Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Disney’s Fort Wilderness RV Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL


Date of Stay:  Wednesday January 23 - Wednesday January 30, 2013 (7 nights)

Rate:  $66/night

Website:  Disney's Fort Wilderness RV Resort
   4510 N Fort Wilderness Trail
   Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
   407-824-2900

Description:  This is Walt Disney World where “dreams come true!”  Huge resort with paved roads and pads.  Wooded and a bit close together, FHU 50A.  Great place to ride bikes.  Several pools throughout the resort.  Laundry in the bathhouse.  We were in site 1612 which is on the easy side of a curve to back into.  Ferry ride to the Magic Kingdom and Monorail there to other Disney Parks.  Nice free public transportation to get around.

Activities:  We’re at Disney World!  We met up with friends Dan, Tricia, Bill, Nancy, Bruce and Laura for a great time!  Our sites were all together but we didn’t hang around camp very much.  Neither Gin nor I had been to Disney since we were kids in the 70’s so it was nice to go with folks that really knew their way around!  I had received a surprise e-mail a few days before our arrival from Terrie who I used to work with.  She’s retired and enjoys rving too.  Anyway, we visited with her and Mickie, Jackson and Cathy for a small world moment.
   We tried to pace ourselves by relaxing the first day, soaking up Magic Kingdom the next, relax a day (pool time), a day at EPCOT, relax a day then travel.  It was nice in theory but the last day at EPCOT was a marathon day and just about did Gin in.  The night before we were scheduled to leave, Gin got extremely sick.  I took her to the hospital the next day and extended our stay.  Disney was very understanding and gave us a complimentary night since she stayed in the hospital to get rehydrated.  Then I got sick and had to extend another day (usual charge).  Other than that, we really enjoyed the rides, ice cream, parades, characters, fireworks, people watching and best of all, friends!

Trash and Recycle:  Trash cans and recycle containers about every three campsites.

Fort Wilderness site 1612  Fort Wilderness site 1612

Disney characters pose with a young couple  Parade characters
Parade characters
Disney Characters

Song and Dance parade at Magic Kingdom  The parade begins!
A Dream Come True Parade  Parade float
Parade at Magic Kingdom  Ciderella float
Parade float  Nancy becomes a kid again watching a parade
Beautiful floats in the parades                     Nancy becomes a kid again here


Gin and Syl  Bill, Laura and Bruce
Enjoying rides   Gin and Syl                       Bill, Laura and Bruce


P1000761  Steamboat Willie at Disney
Mickey and Minnie topiary  The Group at EPCOT

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hillsborough River State Park, Thonotosassa, FL


Date of Stay:  Thursday January 17 - Wednesday January 23, 2013 (6 nights)

Rate:  $13/night (Gin’s disabled FL resident discount)

Website:  Hillsborough River State Park (FL)
   15402 US 301 North
   Thonotosassa, FL 33592
   813-987-6771

Description:  Old paved roads and dirt pads in need of updating.  Water and 30A in a wooded location close to Tampa.  One site was actually in the process of the updating but parking can be an issue for big rigs at times.  Some sites here do have 50A.  On the clear, spring fed Hillsborough River.  We were on site 33 right next to the canoe launch.  Other facilities in the park include a large swimming pool.  The canoe rental and launch near the store is nice.  Several nice nature trails with a suspension bridge over the river.  Dump station is a tight turn for big rigs.  Laundry at the bathhouses.

Activities:  Tricia and Dan met us here and me hung out with Nancy and Bill the first evening. They were leaving the next day.  T and D joined us for the Super RV Show in Tampa at the State Fairgrounds.  We all enjoyed some meals at the Crown Club at Lazy Days.  The river is a nice place to paddle but we had done that the previous year.  This trip was more about hanging with friends, shopping and strawberries from Plant City.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster and complete recycle bin at the exit of the cg loop.

Hillsborough River State Park site 33  Hillsborough River State Park site 33

Hillsborough River reflections  Hillsborough River reflections
Bend in the river

Canoe launch in campground
Canoe launch right beside our site

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Silver River State Park, Ocala, FL


Date of Stay:  Thursday January 3 - Thursday January 17, 2013 (14 nights)

Rate:  $13/night (Gin’s disabled FL resident discount)

Website:  Silver River State Park (FL)
   1425 NE 58th Ave.
   Ocala, FL 34470
   352-236-7148

Description:  Paved roads with sand/pea gravel pads.  We were on site 44 which was 30A and water but there are several sites that have 50A.  Laundry at the clean bathhouses.  Quite wooded here but we got our dish to work.  Nature trails and nice museum/education center with a cracker period homestead.  There is a canoe launch on the spring fed Silver River and a private attraction at the headsprings that has glass bottom boats.  The State is in negotiations to buy it.  Signs of feral hogs within the park.  Lots of wildlife on the river but the unique attraction here is the Rhesus monkeys.

Activities:  Bill and Nancy joined us here for a few days.  We all enjoyed a paddle up to the headsprings in our SeaEagles.  Since the canoe launch is about a mile from the campsite and half of that is on a nature trail, Gin fixed a pvc trailer for ours to be pulled behind a bike.  It worked nicely and people asked about it.  Al and Karen visited one day and we all went for another paddle.  There’s just so much wildlife on the river so it’s a great way to spend the day.  There’s lots of birds and turtles and even alligators, but the main attraction is the Rhesus monkeys that live here.  I enjoyed a ranger led nature hike and also a presentation by an older gentleman (80’s) who grew up in the area.  It reminded me of the stories my parents told of their youth.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster near the bathhouse with recycle bins there too.

Silver River State Park site 44  Silver River State Park site 44

Bill and Nancy on Silver River  Nancy and Bill
Bill and Nancy enjoying the river

Glass bottom boats
Glass bottom boat  Glass bottom boat
Glass bottom boats at Silver Springs attractions

Male and female wood ducks on Silver River  Love the wood ducks!
Wood ducks
Moorhens  Yellow-crowned Night heron
Birds on the bank of the Silver River

Silver River turtles  Silver River turtles
Turtles and Heron  Turtles on a log
Turtles Galore!!

Silver River alligator  Alligator on Silver River
Baby gators on Silver River
Gators and the next generation

Rhesus monkey at Silver River  Rhesus monkey on Silver River
Rhesus monkey on Silver River  Protective mother
Rhesus monkeys and the next generation

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Cedar Key RV Resort , Cedar Key, FL


Date of Stay:  Sunday December 23 -Thursday January 3, 2013 (11 nights)

Rate:  $27/night (PPA and Good Sam helped)

Website:  Cedar Key RV Resort
   11980 SW Shiloh Road
   Cedar Key, FL 32625
   352-543-5097

Description:  Initially reviewed here.

Activities:  We stayed on Dan and Tricia’s site our first 8 nights and then moved over to site 83 for the last 3 nights.  This was our first Christmas on the road and since we felt so confortable here before, we knew we had to return.  Too cold to enjoy the pool but the clubhouse had a great Christmas dinner (Gin and I got CK RV Resort mugs).  D and T made it down here from NC just in time for the New Years party in the clubhouse.  No pictures of that but karaoke was fun!

Cedar Key RV Resort site 76 (Dan and Tricia's)  Cedar Key RV Resort site 76-Tricia and Dan's
Tricia and Dan’s site 76… nicely landscaped

Cedar Key RV Resort site 83  Cedar Key RV Resort site 82
Site 83 is a drive in that over looks a retention pond
Retention pond in front of site 82