Even though we are currently unable to camp in the Alto, that does not mean we cannot spend quality time hanging out in the driveway...and what better way to spend this time than doing a mod?
2020 Florida: beach time before we hunker down
Heading for St. Augustine, we were still wondering whether it was the right thing to do, or should we just be making a bee line home. Once we saw how spacious and quiet the campground was, and the few people on the beach, we decided to relax and enjoy the last bit of camping we may have for a long time.
2020 Florida: still enjoying the beach
Heading out from Santa Rosa, we decided to follow Hwy 98 the entire way to St. Pete’s Beach. We like to stick to the secondaries, as it is generally a relaxing, and far more informative drive than on an interstate.
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| Manatee Springs |
2020 Florida: a great start
Lake effect snow was forecasted for Syracuse, and to avoid that, we planned to delay our departure by a day. Saturday morning though brought a bright sunny day, albeit a tad frosty at -13C, so we decided to hitch up and head out. Watertown was our destination, a small head start, as it seemed silly to waste such a nice day. The drive was great, but there were certainly signs that they had gotten a bunch of snow the day before.
The drive down I81 was perfect...at least until Chattanooga. We knew from the forecast and the NWS radar that we were in for some nasty weather, and late that evening a devastating tornado ripped through Nashville.
Very sombre news to wake up to. The weather system moving east was massive, and the colourful radar image meant lots of rain and winds were coming. Although the plan had us camping in Alabama, we decided on one more night in a motel, and made our way slowly to Troy.
We travelled through patches of rain, and then just as we pulled into Troy, the skies opened up and a deluge followed that lasted a few hours. It was one of those times we were glad not to be setting up and camping.
The next morning it had cleared somewhat, and we headed to Santa Rosa Beach, for our reservation at Topsail Hill SP. Topsail is a large park, which before taken over by the state, was a well outfitted RV resort. All the sites have full services, and utilize a staggered layout, which makes for some nice privacy. There is a large network of trails, and a beautiful stretch of endless beach a nice walk away, or even nicer tram ride away.
My brother Bill and his wife Ann have been enjoying the Florida weather, and were in a condo just a short drive down the 30A from us. After we set up we scooted over for a visit, then went to the Grayton Brew Pub for a bite to eat. Grayton is a local craft brewery that makes a nice range of easy drinking beers...well I certainly found them easy drinking!
Lots to see and do in this area, with plenty of beaches, shops and restaurants to explore. This part of the coast is also home to several military air bases, and if plane spotting is your thing, there is no shortage of activity in the skies.
The next day Bill & Ann took us on a little road trip along the 30A to the Navarre Beach Pier. This pier extends 1500 feet from shore, and is the largest pier on the Gulf. Lots of fishing activity and people just walking to the end. All that walking made us hungry and thirsty, and a fabulous Andouille & chicken gumbo, washed down with a tasty Grayton 30A, fixed us up straight away.
The beach at the park was wonderful, with sand as soft as talcum powder.
More beach walks, nice meals, and tons of laughs rounded out our time at Santa Rosa.
The drive down I81 was perfect...at least until Chattanooga. We knew from the forecast and the NWS radar that we were in for some nasty weather, and late that evening a devastating tornado ripped through Nashville.
Very sombre news to wake up to. The weather system moving east was massive, and the colourful radar image meant lots of rain and winds were coming. Although the plan had us camping in Alabama, we decided on one more night in a motel, and made our way slowly to Troy.
We travelled through patches of rain, and then just as we pulled into Troy, the skies opened up and a deluge followed that lasted a few hours. It was one of those times we were glad not to be setting up and camping.
The next morning it had cleared somewhat, and we headed to Santa Rosa Beach, for our reservation at Topsail Hill SP. Topsail is a large park, which before taken over by the state, was a well outfitted RV resort. All the sites have full services, and utilize a staggered layout, which makes for some nice privacy. There is a large network of trails, and a beautiful stretch of endless beach a nice walk away, or even nicer tram ride away.
My brother Bill and his wife Ann have been enjoying the Florida weather, and were in a condo just a short drive down the 30A from us. After we set up we scooted over for a visit, then went to the Grayton Brew Pub for a bite to eat. Grayton is a local craft brewery that makes a nice range of easy drinking beers...well I certainly found them easy drinking!
Lots to see and do in this area, with plenty of beaches, shops and restaurants to explore. This part of the coast is also home to several military air bases, and if plane spotting is your thing, there is no shortage of activity in the skies.
The next day Bill & Ann took us on a little road trip along the 30A to the Navarre Beach Pier. This pier extends 1500 feet from shore, and is the largest pier on the Gulf. Lots of fishing activity and people just walking to the end. All that walking made us hungry and thirsty, and a fabulous Andouille & chicken gumbo, washed down with a tasty Grayton 30A, fixed us up straight away.
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| Waiting for handouts from the fisherman |
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| Serious reel loaded with some serious line |
The beach at the park was wonderful, with sand as soft as talcum powder.
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| More serious reels, and this was just one of many |
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| Beach scrub |
A homage to Ansel
“A photograph is made, not taken”.
The essential Adams message. It sums up how he viewed his craft. The pursuit of expressive excellence, the mastery of technique and process, and his persistent efforts to solidify photography as a legitimate fine art.
The essential Adams message. It sums up how he viewed his craft. The pursuit of expressive excellence, the mastery of technique and process, and his persistent efforts to solidify photography as a legitimate fine art.
2019: closing out the season
What better way to wind down the camping season than an AltoGather? Close to forty Altos and their owners descended upon Arrowhead Provincial Park, just a tad north of Huntsville, for a few days of chatting, laughter, and the sharing of ideas.
12 volt doodads
A couple of 12 volt mods are the latest bit of tinkering I have been up to. Inspired by a mod completed a while back by fellow owner Vince, I decided it was time to make a couple of updates.
The 12 volt outlet used to power the television is in a bit of an awkward location. It is tucked low behind the screw jack housing, and has always been a pain to fiddle with. I removed the existing outlet, and fashioned a new bracket. The outlet is pretty cheap, so I bought a Blue Sea version, and it is a much better unit. One cannot go wrong when sourcing a Blue Sea product, as they are well made, and come at a reasonable price point.
The 12 volt outlet used to power the television is in a bit of an awkward location. It is tucked low behind the screw jack housing, and has always been a pain to fiddle with. I removed the existing outlet, and fashioned a new bracket. The outlet is pretty cheap, so I bought a Blue Sea version, and it is a much better unit. One cannot go wrong when sourcing a Blue Sea product, as they are well made, and come at a reasonable price point.
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| how handy is that??? |
2019: a couple of little jaunts
Camping continues to be a tad sporadic this summer. We headed out to Perth in August, to check out a municipal park called Last Duel. It got this name as it was the location of an actual duel between two fellows who were vying for the affections of a local woman. Unfortunately for one of them, his days of flirting with the ladies were soon over.
Service side sun shade
Tucson really kicked this mod into gear. Our site at Gilbert Ray had the service side of the camper facing directly west, fully exposed to the pounding sun. We quickly realized it would be wise to put up the second awning, however, we simply had no room to extend the awning out and run the guy-lines. Needing to do something, I jerry rigged our 6x6 ground mat, angled down to provide some needed shade.
2019: Sandbanks...hanging out in The County
Our yearly trip to The County has become part of our DNA. It is a destination we just have to get into the camping schedule, and without a visit, I’m sure we’d feel as if the summer was not complete.
