Change of Scenery

Lutz, Florida

We took a drive over to Hillsborough River State Park  yesterday.  It is one of our favorite campgrounds, and is close by.  We want to move, but still  be close to the Veterinarian,  just in case.

It’s a great state park and we have some wonderful memories from past camping trips there.  There is a nice 2.2 mile loop around the park which is great for wildlife viewing.  There are numerous trails through the woods and along the river and of course there is kayaking on the river.  They also have a huge pool, and a little restaurant nearby. 

We were not sure we could get the “Big Guy” (new motor home) into the campsites, so we decided to take a drive over and see if we would fit.

We had no trouble getting in with our 32 foot motor home, but we had our doubts on the new one.  That extra 9 feet can make a big difference.

We came to the conclusion that we can make it in.  There are quite a few sites that are plenty big and should be easy enough to get into.  The only issue is one curve in the road with pine trees on each side.  We will have to be careful when we turn that corner.  Our friends were just there in their motorhome which is I think 36 feet, so we should be fine.  I think we’re still just a little nervous about it and once we park it a few more times, we’ll be more comfortable.

The sites are beautiful with lots of trees and privacy.  Everything is green and lush and  lots of  wildlife.

We doubt we will get a signal for our satellite, and there is no sewer hook-ups, but it’s still a great campground and we’re anxious to go.  

We plan on leaving tomorrow. We hope to get site number 96.  It’s a non reserveable site and provided no one is there tomorrow, we can have it.  We have also picked out  a few other back up sites. 

The mosquitos were pretty thick, probably due to all the rain we’ve been getting.  I guess that’s one negative thing about a woodsy campground.

We stopped at Wal-Mart and picked up a Thermacell mosquito repellent.  I have heard from several people that they work well to keep mosquitos at bay from your campsite.  It’s supposed to cover an area up to 15’ by 15’.  It was $22.88.  A friend of mine also told me that if you put a little Obsorbine Junior  on your body, it repels mosquitos very well too.  You just need to put a strip on your leg, arms and forehead and it keeps the mosquitos away.  We’ll see.

We are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Irene, but all the reports are keeping it well offshore of Florida.   It will definitely stir up the waters on the east coast of Florida, so kayak diving wouldn’t be very good right now anyway.  Sometimes these storms stir up hidden treasure.   There were a lot of ship wrecks  (Spanish Galleons) along the east coast of Florida and people have found some very valuable things.  Al has a metal detector, so that’s something fun to do….if we are ever able to leave the Tampa area.