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It’s been almost two weeks since I posted last, sorry about that. My big sister had some surgery and we were helping out. She’s making a great recovery and should be back home soon. A big thank you to all who have helped out and all who sent their well wishes.
We’re arrived in Keystone Heights back on December 27 and have taken time check out the resort but haven’t fully immersed ourselves. It’s quite spot with over 700 RV sites and many, many amenities. They have a “Post Office” for managing the mail and packages that arrive daily. We stopped by shortly after we arrived to make some inquires, were issued a key for our “PO Box” and learned that a few days before Christmas they received nearly 1000 packages in a single day. Since we’re moving several times while away from home, we have our mail forwarded to an address in Florida. It’s a service that scans the outer envelope then holds our mail and awaits our instruction to either forward to us, open it & scan and send the result or, toss it out. So far it has worked out well. Anything we order through the web we send directly to the campground. Some campgrounds allow UPS, Fedex, Amazon, etc. to deliver to each site but here in Keystone, all the packages are dropped off at the “Post Office.” The PO sends us an email letting us know the package is ready for pickup. The crew at the PO are a lively group and here is a FB posting they made the day we had the severe weather.
One of the packages was a part for the range/oven. The ignitor has failed and needed to be replaced. We can cook on the stovetop because we can light it manually but, the oven will not work because, in this instance, gas is not released without a spark for safety purposes. It seems this in an issue with some RV ranges on the market after reviewing a number of RV forums. After a little troubleshooting and checking for voltage at the ignitor, I ordered the ignitor from an appliance part supplier. Unfortunately, after pulling out the range , removing the 20 or so screws for the second time in order to replace the ignitor, I discovered it was not the correct part. The correct part has 9 wires coming out of it and the one I received had only 8. It was my mistake and maybe there was a workaround but I decided to return the part, just the same. I contacted the part supplier and shared all the info I could find on the range and they informed me that the part was no longer available per the manufacturer. I went back to the forums and located someone with exact same range with the exact issue and ordered, what turned out to be, the correct part per their post. The part arrived and, again I slid out the stove for the third time to get to work. I checked the part which does have 9 connectors for the 9 wires. The range is now back to full operation with veggie pizza on the menu for dinner. We use the air fryer usually but this time we baked two pizzas at the same time in the “big” oven. They came out good, “best one yet”.
We’ve made our way around the resort on foot and me also on my bike. I rode the perimeter which came out to over 2.5 miles. Of all the campgrounds we’ve stayed at, this in one of the few that resembles a resort. I don’t know the acreage but, as mentioned earlier, there are over 700 sites. Most are seasonal snowbirds with a fair amount of annual residents. There is a group of “park models” that have been build in a new section which look nice. There is also over a half dozen, or so, Covered Wagons for short stays. Included in the resort is a large rec hall and fully equipped exercise facility, community hall, a couple of pool and ping pong tables, a sauna, outdoor hot tub, large swimming pool, pickleball courts, and, an outdoor, roof covered, bar area called Vinny’s Place. It features 6 or so TVs, a small bar and a nice sound system. Last Saturday was Karaoke Night. We didn’t partake but I could hear hooting, hollering, and of course, loud music until about 11; quiet time is from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. They have calendars for social events, a calendar for health & exercise and a third for Vinny’s place. It seems like Saturday night is the evening folks cut loose here. This Saturday there will be a musician performing, maybe we’ll check it out. As usual, the camping folks we’ve met here are all very friendly and helpful. This place is very nice, has a lot to offer but we’re not sure it’s the spot for us but, we’ll see.
Last Friday Mag found a hike not to far from here so we loaded up the backpack and headed out. Gold Head Branch State Park was roughly 10 miles away and we targeted Ridge Trail and Loblolly Loop Trail, a little over 3 miles.
It was a nice park with about 40 camp sites. Typically camping at state parks doesn’t have all the connections we prefer, specifically sewer and usually cannot accommodate larger RVs. Although ours could probably fit and they do have a dump station, the sites are “back-in” sites and our preference is a “pull-through” site. As the name suggests, a back-in site requires you to back your trailer/motorhome into the spot and the pull-though merely requires you pull in, then when you leave, you just drive out the other end. It’s much easier, though it does cost a couple of bucks more but, we strongly prefer them for obvious reasons. I suppose one day we have to overcome our anxiety related to backing up.
The trailhead is right off the road shortly after we passed through the main gate and begins with a manmade stairway/walkway that brings you down into a ravine. Nothing too crazy, about 150 feet down to a stream that passes through the park. The water was surprisingly clear, like what they call gin clear. The stream bed is lined with mostly sand and we learn later that this area has many underground springs that popup through the surface. When we reach the final turn on the Loblolly Loop, we decided to take a spur out to a lake and the opposite end for park. There we found a small beach, a bathhouse, a few pavilions and a smattering of picnic tables. There were two folks on a beach blanket in sweatshirts but that was it. We did cross paths with a dozen or more hikers of all ages on the trail. When we returned to the truck, we took a drive around the park to check out the campsites then headed back to Keystone.
We still want to do some exploring around the resort. The laundry mats are nice and very clean we noticed after we finally got to do laundry; after almost two weeks! During the wash and dry cycles we managed a few games of pool.
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Growing up I was never the worst pool player in the household and far from the best but I just couldn’t get the knack of it this day. Mag whooped me pretty good and I’m determined to get over there and practice some so I can even things up. ? We’ve talked about pickleball since arriving in Florida and even purchased some paddles but still have not gotten out there. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to try out our new equipment. During our walks we noticed some construction at the park. Based on the land that has been cleared, it would appear that the expansion is very large, maybe even double, if not, it’s close (a later inquiry revealed the expansion will include another 500 sites). Another bathhouse/laundry mat is under construction with an adjoining pool and hot tub. We’ve met a few folks but no one we’ve developed any kind of friendship with maybe due to our availability. Oddly enough, after Mass last Sunday, we hung around for coffee & donuts and Mag started chatting with a couple at the adjacent table. Turns out they are from Alaska and bought a place here allowing them to divide their time between Keystone Heights and Alaska. Betsy and Ray mentioned that they brought a bunch of Alaskan fish down with them made a noncommittal invite for dinner at their place (no word from Betsy yet).
Mag has a friend who has family in Palatka, FL, about 30 minutes away. She happened to be down visiting her brother and we made plans to meet here in Keystone for brunch. It turned out the spot MaryAnn selected was not open so she suggested a spot in Palatka. We met her at Magnolia Cafe and, although their website and other internet resources stated they were open, all the chairs were on the tabletops as we peered through the window. We opted for a small cafe across the street called This and That Cafe, we had a lovely visit.
MaryAnn walked over from her brother’s house maybe a half to three quarters of a mile away. After our visit, we drove her back to her brother’s and what a lovely spot. The house sits across the street from St. John’s River with a grassy area at the bank and a dock stretching out into the river. It was a very windy day and weather reports were warning of severe weather is approaching, we headed back to Keystone just in time.
As we left Palatka we took care of a couple of errands; a stop at Publix grocery store and Walmart while we were in the “big” city. We arrived back at the trailer about 1:30 and the rain had begun. The wind was whipping about and rocking the trailer. We didn’t plan on a dinner because we have eaten at the restaurant earlier and settled into gluing ourselves to the Weather Channel. Tornado warnings were popping up everywhere but nothing too close, at least not initially. They posted Tornado Watches in our area but no warnings until about 4 o’clock when a warning appeared on the screen for our area.
We hemmed and hawed about heading to the rec hall for protection but postponed it. In hindsight, we both agreed that next time we would heed their warning. We were thankful we didn’t experience the worst of it but did see on the news that Panama City and Marianna we hit hard. Panama City is roughly 30 minutes from the next campground we are heading to; one we spent a month at last year, Live Oak Landing in Freeport, FL. Marianna is also a spot we are familiar with. Just a couple of weeks ago we stayed at a hotel there when we visited my big sister. We also stayed at a campground there last year and the news featured that particular campground. We could see it was devastated, we felt so sad but also very very grateful we managed to avoid it.
Good job on the stove Tim. Thinking of Billy fixes – today’s tech would be hard on him.
you’re wise to stay close to the weather and do consider safe places given warnings.
Thanks Chris! Definitely heading to a safe spot after seeing the devistation in Marianna.