Florida – ToadMama.com

January 21, 2022January 20, 2022

Florida with Friends

As mentioned in my previous post, moto-blogger friend Richard Machida and his wife, Bridget, who are also full-time RVers, arrived at Yellowjacket RV Resort (YJRR) on December 13.

The Machidas, who are from Fairbanks, Alaska, have been full-timers for a few years. They usually spend extended time during summer in Alaska. Earlier this year, they ordered a Jeep (from a dealer in Idaho) to replace the Prius they had been towing. The plan was to pick the Jeep up in August, shortly after returning to the lower 48. Sadly, the Jeep wasn’t ready, so they had to continue their journey through the lower 48 without a toad (RVers slang for a towed vehicle).

The Jeep finally arrived in early December, so Richard had to leave Bridget and fly to Idaho to pick up their new Jeep. That wasn’t a problem for Bridget, it freed-up more time for the two of us to go kayaking! We also went off-roading with their e-bikes through a nearby wildlife refuge. We went exploring one day in the Jeep, too. We had so much fun together, I’ll have to do a separate post to share pics from our “girls’ day out” adventures. Bridget is also a crafter, so we did some crafting together, too. Sadly, no crafting pics to share.

Richard got back from Idaho on December 20. Mike, Belle, and I left for North Carolina on December 22 to spend Christmas with some family. We got back to the campground on December 26.

On December 28, two other moto-blogger friends, Chris and Lori, arrived to spend a couple of nights with all of us. Chris and Lori are from Dahlonega, Georgia. They are in the process of fitting-out an overland expedition vehicle, which they use to RV in really remote places with rougher terrain than we could ever hope to traverse in our more-mainstream big rigs.

Selfie by Lori (lower-left) with me, Bridget, Richard, Chris (waving), and Mike.

Their super-cool vehicle is in the background.

Chris and Lori left on December 30. Bridget and I went kayaking at Crystal River on December 31. We all retired to our coaches well before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

The coolest thing we did as a group happened on January 1. That’s when we rented a pontoon boat from the campground and spent the day out on the river. We even packed a picnic and anchored on the water just south of Fanning Springs to enjoy our little feast.

Our boat is on the left. It looks just like the one in the middle.

It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.

I’m not sure if Belle liked riding on the boat, but she doesn’t like being left alone.

This is where we ate lunch. There was more boat traffic on that part of the river.

I liked watching Belle’s ears flying in the wind.

It was such a nice, leisurely ride. We saw alligators, numerous kinds of birds, and even a river otter!

Bridget captured this nice pic of Belle.

L-R, me, Mike, Richard, and Bridget (photographer)

Bridget captured this pic of Belle, ears flapping.

I took my captain duties very seriously. Looks like Richard was at ease with me at the wheel.

We docked around 3:00 for a quick potty break. Mike opted to stay at the coach with Belle while Richard, Bridget, me, and their dog, Leinen, headed back out on the river to use-up our final boat time.

As for boating, I think Leinen felt the same way as Belle did. He wasn’t loving it, but it was better than being left behind.

We spotted this small gator downriver from the campground.

Bridget captured this cool picture of the hawk that liked to hang out in the trees between our campsite and the river.

That evening is when we learned that our son-in-law had tested positive for COVID a few days after we left North Carolina. As soon as we learned that we’d been exposed, we let all of our friends know. We were careful to keep our distance for the Machida’s remaining days at YJRR.

Richard and Bridget left YJRR as planned on January 3. Since I’d been feeling extra tired for a few days, I decided I should probably test, too. I couldn’t find any at-home test kits, so got an appointment scheduled for January 4. Despite being fully vaccinated and boosted, I tested positive, too. Mike never did test, but assumed he had COVID, too, since he had a sore throat and mild cough. I had a slight sore throat, too, but that was it.

Thankfully, none of our friends tested positive. Only two of the five family members we visited tested positive. Those who were sick had very mild symptoms, thanks to being vaccinated, and all of us are fully recovered.

I’ll share pics from the outdoor adventures Bridget and I shared in a future post.

January 20, 2022

Florida in the Fall

As we were preparing to return to Florida, to the same campground where we spent a week(ish) in June 2021, I was picturing the same, very green place, only cooler. I did not picture the same place with lots of bare trees, less grass and other ground vegetation, and Fall colors. Alas, the latter is what we got. Not that I am complaining. It was still beautiful there, just in a different way. And most days were delightfully cool with far fewer mosquitoes, chiggers, no-see-ums, and other insects.

Another difference? This time, I had a kayak and was able to explore the beautiful Suwannee River and a few of Florida’s magnificent springs. Plus, we had friends join us — moto-blogger Richard Machida and his wife, Bridget — so we had people to do things with.

Yellowjacket RV Resort (YJRR) was a relatively easy five-hour(ish) drive from Dauphin Island in Alabama. It was a bit longer than we usually like to spend on the road between stops, but we were okay pushing it a bit after being in one place for two months and knowing we’d be at YJRR for at least a month.

YJRR is located in a very remote part of Florida. It’s commonly referred to as the “Big Bend” area or Florida’s “Nature Coast.” The region doesn’t get as much publicity as other parts of Florida, maybe because it is so remote. But we love it there. It’s not mobbed with people (except for New Year’s weekend!), is very quiet, and there’s lots of nature to see and enjoy.

We arrived on December 1. Richard and Bridget weren’t scheduled to arrive until December 13, so we spent the first two weeks there alone. Since I am playing catch-up, the pics I’m sharing here are images I captured while it was just Mike, Belle, and me at the campground.

Relaxing at our riverfront campsite along the Suwannee River.

In early December, there were still quite a few leaves left on the trees.

Belle relaxing in the Clam (screened tent, manufactured by a company named Clam).

The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to the road that leads to YJRR.

One of the alligators that hangs out in the pond shared in the previous pic.

Just a few of the ten million small lizards that live in the area.

This green-eyed guy liked sunning himself on the coach’s driver-side mirror.

Late-afternoon view, looking west toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Afternoon light on the trees between our campsite and the river (captured from the boat dock).

Kayaking on the Suwannee is a very peaceful way to spend a sunny, Fall afternoon.

This pic was captured later in the month, after a bunch more leaves had fallen from the trees.

In this shot, you can really see the dark color of the river.

The Suwannee River is actually a federally designated wild river. The river flows from the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia and winds for about 250 miles through swamps, high limestone banks, hardwood hammocks, and salt marshes before reaching the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. There are fifty-five springs that feed into the Suwannee along the way with over 150 other springs feeding into the Suwannee’s various tributaries. The water stays very dark in color so much so that its referred to as a black-water river. According to a website published by the Suwannee River Water Management District, “The river derives its tannic color from decaying vegetation in the Okefenokee Swamp and maintains a black tint as it flows south.”

Trees with color were in the minority by the time we left on January 11.

This last picture was not captured at YJRR. I took it while we were in North Carolina visiting family over the Christmas holiday.

More pics from YJRR will be featured in my next post. Those will include our friends, too.

July 1, 2021

Manatee Springs

Before venturing to Florida this year, I’d never seen or heard the term “Nature Coast.” Not that I remember anyway.

For me, Florida is primarily synonymous with white-sand beaches, warm water, palm trees, and sunshine. Then there are all the amusement parks and other touristy stuff. Plus the Florida keys and the Everglades. I really never know much about the Nature Coast area (basically the coastal counties on the western, Gulf of Mexico side of the state, up near the inside of the elbow. Real technical, right? You can read the Wikipedia definition if you like. If you really want to dig in and learn more, visit this Florida Nature Coast website.

As I was planning our travels for 2021, I had us going to Florida in mid-June to get the residency paperwork started. Every time I mentioned staying longer than few days, Mike said something like, “It’s ungodly hot in FL in the summertime.” He didn’t want to stay any longer than we HAD to. That’s because he’s not a water-lover like me. I don’t love heat either, but I do love a good beach.

For the longest time, we had no reservations anywhere from June 19 through July 7. I really wanted to spend more than the three nights/four days we’d committed to residency stuff, but every time I brought it up, I had to listen to the “it’s too hot” spiel. Finally, he relented and said, okay, with the condition that I found someplace shady for us to camp.

Thank goodness we were at Amy’s house for a week+! Finding a shady spot in Florida relatively last-minute that would satisfy both of us was a bit of a challenge. Even more challenging was finding a spot for the July 4th holiday weekend! But that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Somehow, I managed to come across the Yellow Jacket RV Resort website. It looked shady, was on a river, had a pool, and was close enough to the coast that I could reach salt water if I chose. I booked the reservation and considered that particular to-do, done. It wasn’t until we were almost at the place that I started looking into things to do, noticed the proximity to several springs, and started to get more-excited.

Florida’s springs is another category of stuff I knew little about. Here are some of the things I did not know until recently…

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection…

Florida is home to more large (first- and second-magnitude) springs than any other state in the nation.

Why should I really care about that? Because the FL DEP also said…

Springs offer visitors unsurpassed locations to swim, snorkel, scuba dive, and observe wildlife.

All those things are right up my alley! So I had to learn more.

There are state parks in Florida that offer camping AND feature springs, but they are very popular and reservations must be made well in advance. Especially during Winter and early Spring when the manatees are usually present. (Manatees tend to hang out in springs during that time because the water in the springs is a constant 73 degrees F [about 23 C] year-round, which is considered warm in the cooler months.)

The closest state park to us with campsites that can accommodate our large rig and a spring was Manatee Springs State Park. I wasn’t expecting to see manatees in June, but wanted to check it out for potential future stays. When I went, I was prepared to swim. I took my phone, but did not take my camera. And I am STILL kicking myself, especially since my phone only had 26% charge when I arrived!

It was such an amazing, beautiful, and powerful place. I will let these pictures tell the rest of the story.

Spoiler alert… photos do not do the place justice. I looked at a lot of images and videos before going, but nothing prepared me for what it felt like being there, aka the vibe of the place.

Many of the following images were captured along the boardwalk that parallels the spring run (area between where spring comes out of the ground and where the run-off from the spring meets the river or other larger body of water).

Boardwalk with several overlooks along the spring run.

Spring run and one of the overlooks (right side of frame).

Flooded forest of cypress knees closer to spring run.

Another view of the flooded forest of cypress knees closer to the spring run.

View of spring run from boardwalk overlook (looking back toward spring source).

If you click on the above image for a bigger view and look closely, you might be able to spot a snake or two.

View of spring run from overlook (looking out toward where spring run meets the Suwannee River).

It was so peaceful and beautiful. The water really is crystal clear.

View of spring run from boardwalk. Do you see the alligator? (HINT: look at lower-left quadrant or the frame.)

Closer view of alligator. And check out the size of that cypress tree’s base!

Another view of the spring run from one of the boardwalk overlooks.

If you want to know m ore about Florida’s springs, here are some links to get you started:

* How springs form

* Origin and anatomy of springs

* Springs in the Suwannee River Water Management District

* Nice post on the prettiest springs (Manatee Springs excluded!)

I did capture a few videos while there. If I can figure out how to combine them and share them here, I’ll update this post. It was such a gorgeous spot.

We both liked that part of Florida so much that we will be returning to Yellow Jacket RV Resort for the month of December. We will also be spending the entire month of January at a nearby place called Hart Springs Campground. I don’t know if the manatees come that far north, but I don’t really care. If they do, bonus! If they don’t, road trip! 🙂

I WILL own a kayak, stand-up paddleboard (SUP), hybrid kayak/SUP, or other suitable flotation device before December when we return. Or I will buy one while there. I intend to really explore Florida’s beautiful springs during that time.

Have any of you visited a Florida spring? If so, I’d love to read about your recommendations in the comments.