A Fun Afternoon in Cedar Key

 Friday, March 11,2022 - We spent another afternoon at Sunshine State RV, since the recall didn't go as planned.  After another few hours they did finally fix it up to Kev's standards (although it still wasn't perfect and we spent Saturday troubleshooting until we finally got it all squared away!) On the drive back to the campground we decided to stop at Ralph's Burger House for dinner.  Every time we pass by Ralph's, there is a line, so we figured it must be good...and it was!

The fixed battery set up

Saturday March 12, 2022 - Today we went for a hike on the sink hole trail, which we were able to walk to from the campground. 

and someone did a little cleaning

Sunday March 13, 2022 - We took a drive to Cedar Key, which was about 45 minutes away (on the gulf).  It was a cute little town, that was established in the mid 1800s.   A train line from Jacksonville to Cedar Key was built in 1859 and it served as the main port for coastal shipping and for travelers trying to reach places along the southwest coast of Florida.  Many of the old buildings made of "tabby" are still standing and we took a walking tour of the downtown.  

Today was the day Kevin finally got to try a slice of Hunt's Brothers Pizza.  We have seen them at gas stations all over the country and he's been wanting to try it, since he figured it must be good because it's at so many places.  And it was actually pretty good!

We went to Tony's Clam Chowder Seafood Restaurant

Tony's won the clam chowder cook-off in Newport for 3 years in a row.  I didn't know that I liked clam chowder.

downtown Cedar Key

The Woolridge Building on the walking tour.  Was used as the post office, a barber shop and a bar

Cedar Key harbor

Another boat bench

We hiked out to the remnants of the railroad trestle that brought trains in from Jacksonville

Monday March 14, 2022 - Today we took our bikes to the town of Fanning Springs to ride the other section of the Nature Coast State Trail.  It was a 9 mile round trip ride to Old Town.  

Bridge over the Suwanee

Manatees!

 Monday, March 7, 2022 - It was a 2.5 hour drive from Jim and Jeanene's to Manatee Springs State Park, where we will be camping until next Wednesday.  We got there in the early afternoon and had time for a quick hike before dinner.  There was a nice raised path that went out to the Suwanee River and a spot to swim in the spring.  

Our first manatee sighting this trip

a hike out to the Suwanee River

this manatee seems to be hanging tight to the dock

The Suwanee River

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - The rain is coming later this week, so we had to be sure we did something fun for the next few days.  We decided to take our bikes to Chiefland (which is only 5 miles from the park).  We  parked at the trailhead and rode the Nature Coast State Trail to Fanning Springs State Park.  It looked like it would be about 6 miles, but once we started on the trail it was more like 9.5 miles.  So it turned from a 12 mile day to a 19 mile day.  The park was great, once we got there....it had a big pool area where the spring was, with crystal clear water.  As we were getting ready for a swim, we got some great pics of a manatee that was swimming through.  It was cool to see it so clearly and up so close.  The water was 72 degrees, which seemed really cold to me, but I did get in for a "refreshing" swim.

The Nature Coast Trail (A 30+ mile trail between Chiefland, Old Town, Trenton, and Cross City).  We're hoping to check out the rest of the trail early next week.

Fanning Springs - the manatees spend the winters here for the "warm" water

The ranger allows people to swim in the spring with the manatees, as long as the manatees aren't mating.  

Wednesday March 9, 2022 - Today we had an appointment at Sunshine State RV, to get recall work done on our RV.  We have 2 AGM batteries that Coachmen is replacing with 2 lithium batteries.  Here's hoping it all goes smoothly!

We left early this morning for our 1 hour drive to Gainsville

Our new BIM 225

One of our 2 new Battle Born lithium batteries

Thursday, March 10, 2022 - It was going to be a rainy day, so Kevin thinks that means he gets to play poker.  We drove to Oxford Downs, just north of the Villages and he played in a tournament and I caught up on reading, TV and chatting with Mom.

Rainy view for the afternoon

a weird cloud formation went overhead, right before sunset

Sunset in the van

Hillsborough to Davenport

 Tuesday March 1-4, 2022 - We were at Hillsborough River State Park for only 4 days, and we were happy about that because there wasn't as much to do here as most of the other state parks we've stayed at.  This park, like many of the parks, does not rent kayaks.  The river looked like it would be a great river to kayak on, so I guess we will have to wait until the next time we're here (and hopefully before our next Florida trip we can figure out what kayak will fit in/on our little RV).  One of the days we were at Hillsborough we hiked the 3.5 mile Seminole trail that followed the river.  It was a nice trail with very few people on it.  The park is on a busy road without a bike lane or sidewalks, so we couldn't ride our bikes out to explore the surrounding areas.  There was a two mile road that circled the park that we did most days, but it was rough after having such great places to ride to at Curry Hammock.

The Hillsborough River

We only saw one alligator while we were at Hillsborough

Site 52

Seminole Trail

Not sure what kind of tree this leaf is from, but they have rained down on us any time the wind was blowing.

Friday, March 4-6, 2022 -  Today we headed to Davenport (only an hour and a half from Hillsborough) to spend the weekend with Jim and Jeanene.  It was a fun weekend filled with walks around their subdivision, hanging by the pool, watching the sunset over the golf course and playing lots of games.

Front row seat to the sunset

For the first time in almost two months we slept in a bed instead of in the RV!

lots of pool time

another day, another sunset

game night

lunch at the clubhouse

Sunday night sunset 

We love the sunsets

Bye for now...we'll be back!