Monday January 15th 2024

Mother Nature didn’t know weather it should rain or not today. The day started with drizzle then cleared up before transitioning to light rain and back to drizzle. More significant rain is in the forecast for the overnight hours with tomorrow being rather similar to today before ending with heavy rain associated with another approaching cold front. This winter in Florida is an unusually wet one. On the good side the temperature was in the low seventies today.

I got my bicycle unloaded from my car this morning and the vehicle was ready to go with errands and area touring. My first trip was down the road Walmart for groceries. Why did I think that a holiday Monday morning wouldn’t be busy? It was busy mess from the parking lot to the checkouts. In the parking lot people’s cars were blocking the aisles waiting for the elusive spot near the front of the lot. If only they would show that level of patience inside the building. Inside all the aisles were busy with people of all ages from toddlers to senior senior citizens. Those two groups move at much different paces resulting in a lot of near misses. At the checkouts, not all of which were open, there were long lines. I thought I got lucky when a cashier at a closed register waved me over. Except she was walking away by the time I got there. A different cashier that was trying to close took pity on me and checked me out. An so ended my grocery shopping adventure for another week.

The end of the holiday weekend resulted in some turnover in this campground, but not as much as at a state park. The state park campgrounds have a lot more locals enjoying the long weekend. This KOA has a lot more people that have traveled from the north. My neighbors have license plates from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin among others. Clearly they are travelers or snowbirds here for a few days or weeks. All of Orlando’s attractions are a big draw for this campground. There is also a long term section of the park that has monthly residents where the long term snowbirds stay.

Sunday January 14th 2024

Today was a Florida cold day with light rain in the early afternoon. Not the best weather for a travel day. Packing up in the cool weather wasn’t bad, but the rain began as I tried to get on the road. Thankfully it was a light rain that didn’t require a lot of windshield wiper action. My wiper blades were breaking down from two years of UV light. I have already bought new ones, I just haven’t installed them yet. (shame on me)

This was a stressful travel day. My slideout rooms on the motorhome wouldn’t come in on the first, second or third try this morning. I have had issues in the past, but tapping gently on the relay in the fuse box usually gets the current flowing so they will come in. Today the usual methods didn’t work. I started looking for a mobile RV tech to come out and assist. There are only a few that will take calls on Sundays. While waiting for the camphost to get a list of area technicians, I tried removing and resetting the DC breakers. For some reason, it worked after this and I was able to get underway.

It was well after the 1PM checkout time went I departed the state park grounds. I was fourth in line at the dumping station, so that took the well more than half an hour. The light rain was pretty constant by this time. On a positive note, I was able to fill the motorhome gas tank at a decent price. The roller coaster of gas prices was at a low point today.

Next up on this adventurous day was a traffic backup on Interstate 4 in the Lakeland area. I was in stop and go traffic for less than a mile before coming to the source of the backup. At least three cars had a collision in the high speed lanes. One white SUV was on its roof. It looked like everyone was out of the vehicles. Emergency services had not yet arrived. I passed many speeding vehicle with flashing lights on their way to the accident after I cleared the area.

I arrived at the Orlando Southwest KOA in Davenport Florida after 3PM. I have stayed here before. The rain was giving way to pockets of blue sky when I arrived. I got setup without any additional issues with the slideout rooms. The next three weeks represent the period that I was unable to book a state park or other public park reservation. I will be at the KOA for two weeks before moving for the third week. These are expensive campgrounds when compared to the public parks, but much cheaper than some of the locations near the coast. My problem is the amenities that drive up the price aren’t things that I make much use of. For example, I don’t need cable TV. I have a satellite. I will use the supplied WiFi, but I can easily make do with my cellular data service. The sites are also generally less attractive. The central Florida location puts me near the theme parks, so more visits are in my future.

Saturday January 13th 2024

It was fifteen to twenty degrees cooler today than yesterday. The high temperature today was in the low sixties. A little bit of rain and a lot of wind came with the passing of the cold front last night. The rain over the last few days has increased the flow in the Hillsborough River quite a bit. The water passing over the rocks up river from the campground in the state park really looks like rapids today. It is living up to its name.

While walking along the trails today I saw a variety of creatures today. In the wildlife category I saw one Alligator, two Turtles and one Anhinga. By far the most common creatures were humans. The park, trails and day use area were very popular today. They even had a few organized events today. One was a guided kayak paddle this morning. I didn’t see it happening, but the rental kayaks were in a bit of disarray this afternoon.

This was my last hike along the river for this visit. Tomorrow, I’m moving on after two weeks here. I enjoy the activity along the river. There is something just a little bit different every day, but it is time for a big change. I’ll be in a much more urban environment starting tomorrow.

I got most of the outside travel preparation tasks completed this afternoon. This will give me a little more time to linger over breakfast tomorrow. I plan to leave somewhere around the noon hour. I have about sixty miles to travel.

Friday January 12th 2024

It rained off and on all night. This morning the rain stopped around 9AM, but it left many puddles to navigate around. The sun never made an appearance all day. Still, the temperature climbed from the high fifties to about eighty degrees my mid afternoon. Another cold front is due to arrive before morning to usher in more cool temperatures. This front isn’t forecast to be as rainy or severe as Tuesday’s storms.

Today I hiked the Baynard loop trail on the far side of the Hillsborough River. It is accessed on via a log suspension bridge. After following the river for a few hundred yards it loops inland then back to the river. Today wasn’t the best day to explore this trail. Last nights rain filled many of the soft and low areas with water. I managed to navigate around all of them with out falling in or getting anything more than the soles of my shoes wet. It was a real challenge at times. Some of the puddles took up fifty feet or more of trail. The adventure didn’t result in any particularly unique sightings, but I can mark it in the accomplished column.

On my hike I saw my favorite Great Blue Heron. It was in one place on my outbound leg and in a little different place on my return trip. Once again I took advantage of how photogenic the bird appears to me. I took several pictures of the bird and its reflection in the calm river water.

Later in the day while I was out exploring the area, I found a Walmart with the intent to top of my supplies. This turned out to be an old Walmart that hadn’t been upgraded with a full grocery section. It only had the easy to maintain grocery essentials. There was no produce, meat or fresh bakery goods available. I managed to get a few things that I needed, but I will need to make a full grocery run on Monday.

Thursday January 11th 2024

The day started cooler and gloomier than I anticipated. It was about fifty inside my RV home when I got up this morning. The cloud layer was very close to the ground most of the day. With the clouds was a high level of humidity adding to the cold feel. It was far from a nice weather day and it is getting worse. Another cold front is due tomorrow night.

The only task I had planned today was the laundry. Appliance gremlins had other ideas. The two washing machines in my camping loop were labeled as out of order. They were also unplugged. I walked to the facility in another loop and found the single machine to be in use with a waiting line. There is one other wash house in the campground, but it is long way away and I didn’t have high hopes. Laundry is put off for another day.

I did my entire three mile out and back hike along the river this afternoon. Once again there weren’t many people out during the gloomy weather. The alligators and turtles were all hiding underwater. I only saw one big bird. A great blue heron was very entertaining. Here is a sequence of pictures of the great blue heron.

The campground wasn’t full last night and more people departed this morning. I assume there will be a lot of arrivals for the holiday weekend tonight and tomorrow. So far the two sites behind me are still empty. Maybe I’m getting a reward for enduring the rather loud guy next door. His voice really carried. I could hear him from inside with the TV on. Possible he thought everyone was hard of hearing.

Wednesday January 10th 2024

Yesterday’s much discussed storm was complete clear of this area by 9PM last night. This morning was the time for checking out the impact and doing any necessary cleanup. My main observation was the amount of tree debris on the ground and the amount of standing water. On the plus side, the debris stayed clear of my motorhome and car. On the downside, my car was parked in three or four inches of standing water. By early afternoon it was just squishy ground, so I was able to drive into town.

Elsewhere in the campground I saw a couple of tents in puddles of their own and lots of things hanging or draped on branches to dry out. Camping in a tent yesterday afternoon and evening was clearly an adventure. The biggest challenge for everyone in the campground was the muddy roads. The gravel roads had many scattered pot holes filled with water. It was impossible to drive in or out of the campground without getting mud all over the sides of your vehicle. After I move on next week I may have to find a car wash.

The rate of flow in the Hillsborough River was a little more energized this afternoon. All of the runoff from yesterday’s rain was having an impact. The current looked stronger and there was a lot of debris floating down stream. The water level at the bank didn’t look any different, but there was water running into the river from back areas that were dry or just swampy earlier in the week. The place the river looked different was at the area called “the rapids”. Last week it just looked like an area with a few boulders in the river that the water channeled around. Today there was white water flow over and around the boulders.

I only saw one of the typical water birds along the river today. The timing of the walk was a little later than usual, so that could have been the reason for the scarcity. Yesterday’s weather might also have caused the birds to move to a more sheltered location. I think I’ve been seeing and photographing the same birds in slightly different locations each day.

Tuesday January 9th 2024

For the last several days the weather forecasters have been talking about a cold front arriving today. With each day the level of hype and paranoia climbed. Most of the counties in the state were under a state of emergency and many school districts had called off classes. This morning we had strong gusty winds out of the south as a precursor to the front. It drove the temperature to eighty degrees and a little beyond. It was a very cloudy day and a bit dangerous outside. Sticks, branches and Spanish Moss were falling from the sky with each wind gust.

Around 3PM one of the Tampa TV stations came on the air with full time weather. They provided continuous reporting as the storm front moved inland from the Gulf of Mexico. The entire state was under a Tornado Watch. As the storm front reached land severe thunderstorm warnings and a few tornado warnings were issued. One of the tornadoes would have passed very close to here if it continued for more than a few minutes. All of the storm warnings came up and were taken down within a very few minutes. The heavy rain and wind arrived here around 4:45 and was over within ten minutes. It has rained off and on for the three plus hours since. The temperature went from 80 degrees when the storm front arrived to 60 degrees as it departed. As the storm front continued across the Florida peninsular additional tornado warnings were generated including one in the Orlando area. For me, the storm turned into a none event. You really had to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to have had any significant impact from the storm.

Not knowing what exactly to expect from the weather forecast and not clear on the time line, I decided to stay at home today. I managed to get one walk in during the day. It was a challenge walking around all the debris from the trees and watching for additional stuff that might fall. Since I considered yesterday’s walk lonely, I’d classify today’s walk as deserted. I only passed a couple of people on the trails.

Monday January 8th 2024

The weather threatened rain all day. Yesterday the forecast was for a chance of rain in the afternoon. This morning there was a chance of rain in the morning instead. When the afternoon arrived without any rain in this area, the forecast returned to predicting afternoon rain. There was a lot of rain in the area, but it never arrived here. The temperature climbed very slowly from the forties overnight to a high in the mid sixties in the afternoon. It is forecast to continue to climb overnight tonight. Tomorrow will be warm before a line of severe weather passes through near nightfall, or so the current forecast goes.

The campground really emptied out this morning. All of the units I thought would depart yesterday pulled out this morning. I would estimate the campground was only half full at checkout time. This evening there are still empty sites. I’ve noticed this year that Monday seems to be a bigger turnover day than Sunday.

The fact that the kids are back in school and most people have returned to work was also apparent along the trails. The number of cars parked at the day use area was way down and I didn’t see many people along the trails. The threatening weather didn’t make it a very good day for a hike. I still managed to get in a morning and an afternoon hike.

The alligators and turtles didn’t have any reason to be out of the water on the banks. My theory that they were sitting on the bottom waiting for it to warm up was disproved when I spotted a gator swimming along the surface. It was clearly in search of food or mischief.

Sunday January 7th 2024

I woke this morning to the sound of rain on the roof. The forecast had indicated a chance of light rain, but his was heavy rain. The rain was shorter in duration than Saturday’s rain, but seemed to be more intense. There was more standing water after this storm than yesterday’s as well. Once the sky cleared the sun brought the temperature into the upper sixties.

The morning rain resulted in a slow start to the day. Breakfast was slow and deliberate as I watched the morning news conference shows on TV. Following breakfast, I fired up my computer and backed up the last year of photos and blog entries. I do periodic backups throughout the year, but in January I make a couple of USB “thumb” drives with all of the years photos and blog text. One USB drive stays in my RV home and the other travels in my car. That isn’t the most distant offsite storage, but it is better than nothing. I also have online cloud backup for specific valuable files. My internet bandwidth isn’t good enough to rely exclusively on cloud backups. I took around ten thousand photos last year. That amounted to a little more than 60GB of storage.

The campground didn’t empty out the way I expected today. School resumes tomorrow after the winter break, so I expected most of the families with kids to depart. As least one big group of six sites with related groups all staying in tents didn’t leave today. They did have to dry out a lot of bedding and other material after the second day of morning rain. In other areas of the campground there were empty sites late this afternoon, but they may have filled up later in the evening.

On my walk today the number of people along the trail was up a little from yesterday. Most of the people seemed to be walking dogs. My observation that dogs don’t like to meet other dogs on the narrow boardwalk was reaffirmed today. The confined space and wire fence sides of the boardwalks seem to put the dogs on edge. Maybe they think its their crates that are being invaded by another dog. For whatever reason dogs that pass on the open trail without issue seem to react when meeting other dogs on the boardwalks. Of course it could just be the people at the other end of the dog leash.

It was warm and sunny enough today that I saw two alligators out of the water taking the sun on the far bank. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen both gators before in the same openings in vegetation along the bank. The Great Blue Heron I took pictures of today was in a new location along the bank, but was probably the same bird I’ve seen at an area further up river. Does the fact that I’m recognizing the specific animals mean I’ve been here too long?

Saturday January 6th 2024

The low pressure system that is impacting the northeast as snow tonight, passed through here this morning as heavy rain. Sometime around sunrise it started to rain hard. There was even a chance of severe weather. The sound of hard rain on the roof of my RV home continued until about ten. The sun came out quickly after the rain departed. The high temperature this afternoon was around eighty.

I made a bad decision thankfully with low consequences today. Saturday is not the day to go grocery shopping at Walmart, but I convinced myself that it would be OK. The store was mobbed with shoppers. Many of whom needed lots of space and time to complete their shopping. The number of very senior citizens using electric wheel chairs or other mobility aids was excessive. Walmart mobile order pickup carts also filled the aisles adding to the congestion. On top of all that the store staff decided it was a good idea to leave pallets of goods in the main aisles making for one way traffic. It was a very busy Walmart, but I got a bad opinion about the quality of the management.

Traffic was the other reason not to go shopping today. Getting to and from the store was a solid line of traffic north and south on US 301. There was also construction to deal with, but it wasn’t active today. The cherry on top of the traffic issue was returning to the state park. I waited close to twenty minutes behind a line of cars at the rangers station coming into the park. It seemed most of the people in front of me were buying day use entries. They would prefer you buy them online ahead of time.

Once back in the park with my groceries stored away, I went for my daily walk along the river. There was a lot of standing water to dodge walking through the campground. Once I was on the trails it was a little easier walking. The warm day encouraged at least one alligator to enjoy some time out of the water on the river bank. There also weren’t as many people on the trail. This made the hike a little less challenging.