What a Great Birthday Present ! KSC not KFC

The trip from shore to shore across the panhandle state was uneventful for nearly the complete short journey.  A beacon was shining in Titusville and begging us to stop for lunch, another 'Waffle House'.  Sad to say it was nowhere near as good as our first time in Biloxi; no greeting when we came in, mixed up order, and cold ham.  Kaye was nearly in tears, maybe that first one was just a fluke?

At some point during lunch someone stole the sun.  Very big black clouds had filled the sky.  We tried to outrun them but lost the battle and ended up parked at the side of the road staring through the waves of water falling from above.   The worst was over quickly and we carried on to the RV park I had found via Google not the RV directory.  We were locked out of any beach parks due to 'Spring Break' so we picked a place about 30 miles from the Kennedy Space Centre and a little inland that sounded too good to be true for the price.

The park is called Willow Lakes and it is not really an RV park.  It is a Park Model style resort city with permanent sales and a golf course plus all the amenities like pools, entertainment halls, golf cart roads, etc.  We really felt like 'trailer trash' being guided to our 'lot' by Veronica in her jazzed up golf cart and being asked to make sure we didn't put anything on the grass or interfere with the in ground sprinklers.  These people have massive carports for their Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes built onto their 900+ sq ft Park Model homes.  Wow, check out their website.  Why they rent empty lots to overnight RVrs I do not know.  Our gain!

The weather was still cool after the storm so I drove to the park entrance and ended up running Kyle on the now vacant golf course path that winded its way around the outer boundary of the homes. This turned out to be 'our' spot to play fetch in the morning and evening along with a little squirrel chasing.

My birthday present was our tickets to the Kennedy Space Centre.  It was a long day filled with tons of non stop activity.  Two 3D IMAX theatre shows are included with the admission and they sell popcorn!   A fleet of 40 buses shuffles you from the main site to a massive Atlas Apollo hanger/museum out among the many launch pads doting the cape.  The drivers told really bad jokes to entertain the kids and made sure to stop the bus every time an alligator was spied in the ditch beside the road.  We stopped a lot.  Just what Kaye wanted.


The entrance corner to the main site was under heavy construction for the brand new Atlantis Space Shuttle permanent exhibit and learning centre.  Scheduled to open later this year it looks to be a very exciting project.  The actual shuttle Atlantis has already been mounted.  Schools and students will be able to come and carry out 'missions' led by real astronauts and guided by controllers and engineers.  What a great way to open young minds to a future in aeronautics.

The day ended extra special with Kaye winning $8 at Bingo and getting her feet bitten by either fire ants or grass flies.   Kyle and I snuck off to look for gators on the golf course and the three tennis balls he had not brought back.  All packed up and on our way out the next morning I just had to stop at the front gate and run Kyle one more time.  As Kyle fetched the stick I looked back to see Kaye waving frantically at me...turns out the staff that arrive at 8am told her pets were not allowed on the paths at the course, whether on a leash or not.   Too snooty for us.  Kyle left them a special present next to the 18th green.  Time to go and find the white beach coast of NW Florida.

Good-Bye Bayou, Hello Tampa Beaches

The bayou water systems were very interesting.  We had great intentions of taking an 'Air Boat' ride and firing up the GoPro camera again but due to the cool weather we kept putting it off until it was too late.  That one stays on the Bucket List! 

The down side to West Central Florida was that there was nowhere to swim Kyle and did I mention that Florida is built on swamp land and ant hills.  More on that later too.  Every time I tried to let Kyle off the leash to chase a bird, Kaye kept reminding me that he couldn't afford to lose another leg.  Next on the list was to travel a couple of hours South to the Tampa Bay area in search of beaches for Kyle.  On our drive we passed an annoying series of huge billboards advertising a 'Topless Bar', when we got there, the bar had had a fire and it had no roof left...the billboard on the opposite side of the street was for; 'Custom new Roofs'.  No time for photos, 4 lanes of traffic, such poetic justice.

If you own a dog bigger than 20lbs forget about staying in the main Tampa Bay, Clearwater or St. Petersburg area in an RV park.  We were rejected by every single one. 

All for the best.  We found a lovely little spot named Fisherman's Cove, South across the massive toll bridge that separates St. Petersburg from Palmetto and right on the water. Super dog friendly and full of fun.  We arrived on St. Patrick's day and were treated to Karaoke at the pool while we soaked in the salt water hot tub.  Gave a whole new meaning to 'bad singing' but the crowd was having a blast and the laughter was deafening.  Kyle was an instant hit as usual.   We 'Googled' dog beaches/parks and found lots.

Our first day out was to explore the long island beaches of Longboat Key. It was a chilly windy weekday but the traffic to and from the island was still crazy, we could not imagine what it would be like on a warm holiday weekend (check out the map).  Can you spell 'money', well this strip of land, totally exposed to the explosive wrath of the Gulf Ocean, would be measured in millions of dollars per foot.  However, public access to the beaches is guaranteed and at regular intervals along the main road with tons of free parking.  Our dog friendly beach had only one other couple braving the gusty wind and cool temp.  Kyle chased birds until he was pooped but the heavy surf scared him off of swimming.  We drove the complete length of the island and left via the most southern bridge.  No toll but bumper to bumper and a snail pace.  Didn't matter, it was a great day.

That evening we met everyone around us in the campground.  There were Canadians who recognized our license plate and others who saw the Canadian 'Support Our Troops' plaque on our propane tanks plus many Americans from the cold states who had visited BC and just wanted to chat.  

When we checked in I was awestruck by the Indian Ink and Water Colour pictures in the office.  I posted this on Facebook awhile back but I have to repeat it:

"When we checked into this little RV Park, the walls of the office were covered with watercolour paintings and hand drawn comic strips. I asked about them and was told that the artist lived in the old trailer right across from our site. His name is Ken and when I stopped in to see him he was trying to fix an elderly lady's bike.  I told him about my Mom's love of painting with watercolours and ink and he told me about his Dad in the navy and so on and so on. Hours passed.  A day later as Kaye and I were packing the truck for a day out, he presented us with this painting. He even looked up Canadian Air Force aircraft on the Internet and put in our CF18s. His handle is 'Tin Castle Studios'.  He lives in his little trailer full time. We bought him Costco ribs and Kaye is marinating them as a surprise.  The story gets even better. After an evening together, coupled with talking about my Mom and painting, Ken presented us with a picture of what he imagined she might look like.  It has some amazingly accurate details that I guess only true artists can conjure up!  What a couple of great treasures.


Plan your visit to this area six months in advance.  There is a state park called 'Fort DeSoto' that is located on its own island and has three large full service campsites with spaces that back directly onto the beach, one of them is even dog friendly.  Couple that with miles of open beaches, museums, groomed walking trails, etc, etc and you have paradise.  The place was booked solid, even in the cold of winter!  We spoke with a couple who have been coming for over 40 years and reserve the full time allowed in advance.  I think it was $35 a night for full services.  We (Kyle) enjoyed the dog beach and then a picnic lunch under a treed canopy.  We named this our $8.75 day at the beach, $3.75 for bridge tolls and a $5 park pass.  Wow.  I still got too much sun as the breeze masked the strength of the rays.  Did not realize until we got home and I entered the hot tub.  Ouch.

We had great intentions of visiting the museum of history and culture in Tampa but we arrived a bit late in the day to be able to do it justice so we decided on exercise instead.  The downtown riverfront of Tampa has been transformed into a beautiful walkway linking museums, the coliseum  hotels, marinas, university and of course retail shops.  Very tastefully done.  Kyle entertained everyone and Kaye snapped shots of some really great yacht names.

 This is also the land of baseball or rather, spring practice in warm weather.  A quick check on the Internet and we were able to secure $10 tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays game in Port Charlotte (about 30 miles South of Palmetto).  Our boys won with three home runs but the Rays put many men on base and it could have gotten away from the Jays if not for some clutch pitching.  Maybe the boys will have a great season this year.  We forgot our camera so you will just have to imagine the sign saying: "Please don't feed the alligators" posted beside the sidewalk at the entrance to the stadium.  Kaye had a death grip on my arm as we passed.

Jo had her permanent cast put on back in Crystal Springs and when we called to check on her, the girls hatched another plan to go shopping, so guess who drove the two hours South to visit with us for the day.  The girls attacked the Ellenton Premium Outlet Mall (Yes there might be presents for the other girls in our lives) and the guys lazed at the salt water pool.  A fabulous meal at 'The Crab Shack' was the end of a great day (ps, the clam chowder was the best I have ever had).  We said our 'Good-Byes', hugs and kisses and then started to pack up for our next adventure to the Kennedy Space Centre, just a short hop over to the East coast of the state.

Two Weeks in Crystal River, Florida

No I have not forgotten how to type, I just decided to completely relax for a few weeks, at least that was the plan.  We caught up with our close friends Rene and Jo at Crystal River in central Florida.  For the past three years they have been regulars at a beautiful RV park named Rock Crusher Canyon and it is easy to see why.

The sites are huge, tucked away in the trees and very well shaded.  Rene and Jo were located on the top of 'heart attack hill' and we were in the lowest section.  Everyone has a golf cart to get around so we finally put our bikes to good use.  The pool and hot tub are 'outdoors' but there is a complete screen structure built over them to protect against bugs.  We were not subject to bugs due to the temperature being unseasonably cold.  Translate that into; the pool was not crowded because only the Canadians were in it.

Our original plan to stay only a week was interrupted by a serious incident.  Rene and Jo dumped their motorcycles and were both injured.  Aside from the bumps and bruises they both suffered, Jo broke her wrist and required surgery which could not be performed until the swelling settled and the insurance company(s) agreed to the procedure, which they did not. Long story short, we stayed to help and provide support.  After a week Jo had a plate and screws put in via day surgery and the insurance company (Sun Life) finally agreed.  A little broken arm did not stop Jo's preaching the good life!

Silver lining to all of this is that we found out our Sun Life was only good for 40 days outside Canada and it had run out!  BC medical only pays a fraction of what the bills can be so we were off to a AAA branch pronto!  They provided excellent service, allowed us to call home and deal with our local branch and in the end we were better off buying a US plan to cover us.  Whew.  And here's why.

Check out the hole in the hedge.  That was made by an elderly lady who hit the gas instead of the brake, panicked and flew through the hedge headed right for Kaye's passenger door while we were stopped at a traffic light.  Thankfully her wheels were turned and when the truck landed on the boulevard it veered to the left (our right) and came to rest up against the stop sign for the parking lot.  The lady was shaken but not badly injured.  Kaye needed a blood pressure monitor.

This area does not have sandy beaches.  It is water ways and bayou and alligators.  But boy does it have sea food.  We accompanied our friends to a famous place called the 'Freezer', check out the menu.  Kaye had a hot dog and a giant soft pretzel (and a few shrimp)!  After dinner we attacked their market and I bought more jumbo shrimp and huge scallops for a green curry that we will talk about later.  

The best fun was the meal sharing between campsites which included many neighbours and even another couple from the Borden area who found us by fluke.  Jo used to work with them.  Small world.  They have a dog named 'BeeGees' (yes like the group) who was an instant friend with Kyle.

Wounded or not, the girls continued to shop.  Day trips went in every direction (Beall's Outlet), sometimes associated with a doctor's appointment.  Kaye scored 4E New Balance runners for me for under $50, an incredible price.  I only managed a new battery for Kaye's computer, bought online and delivered to the local UPS Store plus a new power adapter that will run all our units.

Everywhere we went people commented on us 'brothers' so it was only fitting to both wear our PEI shirts.  Our visit ended with a rock concert.  I told you the name of the park was 'Rock Crusher Canyon' and that is because it is right beside an old rock quarry that was turned into an amphitheatre many years ago.  A tribute band to Aerosmith had a charity concert on our last Saturday night.  $10 tickets for a five hour concert.  The warm up band played for two hours.  $4 for tall boy beer and $5 for the dinner special.  Wow, great ending to a couple of quiet weeks...now off to Tampa Bay area for another week and some time at the beach.

Who Cut the Cheese?

She handed me this double scoop strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a sugar waffle cone. It was already starting to dribble due to the heat.  The taste was incredible but then suddenly, the flavour changed.  Jersey cow dung with a hint of rotting sewage had overtaken my wonderful cheesecake.


Lu had fluffed..Lu is a 4000 lb Hippo we had just photographed laying in the sun swishing his tail.  The ice cream hut was right behind his lair and the slight breeze was aligned perfectly. 


Our day was spent at the Homosassa Springs State Park located right here in Crystal River. This is a very famous place so I will not try to describe its history.  I have linked the text to one of their websites and I invite you to spend some time reading about its history.  Remember the TV show; 'Gentle Ben', well this was his home too.



A photographer won a prize for his version of this photo but I think Kaye's captured the meaning very astutely too.  Many of the birds and animals are 'rescues'.  It was sad to see a bald eagle with half its wing missing however the park volunteer interpreters explained that they release hundreds of animals back into the wild every year.

We were treated to a close up show by a young female manatee who had just been released into the wild and fitted with a transmitter to keep track of her over the next several months.  As the waters warm these Florida manatees will move up the Gulf Coast towards Mississippi and even Louisiana.   

As we sat to begin the interpreter's presentation on the manatee, a bobbing float came into the lagoon and slowly worked its way towards the underwater viewing platform called 'the fish bowl'.  As she spoke, the float moved towards us until a young manatee was right in front of us all and raised its head up out of the water over and over.  We all concluded that this was like being at Sea World and this young manatee was well trained.  Nope, it was a total fluke.  The interpreter had fun with the coincidence but at the end let the cat out that it was in fact a coincidence.  

We spent a good deal of time on the piers watching the adults in the wild, outside the confines of the lagoon.  Sea Kayakers were all over, plus tour boats and fishermen.  Volunteers in kayaks ensured the boats with motors kept their distance.

Check out the Walmart Greeter on the roof.  I was able to coax Kaye into the reptile exhibit but it was a short lived experience.  One of the larger species of snake moved and that made the Exit Sign the only important sign in the facility.  She did however brave petting a 15 inch alligator.  


Many of the birds are permanent residents of the park, likely by choice.  Food is plentiful and the habitat is obviously very safe.  Check out the picture of the Spoonbill sitting on top of the 25 cent birdfeed crank.  If another Spoonbill challenged him, he would bite the other birds legs and then chase him around the enclosure.  If you bought feed he would follow you and stay right in front of you.

By the time we worked our way around the park, Lu was having a swim and then came back on land for a feeding.  The elementary school children would have stayed and just watched him all day.  I wonder why?

Alabama - Sorry we didn't stop

Our sights of the day were the seemingly endless miles of bridges over bayou.  An engineering feat to be proud of but once you've seen one you've seen them all if you get my drift.  I think the pictures here tell that story well. 

We resolved ourselves to just put miles behind us.  We felt we might even be able to reach our friends in Silver Springs, Fl. if I kept the pedal to the metal.  Nice strong breeze up my butt so the truck did not have to work hard cruising at 65 mph.  Speed limit has dropped from 80 in Texas/Louisiana to 75 in Mississippi and Alabama.
Our official excuse for not stopping in Alabama is that we had to make up time.  Things like speed limit signs with a separate sign mounted below them stating; "Strictly Enforced" did catch our attention.  Then there were the flashing lights of County Smokies over every crest in the highway, gun drawn officers, and too many handcuffed drivers over the hood of their cars.  Even the semi trucks behaved and stayed in the right lane.  Seems that Alabama takes itself very seriously.  They have cities here that are voting to make it a law that every law abiding citizen owns a gun and has received training on how to use it.  There it is again, the sound of that banjo.

There are only a few miles of Alabama that touch the Gulf of Mexico but our reading of the exciting bites of history surrounding its capital (Montgomery) will bring us back.  The birthplace of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, etc, etc.

That plan to reach our destination was dashed by discovering that the constant bouncing over concrete slab constructed bridges and overpasses had caused the bike rack to find the next weakest link on our trailer's rear bumper.  The whole square frame was beginning to tear away from the 'I'  Beam.  Willy's welding had held up beautifully but the next weak link had begun to fail.  We reconfigured the trailer to place the bikes inside (again) and decided to take advantage of our location and get some Costco shopping done.   Ribs, ribs, ribs.  Looks like it will be hotel time tonight.

Two more hours of driving and we landed at a brand new Holiday Inn express in Perry, Florida.  We had no reservation but were still offered an upgrade to a suite and just in time for Happy Hour?  Two beers, munchies and hot chicken bites.  That was a first.  Have any of you heard of a free Happy Hour at a hotel in Canada that included the beer?  Oh, and the military rate is $77.

We sent an email to Rock Crusher Canyon asking for a spot for a week.  Fingers crossed.  That is it, you get off cheap today. 

Biloxi Blues - Mississippi

A long day of driving was all worth while once we saw the coast.  It was like coming back to heaven.  The white beaches stretch for miles and miles.  We purposely drove Beach Blvd (Hwy 90) from Gulfport to Biloxi, stop light to stop light. The pace of the traffic was 'crawl' but we didn't care.  It was a cool day so parking along the beach was not a concern.  Kyle was able to leave his prints in virgin sand over and over.  Kaye tried to do some 'fetch' training and succeeded in adding many more steps to her pedometer.

The coastline at Biloxi has been re-invaded by Casinos.  This is Vegas on the Gulf.  The AAA book describes Biloxi as Before Hurricane Camille and After Casinos.  The casinos were originally on barges moored at piers along the beachfront but hurricane Katrina completely wiped out the entire waterfront.  The new version of casinos are Vegas style high-rise blights which is unfortunate.

We immediately decided to extend our stay mostly because when we pulled into our RV Park we were greeted by huge mud puddles, standing water in the moss grass and vehicles with hail damage.  The weather report showed that we had caught up to the tail end of the storm.  Kaye giggled; "Oh boy, casino time".

The famous Hard Rock Casino turned our 'free' Corona beers into expensive beers over the course of several hours but it was all fun.  The best part was reading all of the entertainment memorabilia that covers the walls everywhere, including the bathrooms.  My neck was killing me by the time we left, no matter how hard I tried not to look up, there was always something catching my eye! ps. There is a new smoke free casino called the Palace.

Do you remember the movie, Tin Cup? The scene after Kevin Costner wins the local tournament and takes all his friends to the 'Waffle House' to celebrate.  Well guess who fell in love with the Waffle House.  The staff shout out; "Welcome to Waffle House", whenever someone comes in and the place is buzzing with staff.  We played along with them and Kaye was presented with an official Waffle House hat and chest button.  The food was very inexpensive and good.  Now everywhere we drive I get to listen to Kaye shout out; "Welcome to Waffle House" as we pass.  And there are lots of Waffle Houses in this neck of the woods.

Our neighbour in the RV Park was a young lady with a newborn, a cat and a puppy.  Her husband was working locally and they have been living here for the last seven months.  She explained that; "Ther no point tellin yaal bout my town as nobody done nevr heard of it.  We'r rednecks".  We would never have guessed that ourselves.  She called Kaye, 'Miss K'. I think I just heard a banjo twang.

The owners of the RV Park also own the Shed BBQ on the same property.  It looks like a run down junk yard that you should run away from.  It turns out it is a famous eatery which has been featured on Regis, Drive-ins, Diners and Dives and other TV reviews.  It is operated by the now grown children of the RV Park owners and has been franchised.  It sports dirt floors, mix and match folding chairs and every variation of picnic table you can imagine.  All take out style service.  We had a single order of ribs with three sides and two beers, it easily fed both of us for about $40.  Military receive a discount.  If you ever come this way, this place is a must.  See the map link further down.

On the serious side we walked the beach front road and I took photos of the devastation that has been inflicted on this area.  Nearly all of the hundred year old stately homes that survived Camille were taken away by Katrina.  Many new buildings have been put up since 2005 but many, many properties are vacant.  Most have signs offering; Purchase or Lease. I have posted a separate photo album about this area.

Katrina took out the bridge across Biloxi Bay to Ocean Springs (Google Map link).  Only the cement pilings survived.  This was a 'lift' bridge to let the ships pass and the train bridge next to it was a 'swing' bridge that survived both on-slots with repairable damage.  The remains of the lift bridge are being turned into walkout piers from both coastlines.  They are already covered in fishermen. A completely new, 1.7 mile bridge that allows cruise ships to pass underneath has been constructed.  As we drove over it we took note of the joggers, cyclists and walkers.  This became our challenge for our last day.  There are brass marker plates every .2 of a mile, each one describing a piece of Biloxi history.  The markers motivated us to keep going and learn more.  Or it could have been the two old fuddy duddies that smoked past us.  Either way, it was a great experience.  Wear ear plugs, the noise of tires on the concrete deck surface was very loud.


There are more church crossing signs here than stop lights.  Seems that everyone in the South is a sinner?

The map shows the huge wildlife preserves and we discovered that the state parks have trailer hook-ups with services ($16).  Not fond of the alligator and snake warning signs, Kyle can't afford to give up any more appendages.  Spending the extra time here has let the storm progress fully inland and cleared our way to Florida.  Looks like more time on the Interstate.