Peace River Preserve - Second Time Around

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As we approach our half year mark as full-timers, we see how much we have learned and how much we have grown as human beings. Being in the presence of people all the time, either surrounding us as neighbors (and here at Peace River campground, the neighbors are close) or meeting them on walks, at the office or at the pool, you have to acknowledge them. No matter what you do you will meet people. Being courteous and friendly does put a smile on your face which in turn makes you happier. Strange but true. Where we lived before, I often wouldn't see anyone else but Glen for days and Glen is not always the perkiest or happiest. So I would end up not smiling for days which in turn made me sad or just in a bad mood. I do find myself smiling a lot and even Glen is showing his beautiful smile often.

This time at Peace River it was very busy and we didn't get a site with sewer hookup. The sites without hookup are located in the flood plains as when it rains a lot those areas tend to flood and get very wet. Our particular site is just on the line of what is considered flood prone. We could put our name on a list and participate in a lottery of some kind to get a full hookup site. But after setting up we decided that we liked where we were and didn't feel like going through a move. So we stayed and luckily it hasn't rained. It is presently quite dry in Florida as it has hardly rained at all in the 2 months we've been here. We did get a good rain one day but the ground just soaked it up. We are entitled to one holding tank pump out per stay but we got another one by promising to keep our fridge and our hot water heater on propane. We will also be able to dump on our way out. So it's really not a bother to be without a sewer line at this time.

Our site is across the road from a trail entrance which is very nice. So far, we haven't seen anything of interest on those trails although we hear some birds but never see them. The best place to see wildlife is along the river. The alligator that was almost always out on the bank the last time we were here has not surfaced at all this time. There has been a lot of activity in the river with people looking for fossils and shark teeth or with kayakers and canoeists so our shy alligator has been hiding. I haven't seen any Kingfishers either as I hoped to get a picture. It might have been a one-time opportunity and I missed it. We have been seeing a lot of Ibises.

Looking for fossils and shark teeth.

He was doing his best to help.

Fishing on the Peace River

Flying away as canoeists are coming.

A young Ibis.

We took advantage of the pool on hot days. So refreshing! On one of those occasions, there was a small group of men playing very good music on the porch of the community center nearby. Free entertainment! They apparently play almost every night at the meeting hall where jamming sessions take place.

On the trail, there is this big tree that has a large opening at its base. It would make a cute hideout for a child or a great dog house. Cheeka was not impressed.

As I write this, I hear a crackling fire nearby. That is one thing that I love about camping: campfires! I love the smell and the sounds. Unfortunately, we seem to often end up with a site that doesn't have a fire ring. I hope (and am asking) for a campfire on my birthday. We will be back at Hickory Hammock which was the first free place we stayed at. We are really looking forward to revisiting that park as it had a lot of nice trails and this time maybe we will see an armadillo.

Take care and follow your dreams. We only get one shot at this life so go ahead and make memories!

Back to Dupuis but with solar power!

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After our 2 weeks at Peace River we once again had to be out of the Thousand Trails system for 7 days so we decided to go back to Dupuis Equestrian Center Campground as it is close to the beach and we wanted to go back. We got a great spot where we could just drive right in without any backing up. Got to love those sites! We are getting so good at setting up! Goes like a charm!

If you remember Dupuis doesn't have electricity but does have potable water and a dump station. We vowed we would not have to dump for the whole week as dumping the tanks means hooking up and moving the trailer which entails securing or putting away anything that can fall or break. It's not such an ordeal but we're getting lazy.

At first we didn't see anyone we knew. It didn't matter as everyone is really nice here. We explored the area a little more and found that the road that leads to the small lake is full of wildlife. We saw alligators, baby alligators, herons, egrets, hawks, falcons, a large lizard, snakes and more.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Fire Lizard

Fairly large alligator by the edge of a pond.

Cute baby alligator - Look how fat he is!

Ibises and egrets together.

Glen showing me something interesting.

Female Anhinga

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Southern Black Racer

This was the approach of a male wanting to copulate with the female.

And this is it! It was very quick.

Was it good for you?

Sandhill Cranes - they look like ostriches from a distance.

Little Blue Heron

Common Gallinule

Green Heron

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Glen saw some raccoons on one of his bike rides and I saw a bald eagle when Glen was "busy" inside the trailer. But I think the greatest find was that a Great Horned Owl was sitting on a nest in a large pine just on the other side of the road from our site. We could hear a couple hooting at dusk and dawn every day. Then one day I just happened to look up and I saw an adult (most probably the male) in the adjacent tree. I snapped some pictures even though it was quite dark but they turned out pretty good despite the bad light. I also took pictures of the female in the nest but could only see the top of her head and her "ears" which are not ears as such but feathers. When they turn their face away from you they look like cats. It was fun to keep checking on the nest and even though I looked often, I never saw the male again.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl female in nest

We decided to take Cheeka to Juno Beach which I had read was a dog beach. It turns out that quite a long strip of beach between Jupiter Beach and Juno Beach has no restrictions for dogs. It was so great! It's truly like we see in movies with owners arriving at the beach and just letting their dog off leash for him/her to go play with the others. Some dogs were really having fun jumping right into the waves and then running around the beach in crazy circles. Others were little princesses walking along their owner and not even looking at the other dogs. Cheeka was a bit shy at first but gradually attempted to run with other dogs. It was really cute to see her run suddenly towards playing dogs, then stop and watch for a while only to turn and come back to us where she would sit like a little soldier ready to defend her masters. One time she really got interested in the crazy dogs running in circles but watched from between the chairs of a couple just sitting on the beach. I told them that she probably felt safer watching the action from that location to which the lady responded: "Well she's sitting beside the biggest man on the beach!" I then realized that her husband was quite chunky. At least he could have taken on any of those dogs if needed!

Cheeka: Look Mom, good-looking guys.

Happy girl.

The beach is endless.

Trying to make a friend.

Friends and dogs meet.

Those two were running like the wind.

Finally Cheeka makes a friend!

A few days later one of the men we had met on our first visit to Dupuis parked his van across from our trailer. Marc was really happy to see us and I was glad to get to talk with him since he is also a French Canadian. Then another man, Jean-Paul, who is 79 years old and travels alone in an old motorhome, also made his appearance. It's fun to meet people you know. We also got to see Becky whom we had first met at Hickory Hammock. She also travels alone in a small pickup truck - no tent, no trailer. She lives in her car with her dog. She's a real sweetheart but very private so we rarely get to talk to her. On the night before last, it was getting quite cold so I invited her to join us in the trailer during the evening. She didn't come.

This time we had a solar panel to provide us with power. We had bought it from Amazon and had it delivered to the Peace River campground just before we left there. We were really anxious to get it up and running but soon realized that even though it was being sold as a complete kit, it was missing some parts to get it hooked up. So the next morning we went to Stuart to get the parts we needed. It was fairly easy to make all the connections and we had it set up in no time. What a difference from the last time we were there! Our battery remained charged the whole time. We were even able to use some lights and to fire the furnace in the morning if it was too chilly (the last two days were quite cold). We also did really well with our tanks not having to dump until we were leaving. We are getting really good at this!

Our 100 W solar panel

The controller showing the energy flowing from the panel to the battery. Yeah!

There were quite a few horses when we first arrived and it's always a pleasure to watch the riders ride out of the campground to the many trails that this park offers. The equestrian camping offers stabling and large paddocks completely free of charge. Some just come for the day and ride the trails but others camp for several days. I still can't believe that these facilities exist and are totally free to use. Why don't we have anything like this in Canada?

Tacking up!

One of the smaller barns - open air style.

The big barn

Did they forget me here in the paddock?
The paddocks are large and beautiful and all have shade.

Leaving for a ride.

The paddocks and the large barn in the distance.

Now we are going back to Peace River for two weeks of full hook-ups and civilization (TV and good internet). What will the river have to offer us this time? Some images of what we see on our hikes.

This tree was HUGE! The picture really doesn't do it justice.

A lot of trees have vines growing on their exterior creating these intricate patterns.