The morning started with a short walk with Lexie and Steve. The traffic outside our campground is busy, especially early in the morning. And it freaks out Lexie. As an alternative Steve took Lexie to a dog park to let her run around without a leash. Lexie mostly walked around.
Lexie in the dog park not running
But Lexie is getting good at relaxing:
Lexie not using her outside bed
Vicki joined a water aerobics groups this morning and will be going regularly.
Steven took a longer bike ride, same route:
feb 3 2025 bike ride
We bought a fan for outdoor use with the intent of blowing away the no seeums.
And the shower pan has been sealed to the shower walls so we can use the shower. But I think the bath house shower will still be the preferred location.
V-I am loving the water aerobics class every morning at 10 am. Really good exercise (I’m feeling it) and a great start time – I can still have time to relax in the morning before going to exercise, hot tub, swim. Steven is enjoying the daily Lexie walks, bike rides and we both are enjoying the really nice people we are meeting. Now it is feeling like camping/glamping, being in one place for 3 days and really relaxed. Great view. Cooking in this RV is so easy, I love all the storage spots, sleeping good, bed is comfy. Love this vacation.
Steve tried to take Lexie on a walk at our RV park. Lexie refused to go further than 0.75 miles out before we turned around. She is very jittery about the highway noise.
Steve washed the winter weather grime off the RV at the campsite. This took about 40 minutes but the RV now looks much better.
Steve picked up a rental car: a Ford Edge. It looks like a nice car and the large screen is great for directions. Much better than the smaller screen I have in the 2015 Prius. I took an Uber to get the rental, the Uber was a Tesla. I can understand why people love the Tesla, the display showed all the surrounding traffic.
Next came the draining of the gray and black water tanks. This was uneventful. Thankfully. One eventful draining is enough for a lifetime.
The site looks good and it is easy to relax in. Lexi definitely thinks so, she is reclining outside on her outside doggie bed. One downside: no wifi, so we are using our phones as local hot spots.
Winter Quarters campsite setup
And Vicki has spent a lot of time finding good homes for all our stuff.
Dan and Andrea came to visit in the afternoon. We had cheese and crackers while enjoying a visit. I have yet to ask him how our site compares to ‘Trailer Park Boys’.
We were supposed to go to Dan and Andrea’s place, but Steve had problems activating the SunPass we picked up. He spent an hour trying to figure out how to activate the SunPass through the internet. The obvious method, create an account and register the device, didn’t work. This method would send you a SunPass by mail in 7-10 days. But after clicking many buttons on the app, there was a button that said “Register Device”. In that flow you could create an account before registering the Sunpass.
We could have used the EZ Pass, if we had brought it. But the SunPass was $15, cheaper than paying for the tolls through the rental car company. So instead of visiting Dan and Andrea, we had another night of ravioli (we are running out of Cleveland food!)
Ravioli for dinner
V-We also discovered the no-see-ums, or they discovered us. Nasty little critters that bite and buzz and itch – we’ve tried a few things suggested by the locals. They chase us indoors when they are swarming. Unfortunately, these guys aren’t sticking to the schedule of dusk, overcast and cloudy. Our camping areas here are pretty and we’re right on the lake. They live in the grass near still or slow waters – yep, that’s us. We’re doing what we can, spraying, using a fan outdoors to blow them away, Thermacell bug chaser and my citronella bracelets. Stevens’s been slathering on the aloe vera gel for the itching.
Today our Winnie didn’t move. It felt great not having to get onto the road and driving for hours. We took our time and spent a lot of that time talking to our neighbors.
One neighbor (two sites down) has a 1999 Dutch Star Newmar. He was a fount of knowledge, and I felt better about after talking to him. He had some interesting stories and advice, especially regarding tire pressure monitors. Vicki and I are very worried about getting a flat tire, so we bought a tire pressure monitor system. And while I am driving I am getting real time information about the tires. I just didn’t know what it meant, especially after the tire pressures increased by 10 to 15 pounds while driving. Was that good or bad? What was bad? But the advice I got was that I didn’t need to be too concerned unless the air pressure started to drop quickly.
Our neighbor next to us also has a Newmar. 42 feet long (compared to my 30 feet). I thought he had been using it since August. That was partially true, they have had the Newmar since August of 2023. Newmar is a very respected, premium motorhome and we got to see the inside of their motorhome. It is also a very luxurious RV. While I am still happy with mine, I like hearing about different features and modifications that can be done to the RV. Like solar panels.
We made up for not moving the RV by having some local adventures. This morning Lexie and I took a 2.5 mile walk around the Devil’s Den grounds and to the ‘botanical gardens’ next door. We walked around a large pond area in the campgrounds that was surrounded by tropical flora. After that we walked to the ‘botanical gardens’ next door to check it out. At 8am we were very early and the gardens weren’t open.
morning hike around Devils Den
Breakfast was scrambled eggs. It is very nice to be able to cook a breakfast and clean up properly with running water afterwards.
Around noon, Vicki and I walked over to Devil’s Den proper. Devil’s Den is the name of an underground spring that is set up for snorkeling and scuba. The cavern itself isn’t very large but I wanted to go snorkeling in it. The water was 72 F, and I didn’t mind getting wet. I didn’t stay in very long, but while there I did see some fish.
going into the sinkhole areaDevils Den sinkholeDevils Den sinkhole with Vickidown to the sinkholeGetting ready for the plungeLooking for the fishesinside sinkhole showing the sunlightSteven swimming from the sunlightsouvenir shirt
The grounds are really geared for scuba diving, there is a large ‘fish pond’ next to the underground spring that has lots of picnic tables and a walking trail. The grounds are easy on the eyes. But it appears that the ‘fish pond’ will be used for scuba lessons.
The rest of the afternoon was spent talking to neighbors (see first paragraphs) and finding better homes for our cargo.
Vicki- it’s pretty interesting to have all these nooks and crannies and storage areas, both inside and outside this RV. Still trying to get better organized. We bought a bunch of storage baskets before we left but you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re living it. Staying 2 days felt like a treat. First time I really relaxed. I’m usually a water baby, but 72 degree water held me back. I’m still trying to warm up from when we left home at -7 degrees and OH at 29 degrees, Tennessee at 21 degrees, etc. Still wearing long sleeves. Picture below captured the southern beauty (and Spanish moss) in this park. The pictures of the ‘pond’ just don’t capture the immensity of it.
While taking Lexie for our morning walk I saw this old oak with branches drooping to the ground. It reminded me of the old oak in Louisiana that my brothers would climb on. The branch in Louisiana didn’t touch the ground, so we would get it moving up and down, left and right.
Old oak with hanging branches at Devil’s Den
We had planned to leave the campsite at 10am, but as I started to drive my tire sensor said I had 11 pounds of pressure in a tire. The tire pressure should have been closer to 82 pounds. So we stopped the RV for 40 minutes while I checked the air pressure and filled the tires. It appears that the tire monitor was not connected fully to the valve. And I had trouble getting readings from that tire with my tire gauges. Maybe the valve stem was blocked/kinked? I eventually got it working, reading the right pressure and believing the number.
Lexi getting ready for the road
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We stopped once to stretch our legs. We drove through Tampa (and some congested traffic) before finally reaching our campsite in Bradenton. The site they assigned us was very close to the freeway. And Lexie does not like freeways. So I asked for a different campsite, and paid an upcharge to get a site farther from the highway, and on the lake.
Winter Quarters campsiteEncore Winter Quarters Manatee campsite viewGrumpy Steve after setting up camp
We are at Encore Winter Quarters Manatee, off of a creek that goes to the Manatee River. This site is quiet and people are friendly. But the sites are packed in. The freeway noise is noticeable and does freak Lexie out a bit. One other distraction: no see-ums (if you know what those are, you know what I mean. )
Another early night after dinner. We played Machu Koro, I won this round of games. And I did flip my utilities over to the correct side before starting the game.
Machu Koro game night
All this fresh air is exhausting! Another early to bed night!
Vicki-great view of their lake with fountain. Both neighbors have permanent sites and are traveling so it’s feeling quiet and a bit private. We’re meeting really nice people at these RV parks. And seeing some HUGE, luxury motorhomes and trailers. Definitely glamping! Still finding homes for our gear, food and stuff.
I learned today that it is not a good decision to take Lexie for a walk near a freeway. Lexie and I went for our early morning walk, which ended up being about 40 yards from I-75. A noisy I-75. Lexie went into a kinda shock, trying to get away from the freeway every chance she had. And she stopped listening to me. When she finally started listening again (because the freeway was far enough away), she wouldn’t look at me. She remained skittish until we had been driving again for about an hour.
Today’s morning routine now included removing the water hose from the campground faucet. So far there have been no major problems while traveling. Lots of small problems though. The most bothersome problem is having the doors open (example: the refrigerator door) while we are traveling. We haven’t had anything fall out yet, but it is a matter of time. Our shopping list now includes tension rods that we can use to keep the doors closed as they push the door against the other side of the RV.
We stopped at two rest areas today. There was no need for gas!
The first rest area was in Georgia, and there was a large wooded area in the back that I walked Lexie in. Vicki and I had lunch in the RV: ham/turkey sandwiches and pasta salad.
Lexi at the Georgia rest areaLunch at the Georgia rest area
The second rest area was at the Florida welcome center, where we got small glasses of Florida orange juice and grapefruit juice. We also got a lot of information about items of (tourist) interest in the places in Florida we were visiting.
FLA welcome center
We got to our campground, Devil’s Den, ten minutes before the office closed. God is definitely watching over us, I was not aware that the office closed at 4:30. The route suggested by my RV Life app included some unpaved roads! Unpaved, narrow, bumpy roads. The preferences on the maps app for our next travel day have already been adjusted.
unpaved road into Devils Den
The site at Devil’s Den is very pleasant, spacious and quiet (no road noise!) There is no bath house, so we will be really using the RV’s amenities for the next two days. There are also tall trees so close the RV that we can’t open the awning. And we are parked on Florida sand.
Devils Den campsiteVicki relaxing at camprelaxing in the evening
We took out the camp chairs and relaxed in the warm air in the evening. We didn’t need the awning. Lexie was tied to the RV, she spent most of her time laying down near us.
I briefly met our neighbor. This is their first long road trip with their RV, and they are from Willoughby, OHIO. Hopefully we will talk to them more tomorrow.
Something to note: my fitbit says that I have been getting over 15000 steps a day while traveling. Most of those steps are from the RV shaking my arm back and forth
Vicki – This is such a relaxing campground. Lots of shade, pretty quiet and feeling like we’re really in rural FL. We just found out the more civilized route (paved road) actually has stores, etc. LOL. It was lovely to have our appetizers, buffalo chix dip and crackers in this place that really feels like camping/glamping.
We woke up to a very cold Florence KY with the temperature below 20. We were warm in the hotel, but the RV was cold, around 25. Our water bottles didn’t freeze so it couldn’t have been too cold for too long. One advantage of staying at the Best Western: Steve got a waffle for breakfast. Vicki had the healthier breakfast of eggs, bacon and cheesy hash browns. Lexie got to wait for dinner.
We drove south for 45 minutes and stopped at a Love’s in Sadieville, KY for gas. We had used almost half a tank, so I filled it up with 42 gallons. I am guessing my gas mileage may be at 7mpg (Rick, I finally own a vehicle with worse gas mileage than you!). And I have been traveling close to 65mph (Jeanne and Bob, you don’t want to be behind me!) for economy and just making sure that I have control of the RV. I can feel a little push on the RV whenever a semi is passing me, and it is still a beast to drive. I was tired after driving yesterday and my thumbs were cramping up.
Anyways, Love’s Travel Stop is great! I have been worrying about the air pressure in the tires, especially on the outside rear tires. The rear tires are ‘dualies’, an inside and outside pair on each side. The outside tire has the valve stem pointing inwards, and I couldn’t access it to put air into it. But the Sadieville Love’s has a truck shop in the back, and the mechanic there came out to help me with my tires. He had a simple solution of a small valve extender, and it worked great. I am feeling much more confident about traveling now that I know I can check and fill all the tires.
Sadieville Love for gas and tire fix
Our next stop was another Love’s Travel Stop at Corbin KY. We did grab some fast food. We did not go to see the Col. Sanders/KFC museum, though it was tempting (my fave old school fast food -Vicki).
The final stop for the day was at Lazy Acres RV Park in Lenoir City, Tennessee. On the way we crossed the Tennessee river and saw a huge dam. No pictures, it happened so fast. And we were ready to stop at our campsite.
But the view from the RV is remarkable. We are looking deeper and farther along the sides at the rivers and ravines. And we can see what is happening in traffic up ahead. And we can see how the highway is splitting to pick our lane. I do remember being one of the little people in my Prius, but a part of me is enjoying being on the higher side of the view.
We found our site in the campground. The site was level, so I put down the jacks just to provide additional stability. The slide-out slid out. Electric power was connected. Then Vicki started to clean up the bed from all the last minute items we had thrown on it before leaving Cleveland. Lexie took Steve for a walk around the campground.
We ‘made’ dinner in our RV too! Actually, we warmed up some cabbage rolls and mashed potatoes we had bought at our local Heinens grocery store. Microwaves are great camping tools. And we toasted our dinner with some (pre-made chi-chi) margarita’s.
A dinner of margarita, mashed potatoes and stuffed cabbage. Lexie is waiting for leftovers. She will be waiting a long time.
The weather tonight is supposed to be below freezing. We watched ‘Princess Bride’ on our DVD player, covered in blankets. We will definitely be testing our mattress warmer.
(Vicki)-We had gorgeous views through Tennessee. I was busy with navigation on my phone and couldn’t get to the camera quick enough. We’re following Steven’s brother Greg and his wife Barb’s trip through New Zealand right now and enjoying their great pictures. Need to catch some pictures of our spectacular views while on the road. The Little Tennessee River was WAY bigger than the Tennessee river and as Steven said, seeing these things from a better elevation provides stunning views. Driving through the edge of the Smokies, over so many beautiful waterways, enjoying a landscape not totally white – we’re learning to relax and enjoy the journey without racing the clock to get there.
The night sky was so clear with no light pollution and the stars put on a brilliant show. We both think one especially bright star looked red and must be Mars! We might check out a star gazing app as we’re hoping we’ll have a lot more star gazing nights on this adventure. Apps do help and we’re finding they are great tools. Steven found a driving weather app that shows weather along your whole route for the specific day and time you want to travel.
