Trip Interrupted
Until it was was interrupted near its end, our Winter 2023 trip was wonderful. We were revisiting very nice campgrounds and having a fantastic time. After more than six years of traveling without incident, I guess we were due for a bit of heartbreak. We missed the last three stops. More about that later, but first, the good part of our trip.
The Good Part
We had five weeks of smooth sailing in five campgrounds that we have previously visited. Though the weather wasn’t always great, it was good overall and we loved our time camping.
Topsail Hill State Park
Two weeks in site #55 at Topsail State Park on Santa Rosa Island was glorious! The weather was almost perfect and there was lots to do in the area.
Kith and Kin, a coffeehouse at the park, had live music on one of the nights we were there. The music was pretty good. The place also had some killer pastries and we frequently stopped there.
One great thing about Topsail was that is is fantastic for riding bikes. We rode our bikes almost every day and the frequency got me much more comfortable on my bike.
We bought our pup a trailer made by Dutch Dog with high hopes of her enjoying biking with us like she enjoys camping. It did not quite work out that way. She didn’t like it, so her trips had to be sort with bribes of bully sticks.
A day trip to nearby Eden Gardens State Park was a nice break. It was lovely with a historic house, beautiful grounds, and gorgeous flowers.
The private beach at Topsail is our favorite thing about the park. The water was clear and beautiful. The sunsets were spectacular! We rode our bikes to the beach at sunset on one occasion and it was our first ride in the nearly dark. Slightly scary for me.
While in the area we shopped at Bealls and had some excellent meals. Our favorite restaurants were Shunk Gully, Dewey Destin’s, Stinky’s Fish Camp, and Cappriccio Cafe.
Port Saint Joe
Though it was weeks before our trip was interrupted, our week in Port Saint Joe at Presnell’s was a mixed bag because of the weather. We like the area because it is not highly developed and has a lot of natural beauty. Also, our site was right on the water.
Every morning, we were able to see egrets from our back window. This was true in good and bad weather.
A storm came through while we were there that made a couple of our days merely a hunker down experience. But, the storm free days were glorious.
The storm brought 30 mph winds, gusting to 50 mph. Opening the trailer door was a real challenge because it felt like the wind would tear it out of our hands. I have to say, two days with that kind of weather and being confined to a small trailer was not our best time.
Biking in the campground was somewhat limited, but we really liked riding the bike lane at Cape San Blas. We actually rode our bikes along Highway 30A to get to the cape on one of our rides. The speed limit was 55 with lots of traffic. It was very much a white-knuckle ride for me! The next time, we drove to the area with the bikes.
There are some nice restaurants in the area. Our favorites were Peppers Mexican Grill, Shipwreck, and Provisions Restaurant.
Eastbank COE
Eastbank COE is located near the intersection of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. There is not a lot to do in the area, but the campground is top-notch. The sites are large and our site was right on Lake Seminole. We were there for six nights.
The sunsets are beautiful on the lake and we had a great view from our campsite.
Most of our time was spent in the campground. We rode our bikes and took Sophie on lots of walks.
We made a day trip to Tallahassee to visit the State Capital. Florida has preserved its historic capital that was built in 1845 while having an ultra modern building across from it that serves the state’s business today. Lunch was at nearby Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill. Delicious! We also had a couple of excellent meals near our campground at The American.
Manatee Springs State Park
We had absolutely no cell service at our campsite at Manatee Springs, no phone calls-nothing. I was going into electronic withdrawal. But there was a great signal at the concession stand. So, phone calls and e-mail made me feel better. We had a nice site with a bit of shade.
There is a beautiful boardwalk that overlooks the Suwannee River. We rented a couple of kayaks and were able to see two manatees.
The park has some great bike trails and we had a bit of an adventure. We took a wrong turn on a late afternoon ride and it was beginning to get dark. I always go to worst case scenario and was imagining spending the night in the woods. A dog chased us too! Happily, we made it out while there was still some light and saw a group of about ten deer.
Hillsborough River State Park
Hillsborough River is a frequent stop for us because it is near our family in St. Petersburg. We left the camper for a couple of nights and stayed in St. Pete with our family. It was a great visit with them.
While in the area, we checked out the new Rad store. It was new and shiny and we got to see all the Rad bike models.
Our son and daughter-in-law took us on a boat ride on the Intracoastal Waterway. It is a beautiful area and was so much fun to be out on the water. The day was perfect with clear skies.
It was so nice to feel the sea air on our faces. While on the boat, we had Cuban sandwiches from Barracuda Deli. They were absolutely the best I have ever tasted.
While in St. Pete, we also had a great lunch at The Lure and a fantastic dinner at Thai Prajamm.
Our stop at Hillsborough River was great, mostly because of the quality time we were able to spend with family. However, our time in the campground was also good. We rode bikes and had a very peaceful stay.
Trip Interrupted- The Bad Part
The bad part of our trip was not all bad, but we had a very stressful experience that ended up being very costly.
Ocala North RV Park
We had a two night stay booked at Ocala North. The park is very nice with lots of amenities, including a heated pool, multiple dog parks, pickle ball courts, bingo, etc. We didn’t think we would have much time to enjoy the amenities, but our interrupted trip morphed to eight nights and three different sites in the park.
It was to be a “take care of business” stay. On our one full day, we did laundry, gave the dog a bath, and I got a haircut. Then a “Check Engine” light came on in our 2021 2500 Ram.
Phillips Dodge Ocala
Phillip’s Dodge Ram was surprisingly a very good part of this stop. We rolled into their service center in the late afternoon. They were kind enough to check and see what our code’s indicated. We dealt with Derek and Ryan and they were fantastic! The codes indicted three parts, including the engine computer. They ordered the parts and when they arrived a few days later, they immediately began to install them.
We were preparing to head home when we got a call from them. When they pulled the transmission pan to install the parts, they discovered metal fragments that indicated that the transmission needed to be replaced. Phillips was great in filing a claim for a transmission under warranty. We only had 22 thousand miles on the truck.
Getting Home
So, we had to figure out a way to get our 25 foot trailer home. Manny at Enterprise Truck had a truck we could rent. It was a Ram2500, but a gas burner. He first wanted us to bring it back to Ocala because he needed it there, but as we talked, he decided to let us turn it in to the Birmingham location. This made our difficult situation much better. Enterprise Truck Rental at Ocala and Birmingham were very helpful and professional.
Canceled Stops
We had stops at Hanna Park Campground, Skidaway Island State Park, and Hunting Island that had to be canceled. Hunting Island was especially sad because it was with a group we have camped with for many years. Instead, we headed home with our rental truck.
The Good in the Bad
There was a lot not to like because of the issue with the truck. It was extremely stressful and expensive. The stress was ongoing for a couple of weeks and we both had elevated blood pressure. We lost funds on campground cancellations and had significant fuel costs and hotel bills coming back to pick up the Ram.
Despite the negative aspects, we dealt with really nice people and businesses. Our experience with Phillips Dodge was above and beyond our interactions with other dealerships. Enterprise Truck was also good and Ocala RV found spots for us as we extended our stay.
Lastly, we met some really nice people. Our last neighbors, Michael and Angie were wonderful. They gave us two rides into Ocala. We had a lot in common with them, including our sweet doodles. Sophie and Cali played so well together.
In Conclusion
Our past trips have not had the stress and drama of this one though I think we have always feared something like this happening. But, this interrupted trip makes it more scary now thinking about going far from home. We just have to get out there again and not let this deter us! If you would like to read about other places we have camped, check out our web page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource.
Happy and Safe Travels Everyone!
