January 10, 2017 - Brooksville, FL to Dunnellon, FL

After arising and getting dressed Erwin made a pot of coffee.  We had about two hours left to get things ready before we check out of the campground.   

The weather forecast called for a sunny day and in high 60’s.  

The next campground we will be staying at for 2 nights is about an hour drive north of here.  It was around 10 am when we left Camper’s Holiday. GPS chose the country roads instead of highways or main roadways. Most of the way the road was narrow and Erwin had to keep the Lil’ Home (LH) inside the lane. Very stressful!  Because of that it took an hour and 45 minutes to get to Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon, FL.  

The entranceway to the state park was little narrow for our LH, but Erwin managed to make it through.  We were assigned to site #2 in Loop B (reserved through ReserveAmerica.com).  Erwin had no trouble backing in the LH and the campers nearby were duly impressed.

We were warmly greeted by Harry and Bobbi, our next door neighbors.  They are from Michigan, but spend winter months touring Florida. We spent time talking about where we are from, where we went camping, places we have been to, etc.  They have been writing their travel blog for almost 10 years.

We went out for a bike ride around the campground and to the river’s edge.  No manatees there because there is a dam down stream.  The ranger told us 3 places where we might see manatees.  The closest one is at Ellie Schiller Springs at Homosass State Park.  The other two are Crystal River (Kings Bay) and Three Sisters Springs.  If the weather is good tomorrow we might go to one of them.

During the summer months, you would see hundreds of people
floating downstream on tubes and a shuttle bus will bring you back
 to the beginning and you can ride again lazily downstream!

Water is crystal clear and cold

Resurrection Fern on Tree
(Called Resurrection Fern because during dry weather,
it dries up and looks dead till the next rain comes!)

Erwin had trouble with his bicycle's braking, so we went to Blue Run Bicycle shop to get new cable and fittings. It is a good thing there is a bicycle shop in town; otherwise, Erwin would have to wait til we get to another town.  

We wanted to shop for groceries at Winn Dixie, but were surprised it was closed. Across the street is Walmart, so we shopped there.  We do not buy meats from them, just canned goods, dairy products and produce.  

After getting back from errands Erwin proceeded to work on his bicycle.  It did not take long before he was done, and he went biking to see if it works. It did!

What a relief…

I spent part of the afternoon figuring out places to visit for this spring.  We wants to visit Arizona for at least 3 weeks, since we have lots of good friends living in Phoenix and Prescott.  We hope to be able to get one week at a timeshare unit in Sedona, AZ.