Misty and Worky
A short three hour drive across the Everglades and a little North, put me at Myakka Forest State Park. No one greeted me and only a couple of the other sites had people camping. You have to open the padlock yourself (they email you the pin) and then re-lock it. My site is primitive, just a clearing with a wooden table. No power, no water, just a clearing. But hey, for $9 what else do you need?
I chose this park not just for the price, not just because it is lovely, but because it is very near where my stepson and his family live. Once I got set up, I drove the short distance to the kids’ house, bringing Pub subs (sandwiches from the Publix deli) and Christmas cookies. Hung out for a couple of hours. Didn’t take any pictures because I forgot to do that. Both boys have gotten taller since I saw them this summer.
When I returned to the campsite I had to negotiate that padlock, but this time in a new definition of darkness. And stillness. So many stars.
Nice to wake up to a Florida sunrise and spend the day quietly alone in this remote place. I stayed put for the day because I had meetings—and because I am in no real hurry to get home. In between work stuff, the dogs and I took a long walk along multiple hiking trails.
The middle of the day grew hot and I ran the generator for a while to enjoy some much appreciated air conditioning. The nights are cool, here, though, so back to the silence.
I rose early the second morning, I had a long day ahead. First wandered in the misty morning with my pups. They got a little off-leash time, both days. The trails are well-marked. I keep Sassy on a leash, of course, but Topher and Ninja re good about sticking to a trail. (They learned the hard way in Nevada, when going off the trail usually means painful cactus needles in their paws. They will stop and wait for me, or run back and check on me, without me calling them. BUT sometimes they get excited about something—chasing rabbits, maybe—and then I have to be patient, knowing (hoping) they will return.
Here’s where Adrienne’s fabulous Christmas gift has changed the world. Apple Airtags. These little buttons, and their silicon pouch to attach them to the dogs’ collars, allow me to locate my three dogs the same way you check on whether your spouse has left the office on your phone. It’s awesome. If your device (or dog) is away from you, you get a text alert, even.
The spider webs fascinated me, on our walk this morning. A couple of pictures are below. Alas, I could not wander for as long as I might have liked because of my very full schedule for the day. Not only did I have a four google-hour drive to my next camping destination, I also had a lot of business to take care of on the way.
I have this notion, this goal, to see if I can get all the way home to Vegas paying very little for camping nights. This means that I swill spend many days boondock-style camping. Boondocking is anyplace where you stay in your camper without connecting to city water, power or sewer. So you boondock at a primitive site, but you can also boondock in Walmart lots, rest stops or on certain public land. Or at these fabulous places that are part of Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts. More on this as we go.
My camper is well set for boondocking. The solar panels charge the batteries so I have lights—and a plug that will run the TV but I rarely use it. The refrigerator, stove and heater run on propane. In order to use the more power-hungry things like the coffee pot, microwave or air conditioner I have to run the generator which is a minor hassle and disburbs the quiet, sounding (and starting up) much like a lawn mower. I run it in the morning to make coffee and recharge my laptop and phone, then turn it off until those devices require a boost.
Living like this, boondocking instead of stopping at campsites with “full hookup” leads to these things needing to happen with varied frequency:
dumping the tanks
refilling the fresh water
refilling the propane tanks (less often)
getting fuel for the truck and for the generator
and groceries for myself.
A nearby campground allowed me to dump my tanks and refill my fresh water for $15. A Tractor Supply store along the way refilled my propane tanks, a roadside gas station filled the truck and the generator and allowed me to quench my thirst—and a stop at Walmart filled the refrigerator.
