A Wonderful Day

Spending a wonderful day at the beach seemed like the thing to do on a nice warm sunny day in the Keys. So we packed our gear, donned our bathing suits, took the dogs for a walk, and away we go. People have been telling us about Harry Harris Park just a short distance from the campground. We decided to check it out.

Just off U.S. 1 at MM 92.5 Oceanside we found this wonderful beach. On weekends they charge $5 per person for non-residents but on weekdays its free to everyone. Ah! today is Monday, got to love free. As we entered the park we were stopped by a large iguana just sauntering across the parking lot taking its time. Not sure if he was looking for a handout, not from this gal. We set our chairs in the perfect position with nobody around to obstruct the view of the vast ocean. We watched boats come and go, watched pelicans plug into the water for a fish, and spied seagulls fly overhead looking for that morsel of food. 

The park offers a man-made tidal pool for swimming and snorkeling plus a boat launch area.

The swimming area is enclosed by a rock break wall with channels which allows water to move in and out freely with the changing tide. So its not unusual to see small fish in the swimming area. You get the same effect of being in the ocean without the waves crashing into you. The break wall is paved on top allowing one to walk all the way around.

Nope not in the water, I'm on the break wall

Susan is just having tooooo much fun

After a couple of hours we were both getting a little hungry so we decided to go to Sparky's Landing for fish tacos. We've been there before and know the food is great, the view is wonderful, and the staff is friendly.

Everything on the menu looks so good but we both decided to stay with the fish tacos since we were craving them. Part of making this place so great is the view of blue-green water, brown pelicans flying over, and the quietness.

Oh yeah, did I mention the occasional manatee swimming by. Susan just happened to be looking over the rail and sure enough a momma and baby swam by.

did you see that!!!!!!

Momma and baby manatee

It doesn't get any better than that. Our tacos came, we ate and then waited to see if they would come back but no such luck.

It was getting late so we decided to leave but not before we made a stop for dessert. The Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory was originally founded in Key West in 1999. In 2010 they moved their outfit to Pigeon Forge, TN.  Just this year they moved back (thank goodness) to the Keys, settling in Tavernier at MM 92 Bayside.  

With the exception of our good friend Nancy's Key Lime Pie this is the next best. I could hardly wait to get home.

What another wonderful day in the Keys. Good weather, good beach, nice surprises, and great food. 

...it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. we are tied to the ocean. and when we go back to the sea---whether it is to sail or to watch it---we are going back from whence we came.” 
- john f. kennedy

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Moving on down the road and further south was our next destination. Located in the Florida Keys and more specifically Key Largo, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was the first undersea park in the United States. It's claim to fame is the approximately 70 nautical square miles of reef where people come from all over the world to snorkel or scuba dive.

The park was named after John D Pennekamp, a Miami newspaper editor who was pivotal in the preservation of the undersea park. Entrance to John Pennekamp is from U.S. Route 1 at mile marker 102.6 on the oceanside. Sounds quite specific doesn't it. Well if you have never been to the Keys this is how they give directions for everything. Its either oceanside or bayside at MM so and so. From the top of Key Largo to the bottom, Key West there's 125 miles of blue-green water, sandy beaches, and restaurants galore.

A bike path outside the
park entrance

Beautiful canopy entrance
into the park

Our site

Many of the sites are a little tight and would not accommodate our rig. After some research I was able to book this one. Backing in was not a problem. The interior roads are all paved however the site itself is crushed stone. Each site offers 20-30-50 electric with water and sewer. With just over 40 sites there are 2 large washrooms with showers.

The campground with lots of tree canopy and some narrow sites,
could be a problem with big rigs

 At the visitors center a 30,000 gallon saltwater aquarium features exhibits from the coral reef.

Snorkelling and scuba trips to the coral reef are offered by the park concessionaire. If staying above sea level is your preference then daily trips to the reef are offer on a high-speed glass-bottom catamaran.

Well equipped dive shop

Snorkel Shop

Snorkel Boat

The park offers 2.5 miles of marked canoe trails through the mangroves where a variety of birds and wildlife can be seen. Canoes and kayaks can be rented at the gift shop.

  

Parks boat launch

Since we have our own kayaks, the park offers a couple of places to launch. We decided to launch near the campground and stay close to the mangroves as opposed to going into more open water. Susan is still getting use to her boat. I picked up a laminated map of the trails from the kayak rental place. They were more than happy to give me one. They also told me all the does and don'ts, where to and where not to go, and to especially and most importantly to have fun. So that being said away we go.

Happy girl

Another happy girl testing the boat
and waters

After paddling around in shallow waters for awhile we headed into the mangroves for some peace and quiet. The tide was going out which was perfect because it works in our favour on the way back.

Another fantastic day on the water

As we continue to paddle down the trails, Susan became more and more confident in her boat. She only ran into the mangroves once, literally. She didn't tip it. Lots of fun and smiles.

Canaveral National Seashore

Feeling more confident about Lulu’s health we decided to push on. With an overnight stop at Pecan Park RV Resort just north of Jacksonville, we made our way to the next destination, Seasons in the Sun RV Resort in Mims, Florida. A place we had been several times before. What’s there you ask! Well, its a great place to hang out so I can explore my favorite birding place Black Point Wildlife Trail on Merritt Island. A bonus is Canaveral National Seashore which is just down the road. 

However, our trip to Mims was not without its scary moments. We drove through one of the worst rain storms I had seen. We were stopped literally in the middle of I-95 not moving because it was raining so hard no one could see. I found out later 9” of rain fell in a matter of hours. Now I know why all the campsites were flooded when we arrived.

With the weather working in my favour off I go to Canaveral National Seashore to see the sights.

It doesn't take long before I'm doing the wow and OMG thing. This wonderful seashore is part of the national parks system so my America The Beautiful annual pass was honoured here. The park was created in 1975 and is home to several species of plants and birds. Its location is between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville on the barrier island and is accessible by vehicle at the very north or southern ends. 

A 24 mile long sandy beach, a little rough today

Beautiful butterflies everywhere

There's a paved road with 5 access points to the beach. The day I went it was windy, warm, sunny, and not alot of people around. Just the way I like to explore nature.

Paved road with nobody around

Enjoying a walk through
century old oak trees

Access point #4, looking out over the vegetation to the Atlantic

Sitting on the beach watching the fisherman fish, the brown pelicans dive for fish, and me eating my wonderful picnic lunch of tuna fish ( getting the theme of this adventure), I though it was time to move on to my favorite place to bird watch Blackpoint Wildlife Drive. This 7-mile, one way, self guided trail meanders through both salt and freshwater marshes.

Again, my America The Beautiful pass allowed me entry into the refuge otherwise there is a $5.00 fee (honour system). The drive offers several areas to stop however many avid birds pull far enough off the road to allow traffic to pass.

This drive can be a hit or miss situation. There are times I see thousands and thousands of birds, other times a few, its all dependent on the time of year. I've seen several species of wading birds, shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl, along with alligators, otters, and wild hogs. Patience is a virtue here.

Mud flats usually a favorite for wading birds, nothing today

Open prairie with palm canopy in background

Usually I do the drive at least twice. On the second time around I park the truck and venture down one of the 7 trails looking for different birds. Cruickshank trail leads to an observation tower that allows one to look out over the marshes.

Cruickshank Tower in the background

With the day getting on its time to go home and tell Susan my adventures. Another wonderful time out doing what I love to do.

Taking a Deep Breath

It has now been 5 days since we started Lulu on the steroids and she is a different dog. She no longer sounds like a Pug (no disrespect to those pug owners out there), she has some energy to walk a short distance on the beach, and an appetite that puts a Rottweiler to shame. With all these wonderful signs we are taking each day and praying she makes a full recover, with or without the mass in her nose. Time will tell. In the meantime we extended our stay in Myrtle Beach for another 8 days. The same site was available so no moving involved. Yeah baby!

Our site

With the stress in our lives diminishing slightly, we finally made time to get out and enjoy ourselves. Firstly a long, long walk on the beach was in order topped off with supper at Crabby Mike’s in Surfside Beach. This is our favorite place to dine on all-you-can-eat crab. Now that I’m feeling great I stuffed myself with the succulent sweet crab until I couldn’t eat another morsel. I have blogged on this place before so no pictures this time we just dug in and ate.

Enjoying the beach

Beautiful Brown Pelican flying by

Seeing friends that we hadn’t seen in a while is always great. We were able to hook up several times with our good friend Ranger Bob who is a park ranger right here in Myrtle Beach State Park. I would have offered him an alcoholic beverage but alcohol is not permitted in South Carolina State Parks. So we settled for coffee instead.

Each year in Myrtle Beach they have a ride along the beach for the American Cancer Society. This is not just any ride. With over 800 horses walking, trotting, and/or galloping down the beach you don’t want to be in their way. I stood for an hour on the pier patiently waiting for the horses to come my way. It’s quite a sight. This year they decided to ride south instead of north. However, there were a few that came north into the state park so I was happy.

Only a few came my way

The coastline at Myrtle Beach State Park shows a perfect example of how each day the wind and salt prunes the trees. The salt laden sea breeze carries across the shores where the salt is deposited on the tree branches facing the ocean. The salt causes the leaves and buds to become dehydrated and die which in turn produces a significant stunting of the trees. Because the inland side is somewhat protected the trees grow in a lopsided manner.

One very lopsided tree

With life getting back to some normalcy hopefully my blogging will also. Please stay tuned and thank-you to everyone for the kind thoughts and prays during our anxious moments with Lulu.

The Rollercoaster Ride

This whole week has been like a roller coaster ride and not at all a good one. I'm relaying this because not everything goes according to the best laid plans. We have heartache with our little girl.  The day after we arrived Lulu was not doing very well at all. After a short walk outside we noticed a huge bulge on her butt. I couldn't even get close to it. So off to the vet we go (Ark Vet Clinic). Her temperature was 105.2 and they diagnose a large rectal abscess. Yes, she screamed bloody murder when they took her temperature but it was worse when the abscess broke. And yes I cried a thousand tears. Taking care of people was much easier than this. The vet put her on a stronger antibiotic hoping her breathing would improve also.

A very sick little girl

The next morning after a quick outside walk we noticed another abscess on the otherside of her butt. We called the vet and she wanted to see Lulu right away. By the way her breathing is worse and she's not eating much. The heartache we are feeling at this point is indescribable. The second abscess breaks, a chest xray and lab work is done. 

Meanwhile I'm not feeling great either. To make matters worse both our computers crash and have to take them in to get fixed. With all this going on my Visa card somehow becomes compromised again so we are waiting for a new one. How do you pay for things with limited resources. We didn't bring alot of cash across the border. Off to the bank to open a cross border account. That takes up alot of time to fill out and it won't happen for 7 - 10 business days.

With Lulu's breathing not getting any better we are referred to a clinic in Charleston which by the way is a 2 hour drive south of Myrtle Beach. Away we go on Friday, her appointment is at 9:30 am. She is looked at by a great vet and suggested a rhineoscopy and CT Scan. He could not do it so we had to go to their Mount Pleasant clinic 10 minutes away. Lulu was again poked and prodded and booked for the procedure later that day. We left her at the hospital and drove 2 hours back to Myrtle Beach. They are doing biopsies so bleeding is an issue. They called later that evening, she is doing good BUT there is some sort of mass in the back of her nose. Hopefully the biopsies will tell the tale.

Back to Charleston to pick her up on Saturday morning almost a week since arriving. She is sent home with a syringe full of epineprine just in case she starts to bleed. Well, if I thought it impossible to put ointment on her butt how the hell was I going to put epi down her nose if she starts bleeding. Luckily I didn't have to.

Monday the vet calls from Charleston for an update. Biopsies should be back by tomorrow. They booked Lulu for surgery on Wednesday to remove the mass. Meanwhile my watch has stopped working. How ironic is that.

Tuesday the biopsy results are in, it shows NO cancer cells. However, the tissue shows lots of inflammation and some sort of mass. So we forgo surgery at this point and opt to treat her with a high dose of steroids. Time will tell.

Through all of this I have cried a thousand tears, laughed at the silly games she would play, and praised her for all the love she showed anyone that payed attention to her. I will keep you posted on her progress. Hopefully it will be good news.   

Myrtle Beach, SC

The big decision this year is which way to travel south. Do we go the Pennsylvania Turnpike with no campgrounds open therefore we have to boondock or do we go through West Virginia like last year. With snow in the forecast it was pretty much a no brainer. Campgrounds 1 Boondocking 0.

We left our home park in great time only to arrive at the border to wait for 45 minutes before crossing. Finally through we head towards Erie PA only to be met by snow. Typical of Erie this time of year. We stopped for diesel then back on the road. Our first overnight stop was Morgantown WV. We stayed here last year so we know where to go and what to expect. Chicken noodle soup is all I could muster up to eat. Lulu still is not herself.

Waking up to a few flurries is always nice but not when you have to drive in it. Oh well onward we go. Most of the leaves have changed and fallen which is earlier than last. The trip into Mount Aire NC was pretty much unremarkable. At least the sun came out for awhile.

With a little warmer weather we make the final trek into Myrtle Beach arriving at 2 pm to sun and the smell of salt air. Oh how I've missed it. Lulu seems to be sounding more and more like a Pug. She loves the beach so maybe the salt air will help her.

We get parked in our usual site. And settle in for 2 weeks of pure bliss. Or so we thought..... Stay tuned. 

Getting Ready To Depart

It's that time of year again. The leaves have fallen and the days and nights have gotten significantly colder. So that's our cue to be at the ready for the annual migration south. Jeez I feel like a bird. 

The rig is fixed or so we thought (that's another story), the truck (you remember Precious) is ready to go, all our appointments have been taken care of, so all that's left is to pack the rig with way too much stuff. Every year it's the same question, "do we really need this"? And every year it's the same old answer "of course" so into the rig it goes only to come back home in the spring in the same place we initially backed it. Sooooooo this year is going to be different, we are only taking the absolute necessities. I'm taking half the clothes and Sue is taking half her artsy stuff. That should leave the rig half empty. I will believe it when we are finally on the road.

The water to the park is shut off so we filled every container we could find in the park model, filled the fresh water tank in the rig, and had our last shower. So much for giving Precious a bath.

And of course someone always gets sick. Well this year it is Lulu and myself. Both of us sound like we have colds. I'm not the type of person that jumps to the vet every time one of the dogs gets sick but this sounds strange. So off we went. Some antibiotics and $150 we are good to go or so we think.

We make the last rounds, saying goodbye to family and friends. The truck and rig are connected and ready to pull out in the morning. The weather calls for rain and the dreaded "s" word. A word I can't say around Susan. 

Now stay tuned for our trip south.