This was our 2013 Jayco Flight Swift 198 RD

THIS WAS OUR 2013 JAYCO FLIGHT SWIFT 198RD, PARKED AT THE TOMBSTONE TERRITORIES RV PARK IN ARIZONA



Sunday 29 January 2023

So many miles

In the absence of mountains that we could hike to get out for some exercise and change of scenery, why not hop in the truck and drive somewhere for hours at a time. No, I am just kidding, but in earnest, this month we drove from our RV Park all the way to Ft. Lauderdale and return in a day. You see Benno wanted to visit a business in Ft. Lauderdale regarding parts for the autopilot of our boat and nearby there were a couple of marine stores that were of interest to us as well, those where the famous “Sailorman” and the biggest West Marine Store in the USA. The excursion was a semi success of what we were looking for and each one-way took four hours via the Florida Turnpike. How much did the toll road cost, I don’t know, as the charges will be in the mail, I guess.


Well, we weren’t done with driving as the next day our truck took us to Daytona Beach to a Home Depot that carried Starboard (an excellent plastic material we use on the boat) and another West Marine that had a lot more to us merchandise than their flagship store in Ft. Lauderdale. At least this trip was more scenic as part of it went through the Ocala National Forest and overall the roads were more enjoyable.

 


Here in central Florida we had some rollercoaster weather in January. The cooler days we used for more visits to shopping malls browsing merchandise, while the nicer days were spent here in the park.  As I had mentioned before, there is some activity everyday of the week in the community hall. One of the residents owns a food truck that they tow out onto the lawn beside the community hall every two weeks or so. It is called “Spanglish Skillet” and features mostly Mexican food. It was out yesterday while a local band played pretty nice tunes on the patio that their amplifiers carried throughout the park. 

 








Our neighbors two RVs down had planned a hotdog get-together with some of their friends that coincided with the bands performance and food truck appearance. It was too late to cancel either event and so we spent some time listening to the tunes and then sat around in groups at our friends’ gazebo waiting for the performance to end and the food truck to pack up before a huge pan with 60 barbecued and smoked bratwurst sausages were brought out and the potluck dishes were opened. What a fun day that was, although it had been on the cool side!

 






Speaking of food, at one of my store browsing trips I spotted this egg ring set at “Bed & Bath” in the town The Villages, that I have been looking for. Now the fried eggs fit perfectly onto the English muffins and I like that.

 



And today we turned the key in the truck again for a visit to the IKEA store in Orlando. The store is located in a large shopping district where you can shop until you drop! Yes, I found a few things that were on my list and I didn’t go overboard with purchases. Benno and I took turns to go into the store as we had the dogs with us in the truck and today we are back to 27C/80F.

 


Thanks for dropping by again.


15 comments:

  1. Glad to see you are still enjoying the traditional Florida Temperatures.
    Hope you get everything needed for the boat.
    More White Stuff heading to Essex County.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Well, that would be fantastic if we could score on all things needed for the boat, but that will not be possible this trip. Not to worry, Essex usually gets less snow than other northern parts of Ontario.

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  2. Looks like you are getting funny weather too.
    That's a lot of driving!

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    1. Isn't this weather pattern crazy this year? We try and adjust accordingly.

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  3. Great to see that you are enjoying your time there. Also that you are finding items for your boat.

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    1. One of the reasons we came down here are the boat parts. This RV Park has a lot of very friendly people to get along with.

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  4. It was strange seeing pictures of everyone in jackets in Florida but then at least they did not look like winter ones that is a plus. Glad to read you have been able to find the things you are looking for, for the boat. What a pretty last picture.

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    1. Yep, Florida gets cold every so often in January. Well, as to the photo of the sunset I cannot compete with yours with mountains in the backdrop.

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  5. The potluck sounds fun! That is a long drive to visit those stores but we get it, we've driven a long way for some specialty items ourselves.

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    1. Living rural we are used to long drives and our friends and family in Germany would have overnighted somewhere as their long distance driving distances are milkruns for us ;-)

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  6. With my lack of shopping control, I'm glad I haven't been there. It sounds fabulous!!! Love it when you find something simple that you love.

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    1. Even for North American standards, that shopping district in Orlando is gigantic.

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  7. It's great that Benno can source starboard and other goodies for his project boat, and save money on shipping. It's also nice to get out for a jaunt just to get out! Jealous of your egg rings, lol.

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    1. If you have a Bed'n Bath in your area, go have a look at their merchandise. Its the little things that bring happiness :-)

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  8. Perfect winter location to do your specialty shopping. Music, food and people. It doesn’t get much better than that. Contessa.

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