Manatee Springs and Perry, FL

Today we spent the day at Manatee Springs State Park in Chiefland, FL. It was a little chilly, about 60, and dreary in the morning but by noon it was sunny and pretty! We saw two manatees, people said it was a mother and baby. They were pretty hard to see and they didn't move much so it was difficult to take a picture. We went for a nice long walk on some hiking trails in the park, Adam took his nap in the carrier while we walked. It was a very pretty walk, FL has so many interesting types of plants. We also got to see a heard of about 6 deer. 

When we got back Gregg went snorkeling in the spring. I was too afraid to go and I was certain Gregg would run into an alligator! All was good, only fish and turtles. He did get some beautiful pictures and loved it! I think we are going to try looking for some more snorkeling areas very soon. Adam enjoying walking the stairs and the boardwalk throughout the park. He was giving the fake manatee  outside kisses!

After the park we headed to Perry, FL. Gregg thinks our alternator is going so he will be working on replacing that tomorrow while Adam and I hang out in the RV park. 

Chiefland, FL

Today was a very rainy day, we spent lots of time in the RV watching Adams "shows" and got two movies from redbox.  It was our first rainy day if the trip and it went pretty well! We left Tillis Hill around noon and drove to Chiefland. We planned on spending the night in a campground here but with the rain we thought there was no point in spending the money when we couldn't enjoy it. So, we spent the night in a walmart parking lot. It was a little too bright but it was much quieter then a Flying J.
We are about to have a cold front starting with tonight. Tomorrow will be a high of 62 (burr) and a low of 30! There are freezing advisories everywhere.

Tillis Hill Rec Area

Our last day with Mem and Pep we got to spend the whole day with Mem! She brought us to the Seminole Park which was beautiful!  Full of pretty trees,  wildlife, lakes and ponds. Adam enjoyed playing on the playground, especially the stairs and slide. We had a picnic with some yummy Publix sandwiches and fruit. Adam just about ate a half of a cantaloupe all by himself! And walked around teasing the birds with it.
We decided to stay for dinner then headed to Tillis Hill Rec Area which is located in the Citrus Wildlife Reserve.

Clearwater Day 2

Today we went to the beach on Treasure Island. Since Mem and Pep had to work it was just the three of us. It had been pretty humid the past few days so it was really nice to feel a nice cool ocean breeze. We all went swimming for the first time and all got sunburns for the first time! Haha, no worries, they are not bad burns. I was putting sunblock in every hour and still got burnt! The sun here is much different then Maine.
While on the beach we saw a great blue heron fly over and walk the beach. People were able to walk really close to it and it wouldn't scare off. They are so beautiful and so big! The bird must have stood 4' tall.
We made our way back to Mem and Peps to have a nice dinner then took a walk to try and wear Adam out. It worked, he walked and walked then decided to sit down in the road when he was tired.

Clearwater, FL

Gregg spent most of the day working on installing the new ladder and rigging up a new rack for the surf board. At about 230 it was finished! We are so proud of him. Adam and I got to spend the day walking around Hillbilly Farms, playing with animals and walking up and down stairs.
Next, we headed to clearwater to visit with Mem and Pep. It was so nice seeing them after way too long! Mem made an amazing spaghetti dinner and pudding for dessert. :)

Hillbilly Farms Dade City, FL

We were so happy we had the chance to stay at a campground for the day. We got to go swimming, take hot showers,  watch tv. Adam had a blast walking around making new friends. We left the campground around noon in search of a new ladder and to continue our journey towards Clearwater. We ended up finding a new ladder at Camping World in Ocala for just $100, Gregg will be installing it tomorrow.
I was a little weary about finding a place to stay online because of our last adventure but decided to take a chance. We found a cute little cafe/bakery called Hillbilly Farms. The owners are gracious enough to allow fellow RVers to stay a night on their property. We came in after store hours but the owner opened the store for us and let us buy some food. We had some chili and gluten free banana bread, all of it was delicious! Adam loves this place. They have a big backyard and animals! He especially loves the goats and kitten.

Ocala NF and Olde Mill RV Resort

Oh boy do I have a story. ..
We found a free campsite online in the Ocala National Forest,  the same way we have found many of the other free sites we have stayed at. So, we made our way from St. Augustine beach to Ocala. Once we got there we noticed the road into the site looked a little rough, but decided to go through it anyways, hoping it would get better. Pretty soon it got really bad... The road was so narrow that trees and bushes were scraping the sides and roof of the RV and the pot holes in the road were bigger then any potholes I have seen or been through in any type of vehicle. At this point it was too late to turn around since there wasn't a place to turn around so we had to power through. At one point I thought the RV was going to fall on its side... One of the low lying trees even ripped off the surf board and rack on top of the RV. 

When we finally made it to the site it really was beautiful. It was on a lake with a nice sandy beach, we thought we would stay there for the night, since we made it in we might as well. 

Later in the day we got hit with a big thunderstorm with down pouring rain and found out that the area would have scattered rain showers through Monday. We decided it would be best to leave ASAP so we didn't get stuck in there for days or weeks. So, the way out was just as bad and as soon as we thought we were in the clear we came across a huge puddle! Gregg walked through it a few times to see where the most shallow parts were and then we gunned it across. We made it through but on the other side hit a low lying tree (again) that took out the rest of the rack and the ladder. Once we hit dry land again we had to reattach the surfboard to the back of the RV where it stuck out the sides by about 6" and we had to pick up all the pieces of the ladder and rack and shove them in the RV until we could find something to do with them.

We made our way to the closest campground which ended up being Olde Mill RV resort in Umatilla, FL. When we got here we found out they were having a country dance and had free beer and drinks, exactly what we needed after a stressful day.  Adam had fun dancing and all the retirees had fun watching him run around. It ended up being a really nice night, everyone was so nice and welcoming. It was our first time in a campground on this trip so we enjoyed the electricity, water, and wifi!

We also got a plant for the RV, its an air plant and we named him Jordan. :)

Saint Augustine Day 2

So we spent the night in a vacant lot right by the ocean last night with no issues! I think we will stay here again another night.
Today we went into downtown st augustine, the oldest European settlement in the US. We stood in awe of the beautiful buildings and architecture. It was originally a Spanish settlement and you can see the influence in the architecture. We were able to walk inside of the old Ponce De Leon Hotel, which is now Flagler College. Then we walked around little shops throughout the downtown area and eventually made it to Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. Unfortunately, we couldn't go in the national monument because we forgot our pass in the RV... but adam had a fun time walking around the outside and saying 'HI' to everyone.
Then we parked the RV back at our spot by the beach and sat out by the water for a bit. Adam and Gregg already have tan lines, it will be a while before mine start to show... If at all.
We have really enjoyed our stay here, it's a great place for adam to play and run around. We are considering staying for another day.

Saint Augustine, FL

We finally made it to Florida, and it got up to 80 today! We drove straight to the beach when we got into town. St augustine beach is a huge beach with a pier and a playground with water fountains to play in. Adam was a little afraid of them at first but with a little encouragement he finally started playing in them. Gregg got a chance to surf,  for the first time in months.
Today is our anniversary so I roasted a chicken and made sweet potatoes and a salad for dinner. One of Gregg and Adam's favorite meals. 
We are going to stay in the parking lot right next to the beach over night tonight.  We can hear the ocean as we fall asleep.