We enjoyed our time in the Ocala National Forest, but wanted to be able to get down to the Gulf coast before we left Florida. Finally the weather warmed up enough to make us want to spend time out on the boards, so we headed down.
We had hoped to do the whole paddle board/ key camping thing out of Fort DeSoto, but everyone else seemed to have the same idea and the permits were all snatched up by the time I went looking for one. Instead, we headed to the south side of Tampa Bay to E.G. Simmons County Park. It was on the water and was first-come, first- serve, so perfect for us! We got an early start out from The Villages on a Thursday morning and when we pulled in, we learned that there were only 4 sites available. After scoping them out, we took site number 61, quite a nice big site on a curve, so we kind of had a corner to ourselves. And it backed onto a mangrove-bordered canal. Absolutely lovely!
We paddled around the park, checking out the access to the bay and the water that meandered around fingers of land and small islands. Mullets and rays swam below us while all sorts of water birds watched us from within the mangroves. After just a little time, we decided that we needed to spend some time exploring from this lovely home base.
<iframe src='https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/2b45cda19123487dc78b619564e7c694/?embed=True' style='border:none; overflow-y: hidden; background-color:white; min-width: 320px; max-width:420px; width:100%; height: 420px;' scrolling='no' seamless='seamless'></iframe>It was in the 80’s for the first several days and we took advantage of on-site power for the first time, firing up the air-conditioning for the first time. The fan was quite loud, but we were happy to be able to drop the temperature in the trailer down from 85 degrees.
Mike had spent some time down on Lido Key in one of his previous lives so we headed down to revisit some of his experiences. First a stop in Sarasota at C’est La Vie for some decadent apricot and almond/ chocolate croissants. We delayed our gratification and carried them with us on the short trip to Lido Key and Ted Sperling Nature Park for another trip into Mike’s past. After scarfing the amazing croissants, we took off on a paddle through mangrove tunnels. We wedged our paddle boards in between about 5 outfitters sending out and receiving kayakers and paddle boarders. It was a little busy, but once we got out on the water, it was easy enough to get away from the groups. I had forgotten my phone, so this time the navigation was all in Mike’s hands and I got to just sit back and enjoy the paddle. We found our way into the maze of mangroves and enjoyed making our way through the shady tunnels and then out into the sun. It was quite lovely and pretty perfect on a hot and sunny day.
We then made our way to Lido Beach for an afternoon of sun and sand… and only a little bit of sunburn. Our hungry bellies had us pulling over in Palmetto to stop at a food truck for some quite delicious BBQ.
The next day had us venturing south again, this time to visit The Red Barn, a flea market that Mike had been to before. We really only headed there to pick up some produce at the outdoor farmer’s market that was attached, but of course we made our way into the regular market a bit too.
Flea markets are not something that I am familiar with at all, except for during my visits to Florida. Previous visits to The Villages had occasioned trips to The Market at Marion, a flea market that is not nearly as fancy as the name may lead you to believe. You could get a puppy (back in the day) or possibly tetanus (while digging in the giant piles of rusty things) in the outer ring or work your way inward to grab Trump paraphernelia, a saber, or perhaps something “as seen on tv.”
Mike had said that The Red Barn was a little nicer and I would have to agree. We were happy to be able to find him a pair of sunglass readers for $1 as well as lots of veg to make a Thai curry. Mmmm, little eggplants. We picked up an over-priced dragon fruit as well, as neither of us had ever tried one. Both of us were underwhelmed.
A recommendation from a local had us making our way to Ana Maria Island the next day. Well, the local had recommended getting fish and chips there while not ever actually mentioning the name of an establishment. My subsequent investigation into the island made me decide we should spend some time there.
Ana Maria was at the north end of the string of barrier islands that ended at Lido Key to the south. We slowly made our way to the northernmost tip. Ana Maria is a tiny island and there is one bridge over to it (with a drawbridge that opens at the 15s and 45s), so the going was slow, but it was worth it. It had the feel of Key West, but on a smaller, less crowded scale. We found parking and only had to walk 2 short blocks to get to the beach, staying on the northeast end of the beach. We parked ourselves on a shallowish beach with tall trees behind it, so we wound up with sun and shade and a gorgeous view of the area where the Gulf meets Tampa Bay.
This trip out from The Villages was our first extended leave from Mike’s parents. Mike had enough cell signal to work and his parents were doing fine, so we decided to extend our stay beyond the (up to this point) usual 4 nights away. Beyond a decent cell signal, we also had our first hook-ups, which we wound up taking advantage of. 80+ degree days and the hot Florida sun meant that the trailer heated up quite a bit during the day, which was fine if we could be outside all of the time, but not so fun if cooking or working inside. We tried out the air-conditioning for the first time (loud, but lovely in the heat) and hooked up to water (no more loud pump, but had to watch the water usage as it came quicker and we didn’t want to fill our tanks too quickly).
The rest of out time at E.G. Simmons was pretty calm – enjoying the sun when the temperature dropped a bit, watching the mourning doves peck around the site as well as the occasional raccoon.
We took advantage of the long stay with no real plans to do some upkeep on Scarlet too. I had siliconed most of Scarlet’s seams right before we left Madison, but they did not age well. I learned that silicone was not a good choice and spent parts of a few days removing old silicone and applying new ProFlex. Mike fought with Scarlet’s belly again, repairing an area where the underbelly had pulled away from the frame. While it was still cause for some swearing, this time was easier as he knew what needed to be done after our fix in North Dakota. and it only took three trips to Home Depot!