Wed, Mar 29, KOA Tallahassee East to Birmingham South RV Park, Birmingham, AL:  A long driving day today. We left Tallahassee at 8:00, well let’s say 7:00 because we gained an hour and are now on Central Time (yay!). Stopped at a Flying J to fuel up and have breakfast. This Flying J is just west of Tallahassee, so I continued driving. I drove for 3 hours and then Mike took over. We got here at 2:30 and were set up by 3:00. A really nice day today, although this morning there was a dense fog alert in Tallahassee. Thought we’d be delayed leaving, but it lifted by the time we got to the Flying J, only to reveal cloudy skies. But skies cleared and it was really nice by the time we got to Birmingham. Unfortunately, the severe weather is supposed to roll through tonight or tomorrow morning. Not sure what we’ll do. Supposed to leave for W. Memphis. We’ll see. 84 today.

Beautiful Jupiter lighthouse.

This homeless dog was living in the landscaping around the Denny Restaurant at the Flying J in Tallahassee. Denny's employees kept food and water outside for him. He wouldn't let anyone near him. So he couldn't be caught. Apparently, someone dumped him there and he was waiting for them to come back (sigh).

When we were in having breakfast this morning I asked the waitress if they'd seen the dog lately. She said they hadn't seen him in a couple of years. Hope someone gave him a home. Wishful thinking probably.

Tue, Mar 28, KOA, Wildwood, FL, to KOA Tallahassee East:  Left this morning again at 10:00 and stopped at the truck stop next door to the KOA to fuel up. Also picked up some milk and bananas. Got on I75 for just a few miles and took Rt. 27 west going through rural Florida. Glad to get off I75. There was a lot of traffic, and with 3 lanes you get people zipping from one lane to the other all the time. I drove to Chiefland where we stopped for something to eat. Pulled into a Walmart parking lot. Well, I had to back out of the first entrance I tried because the fifth wheel tires were going to hit a big curb/storm sewer. So, backed back out and tried another entrance. Had a couple of burgers and Mike took over driving. A lot of this area is big horse country. Huge horse farms with acres of lush pasture, beautiful horses munching contentedly, huge stables, and everything surrounded by pristine white or brown board fencing—all with elaborate electronic-gated entrances. Lots of money in this area. Anyway, we arrived and were set up by 2:30. Hope to get out tomorrow early to beat some severe weather heading to the Birmingham area. 84 today and sunny.

The beach on Jupiter Island.

Pelican flying over.

Mon, Mar 27, Jonathan Dickenson SP, Jupiter, FL, to KOA, Wildwood, FL:  Left Jupiter this morning at 10:00. I drove until 11:30 or so when we stopped at a service area on the Florida Turnpike for fuel and food. Mike took over driving and we arrived in Wildwood and were set up by 3:00. Wildwood is just south of Ocala and it was 85 when we got here. And it’s supposed to be in the 90s in a couple of days. But we’re here for one night only, not even unhooking. Keeping an eye on the weather north of us. There is severe weather working its way across the country. Just hope we can make a break for it in between storms. Otherwise, we’ll lay over in W. Memphis. Tomorrow we’ll be in east Tallahassee for one night. 85 here in Wildwood.

Blowing Rock Preserve--Jupiter Island

Blowing Rock preserve--Jupiter Island

Sun, Mar 26, Jonathan Dickenson SP, Jupiter, FL:  Took a cruise on the Loxahatchee River this morning—right at noon actually. They take you down river to Jupiter Inlet and then return. A pretty day for it. Didn’t see any wildlife to speak of, but a lot of nice homes. After the cruise we picked up some burgers for lunch and relaxed the rest of the day. This park is quite big, and our favorite. It used to be a US Army Signal Corps base during WWII. After the war it was ceded to the state and became Jonathan Dickenson SP. There are a lot of bike trails in here—both off-road and paved. You can canoe or kayak the Loxahatchee. Hiking trails abound, and you can even go horseback riding. And there are even equestrian camp sites in here. We stayed in one of the equestrian sites a few years ago when we met some Canadian friends here. Had the whole camp site to ourselves. We leave tomorrow for the trip home. One-night stops all the way. Hopefully we won’t run into any severe weather. Low 80s today and beautiful.

One of the homes along the river.

I like this one better.

An osprey nest.

Ricky Fowler's home. Not crazy about this one.

Sat, Mar 25, Jonathan Dickenson SP, Jupiter, FL:  Late morning we drove over to the Blowing Rock Preserve on Jupiter Island. This is one of the things I love about Jupiter Island. Even though this is home to the mega rich and multi-million-dollar mansions abound, there is still a lot of undeveloped land. Blowing Rock Preserve is one example. The beach here is unique because there are these rocky outcroppings near the water—part of a strand of Anastasia limestone. We walked a little trail that used to be A1A and then returned via the beach. I got my shoes wet and full of sand. A beautiful day for this little sojourn. Drove out the Hobe Sound entrance and had lunch at Scooters again. Back to our site and sat outside reading for a while. Burt Reynolds lives just across the road from the entrance to this park. All you can see is the gate and a drive which disappears into the foliage. His house is on the water, which is part of the intercostal. Upper 70s today with a pretty good breeze.

The beach at Blowing Rock Preserve.

The unique rocky outcroppings.

This wonderful little trail used to be part of A1A.

Beautiful man, beautiful picture!

The beach looking north. No sign of human habitation...no high-rise condos, no homes visible at all. Love it!

Love the sea grape!

The Hobe Sound entrance to Jupiter Island, lined with fig trees. Tiger Woods compound is down at this end of the island.

Fri, Mar 24, Jonathan Dickenson SP, Jupiter, FL:  Weather still iffy today, so we decided to go see a movie. Went to the Cinepolis in Jupiter to see “Lion.”. Bought the tickets on-line. This used to be a little neighborhood theater. Now it’s a luxurious, fully reclining seating theater with a full menu, waiter service and full service bar. Tickets were $32 and snacks were $40+. The movie was good and the seating of course very comfortable. Not sure if you can order from the menu during the movie or not. That would be very distracting to me. Back to our park after the movie. Still pretty windy. Upper 70s today with mostly clouds and lots of wind.

Theater lobby.

Theater bar.

Seating area.

Fully reclining seats.

Thu, Mar 23, Jonathan Dickenson SP, Jupiter, FL:  What a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was pristine, today it was rainy and blustery. Undaunted, we headed over to Roger Dean Stadium to see the spring training game between the Cardinals and the Mariners. It started raining again between the 5^th and 6^th innings. Everyone bolted and took cover inside. After it subsided we took our seats again. Sprinkling still. The top of the 8^th it started raining pretty good again. So we left. The Cards were ahead 5 to 3. Back home and stayed inside relaxing, reading, and watching TV. Happy Birthday Mr. Man!

No blue skies today!

Roger Dean Stadium--Jupiter, FL

A good game--a couple of triples and two double plays.

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