Florida

New Digs in Florida

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In our last post, we mentioned that we had received a call that had us make a quick exit from Georgia. Wow…we hope we didn’t build that news up too much! The call was from the park we stayed at the last two winters, telling us that a site we were in hopes of getting had opened up. Several of our readers who visited know how cramped we were on our former site. We barely were able to get both of our vehicles in, and sitting on our patio meant we were in a tunnel between our truck and our fifth wheel. The truck is seven feet longer than the Escape, so we weren’t able to switch them.  Needless to say, we didn’t meet a lot of folks out walking, as they didn’t see us sitting there!

This is our old site.  As you can see, it was a tad cramped. Soon after this photo was taken, the site between the truck and the next trailer over was occupied. From our dinette we could see what they were having for breakfast!

The only reservations the park takes is for returning customers, for the site they were previously on. The only way to get a bigger site is to request one, in hopes that someone leaves…which rarely happens. Well, we lucked out. One of the best sites in the park opened up, and the park called us and asked if we wanted it. We immediately said YES! By all rights at that point it was ours, and we could have taken our time to get there…but we wanted to get the rig on the site as soon as possible. Having a prime site sitting empty made us a tad nervous….so we hit the road for Melbourne Beach!

The new site is on a corner and is about 30 yards closer to the beach than the old one.  There is a spot behind the RV for the truck, and a separate spot next to the rig for the Escape.  The landscaping was put in place by the previous tenants…not by the park…so it is our responsibility to maintain it.  It definitely needed a bit of sprucing up, since the weeds had been growing all summer.

We have always liked the looks of it, so we started in on pulling weeds and trimming.  The soil is very easy to work, as we are basically living on a sandbar.  Nothing like the Michigan clay we used to struggle with.  We also raked out the soil in front of the trailer and planted grass seed, as the previous tenants took their patio blocks they had purchased and placed there.  Our truck tires ended up sinking in, so we wanted to firm that dirt up, as we pull our trailer off the lot at the end of each season.  Lots of our neighbors keep their RVs here all year, but our rig is our home…so it goes with us.

We added some red mulch to keep the weeds down and add some color….

…and put in a row of solar path lights.  🙂

So that is our big news.  We fall asleep at night to the sound of the ocean waves and we usually have a decent breeze to keep us cool.  We are also meeting a lot more people, which makes it fun!  As long as we keep renewing here each year, the site is ours.

While Melbourne Beach is a great place to winter, the other seasons can be a bit brutal.  Last year, Hurricane Matthew passed 15 miles to the east and tore off a few carports on some of the mobile homes in the park.  There was surprisingly little damage, seeing how close the eye was.

This year was far worse.  While the eye of Hurricane Irma passed more than 50 miles to the west of Melbourne Beach…the storm was so huge, it really affected the area.  This area was on the right side of the eye, which is often referred to as the ‘dirty’ side.  There were several tornadoes that formed, along with a bunch of rain.  Just in our park,  a couple of RV’s and mobile homes were destroyed, and several awnings were torn off.  And throughout the Space Coast area, there was far more roof and sign damage this year.

We also have a visitor from Key West.  This sailboat was ripped from its mooring in the Keys, brought around the east side of the state by the wind and currents, and deposited on the beach in front of the condos just north of our park.  Unfortunately, the owner is currently in prison for some really nasty stuff, so there is a bit of red tape involved in getting it moved.  It definitely makes an interesting conversation piece!

If you are in the area this winter, drop us a line and maybe we can get together.  And as always, stay tuned to see what interesting things we come up with this winter.  We are sure we will find plenty of new adventures!

 

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36 thoughts on “New Digs in Florida”

  3. Congratulations on the lovely site. Looks like you really scored. There’s something enjoyable and grounding about finding a great place to call ‘home’ for several months. Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  4. So glad we chose Melbourne Beach too! Stop by our rig anytime on the way to and from the water, and we will wave as we do our walks and ride our bike rides past yours!

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  8. Looks like a sweet spot that looks even better now that you’ve spruced it up. Glad to see the area recovering from the hurricanes and tornadoes. Will be interesting to see how much longer the boat stays there.

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    1. No, they moved into a mobile home and sold their trailer, Jim. There was one travel trailer by the ocean that was supposedly flattened. Definitely not a place we want to keep our fifth wheel over the summer!

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  14. Jim & Diana
    So very happy for you both on getting a bigger/better campsite in your park.
    It looks very nice with a lot more room.
    Congrats and good luck with it.
    Enjoy a great winter.
    Take care and be well my friend.
    Fred

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  18. Pingback: Visiting Florida to Bring in the New Year – On The Road with Maxine & Me

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