Hanging Out In Florida

Friday, December 5, 2014

Our trip to St. Brendan's Isle mail forwarding service was successful. It was a straightforward process to set up our mailbox, and the staff was great at explaining the process and making it easy. We left with our own legal residential address, which was rather amusing considering it is an industrial strip mall, and we are one of 6,000 other residents of that address! We could see the rows and rows of mailbox bins behind the counter.


Our next stop was the Clay County courthouse where we paid $15 each and filed our domicile papers declaring that as of November 24, 2014 we considered Florida our residence. We went out for celebratory beer and BBQ at a Green Cove Springs restaurant. Then we drove to the nearest state park, Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park. Now the waiting began in earnest. Before we can register our RV and get driver's licenses we need to provide proof that we now reside at our new address. So we have to wait for unforwarded mail to show up at our mailbox from banks and other institutions. Greg misplaced his social security card decades ago, so we need to wait for a new copy to arrive as well.


Our plan was to stay a night or two at the state park, and then travel to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park for a long visit while we waited for the appropriate mail to arrive in our box. Then we'd travel back to Green Cove Springs to visit the DMV. A quick on-line look at the reservation system showed us that the state parks were jammed for the Thanksgiving weekend, and the only campsite in the whole state that could take us through the weekend, was literally the campsite right next to the walk-in campsite we were already in!


We booked the site and moved over. Then we spent the next few rainy days working on address changes. So far, so good. We made reservations for Kissimmee Prairie starting the Sunday night after Thanksgiving. We snagged the best site in the campground for five nights, and then since it was reserved after that, we'd move over to another site for three nights. Sunday morning we left Gold Head Branch and made the long drive south to Kissimmee Prairie, with stops along the way to resupply. The park is totally isolated, north of Lake Okeechobee, so we needed to have plenty of food on board.

Gold Head Branch campsite

One of many ponds in the park

Water level seemed low in most of the ponds

Sunset through the Long Leaf Pines of the old turpentine plantation at Gold Head Branch

 Since arriving Sunday afternoon at Kissimmee Prairie we have been watching the weather roll in from the ocean in the east. Lots of rain showers followed by wind and sun. Yesterday morning we were up early to see the rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. It was scrubbed, but took off this morning instead. Unfortunately, the rain and clouds rolled in overnight and we didn't see anything.

The road into Kissimmee Prairie Preserve

Juvenile Ibis coming in to scold us with grumpy croaks

Kissimmee Prairie campsite

Great views across the prairie

Wild turkeys visited every day that noisy children were not here

Fierce wildlife

There are birds around, but the gators have been hiding at Gator Corner. Too much cool wind for them. Greg took a bike ride and had an encounter with a very large water moccasin in his path. Otherwise, he has been working on acquiring us new RV and health insurance. Part of the incentive to move to Florida was the hope for better prices for both of these. With a very slow internet signal here in the “wilderness”, it has taken Greg days to complete the task. We cut our RV insurance in half, but we are just sick at the cost of health insurance. We are caught in that high-priced “No-man's land” between being young and qualifying for Medicare. Even though we are both healthy and opting for a very high deductible, we are being thrown in with the rest of our generation that are hitting their “unhealthy” years. And, suburban Maryland is actually cheaper than Clay County, Florida. Too many elderly people here?

Grumpy Water Moccasin did not want to share ANY of the road!

Gators are waiting for warmer weather

This crow liked to imitate other birds - owls, chickens, even whining like a puppy

Saw palmettos under the Sabal Palms and Live Oaks

The Hammock Trail

Giant spiders that catch wild pigs

Lichen on tree trunk

Sunrise while waiting for the rocket launch

 Well, our options for residence are limited. Texas is the only other state we could use, and I expect there would be little difference for us. We are just too old, but not old enough. Too healthy, and not ill enough to need the medical care we are required to insure for. A Catch- 22 that has nothing to do with Obamacare. So, we swallowed and hit the accept button on the computer. We will now be paying monthly for health insurance what will get us a whole year's worth of RV insurance. It doesn't change our plans to keep fulltiming, but it does require us to develop a new strategy for conserving our funds.


So, now that we have acquired our insurance, we are waiting for confirmation from St. Brendan's Isle that we have the proper documentation to drive back to Clay County, (just outside of Jacksonville), and finish at the DMV. Then we will truly be Florida residents. After that we will be ready for some more Florida wilderness and travel to the Everglades. The 23^rd we head back to Naples for a few days of Christmas with Greg's Dad.


So, life has presented us with a few speed-bumps, but, we love this nomadic lifestyle too much to roll over and give up. There are a lot of options out there for working and volunteering on the road, so we will begin investigating and see what good options turn up!

December 11- A quick update- Without decent internet at Kissimmee this post had to wait until today to post. I have more photos and text to go up about Kissimmee Prairie, plus links to posts from previous visits I will try to get up before we go to the Everglades where we will have no data connection. Today is devoted to going to DMV and completing our duties there, then groceries and laundry!