Orange City–DeLand Florida

Oh, you all don’t know how pretty this looks to us.  After coming off the road in mid-October of last year, in mid-April of this year we are back on the road for what we hope to be 8 1/2 months.  Here we sit at the Luna Sands Resort (ha-ha) in Orange City Florida, about 5 miles from where Marcia’s brother Dean and sister-in-law Caryl live in their brand new home in the Cresswind at Victoria Gardens 55+ community.  But first, the “Resort”…(ha-ha)

  

So guys, what do you think about this RV Resort we are in?  Not too enthused either, are you.  Or is it that you are dreading the long trip out west via just about every state one can think of between here and there???

 

The Luna Sands Resort is a “old” KOA…the building behind these two RVs is a classic KOA “A-Frame” building that one could see in the 60’s-80’s.  For 28+ years this park was owned by the Clark Family, and for many of those years it was called the Clark Family Campground…until August of last year when Travel Resorts of America purchased the park and is slowly converting it into a Resort.  During January through March, one cannot get into  the park because the snow birds flock to it…it is a nice, cozy, quaint RV park.  So far the only changes that I know of are the future plans of turning it into a Resort.  Price for our Electric-Water site is $37 after 10% off for Good Sam (even though they are not a Good Sam park).  Clark Family Campground rates were $35-40, so the rates are pretty much the same right now.  But in the future, 3-5 years down the road, the lady at check-in said that it will be harder and harder to get a site because “members” of the Travel Resorts of America, kind of like a timeshare, will have priority.  Well, I am sure for December through April that will be a fact…but who flocks to Florida during the summer unless they want to wear “Mouse Ears”???  (not far from Disneyland)

   

   

Above is our view from where we are parked.  It is quiet, very few RVs near us, and you can see the gravel roads, and gravel-sand sites.  I am sure the grass is much better, but Florida is on fire right now…I mean, in a drought.  Of course, the first Tropical storm will take care of that later this summer.  The picture in the bottom right is the “goat enclosure”.  The one above it is the “Snow Bird Storage” area.  I think there is a lot of potential for this park…but it is going to cost some dollars, that’s for sure.  Since they have owned it since August, and a member of the Clark Family is working for the new owners, and yet the Clark Family Campground website is still up and running…call the phone number and you get a disconnected message.  There is NO MENTION of the campground being sold, how to contact the new “resort”, nothing.  When I mentioned that to the lady at check-in, she said, “Ya, they are working on that…”  Let’s see…August through April is eight months…I think someone needs to work on that a little faster. Now you can see why I say "Ha Ha"

    

As far as I can tell there are two goats.  Yesterday when I took Bubba and Skruffy for a walk, the gate was open and the goats were wandering around the RV Storage area…but when they saw Bubba and Skruffy, they wandered back inside the pen.  Bubba saw them and in good ole Bubba fashion, he just stares at them.  Skruffy…well, her diabetic eyes just don’t see as well as they use to.  I have noticed that she  can not see out in the distance very well at all.  Finally, she did see “something” out there, but she did not bark.  Gone are the days of her just barking at anything she sees out there.  However, at a rest area she did see some movement of a guy in a pumpkin orange shirt (Tennessee license plate) walking about 100 yards away, in the sunlight…so she can see some stuff.  I just think back to those days in Pine Bluff when she would run after every squirrel in the park, or the horse-drawn carriage carrying a wedding party…it is just not good getting old.  She is nine, and although her diabetes is seemingly under control, her youthful days are definitely behind her.  😭

We are headed back to Dean and Caryl's here in an hour...will take the camera and get some pictures for our next posting.

Road Trip! St. Augustine…

Sunday morning we are headed out on a road trip!  YEAH!!!!!

Some how or another we landed a 2 day reservation at Anastasia State Park for Sunday and Monday night.  It will be a brief visit to St Augustine, but if we wanted a longer visit, we would need to make the reservation like a year in advance.  At least we can get a feel for it, and some day we will hope to return for a longer stay.

Then we head up north to visit a friend of Marcia’s that just recently moved to Amelia Island close to where her daughter lives.  Last year we met Gerry and her daughter Ruth at a Cracker Barrel along I-75, half-way between them and us.  This year we have a reservation at a RV park 30 miles from where they live, which is the closest we could get on short notice. 

Finally, we will be near Marcia’s brother Dean and wife Caryl’s new house in DeLand.  Surprisingly, this reservation was the hardest to nail down.  There is a campground just 2 miles from their house…which doesn’t have any opening until April.  Others in the area were also full…so I feel lucky that we were able to get in at Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort.  And, of course, it is the most expensive.   We just found out today that Caryl is having surgery Thursday, and by the time we get there she should be home.  Prayers for this common surgery are, of course, in order.

Not only do we intend to visit Dean and Caryl, but Marcia has another friend who lives up north who is visiting the Orlando area whom she has not seen since late 1970’s.  About a month ago she was talking about Gladys, so I did my sleuthing and found a phone number for her, and urged Marcia to call.  Amazingly, Gladys was home, and during the conversation she said that she had been thinking of Marcia and Gus (Marcia's first husband who died over ten years ago) just that morning!  Amazing how those things work out that way.

So 600 miles in six days…that’s a nice little Road Trip!

Our prayers are with you Caryl and with Dean…We love you both.