Tuesday - We explore the Mike Roess State Park

This state park was one of the first built in the state of Florida.  It is so large that we have to drive three miles just to get back to the main road from our camp site.  There are very few visitors here during the week so we do not have another camper within 100 yards of our trailer.  The bathrooms are clean and the showers are hot so it is great to get away from the heavy traffic and noise we are finding throughout Florida. (and we have avoided the bigger towns so far).  We have found that the state parks fill up on the weekends down here but are quiet during mid-week. 

Here one can see in the background the original water tower that still stands from 1935.  It was built  in the initial phase of the Park construction for use by the CCC workers.

Here are a couple of the twenty or so cabins that are for rent in the park.  They have both A/C and a fireplace, and some will sleep up to eight people.

There are numerous lakes and swampy areas in the Park but the water levels seem to be very low.  The soil type is more sandy than Crawford County in Michigan.

 

Bill met this strange fellow near the picnic grounds but could not get much information out of him.

 

 

 

Monday- Into the Wild

We left Starke behind and headed farther down Highway 100 toward the town of Keystone Heights.  After only about twelve miles we then headed north about six miles for our first stay at a Florida State Park. 

 

Mike Roess Goldhead SP is very large with hundreds of acres, three campgrounds, and about twenty cabins to rent.  The soil here is very sandy.  The Park was build during the Great Depression with men from The CCC under the direction of the FDR Administration.  It took four years to build all the roads and buildings

The picnic tables and drinking fountains are like they were when first built.

We have a large quiet campsite and love the outdoor experience so far.

 

Sunday was Hot and Humid

The temperature in Northern Florida hit 80 again on Sunday with a tornado watch active for much of the afternoon.  Karen did laundry as Bill took another bike ride and did a few minor repairs on his bike and the trailer.  The people at this KOA campground have been friendly, polite, and helpful.

All the RV Parks appear to have rental cabins for visitors who need them.

This seems to be the universal sign in Florida for "Children Playing"

 

Upon further review - Bill decided this probably would not be a good neighborhood in which to buy a Florida home!

 

 

Saturday was Almost too Hot

On Saturday here in Starke, FL the temp rose to 81 degrees.  We thought maybe it was normal, but the TV News said it was a new record high for January 3rd down here.  Karen took a good walk into the shopping district and Bill took another bike trip to explore the area.

Here is what our KOA site looks like.

Bill found this warning and started looking carefully where he was riding.

 

One came out of the swamp but this is what he looked like after being worked over with Bill's dog-whacking stick!

The weather is hot and humid again on Sunday so we may run the A/C and prepare to watch the Lions this afternoon play the Dallas Cowboys.  Go Lions!!!

 

 

 

From Lake City to Starke, Florida

On Friday we moved to the southeast about 50 miles down Route 100 to a town called Starke.  The weather was going into the 70s so the KOA looked like a good stopping point for us.  It is close to town and has a small shopping mall right next door.

The Park has wide open sites and even has this weather station below to help out visitors.  It is very similar to an old Strohs beer sign that I have upstairs in my garage back home in Michigan.

 

New Years Day

We awoke to a cloudy and cool New Year ( upper 40s)  but it beat the 15 degrees we saw up at Frederic.  Another good bike ride showed us why we have been seeing so many semi-tractors in the area:  Target has this huge Redistribution facility near Lake City.

We have been seeing many of these spooky-looking trees that we think are Mossy Oaks.

After the bike ride, as you can see below, we had all the supplies we needed for a full day of good college football.  The chili was delicious.   Go Ohio State!

 

 

 

A Bike Ride into the Countryside

On New Years Eve Bill dusted off his old bicycle that had spent the winter in Georgia and went for a ride while Karen did some laundry.  (She is a wizard and does her magic in almost every laundry room as we travel)  Here are a few rural Florida sights from the bike ride:

The creeks and streams were certainly not as clear and beautiful as those in Northern Michigan

 

There were lots of house trailers and shacks, but also some pretty homes like these out in the country:

 

Bill soon realized there is some real competition down here to his Michigan Maple Syrup empire!

Happy New Year to All Our Readers!!!