Florida Caverns

 7-23-2021 - Friday

After breakfast, we drove over to the Florida Caverns State Park.  

We got on the 10:45 tour, so we had about a 40 minute wait.  We checked out the gift shop, then went through the small museum and watched a film about the caverns.  The museum included an exhibit about FDR's New Deal and the CCC's, who had built the buildings, part of the park, and dug out the trails in the caverns.  Our tour guide talked a lot about the CCC boys, the hard work they did for $1.00 per day.  Of the $30 they made per month, $25 was sent home to their parents, and they got to keep $5.00.  Since my dad was part of that. I appreciated her respect for what the did.  She kept calling them boys, which they were -- I think my dad was 16 when he joined -- but I never really thought of them that way. 

Our tour guide was great, a real character.  She called herself Honey Bee, the bad babysitter, and tried to capture the interest of the kids on the tour.  She made the tour interesting and entertaining.

The caverns were beautiful, lots of formations, stalactites and stalagmites, rock formations, some pools. 

 There were several rooms (I may have read somewhere that there were 10), one we didn't get to tour because it was flooded.  One of the first rooms was the Wedding Room, because of this wedding-cake-like formation.  They actually hold weddings in here, and birthday parties (it's a birthday cake then).

It was an easy walk in the caves, the trail was good, with a few puddles and drips, and we had to bend over some, but it wasn't strenuous.  One of the kids spotted a bat on the ceiling, which Honey Bee had not seen, so that was some excitement for a while.  I think I finally saw it, but it was very small.  Joe took a picture, but it isn't very clear because he had to zoom in so much.  Did you know these bats eat 400-500 mosquitos an hour!!!  Go Bats!

Honey Bee also talked about 2018 Hurricane Michael, which sat over this town for several hours.  It took out 90% of the trees in this park, and the power lines, which left the caves without electricity for 6 months.  The campground here is still under construction from that hurricane.  We finished the tour and walked back to the gift shop.  The 65 degree temperature in the caves was fine, the humidity kept it from being cold, but the outside heat was almost debilitating.  We watched another film in the museum just to catch our breath and cool off.  Then we drove through the park.  We crossed the river and could see lots of trees laying in the water from the hurricane.

We made a couple of stops in town, found a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and finally headed back to the RV so Joe could try to figure out the problem with the idle on the RV.  He checked under the hood outside (it was very, very hot and muggy), then took the doghouse off inside and looked for loose wires or whatever.  He couldn't find anything, so he put the doghouse back on, googled it, then laid down and thought about it. He  got up, removed the doghouse again, and started checking out the hoses, which was a google suggestion.  Almost immediately, he tracked down a hole in the PCV ventilation hose.   The good thing was that it was inside work. 

So now he has to find a replacement, and it's 4:30 on Friday.  We hurried back into town, to the Ford dealer (didn't have it), and two parts stores.  The second one thought they could make one up for him.  Meanwhile, I'm staying in the Jeep and it's pouring down rain, thunder and lightning.  Joe finally came out with parts, so we found a place for dinner, then back to the RV we went.  It took him a couple of hours (the hose wasn't exactly a perfect fit, so he had to do some McGyvering), but when he got it all hooked back up, and started the motor, it sounded good.  Hopefully, we are done with that.

The rain stopped while we were at dinner, and dropped the temperature about 15 degrees.  Thank God!  Joe spent some time figuring out our route for tomorrow, so we hope everything with the RV is good and that we can move on up (north) the road.  We are heading into Alabama, so we are not expecting any cooler temperatures.  

Florida Panhandle

 7-22-2021

We got up just before 7:00, and got loaded quickly.  It was pretty simple since pretty well everything was in our one-room suite.  Joe and I drove over to the donut shop and brought donuts home to the kids, then we said our good-byes and headed out, at 8:20.  Other than the heat, the drive was pretty uneventful, except that when we pulled in to fuel, the RV didn't idle very well.  Joe has to look under the hood in the morning to see if something ate through a wire, or something.  we stopped at the Busy Bee to fuel and grab some lunch.  This is a smaller version of the Buc-ee's Travel Centers we have stopped at in Texas, but this one was very busy (living up to its name, I guess), all the pumps were full, so we had to drive around twice to fine an open one, and there was not adequate parking, so I got our Whopper sandwiches to go.  The Buc-ee's have tons of parking, and lots of gas pumps, and more "stuff" inside.  I didn't get a chance to shop since Joe was parked at the pump, but it wasn't nearly as grand.  We had stopped here once before, so I knew what to expect.

We got to our campground in Marianna at 2:30/1:30 (we gained an hour after Tallahassee).  Joe hooked up the electricity and as soon as the RV got cool, it was nap time.  This is a real nice campground (Stay N Go), just 1/2 mile off I-10.  

Of course, we had to make that difficult too.  Our new GPS apparently didn't have this road in it, when I put in the address, it didn't take the E part of the address, so it turned us west instead of east, alongside the Walmart and down a dead-end road, where we had to unhook to get turned around.  Joe then pulled up the campground on his phone, but he missed the turn and we had to go back over the interstate to get turned around.  I'm following him in the Jeep, thinking "what is he doing?????"  I left my phone in the RV so I couldn't call him, so I just blindly followed him, and he got us to the right place, the back way.  Had we turned right to start with, it would have been a very easy half mile right into the campground.  Oh well, that's typical of us anymore.

We drove back over to the main highway for dinner, and shopped Walmart a little, then we drove up to the caverns we are going to tomorrow, to preview our route.  It's only 5-6 miles, but we got to drive through the countryside a little.  

We had a great time with John and Bridgette, and getting reacquainted with our grandkids.  Hopefully, it won't be another 1 1/2 years before we see them again -- that was way too long, and they grew up way too much since we were last here.  They start school in under 3 weeks, Andrew in 3rd grade, and Catalina in kindergarten.  So they have a couple weeks to try to re-establish some kind of routine since we disrupted their lives for over 3 weeks.

I've been texting with Marilyn and Collins, who are in Bismarck, ND.  They have been 100 degree days, and today they set a record at 106.  Needless to say, they are not happy campers!  It's hard to get these motorhomes cooled in that intense heat.  I hope we begin to get a little cooler as we head north.

Our drive today was 339 miles, a little long for the leisure trip we have been enjoying this summer.  If we can get on a tour of the caverns tomorrow, we plan on leaving here on Friday.  It's supposed to be a constant 65 degrees down there though, so we may just spend the day!

Last day at the froeschkes

 7-21-2021 - wednesday

Joe was up and out the door at 7:15, and got to the Jeep dealer first thing.  they said they could get it in today, so he called and John drove over to pick him up.  bridgette had taken andrew in for his last dentist appointment, so I was in charge of catalina for a little while.  

Now my camera has quit working.  If it isn't one thing, it's another.  apparently, it's the sd card, so I will see if we can get that figured out while we wait to hear from the Jeep dealer.

well, the camera is working again.  this was a test picture.  we discovered there is a little thing on the side of the sd card that got pushed down accidentally.  Joe pushed it back up, and we are back in business.

bridgette took the kids to the pet store, and when they got back catalina started walking chewbacca around the house on the new lease.  the dog probably got a few miles in.  since dory shadows chewbacca, she got a few miles in too.

Joe picked 2 more pineapples and I cut one up.  It is delicious.  Pineapple that has been allowed to completely ripen on the vine tastes so much better.

I took a couple pictures of their new house.  It has a very good layout.  and our little mother-in-law suite has worked great for us.

Kitchen

Living room

I persuaded catalina to try on the little western outfit I bought her in North dakota.  she wasn't the most cooperative, but I did get to see it on her.

they got the Jeep fixed, but it was pricey.  they had said they would have it done today, but when Joe called about 4:00, they said they were waiting for a part and it wouldn't be done until in the morning.  then they called back and said the mechanic was going to stay to get it finished, so Joe should head on over.  So we are back in business.

we went out to dinner for the last time.  Catalina gave her grandpa a little attention.

andrew sat next to me.  His dental work this morning was giving him a little trouble, so he wasn't the most comfortable.

Us girls walked over to beall's to check out backpacks.  andrew of course has to have a Milwaukee bucks one, but catalina few in love with one right away, and also picked out a lunch box.  when we left the store and I reached for her hand, she told me she was going to school, and school people don't hold hands.

We got home in time for a quick basketball game, and catalina zoomed past on her scooter, even though it was probably still 90 degrees.  after the boys went in, catalina practiced on dunking the basketball, but she needs to grow another inch, even though her dad lowered the goal.

tomorrow we have to load up our few things in our bedroom, hook up the Jeep, and hit the road.  we have 340 miles to go, so we are hoping for an early start, although I did hear Joe mention donuts.  we are hoping for safe travels as we head north.

When we left Indian river, we actually were beginning the return trip to arizona.  To that point, we had traveled 4,526 miles.  Since we don't intend to get home until October, we may have that many more miles ahead of us before we get home.  We still haven't figured out our return route, but we are headed to tennessee and Indiana, so we have a little time to make up our minds on the last part of our journey.  we just want some cooler weather.

Tuesday at the Froeschkes

 7-19/20-2021 - Monday/tuesday

Monday was just another hot, humid day.  The guys finished the wiring in the garage -- a big accomplishment that John is excited about.  He was glad to have his dad here to help him, and teach him a few things.  they still have lights to get hung, but John can do that after we leave, since he goes back to work tuesday.

we took the kids to breakfast at waffle House on Monday, and stopped at walmart for better markers for our rock painting.  then the kids and I painted some rocks again.  they hope to hide some of these in a park sometime.  but florida is not a place for rockhounding, they have shells instead.  we should have picked up some shells to paint, but I didn't think of that.  

tuesday was much the same, although the humidity was a lot lower in the morning, and it was actually pleasant outside.  bridgette had to go in to her work, and took the kids with her.  Joe and I started getting the rv ready to travel. John also had to go in to work.    the good thing about that is John had to shave, for the first time since we've been here, I think, so we got to see a clean-shaven son before we leave.

We stopped in best buy and Joe finally made the decision to buy a new gps.  we have looked at them about everywhere we stopped, but he couldn't decide which one would be the best to fit our needs.  I really wanted one that showed low bridges, but that one costs another $200 so he settled on the 65 drive smart.  we will see if it keeps us out of trouble.

On the way to pizza for dinner, the air conditioner in the Jeep quit -- actually, it was the switch that quit working. that was a bit dismaying!  that could change our plans to leave on thursday.  Joe will try to get it into the Jeep dealer in the morning -- we don't need anything else breaking.

bridgette bought a couple of new games for the kids, and Joe and catalina played the fishing game.

bridgette and andrew played his new game, Outlast, a reading for information game.  then we watched the suns game for a while.  Unfortunately, they lost.

So tomorrow it's off to the Jeep dealer first thing.  then we will see what the rest of the day brings.

Back at the froeschkes

7-18-2021 - Sunday

We were all glad to sleep in our own beds last night, and to be back home.  I finished my laundry, bridgette started hers, and went to costco and Publix, then with her dad's help, fixed her usual taco sunday dinner.  

Joe and John got started on their wiring project.  their biggest hurdle was getting to the ceiling, and they considered renting a long ladder, but finally figured out they could set his ladder on a table and reach as high as they needed.  so they got the wiring attached, now they just need to finish a few things and put on the recepticles.

the kids and I played rack-o, then painted some rocks I had picked up along the way.  I gave them a base coat of white paint yesterday, and we went through my rock box and found so more, so I repainted the ones we had worked on, and added in the new ones.  we just need some new markers that will show up better.

I ran out of John's white paint, and the only other can I saw was aqua, so I painted the back side of the last one that pretty aqua color.  

John sent me a picture he took of Andrew when they were fishing on the jetty.  He looks like a professional fisherman.

andrew spent a little cuddle-time on the couch with grandpa last night.  we will miss this.

Our days here are winding down.  they hope to finish the garage tomorrow (John goes back to work on tuesday).  we are planning on going over to the florida caverns when we leave here, for a couple days if we can get camping reservations somewhere. then we will head to tennessee and Indiana.

I sprayed my computer keys again, but my shift key is still sticking.  It seems to work on letters it knows should be capitalized, but not the ones mid-sentence.  I guess I will just keep spraying it.

Day 8 at Indian River

 7-17-2021 - Saturday

We had made tentative plans for our nephew Mike and Lisa Sullivan to drive up today to visit, but since we changed our plans and packed up to leave, that didn't work out.

We did NOT sleep in this morning.  We got up at 5:30 to go fishing at 6:30.  we even got to see the sunrise,  

And we were not the only ones out early, but there were not many of us.

Joe didn't exactly pop right out of bed, but he did manage to drag himself out.  I think he is still half asleep here.

we passed under the bridge and into the Sebastian River.  We were surprised to see alligators in the river here, we thought it would be too brackish but I think we saw 5.  

John stays busy on these fishing trips.  besides driving the boat, and taking care of his and andrew's poles, and sometimes mine, I really don't know how he ever catches a fish.  but he does.  He spotted some kind of shark fin out of the water, so he grabbed a pole and cast it a few times toward it, but it didn't grab it.

It was a clear morning, and we saw 3 ultra-lites overhead.  eventually, they came right down the river above us.

we caught several catfish, again, a couple mangrove snappers, and andrew caught a red drum.  It had 8 spots on it, which is very unusual.  My picture isn't very clear (the fish moved obviously) but you can see some of the 8 spots.

Here's our fishermen, hard at it.  we had some kind of shark playing with our lines, we hooked it 4 times but it cut our line every time.  andrew was so excited to try to catch it.  John first thought it was a black tip shark, but got a better look at it and decided it was probably a bull shark.  (I had to go check with andrew on the technical names of these sharks).  too bad none of us could catch it.  andrew hooked it twice, me once, and John once.  then we all had to tie on new line.  but we eventually ran out of bait. 

so then all we could do was head back to camp.  we did see a big white bird on this ride, andrew told me it was a snowy egret and I should take a picture of it.  so I did.  He said it is pretty rare to see them.

My shift key on the computer keeps getting stuck from my sugar disaster making the cake.  Joe has sprayed the keys several times but apparently haven't gotten that one cleaned out yet.  I finally got tired of the caps lock so I just went with it.  

we went back to camp and immediately started packing up.  It was hot so it was an ordeal, but we got it done.  we headed out about 12:30, stopped for lunch, and another stop for fuel, and got home about 4:15.  It was a long drive, but it rained on us a few times so that helped drop the temperature.  It was only 141 miles but seemed to take forever, and we were all tired.  Joe and I are still fighting the bug bites, and didn't sleep very well last night, so that added to the ordeal.  we were glad to be back at the froeschkes, but then the unloading began.  besides laundry, Joe and I didn't have too much to unload.

tomorrow Joe and John are going to start the garage wiring project.  I have laundry to do.  and bridgette has laundry, unloading, grocery shopping, etc.  It will be a busy day.