Sojourn to the Southeast travel blog


We had a very calm morning with very light winds and, thankfully, no rain to destroy our coach wash job. They were burning off the sugarcane fields so there was dark grey smoke billowing toward the skies. We’re glad we’re leaving because the neighbors told us it gets really dirty in the campground after they burn the sugarcane fields. Foxy is already filthy enough without adding soot to the mix.

Inland Florida is so different from the coasts; it is very flat and country quiet; we had a lovely drive heading in a generally northwest direction. Cattle grazed happily in the fields. We know where Florida orange juice comes from; miles and miles of beautiful orange groves lined both sides of the highway. We left the big lake, Okeechobee, but a series of small lakes are sprinkled all along the countryside from Clewiston to Lake Wales. They claim Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake ‘totally contained’ within the lower 48 states; the qualifier on the description is needed to make that moniker accurate….in other words, it doesn’t share a border with Canada as some of the other big guys do. Either way, it’s a beautiful lake and we’re sure many a fine fish has been hauled out of there.

We took a coffee break in Sebring at a defunct-looking shopping center. The most prominent business seemed to be the local Workforce / Unemployment Center. Most everything else was boarded up and closed, a little depressing and a reminder of Florida’s economic plight. We passed through a small town called Frostproof; we thought it was an interesting name especially since we are far north enough that we think Frostproof might get frost occasionally.

We decided to fuel up at Flying J in Seffner, even though that meant overshooting our campground exit by a couple of miles. Diesel was $2.16 / gallon and we took on 60 gallons. I looked back over my records for the last time we fueled here in November; the price then was $3.07 and we thought that was a deal, just goes to show everything is relative……..a 30% reduction in the price of diesel is always easier on Joe’s wallet.

We arrived at our home for the next two weeks at Tampa East RV Park. The sites here are big and wide and the park is full. The park caters more to seasonal residents and it is obvious in their attitude toward us transients; all written material is bilingual…..English and French. This would not be our first choice of a place to stay; we’d prefer LazyDays but we couldn’t get the same site for two weeks and moving is a hassle; so, here we are.

Tomorrow is going to be a chore day. Foxy needs a bath and grooming so she’s heading for PetsMart if we can get her in, and I need a haircut. It’s a toss-up which one of us is the worst looking shaggy dog. Tune in again for more adventures from Florida.

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