The long overdue update is finally here from our last few weeks in the Sunshine State. We have a completely different agenda in Florida than at our home in Virginia. In Florida, we have many things to do either inside the RV park or outside in the surrounding towns. We seem to be out and about exploring new destinations and usually finding a great eating establishment. Whereas back home in the mountains, we enjoy the large home and yard and venture out only once a week or so. So, here is the final winter wrap up of some of those Florida activities!
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My long overdue blog post has finally been written and posted! In this update, I will try to capture the highlights of the last couple of months. There have been many highs and a few lows over this period as we have enjoyed the many activities and friends at our RV park in New Port Richey (NPR) Florida. I’m sure a few things will be left out as I try to cover this time.
Cortez Florida Walking Tour
We try to walk at least 3 miles every day and our location here at Cortez is perfect to achieve that goal. It is a mile to walk across the bridge to the Anna Maria beach. Then more miles on the beach or else to the Moose club for eats and drink. The food and drink are the reward for the walk. Anyway, that is my story. On other days, we just cross the street from the RV park and enter the Cortez fishing village. By walking all the streets in the village, it is exactly 3 miles.
Family Visit on Anna Maria Island
We recently had a visit from both of our sons and our daughter-in-law. A slightly early Christmas gathering on the warm sunny island. Unfortunately, our daughter could not make this trip due to some college coursework she was completing. It was great to have them here for a week to see the island sites, take a few hikes, eat many meals, have a few drinks, and walk the beach admiring the many beautiful sunsets.
Arrived in Florida
We survived a rushed loading session back in Virginia due to a delay in getting the rig. The low stress five-day loading process turned into a hurried 1.5 day controlled chaos. I only missed packing a couple of things, and I believe Pat got everything needed for the kitchen. Pretty amazing since the weather turned cold at 22 degrees on the morning that we left. That was just a nice reminder of what we will be missing!
The Snowbird Trip That Almost Wasn’t
We are officially, finally, off on our annual snowbird pilgrimage to the warm south. I’m writing this post from our RV park from Savannah, Georgia, an overnight stop on the way. I did have a few unexpected snags with the RV this year. Just to make things interesting, I guess.
Cruise – Western Caribbean
One of our vacations from a strenuous retirement, is to take a cruise while we are already in Florida for the winter. This year I found a 6-day cruise on Royal Caribbean aboard the Jewel of the Seas. It was a good deal at less than $100 a day each for an inside cabin and it sailed out about 45 days from when I booked it. It was a beautiful warm week in late February and we had a surprise waiting for us on board! On to the Western Caribbean!
Orchid Lake RV Resort
Orchid Lake RV Resort (OLRVR) is the place that we park the RV for the winter located in the town of New Port Richey, Florida. It is our home base of activities for exploring this part of Florida. In addition, the park has a huge list of activities that are all run by many volunteers. In today’s post, I will do an overview and look at what we do while here.
Key West – Day 3
This is the last part of our quick 3-day bus trip from our RV resort to Key West and then back home again. Two bus loads of happy seniors made this 870 mile round trip excursion. It was some long, tiring days on the buses, but a good time was had by most of the group. In this segment, we stopped in the Everglades for airboat rides and an alligator show…
Key West Birthday – Day 2
In my prior post, we loaded a large group of 100 people at our RV park into large buses and took off for a three day trip to the Everglades and Key West. The 463 mile trip was divided over the three days. They were long days on the buses, but we did enjoy the stops and of course Key West.