The "real" Florida

A while back, Fred happened to read an article in the Washington Post about the "real" Florida (sometimes also called "old" Florida). It really caught his attention. As we prepared for our winter's journey, we had apprehensions about spending the time in Florida. The last time we had been here, our first winter as fulltime RVers, we hadn't been that keen on it. I mean, it was ok, we had some good times, but in the years since, we learned that we preferred the desert of the southwest as a winter destination.

We were pretty much locked in to spending the winter here, as our 2010 summer destination is the Canadian Maritimes. So to position ourselves for that journey, the plan was to spend the winter in Florida, then travel slowly up the east coast during the spring, to arrive in the Maritimes for the summer. Makes sense. So we "resigned" ourselves to the winter in Florida. (Ok, I can hear all our Wisconsin friends now as they dig out from the latest snowstorm. Boo hoo, a winter in Florida. Pardon me if I don't find that hard to take.)

Anyway, Fred was on the alert for anything that would make our trip interesting. And I was looking forward to all the new birds we could add to our Life list. The last time we had been in Florida, birding wasn't even on our radar, so this would be a great opportunity. As is typical with many areas, there would be birds here that we would not see anywhere else. So we settled into our new adventure with open minds.

But I digress. Back to that Post article, Taking it slow in Cedar Key, Fla. Words like "funky" "tiny island community" "quaint fishing village" "thriving arts scene" all beckoned me to make sure we included this place in our itinerary. Of course the descriptions of awesome food items didn't hurt either. I'll let you click on the link and read them for yourself. But I'll tell you one that wasn't included there was the world champion clam chowder at Tony's Seafood.

Their incredible recipe took first place at the Great Chowder Cook Off in Newport, Rhode Island this past summer. And I can see why. They proudly display their trophy in a glass case. I'm not a huge fan of clam chowder, but if it all tasted like Tony's, I'd guzzle it by the gallon. It was to die for and we will be back there again before we leave. Might even take some home to put in the freezer for later as they sell it by quarts and gallons for just that purpose, including mail order. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. It's a tiny restaurant and the wait can sometimes be long, but we went after normal lunch hours and were able to get a table right away.

Geez, I'm digressing again. Nothing like food to get me off track :) I'm trying to write this blog not only to tell you how much we are enjoying Florida so far, but specifically to tell you about our experiences in little Cedar Key. We've been meandering along the Gulf coast since Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, through the tip of Alabama at Gulf Shores, and around the Florida panhandle, stopping at Panama City Beach and St. George Island (where we spent Christmas). All except Panama City Beach were spent in state parks or national forest campgrounds which we are coming to love and cherish. We did spend one overnight in a little town called Panacea before coming to Cedar Key. We had to leave St. George Island the day after Christmas because the whole park was booked up from that day through the following week and we couldn't get into our site in Cedar Key until Sunday.

I chose the campground in Panacea for its proximity to Ochlockonee Springs State Park because I had read that the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker could be found there. Having only one partial day, we quickly set up, then headed off to the park. I was so lucky to see that bird as I waited to pay the fee at the entrance station. Unfortunately, Fred was not so lucky, as he was waiting in the truck and did not see it. Although we got detailed locations from the worker there, and walked several trails, we never saw it again. But my sighting qualifies to check it off our Life list. Yay, another one!

So we've arrived in Cedar Key and are staying at Sunset Isle RV & Motel. Took some digging to find this one as it is not listed in Trailer Life. But I am so glad we did. Pulling in, Fred grumbled "shabby" and "run-down". I think I even heard him mumble "dump." I, on the other hand, had words like "charming" and "funky" in mind. Guess that's the difference between the "glass half empty" (Fred) and "glass half full" (me) way of looking at things.

Florida is the land of pastel homes and buildings, something I remember from our last visit to Florida. You don't really see anything like it anywhere else. And one thing I noticed here in our campground is how creatively that technique is used. Buildings which would otherwise look run-down or in need of repair, look quaint and playful. Even concrete slabs or sidewalks that are cracked or unlevel take on a fanciful air when covered with patterns and colors. There's a method to their madness.

The campground is on the edge of town and there's only one road in which takes you right down to the harbor at the end of the island, just a little over a mile. That's it. Once you get down there it's incredibly small, mostly very small hotels, bed and breakfasts, shops and restaurants and a park. Yes, it's touristy, but in a good way. I call it the poor man's Key West, smaller and less expensive. Laid back, comfortable, friendly. With a population of 977, according to 2008 figures.

If you're coming here, I recommend provisioning before you leave the highway in the nearest city, Chiefland, as it is a 45 minute drive through miles of nothingness down the road to Cedar Key. There is one very small grocery store, no drug stores. So bring it all with you. Of course, it can also be a good excuse to sample some of the utterly delightful and delicious restaurants which of course we did :)

It's our sixth day here now, and I must say the longer we're here, the more we like it. It's a small park. The map shows 55 sites but it seems much smaller than that. Maybe that's because the sites can be a little close together and aren't exactly laid out in a perfect grid. It looks a lot more organized on paper than in reality. It had been relatively quiet the first few days, maybe about half full, but by Wednesday it had gotten quite lively. I figured there must have been a lot of people coming in for the New Year's holiday as there were rigs coming in left and right all day. Just when I would think the park must be full, I'd see another rig pull into the driveway, and subsequently squeeze into yet another slot.

At one point, enjoying a neat sunset off one of the piers in our campground, along with many of our neighbors, we watched another Carriage Cameo come in and back into a site between two rigs and a couple big trees that was nothing short of awesome. If we had been assigned that same site, I would have had to change my underwear after accomplishing that feat. And as full as the park is, you can imagine there were no shortage of helpers getting him backed in, offering advice, and just plain gawking. All you RVers out there, you know what I mean.

We both said today we wish we could stay longer, but we need to be in Tampa on Sunday. In fact, Cedar Key has made it onto my "I could live here" list. We may just have to come back here again. Fred summed it up pretty well in a review he wrote for TripAdvisor. You can read it here (Fred's Review). Fred even said to me it reminds him of Homer, one of our favorite places in Alaska.

So what I think we've discovered is that we like the Gulf coast of Florida a lot. Much better than the Atlantic Ocean side. We have literally eaten our way all along the coast. The seafood has been fantastic. Fred's been enjoying the many varieties of oysters indigenous to each particular location, such as Bon Secour and Apalachicola Bay. And it seems I can’t get enough of the incredibly delicious shrimp. I will forever remember the steamed Royal Reds from the Tin Top Restaurant in Bon Secour, AL. Served with melted butter instead of the usual cocktail sauce, they tasted just like lobster. They were huge, although coming to the table with their heads still attached might have contributed to that appearance :)

Add in grouper, flounder and Tony’s fantastic clam chowder, and we have been in heaven. Every once in a while we have to have a hamburger or something just to mix it up, but really, we have not gotten tired of the fresh seafood. And I think we have a lot more to look forward to.

I had naturally figured our Florida journey would take us down the Gulf side and up the Atlantic side. But I had a eureka moment today when I realized, there was no reason we had to do it that way. And I could see us sliding all the way to the bottom on the Gulf side, and then coming back up the same way, at some point crossing over as necessary to visit friends or family there, or to finally move up the east coast when it‘s time.

As usual, plans made in jello, changeable, adaptable. A great way to start off 2010. Going with the flow and following our hearts. Happy New Year to all our friends and family. Hope it's good for you too.

Jan 1, 2010

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