Well our time here at the Elite campground in Crystal River is up. It's time to pack everything and head to our next stop; Mexico Beach, Florida. As we reflect on the last three months we realize what a truly enjoyable experience we have had. This was exactly the kind of life we had in mind when we made the decision to head off in our camper. We didn't have a lot of knowledge about about full time camping and made very few plans, but things worked out very well. Some of the things we learned this winter are:
There a lot of people doing the same thing as we are. Many of people we met are full time campers and even more spend just the winters down here in their campers. Most of them are using 5th wheels, there are also a lot a class A motor homes and a few travel trailers.(That's what we have) Those that have hauled travel trailers and 5th wheels say that 5th wheels pull much, much easier so when we sell the house we are going to shift to a 5th wheel.
The "snowbirds" that have been here before, have the scoop on all the important stuff, like the best golf courses, fishing holes and most importantly the best restaurants. They are more than willing to share what they know and campers in general are a very friendly group.
There are extremely helpful local people around who are more than willing to share their knowledge of the local activities and sights to see. Rosie and John went out of their way to ensure we enjoyed our stay in the Crystal River area and we are very grateful to our new friends for putting up with us "Dam Yankees". (Actually John is from Dayton Ohio but Rosie is a true Mississippi rebel. She claims anyone that lives north of I-10 in Florida is a Yankee).
When looking for a place to stay on the west side of Florida, bugs, specifically no seeums, are a major consideration. They are very small but pack quite a wallop. Sheila gets huge welts from their bites and suffers for days. We haven't had any success in finding an effective repellent yet but we're still looking. (Deep Woods Off doesn't even slow them down). Places near water, salt or fresh, have the highest concentration of these pests. I would not commit to any long term camping down here without getting the real status of those critters. (There was no problem at this campground with bugs and that was a major consideration in our decision to come back next year)
Looking forward to our next stop. Hopefully it will be as much fun.
I can tell you are sad to say goodbye, you really did have some good times there, hopefully the next stop will be as much fun. I have read that there is excellent fishing in Mexico Beach, so maybe dad, you just might have a chance!
ReplyDeleteLynn