diandy backup

All of the States We've Visited in our RV

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Here's a map of all of the states that we've visited so far in our RV. This is the same exact picture that I had created in 2006! Even after our travels in 2007, we weren't able to "add" any more states. Oh, that doesn't mean that we didn't have a great trip, but we do like to add those state "stickers" on to our maps. And this year we will! We plan on adding, at the very least: South Carolina and North Carolina. We are pretty sure we'll get the RV into the state of Virginia, too, considering our destination in Tennessee is under 6 miles from the Virginia state line (as the crow flies).

So, where are we heading? I'll post more on our upcoming Workamper experience later - Glenn is here! Gotta go play tourist now...

St Augustine, FL

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:17:00 +0000

We chose St Augustine as our second stop in order for us to see another friend, Glenn, who lives on the south side of Jacksonville. Jacksonville is limited on campgrounds, so you either have to stay north of the city or down here in St Augustine. We haven't toured St Augustine in a number of years, so we chose this area to see him on this visit.

Yesterday we drove directly to Camping World even before checking into the campground. Andy is like a kid in a candy store when he goes to Camping World. I just see dollar signs ringing up! But our baby needs some new supplies to keep on rolling and looking good, so it was a must. Our biggest upcoming expense is going to be replacing the awnings. They've gotten dried-out with age. The patio awning is primarily dried-out at the top where it is exposed to sun when rolled up. The newer RV models came out with a vinyl or metal shield that protects that part of the awning now. The slide-out awnings are also cracking - especially where a camper's fly-ball (in 2007) landed on our already-dry awning and caused it to spider web. We just have to figure out where and when to replace all of the awnings.

I'll write more about St Augustine in another post. We're going to spend the day as tourists with Glenn.

Titusville, FL

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Our first true stop on our Trek was Titusville. I have an old girlfriend that lives in this area, and although it's "just" 3 hours away it seems very difficult for us to see eachother. Starting out our trip by visiting friends seemed to be the right way to travel.

We got to see Laura and Bob for dinner on Thursday night. We went to Murdocks in Cocoa Village. Cool little place with good food and an entertaining waiter. I like walking around Cocoa Village. Someday when we visit, though, I'll visit before 6pm so I can actually go into some of these little shops. Like most small towns, it shuts down early leaving only the restaurant and bars open. The shopping district is a block off the Indian River/Intercoastal Waterway which gives it a nice backdrop.

We continued to organize ourselves, the car, and the RV to try and make it more liveable. I'm afraid I've overpacked for this trip! Yikes. Andy is already talking about the need to go to the scales and get weighed. We've brought all our toys on this trip: 2 road bikes, 2 mountain bikes, and the 2 kayaks. We haven't carried all of them since our 2004 trip. But we believe we can use them all in Tennessee, which is where we are heading.

First Stop - Easterlin Park

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Our first stop shouldn't be called a "stop" since we actually never slept there. We used Easterlin Park in Fort Lauderdale as our set-up station. This allowed us to turn on the fridge and wait the 8 hours for it to cool before starting to bring the food to the RV. We were also able to open the slides, unpack and organize clothes and supplies, and to do some light cleaning like vacuuming at this stage. All in preparation for Our New Trek! Departing this year seems more challenging to us because we are trying to rent out the condo as well. So instead of being able to leave belongings in the condo "as-is", we've had to pack up the house and make it presentable (furnished) to potential renters. Believe me, it was more work than we were anticipating.

Our original goal was to leave on April 1st, but that proved too difficult to reach. Then on the 31st when we went to the storage yard to deliver a load, we realized we had a flat tire. Andy filled it up, but immediately heard the air come pouring out again. The rubber valve stem had torn. Although we purchased new tires in January, Andy thinks this was caused because the 180 valve stem extender got caught behind the tire rim putting undue pressure on the valve stem. Good thing for emergency road service. They arrived in about 40 minutes, and another 40 minutes later he had us fixed. He put on a metal valve stem this time. We thought he was going to put on the spare and then we'd have to spend hours in Ford the next day getting this fixed. What a relief that he was able to fix it himself.

Easterlin Park is a very pretty park. Beautiful, natural Florida plant life with tall pines and cypress trees and the understory makes it a peaceful setting. Until you realize that (although you can't see it), the train tracks are right behind some of the those trees. Warnings in the park office and in the campground state that the trains run all day long, and all night long. They also blow their horns all day long, and all night long. Good thing we weren't planning on sleeping here. We did think about it until the first train blew past us.

test - remove after publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:15:00 +0000

testing new folder on new hosting site

Re-Living 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:43:00 +0000

I wanted to learn how to use WordPress's Blog. And, I've wanted to elaborate more on my original 2004 blog from our first year traveling. So, for the last few months I've slowly recreated 2004 - using WordPress. A labour of love.

The "new" blog - Diandy's RV Travels from 2004 - has more pictures and more stories. This will allow us to reminisce more easily and be a better tool for us as we continue traveling. We hope you will also find it more enjoyable to read and help you when making any travel plans. It was actually quite fun re-living that trip and re-reading my hand-written journals...but it took a lot longer than I had anticipated!

I liked using WordPress, but like everything in life there are pros and cons. Here were some of the benefits of WordPress blogging:
* it was easy to get started - lots of templates to choose from
* it was easy to add text or captions to photos
* it was easy to set up links to "open in a new window" (because I love including links for all of the places we visit or resources we use, but then you might get lost and not remember to finish reading our blog posts)
* for business purposes, you can build the blog into a website so it doesn't have a url address like 'blogspot' or 'wordpress'. I didn't set mine up, though, because my website hosting package charges extra for that feature.

What I still like about Blogger, though is:
* it's easy to upload photos with larger sizes that are just a click away
* I like the appearance of the "tags" in Blogger vs WordPress
* Picasa's new feature of watermarking photos is wonderful and flows with Blogger

Currently what I'm still fussing with in WordPress is uploading of the photos. I found that the easiest way to upload photos (in my opinion) was limiting on the size of the photo and inability to watermark. I played with many ways of uploading photos as you'll see: some can be enlarged, some lead to WebAlbums, some are in a Gallery format, and the earliest posts are static one-sized. Linking to the WebAlbums was time-consuming compared to the uploading buttons. If they could just allow a water-mark feature to the upload, I'd be happy.

Hope you check out my new old blog and enjoy it.

Post-Race Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:29:00 +0000

It started out innocently enough. We thought we'd tour Bobby around town on the Water Taxi for a few hours, and then go kayaking in the afternoon.

With a $13/pp all-day pass, you can hop off and on the Water Taxi as much as you like. Our first stop was the 15th Street Fisheries. We figured we'd grab a 'beer with a view' before lunch:

From feb

Here's a picture of the 15th Street Fisheries again when we were leaving our last stop of the day (the Pelican Bar), which was on the opposite side of the Intercoastal Waterway:

From feb

Hhhhmmmm...do you think we made it kayaking that afternoon? Nope, we sure didn't. We had a wonderful day just hopping off and on the Taxi or walking along the beach stopping at different establishments along the way. For some reason, I had decided to take a picture at each place we went...so you can see more of our day by clicking on either photo and going to the WebAlbum.

Andy and I rarely get to play tourist like that. It was such a relaxing day that we almost forgot to feel guilty about playing hooky! I'd like to blame Bobby for that, but how can you "blame" someone when you had so much fun?

Half-Marathoners!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:03:00 +0000

February 22nd, 2009 - the BIG day. We've been training for this day for almost a year. Well, at least some of us!

We were all looking pretty happy BEFORE the race...from left to right: Melissa, Andy, Bobby, Diane, and Joe

From feb

I wish I had all of us in this picture - Alex and Michelle are missing from our small group. I hope to add another photo soon - a post-race photo of the group that they took at the finish line in front of a large sand castle. I'll post it when I can.

It was a great day. Low 60's, no wind, sunny but not too hot or humid. The A1A Half-Marathon course is flat and scenic - with ocean views for many miles, and a two-mile loop through Birch State Park. And to be able to do it with friends and family was wonderful. Two of Andy's brothers came into town just for the race - Joe from Orlando and Bobby from Philly. Plus, we knew a number of other people from our running club along the course. It's always helpful to have people cheering you on by name.

We all did well. Nah, we all did *awesome*. Everyone was happy with their times, especially Andy and Alex who crossed the finish line together and beat their goal by two minutes. I was excited that I was actually able to run the course in it's entirety. A knee injury had plagued me for the last three weeks and I wasn't able to properly train during that time. Granted, my knee is hurting now, but at least it didn't on race day - how lucky is that?

Special thanks to Melissa and Alex for being such great training partners this last year. It's definitely more enjoyable running long distances with partners! And thanks to Joe and Bobby for making the effort to travel to do it with us - and for the phone calls with your training reports to keep us on our toes!

Sebastian, FL - Visiting World Travelers

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Our friends Steve and Sandy have been wandering the world these last few years teaching English, or volunteering, in countries such as Ecuador, Japan, Thailand, and Nepal. They've been back in the States for a little while attending to some family business, which gave us the opportunity to see them. We knew they weren't going to be around much longer, so we've been trying to get the RV up to Sebastian for one last visit. After Andy finished the repairs to the cabover, we took a quick weekend getaway.

They recommended a nearby county park called Donald MacDonald which was a perfect place to stay. It was a small campground with big sites (Texas-sized!). And wonderfully quiet - we've almost forgotten what "quiet" really is having been living in a downtown environment.

The park borders the Sebastian River. There's a boat ramp that would've given us great access to drop our kayaks in, but we didn't bring them on this trip due to time constraints. We'll have to remember this for another visit. There was also this T-dock with benches and a great view of the river.

Steve and Sandy took us out to eat at Capt Hiram's one night - we sat in the outdoor area called the SandBar. Some of the tables were built into a boat, it was on the sandy shore of the Indian River Lagoon, good music, fun colors, and a great view. Neat place.
We had a campfire on Saturday night. We wanted to do one Sunday as well, but it rained so we had to make alternative plans.
At least we got some biking and hiking in on Sunday before the rains came. Steve and Sandy just toured us around town and showed us some of their favorite spots.
It was a good thing we got to go to Sebastian when we did because they'll be leaving for their next tour soon. In a couple of weeks they expect to be heading to Korea. So keep an eye on their blog, because I know Steve will be posting again when they get there.

Not only was it great to see Steve and Sandy, but it was good to give the RV a nice spin. We just put new tires on her recently, and then with the cabover repairs, we just needed to be sure everything was still in working order. The repairs held up well, and we even got her washed.

For the first time ever we used an truck/RV wash. We went to the Blue Beacon in Ft Pierce. It is not automated - they use humans with high-pressure hoses. My only disappointment was with the roof. The workers don't go up on the roof, but instead they use gentle sprinklers to rain water down to wash off the dirt. It was only enough to get the primary layer of dust off. But considering how filthy the RV got in storage (being on a dirt lot) we were happy with the results and would use Blue Beacon again. Sometimes it's just too hard to find a place to wash an RV! We considered spending a night at an RV park just to wash. That might've cost us anywhere from $40 - $60/night since it's high season in south Florida. Instead it only cost us $30 at the RV wash.

All of This Because of Dried Out Caulk?

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:12:00 +0000

Well, we found the source of Andy's mold allergies in the RV.

I guess that's both good news and bad news. The good news? I can take Andy with me this year on our upcoming adventure. The bad news? As you can see, the demolition has begun.

It was during one of those spontaneous moments while I was doing an RV walk-around (while in the storage yard). I didn't like the look of the caulking, started to do a cursory inspection, and found that the cabover fiberglass sidewall was soft. So what does any good RVing wife do at that moment? Yell for her husband, of course. Andy came back another day to start investigating deeper into the inside of the cabover and the next thing I know he's pulling things apart...ripping up the vinyl cover, unscrewing plates, and cutting through the cabinets.

But at this point we feel pretty confident that he's isolated the damaged areas and found the source of the leak. We're just crossing our fingers that we have another week of dry skies so we can get the wood dried out and the repairs made.

Where did all the pigeons go?

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:06:00 +0000

After seeing this peregrine falcon hanging out where the pigeons usually roost, I finally realized why I don't see that many pigeons anymore. I think they're hiding!

I've been seeing "small hawks" around our downtown skies, but couldn't get a close enough look to identify them until today.

You Can Win $100!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:36:00 +0000

All you have to do is go to Road Trip Journal, read several blog entries about various small towns, and vote for ME!

Ok, I'm just kidding about the last part. One of MY blog entries IS available for February's Reader's Choice Award, which means if I get the most votes I can win $100 gas card. But for your winnings, all you have to do is complete the survey and your name will be entered into a lottery for a chance to win a $100 gas card, too. That just might get you to your next stop, right?

Look for my entry on Stehekin, WA (anytime during the month of February) and hopefully you'll like it enough to Vote for ME! Then remember to go back to their website every month to play again.

Thank YOU for voting for meeee ;)

Passports

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Not long ago we needed to renew our passports. I was a little frustrated, needless to say, at the thought of having to pay $15 for each of us to get those little 2x2 photos. In this day, with digital cameras and home photo printers, I thought there had to be a more economical way then throwing $30 out the window. After doing some research on the internet I came across EPassportPhotos and thought I'd give them a try.

All I had to do was to take some face shots of us, upload them to EPassportPhotos, crop them per their instructions, then download them and print them out on our home printer. Of course I was still nervous that after doing all that (for FREE), that the photos would get rejected in our application. But everything went well! We got our new passports in the mail, and everything worked perfectly. So, I thought I'd share our experience with you in case you too were coming up for renewal.

The website can also do the printing for you for $5.99 (for 6 2x2 photos) if you don't have a quality photo printer or 4x6 photo paper. Still cheaper than going to Walgreens or Ritz.

Speaking of Road Trips....

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:03:00 +0000

We're trying to plan our own!

We are in the process of working to get back on the road in our RV. We just got six new tires put on the rig in addition to other basic maintenance. I'm still in shock that it was time to replace the tires due to age. Is she really that old? Am I?

This year will be different for us. For one, we're looking at renting out the condo while we travel. So this means cleaning out the cupboards. What a project - use up, give away, throw away, or put in storage? That's my current motto every time I open a closet, drawer, or cabinet.

We are also going to sell our second car - know anyone who'd be interested in a 1994 Toyota Camry?! It's in great shape and only has 69,750 miles. I love this car, but it doesn't make sense to keep it for how little I use it. Being in a downtown environment I walk or ride my bike most places.

The final big change for us with this upcoming trip will be that we hope to be working. As Workampers, that is. We've put together our resume and just got it posted online at Workamper News. We'll be very excited to get an opportunity to work part-time somewhere to help us get back on the road. Wish us luck on finding a position!

That's my quick update. Hopefully everything will come together for us so we can make this happen!

Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:02:00 +0000

I'm very happy to announce that you can now find our blog posts on Road Trip Journal. This website is a unique grouping of bloggers' stories about their travels. As more and more posts become available on the site, I think it'll be a great resource for travelers to search for things to do. Especially because you can easily search by state.

So if you haven't already found your way to Road Trip Journal, consider wandering over there to see what fun things you can do and places to visit in the state that you're in now...or one you're rolling into soon.

Toga Toga Toga

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:08:00 +0000

One of our friends celebrated her 40th Birthday this past weekend by throwing a Toga party.

Now when was the last time you tried to tie a toga? Well, for us it has been a very long time. But it was fun...eventhough we all had to partake in a game of Twister! Now, playing Twister in a toga is something to watch...Happy Birthday Maria! And thanks again for a fun night.

Bringing in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:01:00 +0000

New Year's Eve had us out walking the streets with friends. We ended the night in an area of Ft Lauderdale called Himmarshee, or 2nd Street. They close down a couple of the blocks and have outdoor bands and bars, and when the weather is perfect this is a great event to crash.

They even hang a "ball of lights" from a crane and it drops at midnight - just like New York. Ok, well without the Waterford crystals. Behind us you can see our "ball" - no, it's not a full moon!
Thanks to the gang for sharing the night with us!

This year we were actually back at our condo by midnight, so we got to see lots of fireworks exploding all along our western horizon. That was a first for us. Usually we're either watching the ball drop, or we're in bed!

Christmas in Philly

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:53:00 +0000

Do I need to say more?

We were in Philly during a cold, wet week. We experienced a couple of days of ice and probably saw no more than two hours of sunshine. Besides the fact that it is always great to see family and friends, and especially spend the holidays with them, we were glad to come home to warm, sunny Florida.

The day after our return, we went out for lunch at a cafe on the beach. We were joking that the sun was so bright (after not seeing it for 9 days), that it hurt our eyes. And considering that the beach was packed with bikini-clad girls, it was a true shock to our senses. It felt like we traveled to another country!

Ft Lauderdale Christmas Boat Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:54:00 +0000

This year we had several friends join us in watching the Christmas Boat Parade on the New River. We weren't able to get our beach chairs right on the river like last year, but that was alright. My photos incorporated some of the crowd this year. Oh well, our fault for not getting the party out of the condo and to the river early enough. We still took our chairs, but never sat in them because we would not have been able to see the boats if we did! Here's a short video of some of my pictures:

Song: The Silent Nutcracker, by Transiberian Orchestra

I also put these photos in My WebAlbums for those of you who would prefer to see some bigger pictures.

We're heading to Philly on Saturday to spend the Holidays with family. So I may not be posting again til the New Year. Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah and Peace to all!

Holiday Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:47:00 +0000

Just to let you know, Amazon is offering a promotion right now. If you buy $25 in Electronics or CD's, you can receive a $5 credit to apply to MP3's. I know I could use some new music on my MP3, how 'bout you?

And if you are still debating about what to get that certain someone on your list...don't forget that Gift Cards are always a gift they won't return!

With an Amazon.com Gift Card, you can email them directly to the recipient (just one of the delivery methods). This makes it easier if they are traveling the country...

Or, Give the Perfect Gift to the RV enthusiast this holiday season - a Camping World Gift Card. Click here>>

Enjoy your holiday shopping, time for me to go back to mine!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:53:00 +0000

...that's why I haven't written lately.

We had some friends come into town for a visit. Steve was passing through town and we got to see him one night. Steve and his wife are back in the States for a period of time assisting family with health issues, but will be heading overseas on another adventure soon. We're planning another visit together before they head off to currently unknown destinations. And, another friend, Glenn came to town for a weekend as well. It was such a nice surprise to have back-to-back visits.

Then, of course, was the Thanksgiving holiday which we spent in Orlando and New Smyrna Beach. Always a great time with Andy's family.
One night, Joe and Dot and friends, took us to the Portofino Bay Hotel for a special event called Harbor Nights. It was beautiful. You felt like you were in Italy. It was outdoors in an open courtyard facing a lake with rowboats, Scooters were used as benches, opera singers performed from the balcony, Christmas lights twinkled and then the lighting of the Christmas tree...
Not to mention great food, great wine, friendly people, and an impeccable staff. I felt like royalty that night. They offer these types of events several times throughout the year. Look here for their schedule of events. And for $35+ for the tickets, I considered it a true bargain.

We went for a bike ride one morning along the West Orange Trail in Orlando. Specifically, it goes from Apopka to just south of Winter Garden. It was great - a nice, wide trail; slightly hilly and curvy for fun; and big oak trees.
I loved this one scene along a small lake with the Spanish Moss dripping off of the Oaks:
And, everyone needs a little humor on a ride:
(So, do you think they're FSU fans?)
Along the trail we got to see a gopher tortoise, several armadillos, and a bald eagle. The only change we would make is to not start all the way at the northern terminus. The first couple of miles weren't scenic - it was a wide sidewalk along the main road. Very slow moving because of driveways and cross roads. Not worth it. I think a good starting point would be the Apopka Station trailhead (and then head south). It was a 43-mile round-trip ride from end-to-end.

Special Note: there's an RV Park in Apopka (Sun Resorts) that is right across the street from the trail. We stayed here several years ago on one of our return trips. We had to chuckle as we rode our bikes past the Park. We didn't get to ride the trail on that visit...but this would be a good place to start your ride and head south. That's really where the scenic part starts!

This week we had friends over to walk our "main street" for a special event called Christmas on Las Olas. This is the only time you'll see snow in Ft Lauderdale! There was a "snow mountain" for sledding, a mini "ski slope" for photo ops, a skating rink, and more.
Here we are with friends, Paul and Sue, in front of the ski slope...
To add ambiance to our night, the weather-gods blessed us with a chilly 58-degree evening.
Whew! Like I said...busy, busy, busy! And I don't think our schedule is going to get any lighter til after the end of the year.

Wild and Free-Roaming?

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:26:00 +0000

It's not often that I'll give a WHOOP! while reading my morning newspaper, but this morning gave me one of those happy moments. Let me explain...about a week ago I read that a number of wild horses contained in BLM holding pens were going to be slaughtered because of budgetary concerns. I wrote to the BLM, our senators, our representative, even a representative from another state. I was still contemplating who else I could voice my concern to when I read in the paper this morning that Madeleine Pickens, wife of T. Boone Pickens, was going to rescue these horses. And not just the ones scheduled for the slaughter house, but *all* of the horses currently held in the holding pens - approximately 30,000 wild horses and burros! (Read a more detailed article) THANK YOU Mrs. Pickens! It's wonderful to have wealthy people with such big hearts in this world who can do such tremendous good!

I'm no expert on the wild horse issues out west, but in simple terms there appears to be some objection by private cattle ranchers to share the land with the wild horses. I came across this video that will explain more:

But this issue is not resolved. Mrs. Pickens has saved the animals currently in the holding pens, but the BLM will continue to remove others from the wild to take their place. The Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 needs to be restored.

So, if you would like to do something to help, here are some ideas:
1. Go to The Wild Horse Preservation Campaign and click on both - Take Action and Sign the Petition
2. Consider donating to one of the current wild horse sanctuaries that have been rescuing these animals over the years:
* Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary - (we've visited this sanctuary in 2005) - in Hot Springs, SD
* The Wild Horse Sanctuary - Shingletown, CA
* Return to Freedom - Lompoc, CA
I'm sure there are other sanctuaries out there, but these are three I'm aware of. Each one could use volunteers, donations of goods, or monetary donations.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this issue.

Another Interesting Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Could this be a Double-Top? It doesn't meet some of the specific criteria for trading stock chart patterns, but I'm finding the looks of this pattern on a long-term S&P 500 Chart pretty interesting...
This pattern is validated when it breaks the low of the trough between the two peaks, which is around 800. The anticipated target would then be the difference between the height of the peaks and the low of the trough (so, roughly speaking 1600 at the peak - 800 at the trough = 800). Subtract that number from the breakout point (800) and this would bring our target to *0*, as in ZERO? Geez, let's hope not! But if this pattern was to play out, it could take about 7 1/2 years to do so - the time from the first peak to the second. It's times like this when I hope technical analysis really isn't a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Lantana, FL - John Prince Park

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Another last minute decision leads to a great weekend! We're trying to get the RV out on a more regular basis, and sometimes that means we don't decide to go away until the Thursday or Friday before we go. This is partly due to the fact that life seems to slip by rapidly and we can't believe a month has gone by and we haven't taken the RV out! Thankfully, we don't need to go far if we don't have to...

So, this past weekend we went to John Prince Park in Lantana, FL. It's a whopping 39 miles away. But we've never stayed there before and we've never even been to this park before. Perfect!

Friday night we enjoyed sitting out with the full moon over Lake Osborne. Several of the campsites are right on the lake. We were also fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the Space Shuttle Endeavor take off. We got to see the burning orange flames even at a distance of approximately 150 miles.
Saturday morning allowed us an opportunity to ride our road bikes along another section of A1A that we rarely get to ride. With Intercoastal Waterway and Ocean views like this, who could complain about riding home against the winds?Later on Saturday we went kayaking. We had an easy put-in right from our site.
We paddled around a wetland restoration area:We watched people active on their boats in Lake Osborne - tubing, waterskiing, and whatever-crazy-sport-this-is-called - "body dragging", perhaps?And we watched the sunset from the middle of Lake Osborne:
It's a great park for birdwatching, too:
Here's a Google Map showing access points to the wetland areas, and an island that had lots of birds to watch...(click on the pushpins to read details)

View Larger Map
The park is also close to Lake Worth Avenue if you're looking for some nightlife action. We had a few beers at an outdoor cafe and just people-watched (another of our favorite activities). And, boy, was it an interesting night - I'll just leave it at that!

Flutterby Butterfly

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:46:00 +0000

In a sick sort of way, I was almost happy that Andy had to take some quiet time to nurse an injury. We wanted to do something on the day after he injured his quadricep on a 10-mile run and needed to think of something that wouldn't require much walking. Then we thought of Butterfly World. We haven't been here since Andy's Dad and Mom went with us (March, 2005). The classical music, lush landscaping, and lots of benches makes it a place that beckons to relax. Sometimes sitting is the best way to see more....just watch the butterflies and hummingbirds come to you.

So, as the name would imply, there are lots of butterflies - from all around the world:

There are hummingbirds, too. Due to their territorial nature, expect to be buzzed by some of these tiny birds.
Andy enjoys walking under the misters that add to the tropical rainforest feel of the atrium.
This visit didn't even require us to buy the nectar for the lorikeets - Andy had four of them land on him immediately upon entering their habitat. Be careful with the lorikeets though - they're known to chew on everything - shirts, skin, hats, earlobes...they're not picky!
The flowers that can be found throughout are just as beautiful as the butterflies and birds.
And the birds are of all colors and sizes...