We can't wait to begin to use it.
New Big Horn Fifth Wheel
In our attempt to help the economy, we went to the Tampa RV show this week and purchased a 2009 Heartland Big Horn 3385 RL fifth wheel. We do not have a truck to pull it, but instead will have it delivered to the northern GA or western NC mountains to serve as our northern home in the summer. We have kept our pop-up camper to use for camping here in Florida or in the area around where the fifth wheel will be, such as Smokey Mountain National Park. We have not had an opportunity to take any pictures yet, and the unit will be stored at the dealer until it is shipped, but here is a web site from the manufacturer so you can see pictures of it.
Ft. Desoto County Park, St. Petersburg, FL (Dec. 16 - 22)
Tuesday, December 16 - We got up about 7:00 AM and started getting ready to leave. We said our goodbyes and were ready to leave at 10:07 and 75 degrees and arrived about noon after driving 61 miles and encountering a traffic jam near the skyway due to an accident. We got set up, had some lunch, and launched the kayaks from the shoreline near our campsite for some late afternoon fishing. We saw a lot of action, but did not even get a hit. John will get a fishing report and we will try again tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 17 – We took our coffee walk around the campground, which is nearly empty now, and then returned for a pancake breakfast. After cleaning up, we launched the kayaks for a day of fishing. John caught three trout and a large ladyfish and fought a very large trout that took our all the fly line to the backing before getting off right at the boat. Oh well, he was going to release it anyway. The season for trout is closed until January. Joan is having trouble casting the heavier flies that John had success on today. We are really enjoying being out on the water with temperatures around 80 degrees and bright sun.
Thursday, December 18 – We decided to take a break from the kayaks, so after breakfast we headed over to the beach for some surf fishing. We wound up on the channel that goes by the beach and fished it for some time. We met a couple, Ray and Loretta, from St. Pete who we talked to and fished with. They caught a few whiting, but we came up empty.
Friday, December 19 - After breakfast and our usual coffee walk, we launched the kayaks near our site for some more fishing. John caught three trout in edges of deeper areas. He rigged Joan with a little heavier Clouser fly that had fairly sparse material. After a few casts, Joan landed a very nice (about 18 inch) trout. It was a beautiful day on the water.
Saturday, December 20 – Not a quiet night. We got new neighbors, a couple of high-schoolers, who talked loudly most of the night. We have decided to avoid this park on the weekends and just come Sunday thru Friday. This morning Bruce and Cheryl came out for some kayaking. Bruce and John fished while Joan and Cheryl paddled and talked. John caught a 2 pound ladyfish that gave him a very good fight and a flounder that was a little too small to keep. It was another beautiful day on the water.
Sunday, December 21 – Today was a down day for us and an opportunity to do a little clean up. The night was a little quieter, but we were awakened by a very noisy cleaning crew working on the restrooms about 6:30 AM. We walked over to meet a couple (Bob and Judy) who let us know on http://rv.net/ that they would be here and to come over for a burger. It was a little early for that, but we enjoyed talking to them. Bob has many innovative ideas to solve various camping problems. We watched a football game in the afternoon and then after dinner, took our fly rods over near the office where there is room to fish. After several minutes, John hooked up with another 2 pound ladyfish with a very appreciative audience of young ones. They were very excited to see someone fight a fish on a fly rod. Just after dark we took a walk along the shoreline and the RV section and talked to a couple who were sitting by their fire. He was a minister for many years and now leads missionary trips into Canada to start churches among the Native Americans there. They were very interesting to talk to.
Monday, December 22 – It was a bit cool and windy here today, with a high in the mid 60’s, but we did fish some. We started out by walking up the road to the boat ramp near the bridge that crosses Bunce Pass. We stopped several times to throw in on the left side of the road, and tried around the boat ramps. John caught a very small trout by the ramps. Other than that it was just an opportunity to get some good exercise walking. We came back and ate early as Joan wanted to get the fridge cleaned out. John cleaned the bed end tops to get some unknown substance off them and we got a few things ready to go tomorrow. We then went back to the sea wall in the pet area where Joan caught a flounder, but it was too small to keep.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/FtDesotoCountyParkStPetersburgFLDec1622?feat=directlink
Wednesday, December 17 – We took our coffee walk around the campground, which is nearly empty now, and then returned for a pancake breakfast. After cleaning up, we launched the kayaks for a day of fishing. John caught three trout and a large ladyfish and fought a very large trout that took our all the fly line to the backing before getting off right at the boat. Oh well, he was going to release it anyway. The season for trout is closed until January. Joan is having trouble casting the heavier flies that John had success on today. We are really enjoying being out on the water with temperatures around 80 degrees and bright sun.
Thursday, December 18 – We decided to take a break from the kayaks, so after breakfast we headed over to the beach for some surf fishing. We wound up on the channel that goes by the beach and fished it for some time. We met a couple, Ray and Loretta, from St. Pete who we talked to and fished with. They caught a few whiting, but we came up empty.
Friday, December 19 - After breakfast and our usual coffee walk, we launched the kayaks near our site for some more fishing. John caught three trout in edges of deeper areas. He rigged Joan with a little heavier Clouser fly that had fairly sparse material. After a few casts, Joan landed a very nice (about 18 inch) trout. It was a beautiful day on the water.
Saturday, December 20 – Not a quiet night. We got new neighbors, a couple of high-schoolers, who talked loudly most of the night. We have decided to avoid this park on the weekends and just come Sunday thru Friday. This morning Bruce and Cheryl came out for some kayaking. Bruce and John fished while Joan and Cheryl paddled and talked. John caught a 2 pound ladyfish that gave him a very good fight and a flounder that was a little too small to keep. It was another beautiful day on the water.
Sunday, December 21 – Today was a down day for us and an opportunity to do a little clean up. The night was a little quieter, but we were awakened by a very noisy cleaning crew working on the restrooms about 6:30 AM. We walked over to meet a couple (Bob and Judy) who let us know on http://rv.net/ that they would be here and to come over for a burger. It was a little early for that, but we enjoyed talking to them. Bob has many innovative ideas to solve various camping problems. We watched a football game in the afternoon and then after dinner, took our fly rods over near the office where there is room to fish. After several minutes, John hooked up with another 2 pound ladyfish with a very appreciative audience of young ones. They were very excited to see someone fight a fish on a fly rod. Just after dark we took a walk along the shoreline and the RV section and talked to a couple who were sitting by their fire. He was a minister for many years and now leads missionary trips into Canada to start churches among the Native Americans there. They were very interesting to talk to.
Monday, December 22 – It was a bit cool and windy here today, with a high in the mid 60’s, but we did fish some. We started out by walking up the road to the boat ramp near the bridge that crosses Bunce Pass. We stopped several times to throw in on the left side of the road, and tried around the boat ramps. John caught a very small trout by the ramps. Other than that it was just an opportunity to get some good exercise walking. We came back and ate early as Joan wanted to get the fridge cleaned out. John cleaned the bed end tops to get some unknown substance off them and we got a few things ready to go tomorrow. We then went back to the sea wall in the pet area where Joan caught a flounder, but it was too small to keep.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/FtDesotoCountyParkStPetersburgFLDec1622?feat=directlink
Oscar Scherer State Park Osprey, FL (Dec 2 - 15, 2008)
Tuesday, December 2 - We left home at 8:20 AM with a temperature of 56 degrees and arrived at Oscar Scherer State Park near Osprey, FL (south of Sarasota) at 10:26 AM after driving 108.6 miles and two hours and six minutes. It was a relaxing trip with light traffic and a nice tail wind. After getting set up (orienting the satellite dish was a real challenge) we had some lunch and took the fly rods down to the lake. John caught a small bass and we saw some nice fish, but with very clear water a bright sun, and a cold front last night, the bite was slow. The temps dropped quickly when the sun set. We then had supper and retreated to the inside. John forgot the Verizon air card, so we have to take our laptops to the nature center to update this blog. It may not get done every day, but it will get updated. He also forgot the cable for the camera. He did remember everything for setting up the satellite dish and that is working well. Thankfully, friends are bringing down the forgotten items next week.
Wednesday, December 3 – We woke up to quite cool temps, but thankfully, stayed nice and toasty all night. After a nice coffee walk down along the South Creek Trail to the picnic area, we had oatmeal for breakfast and went over to the nature center to update this blog. We then drove to Walmart to get some necessities, then to Blackburn Point to fish a little. We tried from shore at a park there with no success, so we crossed the swinging bridge over to the other side of the channel and put on waders to try the adjacent areas. We each caught a needle fish, but other fish did not seem to be active. We returned to camp for dinner and John tied some flies we think will be successful tomorrow. At least that is the hope. It warmed up nicely in the afternoon and predictions are for a warm day tomorrow.
Thursday, December 4 – This morning we took our coffee walk to the nature center where the park volunteers were serving a sausage and pancake breakfast. We enjoyed a nice meal as well as talking with other campers there. Afterwards we showered, and then drove down to North Jetty Park in Venice and launched the kayaks for some fishing. Sadly, the fishing was good, but the catching was not. We enjoyed being out anyway. The park is really great with a nice launch and ample parking. Many use the area to just be out near the water. There is also good beach access there. On the way home we stopped at Pops Restaurant on the Inter-Costal-Waterway and enjoyed hamburgers while watching the boats pass by. There was a night heron and many gulls that wanted to be fed. Even though one diner couldn’t resist, we refused to feed them.
Friday, December 5 – This morning we returned to the nature center to check e-mail and update the blog. We met a couple there (Connie and Dennis from Wisconsin) and talked with them until nearly lunch time. We also got signed up to go on a kayak outing tomorrow with a naturalist. In the afternoon, we launched our kayaks by the park office and actually caught fish. John caught a small snook and Joan caught a mangrove snapper and two snook. They were really fun on the fly rod, but even if the snook would have been big enough, they are out of season now.
Saturday, December 06 – We drove to Bayfront Park on Sarasota Bay early and met a group of kayakers to go on an outing with Dr. Jack Taylor, who is a marine biologist and a wealth of information about the ecology of the area. We took several water samples in the bay and Hudson Bayou which showed there is work to do to return the environment to an acceptable state. After the outing we had a snack and took the kayaks back out and fished in the area around the marina. We saw considerable action, with birds hitting the water after bait and fish crashing the surface, but could not get anything to hit. We put the kayaks back on the truck and walked over to O’Leary’s Tiki Hut for lunch. We both had excellent sandwiches and enjoyed sitting outside to eat. On the way back to camp, we stopped and launched again in the park, but the fish were not as active as yesterday at the same time. Joan managed a mangrove snapper, and had a large snook on, but lost it on the retrieve. John caught a small snook and lost another.
Sunday, December 07 – Back in April we enjoyed a contemporary service at Christ United Methodist Church in Venice so we decided to return there this morning. Again, we really enjoyed the service which featured Christmas music done in a lively, worshipful style. Folks were friendly and welcoming. We went back to camp and watched football while fixing an early dinner. After dinner, we took a walk around the now mostly empty campground, and then headed back to the same church for their annual Christmas concert. The music was very enjoyable with large member participation.
Monday, December 08 – This morning we updated the blog at the visitor’s center and met a couple (Jose and Pam), then drove into South Sarasota to take advantage of our extra discount to buy some more fishing shirts at Beall’s Outlet store and then picked up some needed items at Walmart. After lunch we drove back to Blackburn Point and wade fished until dark. John missed a fish and Joan caught another needle fish.
Tuesday, December 09 – Today we drove over to North Jetty Park and met Jose and Pam for a day of kayaking. John fished while Jose observed and Pam took pictures of local flora and fauna. John had one fish on, but lost it. It was beautiful out and we saw many birds including an immature bald eagle. Afterwards we stopped at Buddy’s Pizza for an excellent dinner.
Wednesday, December 10 – We met Cheryl and Bruce at North Jetty Park, but it was too windy there to launch. We drove up Casey Key, million dollar houses on the ocean and checked out Blackburn Point, but it also was too windy. We ended up launching at Oscar Scherer by the office, where there was more protection. John & Bruce fished while the ladies paddled around. Cheryl and Bruce have Hobie Kayaks that are very nice. The kayaks have paddles under them that you peddle with your feet. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the picnic area. Fishing was very slow again today and it wasn’t until the end of the day that John caught a nice sized snook. It gave a good fight and swam all around John’s kayak before submitting to being lipped. This is one of the few saltwater fish that you can actually grab by the lips like a bass.
Thursday, December 11 – A cold front came through early this morning bringing strong winds and heavy rains. We battened down the hatches and drove over to the nature center for the weekly pancake breakfast and waited out the storm. When things quieted down, we went to Beall’s Clearance Store to see if they had any bargains. Joan picked up a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts real cheap. We drove back to North Jetty Park and fished from shore for a while, but nothing was biting. Later in the evening John walked over to the lake in the park and caught a couple of small Largemouth Bass on a popper fly he tied.
Friday, December 12 – Today was very windy and much cooler. It struggled to get into the 60s, but the sun felt great. John tied four flies, two poppers and two Clouser minnows, using synthetic material purchased at the local fly shop yesterday. We took the kayaks out here in the creek and John caught three snook and a mangrove snapper using each kind. We have new neighbors for the weekend and the volume has been turned up some. We will probably find some place to go tomorrow.
Saturday, December 13 - I won't tell you what time we got up this morning but after our coffee walk and breakfast it was getting pretty close to noon!! We checked out a few parks in Venice this afternoon. Started at the boat ramp near the old railroad station along the inland waterway. Not as much action as when we were there in April. Then on to Venice beach and Pier where we cast into the surf for awhile without any hits. Then to Casperson Park which has its own little lake and canoe launch which looks very inviting. Our last stop was Shamrock Park which is also along the inland waterway. We fished from the bank for a bit; thought it would be good for the kayaks till we saw a big boat go thru which would have swamped us!!
Sunday, December 14 – We went back to Christ U.M. Church this morning and enjoyed carols done in a contemporary style. We really like two pastors, but the senior pastor is retiring this year, so we said good bye to him. He gave an excellent message that focused on the shepherds, and why they were picked by God to first receive the Good News. He explained that it was because they “needed it more.” We stopped by Walmart on the way home and after lunch we put the kayaks in at the park and fished for awhile around the Intercostal Waterway. John managed one small snook that hit on a topwater fly that he tied.
Monday, December 15 – After our coffee walk around the lake and breakfast, we drove back to Casperson Park and fished from the bridge, fished the Inter-costal, had a picnic lunch, and then fished the beach. All the fishing produced nothing, but the day was beautiful, despite intermittent showers. In the evening we got a few things ready for our departure to Ft. Desoto tomorrow.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/OscarSchererStateParkOspreyFLDec2152008
Wednesday, December 3 – We woke up to quite cool temps, but thankfully, stayed nice and toasty all night. After a nice coffee walk down along the South Creek Trail to the picnic area, we had oatmeal for breakfast and went over to the nature center to update this blog. We then drove to Walmart to get some necessities, then to Blackburn Point to fish a little. We tried from shore at a park there with no success, so we crossed the swinging bridge over to the other side of the channel and put on waders to try the adjacent areas. We each caught a needle fish, but other fish did not seem to be active. We returned to camp for dinner and John tied some flies we think will be successful tomorrow. At least that is the hope. It warmed up nicely in the afternoon and predictions are for a warm day tomorrow.
Thursday, December 4 – This morning we took our coffee walk to the nature center where the park volunteers were serving a sausage and pancake breakfast. We enjoyed a nice meal as well as talking with other campers there. Afterwards we showered, and then drove down to North Jetty Park in Venice and launched the kayaks for some fishing. Sadly, the fishing was good, but the catching was not. We enjoyed being out anyway. The park is really great with a nice launch and ample parking. Many use the area to just be out near the water. There is also good beach access there. On the way home we stopped at Pops Restaurant on the Inter-Costal-Waterway and enjoyed hamburgers while watching the boats pass by. There was a night heron and many gulls that wanted to be fed. Even though one diner couldn’t resist, we refused to feed them.
Friday, December 5 – This morning we returned to the nature center to check e-mail and update the blog. We met a couple there (Connie and Dennis from Wisconsin) and talked with them until nearly lunch time. We also got signed up to go on a kayak outing tomorrow with a naturalist. In the afternoon, we launched our kayaks by the park office and actually caught fish. John caught a small snook and Joan caught a mangrove snapper and two snook. They were really fun on the fly rod, but even if the snook would have been big enough, they are out of season now.
Saturday, December 06 – We drove to Bayfront Park on Sarasota Bay early and met a group of kayakers to go on an outing with Dr. Jack Taylor, who is a marine biologist and a wealth of information about the ecology of the area. We took several water samples in the bay and Hudson Bayou which showed there is work to do to return the environment to an acceptable state. After the outing we had a snack and took the kayaks back out and fished in the area around the marina. We saw considerable action, with birds hitting the water after bait and fish crashing the surface, but could not get anything to hit. We put the kayaks back on the truck and walked over to O’Leary’s Tiki Hut for lunch. We both had excellent sandwiches and enjoyed sitting outside to eat. On the way back to camp, we stopped and launched again in the park, but the fish were not as active as yesterday at the same time. Joan managed a mangrove snapper, and had a large snook on, but lost it on the retrieve. John caught a small snook and lost another.
Sunday, December 07 – Back in April we enjoyed a contemporary service at Christ United Methodist Church in Venice so we decided to return there this morning. Again, we really enjoyed the service which featured Christmas music done in a lively, worshipful style. Folks were friendly and welcoming. We went back to camp and watched football while fixing an early dinner. After dinner, we took a walk around the now mostly empty campground, and then headed back to the same church for their annual Christmas concert. The music was very enjoyable with large member participation.
Monday, December 08 – This morning we updated the blog at the visitor’s center and met a couple (Jose and Pam), then drove into South Sarasota to take advantage of our extra discount to buy some more fishing shirts at Beall’s Outlet store and then picked up some needed items at Walmart. After lunch we drove back to Blackburn Point and wade fished until dark. John missed a fish and Joan caught another needle fish.
Tuesday, December 09 – Today we drove over to North Jetty Park and met Jose and Pam for a day of kayaking. John fished while Jose observed and Pam took pictures of local flora and fauna. John had one fish on, but lost it. It was beautiful out and we saw many birds including an immature bald eagle. Afterwards we stopped at Buddy’s Pizza for an excellent dinner.
Wednesday, December 10 – We met Cheryl and Bruce at North Jetty Park, but it was too windy there to launch. We drove up Casey Key, million dollar houses on the ocean and checked out Blackburn Point, but it also was too windy. We ended up launching at Oscar Scherer by the office, where there was more protection. John & Bruce fished while the ladies paddled around. Cheryl and Bruce have Hobie Kayaks that are very nice. The kayaks have paddles under them that you peddle with your feet. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the picnic area. Fishing was very slow again today and it wasn’t until the end of the day that John caught a nice sized snook. It gave a good fight and swam all around John’s kayak before submitting to being lipped. This is one of the few saltwater fish that you can actually grab by the lips like a bass.
Thursday, December 11 – A cold front came through early this morning bringing strong winds and heavy rains. We battened down the hatches and drove over to the nature center for the weekly pancake breakfast and waited out the storm. When things quieted down, we went to Beall’s Clearance Store to see if they had any bargains. Joan picked up a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts real cheap. We drove back to North Jetty Park and fished from shore for a while, but nothing was biting. Later in the evening John walked over to the lake in the park and caught a couple of small Largemouth Bass on a popper fly he tied.
Friday, December 12 – Today was very windy and much cooler. It struggled to get into the 60s, but the sun felt great. John tied four flies, two poppers and two Clouser minnows, using synthetic material purchased at the local fly shop yesterday. We took the kayaks out here in the creek and John caught three snook and a mangrove snapper using each kind. We have new neighbors for the weekend and the volume has been turned up some. We will probably find some place to go tomorrow.
Saturday, December 13 - I won't tell you what time we got up this morning but after our coffee walk and breakfast it was getting pretty close to noon!! We checked out a few parks in Venice this afternoon. Started at the boat ramp near the old railroad station along the inland waterway. Not as much action as when we were there in April. Then on to Venice beach and Pier where we cast into the surf for awhile without any hits. Then to Casperson Park which has its own little lake and canoe launch which looks very inviting. Our last stop was Shamrock Park which is also along the inland waterway. We fished from the bank for a bit; thought it would be good for the kayaks till we saw a big boat go thru which would have swamped us!!
Sunday, December 14 – We went back to Christ U.M. Church this morning and enjoyed carols done in a contemporary style. We really like two pastors, but the senior pastor is retiring this year, so we said good bye to him. He gave an excellent message that focused on the shepherds, and why they were picked by God to first receive the Good News. He explained that it was because they “needed it more.” We stopped by Walmart on the way home and after lunch we put the kayaks in at the park and fished for awhile around the Intercostal Waterway. John managed one small snook that hit on a topwater fly that he tied.
Monday, December 15 – After our coffee walk around the lake and breakfast, we drove back to Casperson Park and fished from the bridge, fished the Inter-costal, had a picnic lunch, and then fished the beach. All the fishing produced nothing, but the day was beautiful, despite intermittent showers. In the evening we got a few things ready for our departure to Ft. Desoto tomorrow.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/OscarSchererStateParkOspreyFLDec2152008
East Bank COE Campground - Chattahoochee, FL (October 27 - 31)
Monday, October 27 – We left Cotton Hill at 9:53 AM at 60 degrees and arrived at East Bank at 12:50 at 66 degrees after driving 120.8 miles. We were going to stay until next Monday, but are disappointed in the campground and lake. It is very open, with no vegetation between sites. We are surrounded by big rigs and the fishing is difficult due to heavy weed cover. The lake lacks character with no coves, and is very large. Instead we are planning on leaving on Friday and our next stop will be home. It is going to be cold the next few days.
Tuesday, October 28 – We finally got up enough nerve to get out of bed about 9AM and had pancakes for breakfast. We then drove down to check out the tailwater of the dam and see if fishing there would be a possibility. There were several people fishing there and some fish were caught. You have to get down on the bottom, which requires considerable weight. Not easy with fly rods. We moved further down river and found a park and boat launch. This will be doable in the kayaks when they are not generating and the wind finally dies down. It was quite cool today due to the wind. We fished there from shore for a short time and John caught a sardine sized bass. For supper, we enjoyed pork chops on the grill. (11 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 29 - We had breakfast, took a walk, then headed to Bainbridge to meet friends at Golden Corral for lunch. Pete and Sybil live nearby and Joan worked with Sybil at Walmart for several years. Friends of theirs also joined us and we had a nice time with them over lunch. Afterwards, we stopped at a few places on the way back and fished with zero results. When we got back to camp, we fished again and caught a few bluegills, one being nice sized. John tied a few flies, then took one behind our camper about dusk and caught three more nice bluegills.
Thursday, October 30 – We had breakfast and afterwards John noticed puddles under the truck. He checked it out and discovered that it was oil. Checking further determined that it was leaking around the oil filter and that it was loose. We got a loan of a quart of oil from the host and John was able to tighten the filter with a large pair of channel lock pliers. We drove into Chattahoochee and got a couple quarts of oil and put them in. We checked for further dripping and there was none. We felt it was safe to go check out Three Rivers State Park about 10 miles away. It is much more wooded and the shore line more interesting. We will most likely stop there next year in the spring on the way up. We enjoyed talking to the host (Ron) there and getting first-hand information. This is the final night of our seven month trip. We have totally enjoyed it and Lord willing will repeat beginning in March next year.
Friday, October 31 – We got up early this morning and packed up. We were on the road at 8:52, drove 280 miles, and arrive home at 3:45. The time includes about an hour and a half lunch in Homosassa Springs, where we met our friends Paul and Janet. During the trip, John looked down at the speedometer which was registering 75 mph and cars were passing us like we were going the other way. Well we found out that when we stopped at a stoplight, it was still reading 30 mph, so it looks like we need a new speedometer. It feels strange to be home and even thought the place made it through our absence in good shape, we still have a lot of work to do before we leave on a 3 week trip in December. This will be the last entry on the blog until then. So long and God Bless. It has been good reconnecting with friends here.
View Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/EastBankCOECampgroundChattahoocheeFLOctober2731
Tuesday, October 28 – We finally got up enough nerve to get out of bed about 9AM and had pancakes for breakfast. We then drove down to check out the tailwater of the dam and see if fishing there would be a possibility. There were several people fishing there and some fish were caught. You have to get down on the bottom, which requires considerable weight. Not easy with fly rods. We moved further down river and found a park and boat launch. This will be doable in the kayaks when they are not generating and the wind finally dies down. It was quite cool today due to the wind. We fished there from shore for a short time and John caught a sardine sized bass. For supper, we enjoyed pork chops on the grill. (11 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 29 - We had breakfast, took a walk, then headed to Bainbridge to meet friends at Golden Corral for lunch. Pete and Sybil live nearby and Joan worked with Sybil at Walmart for several years. Friends of theirs also joined us and we had a nice time with them over lunch. Afterwards, we stopped at a few places on the way back and fished with zero results. When we got back to camp, we fished again and caught a few bluegills, one being nice sized. John tied a few flies, then took one behind our camper about dusk and caught three more nice bluegills.
Thursday, October 30 – We had breakfast and afterwards John noticed puddles under the truck. He checked it out and discovered that it was oil. Checking further determined that it was leaking around the oil filter and that it was loose. We got a loan of a quart of oil from the host and John was able to tighten the filter with a large pair of channel lock pliers. We drove into Chattahoochee and got a couple quarts of oil and put them in. We checked for further dripping and there was none. We felt it was safe to go check out Three Rivers State Park about 10 miles away. It is much more wooded and the shore line more interesting. We will most likely stop there next year in the spring on the way up. We enjoyed talking to the host (Ron) there and getting first-hand information. This is the final night of our seven month trip. We have totally enjoyed it and Lord willing will repeat beginning in March next year.
Friday, October 31 – We got up early this morning and packed up. We were on the road at 8:52, drove 280 miles, and arrive home at 3:45. The time includes about an hour and a half lunch in Homosassa Springs, where we met our friends Paul and Janet. During the trip, John looked down at the speedometer which was registering 75 mph and cars were passing us like we were going the other way. Well we found out that when we stopped at a stoplight, it was still reading 30 mph, so it looks like we need a new speedometer. It feels strange to be home and even thought the place made it through our absence in good shape, we still have a lot of work to do before we leave on a 3 week trip in December. This will be the last entry on the blog until then. So long and God Bless. It has been good reconnecting with friends here.
View Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/EastBankCOECampgroundChattahoocheeFLOctober2731
Cotton Hill Corps of Engineers Campground Ft. Gaines, FL (October 20-27, 2008)
Monday, October 20 - We left Whitetail Ridge at 9:53 AM and arrived at Cotton Hill at 12:41 after driving 141.5 miles. We got the same site we had in June and got set up in beautiful, sunny, cool weather. We fly fished for awhile and caught a few bluegills. After dinner we got our showers, then fished for awhile until dark. John had one on that he lost and Joan had one take a good swipe at the mouse patterns that John tied.
Tuesday, October 21 – It was another cool one last night, probably the coolest yet, but we stayed nice and warm, even without the heater. We got up early and Joan took laundry over to the laundry room while John made coffee. After pancake breakfast, we took a nice bike ride around the campground and sat over by the beach for awhile. We enjoyed the warm sunshine there. After our crock-pot, BBQ pork dinner (yum!) we took the kayaks out and fished for awhile before dark. John caught a 2 pound catfish on a fucia-tailed fly he tied. It took a long time to land it on the 4wt fly rod. After our experience with the muddy catfish back in June, we decided to let him go. (4 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 22 – Joan brought the camera and John brought the fly rod on our coffee walk down to the far end of the campground along the water. No catches. After breakfast, we packed up our fly rods and bags in back packs and biked over to the beach area by Pine Island and fished there. Nothing hitting. After dinner, we drove over to Sandy Branch Day Use Area and fished for awhile. Nothing. We came back to our area and fished along the bank and Joan caught two nice bluegills. John got a good hit on a topwater, but didn’t connect.
Thursday, October 23 – We did a lot of walking today around the campground and enjoyed the cool fall air. We talked to a couple of locals and got fishing tips. John needs to tie cricket flies. We fished a little and caught very little. We had a visitor a few feet from our camper. John looked him up and thinks it was a juvenile red-shouldered hawk that was digging in the pine straw litter looking for insects. Joan tried to take his picture, but the beeping of the camera alerted him and he flew off. It began raining about 4PM and is supposed to rain all night and all day tomorrow. (updated)
Friday, October 24 – We got rain all through the night that amounted to about two inches. However, we stayed nice and dry inside. It is supposed to end this afternoon and clear up overnight. (5 pictures added) (update) We drove into Ft. Gaines to gas up and fill up our tummies too. We had hamburgers at the Big Bad Wolf Saloon – hamburgers were great, fries not so good. We stopped at the East Bank Recreation Area and fished for awhile and each caught a nice bluegill. Not much action otherwise. It started to rain again about 5PM, which was not predicted. Hopefully, it will still clear off tomorrow.
Saturday, October 25 – We woke up this morning to sunshine, so we hung up rain jackets and tarps that covered the kayaks and firewood to get them dry. We cleaned the camper then took a coffee walk. We didn’t get very far, because we found people to talk to. She was fishing, but not doing much catching. After dinner, we launched the kayaks for a little fishing ourselves. We used our heavier rods and put on Clouser Minnow flies that John tied. About sundown, John connected with a couple of small bass. One was really small, but the other respectable, but not keeper sized (14”). While we were fishing we saw a shape against the bank that looked like a gator, but the head seemed way too big. John’s curiosity got the better of him, so he got a little closer (about 300 yards) to see, and the head disappeared beneath the water. This is one big gator. Discretion took over and we decided to fish somewhere else.
Sunday, October 26 – We went to church service here at the campground which was conducted by Ft. Gaines Baptist Church again. There were two other couples there as well as the two men from the church. It was a nice service with a good message about patience. We got things ready to leave tomorrow including taking everything out of the truck because we had a slight leak from the sun roof that got things damp. John cleaned the tracks on the roof so it would seal better (we hope.) We fished in the early evening, but not even a hit. We are hoping for better fishing at Lake Seminole.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CottonHillCorpsOfEngineersCampgroundFtGainesFLOctober20272008
Tuesday, October 21 – It was another cool one last night, probably the coolest yet, but we stayed nice and warm, even without the heater. We got up early and Joan took laundry over to the laundry room while John made coffee. After pancake breakfast, we took a nice bike ride around the campground and sat over by the beach for awhile. We enjoyed the warm sunshine there. After our crock-pot, BBQ pork dinner (yum!) we took the kayaks out and fished for awhile before dark. John caught a 2 pound catfish on a fucia-tailed fly he tied. It took a long time to land it on the 4wt fly rod. After our experience with the muddy catfish back in June, we decided to let him go. (4 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 22 – Joan brought the camera and John brought the fly rod on our coffee walk down to the far end of the campground along the water. No catches. After breakfast, we packed up our fly rods and bags in back packs and biked over to the beach area by Pine Island and fished there. Nothing hitting. After dinner, we drove over to Sandy Branch Day Use Area and fished for awhile. Nothing. We came back to our area and fished along the bank and Joan caught two nice bluegills. John got a good hit on a topwater, but didn’t connect.
Thursday, October 23 – We did a lot of walking today around the campground and enjoyed the cool fall air. We talked to a couple of locals and got fishing tips. John needs to tie cricket flies. We fished a little and caught very little. We had a visitor a few feet from our camper. John looked him up and thinks it was a juvenile red-shouldered hawk that was digging in the pine straw litter looking for insects. Joan tried to take his picture, but the beeping of the camera alerted him and he flew off. It began raining about 4PM and is supposed to rain all night and all day tomorrow. (updated)
Friday, October 24 – We got rain all through the night that amounted to about two inches. However, we stayed nice and dry inside. It is supposed to end this afternoon and clear up overnight. (5 pictures added) (update) We drove into Ft. Gaines to gas up and fill up our tummies too. We had hamburgers at the Big Bad Wolf Saloon – hamburgers were great, fries not so good. We stopped at the East Bank Recreation Area and fished for awhile and each caught a nice bluegill. Not much action otherwise. It started to rain again about 5PM, which was not predicted. Hopefully, it will still clear off tomorrow.
Saturday, October 25 – We woke up this morning to sunshine, so we hung up rain jackets and tarps that covered the kayaks and firewood to get them dry. We cleaned the camper then took a coffee walk. We didn’t get very far, because we found people to talk to. She was fishing, but not doing much catching. After dinner, we launched the kayaks for a little fishing ourselves. We used our heavier rods and put on Clouser Minnow flies that John tied. About sundown, John connected with a couple of small bass. One was really small, but the other respectable, but not keeper sized (14”). While we were fishing we saw a shape against the bank that looked like a gator, but the head seemed way too big. John’s curiosity got the better of him, so he got a little closer (about 300 yards) to see, and the head disappeared beneath the water. This is one big gator. Discretion took over and we decided to fish somewhere else.
Sunday, October 26 – We went to church service here at the campground which was conducted by Ft. Gaines Baptist Church again. There were two other couples there as well as the two men from the church. It was a nice service with a good message about patience. We got things ready to leave tomorrow including taking everything out of the truck because we had a slight leak from the sun roof that got things damp. John cleaned the tracks on the roof so it would seal better (we hope.) We fished in the early evening, but not even a hit. We are hoping for better fishing at Lake Seminole.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CottonHillCorpsOfEngineersCampgroundFtGainesFLOctober20272008
Whitetail Ridge COE Campground Lagrange, Ga (October 13 - 20, 2008)
Monday, October 13 - It rained this morning, so we slept in and got started packing up at 8:30 AM. The tarp really saved the camper from a lot of dirt from the trees that the rain loosened up. We were on the road at 11:11 AM and arrived at Whitetail Ridge Campground at 12:30 after driving 60 miles. The reservable sites were mostly taken for the weekend, but we got a nice walk-in site (#54) on the water. It is very large and has nice access for the kayaks. There is a good distance to the neighbor sites and is one that we had marked as a preferred one. We got set up, had dinner, and then fished for awhile from shore. We both caught a few small bluegill, but were unable to connect with any bass.
Tuesday, October 14 – We took our coffee walk around a few of the loops and checked out who was here. After a pancake breakfast, we took the kayaks out and fished for awhile. We each caught several bluegill, but all were too small to keep. We had dinner and went out again, this time using flies more suited for bass, but did not get a hit. The mosquitoes drove us off the lake at dusk. We need a fishing report for this lake to see what we need to do differently. (8 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 15 – We saw several turkeys along the road while taking our coffee walk. Fishing in the morning and evening brought limited results with only bluegill to the boats. Fishing reports online told of very slow bass fishing. The kayaking is awesome, however with gorgeous weather and leaves beginning to turn. We visited with our neighbors, Manning and Faye, for awhile this afternoon. They live about 160 miles from here. (3 pictures added)
Thursday, October 16 – We took our coffee walk around the campground and saw deer that crossed the roads in front of us. We also saw hundreds of spider webs that showed up because of the heavy fog and dew that came during the night. (pictures tomorrow) We had breakfast and then biked over to Holiday Campground, which is also an Army Corps of Engineers Campground, and is just down the road. It is closed now and is about three times as large as this one. It was wonderful to have it all to ourselves to bike through. We made note of campsites that we could stay in next year. We fished after dinner from the boat launch and Joan caught a small, but nice 9” bass on a fly that John tied from chenille yarn. It was a good fish to catch on the new 4wt fly rod. We forgot to mention yesterday that we saw a bald eagle that was flying through the area.
Friday, October 17 – It began raining early in the morning and continued all day. We slept in and took our coffee and umbrellas around the main loop. Our neighbors, Manning and Fay, invited us to join them as they drove into Alabama for a buffet lunch. It was real basic, but good southern cooking. We enjoyed their company and appreciate being asked. John tied some flies when we returned and were glad we had some TV stations that worked.
Saturday, October 18 – The rain stopped during the night and we woke up to sunshine and cooler/drier weather. The lakes around the camper soon dried out. We drove into LaGrange to Walmart to do our last major shopping before being home. When we got back to camp, we cooked up the 5 pounds of chicken legs we bought. After skinning and separating the legs from thighs, John cooked 16 pieces on the grill while Joan did the rest in the crock pot for use in an apple salad. We had a fire in the late afternoon and evening and Manning and Faye joined us for awhile. The temps will drop tonight.
Sunday, October 19 – No frost, but it was cool last night. We stayed warm, however. We got up, got showered, and headed to Cracker Barrel for a nice breakfast before church. We went to First United Methodist of LaGrange where we went in June. Again, they had a good contemporary service and folks were welcoming and friendly. We stopped at a campground and recreation area to check them out for future kayaking, fishing, etc. They are beautiful and will make great alternative places to launch the kayaks and fish. When we got back to camp we got some things ready to leave in the morning. After dinner, we took fly rods loaded with two new fly creations that John tied and we wore the bluegill out. Most were small, but a few were respectable.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WhitetailRidgeCOECampgroundLagrangeGaOctober13202008
Tuesday, October 14 – We took our coffee walk around a few of the loops and checked out who was here. After a pancake breakfast, we took the kayaks out and fished for awhile. We each caught several bluegill, but all were too small to keep. We had dinner and went out again, this time using flies more suited for bass, but did not get a hit. The mosquitoes drove us off the lake at dusk. We need a fishing report for this lake to see what we need to do differently. (8 pictures added)
Wednesday, October 15 – We saw several turkeys along the road while taking our coffee walk. Fishing in the morning and evening brought limited results with only bluegill to the boats. Fishing reports online told of very slow bass fishing. The kayaking is awesome, however with gorgeous weather and leaves beginning to turn. We visited with our neighbors, Manning and Faye, for awhile this afternoon. They live about 160 miles from here. (3 pictures added)
Thursday, October 16 – We took our coffee walk around the campground and saw deer that crossed the roads in front of us. We also saw hundreds of spider webs that showed up because of the heavy fog and dew that came during the night. (pictures tomorrow) We had breakfast and then biked over to Holiday Campground, which is also an Army Corps of Engineers Campground, and is just down the road. It is closed now and is about three times as large as this one. It was wonderful to have it all to ourselves to bike through. We made note of campsites that we could stay in next year. We fished after dinner from the boat launch and Joan caught a small, but nice 9” bass on a fly that John tied from chenille yarn. It was a good fish to catch on the new 4wt fly rod. We forgot to mention yesterday that we saw a bald eagle that was flying through the area.
Friday, October 17 – It began raining early in the morning and continued all day. We slept in and took our coffee and umbrellas around the main loop. Our neighbors, Manning and Fay, invited us to join them as they drove into Alabama for a buffet lunch. It was real basic, but good southern cooking. We enjoyed their company and appreciate being asked. John tied some flies when we returned and were glad we had some TV stations that worked.
Saturday, October 18 – The rain stopped during the night and we woke up to sunshine and cooler/drier weather. The lakes around the camper soon dried out. We drove into LaGrange to Walmart to do our last major shopping before being home. When we got back to camp, we cooked up the 5 pounds of chicken legs we bought. After skinning and separating the legs from thighs, John cooked 16 pieces on the grill while Joan did the rest in the crock pot for use in an apple salad. We had a fire in the late afternoon and evening and Manning and Faye joined us for awhile. The temps will drop tonight.
Sunday, October 19 – No frost, but it was cool last night. We stayed warm, however. We got up, got showered, and headed to Cracker Barrel for a nice breakfast before church. We went to First United Methodist of LaGrange where we went in June. Again, they had a good contemporary service and folks were welcoming and friendly. We stopped at a campground and recreation area to check them out for future kayaking, fishing, etc. They are beautiful and will make great alternative places to launch the kayaks and fish. When we got back to camp we got some things ready to leave in the morning. After dinner, we took fly rods loaded with two new fly creations that John tied and we wore the bluegill out. Most were small, but a few were respectable.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WhitetailRidgeCOECampgroundLagrangeGaOctober13202008
John Tanner State Park - Carrollton, Ga (October 06-13)
Monday, October 06 - We got up at 6:30 and broke camp and were on the road at 8:52. We traveled 179 miles, stopped at Walmart for an hour in Rome, Ga and arrived at John Tanner at 1:55. We got set up on site 28 (which is nice, large, and not to close to neighbors) had dinner, then fished for a little while until dark. Joan caught the only fish, two bluegills on the fly rod. We have cable here, so tv reception is good, but we seem to have no cell phone reception. (Pictures soon)
Tuesday, October 07 - We took our coffee walk to the office and talked to our neighbor (Dave and Debbie), had breakfast, and did wash. We hiked around the lower lake and planned where we would take the kayaks. There is good access from shore on the upper lake, but not much on the lower. We unloaded the kayaks and had every intention on taking them out, but after having supper, we realized that we would only have about 45 minutes to fish before it would be dark. We took plan B and fished from shore on the upper lake, however, other than Joan getting some hits on a topwater grasshopper she was using, we caught nothing. Also, we encountered mosquitoes, which have not been a concern since we left the Everglades last April. Also, we are missing the mountains. (Added 10 Pictures)
Wednesday, October 08 – Rain, rain, rain. It rained all day, which folks around here welcomed. It has been over a month since the last rain here. We took our coffee walk in the morning down to one of the shelters overlooking the lake and enjoyed the rain and view. John tied some flies and Joan was online getting caught up on e-mails and checking for open sites in Florida for February. The rain finally let up in the evening so we fished, starting on the lower lake. Joan caught a nice bluegill on a tan foam hopper than John had tied earlier. John had bass follow a Clouser Minnow that he had tied, but they would not take it. It was nice to be able to get out after the rain.
Thursday, October 09 – It was cloudy in the morning and rained a little. We went down to the lake when it looked like the rain would wait and fished for awhile. Joan caught a small bass and John caught a very nice bluegill. The campground is getting more campers, including a family with a unit like ours. We talked to them for awhile. They are a busy family and struggle to find time to camp. John tied a few more flies and is getting proficient at tying Clousers. They work well in saltwater as well as fresh. We fished again in the evening and Joan did all the catching with three bluegill on an elk hair popper. John had to settle for a few good hits.
Friday, October 10 – We got the kayaks out after breakfast for a few hours, and put them in on the lower lake. We caught (Joan 3, John 2) nice bluegills on John tied flies and really enjoyed our outing. After dinner, we took a coffee walk around the lake and then walked around the campground and checked out all the rigs that have just pulled in. There are still sites available, but because of school days off, the place is hopping.
Saturday, October 11 – We took our coffee walk around the lake, had breakfast, and then headed into Carrollton to their flea market. John got a gooseneck lamp to use while fly tying in the camper and a tote bag to replace one that is wearing out for holding the cords, bungies, and stakes. We then went to Walmart to pick up a few food items. In the evening, after dinner, we had a fire and were joined by our neighbors, Ted and Mary.
Sunday, October 12 – We looked up a restaurant on the internet to go to for breakfast, but it turned out to be fast food. Actually, not too bad, but not what we were after. We got to First United Methodist early and sat in on a Sunday School Class. The group was very welcoming and friendly. One of the leaders talked about a recent trip to Africa, where we took well drilling equipment and drilled wells for a boy’s home in Kenya. We were quite impressed with the efforts going on there to help out folks who have so little. The contemporary service was excellent as was the message. We got some things ready to go in the morning and watched the Bears lose a heartbreaker to Atlanta. John had to remember where he was and not get too loud when the Bears nearly won it. We sat by a fire in the evening and enjoyed our last evening here. It has been quite windy and spitted a few drops of rain.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/JohnTannerStateParkCarrolltonGaOctober0613
Tuesday, October 07 - We took our coffee walk to the office and talked to our neighbor (Dave and Debbie), had breakfast, and did wash. We hiked around the lower lake and planned where we would take the kayaks. There is good access from shore on the upper lake, but not much on the lower. We unloaded the kayaks and had every intention on taking them out, but after having supper, we realized that we would only have about 45 minutes to fish before it would be dark. We took plan B and fished from shore on the upper lake, however, other than Joan getting some hits on a topwater grasshopper she was using, we caught nothing. Also, we encountered mosquitoes, which have not been a concern since we left the Everglades last April. Also, we are missing the mountains. (Added 10 Pictures)
Wednesday, October 08 – Rain, rain, rain. It rained all day, which folks around here welcomed. It has been over a month since the last rain here. We took our coffee walk in the morning down to one of the shelters overlooking the lake and enjoyed the rain and view. John tied some flies and Joan was online getting caught up on e-mails and checking for open sites in Florida for February. The rain finally let up in the evening so we fished, starting on the lower lake. Joan caught a nice bluegill on a tan foam hopper than John had tied earlier. John had bass follow a Clouser Minnow that he had tied, but they would not take it. It was nice to be able to get out after the rain.
Thursday, October 09 – It was cloudy in the morning and rained a little. We went down to the lake when it looked like the rain would wait and fished for awhile. Joan caught a small bass and John caught a very nice bluegill. The campground is getting more campers, including a family with a unit like ours. We talked to them for awhile. They are a busy family and struggle to find time to camp. John tied a few more flies and is getting proficient at tying Clousers. They work well in saltwater as well as fresh. We fished again in the evening and Joan did all the catching with three bluegill on an elk hair popper. John had to settle for a few good hits.
Friday, October 10 – We got the kayaks out after breakfast for a few hours, and put them in on the lower lake. We caught (Joan 3, John 2) nice bluegills on John tied flies and really enjoyed our outing. After dinner, we took a coffee walk around the lake and then walked around the campground and checked out all the rigs that have just pulled in. There are still sites available, but because of school days off, the place is hopping.
Saturday, October 11 – We took our coffee walk around the lake, had breakfast, and then headed into Carrollton to their flea market. John got a gooseneck lamp to use while fly tying in the camper and a tote bag to replace one that is wearing out for holding the cords, bungies, and stakes. We then went to Walmart to pick up a few food items. In the evening, after dinner, we had a fire and were joined by our neighbors, Ted and Mary.
Sunday, October 12 – We looked up a restaurant on the internet to go to for breakfast, but it turned out to be fast food. Actually, not too bad, but not what we were after. We got to First United Methodist early and sat in on a Sunday School Class. The group was very welcoming and friendly. One of the leaders talked about a recent trip to Africa, where we took well drilling equipment and drilled wells for a boy’s home in Kenya. We were quite impressed with the efforts going on there to help out folks who have so little. The contemporary service was excellent as was the message. We got some things ready to go in the morning and watched the Bears lose a heartbreaker to Atlanta. John had to remember where he was and not get too loud when the Bears nearly won it. We sat by a fire in the evening and enjoyed our last evening here. It has been quite windy and spitted a few drops of rain.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/JohnTannerStateParkCarrolltonGaOctober0613
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