On the RV Road North – Day 2 – St. George, South Carolina

Jolly Acres RV Park in St. George, South Carolina

Our second stop on this RV route from Tampa to Plattsburg, NY and points Northeast is Jolly Acres Campground in St. George, South Carolina. It’s an easy 187 mile run straight up I-95 from last night’s stopover in Woodbine, Georgia.

If you’ve been with us on previous trips you’ll know that this is always a favorite stop for us. It is 5 miles off I-95 in a very quiet and peaceful country setting. Jolly Acres is a half-price Park for Passport America members. It’s gravel surfaced with each site a pull-thru with a cement pad, picnic table, and many have full hook-ups. Personable owner Beckie Horne keeps a very nice and clean RV Park/Campground. There is a laundry facility, propane available and a fenced in fishing pond with ducks.

Shugs Southern Soul Cafe Restaurant at 5792 Co Rd S-18-200 (Main St), in St George, SC

Another big reason we like to stop in St. George is Shugs Southern Soul Cafe Restaurant at 5792 Co Rd S-18-200 (on Main St), St George, SC  Phone (843) 563-2300. We have said it before and will mention it again – this is the place for really good Southern Home cooking.

At Shugg’s this evening, Niki chose the Shrimp & Grits Dinner with cornbread and collard greens. I had the Shrimp & Oyster Platter with Collard Greens and Mashed Potatoes. We shared a Hot Fudge Brownie for dessert. It was all prepared perfectly and so delicious.

The restaurant is owned by the Coleman’s. Noah is the Chef and his wife Blanche oversees the dining room. She took some time to chat with us and we enjoyed seeing the improvements since our last visit – a new bar area and a bandstand where weekends can get pretty lively.
For more info about Shug’s: http://shugssouthernsoulcafe.com/

We are staying just the one night but did unhitch so we could drive into Town for dinner.

Tomorrow we will have a longer trip going North on I-26 and I-77 up into North Carolina where we hope to meet with some of Niki’s kinfolk.

More from the road tomorrow….

*Jolly Acres Camp & Storage
289 Horne Taylor Road, Saint George, SC 29477 (187.3 Miles) 843-563-8303   (*PA $17.12 Pull-Thru, 50A, FHU) (PA available Sun – Thurs)
Email  jollyacrescamp@hughes.net
From I-95 Exit #77 (Saint George) take Highway 78 East for 4.8 miles to Horne Taylor Road (At Byrds)(Campground sign on left). Turn Left on Horne Taylor Road and they are 3/4 mile on the Left.
Website: http://www.syrrrun.com/
Passport America Info: http://passportamerica.com/campgrounds/sc/jollyacresrvparkandstorage1982

Find more RVing information on our website:
http://www.snowbirdrvtrails.com/

On the RV Road North – Day 1 – Woodbine, Georgia

Walkabout RV Park in Woodbine, Georgia

Our first overnight stop on our Snowbird route North from Tampa, Florida to Plattsburg, New York. This first leg was about 228 miles and took us 6 hours after a late start with a malfunctioning TireTraker (or maybe it was the operator?)

We stopped at a rest area for a picnic lunch at about the half way point.

Walkabout is a Passport America RV Park and members pay half the normal overnight rate. It is a FHU (Full Hook-Up) Park with all Pull-Thru sites. That said – sites are very close together – your hook-ups are actually beside your neighbor’s picnic table. There is a nice pool, rec hall, laundry facility, children’s play area and “Nature trails” leading to a Boardwalk that stretches out into the marshland. Sites are grassy and somewhat uneven. A small herd of chickens have free walkabout range of the campground and the eggs are for sale.

We ordered pizza delivered for dinner. “Katie’s Best Pizza” (912) 729-5550 makes a pretty good thin crust pizza.

Walkabout is located less than a mile off I-95. The PA discount makes it okay for an overnight stop but we wouldn’t call it a destination campground.
*Walkabout Camp and RV Park
742 Old Still Rd, Woodbine, GA 31569 (228.2 Miles) Start:73242.5 – Arrive: 73470.7
(912) 729-4110 (*PA $17.60 w/Tax- 30Amp, PT, FHU,. Free WiFi – weak) (PA Max – 2 week stay)
info@walkaboutcamp.com
Directions: Take I-95 to Exit 7 (Harriets Bluff Rd.). Go west 0.3 miles & turn left on Old Still Rd. Go south 0.4 miles to resort.
http://www.walkaboutcamp.com#sthash.11nbCHip.dpuf
http://www.passport-america.com/campgrounds/CampgroundDetails.aspx?campgroundid=484

Marshland boardwalk at Walkabout RV Park in Woodbine, Georgia

Preparing for the RV Trip – Organizing, Packing & Checking Equipment

Travel day is fast approaching. Today we are organizing and packing the 5th Wheel for our newest adventure heading North.
The GPS is locked and loaded with our principle stopovers. The maps are in their compartment and the general outline “Trip Sheet” is on our clipboard.

Making the RV trip easier on the Navigator

This year we are going a little more Hi-Tech with both a back-up camera and a dash-cam. The dash-cam is mainly for recording tours of the campgrounds we visit.

RV trips can be recorded and stored with a Dash Cam

Since we have decided not to take the trailer into Canada this year we had to make space for the potted plants to go along with us. After 5 years on the road we have come to know what needs to go and what isn’t essential

Make a space for the plants on the RV trip

We are pretty much self-sufficient for any stop along the road carrying what we might need – from a portable air compressor to a small portable washing machine. Roadside Assistance insurance is a must for us and anyone heading a long way out. We have used RA in the past and were glad we had it.

Give your Navigator a break and use a back-up camera on your RV

Someone asked how we handle meals and food prep when we are traveling. The simple answer is we love to eat out and find new “Mom & Pop” restaurants along a route. Niki will prepare sandwiches and snacks for our lunches each day and when we reach a campground we inquire about their favorite local restaurant. We have found some suggestions that were not very appealing from the outside but the food has been exceptional.

“Shugg’s” in St. George, SC is a good example of great Southern food and hospitality and one we are looking forward to visiting again on this trip. (See our Shugg’s visit at http://www.snowbirdrvtrails.com/diningreviews.htm#SOUTH%20CAROLINA).

(T Minus 2 wake-ups and Counting…)

Preparing for the Next RV Trip – How to Keep Those RV Cabinet Doors Closed while travelling?

Easy way to Keep RV cabinet doors closed

More Tips, Tricks and Ideas to pass along on our Website at
http://www.snowbirdrvtrails.com/

Tampa, Florida to the Adirondack Mountains – Niki & Jack are On the Road Again!

1,500 miles – Tampa to the Northeast

On the Road Again . . . Soon!

Niki has finished her time with the PT doctors which clears us to get back on the road. We usually head North in May but this Spring was a little different. After 3 operating room visits – the last 2 to repair the poor results from a first knee replacement – we are happy to say that Niki is progressing well after 2+ years of misery.

This trip we will be taking a route that is much favored by many Snowbirds who head to the East side of Florida from Canada and New England. As usual our stopovers are kept to as near 200 miles a day as we can and we will stopover at 6 campgrounds – each for 1 or 2 nights – on this 1,500 mile route.

We’d love to have you join us for the trip. We will be posting daily with photos and comments about the campgrounds, the route, the great “Mom & Pop” restaurants and other interesting things we discover along the way on our Blog at https://snowbirdrvtrails.wordpress.com/. Just visit our Blog and click “follow” to receive an email when we post.

We have a 2011 Excel Fifth Wheel and we pull it with a 2011 Ford F-250 XLT Super Duty.

We’ll be leaving shortly after the July 4th weekend – looking for adventure and whatever comes our way.

Jack and Niki
KC & BB

A Day at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo

So much to see and do at Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is a 63-acre nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida. In 2009, Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 Family Friendly Zoo in the US by Parents Magazine and is recognized by the State of Florida as the center for Florida wildlife conservation and bio-diversity.

There are many interesting sections including the Asian Gardens,Florida Boardwalk, a primate section, the Wallaroo Station Children’s Zoo, Safari Africa, The Ituri Forest and more.

Exhibits include Indian rhinoceros, Malayan tigers, babirusa, Komodo dragon, clouded leopards, sloth bears, an Indonesian-themed aviary, a disabled white tiger, bleeding-heart doves, mandarin ducks, giant Asian pond turtles, Reeve’s muntjac deer, striped skunks, Orinoco crocodiles, North American black bears, a small pack of red wolves, West Indian manatees, and alligator snapping turtles.

An aquatic center with sharks, eels, seahorses, and a wide collection of snakes, including eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, copperheads, and eastern coral snakes.

There is so much more to see at the zoo. Bring your best walking shoes and the attitude that you will have a great time!

Park “Hopping” on Memorial Day 2015

A. L. Anderson Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida

It started out as a beautiful 90 degree Memorial Day 2015 here in the Clearwater Beach area so we decided to go for a ride and visit a couple of the beautiful parks in the area that we had not visited before. We wanted to see how families were enjoying this special day.

There are so many great parks to visit in this area and we have listed close to 100 Parks in the Tampa Bay Area on our http://www.tampabaysnowbirder.com website. Each Park offers something a little special or different so we enjoy finding out what it may be, in addition to great photo ops and we never know what wildlife might make an appearance.

A.L. Anderson Park a Pinellas County Park is located on Tarpon Lake at 39699 US Hwy 19 N in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It’s a nice wooded area with a dog park, walking trails & picnic spots, plus a boat ramp & fishing access. It even has its own “sink hole” on-site. The boat ramp on Salmon Bay was seeing plenty of usage this day. The picnicking families were having a great time. (More information can be found at their website: http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/01_anderson.htm).

Not too far up the road North of Tarpon Springs we find the Town/City of Holiday Florida. The Anclote River provides a good boating channel into the Gulf and along its banks we found the Anclote River Park (below). This is in Pasco County and the address is 1119 Baillies Bluff Road, Holiday, FL. This neat little Park features a 300-foot beach, a boat launch, designated fishing areas and a pavilion for picnics. (Their website: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/index.aspx?NID=674).

We were enjoying ourselves and looking forward to another brilliant sunset over the Gulf when the first rumbles of thunder began. This was followed shortly by the lightning and just as we pulled back onto the main road the sky opened up. When it rains here it can be a deluge and often ends as quickly as it begins. By the time we reached Clearwater and home the rains had stopped.

It was a very good weekend having shared a picnic get together with friends on Saturday, a quiet day of reflection on Sunday and a nice ramble to see new countryside on this day.

The Tampa – St Pete – Clearwater Area has so much to offer visitors and locals alike. There is always something new to do.

The Anclote River Park in Holiday Florida

Tin Can Tourists – Earliest Snowbirds?

Tin Can Tourists Christmas Day 1920

Those sunny Florida beaches have been a draw for adventurers since it was first discovered. What better place to escape the cold Winters up North?

Take some time to visit an Internet Museum webpage we found to see early camping photos and to learn more about these early travelers – “The Tin Can Tourists of Tampa”.

The Twentieth Century Pioneer
________________________________

“With the arrival of the 20th century, Americans continued in the pioneering spirit of their forebears and took to their automobiles to explore the great unknown. Thousands of Americans packed their vehicles with their tents, an extra 5-gallon can of gasoline, lots of canned food, and a spare tire or two, and began exploring the country in a manner not unlike Lewis and Clark.  They became the symbol of restless, adventuresome America, overflowing with curiosity.  These were the Tin Can Tourists.”

Excerpt from the Tampa’s Tin Can Tourists website –
http://www.tampapix.com/tincantourists.htm

 

Blue Skies, Sunny and 88

Clearwater Beach was Beautiful yesterday – it  is today – and odds are great it will be tomorrow!

Did we mention that today is all sunshine, blue skies and 80 degrees? It’s a beautiful area for any RVing Snowbird to spend the Winter. This is our 7th Winter here and we love it. We are close to Busch Gardens, the FL RV Super Show and State Fair, and the Florida Strawberry Festival is just down the road in Plant City. So much to see and do. -Jack and Niki