It’s December. In Maryland. It’s cold. With even colder weather heading our way, we were urgently feeling, “let’s get out of here. Fast!” A feeling compounded by the fact that we were temporarily parked in a church parking lot while we loaded up for life on the road. We were dry camping there for about three days, learning all about running the heat and everything from the battery. Which required getting up every three hours or so to run the SUV. Did I mention it was cold?
My office: Command Central
Lucky for us that on Sunday, December 21st we were ready to go. Because by 8:00 a.m. that church parking lot started filling up fast and boom, we were outta there! With our Google maps, trusty Rand McNally 2014 Road Atlas, 2 cats and our house on wheels (known as the “Box”) we started heading south. I wish I could say that it was a nice scenic trip with photo ops but no, not so much!
On our way to Florida, we made two stops just to overnight. It was still cold 230-ish miles from Maryland at Medoc Mountain State Park in North Carolina. With the days still short, we got there with just enough light left to set up. It was great being “plugged in!” The only other thing I can report on was that the bathrooms are heated, spacious and in great condition. We were out of there first thing in the morning.
It was cold, raining and dark almost 300 miles later when we got to Colleton State Park, South Carolina. The roads and sites were narrow and very wooded and it was our first time setting up in the dark. But that wasn’t the most interesting thing that happened. The office was already closed so we stopped at the front of the park to pick up the self pay envelope. The drop box was in the median strip so you could just pull up to it. Like most of us do, we pull up close enough to reach from the window. And that worked just fine till we pulled away, forgetting that the Box is a good deal wider than the Expedition. Oops!! Aside from being horrified by the sound, we ended up only losing a rear side light and gaining a nice little smear of green paint along the left side of the Box! Sticking with our single-minded goal of warmer weather, we were out of there first thing in the morning.
Peace on Earth
We arrived at Salt Springs, Ocala National Forest 325 miles later, with 5 minutes to spare before the office and gates closed. Before we even stopped rolling, the Ranger came out to check us in. Pulled in and set up, we were breathing sighs of relief and shedding unneeded jackets. It was December 23rd and finally we could get down to some life, camping style. Cooking out on the grill and evenings outside the Box (see what I did there?) with a campfire. Now, I thought, we can start enjoying what this trip is all about: new places, lifestyle, discoveries, nature and photography.
I learned a few things while fleeing the colder climate for warmth:
1. It’s difficult to get reservations at State or National Parks in Florida for the Christmas or New Year’s holidays. We were told that many people come to the same place each year and book well in advance. Reservations can be made 11 months in advance.
2. Pulling the Box, toting cats and frequent fuel stops puts my comfortable mileage at about 200 miles a day. After that it gets exhausting because you still have to get set up once you get there.
3. Drive as if your vehicle is at least a foot wider on either side 😉
4. We are less like Bonnie & Clyde or Thelma & Louise and more like Laurel & Hardy!
See you next time at Ocala National Forest!
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