Choctaw Lake at Tombigbee National Forest

After a long day of driving, to us that is over 250 miles, we finally arrived at our next destination near Ackerman, MS--Choctaw Lake.

  What a pleasant surprise when after we settled in to our site we found that we had good Internet.

 Then it was time for our customary toast! Cheers to Bob for finding this great site!

 We had reserved the site for 5 nights. After a little research, Bob found that there were over 700 geocaches within a 15 mile radius of our campsite! We took off in the car along a forest service road and found quite a few!

 Driving wasn't allowed on all the forest service roads so the next day we went hiking. The roads were shaded and most of the caches were not too far off the road in the woods. After about a 2.5 mile hike, we turned around and retraced our steps to our campsite.

Another day we drove into Starkville, home of Mississippi State University. Bob read a review of a Mexican restaurant that sounded like we needed to try it. He was right. We found Chili's in Starkville and sure enough there was a Mexican restaurant just next door. It was delish! I had shrimp enchiladas and Bob had a shrimp burrito. The filling in my enchiladas reminded me of Gengie's (my grandmother) shrimp gravy!

Of course with so many geocaches to be found we drove out of the park and along another forest service road where we could park and hike the closed road. We found most of the caches, but due to a controlled burn several years ago, a few of the caches were missing. We did spot this critter as we hiked.

Choctaw Lake has been a happening place since the 1930s when the CCC and WPA built the spillway. About 10  years ago, the forest service built a trail around Choctaw Lake. We hiked it several times as it was scenic and had some caches hidden along the way. This board walk is on the northwest side of the lake.

This is a view of the lake from near the pavilion.

We had a great time at Choctaw Lake and it is on our list of places to visit again as we travel to and from Arkansas.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

 Once Bob and I figured out when we would be leaving home, he made reservations for us to stop along the way. We usually don't make reservations, but we wanted to be sure we stopped at places we have never been. Gulf Islands National Seashore was one of those places! It was definitely a good find. Due to the torrential rains that pounded the area in late April, early May, we called to make sure the roads and the campground were open before we arrived. Once we got to Santa Rosa Island, it was an enjoyable ride to the campground with vistas of the Gulf of Mexico to our south and Pensacola Bay to our north.

After we set up our campsite, I was off to walk on the beach! Bob and I took a walk later in the evening and he almost caught a good sunset.

 We had the beach all to ourselves. We looked for ghost crabs, but all we saw were their holes.

 The next morning we rode our bikes to explore the park. There were several virtual caches in the park at the batteries from WWI and WWII. The first one we found was at Langdon Battery not far from the campground. We got the information we needed from the sign and then we hiked to the top of the battery.

 This is one section of the battery where the big guns were housed to protect the coast. Bob and I hiked to the top of one of these.

 From Battery Langdon we rode to Battery Worth. I climbed to the top of the battery after we found the information we needed for this step of the cache.

From Battery Worth we rode to Ft. Pickens and took time to tour the fort. The section of exposed arch on the right was blown away when the magazine containing 8000 pounds of black powder exploded! Debris went across Pensacola Bay to the Naval Air Station!

The arches in the fort were made to support the heavy guns. The shifting sands below the fort were also a problem so below each arch you see is a reverse arch to help stabilize the building.

 Upon leaving Ft. Pickens, we rode to Battery 234 and Battery Cooper to complete our virtual geocaches. Then it was time to go  back and relax at the camp site. We had ridden our bikes over 8 miles.

 That night we went for another walk along the beach. The wind was a bit cooler, but it was still a nice walk.  During the night it rained so we weren't sure what the weather would be the next morning. As it turned out, it was a windy, overcast day. We decided to drive to the fort and walk the perimeter wall.This is a view of the main fort from the wall near Pensacola Bay. Ft. Pickens is the largest of the coastal forts.

 Once we got back to the entrance portion of the wall, Bob got a picture of the name.

The weather continued to deteriorate so we returned to the RV to wait out the storm. It rained again that evening and was very windy the following day. Hmmm, we thought it would be a good day to sight see  indoors! Off we went to Pensacola Naval Air Station to tour the Naval Air Museum.It turns out this is the 100th anniversary!

 Bob and I visited the museum once about 10 years ago, before we retired. Additions have been made and displays have been changed since that time. We both got a kick seeing this exhibit.

 After touring the museum, we made a stop at the commissary before returning to the park. The wind had died down and it had turned into a beautiful day. We took a walk along the nature trail and into the next campground area which was closed when we arrived on Monday. Evidently the campground loops B, C, D, and E finally dried out and are now available to campers.

Bob took pictures of the wildlife we saw along the way.

 There were so many osprey nests with osprey nearby that we were able to get many good pictures. This is one of an osprey guarding its nest.

 We enjoyed the walk along the nature trail.

This is the lagoon/marsh next to our campsite. There is an armadillo that lives in the undergrowth, but every time we try to get a picture, he hides!

Friday dawned chilly--48 degrees! It didn't take long for the temps to warm. Bob and I drove out of the main gate and stopped at the first beach parking area at Pensacola Beach. The bike trail begins there and goes for most of the length of Santa Rosa Island. There were   geocaches to be found! We rode our bikes about 5 miles before turning around and heading back to the car. It was a great ride! Yes, we found all but one geocache. It was supposed to be located somewhere on this walkway to the beach.

 After geocaching, we returned to the car and drove about a mile back to Peg Leg Pete's Oyster Bar. We had a good lunch of shrimp and catfish before heading back to the RV. We stopped at the park entrance  to get a picture of the sign.

 Later in the afternoon we walked the trail to the bookstore at Ft. Pickens. I needed to get my US National Park Passport stamped. Well, best laid plans didn't work. The bookstore closed early for some reason and was not going to reopen until the next morning. May be I'll go back and get it stamped or I could wait until we visit again as I know we will return.

 As we walked back to the campground we spotted an armadillo near the trail.

  I also asked Bob to get a picture of Battery Worth so you could see the entire center portion where I made it to the top! Lots and lots of steps!

 Walking the path was like being in Alaska only we were spotting osprey instead of eagles! Here are two osprey in the same tree!

 We have thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Gulf Islands National Seashore and we plan to return some day. Tomorrow is a travel day and our destination is a National Forest Campground in the midsection of Mississippi. Our plan is to be there five days. We have no idea if we will have internet coverage so tune in to see when I publish a new post.

Heading Northwest---First Stop, Suwanee River State Park

After being home for almost 3 months, it was time to get back on the road. Bob and I are headed to Siloam Springs to meet Cathy and the grand kids. Have we got a trip planned for them!

Our first stop was Suwanee River State Park about 11 miles west of Live Oak, Florida.  This is the third time we have camped at the park. This time the water levels were higher than ever. All of the trails near the river and the sinkholes were closed.

 We had a great site, number 25, which was close to the bathroom. All of the sites have electric, water, and sewer hook-ups.  Other than mosquitoes, the only other annoying critter was a snake.  We weren't sure if it was dead or alive, and I certainly wasn't going to check to find out!

While we were at the park, we walked around the campground and out to the river.  It sure looks different when the water is high.

 Since we couldn't hike in the park, on Saturday, we drove west along US90 to Madison where we turned north on FL 145. Once we arrived in Pinetta, we parked at the post office and walked the bike trail south to pick up some geocaches. It was time to add to our numbers. We found all of the ones we were searching for in spite of the mosquitoes and gnats, and then returned to the campground.  Sunday, we returned to the area south of Pinetta and parked at a picnic area. From there we rode our bikes north to get more geocaches and then we rode south to get one more!  If you ever visit Madison, the Four Freedoms Bike Trail goes  just north of town to the Georgia state line, paralell ro  FL 145. Unless there are more caches hidden, we have found most of them at the northern end of the trail.

 We only stayed at Suwanee River State Park for 3 nights then it was on to our next stop, someplace new to us, Gulf Islands National Seashore--Ft. Pickens Area.

Universal Studios and Cedar Key

From Wauchula we headed north to Orlando where we stayed at Bill Frederick Turkey Lake Park. It is the closest campground to Universal Studios.We spent three days at Universal. Before the Universal fun started,  we drove to the Naval Air Station ITT office in Orlando so Larry and Connie could get their Universal tickets.

For years Bob and I have had gift cards to Buca di Beppo. We got them with the intention of taking Larry and Connie the last time they were in Florida (2010). Unfortunately, the restaurant closest to us closed the day before they arrived! We held onto the cards just waiting for the right time to use them.....and it finally happened! After much trial and error, we finally found Buca di Beppo at Florida Mall! The address on the website indicated that the restaurant should have been across the street, but we persevered and found it. Of course we enjoyed the meal and the company so it was worth the wait.

We watched the Super Bowl with Connie and Larry on their outdoor entertainment center as Bob and Larry cooked our dinner.

Our first day at  Universal, we went to Islands of Adventure. We had to visit the Harry Potter area! It was a cloudy day so the sky was an excellent backdrop.

The next day we visited Universal Studios.

We rode some rides and walked the entire park. Connie had fun with Cleopatra's beaded hair after we rode The Mummy!

At the special effects show, Connie was chosen to be the gardener.

Our last day at Universal, we returned to Islands of Adventure just to eat at the restaurant in Harry Potter's world. We got the feast for four which was a great deal. Of course we washed it down with butter beer, not the plain water you see in front of Larry and Bob!

Before leaving the park for the last time, we all had our pictures taken near the Universal globe.

We returned to Universal to meet more Boomer friends for dinner at Bubba Gump's Seafood in City Walk. We had a great meal with great company.

The next day we left Turkey Lake and made our way to Cedar Key. We stayed at a campground on the mainland--Shell Mound. It was a county park and a nice find in the area. 

Alas, it was time to say goodbye to Connie and Larry. They had to make their way west for their summer jobs and we returned home. On a brighter note, we are looking forward to the summer of 2015 when we will travel to Alaska together!

Now that this post is done, I am ready to begin our next trip! It is now May and all this fun occurred in January and February!  See you again soon!

Key West, Ft. Jefferson, and the Everglades

Bob and I took the kayaks on this trip since it was just a Florida trip. When we travel out west, the drag on the car is too much when we are sightseeing and they are more trouble than we care to manage. So of course, we took Larry and Connie kayaking. We found a great spot to launch the kayaks at Boca Chica Naval Annex.  Connie and I went out first and paddled around the bay.

Bob and Larry took a turn....

....and then Connie and Larry rented ocean kayaks so we could paddle out farther.

 After an enjoyable kayaking trip, we stopped in the Boca Chica snack bar and had lunch. Then it was time to head back to camp to get ready for our next adventure--a trip to Ft. Jefferson in Dry Tortugas. We left early in the morning to catch the ferry, Yankee Freedom III. We ate breakfast aboard as the trip took a little over 2 hours.

 Sixty eight miles west of Key West, we arrived at Ft. Jefferson.

 The only ways to visit the fort are by boat and seaplane.

  Two seaplanes were docked near our ferry.

  After disembarking, it was picture time. We had to prove we were actually at Ft. Jefferson!

We enjoyed walking around the fort and learning the history. Dr. Mudd who aided John Wilkes Booth after he shot Lincoln was incarcerated at Ft. Jefferson.
This is a view of the moat as seen from inside Ft. Jefferson . You can walk around the fort on the moat wall. A few people braved the cold water and snorkeled around the outside of the moat.

 Ft. Jefferson was a nice place to visit, but one trip out there is enough!

 We made one last trip to Mallory Square before our time was up in Key West. We caught a pretty good sunset.

 Alas, our time in Key West drew to an end and we had to play like northerners and return north. We did stop at the casino again on our way out of the Keys. Our goal was to bicycle Shark Valley in the northern portion of the Everglades. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. It was a cloudy, rainy day!

 We were able to walk about a mile of the 15 mile trail. And yes, in that mile we saw a lot of wildlife that you would expect to see in the Everglades.

 We also walked Otter Cave Trail before the rains really came down on us.

 From the casino we headed north to Wauchula, Florida and the Escapees park. It was just a stopping place on our way to our next destination--Universal Studios!