Tuesday, June 12, 2018
It had been raining during the night so it was very humid, about 78° and overcast when we left home this morning. We hadn’t done any packing or preparing before yesterday because we are only going off for a short trip. Today, it was about 10:00 a.m. by the time we had the car hitched up to the Roo and we drove through the OTOW gate. We drove north to SR-40 and headed east. We passed the West Ocala Wellness (WOW) Community Garden, provided by the City of Ocala partnering with several volunteer agencies “to educate and provide an opportunity for citizens to plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables for their families.” There are 40+ garden boxes and all tools, water and some plants were provided when the program started in January 2016. Today the garden looks like it is flourishing and brings a smile to everyone casually passing by.
We drove right through the center of Ocala with very little traffic, because today is Tuesday, it is after morning rush-hour has ended and most of the Florida snowbirds have flown north for the summer. We then passed the Appleton Museum of Art and the Ocala Civic Theater. The museum is quite interesting and we have visited there several times to enjoy various exhibitions. The Civic Theater started in 1950 as The Marion Players and changed its name to the Ocala Civic Theater in 1970. Today it is ranked among the top thirty community theaters in the country. We are always amazed at the quality of its programs.
We passed Six Gun Plaza. The one-time attraction featured gunfights, can-can dancers and the wholesomeness of Middle America. “In its day, Six Gun Territory was a hot property. Opening with great fanfare on Feb. 2, 1963, the Western-themed attraction would draw thousands of visitors to Ocala during its 20-year lifespan. Six Gun and nearby Silver Springs attraction were among the premier stops in pre-Disney Florida. In fact, had Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 4 not intersected where they do just south of Orlando, that city’s fate might have been Ocala’s. For a time, Ocala was in Disney’s hunt for the new playground dubbed Walt Disney World.” In 1986, the deserted buildings of Six Gun were bulldozed and burned. Today, only the name remains on an ordinary shopping plaza.
We stopped at a stoplight where the huge waterslide dominates the corner of the Silver Springs State Park. Designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1971, the park offers a wealth of cultural and historical significance. “Dating back to the 1500s, Native American settlers resided around Silver Springs. A tangible reminder of their presence, a dugout canoe, can be seen resting on the bed of the Silver River. Years later, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto moved to the area. His visit is thought to be the first European to experience the park.” Silver Springs has been a natural landmark since the 1870s, was Florida’s first tourist attraction and features one of the largest artesian springs in the world. It is known for Glass Bottom Boat tours, “where guests could travel around the spring on a vessel with a clear bottom in order to view life underwater.” The tours are still available today.
We drove over the Ocklawaha River and into the Ocala National Forest, the second largest, most southern National Forest east of the Mississippi. We passed miles of nothing but forest lining both sides of the road: signs for Lake Walenda; the Robin’s Nest RV Park; some very large churches on large tracts of land and a sign: “Goldendoodles for Sale.” Someone is selling wigglers in Lynne.
Ten or more miles beyond Lena’s Seafood — for years Al’s favorite place to eat New England fried clams – we pulled into the Wildwoods Campground in Astor Park, Florida. We stayed here almost two years ago but little has changed (see our trips section for December 6, 2016). We wandered around the office, laundry room and mailbox room, looking for someone, anyone. After a while, the same blonde woman who helped us two years ago came to our rescue. She called the owner on her cell phone and he came by. Last time, we were here during “high season”, but today, off-season, most rigs are empty and closed up. The weather is really, really hot.
In case you can’t read the sign, it says “ANYBODY THAT DON’T PICKUP AFTER THERE DOG SAY GOOD BYE” [SIC].
In late afternoon, we drove the half mile or so to the Castaways restaurant and ordered two pieces of pie to go – one is strawberry-rhubarb and the other is key lime. In 2016, I wrote, “We had some difficulty deciding just what kind of place this is. The signs say it is a Bar and Grill, a Family restaurant, a lounge and bikers are welcome. I guess they want to be all things to all people.” While we waited for the pies, we looked around the place. Little has changed. We amused ourselves by reading the many signs posted all over the walls. They are following:
ALCOHOL – Because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.
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Two cartoon alligators – Send some more tourists, the last ones were delicious.
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Hang on to your husband. He may come back in style.
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If it weren’t for cocktails, I’d have no personality whatsoever.
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If you’re drinking to forget, please pay in advance.
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You are about to exceed the limits of my medication.
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Rehab is for quitters.
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Hiding from Wife
$ Bar Phone Rates $
$1.00 “Nope not here”
$2.00 “Just missed him.”
$3.00 “Just had a drink and left.”
$4.00 “Hasn’t been in all day.”
$5.00 “Never heard of him.”
(Please see bartender upon arrival)
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One tequila
Two tequila
Three tequila floor
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Hurricane Irma hit this area hard. Just a few weeks ago, an item was on the news about a woman here in Astor whose property is still underwater. These pictures show before and after images, taken in 2016 and today.
Before 2016 After 2018
By the map and by roadside signs, we are in Astor Park. However, their mailing address for Wildwoods Campground is in Astor, which is mostly on the other side of the St. John’s River. I can only wonder if the only post office is in Astor and serves both towns.
It cooled down in the evening and we were able to open the door and windows. Maddy was delighted with this and enjoyed the fresh air tremendously.
Total miles for the day: 51.0 miles.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
We slept with the windows open all night and it felt great. This campground is unbelievably quiet. When we were here before we were convinced the residents here were working people, but today we wonder. Most of the rigs here are closed up tight for the season and are obviously awaiting the return of snowbirds. Even more telling…we didn’t hear anyone leaving the campground early in the morning. In fact, it was so quiet that all night, even though we are parked well back from the street, we could hear the occasional vehicle pass by on SR-40.
The morning was overcast and muggy with threats of rain. We have driven through this area several times but never spent time familiarizing ourselves with the town – year-round population about 1,500. It was 85° in the shade when we drove around for a while, maneuvering the many canals leading to the river. The home values here are all over the board: There are fishing shacks, mansions and everything in between. You may see a dilapidated old building that looks abandoned just a few houses down from a large estate. But every square foot of the waterline is built upon. Boating is king here.
We passed Jim Bob’s closed Trading Post, “See you in the Fall”. Castaways on the River looks like a small motel and there are boats everywhere. Some homes have huge boats looming over them; there are home boatports large enough and tall enough for a full-sized motorhome to drive into. Almost all the homes on the water – no matter how large the home – have extensively built private docks. Some look professionally designed and some look homemade. 
One large log cabin style home sits on the corner of the river and a canal with a huge wraparound porch and covered dock. Boats sit in the water; hanging over the water; on boat trailers and stilts; tipped on their hulls in back yards; jacked up on homemade bases; in garages, ports, barns or out in the open.
When we stopped and I got out of the car to take a picture, a woman about my age and driving a golf cart stopped to talk with me. I’m sure she wondered at our presence in what is probably a close-knit, everyone-knows-everyone community, especially off-season. She was very pleasant. She seemed pleased that we appreciated her community. Her accent was deep South and it took a moment for me to understand her “purrrdy” meant pretty.
Some homes have strange (to us) yard decorations. This pink rooster is actually about eight feet tall. We could not get a good picture because some neighbors down the street were watching us and it felt invasive to take pictures of someone’s property.
Curiously, in one carport we saw this very old horse carriage. And what do you do with two tree stumps in your front yard? Put a lion on them.
A sign: “To err is human, but to airboat is devine.” We saw at least two ham radio towers, but my very favorite decoration is this bathtub.
Back out on SR-40, there is a historical marker. It reads as follows:
FORT BUTLER
Located on the banks of the St. Johns, Fort Butler was built in 1838 during the Seminole Wars. It consisted of a crude log stockade and barracks for the garrison. The fort was one of the military installations designed to protect the St. Johns River, which served as an important artery of communication with the garrisons in Central Florida. On the opposite bank, near the frontier settlement of Volusia, stood Fort Call.
It was past noon and time for the main purpose we stopped in Astor – the Essex Seafood Two. I have written before about the roots of this restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts. It has been nearly two years since we indulged ourselves in this gastronomic pleasure. Locals around here usually prefer the spicier, Louisiana-style fried clams to the less-spicy but stronger clam taste of the New England-style. The Essex looks a little more worn than it did two years ago — before Hurricane Irma. There used to be tables on the deck but today the deck needs attention and does not look safe. This could be any clam shack on any beach in New England.
We entered and took seats at the only available table. There are approximately 50 seats in this restaurant and none stay empty for long. A table opens up and is filled again so fast it sometimes happens before the table can be bussed. Remember, this is in the middle of nowhere with cattle grazing in the huge pasture across the street.
Al ordered the whole-bellied clams and I ordered the clam strips. There are actually over 2,000 different types of clams and clam strips are made from strips of the larger surf clams. The kitchen is tiny and it is a wonder that the wait is not longer than it is. Everyone gets fed in proper order and the much over-worked waitress, Sabrina, managed to take care of the entire room and please us all. The outside grew dark and thunder grew loud. The turnover of restaurant patrons continued through our meal and even after we left. This is one meal where we don’t even think about calories or carbs.
We made it back to the Roo just in time for the skies to open up. The rain came down with a vengeance. Our afternoon was slow and predictable – home and nap.
There is no cable TV here but we can get several TV stations with the antenna. We watched old black-and-white programs, “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-1956), and “I Married Joan,” (1952-1955). It is amazing to us what passed for humor sixty years ago. It was an early night.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
It was nice sleeping with the windows open, but when we woke up everything was sticky with humidity. I started having problems with my computer right away. First, I wanted to look back at this blog during the time we last visited Astor so I could compare some of the pictures showing the before-and-after images of the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. We couldn’t view it on either my computer or Al’s computer. It took a while to find out that the server was down for a couple of hours. That’s the first time that has happened. Then my computer decided to underline some of my writing without my consent. Back in the day when I was a programmer, I could easily go into the program and fix the problem. Now, however, with these new “user-friendly” computers, the computer itself arbitrarily makes such decisions and I cannot override the problem. It took Al hours trying to figure it out and we finally had to rewrite pages to get rid of the lines. It was terribly frustrating for both of us. We still don’t know what caused this glitch.
We took our time closing up the Roo and getting on the road because we had such a short way to drive. We drove past a state highway sign stating this is the Fred Karl Memorial Highway. Frederick B. Karl (1924 – 2013) was a powerful leader who served in all three branches of Florida government: the Florida House of Representatives, Florida State Senate, and Florida Supreme Court. He had served during WWII, was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, and was later awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart medals. I don’t know why I find these highway signs so interesting.
We passed the more than 14,000-acre Dexter/Mary Farms Unit of the Lake George Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Hit hard by the wildfires of 1998, about half of the forest is still under restoration, although mostly completed. This area is part of an extensive wildlife corridor that provides habitat vital to the survival of the black bear. From the Internet: “Over half of the forest is in natural slash pine, with some pasture, hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, and wetlands. The Lake George WMA Dexter/Mary Farms Unit is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Migrating songbirds are abundant in hardwood hammocks each fall and spring. Throughout the year, swallow-tailed kites, limpkins, and wading birds are seen along the river.” Horseback riding is encouraged.
We passed the Ocala National Forest boundary line and stopped at Barberville Yard Art Emporium. The temperature was in the 90°s but there is plenty of room across the street for the Roo to park. This place is almost impossible to describe — over two acres of kitsch. Started as a fruit stand in 1975, it has now grown to include mostly outdoor items of every size and color – glass, aluminum, metal and authentic Talavera pottery from Mexico. Everything from tiny refrigerator magnets to larger-than-life animals: horses, donkeys, pigs, mountain lions, buffalo, longhorn sheep, elks, giraffes and many more. An 8-foot rooster? Sure, it’s here. So are dozens of sun faces; plant pots of every size, shape and color; unique outdoor furniture; water fountains; frogs; eagles and dozens of unique lampposts and mailboxes. We took a few pictures, but to really get a feel for the place, check out this website, sit back and watch the slide show: http://www.barbervilleroadside.com/.
In this first picture I am standing under a giraffe and check out another giraffe sticking his head and neck out the front of this truck in the second picture.
Walking back to the Roo, several more cars and another motorhome towing a car were parked across the street in the area where we had parked. If you drive by here, you HAVE to stop, just to overload your senses of sight, color and kitsch. We waved good-bye to a life-size Betty Boop.
In what seemed like the middle of nowhere we passed the Volusia Speedway, an auto racing facility with a ½-mile dirt racing oval and next door a 1/8-mile dirt oval for Karts. I know nothing of such things, but it seems to be quite well known in the racing community.
We passed the 27,330-acre Tiger Bay State Forest, severely impacted by the 1998 Summer Wildfire Firestorm. These catastrophic wildfires destroyed about 15,000 acres of the forest. This peaceful hiking and camping area is just seven miles from the hustle and bustle of Daytona Beach.
Not long after that, after about five miles on I-95, we finally arrived at Sunshine Holiday RV Resort in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach. We had stayed here once before. Sunshine Holiday is a PA resort, so the price is half the usual price. However, they had the nerve to add an extra $4 a night for “amenities”, even though the swimming pool is closed for repairs. This type or rip-off is common in high tourist areas.
It was still early so after unhitching our toad and setting up the Roo, we drove to Daytona Beach to see what it had to offer. We were not impressed. If anyone reading this is a beach person, please understand that we are not beach people at all. We crossed over the Intracoastal Waterway to the barrier island and found that the waterway was just about the most interesting thing we saw. By definition: “The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Boston, Massachusetts, southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas.” The Daytona section of the ICW is actually called the Halifax River Lagoon.
Driving south along Atlantic Avenue on the barrier island, all we could see to our left side was a peek at the Atlantic Ocean here and there between the highrises. Miles and miles of hotels and highrise condos, some sell for over $1,000,000. To our right are low-rent motels, restaurants and uncountable places to eat, drink and buy souvenirs. We can only surmise what lay behind these places out to the inner/western side of the island. This could be any road near any big beach anywhere in the country. Even today there was traffic and traffic lights and we can only imagine what it is like during high season. We crossed back over the Intracoastal Waterway on another bridge and headed back north. We had seen enough of Daytona Beach.
As we headed back to the Roo, we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at a nice-looking restaurant overlooking the Tomoka River. Tiered steps went down to docks on the river and the weather was comfortable enough for us to eat on the porch. We were not surprised that although the view was nice, the over-priced food was mediocre at best.
It rained again in the evening but we were completely comfortable in our home on wheels.
Total miles for the day: 38.2.
Total miles for the trip: 89.2.
Friday, June 15, 2018
We had looked at several on-line “things to do in Daytona” websites before we left home and had decided on a couple of them, but they were not to be. For one thing, this Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach area is much larger than we had anticipated. If we were snowbirds and staying here for several months, driving 15-20 miles to a museum might not seem so bad. For instance, I calculated the distance from here to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Florida. It look very interesting, but is 31.2 miles —- ONE WAY! That sounds more like a full day trip to us.
On the other hand, the Daytona Flea and Farmers Market is nearby. We thought going there today, Friday, would be better than on the weekend to avoid crowds. To say this place is huge is an understatement. There are three miles of aisles! 1,000 booths. 600 vendors. Voted one of the “Top 5 Markets in the Country” by USA Weekend. Ranked 6th Best in the World by TravelChannel.com. It is covered, has fans everywhere, and some booths are individually enclosed and air conditioned. There is plenty of parking.
We chose a random entrance and were told the best shops are around the outer aisles, and “Nobody can walk the whole place in one day.” The “No paws on the floor” rule was new to us, but rather welcome. We saw the following sign.
Beyond the usual jewelry, clothes, etc., the items offered seem endless. Sheds; Helicopter tours; Western style gun holster belts; Tires; Darts; Vacuums; Gourmet coffee beans; “Whiten your smile!”; Honey, Nuts and Citrus; Palm readings; Steve’s Pickle Place; Mobility scooters; Ancient Babylon Astrology; Cell phone accessories and Reggae cultural clothing. Everything from head to toe, including wigs and socks.
No kidding – check out StevesPicklePlace.com.
There are two restaurants and nine snack shacks. However, we wore ourselves out walking and we were ready to leave. All we bought was a basket of grape tomatoes and some scented wax cubes for our bathroom light (pictured).
We ended up at Houligan’s Restaurant. The first time we ate at a Houligan’s years ago we had it confused with a Houlihan’s Restaurant. Frankly, they are very much alike. We usually try to get away from chain restaurants, but sometimes it is easier than trying to ferret out a really good stand-alone place.
The days are getting longer with the sun shining later every day, but as we get older our energy span is getting shorter. We again managed to get back to the Roo before the sprinkling rain in the evening. Our site is by the playground but the days have been too hot for children to take advantage of it. In the evening between showers, young parents stop by for a few minutes to push tiny tots on the swings but don’t stay long. Later, middle school-aged kids use the swings and climb on the boat and train structures to use up some energy, but they too don’t stay long. The ground all around the play area is muddy.
Although it may seem like we didn’t do much today, all that walking wore us out.
Saturday, June 16, 2018
The weather continues to be super hot and muggy, but our old Roo continues to crank on and does her best to keep us comfortable inside. The heat does not bother us as much as the incredible humidity.
We met a couple heading back to Maine after spending a few months here. A family from Ohio was a bit strange in that they would not make eye contact or even acknowledge us even when we were working outside just a few feet away. An odd rig pulled in and the man spoke with Al at some length. He is spending the weekend camping with his son. The rig is a small, almost square trailer with fold out beds in the front and back like a pop-up trailer. The bed area has canvas sides like a tent, but the rest of the rig is solid. We had never seen anything like it. The man told Al he bought it from a woman who seldom used it, but he knows very little about RVing or camping in general. They spoke at some length and he was grateful at some of the tips Al gave him. We have always maintained over the years that we have learned more from other RVers than from anyone else. We wish them a long and enjoyable RVing future.
We drove back the same route we had driven on Thursday and crossed over the Granada Street bridge onto the barrier island, but this time we headed north. This drive was very different from our previous drive on the island. The east side toward the ocean, was lined with huge private homes, closed up and gated. I can certainly see how difficult it would be for this island to evacuate during a storm warning. The homes are beautiful, but they are incredibly close together — just a few feet apart. The lack of privacy and claustrophobic closeness would drive me crazy. I told Al that if I had the money to buy one of these homes, I wouldn’t. And if I HAD to own one of these homes, I would insist on a helipad for an easy exit without having to face all the traffic on this tiny road.
We ate lunch at a wonderful little place called Betty’s A1A Café. Eastward facing windows line the front wall so every seat, even the ones in the back of the room, can look out over the ocean. I don’t know how long it has been here, but Betty’s looks like it has been here for generations. Without doubt, this food was the best we have eaten on this entire trip. Betty’s is known for New England style cooking. Al often asks for a taste of the New England Clam Chowder before ordering it in a restaurant. More often than not, he opts not to order it. But today he said it really does 
taste like New England Clam chowder is supposed to taste. He also enjoyed New England style haddock – a rarity in Florida. On our way back to the campground, we continued driving north through a small portion of Tomoka State Park. Some of the park scenery is what you would expect a lush jungle to look like with tall trees, thick vines and plants with large leaves and fronds. All this and ocean too.
Back at Sunshine Holiday RV Resort, I’m not sure how we would rate this campground. It is built in two circles that can easily be seen by satellite on Google Earth. However, today we looked around and saw some discrepancies. We are definitely in the low-rent district. The sites in the other circle are very nice with full concrete pads to park RVs on with side “patios” , a small cement pad with a picnic table. However, the sites in our circle are much smaller and have no parking pads. That means we are parked in mud. Our cement patios are mostly cracked and broken and the sites are unnecessarily close together.
The stanchions holding each site’s electricity, cable, and water are very different also. The other sites look new while ours look pieced together.
The better sites look like this.
Amenties? Oh, please. Look at this picture of what they call mini golf.
On top of all this, the pool is closed for repairs. And they are charging us an extra $4 a day for these “amenities”?
‘Nuf said.
Although we realize we may be in the minority here, we are not NASCAR fans. But we can’t be in Daytona without at least mentioning the Daytona International Speedway. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR. Thirty-minute tours are offered for $18 and ninety-minute tours for $25. If you are reading this blog, you have enough access to the Internet to find out all the stats you could ever want to know about this amazing construction. A few of the items caught my eye: Lights were installed around the track in 1998 to race at night and the track was the world’s largest single lighted outdoor sports facility until 2008. Developers took into account glare and visibility for aircraft arriving and departing nearby Daytona International Airport, and costs about $240 per hour when in operation. Also, repaving in 2010 used an estimated 50,000 tons of asphalt to repave 1,400,000 square feet. Its seating capacity is 101,500 seats. Wow!
We didn’t do much on Sunday. Since it was such a short trip, we did a quick cleaning and packed the car with everything except the refrigerator and freezer items. Maddy would get our attention and then just sit staring at the closed door. She did everything in her little feline power to get across to us that she wanted that door OPEN. She loves sitting by the screen watching whatever moves and sniffing whatever new smells drift her way. But it was just too hot today to obey her commands.
I looked out one time and was surprised to see 8-10 squirrels all over our site: climbing on our car, peeking in the car windows and crawling all over the picnic table. Later, Al remembered he had put the trash bag outside by the door and the aroma must have been enticing to all the nearby critters. He rescued the bag just in time before they totally tore it apart. The squirrels around here show no fear of humans at all. Unfortunately, Maddy had slept through that whole scene.
Sunday, June 19, 2018
It rained during the night again and this morning the weather is oppressively hot. The temperature is 80°F in the shade and the humidity makes it difficult to breathe.
As we drove out of the campground we passed a car with a tent set up in the rustic camping area beside the lake. There was also a small screened tent. I wondered how they slept with all the humidity, but Al wondered about alligators. Their tent was less than ten feet from the water. It is well known that most natural bodies of water in Florida hold alligators.
We returned home via the same route we had come. We drove for long stretches where the road is raised up about six feet higher than the forest floor. There is fetid water along both sides of the road and I shudder to think what is living in it. Florida has some strange fauna that creep, crawl, leap, stalk, snake and slither on their bellies. From strange insects to 12-foot alligators and, in some places, crocodiles. Panthers, bear and wild boar are common. The state has actually hired python hunters because some idiot people have released these foreign snakes into Florida swamps only to find out they have no predators. This is not their natural habitat but they have been known to kill anything and everything, including alligators.
We approached Barberville and took a small detour. We had heard of the Barberville Pioneer Settlement but have never been there. It is a Non-Profit Historical Village Museum. The mission is, “To educate and entrust the public and future generations with knowledge of the pioneer lifestyle of our forefathers, through hands on experience, folk life demonstrations, preservation and historical exhibits.” We were able to drive up to it, but a gate was across the entrance. The Settlement is on summer hours and not open on Mondays. We find the place most interesting and plan to include it next time we come this way. While we were on a back road during the detour around the Village, our camera died. Just like that. No more pictures this trip.
We passed several nurseries, a herd of sheep with a sign: “Lamb for Sale”; and the Essex restaurant. On a previous trip, we stopped at the Ray Wayside Park just to see what was there. It is a pretty little area offering boat ramps, bank fishing, volleyball, a playground, picnic pavilion and restrooms.
As we neared home we stopped at Patrick’s Auto and Truck Repair and had someone check the air in the Roo’s tires. We have had good luck with Patrick’s with minor repairs on the Roo, but we have heard that others were not so lucky. Today, one tire’s pressure was down a bit so we will have to watch it.
We were home and unpacked before lunch. Maddy did her usual jump from the doorway over the steps to the driveway. If a cat could skip with joy, that’s what she did. She doesn’t have to speak to let us know she is happy to be home.
Total miles for the day: 91.0.
Total miles for the trip: 180.2.