Catching a ride

Claremont RV Park; Claremont, FL: Went to Discovery Cove today. Was supposed to be a beautiful, sunny day—but it was overcast and breezy. We got there and got oriented and changed into our wet suits and headed for the coral reef. Water pretty cold, but after getting in it wasn’t too bad. What a neat experience though. There was every beautiful fish imaginable plus huge rays. Was really fun. After about an hour and a half Mike was getting chilled so we got out and headed over to the tropical river—which was 85 degrees. That was really beautiful. We still used our snorkels and masks and swam the whole thing. There were water falls, caves, stuff on the bottom from ship wrecks, beautiful flowers on the banks. We even swam through an aviary. They certainly do a great job here. After that we had lunch and relaxed for a while. Then we went back to the coral reef. They were feeding the rays. That was pretty neat, but neither one of us could get over being chilled so after about a half hour we got out. At 5:00 we swam with the dolphins. That was fantastic. Plus the group we were in had the added benefit of a baby dolphin that was born there 11 months ago. So we got the benefit of interacting with him too. What a fun day! After the dolphin interaction we were looking forward to hot showers. But, there was no hot water (sigh).

Mon, 3/17/08

Claremont RV Park; Claremont, FL: Had the fifth wheel washed and waxed today and did the laundry. Have a bunch of computer stuff to do and then kick back the rest of the day. Another beautiful day—80s.

Sun, 3/16/08

Claremont RV Park; Claremont, FL: Drove over to see Jack and Karen Lunden this morning. Took about an hour and a half—and again the Sunpass saved a lot of time, and the GPS was great. Had a great time visiting with them. They have a great home on a canal and within walking distance of the beach. They have a nice boat and pool. Karen made us a wonderful dinner and we headed back around 9:15. Looking forward to seeing them again in May at the GE reunion in Syracuse, NY.

Claremont RV Park; Claremont, FL: Left Jonathan Dickson State Park at about 10:15 this morning and arrived at Claremont RV Park at around 2:00. Signed in and headed to our site—and there was an RV on it. So, back to the front gate and they issued us another site. Second time this trip. It seems there are two big caravan groups in here. Mike has been railing about caravan groups ever since. Got set up and the guy that’s going to replace our carpeting showed up. We picked out the carpeting we want and it is scheduled to be done on Wednesday and Thursday. We have the RV scheduled to be washed and waxed on Monday. Sunday we go see a friend of mine, Jack Lunden. Tuesday we go to Discovery Cove. We are going to be very busy while here. We’ve got a pretty decent site—under a live oak with Spanish moss—and we have a small cabin next to us, which is empty. After we got hooked up the power went out. Apparently a power line went down on Rt. 27 and then started a fire. Jeeze, what luck.

Fri, 3/14/08

Jonathan Dixon State Park; Jupiter, FL: Up around 9:00 this morning. Another perfect day. Andy and Carolyn headed out to gas up and find a place to get a quick breakfast. Couldn’t find a place for breakfast, so Carolyn offered to make pancakes. We ate at our site. I set the table and made some juice. Carolyn did everything else. Great pancakes! Then they had to get ready to leave. After they left we sat around reading. Too tired to go biking. Did some grocery shopping in the afternoon. Came back and crashed.

Carolyn & Andy

Thu, 3/13/08

Jonathan Dixon State Park; Jupiter, FL: We sat around reading waiting for Carolyn and Andy to show up. A perfectly beautiful day. They rolled in to the site next to us around 1:00 and we sat around blabbing until I had to leave for my appointment. It was so good to see them! And they not only have a dog, but a cat—a neat cat. Andy had replaced the carpeting in their fifth wheel which turned out beautiful and he built a cabinet for their flat screen TV. You push a button and the TV comes up and then goes back down for traveling. And he put in a stereo system. Pretty talented. We met for dinner at the Crab House across from the Jupiter light house and then went back and we sat around the fire talking until about 2:00 a.m. Fun.

Sunset on the Loxahatchee River

Johnathan Dixon State Park; Jupiter, FL: A cloudy but warm day today. Talked to our Canadian friends and they’ve made a reservation here and will be right next to us—will be arriving tomorrow around noon. We went out on the Manatee Queen for a sunset cruise. Saw a bunch of celebs houses—including Tom Cruise. Cleared off in time for our cruise. Had a beautiful sunset.