~Monday, January 4, 2021~
Day 204
Moving sites today...kind of a bummer to only move 100 yards but it is what it is. Actually site #44 is a little better than #34 since there’s a bit more privacy. While we were preparing our move, I saw something that tugged at my heartstrings a bit. Our neighbor that arrived yesterday, was helping his young wife get down the stairs of their motorhome to help her into her wheelchair. They have 2 young children (both under 5), and it appears that she might have MS or some type of muscular ailment. The love and care he displayed for her was so beautiful. It’s witnessing things like this that make you appreciate every moment in life since we don’t know what tomorrow brings. Appreciate and love, love, love, your loved ones.
Our move to the next site took less than a minute and Jeff, once again, did a great job backing into our site,
this time entering from the passenger side which is always more challenging. It must be my amazing directing, right? 😉
It wasn’t until we changed sites that we rode over to the park office to formally check in. Instead of a nice pleasant greeting, I was instead scolded for not checking in before making our move. Evidently, the camp hosts have to “clear” the site before you move in it. I suppose this makes sense, but it would have been nice for her to cut us a little slack, since we weren’t told this when we first arrived. We’re probably on the “naughty” list and will be forever forbidden from ever booking here again (kidding). It appears many people get in by luck, a cancellation, or early planning. It reminds me of our increased difficulty over the years in getting an early reservation at Sugar Pine Point in Tahoe. Since we know we definitely want to come back, the question is…..do we book a future reservation when the annual “Can Opener Festival” is going on or not? It’s pretty fun seeing this many Airstreams in one place, and the fun atmosphere that goes along with it.
They have a cute little coffee shop and general store near the entrance, so we thought it would be fun to pick up a Cafe Mocha for me and a Chai Latte for Jeff. Bonus….they also have a decent selection of beer on tap and were recommended to come back around 4:00 to hang out and enjoy before closing at 5:00.
Since we are sadly leaving this delightful place tomorrow, we wanted to head down to the beach one last time. There are some great bike trails in the park so we took advantage of those until we stumbled upon Campbell Lake where we met a real nice older gentleman, a local, who only lives 5 miles from the park. He gave us all kinds of advice about The Florida Keys, and suggested we take the more scenic Highway 98 route to Old Town as opposed to Highway 10. He also gave us a few suggestions of some great restaurants in Destin, just a few minutes away from here. Captain Dave’s and The Back Porch. We decided since Florida COVID cases have really spiked, we’ll visit these 2 places another time.
The beach was a bit windier today, but the water was clearer and definitely more beautiful. We enjoyed a long walk down the beach
to where a small river meets the Gulf. But 4:00 had already come and gone and there were only 20 minutes left to quench Jeff’s thirst. It’s amazing how fast one can peddle when beer is calling. As promised, the Airstream crowd was partaking in quite the social hour at Kith and Kin (the coffee and brew shop). Kith and Kin is an old English term that means “familiar friends and neighbors” which is quite fitting for its location in the park. It was nice to see the Airstream group having fun, but not one person was wearing a mask. And you wonder why Florida is a “hot spot”. We found a nice area outside, away from the crowd and finished planning our route for tomorrow. We made the decision to take Hwy. 98 after all, instead of 10. There’ll be many more stops along the way, but will be much more picturesque.
Back at the campsite, we put together some quesadillas for a light snack that turned into an early dinner….and before 9:00 p.m.! A rarity. We enjoyed a nice evening walk around the campground, taking note of our favorite sites for the next time we’re here. There was a little excitement when Sadie had a run in with a loose Golden Retriever. The owner apologized for his dog’s behavior, relating the dog’s history of being a rescue who is friendly 98% of the time, but if surprised, gets a little “Kujo”. But as usual, Sadie gave it right back. She rarely instigates anything, but if confronted will stand her ground, with ears back, assessing the situation and if provoked, will give it right back. Sadie is a sweet dog, and certainly not a wimp!