Crystal River Trip Saturday 3/23

Saturday 3/23

Last evening Linda had a pain in her back. (No…Not me…I’m a pain in the butt.) I ran to Winn-Dixie for some Icy Hot patches.  This morning she is getting around better and wanted to go downtown.  

The first stop was to get Big Blue a bath at Mr. B’s Car wash.  Those kids really hustle.  We were about eighth in line and we were done in less than a half hour.

Here is an aerial view of the Crystal River area.  The main river is in the center with Kings Bay to the right and the Gulf of Mexico to the left.  We are at site 42.  At the top of the pic is the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant.  

Notice that this area of FL, just about 20 miles north of Tampa for about 200 miles to Carrabelle, has no beaches.  The Gulf just flows into the tidal marshlands.  

The area beyond the marsh is the "Flats".

It's where we went fishing out first day.

The only beach is at Fort Island.  It’s less than a quarter of a mile long and is packed on the weekends.

Then we went to the Heritage Village area of town.  Many of the small older Florida towns have a semi-restored section that gives you the feel of the town in the late 1800’s to early 1900's.

The old Town Hall

The General Store

 

We had lunch at the Hardwood Smokehouse.  Good barbeque!

Back at the campgrounds Linda thought that an ice cream cone would melt around the pile of barbeque we had for lunch so we stopped at the ice cream shop.

Crystal Isles RV Park seems to always have something going on.  Today Pig Daddy’s had a mobile barbeque set up.  

Crystal River Trip 3/15-3/22

Friday 3/15

Today Linda and I went our separate ways.  Linda spent the day reading and fixing a delicious crock pot supper (kind of like shepherd’s pie only different).  I left to go fishing at 10:00 AM and didn’t return until 5:00 PM.  Once again sea trout, ladyfish and catfish.  No keepers = No cleaners.  I think all in all we just enjoyed doing what we wanted to do.

Saturday 3/16

Being fed up with the so-called WI-FI here we went in search of a suitable facility in which we could find free WIFI…Aha, Burger King!  FYI... Burger King has a “Burger King Meal Deal” that they don’t advertise.  Most of the kids behind the counter have to look it up on the register.  You get two cheeseburgers, small fry and small drink for about $5.  We old pharts can split one on the cheap.

Back at camp I finally figured out how to download the pictures from my cell phone.  The quality may have something to be desired but it’s only a $50 phone. So, here are few pix from the Mardi Gras parade back on 3/5. Check out the risqué pictures of how the girls got their beads!    

This little Downs Girl just danced and danced.  If they got too loud she covered her ears and danced some more.

Mardi Gras Pup

Here comes the band

They call him Stretch!

Warning! This may not be suitable for some viewers.

Pat was a less inhibited to show a "little" skin.



This cutie was so HOT they made her stand by the Fire Alarm box

After all that exertion we came back for a short nap.  Then we went to check out some other campgrounds for next year.  The one even advertises “NO NO-See-Ums”.  It’s a nice park but they won’t guarantee a boat slip.  We’ll have to think about that.  The other two are old trailer parks with campers parked where a trailer used to be.  The one was named Buddy’s.  That should have thrown up a red flag.

Our quiet neighbors from Ohio left this morning.  He gave me some tips on where they caught Mangrove Snappers.  They had one of the best behaved Labrador Retrievers you could ever find.  Not a peep errrr…bark.

The new neighbors arrived just before supper.  Two dogs.  One with a deeper bark.  The other is a shrill yappy mutt that barks at everything it sees.  Which then get the other one excited. When the dogs aren’t barking the two kids are keeping the decibel level the same accompanied by dad’s radio that is loud enough to entertain the entire campground.   I know I’m just an old fuddy duddy, but I came here to exlax.

We finally finished the game of Ten we started at the laundromat.  Linda beat me by a big win.  Only her second out of many many games.  She was so excited she had to call Pat in Ft. Walton Beach to tell her. Pat says she hates Ten.  Apparently Pat has the same luck as Linda.

Sunday 3/17 St Patrick’s Day

Linda said she was due for breakfast out and she wanted pancakes.  First thought was Mickie D’s but then I remembered seeing a Huddle House somewhere on CR-44.  Found it.  Her pancakes were huge.  She ended taking half of them back in a box.  They had a breakfast that was in layers.  Crispy hash browns on the bottom, then a layer of sausage covered with several strips of crispy bacon, which was covered in melted American cheese, then another layer of hash browns topped with sausage gravy.    I was in Hog Heaven!  I pegged the cholesterol meter.
In the afternoon we watched NASCAR in California and Kyle Bush’s 200^th win.  We’re not KB fans but, you gotta give it to him he did it.  Supper was burgers on the grill.

Monday 3/18

We slept in this morning.  It was only 55˚ at 9:30.  There are times when the Sun, Moon and the weather play with the tides.  This morning was one of them.  The boat sat nearly on the bottom because we had a lower low tide and the wind was pushing the water out of the river.

We finally headed out for King’s Bay in the afternoon to try some fishing.  Kayaks everywhere.  The fishing wasn’t that good…one small mangrove snapper and three catfish.  But the excitement of the day was when we saw two manatees.  One swam past the boat only about a foot away.  One went under the boat.  I was too excited to get a picture.

Kings Bay near Three Sisters Springs

By late afternoon the breeze was really picking up but we found a new canal to explore.  The fish-finder showed lots of fish.  Linda hooked into something that snapped her line.  We’ll try there again tomorrow.

Linda has been making crock pot meals and tonight it was barbeque chicken.  Mmmm Good.

Tuesday 3/19

The forecast for today is rain in the morning.  It went down to 57˚ last night and this morning is overcast with maybe a half dozen drops of rain on the window by 10:30.  Celestial alignment is still playing with the tides and the water is waaay low.  Even lower than yesterday!  I pushed down on the gunwale and the boat didn’t budge…Hard aground.   Oh well, too cold to go out anyway.   It looks like a good time for a game of minus five.  Linda won again.  She’s on a roll.

 

In the afternoon we went exploring up the canal that led to the Mullet Pond section of the Crystal River State Park.  The catch of the day was catfish, catfish and more catfish.  This may be in part to using left over dead shrimp from yesterday as bait.  They do have a distink odor.

 

There is a scene staged along the canal to the camp.  Apparently a picnic table from the campgrounds washed out during hurricane Harvey.  So, someone decided to add a bit of class with a table lamp and a bottle of wine.

When we got back we decided to try something.  We will be on the road Wednesday and Thursday.  The local forecast here is calling for possible thunder storms.  We covered the boat with the cover used when it being hauled on its trailer.  It has a draw cord that goes around the whole boat.  Hopefully this will keep most of the rain out.  We attached some of the tie down straps to the seats so the whole kit-n-kabootle won’t blow away.  Funny it only sprinkled during the time we tried to put the cover on.

Tonight is NCIS on TV.  The world will come to a halt from 8:00 to 9:00 EDT. 

Wednesday 3/18

We drove to North Fort Myers today to visit with Casey and Barb.  Casey has been struggling with an infection that appears to have set in during a knee replacement.  He has four surgeries in the past 12 months and seems to be on the mend.  Barb is still her energetic self taking care of her hubby and the three dogs.

We played Rummy Cube late into the night.

Thursday 3/19

We had a chance to get together with Bob and Nancy.  They spend the winter in NFM at Pioneer Village.  The have quite a group of friends there.  We met for lunch at Three Fisherman.  As always the food was great.

The afternoon found Barb, Casey, Linda and I playing a round of Ten.  We left for Crystal River around 4:00 PM and arrived back at camp at 10:00.

 Friday 3/20

Taa Daa…..!  We now have good WI-FI. 

Today was laundry day.  Then a stop at Winn-Dixie for groceries. Then a nap.

After the nap I decided to see what I could do to get our Wi-Fi booster on line.   I worked well two years ago in Georgetown.  I rechecked all the connections and found the separate instructions available from the place I bought it.  The instruction in the box just run you around in circles.  Anyway, after about a half hour of work it is up and running and will even stream video!  So now I’m going to try to update the blog from here.

If you recall, last year Linda was concerned that our campsite was over a sink hole.  There was weird shaking in the night.   This year on the Science channel there is a series on sink holes.  She is riveted to it.

I may have screwed up...  Now that I have Wi-Fi... there is no real need to go to Burger King in the morning.

Crystal River Trip 2019

Greetings from Burger King in Crystal River Florida. 3/16/2019

This is one place we can get WIFI that works for us.  The WIFI at the campgrounds is totally useless. Spend an hour trying to log on then get dropped in 30 seconds.  All this for only$24 a month!

So the blog entries will be few and far between and in big bites.

Saturday 3/2/2019

It snowed last night so our “on the road by 7:00” didn’t happen.  We were joined at Mickie D’s for breakfast by our son and daughter in law.  It gave us time for quiet talk and good byes and bon voyages.   We left around 9:00.

The trip to Knoxville went well.  We arrived at Bill and Pree’s about 7:30 PM.  Not being as young as I was yesterday I went to bed early while Linda stayed up to visit.

Sunday 3/3

It rained overnight.  That’s just what Knoxville needed.  A few more drops and everybody will have water front property.  We got good news…Bill has been fighting melanoma.  At his last blood test his results came back cancer free.  Pray that this continues for Bill.  He had it several years ago and they thought they got it all, but it came back.  He seems to be getting great treatment at the University Of Tennessee Hospital.

Monday 3/4

On the road south out of Knoxville at 10:30 AM.  Traffic on the interstates was fairly light except around the big cities and even then not too bad.   We arrived in Pelham, AL at supper time and checked in at the Quality Inn.  It’s nice because they are remodeling the rooms (they look like new) and there are spaces to park a rig.  It is also next to Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesday’s and Burger King.  Who could ask for anything more?

Tuesday 3/5

Headed south around 7:00 AM.  Making good time.  Big Blue and the Teeny Tiny House are just chewing up the miles.

We will be visiting our friends Bill and Pat who are renting a condo in Ft. Walton Beach, FL.  There is no place at the condo to park the trailer so I found a storage facility about 30 miles away near I-10.  You contact the facility via a cell phone number.  An older gentleman answers the phone.  The conversation went something like this:

How long do you need a spot?.......Three of four days.

Just call when you get here and I’ll give you the combination to the gate.  Put $40 “CASH” in an envelope and I’ll tell you where to put it.

Well, that’s just how it worked.  It was a nice facility even if the owner seemed a bit gruff over the phone.

That evening we all went to the Riverwalk in time to see the Mardi Gras parade.  It was the second parade with only a Dixie Land band and five small floats but, the girls got their beads.  No more to be said on that subject!             (Modesty prevailed)

 

 

Wednesday 3/6

Bill had a hanker’n to try a crawfish dinner.  I must admit I too wanted to try this Cajun delicacy.  He also wanted to see the shrimp boat fleet at Bayou La Batre.  So we loaded up into Big Blue and headed for Mobil, Al.

Our first stop was to be at “Mudbugs” for lunch but when we got there we found that the seafood store was open but the dining room had been closed down the week before.  After a few inquiries we were assured that R&R had the best crawfish dinner in town.  No problem; back through the tunnel in Mobile and to the east end of town. 

Bill poses for Pat to capture his first crawfish

Never having any others to compare with we will concede that R&R is the best.  By finding the parking lot packed they must have something going for them.  You buy crawfish by the pound and then get your sides separate.  Linda decided to opt for grilled shrimp but Bill, Pat and I were daring enough to give it a go.  A taste somewhere between shrimp and lobster with a good dose of Cajun spice; they were quite tasty and definitely spicy.  It is a comfort food.  Don’t rush…Take your time… (1) Break the tail off the head. (2) Pinch the body shell to break it and peal out the meat and enjoy the firm tender morsel. (3) Suck the juice out of the head.  #3 is optional, but if you don’t try how can you enjoy the entire experience.  Add French fries, Cole slaw, and an order of Hushpuppies and it’s a feast for a king. “Aint dat so, dare Maurice?” “Durn rite it tiz!” “Ya noze its so.”

The shrimp boats at Bayou La Batre are mostly owned by Vietnamese and many have oriental sounding names and dragons or stylized birds painted on the bow.  The Bayou is actually a shipyard where the boats come in the off season for repair and refit.  There is also some new manufacturing going on.

We passed the Battleship Alabama Memorial Park.  If we are ever in Mobile again this is a must see.  There is a lot to see here besides the battleship.  Admission is only $4.

 

Thursday 3/7

Just spent the day chillin' on the beach.  Pat made spaghetti and meatballs for supper.

Friday 3/8

We left Ft Walton Beach around 8:00 and headed to Crestview to pick up the trailer.  We met the man at the storage lot as he made his daily rounds.  Nice guy, just talks a bit gruff.  The trip to Crystal River was rather quiet.  US 19 is the main north/south route through this part of FL.  It’s a nice lightly traveled four lane that takes you through the pine forest and live oaks.   Arriving at 3:00 we started unloading and were pretty much settled in by 6:00.

  
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday 3/11

Went to the bait and tackle shop up the road.  They don’t sell fishing licenses!  We had to go to Wal- Mart.  There is no Wal-Mart in Crystal River.  Crystal River is only about 3.000 people.  The closest Wal-Mart is about 15 miles away in Homosassa Springs.  We got our licenses but the man forgot to give us the regulation books.  So tomorrow that will be another trip to Homosassa.

We launched the boat and took a ride out the canal to the river and then took a short trip up river.  It’s really nice here.  In the off season the waterways aren’t so busy.

Just about 50 yards down the canal is another canal the cuts to the east.  I saw some people standing on a pontoon boat taking pictures.  Then I heard the sound of a small gator.   The signs in the park  say they have alligators and snakes and to not go into the water.

Tuesday 3/12

We met Mike.  Mike is a gentleman from Germany.  Riding his bike he stopped by to ask if he could tie up his boat to our dock.  I hated to turn him down but the rules spell out in easy to understand English, the only boat tied to a dock must belong to the camper at that site and have a tag issued by the office.  No Exceptions.  Subject to eviction.

 Mike liked looking through our trailer and said that campers in Europe are smaller than ours. He said that there are no fifth wheelers like the one he has over here.  Mike, who is some years older than I, came to Texas for college in his twenties and loved it.  He and his wife come back to the U.S. every spring and fall and travel.  This year they brought his sister in law along.

Wednesday 3/13

Set out to go fishing in the boat.  The Crystal River and surrounding waters have many Manatee Protection Zones.  One minute you are allowed 25 MPH in the center channel and the next its slow speed minimum wake.  It really makes a short trip take a long time.  But we did see two noses come up and take a snort then disappear. 

Linda's first Sea Trout

The Lady catches a Ladyfish



The Old Man and the Sea

The fishing was good.  We both caught sea trout (Linda had one just a quarter inch short of a keeper), catfish and a bunch of a fish we were not familiar with.  They were long slender torpedo shaped with silver sides and greenish-black backs and the really could put up a fight.  Much of the waters around here are shallow with sand bars and oyster bars so traveling must be done at a slow pace until we get a better idea of where it’s deep enough to throttle up and cruise.

We were not back long and I see Mike and his wife and sister in law coming up the canal.  The girls wanted to see our trailer.  They introduced themselves.  I couldn’t make out his wife’s name.  It started Gud…..So I told her I’ll just call her Goodie.  Her sister’s name was harder so she became Goodie Two.  When I introduced them Linda had no idea about the previous conversation.  I said “This is Goodie one and Goodie Two.  Linda said “Hi I’m Goodie Three”.  That got a laugh out of every one.  Interesting, laughter sounds the same in any language.

Thursday 3/14.

We must have worn ourselves out yesterday.  We both slept in to 10:00.  We both got an overdose of sun yesterday even though we had long sleeves on.  We forgot about our knees!  Pink as a piglet.

Hip-Hip-Hurray… today is laundry day!  Not our favorite past time but necessary just the same.  We found a very clean and appears rather new laundromat in Homosassa Springs.  While the laundry was sloshing round and round we started a game of Ten.  Linda was in the lead when the dryers went off and the game came to an end.

We stopped at Winn-Dixie to pick up some groceries.  The store wasn’t as nice as the Publix we went to a few days ago.  We couldn’t find some stuff and the can goods were dusty on top.  But it’s just down the road so it’s convenient.