Sunday January 30th 2022

Today was a sunny day with very little wind that allowed the temperature to climb into the high fifties. Some locations in the area may have even broke the sixty mark after starting the day at an unseasonable below freezing temperature.

With all the warnings on the news about a “hard” freeze, I disconnected my outside water hose before going to bed last night. I don’t think it was really needed. The outside temperature in this area was probably only below freezing for a short period of time and the water line had the benefit from some of the heat maintained by my RV. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Knowing how to react to the hype generated by the local media is a challenge. Having detailed local knowledge to temper the news reports would be helpful, but not generally available in this lifestyle.

On my first walk of the day it was clear that a freeze or very hard frost had occurred. All of the blossoms and green ground level foliage left after last Monday mornings frost were now either black or gone completely. In some areas the brush looked lifeless. It will be a few weeks before the leaves and blossoms return. The warming trend is already in the forecast for later in the week. It appears the weather pattern is switching away from the below normal temperatures of the current pattern.

This is my last full day at Lake Louisa State Park. I’ve enjoyed my stay, but the weather has impacted the things I wanted to accomplish. Most days have been rainy, cold or both. Some of the things I didn’t get to do include a return visit to Sea World and another hike on the Van Fleet Rail Trail. I’ll have another opportunity in the middle of April when I return for a week long stay. Tomorrow I’m heading for Silver Springs State Park near Ocala.