Snowbirds

Never did I think I would be a snowbird.  However, that decision became easy when the holidays were over, family members left for their respective homes, and the cold set in.  Plus we had this brand new RV in the driveway that we were just itching to take somewhere.  Florida here we come!

We drove from Maryland to just south of the Florida border the first day. We took advantage of WalMart's policy allowing RVs to spend the night in their parking lots. It was noisy but we were comfortable in our home away from home. We were joined by two other RVs and a truck.  Who knew WalMart was so popular at night?

Dick and Cali hiking at Lake Kissammee

The next day, after visiting family in Jacksonville, we headed to our first campsite at Lake Kissimmee State Park in central Florida. The campsites were private and the hiking plentiful. Florida state parks are less expensive than private RV parks, and many have excellent outdoor activities such as fishing, biking, hiking, kayaking, and boating. The parks have a 2-week maximum stay and most book up well in advance. We lucked out due to cancellations. Temperatures, although chilly enough for jackets, were lovely compared to Maryland! Fun fact: Did you know that Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor moss. It actually belongs to the pineapple family!

The Beginning

We purchased our 2016 24-foot Itasca Navion, Model J in early November, just in time for cold weather in our home town of Frederick, Maryland. So we winterized and parked it in the driveway, while outfitting the coach for our first adventure.

Jess, Charlie, and Evelyn join the fun!

In mid-November, we took the Navion on a 3-hour road trip to my dad's house in St. Lawrence, Pennsylvania just to test it out.  Along for the ride was our daughter Jess and our grandchildren, Charlie (almost 3 years old at the time) and Evelyn (3 months). There is a car seat tether and seat belts in the dinette! Since it was winterized, we didn't sleep in it.