Ocala
When I arrived in the park in Ocala, I was surprised to find
that I was the only camper there. It’s a
very small campground, only 23 sites, but I thought there would be more people
there. The reason this is one of my
favorite places is because its right on the Florida Greenway, a series of
hiking trails connecting to the larger Florida Trail. So of course bright and early the next
morning, I went for a long hike. On the
way back, there was a guy behind me who struck up a conversation of sorts. Apparently he was lost, as in, on the wrong
trail. He said he should have ended up
at a completely different trailhead then the one we were headed to. Rather then turn around, he kept going. He also told me he was hunting
mushrooms, the kind that cures cancer. He
walked on the trail for a while then I let him pass me while took a water
break. The rest of the hike he would
appear out of the woods with mushrooms in his hand, the disappear again when he
spotted another patch. He pointed out a
few to me, but it’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever be out in the woods picking
mushrooms. One, because I hate them, and
two, because there are so many that are poisonous. As for the curing cancer, well I think there
would be a lot more people out in the woods if that were true.
No pictures this time.
By the weekend the campground was packed, including a hoard
of boy scouts in the field. As I walked
out my front door Saturday morning, I promptly fell down the stairs. In full view of the young fellows next to
me. They jumped up to offer assistance,
but I told them I was fine. How
mortifying! The worst part, I really did
hurt myself. I has scratches on my legs,
back and arm. The kind of wounds that
not only bleed and bruise, but then scab over.
Luckily nothing was broken!
I spent the weekend checking out campgrounds for the
winter. By far the best was in Silver
Springs, just inside Ocala National Forest.
I couldn’t stay where I was because there is a 14 day limit. I put down a deposit and went to check out
the area. It’s also right on the
Greenway Trail and close to other trails in the forest. I have a whole stack of
trail maps and guides. In addition to
the trail guides, I also checked out the local hiking clubs and joined 3 that
looked like active. The next day I met
one of the groups for a hike and had a great time. Everyone was really friendly. They are doing a series of hikes each weekend
that will eventually do the entire 110 mile trail. I came in on the 3rd hike, so I
didn’t miss much.
I headed to Kissimmee to see my Mom and to take a load of
unwanted items to my storage unit. I
went thru my entire RV looking for stuff I didn’t need. I made two piles, one for donating and one
for the storage unit. I then reorganized
my storage unit and came back with my couch.
Last year I decided I didn’t need it, I would rather have the space. In order to get it out the door to the RV, I
had to take it completely apart. Over
the summer, I realized I probably shouldn’t have done that, I did need the
seating. Now I had to figure out how to
put it back together. It took a while,
but I finally got it rebuilt, for the most part. There is a drawer underneath for storage and
the tracts don’t match up exactly, so the drawer is just sitting there. This leaves a big gap, which makes Brutus and
Sammie pretty happy because they both have little nests dug into the blankets I
have stored in it. The first time I came
home and couldn’t find my dog I was a bit concerned, till I saw him squirming
out of the drawer.
There was a small RV show in Tampa, so I went to check it
out. I’ve been contemplating trading in
my 5th wheel for a new one, that has the living room up front. I like that layout much better, but of
course, it comes at a price. Aside from
being much more expensive, its 5 feet longer.
That may not seem like much, but when trying to maneuver it around, it
makes a big difference. I prefer the
smaller campgrounds and I have a hard enough time at 35 feet. So I guess, I’ll just keep admiring them from
afar. There is a huge RV show in
January, I’ll go to that one and have much more to drool over I’m sure.
No pictures this time.
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