Got an early start on the day, opting to get breakfast, and even coffee, on the way to save time. We did our final cleanup and packing, headed down to the dump at the other campground, which was farther down the road than we figured, then headed north on US 27. We stopped near Leesburg to get fuel and to meet up with our other set of friends, as she wanted to get a copy of the book, which I gladly gifted her. We thought that gas station had a Dunkin Donuts, but they didn't have sandwiches, only donuts, so our first stop after leaving there was a DD at at place called Paddock Square, a cute little "town" that is part of the famous Villages here. They discontinued what we wanted, breakfast burritos, so we had to get the croissants, which were frankly the worst ones we'd ever had from DD. Dry and pretty tasteless, overcooked, etc. Anyway, it still served it's purpose, and we were on the interstate by 10:30. One stop at the Ag station and we were on our way! Arrived at General Coffee outside of Douglas, GA, and after some finagling, got check in to the horse camp. Evidently they don't have many horse campers, as it took the woman quite a while to get the rate straightened out. Can't say I blame her, it was confusing! $12 a night for the campsite, which included water and electric (though the website says 15 amp, it's actualy 50, thank goodness, so we'll be able to run our AC!), then a one-time $5 per vehicle entrance fee, then a one-time "second horse" fee of $8. So $30 for the first night, $12 for every night after that. We paid thru Monday, not sure how long we'll be staying, though she assured us we could extend it on Monday without paying all the extras again. We left the trading post, went back out on the road, east to the next entrance, then up to the horse camp, which is just after the ranger residence. Once we got there, we started to remember our previous visit, which was 5 years ago, picked the same site, #1, highlined the horses in the trees next to us, and even managed to get a decent satellite signal (well, on 119, anyway, couldn't get 110, and 129 was just tiny signal we may have to revisit later) before we settled in for the night. It was great to have AC overnight, we're looking forward to a great nice sleep!
Archives for April 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016 – Work Day
Our original plan had been to leave and start heading north today, but our most recent client wanted to meet us in Orlando today, so that’s what we did instead. Spent the morning with them, then found a nice little Thai restaurant for lunch, then went to a party we had been invited to that was being held at the house of the first friends we visited when we arrived here. Didn’t think we’d still be here, but when our schedule changed, we decided to participate. It was a potluck karaoke gathering of women, something I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before, but it was fairly entertaining. During one break, Hubby performed a couple of Shakespeare monologues that were VERY well received, so we left as heroes by the time we departed at 4:00. Being the only man there helped, of course! Stopped on the way back to camp to do all our shopping, then started putting things away and doing cleanup in anticipation of our departure in the morning.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – Another Great, Long Ride at Lake Louisa
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 – Shop Day and Gator Day
Did a few chores around our site, then I ran out to do some shopping. On the way back I decided to check out the entrance to Bear Lake which is on the way to the equestrian area, to see if there was an opportunity to bring down our hyper dog Lola for some exercise, with swimming being her favorite option. Turned out that there was an entrance to Bear Lake that was proclaimed as a place to launch boats, and when I checked it out. I found a nice floating dock that went out into the lake about 15 yards, but it was heralded by a sign “Gators, no swimming.” When I looked around I didn’t see any sign of them, and I expected they were talking more about people anyway. After getting back to the camp and having dinner, we decided to bring the dogs down to the dock for a bit. I looked around carefully and still didn’t see any gators, though granted, it was very weedy from the end of the dock back to the shore. First, I tossed the ball just a few feet of the dock to see if Lola would go after it, and sure enough, she didn’t hesitate to jump off and retrieve it. We discovered it was quite deep there, and she needed help getting back on the dock, so I grabbed her and pulled her in , no problem, Then I tossed the ball out about ten yards, and she jumped in after it, and swam like the trooper she is out and back. I was ready for her, and hauled her back in again. As I turned to throw the ball again, I saw the head of a gator pop out of the water about 10 feet from the dock. Good timing that he did that then! I guess our splashing served to attract him, so that was the end of our swimming expedition. We headed back to camp where I tossed the ball for a while in the field next to the camp before retiring for the evening.
Sunday, April 24, 2016 – No Ride Today
Hubby decided he didn’t want to ride today, and I agreed, because the park was pretty crowded and there was a lot of foot, bike, road and even some horse traffic. We wanted to take the dogs along, but was concerned about all the distractions, and besides, we were both tired from all the activity getting ready to move out, and not really stopping since we got here. Of course, I decided to do some repairs on my desk, and ended up having to run out for a few things, so I didn’t actually get a chance to rest much until the evening. A nice dinner at home, a fairly early evening, and most definitely plans to ride tomorrow!
Saturday, April 23, 2016 – Lunch with Another Couple
Today’s primary focus was on lunch at a local Asian restaurant with a wonderful couple we hadn’t seen in about twenty years, would you believe! We met them at 12:30, and didn’t separate until 3:30! Another great time, a great reunion, great conversation, everything just perfect! But enough visiting, it’s time to hit the trail!
Friday, April 22, 2016 – Some Shopping and Dinner with Friends
After sleeping deliciously late this morning, I did some computer work before we headed out to the store to pick up a few things. Then we went over to a friend’s house for dinner, a couple we met in Texas and befriended, who later moved near Orlando. What a fabulous evening! Excellent meal, great conversation, stayed until nearly 11:00!! Way past our bedtime! But every once in a while you just have to say, “What the heck!”