From Noisy and Crowded to Serene

Since my last post, I've had such varied experiences. I traveled to the Atlantic coast, spent a night at St. Augustine and saw some of the historical features there, including a brief stop at the Fountain of Youth for a sip of water. Then I went down to Daytona to go to the Daytona 500 and the Speed Weeks events prior.

I hadn't necessarily expected to go to the races, but when I realized my timing was right in North Florida, I decided why not. I'm glad I went. It was an expensive side trip, but really enjoyable. Of course I thought of Steve the whole time. He's the reason I became interested in NASCAR racing in the first place, and the date of his birthday happened to be the date of the first race I went to there. I found a great place to park the motorhome. It was an industrial area just a couple blocks from the speedway that they open up as a campground for big events at the track. I called too late to reserve a space with power, but mentioned I'd be interested if they had a cancellation. It turned out that they were able to plug me in for the first six nights I was there, then I moved to a parking-only site for the last three nights. By being careful about my water use, I was very comfortable the whole time and never had to use the port-a-potties or shower-trailer. The place had a festive vibe without being too raucous, and everyone was very friendly, especially to Charley.

Charley headed out for one of our walks to say hello to everyone

Pretty much just a treed parking area, but it worked just fine for us

So close to the speedway - you can see the stands under the powerlines at the edge of the campground

Definitely got my fix of cars going around in circles

Manatees and Other Wildlife 

My original plan had been to travel south from Daytona to the Keys, but I learned that affordable reservations aren't easy to come by this time of year. I wanted to stay in at least one of the four state parks in the Keys, but they're all booked up through late spring. I eventually found out if I went online often, I could find a cancellation, and I finally got a 4-night stay booked in the Key Largo area around St. Patrick's Day. I was able to use that as a base to build my trip to the Keys from March 6-20, which will include two of the four state parks, and a stay in Key West. 

In the meantime, I had more destinations that I wanted to see on the Gulf Coast than the Atlantic, so I made my way back west through prime winter manatee country. At Crystal River I was able to see manatees in the wild.

I was almost as fascinated by the clear blue springwater as by the manatees

 

 

The next day I went to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Refuge, which takes in orphan and injured wildlife and cares for, then exhibits them. There I was able to see more manatees, which have occasional access to the wild, but have become accustomed to the regular feeding at the park. I also saw a handful of other local critters, including this beautiful Florida Panther, which was found as an orphaned kitten, almost not going to make it.

 

Yuma purring and playing with his tail

Lately I'm in the Punta Gorda area and spent last night in the Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area. It was so serene last night and early this morning. Only one other campsite was taken, and there's been a huge variety of birds, including a cardinal that keeps perching on my motorhome mirror and windshield.

Peaceful and serene...until the hunters arrived this morning for target practice across the lake.
It's an interesting mix of hunters, bird watchers, ATV's and bicyclists here.

Notice anything suspect about this hunting tally?

This afternoon and tonight I'm going to the "Funkfest" music festival in Punta Gorda, then it's a little farther south, across the Everglades, and down into the Keys. Here's hoping we're not gotten by the gators!