LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS

We recently visited central Florida's Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL, the winter home to almost 500 West Indian manatees.

Talk about winter visitors trying to find a place to get warm!

Florida State Parks are proud of "America's Best State Park" Designation!

Blue Spring Gift Shop with Snorkel/Scuba Rentals 

Stay for the weekend in a full furnished cabin!

Abundance of turtles, birds, fish and wildlife 

A Florida Manatee and calf at Blue Spring

 Other animals that make Blue Spring a home is the Florida scrub jay, gopher tortoise and black bear. This area is the home of one of only two known locations for the Okeechobee gourd.

Florida Scrub Jay - Blue Spring

All types of Florida birds life thrive in this environment

Tucked within 2,643 acres are 15 natural communities, a lagoon, a north-flowing river and a first-magnitude spring that discharges over 104 million gallons of water into the St. Johns River on a daily basis.

Manatees are well protected at Blue Spring

Boardwalk through shade areas

We enjoyed the one-third mile boardwalk that follows the flowing Blue Spring run through a shady hardwood hammock.

The water is 72-degrees year round and abounds with fish, manatees and tropical birds. They are very well protected away from areas where swimmers and scuba divers converge.  There are 3 covered pavilions if you care to have a picnic or simply rest.

Many covered and uncovered picnic areas

If you bring a bicycle there is a 4 mile, one way Pine Island Hiking Trail.  Facilities include 50 campsites equipped with water, electricity, picnic tables, fire rings and 6 fully equipped cabins.  

If you desire to explore the river further, rent a canoe, kayak or take a kayak tour or experience native plants and wildlife on a 2 hour river cruise.

Leisurely kayaks enjoy the Spring

The on-site Florida pioneer Louis Thursby House is over 100 years old and offers an insight to early Florida pioneer living.   Louis Thursby purchased Blue Spring in 1856 and built a 3 story house atop a large Indian midden in 1872.  Before the railroad rolled through in the 1880s, Thursby's Blue Spring Landing was a hotbed of steamboat activity shipping tourists and goods to Jacksonville and beyond.  Mrs. Mary Thursby was Orange City's first postmistress.

Louis Thursby Home - Blue Spring

Louis Thursby House has withstood the test of time since 1872

The State of Florida purchased Blue Spring in 1972 recognizing the importance of this area being a winter refuge to the manatee.

Blue Spring is enjoyed by thousands of visitors every year.  The beauty and history of this important spring is definitely something to be protected for all to enjoy.

HOW TO SAVE LOTS OF MOOLAH ON AN RV!

We considered buying a newer model motorhome a couple of months ago.  Then we did the practical, realistic, down-to-earth consideration of comparing ADVANTAGES vs DISADVANTAGES, which to us would have either cost lots or saved a huge sum of money.  The egocentric side lost out and the practical and realistic side prevailed.

Home Sweet Motorhome
2007 40' Tiffin Allegro Bus

We decided sometime in 2006 to travel in a motorhome on a full-time basis and met all  the objections head-on, sold our home, contents, etc., and in October 2007, after much consideration, we purchased a new 2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus and drove away into the sunset.  Almost 9 years later we feel satisfied that most of our decisions have been positive as far as contributing to our level of comfort and healthy lifestyle for full timing at this stage of our lives.

Our blog has a tab called "COACH UPGRADES" (Interior and Exterior) which has changed over the years, and for that reason we say we no longer have a 2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus.  It is now somewhere between a 2007 - 2016 Bus, with lots of new bells and whistles and a multitude of goodies we like to call "ACCESSORIZING".  

Here are a few pictures of some of our "Accessories" that we've added to our coach over the last couple of years. We've met several fine craftsmen in Red Bay and Vina, AL that have made these modifications to our coach.  The work they have done has been exemplary and we can recommend them should you be interested.

Mood Lighting over Front slides

Whirlpool Residential Refrigerator

New Exterior Lettering and Summit Stainless Steel Accents

Lumbar Support in Driver's Seat, 40" Samsung TV,
2009 Console Cover
Dishwasher to match cherry cabinetry

USB Ports, Solid Surface Trim (to prevent wicking), MCD
Shades, Cherry Shelf under Pax Window (for Phone, Glasses, etc)

Several other key items that have definitely added to our comfort are: 

• Awning over outside bathroom window
• Vented Microwave/Convection to Outside
• Added Cherry Credenza in back of Driver's Side
• Magnum Pure Sine Wave Inverter
• Lifeline Batteries
• Restructured some of the cherry cabinets and drawers for more efficient organization 
• LED lights installed inside and outside of coach

We decided to keep our comfortable coach, pay it off, and save lots of moolah.

NOW YOU'RE TALKIN'!!

#RV There Yet? #RV Full-time #Tiffin

ALLEGRO CAMPGROUND 2009

If you've been following RV THERE YET since last year, you might remember how we make our annual pilgrimage to Red Bay, AL, home of Tiffin Motorhomes, the manufacturer of our coach. We make an appointment a year in advance and when we arrive we present them with several pages of service and warranty issues, adjustments and items we'd like added for our comfort....since this is our home. While the facilities provide water, sewer and everything you need, it is dusty and close quarters, so what you do is meet other people from all over the country - many of them full-timers like us, and you trade ideas and see what they've done to their coaches to make them more comfortable. On a daily basis, we are offered delicious fresh homemade country sausage, country thick sliced bacon, huge fresh farm eggs, and there's even a local restaurant owner that drives up and down the rows selling his famous bar-b-que. And I almost forgot the lady that sells fresh baked bread and the 90 year old farmer that sells fresh produce out of the back of his truck. All of these things add to the flavor of our annual Red Bay trip.

When your apppointment time arrives, you leave your parking area about 6:30 a.m. every morning and return to your parking space at 3:00 p.m., the end of the shift for the technicians. Each day you report to a specific bay (there are about 60 bays) and whatever needs to be done will be accomplished before you leave. A huge lounge is on site where coffee and comfortable seating is provided. Animals are allowed on leashes (since many RVer's have animals), and it gets lively sometimes. You sometimes spend hours in the lounge so you meet people from all over. Many people decide to get new coaches, refurbish old coaches, etc., and you can make arrangements to go through the factory where the 2010 models are in production. A bright spot for us is that you meet the people in the community and enjoy all there is to love about this small but special community. The cost of living doesn't compare to most places we travel - a delicious lunch is usually at the Piggly Wiggly, or Swamp John's for catfish dinners, and you meet people who can take care of just about anything you need on your coach, from beautiful finished carpentry, expert diesel service, to state of the art electronics. You might even meet someone who knew Tammy Wynette, from the Red Bay area, and certainly knew someone who wrote songs for her.

Since we were going to be in Red Bay on Labor Day, I had looked forward to the festivities which would be held in the Coon Dog Cemetery (liar's contest, buck dancing, bar-b-que); however, we had an opportunity to leave on Saturday, 9/5, after our coach was completly detailed - inside and out - (and all our service items had been compleeted), so we headed northwest to Tunica, MS, a town less than 20 miles from Memphis, TN. and we will recuperate and take life a little easier before we head toward the Branson, MO area.