Short Stay at Lithia Springs

Wednesday and Thursday
March 4 and 5, 2015
Lithia Springs Park
Lithia, Florida

 

WEDNESDAY

 

 Because we were so busy yesterday with the repair, groceries and trying to get out to get a first come first serve site at Lithia Springs, we didn’t get to stroll around the open RVs on acres of Lazydays 126 acre property. 

Since we are not that far away, today we decide to go back to Lazydays to do that and to hear a seminar on caravaning to Alaska.  Not that even if we could go to Alaska we’d ever caravan.  Too many people, too structured and not enough time spent in the National Parks for me.  Alaska is something I doubt we will ever be able to do, given David’s medical situation,  but I want to hear what they have to say just for fun and after that see the RVs open for looking.

Before we leave, on my walk around Lithia Springs early this morning, I go down to the boat dock to check out the river.   Wow is it up and flowing.  We thought we might kayak it.  Maybe not.  To kayak you either need to paddle downstream with the river  and get a shuttle back or, as we have always done, paddle up stream as far as you like and come back with the river.   It’s never been a difficult paddle but it definitely would be today.  The river is so high the steps down to your boat are under water.

 

 

 

The river is WAY up and moving swiftly down stream.  No kayaking here.

 

 

The spring has been closed  because the river is so high it has backed up into the spring.   As you can see, this spring has been turned into a bit of a swimming pool.  It is the main spring and the spring run goes off to the left and out to the river.  The secondary spring has been left totally natural.

 

 

I walk on to the second spring area.  I am surprised to find no wading birds. Guess the water is too deep. In times past we have always seen a number of birds here.The gauge shows it to be at 11.20 feet. I wonder what the high water mark was.  The stick goes to 20 feet.   I’ll watch it and see how it drops over the next few days. 

 

 

 

 

 

We leave for Lazydays to be on time for the 11:00 seminar and find that these Caravans organized by Fantasy RV Tours are very complete.  They provide all the campgrounds,  many meals including the tips, some excursions including the tips and all bridge or ferry fees.   You pay for your gas of course, your groceries and any shopping you do.   The caravan is limited to 20 rigs and 2 wagon masters.  The catch of course is that they are VERY expensive at least to me.  To take a 59 day tour staring in Coeur D’Alene, ID beginning June 7 and ending Aug 4th is $10,795 for one rig two people.  They have a pretty heavy singles price in my mind since it is only $2,000 less than the price for a couple.  

The most interesting thing we learned here was that also do caravans over seas which include the rental of the RV.  They go to South Africa, Russia, New Zealand and Australia and are planning a new one to Vietnam for 2016.  RVing in Vietnam.  Now there is a thought.   They also do tours and what they call rallies all over this country.  For instance, 6 days at the Rose Parade, 9 day Mardi Gras Carnival, 7 day Washington D.C., 7 day Kentucky Derby Rally and on and on.   Still, it’s clearly not for me.

After that hour, we go outside and take a look at the new Brave.  Cute I think.  I actually like the color.  I wasn’t crazy about their BRIGHT yellow that I had seen before.  Very retro inside and out.

 

 

 

 

The only other things that catch my eye are small RVs.  The go to Alaska type.  I’m dreaming of buying a used something small for an Alaska trip and giving Winnona a summer off.   Dreams are good I tell myself even if, because of David’s health, they are unlikely.

I love the 25’ Born Free except for its lack of screened windows.  Everything about it is top notch.  I just don’t see why they made the screened in parts of the windows so small that you would be forced to run the AC more often than I like in such a small space.  In Alaska this probably is not a problem but I think it would be in many other places.  Possibly tough boondocking without a lot of free flowing air.  You would sleep over the cab or have to put the sofa bed in and out every day and make and unmake it.  But it’s a real quality rig.

 

 

In addition to the gorgeous wood in the Born Free, I love the two ‘open on both sides’ pantry pull outs. I pull one out for the photograph. This is a design every coach should copy in my opinion.   Winnona has two floor to ceiling pantry pull outs and even though they are open on only one side they are just wonderful.

 

 

There are very few windows in the Born Free and this is the largest.  I wonder why they didn’t make it a slider?

 

 

 

I also like the even smaller 23 foot Minnie Winnie.  It has many more and much better windows which help greatly with its feeling of being light and bright.  Though the wood used is not as fine as the Born Free,  it is light so the coach does not look as dark as most of the other ones we see. 

The lay out is great and it has a dedicated bed you neither have to climb into or make up every day. I try it out. Very comfy.  The Minnie Winnie would be my favorite if it had not been designed by someone who was clearly 6 feet tall.   What was Winnebago thinking?  Women do most of the cooking and clothing care.   I know the average height of humans has increased but this is ridiculous.

 

 

Many and nice windows.

 

 

Not sure even someone as tall as 5’4” could see in these two easily.   Who wants to constantly have to move a stool around so frequently?

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY

 

On my morning walk I admire the beautiful tree in the day use spring parking lot. I just love Florida’s Live Oaks.   At the end of my walk, I stop by the office.

 

 

We have come to the Tampa area for several doctor appointments and have scheduled to have Winnona washed and waxed while we are here by Fantasy Car Mobile and RV Detailing.   They have done it for us before and we found their work to be excellent and their price reasonable.  

We’ve made an appointment for Monday but when I stop by the office to ask what he should do when he comes, I’m told that they will have to check.  Throughout the day, his one checks with that one who has to check with another one who checks with the head county guy and we hang around to find out what the problem is.

Late in the afternoon the park manager comes by to tell us that we will not be allowed to have a private contractor come onto county property for this purpose even though he is totally self contained.  

Now what to do?   We were lucky to get this site at the last minute.  Apparently we will have to find a private park that will allow this or cancel the appointment.   So we call Gary to see what he can suggest and begin hunting for where we can go. Of course going anywhere on a week-end including Friday is even more impossible.

One bright spot in this day is some friends we met through Bill and Nancy have come to join us here at Lithia Springs.  David and Sharon bought a beautiful Hartland 5th wheel at the Tampa RV Show in January and are back in this area to pick it up at the end of this month.  Currently they are traveling in an absolutely darling little 21 foot trailer.  But they are now full timing and moving up to the big time.  LOL  

We are so happy to have had them join us here and had hoped to spend a week enjoying their company.  But now it looks like we will have to make an unexpected move.

Looking for all the bright spots to offset todays aggravation, David checks the hydraulic hose which seems not to be leaking and to have no additional problems.  Whew!

Even with this wonderful life style, life seems to be much more complicated than it used to be.   I wonder now how in the world we did everything we used to do when we were working, farming, raising Carrie and tending to insurance, vehicle repairs, maintenance, a house just to name a few .  Or is this just me in my curmudgeon state?