RV travels around the USA
We are nearing the end of our month stay in Clermont Florida. It has been a month of hiking, taking long walks, reading many books, some scheduled truck maintenance, and a couple more excursions out. One day trip was over the the east coast to check out an RV park for a possible future stay. Another trip was to a cool little Tiki Hut on a lake for lunch – the Biker Bar! Then there was a hike and more!
Continue reading “Venturing Out – Biker Bar, Hike, and a Move”
We are currently staying at an RV resort in Clermont Florida. While it is a beautiful and safe place to enjoy the warm weather, the activities are not so much within the park. So, we have a few small outings planned over the month. One of our day trips was a lunch out to Yalaha and then to Mt. Dora to explore.
Clermont Florida – It was nice to arrive on a sunny 80 degree day after a pleasant drive south. Our home for the month of January is the Orlando suburb of Clermont. This is the same place that we stayed during the “shelter in place” order back in February through June. We have several day trips planned and hope to get the Vaccine scheduled in as well. It should be a relaxing and interesting month at our January Home!
The day finally arrived for us to pack up, pull in the slides and get back to what we bought the RV for: travel. It has been over eight months since we came to Florida for the winter. And now we are into the heat and humidity of a Florida summer that takes a hardy soul to survive. Our plan is to take a few stops and be back to Virginia in a week.
Our extended winter stay is soon coming to an end and we will be back on the road again. I’m quite excited to get back to our travels, albeit it will be a stunted travel year. So far, we only have a plan to slowly travel back to our old home area of Virginia. After our three months there, I do not know yet. We are kicking around a long trip to the far west in 2021, but it just depends on many unknowns at this time. Here’s a recap of this last week from our southern headquarters…
Continue reading “Truck Mirror Repair & Clermont Florida Weekly Update”
Travel Prep to Begin Soon – We are continuing to enjoy our Florida oasis where we have been for about 2.5 months now. When all the mandates came out about sheltering in place we decided that Clermont Florida was the best of all our options. And it has proven to be that. Covid cases have been very low, excellent healthcare systems, and some great weather from March to mid-May. And then somewhere around mid-May it suddenly became hot and humid. It seems paradise does have a small downside. It’s about time to prep for travel!
I’ll start out this update with the weather. That is always a good starter. The weather has actually been kind of boring. I start to take it for granted until we talk to family or friends Up North. Our days have been mostly sunny and in the mid 80’s. But the weather in the New River Valley of Virginia has been very mild with the exception of a couple nights down at freezing. Okay, the weather update out of the way…
One day last week, I took the car out to top off the gas tank with some of this cheap fuel. It only took about $7 worth as we are rarely driving during this stay at home order. Groceries are all delivered right to our door at the RV park. Pat has become very good at the Publix and Walmart online ordering. This just may be the way of the future.
To keep the battery charged, I decided to drive the 14 miles straight north on US-27 to Clermont and take a closer look at the Citrus Tower. We have driven by it many times, but never stopped to check it out when it was open. Alas, it is closed along with all the other non essential businesses in Florida.
The tower is just off the highway and rises up to 226 feet tall (equivalent of 22 stories). You can see it for miles going in either direction as it is also located on top of a small hill.
From their website, here is a full description: One of Florida’s first “attractions,” the Citrus Tower was built in 1956 on one of the highest hills in Florida’s ridge section. The original plans specified a tower 75 feet high, but when completed, the Citrus Tower rose to a lofty height of 226 feet .
The Citrus Tower stands unrivaled as a majestic and monumental tribute to Central Florida’s famed citrus industry and its lush subtropical groves. With the area’s changing economic climate, the Tower serves as a beacon guiding a burgeoning new business and population base to the scenic South Lake County region.
The glass-enclosed observation deck allows visitors to enjoy the panoramic view of the rolling hills of Florida’s ridge section and hundreds of spring-fed lakes in the surrounding 8-county area.
The cost is $10 to take a tour and may include the elevator to the top. We may have to check it out if it opens before we leave in mid-June. Then again riding a small elevator up 22 floors with some strangers may not be the best idea right now. Maybe a view from a distance is best.
Stay safe, take care and God bless.
Covid Lockdown Day 29 – We continue to be very blessed with our good health and a great location to weather this virus lockdown. The central Florida weather has been warm and sunny with only one day of rain since we arrived back on March 22nd. You might remember our prior RV park was quickly shutting down in Bowling Green Florida. We had planned to stay there until April 1st. But as the virus countermeasures swiftly grew more restrictive, it was time to move. Our move back to Clermont Florida was exactly what we needed.
Clermont, Florida has been a great location to be very near Disney, have a Publix grocery within walking distance, many restaurants, and central to several quaint small towns. Our RV park is the Citrus Valley RV Resort and is one of the finest in our three years of travel. So, one of the goals of this location is to take in as much of Disney as we could with our good friends Calvin and Sue. Calvin, being a Disney retiree, continues to enjoy the perks and can share them with friends! In this update, we go to Epcot!