Wekiwa Springs
We enjoyed this odd little trip. Chip and I made reservations for a couple of sites at Wekiwa Springs SP, NW of Orlando, FL. We explored the beautiful and popular Springs swimming area. All three of us have electric bikes, so we explored the rest of the park several times by bike. Chip sure does like to ride fast! We even ventured outside of the park to visit the nearby Publix. Then we discovered Wekiva Island. This entertainment hot spot is built on 1000' or so on the side of the river that is formed from the outflow of the Wekiwa Springs. Although it was a cool and dreary day when we visited, we were told that the venue can be quite crowed since it is a popular place for coeds from the nearby colleges and university.
Where to next?
Candace and I had reservations in a few days at Rodman Campground SP to join Bri and Aaron. What made this trip odd is that Chip and I only made a 2 night reservation at Wekiwa Springs. The plan was to move on to Salts Springs Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest and pick up a couple of their first come, first serve sites until it was time to go to Rodman. We called to check and they said nothing was available. So we grabbed a third night at Wekiwa Springs, but naturally we had to move the coaches. The next day we packed up and drove to Salt Springs, but again they said there was no room at the inn. Really? We checked at Rodman Campground (since Candace and I had to be there in 2 days), and we found 2 sites overlooking the cross Florida barge canal! 20 minutes later we arrived, checked in, and set up on our excellent sites. Fully wooded with power and water and a beautiful view of this surprisingly wide canal.
A Jeep adventure
Chip had to go home, and later that day Bri and Aaron arrived. We delivered the tent camping supplies we had brought for them and helped them set up their camp. Aaron has a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, so the next day we took an adventure thru Ocala National Forest on one of the off-road trails in the Jeep. February is not the part of the rainy season, so the trails were dry. You can get those Jeeps deep into the wilderness, but Aaron did a great job of navigating and driving on the narrow trails. Later, we took them down to the Kirkpatrick Dam near the campground to watch the Anhingas fishing.