CAMP MARS, VENUS, FL

Johnny B. at the Christmas Party
Johnny B. Showing Off His Perfectly Sculpted Body

Johnny B on Bench, Art; Center Right

Inside the Fortune Teller Trailer

Lush and Fertile In The Campground

The Fortune Teller Trailer

23 to 25 December, 2006. This place was a blast. Lots of fun people here. They show a movie every night on the huge outdoor screen. There's a large fire pit with seating around it facing the screen. They even provided Christmas Dinner. I provided an 1878-S Silver Morgan Dollar for the gift exchange. Rocky provided a silver $10 Collector Coin from Las Vegas. Both coins were originally slated for eternal residence beneath the base of the mast of the 38 foot sailboat. That sailing tradition requires one coin per member of the crew for good luck and as an offering to Neptune. We had a great time here- just remember to bring everything you need because the nearest convenient store is in Lake Placid, many miles away.

HIGHLANDS HAMMOCK STATE PARK, SEBRING, FL

The Hammock Inn Restaurant
Music In The Park Stage
This is a Fire Dependant Ecosystem
Johnny B
Rocky On The Main Loop Trail
Lots Of Land Surrounds The Park
Rocky In The Orange Grove
Our Site
The Empty Campground
The CCC Museum
There's Even Something For The Kids
This Place Was A Ghost Town

16 to 22 December, 2006. This place was dead and we were perfectly fine with that. We rode the fold-up bicycles down many of the trails and got lots of exercise. There's a C.C.C. Museum here that chronicles the area during the Great Depression. A very large swath of open field surrounds the park and it was great place to get away from all signs of civilization. We decided to spend Christmas weekend at Camp Mars with our friend, Art, who owns and operates St. Petersburg's oldest barber shop. So we headed south toward Venus, Florida and met Art at the campground.

LITTLE MANATEE RIVER STATE PARK, WIMAUMA, FL

This Tortoise Loved Romaine Lettuce
Our Site Starting The 2nd Day
The Mantis That Nearly Burned In Our Fire
The Mantis That Rocky Spotted In The Fire Pit
Our Site The First Day

3 to 15 December, 2006. Our reservation didn't actually start until the 4th so we stayed at a different site the first day. As you can see from the pictures, they're really tearing this place up. Lots of dust and lots of ants. Rocky spotted a mantis in my unlit fire arrangement so I took a few pictures of it. I got some more very exciting tortoise video which I'll try to get posted. Not much to say. I'm really more interested in getting pictures posted, no matter how boring they might be. Stay tuned...

HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK, THONOTOSASSA, FL

Tree Frog Checking Out The Showers
Yes, Johnny B Is Still A Pyro
I Had A Hard Time Getting A Good Picture Of These Turkey
Vultures Whose Wings Spanned Five Feet And More
I Just Thought It Was Cool How This Little Guy Folded His
Hands And Stood There Waiting For A Handout
Notice The Sign On Top: Flood Water Level 1988
Our New Home (That Will Hopefully Be Upgraded Soon)
Rocky On The Suspension Bridge Along One Of The Trails
Suspension Bridge
Suspension Bridge
It's Nice To Have The Paved Handicapped Site

18 November to 2 December, 2006. They have a half-acre pool here! And the turkey vultures were huge too. They spent a lot of time soaring above our heads and throughout the campground. We took our bikes around the one mile trail- that was nice. There's a very cool suspension bridge at the end of the trail. But when we started down the three mile trail, numerous large tree roots on the trail made for a bumpy ride. Pretty boring stuff, huh?

WAL-MART PARKING LOT, SUN CITY CENTER, FL

17 November, 2006. Wal-Mart will let you park your truck or RV overnight in their parking lot. Talk about convenience. There were all kinds of other stores within walking distance too. It's pretty cool when you can cook a roast in the oven and be making ice with propane while sitting in a parking lot with live music next door, even if it is gospel music. A trailer pulled up next to us, opened it's bay door and there they were- Gospel Echoes "Crimson." Our friend Art came over from St. Petersburg to have dinner with us here. After dinner, I sat in the van with a beer and listened to the gospel band. I must admit, I rather enjoyed it.

LITTLE MANATEE RIVER STATE PARK, WIMAUMA, FL

We Almost Ran Over This Very Dangerous Coral Snake
With Our Bicycles. It Was In The Middle Of The Road
Rocky On One Of The Infamous Fold-Up Bicycles
Rocky At The Canoe Launch
Little Manatee River
Very Large Grill Near The Picnic Area
Cool Little Gazebo-Like Pavillion
Another Cool Pavillion
Playground Near The Picnic Area
This Guy's Shell Was About A Foot Long
There Were Originally Several Turtles On This
Branch Before I Accidentally Scared Them Away
Little Manatee River
Our Newly Acquired Fleet
Youth Camping Area
Amphitheater
Rocky At The Large Picnic And Parking Area
Just Some Silly Little Bridge Near The Large Picnic Area

Little Manatee River

14 to 15 November, 2006. This place was pretty cool. I especially enjoyed the large tortoise that was hanging out in the handicapped site next to the bathroom. I took a short video clip of him finally getting sick of my camera in his face and crawling away. It was very exciting- I'm trembling just thinking of the high speed action. Rocky looked up the snake (that we almost ran over with our bicycles) on the internet and it turns out that it was a coral snake which apparently kills more people than any other snake because it hangs onto its victim, pumping as much venom as possible into the bloodstream.