Our Spring Break in the Camper

Upham Beach

Palma Maria

Lulu had a week off for spring break. So Monday morning - we headed south from Tallahassee. We take turns driving - while one drives - the other can rest in the back. Our 2004 Dodge Roadtrek has a king bed - toilet - refrigerator - generator - stove - sink - AC - TV - and shower. On this trip we used everything but the air conditioner - the weather allowed to sleep with windows open.

ST PETERSBURG BEACH - night 1

After about 250 miles - our first stop was St Pete's Beach. We had smelled something burning - like brake fluid. The brake pedal was little mushy - so we stopped to look. The right front wheel was so hot - I burned my fingers. We were at Upham Beach in a nice parking lot - so we stayed there for the night. Rick's Reef was nearby - a nice place to eat. We walked the beach - and went to bed - not sure what our brake problem was.

Holocaust Museum

ST PETERSBURG - night 2

In the morning I called a local brake shop called Dan's Brake World. They said it sounded like a brake caliper was stuck - it heated and boiled the fluid. If we got it to their shop 8 miles away in St Pete - they would order parts and fix it right away. We got there - they examined it - and said it was a stuck caliper. I chose to replace both front calipers and hoses.

Hofbrau house

Hofbrau House

It would take a day for the parts to come. We toured in downtown St Petes. That night we stayed right at the lot at Brake World.

Dans Brake World

We visited Pipo's Cuba Cafe - the Holocaust Museum - Hofbrau House - and the harbor.

The brake calipers were replaced and we were on the road the next day.

Sunshine Skyway

RINGLING MUSEUM

Ringling Museum

SANIBEL BEACH

Sanibel Shell Beach

FORT MYERS BEACH - night 3

Walmart Fort Myers Beach

After the camper was fixed we headed south to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. This is where the circus used to stay for the winter. There were 5 Ringling Brothers - but John Ringling became the leader and had his home here. This is a fantastic stop - especially because FSU owns it and lets Lulu in for free. $23 for senior citizens - me.

We next went to Sanibel Island Beach known for its shells. What was a bummer to me was nowhere to park out there. Tow trucks loved the place - illegal cars and campers disappear. We parked in a public park for $5 an hour - but it closed at 8 PM. The beach is nice - except sand fleas - remnants of red tide - and you are far from town. It turned cloudy so we did not see the sun set and full moon rising thing. We left the island after a couple hours - agreeing that our beaches in the Panhandle are way nicer than this place.

Just across the bridge from Sanibel is a Walmart in Fort Myers Beach. We had a very nice quiet site there - and spent night 3. We slept - shopped - showered. Then we went to Fort Myers Beach. I parked illegally and stayed with the truck while Lulu enjoyed two hours of sand and surf. Again - it smelled a bit from red tide. This was as far south as we went.

At Fort Myers Beach - I showed the camper to a white haired couple. They were from Ohio. They stayed at a beach front condo - nothing fancy - for $7000 a month for 3 months. They loved our camper and our "free" spot.

Lunch in camper

Illegal parking Fort Myers Beach

PUNTA GORDA

Punta Gorda is a neat port on the Charlotte River - which is very wide here. We ate at Harpoon Harry's in Fisherman's Village. This is a gray head mecca - loads of license plates from the Midwest and Canada.

BARTOW - night 4

John Ringling Home

The most pleasant driving was the evening drive on US 17 north to Bartow. It is a beautiful 4 lane divided highway with very few cars. It is surrounded by circus trees. We got to Bartow - the county seat of Polk County - and stopped at a Walmart. We shopped a bit and then watched an FSU game on TV. We slept like 12 hours - and headed to Disneyworld.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

In Disneyworld - we visited Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is a beautiful pseudo-African hotel - that costs about $400 a night. We drove right in - parked free - and had a picnic lunch on the premises by the pool. The place seemed empty - the guests must have been in the parks.

CASSELBERRY - night 5

Our last night was spent at the Palma Maria. It is about 30 miles north of Disney. From 1950 to 1980 - the Palma was in Tamaqua PA - and was the hangout of our youth. In 1981 - it moved to Casselberry - and its second life is almost 40 years. The same "kids" cook and run the place. We enjoy our time with - Anna - Parm - MaryAnn - Pete. The food is excellent - like eating history for us. After dinner - we stayed the night. Too much wine - and I "refused" to drive.

Peanut Butter Pie by Anna

Parm - MaryAnn - Pete - Anna

We woke up at 9 AM - and Lulu and I shared driving duties home - getting back to Tallahassee at 3 PM. 6 days - 5 nights - 960 miles - $500 brake job - and so much fun. Shopping - museums - eating - drinking - laughing - and loving old friends. We hope to do it all again soon.