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By Jonathan, March 3, 2010 5:04 am

Dasy and I both managed to carve out some time yesterday, so we took the opportunity to visit Paynes Prairie.  We’d been trying to get out here for some time, so we just decided to go, even though the weather wasn’t great.  It was windy, overcast and threatening to rain the entire time, but it held out long enough for us to do some exploring.

Paynes Prairie is a natural oddity.  It’s part of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, which includes a lot of area beyond the prairie itself.  The “prairie” is not the kind you think of when you think about Little House on the Prairie.  It’s basically a floating mass of plants that pretty much just sits there while the water slowly flows under it.  It’s a pretty strange, but interesting place.  Of course, due to it’s very nature, you can’t exactly go walking around in the prairie.  The Preserve has several good trails that will keep you dry and allow you to do some exploring.  We took Bolen Bluff Trail, as it’s one I pass almost every day I go to work and I know that it actually goes out into the prairie.

Bolen Bluff is listed as being a 2.5 mile loop.  We took some detours, so probably ended up doing about 5 miles, but didn’t actually complete the loop.  Expect about 3 miles total if you just want to go to the viewing platform and back to the parking area.

The trail starts at in “woods”, which are pretty much the standard Florida old woods, but a bit more “open”.  Florida woods and forests generally get overgrown with brush.  This one doesn’t.  You can see a fair distance and it’s quite open.  A dirt trail is your guide most of the time.  From the parking area, take the left fork if you want to head to the prairie. 

While in the woods, keep your eyes open for deer and horses.  There are a few herds of wild horses on the prairie and they will sometimes come into the woods.  We didn’t actually see the horses on this trip, but there was “evidence” of their passing.

While on the prairie itself, we were pleasantly surprised to see an armadillo.  We were even more surprised to see that he wasn’t the “flat” variety most often seen while driving.   He was foraging for something and really couldn’t have cared one bit that were a couple feet from him taking pictures.

Also be on the look out for hawks, bald eagles and sandhill cranes.  We saw a couple hawks and the cranes, and I’ve seen bald eagles here before.

While the prairie is interesting because it’s so different, take the time to explore the scrub and forest areas too.  We didn’t make it to the grass bluff on the other half of the loop, but the woods we did manage to check out were a bit different than the overgrown scrub areas I’ve been accustomed to.

It was a couple hours out of the way for us, but we’re glad we made the effort.  It’s an area worth checking out if you’re anywhere near Gainesville.

Click on any of the pictures to see larger versions.

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By Jonathan, February 27, 2010 8:30 pm

Editors note: We were approached by Tripbase and asked to do a guest post on behalf of their site, Tripbase.com.  After checking the site, it seems like something our readers might find interesting, so we agreed.  So, without further ado, here is our first “guest” post!

Chris Zwierzynski, from Tripbase.com shares some expert advice on roadtripping.

The very first road trip dates all the way back to the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and so occurred because he took it upon himself to ride his chariot over the course of a single night, on the way back from Memphis. Imagine how far that must have been when you’re not in a car or plane, but just being pulled along by some horses? That was one determined road tripper.

Perhaps even ever since that time, road trips have long become a nigh-on integral part of the human experience, with many a person taking time out to carefully plan, strategize and execute fantastic road trips of their own. Sometimes, people even embark on road trips with little to no planning whatsoever, leading to a spontaneous burst of road trip-related freedom, but a nevertheless thoroughly enjoyable and life-enhancing experience. Carl Jung, that most famous of thinkers, even stated that the humble road trip was a “persistent element of human culture”; a sentiment that I – for one – tend to agree with, especially after seeing the prevalence of road trips in modern society these days. That and they’re awesome fun, of course.

Whatever you might think about road trips in general, it is an inarguable fact that not only do they have an important role as an integral part of the human existence, but they are also rapidly becoming an incredibly popular pastime for many, many people the world over. Road trips – long seen as the journey part of a vacation – are becoming much more than they used to be and instead of being but a fraction of the entire vacation, they ARE the vacation, with friends and/or family journeying on the open roads in their vehicle of choice, experiencing nothing but the good times and what whatever the road may have in store for them.

Also, in the blogosphere, you even have the increasing prevalence of road tripping blogs (much like this one, in fact!), which is just one indication of how increasingly popular the activity of going on road trips is becoming. Here you have a number of bloggers not telling you about their vacations in exotic locales, but rather the details and planning that go into their road trips and then when that part is over, you’re informed of the journey and just the journey, because we all know that the journey IS the road trip.

If you happen to be inclined to embark upon a road trip of you own, then you shouldn’t look for an excuse or a reason to go on a road trip, you should just GO. Carpe diem – seize the day – and make the most of what life has to offer by going on a road trip with some good friends. You’ll be the envy of everyone you’ve temporarily left behind, because you’ll be out on the open road, living life in precisely the way it was meant to be: exactly the way you want, uninterrupted.

For more travel tips and vacation inspiration, check out the Tripbase Travel Blog / Tripbase site.

About Tripbase:

Tripbase eliminates the time-consuming and frustrating online search process by providing travelers with personalized travel recommendations for their next trip.

Tripbase was named Top Travel Website for Destination Ideas by Travel and Leisure magazine in November 2008.
www.tripbase.com

Photo copyright 2007, Jonathan Kalmes, some rights reserved.

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By Jonathan, February 19, 2010 9:24 pm

…To my not-so-little friend!

Manatees at Salt Springs

We spent a good part of the week at Salt Springs Recreation Area campground in Salt Springs, Fl.  Today was our “check-out” day, but I managed to get some early morning time in the kayak and the manatees happened to be back. 

More later, but I just wanted to shoot out a quick update and let everyone know we’re still here.  Sorry for the time taken, but we had no signal out there and we really didn’t have anything important enough to make us hunt down some civilization.

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By Jonathan, February 12, 2010 11:48 am

It’s been an interesting time around here, hence the lack of updates.  Let me give you the rundown…

I drove the Jeep and the Sylvansport Go up to Virginia to pick up my KLR (motorcycle), which was being stored in a friend’s basement (thanks, Rob!).  While there, they got their first decent batch of snow.

After spending a couple days with friends and getting the KLR loaded up, I headed back home and made it with no troubles.  I then rode the KLR to work for a few days, but switched to the Jeep on a day when I had to take a bunch of equipment into the office.  On the way home, I noticed a rather odd noise from the transmission whenever I was slowing down in gear (like every time I have to come up to a stop light).  I checked it again later that evening when I got home and it was noticeably worse.  Not good.

Luckily, my step-father has a nice Chevy Avalanche 2500 that’s big enough to pull the Jeep.  I used it to flat-tow the Jeep up to Lake-Sumter Tranmissions, a company that he has used numerous times over the years.  The rapidly started to rip the guts out of my Jeep and strip down the tranny, so I left it with them to deal with.  Diagnosis: Unsure… it definitely something in the transmission, but they have no idea what until they disassemble it. :S

So that left us with a KLR as transport and no real estimate on the damage to the Jeep or the time it would take to fix it.  We decided that it might not be a bad idea to look for alternative solutions.  We managed to find a 4-door automatic 2009 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon on Craigslist for a reasonable price… in Atlanta.

The only way we could think of to quickly and easily get it was for me to ride the KLR up, get the new Jeep, then arrange to fly or take the bus back to Atlanta and ride the KLR back later.  The ride up was miserable.  It was right at 32 degrees almost the entire time.  I had ot get real creative with heating solutions…  garbage bags in the boots, Glad-wrap on the gloves, etc.  It wasn’t fun.

I arrived at about 7 pm, after riding through snow flurries in Atlanta. :S  The dealership closed at 8, so we got right down to business.  The Jeep was in decent shape and the price was reasonable, so we did the deal.  During the paperwork, they asked if I had a trade and I jokingly offered up the KLR.  They looked it over and had no problem taking it on trade.  We were planning on getting  a much smaller bike anyway and that saved me from having to go back to Atlanta to pick it up, so it all worked out pretty good.

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I grabbed a hotel in Atlanta for the night and drove the new Jeep back the next day.  It’s a little "shorter" than I like my Jeep to be, but we’re working on that.   We actually have some work to do on it before it’s ready for full-timing behind the RV.  It’s going to need a new bumper that’s capable of being used to attach to the motorhome, plus some electrical bits for the tow lights and a few other small things.  I’m working on that, but am having a hard time finding a bumper that will do the job.  On this new body style, a lot of the aftermarket bumpers are weird shapes and the frame attachment points are exactly where I need to mount the tow bars to the bumper.  That makes it pretty difficult to find one that will work.  I’m hoping to go look at a few in a shop in Orlando this weekend on the way back from picking up something we snagged off Craigslist.

Of course, the old Jeep is still around for now.  The shop called me last night to tell me it was ready and I’ll probably go pick it up tonight.  The work wasn’t cheap, but it’s WAY less than I expected it.  Most shops charge twice what I’m paying just to pull a transmission, let alone rebuild it.  I can’t recommend Lake-Sumter Transmissions highly enough!  They were extremely helpful, they let me come get a few things out of the Jeep that I forgot, they didn’t mind any of my aftermarket skid plates and they showed me all the transmission bits that were all over the workbench.  From everything I’ve seen and the way I’ve been treated, they do excellent work.  I’ll post a followup once I get the old Jeep and see how it runs, but I don’t expect any problems at all.

So, we now have two Jeeps, an RV and no motorcycles.  Oh, I also brought the bicycles back from Virginia, so we’ll have something to toodle around on at campgrounds and parks.

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By Dasy, February 8, 2010 11:07 am

Last November I witnessed a day launch of space shuttle Atlantis.

This morning we saw the last night launch of NASA’s space shuttle history. We saw space shuttle Endeavor take off at 4:14 AM this morning.

It was quite a spectacular site from our backyard in Ocklawaha (it is about 2 1/2 hour drive from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral). The shuttle was a bright orange streak against the black starry night. What a sight!

After the shuttle disappeared, we just stared at the black starry night. That too was an awe inspiring sight.

There are four more scheduled launched left for NASA space shuttle missions.

• Launch Target (Atlantis): May 14, 2010, at 2:28 p.m. EDT
• Launch Target (Discovery): March 18, 2010,at 1:34 p.m. EDT
• Launch Target (Endeavor): July 29, 2010, at 7:51 a.m. EDT
• Launch Target (Discovery): Sept. 16, 2010, at 11:57 a.m. ED

Picture below is courtesy of NASA/Jim Grossmann.

It really is cool to witness the shuttle launch from the backyard. 

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By Jonathan, February 4, 2010 7:31 am

No pretty pictures this time, just a quick note to let you know we’re still here. Here’s the short version:

I’ve been working.
After getting back from Virginia with the KLR, the Jeep’s transmission started eating itself, so it’s in the shop.
I got the KLR registered yesterday, so at least I can still get to work.

Sorry about the lack of updates, I’ll carve out some time here soon enough.

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By Dasy, January 28, 2010 11:49 am

Now that we are settled in the Star. Here’s what it looks like…for now. 

We have converted the dining area into our computer/desk area. We converted the extended leaf off the kitchen counter into our eating area with the addition of two bar stools.

We have four plants in 6-inch green plastic pots (two anthuriums, one spider plant and one golden pothos). Spider plants and golden pothos are excellent air purifiers. Anthuriums are in the same family as peace lilies which are also excellent air purifiers. I rearrange the plants now and then.

There are four cushions and one “pillow” cushion between the couch and lounger.

The “laundry room” (behind the louvered doors to the left of the bathroom sink) has two small laundry baskets, one for dark load and one for white load.

There are pictures of family, friends and places/events on the wall.

So, what makes a house/trailer/RV a home? It depends on the individual. Below are some qualifiers:

• Pictures 
• Plants
• Napping spot
• Play area
• Work/study area
• Decor/styling preference
• Good lighting
• Art work
• Garden
• Smells (or lack there of!)

This is our home sweet home. Enjoy your visit.

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By Jonathan, January 27, 2010 9:55 am

Sorry for the lack of recent updates, but I’ve been working and Dasy’s been helping get us set up an official business. We’ll get some more posts up shortly.

Note to any who read this before I edited it: I’m not a moron, I just forgot about the “auto-correction” of several words that the Droid hasn’t learned from me yet.

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By Dasy, January 21, 2010 4:27 pm

Since we have moved out to Central Florida we have had sporadic cell coverage with AT&T.

This week we switched over to Verizon and got the new Droid phones. And we have signal! We even have signal in the Ocala National Forest. It came in handy this morning!

It’s so good to be connected again!

Hubby got the Droid by Motorola and I got the Droid Eris by HTC.

We are enjoying our new gadgets and the coverage.

Those of you that have our numbers, feel free to call us.

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By Jonathan, January 17, 2010 8:29 am

We went to Salt Springs Recreation Area on Thursday.  We’d heard from friends who are staying there that manatees are coming up into the springs, probably due to the recent cold weather (most Florida springs are 72 degrees, regardless of how cold it is everywhere else).  Our friends were also nice enough to lend us their kayaks.  It was even better that one of their neighbors lent his kayak so one of them could join us! 

It didn’t take long for us to spot a manatee.  It took a bit longer to get decent video of one, but that’s mostly my fault… I hadn’t used the camera underwater before.  I also had to hold the camera with one hand and paddle the kayak with the other.  That’s a lot easier to explain than it is to do it.

But, we did get a few minutes of decent footage of the manatees!  We also had a great time just paddling around with new friends.  We also went to the big Florida RV show in Tampa with them, but we’ll post separately about that later.

I’m not sure if the video shows up in RSS clients… if you don’t see it, you’ll have to go to our web site to check it out.  If you want to see the HD version (highly recommended) go check it out directly on YouTube and hit the HD button on the bottom of the player.  BTW… if anyone knows how to get the HD button to show up in my embedded version, leave me a note.