Sunday December 4th 2016

Today was another unusually warm day for the area. It was in the mid to upper 70s with bright sunshine and a light breeze. The current weather pattern is forecast to break tomorrow night with rain on Tuesday.

I watched the weekend residents pack up and leave the campground this morning. There are plenty of available spaces in the campground again. I don’t understand the number of empty sites. At similar time of year in the past this place has been full or close to it. I thought there weren’t many open sites when I made my reservation back in May, but that could have been my understanding of the reservation system. The other possibility is the vacancies are caused by the hurricane. The campground was closed for almost a month after the storm. Reservations for those periods were canceled. Maybe there were long term reservations that were canceled.

Lingering damage from Hurricane Matthew in the campground is still visible. Some of the street lamps are either down or have shattered bulbs. The laundry facility in the east end is closed. It looks like the machines took on a bit of water. The fence around the maintenance facility is missing many plastic slats and a few trees have newly cut branches. Overall, the campground seems to be in good shape considering this is the location that the storm made its closest approach to Florida.

Blue Heron wading in the Banana River.

Sailboard rider in the Banana River

I went grocery shopping in Merritt Island this afternoon. There are stores nearer, but the trip gave me an opportunity to stop at a couple of the parks on the Banana River. At Kelly Park I had a good time watching the sail boarders and kite surfers on the river. There is a board rental and training facility at the park. I doubt any of the people I was watching were students. Some of the riders were doing some impressive riding.

Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Sea.

Rear view of the Oasis of the Sea as it leaves port. Note the open rear, the interior state rooms balconies get some daylight.

Back at the campground, I joined the throngs of people from the area at the side of the channel to watch the cruise ships depart. There were only two ships tonight, but there were many more people than yesterday when five ships departed the port. My big attraction was the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Sea. It is the second largest cruise ship in the world at this time. It isn’t a lot longer than the other big ships, but it is a little wider and much taller. I counted 10 decks above the top of the traditional hull. The more pedestrian Carnival Valor that preceded the Oasis of the Sea out of port only had six. It looked like a big huge box top of a ships hull. From the rear you can see that it is a hallow box. Inside balconies on interior state rooms are visible.

I think I’ve seen all of the ships that call Port Canaveral their home port. When they pass by I’ll still stop and watch, but I don’t think I’ll be planning my day around seeing them leave port any more. While I didn’t intend to, that is what I’ve been doing this weekend.

Saturday December 3rd 2016

Today’s mid 70s temperature with a lots of sunshine made a good day for a walk on the beach. That’s exactly what I did. I took another walk south along the ocean into Cocoa Beach and back.

Caught by a breaking wave.

Checking out the fishing

There were a lot of walkers and sunbathers on the beach today. The breeze made the air temperature a little to cool for many people to be swimming in the water. A few people were trying to surf and a couple of guys were trying to get their kite surfing systems going. Their basic problem was the wind direction from off shore. Getting enough distance from shore to allow the kites to work was proving difficult.

Cruise Ship AIDAvita at the dock nearest the campground.

Late this afternoon I joined many others at the side of the channel out of the port to watch the cruise ships depart. There were five ships in port today. Four are based here and one little ship stopped here as a port of call on a longer voyage. The little visitor was 680 feet long, but the local ships are over 1000ft long. One of the local ships, the Norwegian EPIC, is the ninth biggest cruise ship in the world. Tomorrow the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas is in port. It is the 2nd biggest cruise ship in the world.

Norwegian EPIC is very boxy. It is the ninth biggest cruise ship in the world.

The big ships came down the channel about fifteen minutes apart. They were escorted by the coast guard and the sheriff’s boat. The visiting ship was moored close to the mouth of the channel near the campground. It didn’t depart until after six, almost an hour after the other ships cleared the port. It was getting dark and cold so I didn’t wait. It did a good job announcing when it left with horn blasts. I watched it glide by from the window of my RV home.

Friday December 2nd 2016

Today was almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. It probably broke 70 degrees at some point during the day, but for most of the day it was in the 60s. The day started out even cooler with the overnight lows in the 50s. I’m not complaining, just observing. These temperatures are a couple of degrees cooler than normal, but so much better than what it’s like in the northeast.

I didn’t do anything special today. This afternoon I took a drive north to the Daytona Beach area. I didn’t have any specific destination or plans. It was just a drive to check out the area. My biggest observation is that traffic is heavy. The volume of out of state tags is increasing. When combined with the locals and the holiday season, the roads are getting crowded.

My only stop was at Walmart. I’m looking for a cheap little Christmas tree. I want something like the foot tall artificial tree I had last winter. It needs to be cheap, because I’ll throw it away after the holiday. I don’t have room to truck it around. It’s bad enough that I carry a few old ornaments and Christmas Mickey and Mini Mouse. They’ll come out of storage soon.

Disney Cruise ship passing by the campground as it departs Port Canaveral

Sailboat inbound for Port Canaveral passing the Disney Cruise ship leaving the port.

I got back to camp just in time to see the Disney Cruise ship depart port. The Royal Caribbean ship had already departed. Looking across the campground to the cruise ship in the channel continues to remind me just how big these things are. I walked over to the beach to watch the ship sail out of site.

Thursday December 1st 2016

The sun shined and the temperature climbed into the mid 80s then the cold front arrived. About four this afternoon the temperature crashed around twenty degrees. It went from hot to uncomfortable in a matter of minutes.

Some of the people swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at the Jetty Park beach.

I took a long walk on the beach today. I’m not sure how far I walked, but I was gone from my RV home for around 3 hours. Starting from the beach at Jetty Park I walked south dodging the waves at the high water line. Coming back I got brave or board, I’m not sure which, and took off my shoes. I returned north in the water. The sand is very hard packed without a lot of rocks or shells. The shells I did see were more exotic than I saw a couple of weeks ago on Sanibel Island. I’m still not sure why the shelling capital of North America was so ordinary for me as I documented in Visit to Sanibel Island.

One of my co-walkers on the beach.

Even though it was a hot day there were not many people on the beach. A few swimmers were in the water near the life guard stand. Elsewhere on the beach there were a few sun bathers from some of the condo complexes and lots of walkers like me. I even saw one guy with a metal detector. He was in the surf and didn’t seem to be having much luck. It wasn’t enough to entice me into digging out my metal detector.

Cruise ship approaching through the haze that moved in with the cold front.

Later this afternoon, about the time the temperature changed, I was sitting on the side of the channel waiting for the cruise ship to depart. It was advertised as departing at 4PM, but it was after 5 before it passed by my location near the Ocean. It takes time for the ship to back out of its basin and turn around. The remarkable thing is that the cruise ships maneuver without support from tug boats. They may be huge ships but they have more maneuvering thrusters and other directional controls than the tankers and cargo ships.

Coast Guard security boat.

The primary support for the cruise ships is security. A sheriffs boat which I think is the harbor patrol and a heavily armed coast guard boat supported the cruise ships departure. The coast guard boat kept speeding up and down the sides of the cruise ship as it navigated down the channel.

Carnival Valor

Size comparison between the cruise ship and motor homes like mine.

There was only one Cruise ship in port today. It was a smaller Carnival cruise ship. Tomorrow two ships are in port and Saturday there are five. The Disney boats and one of the Norwegian cruise ships hold almost double the passengers. I continue to enjoy watching these tall floating hulks maneuver in and out of port, but I still don’t have any desire to be a captive on one.

Wednesday November 30th 2016

Yesterday’s post got lost in the cloud. I found it and re-posted it. See Travel to Jetty Park.

Today set records in the area for the high temperature on November 30th. It was 86 degrees with high humidity. The good weather was bracketed by rain last night and again this evening. The rain prevented the area from achieving another record. The not so good driest November of record didn’t happen in this area.

Site 209 at Jetty Park Campground

I spent the day getting reacquainted with the park and the area. I first stayed here somewhere around 1985 and have returned several times. I think it’s about every 10 years. Port Canaveral has grown and improved a great deal during that time. The campground has changed significantly from the first time I was here, but not too much since the last time around 2006.

Last winter I came to watch the cruise ships depart from the port several times. My observation post on those occasions was deep in the port near the cruise ship terminals. Jetty Park is out by the beach along side the channel into the Atlantic Ocean. I expect to see many cruise ships leave the port while I’m here. They come in around five or six in the morning so I doubt I’ll see that event.

Tanker West Virginia entering the port.

Tugboat pulling on the rear of the tanker as it moves deeper into the port.

Today I saw one big tanker come into port. It was supported by two tug boats. One of the tugs was in an unusual position. It was setup to pull on the stern of the ship like a brake. The tug was facing in the opposite direction than the ships direction of travel. There was only one cruise ship in port today. It departed after dark while it was raining. I watched the ships lighted decks go by like a moving skyscraper from my RV home several hundred yards away from the channel.

The grand daddy of ship observations possible from this location is a submarine. Across the channel from the park is a US Navy pier attached to the Cape Canaveral Air Force base that is used for submarines. During one of may other stays at Jetty Park I had the opportunity to see one depart. I doubt that happens very often.

Pelican floating in the channel.

Strutting along the rocks.

Time to pose for a closeup.

The fishing pier beside the channel where it meets the ocean is closed. It was damaged during hurricane Matthew. The banks of the channel beside the park are lined with the fishermen that would normally be out on the pier. The shore birds are gathered in the same area. I’ve seen Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, Storks and a few more that I’m still working on identifying.

Tuesday November 29th 2016

I departed the W. P. Franklin Rec area just before 10AM this morning. The kayak club scattered at various sites around the park slowed me down. They were forming up for a caravan to some remote kayak adventure. Their cars and trucks blocked my access to the dump station. I needed to dump the 2 weeks worth of accumulated gray and black water. It represents nearly 800 pounds of weight that I don’t need to carry with me.

Once I got on the road I had 200 miles and about 4 hours of travel to get to Port Canaveral and Jetty Park. It is right on the side of the channel into the port. I’ve been here a few times before, but the last time was about 10 years ago. There have been many improvements since then. The park is still recovering from Hurricane Matthew. The campground was closed for nearly a month after the storm went through and the fishing pier is still closed. There are clear indications that much of the area was under water during the storm.

Night time view of my RV home on Site 209 at Jetty Park Campground.

The travel today was challenging. I crossed most of the state on two lane roads. Staying in my lane with little or no shoulder with oncoming truck traffic is not fun. It was complicated by a heavy cross wind. An occasional gust would catch me just right to move the rig a few feet out of lane. Two hands on the steering wheel were a requirement most of the way across the state.

The road across was mostly through ranch land. I saw cattle ranches and horse ranches. The cattle came in all shapes and colors. I say black cattle, brown cattle, gray cattle and multicolored cattle. Some had short horns and some had long horns. Some had small heads and some had big heads. It was a real diversity of species. Even the horse ranches had variety. I saw one horse ranch with miniature horses.

Tomorrow I’ll explore the campground, beach area and the port in more detail. I had the time today, but chose to wait until I could complete the check in process. When I arrived, the office was closed for a meeting. I was directed to my site, but I wasn’t provided with the access code to the gates between the campground and the beach. Getting stuck on the wrong side probably wouldn’t have been an issue, but why take the chance. I finally got checked in about five thirty.

Monday November 28th 2016

It was a cloudy day when I got up this morning. The temperature was in the low 60s and the lack of direct sunlight slowed the warming. I ended up going back to bed after my shower to warm up. Another 2 hours of sleep put a wrinkle in my plans. It was after 10 before I got going this morning.

It stayed cloudy with occasional light rain most of the day. I decided against going to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in favor of a slower paced preparation for tomorrow’s move. The uncertainty of the weather and the shortness of available daylight time both factored into my decision. It boils down to I didn’t want to go bad enough and I make plans in Jello; it doesn’t take much to change the shape.

Around the campground as many people left today as yesterday. The difference is that the place is full tonight with new arrivals. Since I’ve been on the road, I’ve usually traveled on Tuesdays. It is a compromise between finding available sites when I don’t have reservations and traffic. The weekends might be better for avoiding traffic in cities, but I think traffic can be worst on the Interstates between cities and at tourist destinations on weekends.

The two weeks worth of stuff outside the camper has all been stored away. The things I can put away or prepare for travel inside have been done. Most of the inside stuff has to be completed just before travel or else I’d have to go to bed early and forgo breakfast.

Afternoon visitor to my campsite.

Another afternoon visitor.

I had one last visit from the some of the various birds that live around the river. They have kept me well entertained while I’ve been here. My next stop is on the Atlantic Ocean beside the Port Canaveral channel. I’ll have passing cargo ships and cruise ships to keep me entertained. There is also a rocket launch scheduled for December 7th while I’m staying at Jetty Park. If it goes up on schedule that will be fun to see.

Sunday November 27th 2016

Today was a stay at home and enjoy the campground day. The temperature was around 80 with scattered clouds. As the day went by the breeze moved from the north to the east and turned into a real wind.

This morning I watched as the campground really emptied out from the long weekend. Later in the day several of the sites were filled by a kayak and canoe group. I was unlucky enough to get one of the organizers camped next to me. They seem to be using the site next door to launch and land their boats. That’s fine but some of the kayakers don’t seem to understand simple campground etiquette. Instead of walking forty feet to the organizers campsite to reach the water, at least one kayaker walked through the 3 foot gap between my car and RV then across the front of my site. Another kayaker thought better when they saw me sitting in front of my RV. The thing about it that gets me is I go through the “Who’s coming to visit and what do they want?” thought process when I see someone outside the rig. I wouldn’t want to try and remember my social skills for nothing. That last line is a joke; I’ve never had any real social skills. I only have one more full day here to be irritated.

Soaring bird above the river.

Closeup of the soaring bird after it landed on a piling. It turns out to be a Turkey Vulture.

One of the things that has caught my attention during my stay are the large birds circling on the air currents over the river. I have been trying to identify them. Today I got close enough to one on and near the ground. It turns out they’re turkey vultures. They are graceful and interesting in the air. On the ground they are big and close to ugly. I think I’ll remember this one next time, but there are still lots of birds that I don’t have any idea what label to apply. I’ll never be a real bird watcher. I’m only casually interested in the bigger birds.

Another boat waiting for the lock.

Another bird I can’t identify.

Tomorrow I want to visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates decorated for Christmas. I also need to start preparing to travel on Tuesday.

Saturday November 26th 2016

Usually by the time I sit down to write this blog I’ve figured out the day of the week. Once or twice I’ve had to edit the first line to change the day. This week has been particularly hard. The TV programs that usually give me a clue aren’t all on at the usual times. I bring this up because I went through most of the day thinking it was Sunday and wondering why the traffic wasn’t heavier.

I took a trip about a hundred miles south to the Big Cypress National Preserve on the northwestern edge of the Everglades National Park. There are several visitor centers, roadside turnouts and rest areas along the Tamiami trail as it crosses the state from Naples to Miami. I went about half way across before turning around.

I also went to Everglades City and stopped at the Gulf coast visitors center for the Everglades National Park. This section of the national park is also at the edge of the Ten Thousand Island National Wildlife area.

The following are some of the pictures from the trip.

Alligator starting to dry out in the sun.

Three gators keeping their tails dry.

White Ibis holding court from a brush thrown.

This one found some food and is on the run.

Gators in the canal along the road.

A couple more Alligators with their heads ready to get in the water.

Looking south at some of the Ten Thousand Islands.

Pelican with winds spread to hold position in the wind.

This Pelican doesn’t look as comfortable on the pilings as the other sea birds.

Friday November 25th 2016

It was a warm partly cloudy day with highs in the low 80s. The morning TV news was reporting on accidents on the Interstate. This worked against my plans for the day. I was already in a quandary about facing the Black Friday traffic. The news report tipped the scale in favor of staying at home today.

Little Blue heron wading by my campsite.

I probably got tricked by the quality of the news broadcasts in this smaller market area. I’ve noticed that the news coverage in areas like this can over cover simple things. A traffic accident can easily be blown into a systemic problem with traffic flow or an investigation into the medical history of the drivers. I suspect the reporters and news producers are trying to get good material for their audition videos at their next job. The use of words like “extreme”, “tragic”, “volatile” and “deadly” seem to be used to convey the opinion of the “unbiased” reporter in every report and the tease for the next story is even more over the top.

A group of White Ibis dining on the river bank.

Once I committed to staying at home today, I went to work on the chores that have been backing up. The first task was the Laundry. It has been a couple of weeks since I did my last load. The volume of clean cloths was going down and more significantly the dirty cloths hamper was overflowing into the laundry bag. This small public campground has one washer and one dryer. It took awhile to complete the laundry. My site is a couple hundred yards from the laundry so I got my exercise going back and forth.

One of a pair of swimming birds that I’ve yet to identify.

I also had a couple of days of dirty dishes in the sink and a weeks worth of appliances out of there storage spots. The slow cooker and the George Foreman grill needed to be put away to give back my limited counter space. I move to my next location in four days. I don’t think I’m going to be using them again at this location. So, a couple of things put away for travel before the last minute is a good thing.

There wasn’t much turnover in the campground today. I think many of the residents were also staying off the road today. It seemed like there were a lot more people around today. Tomorrow may be a big turnover day. I know both of my neighbors are leaving.