Wild Florida

Driving though the Ocala National Forest it almost felt as much like we were in Minnesota as Florida. Almost. And as we began setting up at Rodman Campground State Park we quickly began to realize we had been missing something and we had just found it, to be immersed in nature, in the wild. We felt a greater sense of belonging and peace than we have in any RV resort.

This place was familiar and yet new and fascinating. Never had we stayed in a campground with warning signs for both alligators and bears. Another unique feature was the Cross Florida Barge Canal that ran alongside the campground, one of two sections that were completed before development of a shipping canal across Florida was halted.

Not too far south of the park is Salt Springs. The spring itself was nice. It didn’t reveal any manatees though we did see a blue crab which was cool. We also checked out the town. Enough said about that.

To the north is the town of Palatka and that was much more interesting. We hiked around Ravine Gardens State Park which was beautiful. As we were crossing a wooden suspension bridge two Barrred Owls sat in a tree near us and began calling back and forth to each other. We also drove around downtown Palatka seeking out the many murals with the assistance of a map we found online.

From Rodman Campground we moved back towards the Atlantic coast to Bulow RV Park, a Thousand Trails – Encore park near Flagler Beach. Overall we enjoyed the campground but there were issues. We did not like the buddy style sites that made us pull in forward. There was enough room to unhook the truck and turn it around but then getting it out was tight. There were also electrical issues at the pedestal for us and the camper we shared it with. For both of us our surge protectors gave an Open Ground fault and shut down, leaving us without power until maintenance was eventually able to fix the box.

One nice aspect of Bulow is the location that made it easy for us to take care of business or to go exploring. On one of our jaunts over to Flagler Beach we noticed a strange contrail to the south. It happened to be a SpaceX rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center. Bulow Woods is next to the campground and provided a nice walk through the forest.

Canaveral National Seashore was another great outing destination. We also went over to Merritt Island and did the Black Point Wildlife Drive as the sun was setting. Winding the seven miles through the ponds the views were spectacular and there were many different birds from Blue Winged Teal to Roseate Spoonbills.

Another day we went to Daytona Speedway for a test session of the new NASCAR Next Gen car. We were able to pull into the infield and parked in turn 2. We watched from the bed of our truck as cars came by at over 180 mph. That was wild in a whole other way, a very thrilling way.

From Bulow we began our journey west with an eventual destination of Quartzsite, Arizona. There was more Florida to be discovered along the way. We spent two nights at Suwanee River Rendezvous Campground near Mayo, Florida, a very campy place and oh so friendly. We loved it. And yes, this is the river behind the song Swanee River.

Our next stop was up in the Panhandle in Destin, Florida right along the Gulf Coast. We spent three nights at Henderson Beach State Park which is in the city but the campground is tucked into lush woods. The beach is even more beautiful than the campground. The sand is white and squeaks if you drag your feet. The water just off shore is an emerald green, giving this area the name the Emerald Coast. The path from the campground to the beach was closed for some reason so we needed to go to the public area in the park. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach but they can enjoy the nice nature trail in the dunes nearby.