Karla's Kronicles #19

The Karla Kronicles #19 - January 2009 to May 2009
Greetings Kronicle Readers! (Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
It's a New Year and we've been keeping super busy. Having lots of fun and working hard on the house & yard, too. Actually, I guess I could say working hard on BOTH houses as getting the new Coach ready for travel required lots of extra work, especially for Larry.
One of Larry's MAJOR tasks was remounting the MotoSat Antenna on the new Coach. We don't have any photos to document this, but first we had to take the equipment off the 5th wheel. We did this by placing sheets of sturdy wood against the front of the 5th wheel and down on to the top of the tool box in the bed of the F350 Truck, wrapping the boards in moving blankets so they would not scratch. Then Larry slid the equipment down into the F350, where we could lift it off. It only weighs about 100 lbs., but is a very awkward shape. The motor and base end is much heavier than the actual antenna, so the weight is not distributed evenly. Next, he ordered a new roof mounting plate from MotoSat; that was no problem. The problem now was how to get the antennae w/base and motor on top of the 13' tall Coach! This was accomplished by Larry driving the Coach fairly close to one of our Oak Trees with an overhanging branch; then he rigged up a 3-pulley rope system and, with me keeping a guide line on the equipment so it would not bang against the new Coach, Larry hoisted that equipment up and over. For sure this was no easy task, but he did it! Then he had to drill holes in the roof and run the wires down into the cabinetry and get everything mounted and sealed and operating again. He gets major kudos for that. Hopefully, he will never have to do that again!
In January, Thyme (from the DataStorm Rallys) was coming through our area, so she parked her motor home in our side yard for a week. It was a great time to enjoy the area with some hiking and biking. We rode our bikes along the Withlacoochee State Bike Trail from Inverness to Floral City, stopping for lunch at the little Irish Pub right off the bike trail. It was only a 16-mile round trip ride, but we got to use some muscles that had been idle for a while.
	Not wanting to sit on a bike seat the next day (if you know what I mean!); we drove to one of the many camp areas and trailheads in the Withlacoochee State Forest. Our home lies 4/10 mile North of Hwy 44; the Forest borders the South side of Hwy 44; so it's practically in our backyard.
A few days after Thyme headed out, we had a great overnight visit with Clarence and Flora Byrd They had moved to South Carolina a few years ago from Darrington WA. Clarence is one of my former bosses at Honeywell; and we've know Clarence and Flora for more than 20 years (and many of you readers know them too!). They were making a car trip to Sarasota FL - their old stomping grounds. We did a lot of reminiscing about the "good ol' days" of Honeywell, as well as our adventures at Squire Creek Campground and the Marblemount property.
That night, Clarence said he didn't trust my cooking, so we had dinner out at the Marquerita Grill in Homosassa. They are known for their 45 oz Marqueritas and a slogan of “EAT HERE OR WE BOTH STARVE” It's always a very busy and very noisy place, but it has a fun and VERY patriotic atmosphere. Surprisingly enough, it's not Mexican Food; Steaks, Seafood salads, sandwiches and Marqueritas. For more information about the Restaurant, link to: Marquerita Grill
	On March 2nd, Thyme stopped for a week on her way back from the Atlantic Coast of Florida. We got in some more hiking and biking. This time we rode the Bike Trail from a North Parking lot into Inverness, where we had lunch at Coach's Pub and Brew. Inverness is a such a neat little town. We love the shops and eateries. There's a wonderful city park with a board walk along Cooter's Pond and also access to the Bike Trail. There's an old historic Courthouse (restored and now a museum) where Elvis filmed "Follow that Dream" in 1954.
And our hike this time was in to discover the "caves" we had heard about in the Withlacoochee Forest. We were amazed to see flowering Dogwood Trees. The caves were interesting to explore and the right time of the year to do so (when the snakes are hibernating). It didn't take long to explore all the caves and do a bit more hiking.


Thyme headed home to her land in Tennessee. Now it's time for a little RVing. We headed back to Peace River 1000 Trails Preserve, Wauchula, FL. We had two goals; to see if we could "boondock" for 4 full-days (using no hook-ups) and test out all the equipment Larry installed. We wanted to make sure everything was working before we left for the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally in Perry GA March 16-19. We knew we would have to go a minimum of 4 days in the Fairgrounds with no facilities. The Coach has large holding tanks and an inverter, 4 batteries, and lots of bells and whistles that make "boondocking" very easy. We didn't have any problems rationing our resources.
This Osprey caught himself dinner in Peace River. We wouldn't have noticed, but the fish was flapping it's tail and that is what caught our attention. It's very common to see an Osprey on this old snag with it's prey.
	And the Resident Female Alligator was out in her usual spot catching some sun...we used our tri-pod and telescope and counted 9 baby Alligator snouts.
This turtle struggled so hard to get up on this log, we just had to get his photo; we liked the reflection in the river, too.
Right before we headed out on the Rally trip, the Azalea bushes on the North East Side of our house really bloomed out....and Myrtle, our resident Gopher Turtle, finally came out of her hole...She's back by the pool as she munches her way around the yard and heads back to her burrow. Gopher Turtles dig large holes in the ground in which to live and they are protected in Florida. A smaller Gopher Turtle has his cave next door, but comes around the fence to eat at the Dayhuff's periodically. I need to put up Turtle Crossing signs in the neighborhood. Many times cars stop to wait for them to cross the road, or I go watch for traffic as they cross (it speeds them along that way). We are fortunate not to live on a busy road. The lower right photo was taken at 1000 Trails Orlando last year and is a good representation of a typical Gopher Turtle House...


The FMCA Rally in Perry was at the National level. We had received information along with a one-year membership when we bought the Coach. When we found out that Carole and Les were planning to attend, we booked our reservation and went in with their ARC (Amateur Radio Chapter) group. Larry has his license (N7LWD), so it's a good Chapter for us to join and we met some real nice folks.
The Rally was fun, although we spent the first night in the WalMart parking lot. We had actually been forewarned by another Crown Club Member that the Perry Farmers really enjoy the Rally because they make lots of money hauling rigs out of the mud at the Fairgrounds. No Doubt!!! Another "Ham" couple reached the "holding area" where we were all suppose to meet and told us to go directly to the WalMart lot because the rains had been so bad, the Fairgrounds stopped parking Rigs that day. So we stayed a bit dryer on the pavement at WalMart and the next day the parking supervisor had us come in as a group and got us parked together on a bit higher ground. They alternate Coach then Towed Vehicle with very little leftover space, but then you are just "field camping" and there to enjoy the Rally events.
	Larry has been quite busy since returning from Perry, unpacking Ham Radio equipment, ordering and installing antennas on the Coach and Jeep. I think we are all set and we just found out that the next FMCA-ARC Rally will be in Rockport TX in October, so we will be able to attend as we make our way home to Florida if our current travel schedule holds.

Carole and Les followed us back into Florida. We by-passed home to camp at 1000 Trails Orlando for a week. We took this photo to send to our England Penpals, Peter and Janet Green. Peter recently retired and enjoys information on RVing and traveling. It just so happened he emailed Carole and asked if she had heard from us lately and she could reply that we were camped right "next door" and send him this photo!!!
	Carole and Les parked at our house at the end of March for a week. We took them down to the Homosassa Springs State Park and Wildlife Preserve so they could see the Manatees in person You can park off Hwy 19 and take a pontoon boat or tram ride to the West Entrance of the park. We chose the 20 minute boat ride down Pepper Creek, getting a nice narrative from the Captain and sighting alligators, turtles and water fowl along the way. It's one of our favorite places to visit; so we bought a year's membership. The park prides itself in being "a showcase for Florida's wildlife".

6 Female Manatees reside at the park. They are kept within the boundaries of the preserve by long bars blocking the exit into the Gulf of Mexico near a walking bridge crossing. In the next two photos, the Manatees have come into a pool area where the algae is being scraped from their skin. This is a routine care procedure because being in the fresh water vs. salt water, causes the algae to grow. You will see algae on the shells of fresh water residing turtles, also. After they are scraped clean, they are released back to roam around the park.

This Manatee is heading towards dinner....
	This structure is a viewing platform. You can see the area where lettuce is tossed in for the Manatees. There are stairs leading down to an underwater viewing area, where visitors can view many varieties of fish.
Many of the animals at the park are orphaned or injured and cannot survive in the wild on their own. You can see that this American Eagle has suffered damage to his wing. They have two Eagles at the Park; each has suffered wing damage, but they are still very Majestic.

On our first visit to the Park, we saw this young Sandhill Crane. Florida has many Sandhill Cranes, we see them quite often while driving or hear them flying overhead...Sandhill Cranes make very strange noises. There is no mistaking them when they fly overhead.. This little guy was so gangly and funny to watch...There was a Great Blue Heron in the area, so the Papa Crane was keeping close tabs on his youngster.

	"You Talkin' to Me"? This angry looking grasshopper was sitting on a Bromalaide plant having his dinner when we interrupted for a photo.
Of course, Flamingos are a must to see in Florida. Other Feathered Friends are the Egrets, Hawks, Herons and Owls....Below are photos of just a few of the Flamingos at the Park, a Great Egret, Red-shouldered Hawks, and a the Great Blue Heron just as a representation of a few of the many varieties cared for at the preserve. A docent told us that almost all of the birds in the park have been injured and brought here for recuperation and care. This Heron (lower right) had just stolen a fish from one of the volunteers feeding the birds. I don't think he is a park resident; he just swooped in to grabbed an easy meal!!


There is ONE non-native Floridian Resident at the Park. Lucifer, the Hippo from TV (Daktari and other shows), is living out his life in Homosassa Springs. Lucifer is well fed and is approaching the maximum life expectancy for a Hippo. Lu has been known to anoint visitors; they have a splash zone warning sign near this area where he likes to rest out of the water. But he's not going to splash you with water....Captain of the Pontoon boat warns his passengers...if you get "splashed" by Lu, you won't be riding home on my boat!


Carole and Les stayed with us until just after my Birthday in early April. Then they headed North to see family in North Carolina for more birthday celebrations and special occasions. But it's never good-bye...just See You Soon! It may not be until October 2009 in Rockport TX; but we look forward to them being in Florida next Fall, Winter, and Spring!!
Our next Florida Visitor was my Cousin Pam from Walla Walla! Pam, her brother Greg and I grew up together in Walla Walla. What a joy to have Pam come visit! And timing was great; we had been having an unusually cool Spring in Florida; but when Pam got here, the humidity wasn't too bad and the pool temps were great! Maybe even a little too warm when those solar panels got the water temp up to 91.2....
	And, of course, we also took Pam to Homosassa Springs State Park; no surprise there...not too many people get to see Manatees up close and personal and it's a great way to spend a day.
There are 2 Manatee Programs Daily. They get the "girls" to come over to an area where bleachers are set up and visitor's to the park can learn about these wonderful mammals. The Park Volunteers get into the water with the Manatees. This Volunteer is feeding them rings of turnips; they've already eaten all the carrots. After this show, they were fed cases of Romaine.

	What Florida Wildlife Preserve would be complete without a few Florida Alligators? They have 12 at Homosassa Springs. According to a Volunteer we spoke to, they all have been in the park since the beginning and are all over 60 years old. That prompted me to ask about the growth rate of baby alligators. We saw baby alligators both in November 2008 and March 2009 at Peace River and they appeared to be about the same size. We didn't know if Stumpy or another Gator had another litter or if these were the same batch we had seen previously. She explained that the growth rate is very slow the first 4 years. The size of an adult Alligator does not necessarily reflect age. Some Alligators just grow larger than others, just as people do.
The Panther was up roaming that day...
And more Flamingo photos...their bills have beautiful markings and a very unusual shape.

With 3 bikes at home, we headed down the Withlacoochee Trail starting from Floral City this time; going south and an area we hadn't explored yet; then we drove back to Inverness and had beer and snacks at Stumpknockers - another local restaurant. We didn't want a regular lunch, so we ordered 2 appetizers Pam had never gotten to try...Conch Fritters and Alligator Nuggets. Deep fried - but YUMMY!! And since the restaurant sold copies of "Follow that Dream", we bought a copy for our archives.
We were quickly running out of days; but did drive Pam to our closest "beach". 25 miles from the house near the city of Crystal River is beach access along the Gulf of Mexico. It's not a large stretch of beach, but the views are nice; there's a roped off swimming area and a boardwalk leading out to a fishing dock. We also got in a short hike on the boardwalk at Churchouse Hammock State Park - also in Crystal River. We heard some noise and looked out in the brush. Counted about 4 little wild pigs (wonder where Momma was). Once they noticed us, they scattered so there was never a clear photo opportunity.
	Pam on the Fishing Pier overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
Pam wanted to host a day at SeaWorld, so we packed up the Coach 2 days before her flight home and headed to 1000 Trails Orlando, where we all enjoyed a day at SeaWorld. One of the first things we did was get in line to feed the Dolphins; then went to the underground viewing area.

SeaWorld also has a Manatee area with an underground viewing area.

Both of the shows; the Dolphins and Shamu the Killer Whale were spectacular. There was so much action going on in both performances that I didn't snap one photo! Oh well, it really is one of things where you just had to be there. The young people that perform with the animals are really terrific and the choreography of the performance is something special to see. Thanks, again, Pam for a wonderful time!
We had soup & salads at "Sharks Restaurant" where one entire wall is looking into an underwater aquarium with hundreds of shark and fishes. Afterwards, we road a moving walkway under a glass tunnel of the aquarium. Other smaller aquariums filled rooms at the end of the moving walkway.
	This is not a Sea Horse, but a Sea DRAGON! Isn't he fascinating? I had never seen a creature like this before!
All too soon, Pam was heading home and the house seemed lonely without her... And now we have no more excuses...time to pack and get ready to head out of town. Yard work, packing, seeing Larry's family before we head out were the priorities over the next couple of weeks. Larry worked very hard laying out our route and making as many reservations as he could. Our goal was to leave on Friday, May 15; we didn't make it. We decided after riding in Les and Carole's jeep with their hard top that we didn't want the noise of our soft top and the lack of security to go anywhere and leave GPS and Ham Radio Equipment exposed. A little shop for Truck Accessories in Crystal River had been recommended to us - so we had them order us a hard top. It took a while to get because unknown to us, her distributor refused to ship until he had full payment, so she put her money on the line and asked for our patience. We agreed to postpone the trip for a few days in order to complete the process and we are so glad we did! It was worth the hassle of re-arranging our first set of reservations in order to have a hard top on the jeep.
So Readers...this is the end of Kronicle's #19 and it gets us FINALLY up-to-date. Kronicle's #20 will be the start of "The Big Trip" as we travel from Florida to Washington State and back, making a pretty big loop; seeing some new things and re-visiting a few favorite places along the way.
REMEMBER.... We want to hear from you too! What are your plans for this summer! We really enjoy hearing back from you all and sometimes when we release Kronicles we do get some great messages back from some of you! Keep them coming! More later...Karla and Larry

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