Zolfo Springs, FL - Pioneer Park - 01/22/18

January 22, 2018 – Monday
Pioneer Park Campground
Zolfo Springs, Florida

We spent a time at EG Simmons County Park, now we move on to Pioneer Park, a county park in Zolfo Springs. All campsites at this park are first-come-first-serve and we had no problem securing a suitable campsite from the many campsites available.

Pioneer Park is located in Hardee County at the northwest corner U.S. Highway 17 and S.R. 64. The park is bounded on the north by the Peace River (popular with canoe and kayak enthusiats) and to the south by S.R. 64. On the west side of the park is a manmade 8.5 acre lake and a wildlife refuge. Fishing is allowed on the lake and the river and visitors can tour the wildlife refuge center for a $2.00 fee. The road winding through the park is a popular area for walking enthusiats. On the east side is a Pioneer Village restoration and Cracker Trail Museum.

We have camped at Pioneer Park during our past winter visits to Florida and always enjoy our camping experience here. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of buzzards that gather here each winter and roost in the trees adjacent to the Peace River. Every morning between 9:00 am and 10:00 am they depart, soaring in a circular fashion, as they catch the warming thermals under their long, extended wings. The thermals carry them ever higher into the sky and out of sight as they disperse to unknown regions throughout central Florida. Then, at around 4:00 pm they return in scattered flocks, slowly winding their way in a circular fashion to ever lower altitudes. After circling for extended periods of time, they locate a branch on their favorite tree to roost for the night. As the branches on the trees fill up, late comers attempt to dislodge some of the earlier arrivals. Eventually, all of the buzzards have returned and found a suitable roosting site. It is quite an entertaining spectacle to witness these daily events.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Ruskin, FL
Departure Time: 10:45 am
Arrived: Zolfo Springs, FL
Arrival Time: 12:05 pm
Miles traveled: 58

Campground: Pioneer Park
Type: Hardy County Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.73900 N
Longitude: 088.46600 W

Camping Fee: $107.00 per week (no discounts for seniors)
Campsite: 19
Campsite Hookups: Electric and Wate
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-3 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-3 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent
 

Ruskin, FL - EG Simmons SP - 01/08/18

January 8, 2018 – Monday
EG Simmons County Park
Ruskin, Florida

We enjoyed our visit to Cedar Key, Florida over the weekend. We had our obligatory “World Famous Clam Chowder” at Tony's Seafood Restaurant (one of our favorite places here). We visited one of the local fish shops and purchased some fresh fish to make fish tacos (they were so good – no leftovers!).

We travel further south, following the gulf coast, to EG Simmons County Park in Ruskin, Florida. Fortunately, all campsites are first-come-first-serve and we had no problem selecting one to our liking from several available.

There are two campgrounds at EG Simmons County Park: East and West. We prefer the more spacious campsites in the East Campground.

EG Simmons County Park is close to Sarasota (39 miles) to the south and Tampa (29 miles) to the north which is an easy drive to visit both places. In Sarasota we enjoy visiting the Ringling Brothers Circus. In Tampa we enjoy visiting Ybor City and dining at the many fine Cuban resturants that encompass this area.

Just a short drive north of EG Simmons County Park, seven miles on US-41, is the Manatee Viewing Center (6990 Dickman Rd, Apollo Beach, FL). It is located just south of the Teco Big Bend Power Station. Manatees hang out along the warm water discharge canal from the power station when the Tampa Bay water gets too cold. The viewing season runs from November 1 to April 15, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

There are sometimes sand flies (no see ums) at EG Simmons County Park. They are a family of tiny biting flies that can be quite pesty at times. They are often just as much of a pest as mosquitoes. They are attracted to carbon dioxide, therefore, CO2 mosquito traps can be used to attract and kill them. We have found Avon Skin-So-Soft to be an effective deterrent to these tiny pests. Fortunately, on this visit we did not encounter a problem with them.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Cedar Keys, FL
Departure Time: 10:40 am
Arrived: Ruskin, FL
Arrival Time: 2:20 pm
Miles traveled: 160

Campground: EG Simmons
Type: County Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.73900 N
Longitude: 088.46600 W

Camping Daily Fee: $18.00 (includes small discounts for seniors)
Campsite: 76 – East Campground
Campsite Hookups: Electric and Wate
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-2 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-2 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent
 

Cedar Key, FL - Shell Mound CP - 01/05/18

January 5, 2018 – Friday
Shell Mound County Park
Cedar Key, Florida

We spent an enjoyable three days in Panama City Beach, Florida visiting with my son and his family. Its always nice to get together on our biennial visits with them.

We depart Panama City Beach for the gulf coast of central Florida. On this leg of our journey we visit Cedar Key while we camp at Shell Mound County Park. We enjoy visiting this area whenever we visit Florida.

Shell Mound is a pretty decent county campground located nine miles from Cedar Key. It can get noisy at times when fisherman launch their airboats to go clamming (early morning), and upon their retun (late afternoon).

Sand flys (no see ums) are usually abundant at Shell Mound, so proper protection is required when you venture outdoors, especially in the evening! They are a family of tiny biting flies that can be quite pesty at times. They are often just as much of a pest as mosquitoes. They are attracted to carbon dioxide, therefore, CO2 mosquito traps can be used to attract and kill them. We have found Avon Skin-So-Soft to be an effective deterrent to these tiny pests.

Cedar Key is an island city off the northwest coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 702 according to the 2010 census. It's noted for Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge, a group of small islands with trails and rich birdlife. Cedar Key is a popular fishing and clamming area.

We will spend three days on this visit to Cedar Key.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Panama City Beach, FL
Departure Time: 8:15 am
Arrived: Cedar Key, FL
Arrival Time: 2:25 pm
Miles traveled: 285

Campground: Shell Mound
Type: County Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 29.20900 N
Longitude: 83.06300 W

Camping Daily Fee: $15.00 (cash only – no discounts seniors)
Campsite: 1
Campsite Hookups: Electric, Water
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-2 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-2 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent
 

Panama City Beach - St Andrews SP - 01/02/18

January 2, 2018 – Tuesday
St. Andrews State Park
Panama City Beach, Florida

We spent a restful night at the Blackwater River State Park in Holt, Florida. We get off to a late morning start and arrive at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida without incident. This is a popular state park, with all campsites by reservation only. Did I mention we never make reservations! On our past visits to this state park we were usually successful in finding a campsite that had not been reserved. On this visit we are fortunate to snag campsite #15 for two nights and campsite #8 for one night for our three-day visit.

St. Andrews is a 1,200-acre park located three miles east of Panama City Beach. Well known for its sugar-white sands and emerald green waters, this former military reservation has over one-and-a-half miles of beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and Grand Lagoon.

Panama City Beach is a waterfront town in northwest Florida. The population was 12,018 according to the 2010 census. It is a popular vacation destination that an estimated 17 million people each year. The influx of college students celebrating spring break in March swell the population to about 250,000.

We will spend three days in Panama City Beach while we visit with our son and his family.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Holt, FL
Departure Time: 10:00 am
Arrived: Panama City Beach, FL
Arrival Time: 12:40 pm
Miles traveled: 104

Campground: St. Andrews
Type: State Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 30.13772 N
Longitude: 85.73971 W

Camping Daily Fee: $28.00 (no discounts for out-of-state seniors)
Campsite: 8 (1 night), 15 (2 nights)
Campsite Hookups: Electric and Water
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-3 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-3 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent
 

Holt, FL - Blackwater River SP - 01/01/18

January 1, 2018 – Monday
Blackwater River State Park
Holt, Florida

We really enjoyed our three-day visit to New Orleans ringing in the New Year (12/29/17 – 12/31/17), We depart New Orleans on a crisp, sunny morning for Florida, where we will escape the brutal winter weather back home in Illinois. We look forward to basking in the warm weather in southern Florida..

Our first layover in Florida will be Panama City Beach (329 miles) to visit with our son and his family. As late afternoon approaches, “Navigator Sharon” consults our Allstays Camp and RV app
and finds Black River State Park is nearby. She enters the gps coordinates into our Garmin Nuvi and it faithfully directs us to our destination. We will spend one night here.

Blackwater River State Park is a very scenic area, spanning 600 acres. The Blackwater River is considered one of the purest sand-bottom rivers in the world. The river has been designated a Florida canoe trail, with the last two miles located within the park. Canoeing, kayaking, camping and picnicking are popular activities in the park along with strolling through the park's forested nature trails.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Braithwaite, LA
Departure Time: 10:45 am
Arrived: Holt, FL
Arrival Time: 3:20 pm
Miles traveled: 231

Campground: Black River
Type: State Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 30.70994 N
Longitude: 86.87937 W

Camping Daily Fee: $22.40 (no discounts for out-of-state seniors)
Campsite: 15
Campsite Hookups: Electric, Water & Sewer
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-3 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-3 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Fair (trees blocking southern sky)