Dunedin, Cedar Key, Bell, Sopchoppy

12/26 - We arrived in Dunedin around 1, which I heard was a cute town, and took a walk down to the water.  I was famished, but Zoe needed a walk.  I'm so glad we did that first thing, because within an hour or so, the Sea Fog (I just learned that's the official name) completely enveloped the town.  The first 3 photos are before, then the after...  I realize that since it's Christmas break week, there are lots of tourists around!  Mary and John, who I rented the Beaurfort house from, live in Dunedin, so I texted Mary and she came and joined me at a restaurant.  It was fun to finally meet her and John.  Mary had kindly asked a neighbor of theirs if I could stay in his driveway while he's away, so that's where I slept.  I had thought I might move along, but it was good to be able to linger and enjoy the town.  Mary offered a shower in the AM, which I happily took advantage of.  I think only once, maybe twice, have I gone 3 days between showers.  That's pretty good!  

I was chatting with some people who had said that they traveled for 4 months and never paid to park.  They had a planet fitness membership, which for 2 people is a great deal.  They also had a much more stealthy vehicle than I have.  I am certainly spending more on campgrounds, where I shower, than they did on Planet Fitness.  

12/27 - I left Dunedin and checked out the causeway to Honeymoon Island.  We didn't go to the Island, but walked along the causeway.  I wanted to go to Tarpon Springs on my way and drove through, but there were so many people, I just kept on going.  I didn't even see a single sponge and I had been looking forward to getting some Greek food!

I am so tired of seeing No Dogs signs.  I hope it gets better after I get out of FL.  This place certainly seemed like dogs would be acceptable.  

Driving on Rt 19.  UGH!!!  It's stop lights and strip malls and billboards.  I spend many miles on this road and could not wait to get off of it.  

Lucky girl gets to nap.

My goal was Cedar Key and I'm glad I went there.  Much more my speed than Tarpon Springs!  

It's different to see the water through the underneath of the house like this

Such a cute little house

Steamers at Steamers restaurant and Crab Bisque.  I'm not a huge lover of steamers, but because it's what they are known for I figured I should go for it.  The Bisque was amazing and probably 2000 calories!  The butter, wine, garlic broth for the steamers was really good, but they served it with rolls (which are kinda sweet) instead of nice french bread, so it wasn't so great for sopping up the broth.  Oh well.  

I stayed at a campground in Cedar Key (fortunately I was able to get a spot as it was a long way to another possible place to camp) called Shell Mound.  The no-see-ums were cruel, so staying inside again.  There is a boat launch where the airboats launch.  They are loud, but due to dreary weather (I'm guessing) they didn't start out early and there weren't many of them.  I did watch a boat with an air cooled gator motor plying around in the mud.  That was cool.  And then an airboat took off and we had to stand way back.  I'm glad he warned us!  Zoe and I took a walk on the trails and then headed out.  

12/28 - Went to Manatee springs and saw some more manatees.  Always cool to see them.  You can swim in the water near them, but are supposed to stay about 50' away from them.  I talked with a ranger about my experience at Salt Springs and she wasn't too impressed.  She said that we like to keep them wild.  I understand and felt bad...

 Found a HH for the night that had a bathroom with shower!  Yay!  I tried to have a fire, but it wouldn't start.  He had piled in a bunch of branches, but I think it had rained and I wasn't about to use the gasoline that he had there.  Beautiful clear night through the trees.  There was a park nearby that Zoe and I walked to and hiked the trails in the morning.  I am so slow getting going and we didn't leave until noon.  

Fenced in so I didn't have to worry about Zoe.  It was nice to leave her outside while I showered so she could soak up the sun.

grapefruit gift

From their house across the street from the parking spot

12/29 - This wasn't a good day.  I was feeling quite down today.  I'm frustrated with the toilet because there is so much condensation in it, requiring cleaning and soaking up all the water.  I hope it will be better when I get out west and it's dryer.  And the cold weather is making me anxious and disappointed.  The days are fine, but nights are now cold and will be for a bit.  I wondered if I should have headed south in FL, but I certainly don't want to stay there and the El Nino weather prediction is that it will be much colder than normal in the south and wetter!  UGH!  I'm in the FL panhandle right now and it is literally 4 degrees colder than Ferrisburgh, VT!!!!!  WTF???????!!!!!!!!!!  And then driving today was crazy windy and I was hearing the rattle in the dash, plus an air leak in the passenger door or window and having to hold the steering wheel with a death grip.  This is a Mercedes!  It shouldn't have rattles and air leaks!  Today was definitely a day that made me wonder if I'm going to want to keep doing this.  But, if I'm not doing this, then what???  I really have no clue.

I drove to St Marks Wildlife Refuge in the middle of nowhere mostly because I wanted to get my Annual Pass for the National Parks.  I got it!  Yay!  I was a bit worried driving in because the booth was closed, but thankfully I was able to purchase it in the visitor center.  It was nice, but nothing I would have done just for that.  I did see an otter running across the road in front of me (almost hit it actually 😳) and then saw a bald eagle.  Other than that I saw herons and many other birds I've been seeing a lot of.  It was a gorgeous day, so it was all good.  Getting my pass and the beautiful day improved my mood.  

Yes, I am wearing gloves!!!

When I left St Marks, I went across the street to see about getting a site for the night at the  Newport campground.  The reviews were good aside from the road noise, but it didn't look good to me!  Thankfully, the attendant was off doing something and I did some searching and found a couple of other campgrounds about 30 min away so I left.  I went to a state campground first, but the only site they had was really unappealing, so I decided to risk it at Myron B Hodge city park that doesn't take reservations.  I'm so glad I did as it's quite nice, on the Sopchoppy river, and only $20 with electric and water.  I did hook up tonight to use my electric heater though I don't really need to.  I didn't hook up last night even though I also used the electric heater.  I was at 71% this AM when I left, but after 2 + hours of driving, it was charged back up.  It's actually slower at charging while driving than I expected, but I guess it's due to the large capacity.

From my window

12/30 - Morning in Sopchoppy.  There is a boardwalk across the water and it was so peaceful in the sun and listening to the birds.  I think I'm going to stay another night just to not make any decision for today and chill in place.  Showers look nice and I've got power for $20.  There is a brewery in town, so will walk in later in the day and try some beers and hopefully get something to eat.  Apparently this is the ONLY place to eat in town.   

It was 36 in Ferrisburgh at the same time!

It's almost the new year.  What am I looking forward to in 2024?  Not today.  I don't want to think about it right now...  I'm in a better frame of mind than yesterday AM, but still not loving life at the moment.  Maybe I've just been in FL for too long.  😜  I've been here since Dec 11th!  

St Petersburg, Gulfport, Venice, Christmas

Dec 22 - After leaving Fort DeSoto, I drove north to St Petersburg where Zoe and I wandered around for a few hours.  We walked around some parks and out onto the pier shown in the first photo below.  I wanted to grab something to eat, but didn't really want to sit at a restaurant and passed by a hot dog stand that just spoke to me.  Hot dogs are definitely not my first choice normally and I almost never eat them, but for some reason a hot dog sounded very appealing.  It was very good, though I got a little over zealous with the sauerkraut.  😁

We sat (Zoe napped in the sun of course) and watched some beach volleyball for a while.  I REALLY wanted to join in.  It has been way too long since I've played volleyball and I would love to do it again.  Maybe I'll find some pick up somewhere where they'll let me join in...

Joan and Kathy, who were at Fort DeSoto invited me to park in their driveway in Gulfport instead of the HH I was going to stay at in St Pete.  This was awesome and they let me do laundry and shower.  Such a treat!  Friday night, there was a holiday bicycle parade and golf cart parade where bikes and golf carts are decorated, so I went into town with Zoe to grab a bite to eat and watch the parade.  I was heading to Tommy's, per the recommendation from Joan, and found this band playing and they were AWESOME!  His voice was just incredible and they played music I knew.  Zoe and I sat outside and listened to the music and started chatting with Shirley and Bill and then Suzy and Bob showed up and we had a great time.  Gulfport, based on what they said and the sense I got in my short stay, has a similar friendly and welcoming feel like Beaufort, NC had for me.  We had a great time and Shirley and Bill picked up my bill.  So kind of them!  I'll definitely be paying that forward to a stranger.  Actually, I have a lot of paying it forward to do!  

We ended up staying there for at least 3 hours and that was definitely too long for Zoe.  She did fine, but she didn't relax and was so exhausted.  I'm definitely seeing her getting tired more easily and it's making me sad.  She is such a trooper though.  

Me, Shirley, Bill, Bob, Suzy - my new best friends.  😀

Dec 23 - Joan took me and Zoe on a walking tour of Gulfport.  Very cute town by day too!  Several beach volleyball courts that were busy here too.  

Zoe and Nemo

Lunch spot on the side of the bridge on my way down to Venice.

I drove through Casey Key and wow! - amazing homes!  It's very narrow, so often there is only room for one house, the road, and their beach.  I guess Oprah and Steve King have homes on here so you can imagine the scale.  It was a bit nerve wracking driving the very narrow road with occasional low hanging branches.  Thankfully not much traffic.  

I was going to go to the public beach, but dogs not welcome and being a beautiful Saturday on a holiday weekend, the beach was very crowded, so I just checked in at my BW in Venice.  It's just a spot in her driveway next to her RV, so not a pretty spot, but safe and quiet and close to beaches and town.  She suggested going to South Jetty and backing in and watching the sunset from my bed, which I probably wouldn't have thought of doing.  It's so classic #vanlife, I had to do it!  And there were dolphins too!

Dec 24 - Took Zoe to the Venice dog beach and hung out there for much of the day.  She spent more time sniffing the ground than meeting dogs.  There were a few she seemed interested in, but most just did quick meets and moved on.  She got tired and we just relaxed.  I thought I would read, but watching the dogs was too entertaining!

Mike took delivery of my new gray tank and helped me install it, so that I could change the orientation.  The builder had put it horizontally, so that the opening was at the bottom and if I didn't tighten it super tight, it would leak.  Seems like having the opening at the bottom wasn't too smart.  PLUS, the hole for the drain was in the side, about 2/3 of the way up when carrying it by the handle.  It leaked twice and once it ended up inside my Bogs boot, so when I went to use them on a rainy day, one was all wet inside.  So, now, I shouldn't have any leaks and it will be easier to carry and dispose of.  Yay! It's the little things...  😀

After leaving the dog beach, I went to Venice Beach for a drummers circle, which was fun.  Zoe was tired and I parked the van in the shade, though it was also cloudy, and went to the non-dog friendly beach to listen.  It was fun, and there was a woman doing some hula hooping and made it look so easy!  

Driving back to the BW, I drove through town, past all the busy restaurants with everyone celebrating the holiday.  I definitely felt sad? left out? alone.  I only feel that way because of the norms/expectations of holidays.  You're supposed to be with friends and family.  And that makes sense, but Christmas hasn't really been too important to me since Mom died in 1999.  We stopped having a family Christmas at that point and though Jennifer has always invited me, I've only gone twice due to the distance and travel challenges of flying. 

So, I went back and cooked a dinner I've been wanting to make for a while.  First use of my cute little 3 qt instant pot.  So yummy!  And I enjoyed myself, having the time (and desire) to cook.  I listened to music and just enjoyed the process in my little home.

First I made the quinoa, since I don't have another pot to make it in...  

For anyone interested:

Instant Pot Curry with Chickpeas, Tomatoes & Spinach - The Foodie Eats

Ingredients

- ▢ 2Tbsp.olive oil

- ▢ ½cupyellow oniondiced

- ▢ 1 ¼tsp.sea saltdivided

- ▢ 1Tbsp.fresh gingergrated

- ▢ 1Tbsp.garlicminced

- ▢ 2Tbsp.curry powder - (my modification - 1 tbsp hot curry and 1 tbsp sweet curry.)

- ▢ 1 tsp garam masala (my addition)

- ▢ 1/4 tsp anchur powder (my addition) - can add lemon or lime instead

- ▢ 14.5oztomatoesfire-roasted, diced

- ▢ 13.5oz.coconut milk

- ▢ 15.5ozchickpeasdrained

- ▢ 8oz.fresh baby spinach

Instructions

- Using sauté setting – add oil, onions, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent. Then add ginger and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or so. Next, add garlic and cook for one minute more. Now Add curry powder and mix well, allowing to toast for about a minute.

- Stir in tomatoes (using liquid to deglaze the bottom of pot), followed by chickpeas, coconut milk, and remaining salt. Mix well.

- Lock lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure.

- Finally, add spinach and mix until fully wilted. Serve with rice or quinoa.

Christmas Day - I got up and walked Zoe before the rain was to start, then we chilled in the van.  My BW host, Beverly, was kind enough to offer me a shower (I must have smelled all the way from inside my van!  😆) and to do laundry.  People can be so generous.  I took her up on the shower and the laundry.  Normally I try to wash my sheets every other week while on the road and I had just washed my sheets a week ago, but figured, this would give me 2 more weeks, so I'm doing the sheets.  It is so hard to keep things clean in the van, going in and out all day, especially in a sandy area, like the campgrounds.  I was supposed to move along today, but since Beverly didn't have anyone coming in and she offered, I decided to stay another night.  What was I going to do on a rainy Christmas anyway?!  And in the rain, it's nice to be parked on a paved driveway.  

After breakfast nap

Rainy Christmas breakfast

Nice place to hang out doing laundry!

It's already after 3 PM!  Time flies when doing nothing...  :o)  

Now, what to do tomorrow???  Or even today as the rain has stopped.  I don't know how to do nothing...  

Where do I go tomorrow?  Should I go south to Sanibel for the day, then head North?  I have decided against the Everglades since I can't really do anything with Zoe and I decided against going to the Keys as the only reason to go there would be to go Scuba Diving and I'm not comfortable leaving Zoe for that amount of time and without the ability to return to her.  It looks like it's going to be cooling down by Thursday/Friday as I head north.  The panhandle is supposed to be in the mid 30s at night Thurs - Sun!