Back in Atlanta - Our 2009 Trip is nearly completed

We stayed at EG Simmons Park on Tampa Bay for 7 days and left early Sunday morning for Ocean Pond Campground in Osceola National Forest in Northern FL near I-10, 45 mi West of Jacksonville. The drive was just over 200 miles, so that even with some shopping stops we made it in 3 1/2 hours.

They have three different types of campsites and the electrical hookup campground was almost full. However, we got our little corner campsite where we have camped in previous years. We stayed for two nights so that we could take the 13 mi bike ride around the pond. We found that the free Hog Pen campground was really cleaned up and for people who like to dry camp, it would now be a pleasant place to camp on the lake.

We left early Tuesday morning to drive back to Peggy's sister in Atlanta. Bobbie is recovering slowly and now has to go through a series of Chemo treatments. She has decided that she should go with her daughter, to their home outside Chicago.

They will fly out on Saturday 3/14 and we will then head back home to Cleveland if the driving weather permits us. I don't like to drive in snow or heavy rain and we are not in any time constraints.

So this will be my last 2008-9 Mexico trip blog. Hopefully we can try the trip again next Fall so we can can visit the sites we missed by leaving this year.

E.G. Simmons County Park on Tampa Bay

We left Lithia at 8 AM on Sunday morning for a short drive to another Hillsborough county park, E.G. Simmons Regional Park on Tampa Bay. We stayed here last year and enjoyed our stay and since they didn't take any reservations we figured that it wouldn't be hard to get a site on a drizzly cool Sunday morning. We got here after grocery shopping at 9:00 AM. We were 14th on the waiting list to get in but he said that he expected at least 20 persons to check out. You can't check-in until after 11:30 AM but at least we got a nice site that was close enough to the office to have Wi-Fi internet access.

We signed up for three days but expect to stay until the following Sunday. A cool front had come in but it was supposed to start warming and be dry though the weekend. We biked into the town of Ruskin for shopping a few times and the temperature finally got back over 80o by Thursday.

Lithia Springs near Tampa, FL

Bill Miller & Cathy Needham spent 3 days with us at Silver Lake. We hiked the trails and biked on the Withlacoochee State Trail, a 46 mi long, 12’ wide, paved bike trail.

It was cool every morning but pleasantly warm by the afternoon.

I was able to paddle my kayak a few times but the river was very low due to the drought conditions. So I just paddled a few miles upstream and downstream of our camp.

In all we spent 10 days here. Bill & Cathy needed to head back North so that they could be back in Cleveland in about a week.

Peggy & I drove a little further South to Lithia Springs County Park on the Alafia River.

We got the same campsite right on the river that we had camped at the last few times that we camped here.

This river was also very low so I just paddled downstream from our camp on the Alafia River past the springs until it became too shallow to easily paddle then paddled back upstream.

I had a nice rest in my hammock when I returned.

We went for a bike ride on Monday through FishHawk Ranch which is a housing development with over 25 miles of concrete bike trails, that weave through the community connecting parks, houses and shopping centers. We did some grocery shopping, and then headed back to camp. In all we pedaled 14 mi. on the sunny and breezy 70^o day.

We are now in Florida

We left Bobbie’s house early Thursday morning and got such a good start that we decided to drive to Silver Lake which is just off I-75 North of Tampa. The weather is close to 80oF, so unless it gets colder we may stay here a while since we can hike on the good trails, bike on the Withlacoochee State Bike Trail, a 46 mi paved bike trail or paddle my kayak on Silver Lake and the Withlacoochee River. There is a library with internet within easy biking distance and a grocery.

I talked to Bill Miller & Cathy and they will be heading north in a few days and may camp with us. Not sure of any plans after that we may head further south if it gets colder here.

Still in Atlanta, GA

It's been two weeks now since we took our long journey back from Mexico to Atlanta and the home of my Sister-in-Law, Bobbie. Both her daughters flew in to be with her while she was operated on. The Doctor removed a cancerous tumor from her Pancreas but the doctor said she looked cancer free and has a good chance of recovering.
She has been in the hospital for twelve days and we are still not sure when she will be released. Peggy wants to stay here until Bobbie gets back into her home. Bobbie's daughter Kim, who is a nurse, will stay with her until March. At that point a decision will have to be made; if, when and where any Chemotherapy and Radiation will take place.
When we leave we will head south to Florida. It's too cold for us in Atlanta, and I sure would rather be on the beach in Mexico. I certainly don't want to go home to Cleveland which is buried under 20" of snow.