Florida here we come! Of course, it was another stellar day…sunny and clear blue skies. We are hoping for some warmer temperatures in the sunshine state than we have had in TX and LA. But hey, no whining here…we could be up north in the land of snow and ice.
We had a bit of trouble finding the Palatka Bluegrass Festival. Unfortunately, our GPS took us to a subdivision instead of the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch where it was to be held. After calling Dan, we tried a new address but that was taking us north and we knew that we had to go south. A solution came…let’s drive south until we see the Bluegrass Festival signs! It was after dark when we pulled in, but Dan directed us to our site and luckily for us, it was a pull through. We quickly unhooked and headed over to the pavilion to listen to our first Bluegrass Festival.
Dan, Gail, and their friend John has saved us seats. Performing on stage was Doyle Larson and Quicksilver. We were not prepared for how classy the musicians were dressed. Despite their formal attire, they looked like they were having a great time: laughing and cutting up to the point that they were struggling to get the words out. The lively music and bantering gave us our second wind and we were surprised that the set ended so quickly (45 minute sets). However, the next group, J.D. Crowe and the New South, offered another excellent set. This guy has been playing the banjo for 50 years and it showed. The music made you want to jump up and start dancing, but since that is not the protocol, I would have made a fool of myself. The last set ended at 10:00 and we were just getting warmed up. There will be 6 groups playing two sets each tomorrow, so we were sure that we would get our fill. After a full day, it did not take long for us to close our peepers tonight.
Twenty-nine years ago today, February 20, 1981, our second son Jeremy was born. Not only was he 2 weeks early, he decided that he was ready to make his exit during a class that I was attending in Anchorage. Bob had to charter a plane to come and get us, talking an EMT friend into coming along just in case. It was while we were flying over Turnagin Arm, that we decided on his name. We did not bother to come up with a girl’s name considering the number of boys in our two families. He has brought us so much joy and we are proud of the man that he has grown to be. He and Lalanya are in Mexico celebrating at a lovely resort close to where they got married.
After calling to wish him a Happy Birthday, we were on our way back to the pavilion for more music. We particularly liked the Travelin’ McCourys and the Dry Branch Fire Squad. Ron Thomason was not only a gifted musician, but also a marvelous storyteller and had us in stitches. At the end of their set, he also did a ham boning (slapping the legs, arms, and chest) number that was great. Of all the great acts, we have to say that the highlight was the Gibson Brothers. Not only did they have the #1 Bluegrass Album this year, they are from Ellenburg Depot, NY, close to where we grew up. Several of their songs were about places and people in northern NY. We enjoyed the opportunity to meet Eric and Leigh and had them sign their CD for us.
The last show of the evening was the Steeldrivers. Although, not a traditional bluegrass band, they were outstanding. The lead singer had a fantastic voice, and the female fiddle player was amazing. The music seemed to be a unique combination of bluegrass, country, and soul. We plan on looking them up when we pass through Nashville.
It was a good choice to hit Palatka on our way to Silver River. It was fun to spend some time with Dan and Gail, listen to a music genre that is new to us, and meet their friends. Thanks Dan and Gail for the invite.
On Sunday, we were in no hurry to hit the road too early since we did not have far to go. Silver River Park was only 50 miles away, easily our shortest travel day since we started our journey in September. Dan and Gail are already there and set up when we arrive.
Monday, we took a bike ride exploring the park and then later hiked to the Silver River.
We were anxious to go canoeing, but decided that it was too late in the day. A wise decision since we had a thunder and lightening storm with some major precipitation.
Tuesday, we rented canoes and paddled up river to the Silver Springs, enjoying the sun.
We were treated to nature’s best: turtles and alligators sunning themselves,
a family of monkeys, and a variety of unique birds: a male and female anhinga, a great white egret, a limpkin, ibis, double-crested cormorants, kingfishers, and a yellow-crowned night heron.
On Wednesday, Dan had to work (a very foreign and dirty word to us) via the internet, so Gail joined us for a longer hike on a new trail. Before we could complete the loop, some rangers let us know that the trail was full of ruts and mud so we returned the way that we had come. It was wonderful to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. We also met four of their friends from Colorado who had arrived earlier in the day. Later we all got together to listen to Dan on the guitar, Gail on the banjo, and Moose on bass. Another enjoyable day meeting some fun people who shared some great places to go in the Keys.
We really liked this area of central Florida with its many rivers and lakes. Before we left Ocala on Thursday, we ordered some parts for our 5th wheel and picked up some medication at the pharmacy. Although our next stop was less than 40 miles away, we made it to Alexander Springs at 5:59 pm just before the office closed.
On Saturday, we had made plans to visit Art and Diane Garcia in Orlando. If we had realized that they were over an hour away, we would have camped a little closer but it was a nice drive through the country surrounded by lakes. Although we have seen Art a few times over the years, we had not seen Diane in over 38 years. I met Art when I was 8 years old when he and his family moved to our town from Texas. He and his brother Johnny spent lots of time playing “guns” with me and my brother Jerry. Art and I were in Rifle Club together and would go woodchuck hunting after school together. Johnny, who died a few years ago, was also a dear friend and was in our wedding party. It was fun catching up and meeting their son Chris and Diane’s sister, Sharon and her husband Brian from Montreal. Art made a north country stew that was delicious and was perfect for the chilly day. Hopefully, Art and Diane will make their way to see us in Alaska. Thank you both for your wonderful hospitality and great stories. We are sorry that we did not take any pictures while we were there.
We decided to spend one more day to relax and enjoy the park. We went for an hour hike and could finally feel the warmth of the sun. Our day ended with one last campfire, burning the rest of our wood from NY and TX.
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