Hog Pen Landing - Osceola National Forest

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This one was hard to find! We were actually trying to find Ocean Pond which offered full hookups for $18/night. The nights were getting cool and it was nice to be able to start the electric heater in the morning to take the chill off but without electricity we have no heat except the propane furnace that we can't really use unless we hook the trailer to the truck (electricity) and run the truck while we have the furnace on. The solar panel just doesn't cut it for the energy-hungry furnace blower. On any internet site I looked, the directions were always sketchy and there was nothing precise on how to get there. So I set the GPS to take us to the nearest road.

We then drove and drove and it sure looked like we were going the wrong way but the truck's compass kind of told me we were heading in the right direction. So we kept on and finally saw the sign for Ocean Pond. The drive in is all paved and looks really good. We get there only to see the last full hook-up site being taken by the motorcoach ahead of us. Darn! I had heard of two free campgrounds nearby but had read really good comments about Hog Pen so we went looking for Hog Pen. If we weren't going to get full hook-ups we might as well not pay for it (it was $8/day for dry camping at Ocean Pond which by the way, is a beautiful place with wonderful flush toilets bathrooms and free hot showers).

Turns out that Hog Pen Landing doesn't indicate any camping on the sign but does show a boat ramp. After driving past it, not thinking that it was the right place, we finally drive to it on a slightly bumpy gravel road. We find an empty site right on the lakeside. After discussing at great length how to park the trailer we decide on putting the trailer on an angle across the site so we get a good view from almost everywhere in the house. And what a view! The lake offered us beautiful sunrises that we could actually see right from the bed! We could hear alligators close by and they would talk to each other with some with higher voices and one very deep grunt coming from close to the shore. The four days we were there we never got to see them but there were a lot of water lilies which made it hard to spot eyes and snouts sticking out of the water. We also heard bird sounds we had never heard before.

Our campsite

Our home

Sunrise

The beginning of a beautiful day

Nothing like having your tea by the water

We loved taking our chairs right close to the water and read or just talk while looking at the lake. Some boats would glide in front of our site once in a while but all were quiet as they were using an electric motor to just slowly move along while fishing.  Our time there was very relaxing. We could take Cheeka for walks on the road across the street that went into the forest. We discovered a large pond that was vibrant with a sound we haven't heard before which stopped once we got closer. It was like many little animals were chirping all at once. Maybe baby alligators?

The pond we discovered

The only bad side to Hog Pen is that it is used by some as a permanent or long-term living site. The fee is $2/day but we were told that nobody pays. We paid as we also learned that the people who take care of the bathrooms are paid with these envelopes that we leave there. We didn't see any checking of paid sites at all. The problem with the long term campers is that they normally have very old campers and they feel like they own the place. We weren't bothered by them but we did meet some very "interesting" people like Kim, who lived in a very old van (not a camper van) that she equipped herself. It's cluttered and dirty, has a smashed windshield and a ripped up driver's seat (the passenger seat has been taken out) and she has one comfy chair to sit in. Along with her 5" black & white battery operated TV she keeps entertained with her digital keyboard that she plays quite well. We ended up having a sing-a-long and jamming session for a while. She loved my singing voice and was amazed that I could play any song with just the guitar chords showing on her sheet music. She was traveling with a small dog that she found on the road.

We also met a family of five (3 children) that lost the house they were renting when there was a problem with the septic bed and the owner decided to just close it. That happened when they were coming home with their last baby. What a shock! So they decided that they could be miserable anywhere so they lived in their car and traveled around for two years. They then got a pop-up tent trailer which gave everyone a bed to sleep at night (I have no idea how they slept before!). They had also just picked up a dog that they witnessed being dumped out of a car in the Ocala National Forest. The youngest child, who is now four years old, was dirty from head to toe, with long blond hair and the cutest mischievous smile on him! He was definitely a happy wild child! Everyone was barefoot and thus very dirty feet, but they were all happy and the father told us that he doesn't even feel miserable. Their car also sported a smashed windshield (an ongoing theme it seems). It sure makes us feel good about our situation!

Talking about situations, I finally had to see a doctor for my UTI and that cost us $150 CAD! Our medical insurance has a $500 deductible as we mainly took it in case of serious problems. We just can't seem to get ahead financially! We try so hard to stay within budget and to pay down our debts but life keeps hitting us hard. But, like the family living in a pop-up trailer, we don't feel miserable because we're always surrounded by beautiful landscapes and bird songs that only a forest can bring. When you hear a bird song echo amongst the trees it does something to your soul. They say that walking in a forest is very beneficial and I strongly believe it.

One can legally stay up to 14 days at Hog Pen. The advantage is having Ocean Pond close by where you can shower, get potable water and even dump your tanks. We plan to stay two weeks next year. We loved it that much! The only noise apart from the birds? A train that went by a few times a day.

MeMe enjoying some time outside. I actually let her loose for a while and let her explore.

The best BBQ hamburger ever!

Some water lilies.

A full moon lit up our last night there.