshall finds the cause of the fire. Steven is checking on our garage today for any signs of damage since it is not that far from their house.

Beach day

Today it was warm enough for us to hang out on the beach for a few hours, even though we were bundled up. We took advantage of the 60 degree temps and sunshine before it ended this afternoon.
We also played corn Hole with Don & RuthAnne while Gus sat and watched the traffic go by the campsite.  The day was topped off with an excellent dinner at Carrabba's, including Tiramasu martinis. 

The temps are dropping, and there is even a chance of snow flurries overnight. Tomorrow it is expected to reach only the 40's, so we will be mostly enjoying indoor activities, except maybe another dog park visit for Gus. It will be our last day here.  Thursday we leave here and head south toward Fort Myers and warmer weather.

Dog Park Visit

Today we found an awesome dog park for Gus!  He needed to expend some energy and he certainly did that today.  I wish we had a park like this at home.  It is spacious and well maintained.  We will be back there again over the next several days.

Life at Topsail State Park

We are enjoying our time at this park.  We have full hookup, laundry facilities, beach just a half mile walk or bike ride away, and close to shopping for groceries,etc.  Yesterday it was warm enough to play some corn hole with Don and RuthAnne.  Gus was out for several walks and met lots of dogs along the way.  Jim visited the Donut Hole near here to load up on donuts.

Today is much colder, but we made the best of it, doing a little shopping and enjoying a late lunch at Bonefish Grill.  There is a dog park nearby that we will need to check out so Gus can do some running. 

Moving Day

We left Fort Pickens this morning, headed to Topsail Preserve SO, east of Destin, FL. Gus must be sad because he is crying in the bus as we travel east on RT 98.  He is missing his friend Lucy, but will see her again for a few days at Topsail.

Coastal Drive

The rain stopped, mostly, and the temps were in the 60s today so we took a drive with Don and RuthAnne along the Gulf coast today.  There is no one on the beaches and the seas are quite turbulent, but we enjoyed the drive nonetheless,  even stopping for donuts along the way. We ended the outing at Peg Leg Pete's in Pensacola Beach for a late lunch. The guys had grouper sandwiches with beer and the ladies enjoyed a bottle of wine and some seafood chowder. 

We finished off the day with a walk to the beach (with the dogs which is technically illegal) and then Gus visited with a dog named Lucy while we visited with Lucy's owners, Leland and Bambie, from Georgia.

Sunday, Jan. 7

It is starting to warm up but it was very windy today with gusts as high as 30 mph at times.  We were hoping to get outside more and play some corn hole with Don & RuthAnne, but it was too windy for that. We did take Gus for several walks and he got some play time with his new friend Lucy this morning. 

This afternoon we settled for some Mexican Train inside with Don & RuthAnne, and a delicious dinner of crab stuffed flounder with a new recipe I found online.

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, hopefully not a heavy rain.

Trip to Gulf Shores

Yesterday we drove over to Gulf Shores to have dinner with Aryn McClain at a restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister.  It was quite enjoyable, but would have been better if it were warmer outside.  This cold spell we have dealt with for a week has put a damper on activities outside. The restaurant is right in the waterfront but because of the cold temps we had to sit inside where it was still cold.  The walls are all "garage door" structures with lots of glass, so the cold air was not well blocked. The food was very good though as was the live music. The drive to and from Gulf Shores was lit up with Christmas decorations on most lampposts along the route, quite beautiful, but hard to capture in picture.

Friday, Jan 5

It was a pretty day, although still chilly.  Gus made a new friend, Lucy, who is about 8 yrs old and 4 times Gus size, but they play well together.  After some rough & tumble for 30 min., Gus was ready for a nap.

While Gus napped, we went to Joe Patti's Seafood Market to buy some fresh fish. This store is incredible, with every type of seafood imaginable, including lobster and squid.  We bought shrimp, flounder, and crab meat, all reasonably priced. 

Later in the day we visited the fort, Fort Pickens, wandering through tunnels, into rooms, and through arches built quite cleverly, all using bricks.  We also went out toward the water to see the view across the channel, where the naval base is. 

The day was topped off having shrimp, meatballs, buffalo dip and other goodies for dinner with Neil, Kat, Don & RuthAnne.

New Years Eve

It is in the low 30s as we celebrate New Years Eve in Gulf Shores National Seashore Campground with Don & RuthAnne Brown, and Neil & Kat Lambert.  We ate beef tenderloin, potatoes, and salad, enjoyed wine and champagne, topped off with special cake for dessert. Then befitting old folk, we all retired well before midnight, although I stayed awake to see the ball drop in NYC, 11 pm our time, since Pensacola is on Central Time.