The Everglades, Florida

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Tom55555 said:
Most people say 300 miles is good.

I drove from Tampa to Cincinnati once in 18 hours which was 1025 miles; it took three power drinks.

Funny story, my wife had been sleeping all night. When we got home she asked me why I parked in such a dark area. I told her we were home, she was amazed.

It's weird when you wake up to 72 degrees and get home to 14 degrees. LOL
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I used to drive straight thru from San Antonio-Daytona Beach (1125 miles, 17 hours); Bossier City, LA - Daytona Beach, Fl (900 miles, 15 hours); Dover, De-Daytona Beach, Fl (900 miles, 15 hours); Belleville, Il-Daytona Beach, 1000 miles, 16.5 hours). I just couldn’t see stopping and paying $100-$120 a night just to sleep. I used to didn’t mind driving but I hate it now.
 
This town of Marianna, FL is high on my list of the types of place I would like to move to. A town that has everything but with the feel of being out in the boonies, with mostly nice weather.

Becoming a full timer or buying a house here is tempting.

-Don- Marianna, FL
 
It was a long drive today, but I made it!

Got here more than an hour B-4 closing.

They even have EV chargers here at the visitor center I can use to keep my E-bike charged up.

I have my E-bike unloaded and my ham antenna up. It's still nice and sunny (and warm!) here at 1715 hrs EST, being somewhat close to the CST time line.

I had to run my cab A/C when I got within an hour of here. Must be around 80F/ 27C. Let me check . . It will be above 80F/27C all week, for the peak temp.

-Don- LongPineKey, Everglades, FL
 
I expected this place to be packed with RVs. But I am out here all alone in this section of the park.

Here at Long Pine Key, at least 85% of the RV slots are empty. I see no other RVs anywhere near me. I could even be the only person here in this entire RV park. A few come and go for a night. But it seems I am the only one to stay.

But I love it here. I could decide to stay here for another week.

Will this place fill up in January? If so, now you know why I like to do my RV travel in the south around this time of year.

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
Most people want full hookups or at least electric. Try Midway. It has some sites for next week and the week after, and has electric hookups. You would also like Monument Lake, but it has no electric, although it does have Verizon coverage, where Midway does not. Some people like it because it is more isolated. Also, make sure you stop at Shark Valley on Tamiami Trail. And, don't forget to fill up with gas before you go to any of the above.

Have you been to Royal Palm Visitor center yet? Vultures there are known for playing with windshield wipers and such. There is a big bin of loaner tarps for cars and bungee cords to keep them on.
 
JudyJB said:
Most people want full hookups or at least electric. Try Midway. It has some sites for next week and the week after, and has electric hookups. You would also like Monument Lake, but it has no electric, although it does have Verizon coverage, where Midway does not. Some people like it because it is more isolated. Also, make sure you stop at Shark Valley on Tamiami Trail. And, don't forget to fill up with gas before you go to any of the above.

Have you been to Royal Palm Visitor center yet? Vultures there are known for playing with windshield wipers and such. There is a big bin of loaner tarps for cars and bungee cords to keep them on.
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That term "most people" usually leaves me out. :)

I enjoy being alone out here.

So far, I have only been to the Ernest F Coe Visitor Center, as there I can charge up my electric motorcycle at 6.4KW. But I can also do it from my genny here at 3KW.

But I will take a ride to the Royal Palm Visitor Center tomorrow just to check it out.

With my two electric systems in this RV, not having shore power is not a big deal since I don't need to run the A/C or anything. And if I do run the genny, I make sure I charge up everything that needs it. EV bike included. It's a 6.5 KW genny.

I think I could stay here for a year with no issues. There is a central location for fresh water and dumping here, and gasoline is not far away.

But where does one get propane near here? And I mean a tank on the RV. I assume propane won't sell well down in this warm area, but is still needed for refrigerators. Mine is now below a third, but it's a 16.5 gallon propane tank and the propane is only needed for my refrigerator. My RV890 GPS says the closest propane to here is in Miami, fifty miles away. And no way will I bring an RV there.

The 80 gallon gas tank in this motorhome doesn't need to be filled up very often.

I have four bars on my Version Wireless Hotspot from here. It says "extended service". But my cell phone is a PAYG, also V W/L and it does NOT work here at all. No bars, no service. The opposite from what happened in Furnace Creek, Death Valley last year.

I still have my Spot and InReach for any possible emergency, I don't need the cell service. Of the two, I will take this any day. I perhaps use a cell phone four times per year on the average. I use my Hotspot almost every day, as I am right now.

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
Try calling commercial campgrounds, hardware stores, and uhaul places in FLorida City or Homestead. When I get stuck, i also try the local Chamber of Commerce offices and ask them. You are in a pretty isolated place, but I think someone must have it because there is agriculture not too far northwest of you.
 
ziplock said:
whatcha been eating?
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My 12CF refrigerator / freezer is still full of all types of goodies. But if there is any problem, I also have an emergency stash of freeze dried backpacking meals and such that I always store in my RVs.

There are a couple of restaurants near here that I have not yet tried out. This one is the closest. I rode by there a few times but I never stopped to check it out.

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
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DonTom said:
That term "most people" usually leaves me out. :)

I enjoy being alone out here.

So far, I have only been to the Ernest F Coe Visitor Center, as there I can charge up my electric motorcycle at 6.4KW. But I can also do it from my genny here at 3KW.

But I will take a ride to the Royal Palm Visitor Center tomorrow just to check it out.

With my two electric systems in this RV, not having shore power is not a big deal since I don't need to run the A/C or anything. And if I do run the genny, I make sure I charge up everything that needs it. EV bike included. It's a 6.5 KW genny.

I think I could stay here for a year with no issues. There is a central location for fresh water and dumping here, and gasoline is not far away.

But where does one get propane near here? And I mean a tank on the RV. I assume propane won't sell well down in this warm area, but is still needed for refrigerators. Mine is now below a third, but it's a 16.5 gallon propane tank and the propane is only needed for my refrigerator. My RV890 GPS says the closest propane to here is in Miami, fifty miles away. And no way will I bring an RV there.

The 80 gallon gas tank in this motorhome doesn't need to be filled up very often.

I have four bars on my Version Wireless Hotspot from here. It says "extended service". But my cell phone is a PAYG, also V W/L and it does NOT work here at all. No bars, no service. The opposite from what happened in Furnace Creek, Death Valley last year.

I still have my Spot and InReach for any possible emergency, I don't need the cell service. Of the two, I will take this any day. I perhaps use a cell phone four times per year on the average. I use my Hotspot almost every day, as I am right now.

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
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If you set up a free Google Voice phone number, you can download the Google Voice app for your phone and make calls using VOIP (Voice Over Internet Phone) service with your hotspot connection. Those calls don't count against any minute limits your phone plan might have.
 
NY_Dutch said:
If you set up a free Google Voice phone number, you can download the Google Voice app for your phone and make calls using VOIP (Voice Over Internet Phone) service with your hotspot connection.
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Interesting. But I really have no need to make any phone calls. I may try it anyway, just to see how it works in case I ever need it. What is the name of that app?

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
DonTom said:
But if there is any problem, I also have an emergency stash
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You are funny. I believe you are prepared.

I was just wondering what good meals you have been making for yourself or maybe a good meal you ate out.
 
Also try Tractor Supply I have gotten 20 Lb ers filled in Fl, but not sure about the rig tank
 
ziplock said:
I was just wondering what good meals you have been making for yourself or maybe a good meal you ate out.
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Not much. I eat up a lot of frozen stuff and subway sandwiches and stuff like that are in the RV refrigerator these days. I also eat out a lot, but not yet on this trip because I have too much in the refrigerator to get rid of.

Tom used to do the cooking. Now that I am on my own, well, I am just too lazy when it comes to cooking.

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
JudyJB said:
Have you been to Royal Palm Visitor center yet? Vultures there are known for playing with windshield wipers and such.
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That was interesting! As soon as I got there and parked my bike, the car in front of me was having the rubber from the windshield wiper pulled out. Then it pulled out the other one and played with it like it was a worm to eat or something like that.

And now, they are even tearing up the car covers. See the photo below.

But fortunately, they have no taste for electric motorcycles.

I went on both hikes and then I took a ride to checkout the propane place in Homestead. That reminds me of the way it is done in NM. Propane not sold at gas stations, but at places that only sell propane. But they are open seven days a week. I will take this RV there tomorrow and on the way, I will dump, get fresh water (BTW, here they now they say to boil it , but I don't drink the stuff anyway). And get a full tank of gas and propane.

I took the Turnpike back. Will those cameras get a good picture of my little motorcycle lic plate that is only on the rear?

I already paid for another week here at
Long Pine Key.

So now I don't leave here until Dec 15. And when I leave here, my next stop will be at Lake Okeechobee for perhaps another week. I probably won't be back home (Auburn, CA) until springtime. carCover.JPGprotected.JPGrpsign.JPGsign.JPGtrail.JPGundercover.JPGwater.JPG

-Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL
 
They are very badly behaved birds! And they are not really eating the rubber trim or windshield wipers, they are just having fun, so they are apparently bored birds as well. (Are those vulture toys hanging behind the sign?) The ones in the photos, by the way, are black vultures. They are a little smaller than the turkey vultures we have in the north and west, and they can be identified by their all-black heads and necks. People in Florida will carry plastic grocery bags to put on their windshield wipers and side mirrors.

However, I have a bit of a soft spot for black vultures. I was at a bird sanctuary near Sarasota on a quiet day. There were two black vultures in a large flight cage. As I stood there and looked at them, one kept tilting his head as if to figure out who I was. Then he jumped down from his perch, picked up a yellow squeaky toy, and dropped it in front of me. I think he thought I was a keeper bringing him food.

Also, they are very smart birds. They can't sniff out carcasses as well as the bigger turkey vultures, and they have trouble opening large carcasses such as cattle and pigs, so they follow the turkey vultures and wait for them to open the carcass, and then join them in the feast, sometimes even taking over the carcass for themselves. Also, they roost in groups, and their poop really stinks, so a lot of Florida Campgrounds will discourage them from roosting near campgrounds by using airborne fireworks at dusk to scare them off.

The bad news is that they are slowly expanding their range north, but hopefully they will not bring their destructive habits with them.
 
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