Beyond Bama

We didn’t spend as much time in Alabama as we thought we would.  Once we got through Mobile, we headed south on secondary roads. 

I’m not sure, but I think we’ll pass on eating here 🤔

Moving On

We thought we would stop at the coast around Gulfport.  The weather wasn’t that great though.  We were also tired of taking small, slow roads.  Instead, we set our sights on reaching Pensacola before the Florida Welcome Center closed. 

We did have to make this one stop though. Maria was fascinated.

It’s All About the Juice

The Welcome Center closes at 5:00 pm.  We arrived at 4:45. We had plenty of time to get our complimentary fresh squeezed Florida orange juice. 

Coast Was Not Clear

It was our thought to try to stay at the beach somewhere on the panhandle.  The staff at the Welcome Center told us that the best beaches in Florida were at Navarre.  Unfortunately, there was not one spot open anywhere near the coast.  We finally found a vacancy a little inland at Avalon Landing.  It was fine for one night.

Silver Springs

The last time we were in Florida, we met someone who suggested that we check out Silver Springs State Park.  It’s a few hours south of the panhandle in Ocala.  It used to be a privately owned park, so it has amenities that you usually don’t see in State Parks.  There are stores, a restaurant, and a glass bottom boat. 

This one pushy passenger just had to be first in line!

We took the glass bottom boat tour.  It was interesting; touristy, but interesting.  Apparently, a lot of movies have been filmed there because the water is crystal clear.  Some of the more notable films were:  The Creature from the Black Lagoon, a few James Bond films, and the original Tarzan. 

Old Florida

By this time, we had decided that we wanted to find someplace to settle in for a few days before we went to Miami.  A woman that we met at Silver Springs recommended that we stay at Lake Kissimmee State Park, just south of Orlando. She said we would love it. It was like old Florida. We weren’t sure what that meant, but what the heck.  We were able to find a site for 5 days.  That seemed like it might not be a great sign.  Maybe the park had vacancies because it wasn’t so good.  We decided to take a chance though.  It turns out that was the right decision.