camping

Highlands Hammock State Park

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We spent part of spring break camping at Highlands Hammock State Park. The corona virus was starting to cause shut downs and we weren’t sure what would happen (they did end up closing the campground after we left). However, camping is the best way to isolate yourself (well, besides staying home, but camping is more fun!).

Campground at Highlands Hammock State Park — Our home for a few days.

We love Florida State Parks! They’re well maintained and the campgrounds are always nice. This one was bigger than what we normally stay at, and there wasn’t a lot of green space between campsites, but it was still nice. They only have water and electric hookups and there’s a dump station. We try to be careful how much water we use in the camper and use the campground bath houses. We did take our blue boy (which happens to be gray) so that we could drain our tanks if needed.

We almost always take our bikes – it gives my boys something to do at the campground aka burn some of their neverending energy. Lots of times there are nice bike trails around the park as well. The trail here was a nice hard packed one with several geocaches along it.

Bike Trail at Highlands Hammock State Park

They also have nine hiking trails in the park. My favorite was this one although it’s currently the dry season and the swamp isn’t very, well, swampy.

Once you get to the swamp, this is the boardwalk. I can’t imagine what it must be like during the rainy season (we are planning to go back).

This mama gator and her baby were perfectly content to just watch us from across the swamp. I imagine if it was the rainy season we would’ve seen a lot more gators!

This turtle was catching some sun. There was another one swimming around munching on some leaves.

The other boardwalks at the park are equally as nice. They are easy to walk on and have plenty of benches so you can sit and relax.

Some of the other trails do not have boardwalks.

One of them leads to this amazing 900+ year old oak tree!

We always look for an ice cream place when we camp – preferably a locally owned place. We weren’t sure anything would be open because corona was in full swing and groups of ten or more were discouraged. Fortunately, Sebring Soda and Ice Cream Works was open. They had a nice variety of sodas in glass bottles and lots of ice cream flavors!

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W.P. Franklin Campground, Alva FL

Recently we wanted to get away for the weekend. Someplace close to home so we could get there at a decent time even though we weren’t leaving until after work. I found this campground while checking out our favorite campground (which sadly had no sites available). There was one site available for the weekend at W.P. Franklin Campground and when I saw it was on an island – that sealed the deal for me! Hubby was thrilled – fishing right outside the camper! Almost all sites are along the river. They’re paved and have a nice little pavilion along with a grill and fire ring.

I love sunset (if you follow me on instagram, then you already know that). The sunsets over the Caloosahatchee River are gorgeous!

You can walk out on part of the dam to fish. They actually have a very nice (large) fishing area with benches off to the right.

There were turtles swimming around the dam too. We saw fish jumping and a couple manatees too.

We could watch boats going through the lock from the campground, but it’s on the other side so you can’t see anything except the boats. One day we drove around to the other side of the river – there’s two ways to go and both are about 15 minutes. We went through Alva – a neat little town with a museum (we didn’t get to stop this time…maybe next time). Of course we had to stop for the drawbridge.

The maze of walkways at the lock (they aren’t open to the public, but I would love to run through all of them!). There’s also a visitor’s center and a park with a nice little playground near the lock.

This, right here, was probably the best part of the whole campground! Right out our camper door was the river and plenty of room for the kids to run! Hubby got to fish to his hearts content. The kids could fish for a bit, run around, go back to fishing…it was wonderful!

I will say that the sites are close together, but with all the open space behind the sites ,you don’t really notice it! Also, there are no full hook up sites. The dump station was easy to get to, but we just made sure we were careful with our water usage (we used the bath house for all showers). We will definitely be going back!

Collier Seminole State Park

Over spring break, we spent three nights at Collier Seminole State Park. We didn’t take our bikes or our kayaks and after we got there, we wished we had! John did bring his fishing stuff and spent some time at the dock fishing.

There’s a lot of history here. This is the park keepers house. The bottom is the visitors center and the top is off limits now.

Collier Seminole State Park House

This is a dugout canoe that Native Americans would’ve used. I can’t get over how narrow it is! I think my 8 year old would fit best. I’m not sure you would get me in that and stay right side up in the water!

Collier Seminole State Park Dugout

This contraption is a walking dredge that was used to build Tamiami Trail through the Everglades. The story of how they finished the road is pretty neat!

Collier Seminole State Park Campground Walking Dredge

We weren’t sure about the campground when we first pulled in. We felt like we were so close to our neighbors. As it turned out, it wasn’t so bad. Yes, the sites in the middle are closer together.

Collier Seminole State Park Campground

But, they have the center of the circle for kids to run around in.

Collier Seminole State Park Campground

It kept us from feeling too crowded. The sites around the outside are wider. The only hook ups are water and electric.

Collier Seminole State Park Campground

The kids loved playing around this fire ring? sand box? Whatever it was, they had fun!

Collier Seminole State Park Campground

We were given a family membership to the Naples Zoo and we finally made it. I’m not much of a zoo person, but this was OK. It isn’t huge, but it was worth the trip and we might even go back. There was giraffe feeding and camel rides that my youngest thinks he just has to do.

The primate excursion is a 15 minute boat ride around the islands where the monkeys live. This lesser ape (I think) was putting on a show for us!

Naples Zoo

A giant anteater – I really can’t believe how big he was!

Naples Zoo

Of all the animals there, the ducklings win the cutest award! They were totally unfazed by all the people passing by their puddle. Naples Zoo

I had read about Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in our local paper and thought it sounded interesting. When I realized it was less than an hour from the campground, I decided we should check that out too. It turned out to be pretty neat. The boardwalk is 2.25 miles long and there are several places to stop along the way (but no facilities). We were surprised at how many people were there! Our kid were not as impressed with the walk, although I think if they had each had their own pair of binoculars it might’ve been a little better.

One of the first things we spotted was a Painted Bunting. These brightly colored birds flitted from the feeder to the nearby palm trees. I could’ve watched them for longer (and tried to get more pictures), but the kids were already restless and not impressed with these little birds. As a side note – there were some serious bird watchers and they were always willing to point out what they were looking at and tell us what kind of bird it was. There were some signs along the way pointing out the birds most commonly sighted.

Painted Bunting at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Towards the end of the walk, there was a small “pond” left (rainy season is still a month or two away) and there were lots of birds and some alligators.

Alligator on a log at Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary

The gators were just laying around soaking up the sun.

Alligator hugging a log at Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary

The birds were totally unconcerned about the gators laying nearby.

Birds feeding near gators at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

We watched these two anhingas fight for dinner (or maybe just for the seat on the tree stump).

Anhingas fighting at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

You can see why they are also called snake birds. Look at him with just his head sticking up from the water. Anhingas fighting at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

We’re planning to go back to Collier Seminole State Park with our bikes and kayaks. Have you visited Naples, FL? Any suggestions for things we must see/do?

Pop Up Camping – Under Sink Storage

As I was packing for our first long trip, I was lamenting that the storage under the sink can’t be used while traveling because it gets flipped over when the kitchen is folded down. There are two nice size compartments that hold my dishes when we’re set up, but when we travel, I have to move them.

Look at all that unused space!

The other thing I was grumbling about is all the bedding we have to take. Camp chairs, towels, washcloths, hand towels, sheets, blankets, pillows, pillow top for our bed (because we like to be comfy)…it all takes up space. Normally I store the chairs under the dining benches and the rest gets piled on the floor. Then, I had a brain storm, an A-HA moment! I could put some of the bedding & towels in the unused space. It wouldn’t hurt them to be flipped over and then I would have more room on the floor. Also, careful folding and rolling helps make blankets take up a little less space. I fit quite a bit of stuff into those two cabinets. Just be careful of the sink hoses since they need room to move when opening/closing the kitchen. As you are setting up, you make up the beds first so that these compartments are emptied. Then set up your “kitchen.” When you close up, put the kitchen stuff away first and then put the bedding away.

Also, just a note (in case you were wondering) – cereal does NOT store well there for traveling! If the box is open even just a tiny, little bit…big cereal mess!

How do you make the most of limited storage space?

Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park

We spent Labor Day weekend camping not too far from home at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park. We left Friday evening after work and although it’s just under three hours away, the drive took a lot longer due to accidents and traffic jams on the highway. We didn’t arrive until about 9:20 (late check-in ends at 10!). Backing in during the day is a process (we just don’t do it often enough). Backing in, in the dark is worse! The poor escort was so patient with me as I tried to get the camper going in the right direction. I know the logic behind how to back up, but it just takes me time! I just need more practice. We’ve got setting up pretty much down to a science. Good thing since we had to set up in the dark!

This is my happy view. I love looking in the side view mirror and seeing our popup following us.

The campsites were very long and wide enough that you don’t feel like you’re on top of the other campers. There are trees between the sites to give you some added privacy. They also had a pool and playground. It was pretty damp while we were there and since the playground is in the shade, it didn’t dry out very much. The pool was big though andÂ my kids loved it…me not so much – there were too many people in it so I couldn’t swim laps.

The one thing I did not like was the abundance of these spiders! I believe they’re a golden silk spider. The big one is the female and the smaller ones are males. I’m not fond of spiders and seeing them around just gave me the creeps! There was one that built her web on the swings at the playground…too high for us to reach and there was no way I was sharing a swing with a spider! I don’t hold that against the campground though. I guess it’s the season for them.

The one weird thing was that they don’t provide fire rings, but if you want a fire you need one. How can you camp and not have a fire? I found this cheapie one at WalMart. My kids have been wanting a fire pit for the house, so it’s not like we’ll never use it again, but I’ve never camped somewhere that doesn’t provide fire rings.

Despite the rain, we had a camp fire two nights. What’s camping without roasting hot dogs and making s’mores?!

We also did some geocaching (and my one son discovered some wasps and got stung). There’s Homosassa springs which does have an entrance fee, but it looks like a lot of fun. We didn’t go this time…maybe next time.

We enjoyed our stay here. The bathrooms were fairly clean – the building we were near had eight rooms – each with it’s own entrance. I’ve found that campgrounds that are part of a group (ie KOA, Good Sam Club, etc) are more likely to have decent facilities. If you’re self-contained, it’s not important, but with a pop-up, we need facilities. The closer the better with young children! Another plus was that all the sites are full hook-up. That means I didn’t have to worry about how much water I was using and how quickly our gray water tank was filling up. Also, all the sites are 50 amps, so we had to bring a converter so we could hook up (pop-ups are 30 amp). All in all, it was a good trip!

Have you been camping recently?