Rainy Day Drive to Ochlockonee River State Park

Aloha Everyone,

We have been taking Florida State Highway 98 alongside the Gulf of Mexico. The road is well-maintained, scenic and under utilized. Santa Rosa Beach has many short-term rental vacation homes and condominiums.

According to a friend who has been coming to this part of Florida for his annual holiday, this is the best time of the year. The weather is still not too hot and not too humid. One inconvenience is that you have to pay premium as visitors from the Northeast are also heading this way for spring break.

Heavy rains started to come down about an hour into our drive and it continued.

We were looking for a nice local restaurant, but most did not have parking stalls long enough for Honu to occupy. We settled on Hong Kong Bistro with a very large parking lot. We wanted something hot. Their lunch plate consist of hot and sour soup, wonton chips, beef and broccoli with brown rice. The food is satisfactory, but was not authentic Chinese.

Ochlockonee River State Park (Pronounced Ok Lock Knee) is located 7 miles inland along the Ochlockonee River.

The ranger who greeted us from inside her station was cheerful and helpful.

Thirty campsite are nestled in a beautiful, wooded area. The location is peaceful and serene.  

Among the brochures we were provided is information about White Squirrels that inhabits this park and the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. Tonight, all we hear is raindrops on the roof of Honu. I can also smell of fire from a nearby campsite.

Aloha -- Cathi

Emerald Coast of Florida

Aloha Everyone,

Located on the Eastern end of Florida's panhandle, Emerald Coast includes Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, and Okaloosa Island.

From Wikipedia

Voted as one of the "10 Most Beautiful Places in America" by Good Morning America, the 24 miles long beaches features sugar-white sand with crystal clear water.

Our lunch stop was at a restaurant called Crab Shack in Destin Harbor and Broadwalk.

Located on the beach, the 2nd floor restaurant gave us magnificent views.

Some schools are already on their Spring Break. There were many families with children enjoying the warm Florida sunshine and excellent food. J.J. ordered a medley of boiled food which we shared. When the waitress brought out our tray, heads turned as it  was beautifully presented.The dish included crabs, shrimps, sausage, crab cakes, seafood gumbo, corn and boiled potato.  

A girl seated at the next table volunteered to take our photo for us.

One of the people we met at the last RV park mentioned that Florida's state parks offer excellent facilities.  Prices may even be higher than some private parks, but they tend to be located in better places with good security.

We drove into Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. During this time of the year, you must have reservations or it is virtually impossible to get a place to stay. Luck was on our side. When the ranger checked, a cancellation came up so J.J. and I quickly agreed to take the last spot available for Honu.  

Here are some photos of the Gregory E. Moore RV Resort within the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

Aloha -- Cathi

From Louisiana to Florida via Mississippi and Alabama

Aloha Everyone,

We were on the road for about 3 1/2 hours including our lunch break at a rest stop in Mississippi. The distance covered was "only" 150 miles in total but we crossed two states along the way.

Mississippi rest stop to have lunch

Trees full of Spanish moss ( Pele's Hair)

My healthy lunch of spinach, avocado, dried cranberries, almonds, roast beef and freshly baked bread

Drove by Alabama.

Passing downtown Mobile, AL

Welcome to Florida

Blue Angels model on display

Our criteria for choosing a RV park include:

1)  Location - generally look for one in more affluent neighborhood

2)  Safety - which usually ties to the location

3)  Quality - usually a concrete pad with picnic bench plus space between vehicles

4)  Amenities - toilets, showers, club house, etc. I usually inspect the showers first

5)  People - warm greeting by the owner or manager helps.  

6)  WiFi - a strong signal is important to us

We are staying at Pensacola RV Park in Pensacola, Florida. Owners are Wyndell Williams and his daughter Jeanine. The land has been in the family ever since Jeanine was a little girl. She fondly recalls growing up when it was a cattle ranch. The RV park sits on 9 acres of land, according to Jeanine, and they have another 100 undeveloped acres.

This is called Resurrection Ferns because when there is no rain, it will dry up and become all brown and appear dead. However after a rain, overnight the ferns revitalizes and become green and lush again. I was told that you can literally witness the resurrection.

Pensacola RV Park meets all 6 of our RV Park criteria. But what makes this RV park magical are the 5 ancient oak trees with branches spread wide and proud providing shades. Jeanine walked with me to point out her favorite oak tree, the biggest and most beautiful. She fondly recalls climbing on the branches of  the tree when she was a little girl. The dead branches are trimmed every year prior to the hurricane season. When hurricane comes, Jeanine added, she prays that her trees would survive. Before dinner, I meditated by walking among her trees.

Aloha -- Cathi

Back on the Road

Aloha Everyone,

It was a bright, clear and sunny morning. I was able to take some beautiful shots of the RV park where we spent two nights.

I had an interesting conversation with a little girl of about 8 years old. She told me that her family resides in Denver, Colorado and they were on their way to Florida. When I asked if she is on spring break, she replied that she is home-schooled by her mother, a retired elementary school teacher. She mentioned that this road trip will be for 6 weeks, but their previous one to the West Coast lasted 4 months. Her parents smiled and waived as they departed in their RV the size of a bus. They were definitely our kindred spirit.

By 10:00 AM, we were on I-12E towards Hammond switching to I-55S which connects to I-10 just West of New Orleans. Talking with my sister rather than navigating made us miss our turn towards the coast. We quickly changed plans and started driving towards Mississippi and Alabama rather than remaining in Louisiana for a few more days.

Ashley was our server at Cheddar's in Slidell, Louisiana.

The lunch combination of soup or salad and 1/2 sandwich came out $14.50 inclusive of taxes. J.J.'s selection of Tortilla soup and Monte Cristo sandwich

My potato soup and turkey club sandwich

Pine Crest RV Park is family-owned and its location is about 26 miles from New Orleans. It is in a beautiful country setting with tall pine trees and a lake.

Chuck and his mother are the owners of the RV park

Beautifully landscaped

J.J. and I are delighted whenever we find a supermarket  that sells quality food items. Rouses Market reminds us of Whole Foods. We were able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly baked bread and quality deli items.

Here is my dinner of jumbo shrimp and beans with almonds. J.J.'s plate had lots more shrimps with less vegetable.

Some people really "settle-in".  This man is enjoying his beer, watching TV under a canopy of his RV. Overhead are a set of lanterns.

Tomorrow we plan to stop by Rouses Market to purchase additional provisions before heading towards Pensacola, Florida through Mississippi and Alabama.

Aloha -- Cathi