17 January 2016
I left Lakeland around 8:30 am. It takes forever to get anywhere in Florida – either due to traffic or the length of the state. It takes less time to drive the length of California than to get to the panhandle.
All during the drive I was contemplating checking in at the park and then driving further west to Falling Waters State Park to see the tallest water fall in Florida. As I drove, it kept getting cloudier, so I decided to check in and pitch camp. I can do the other park later in the week. It was a good call.
Last Friday, I did a dry run on pitching my new tent. It is a Kingdom 8 from REI and will sleep eight people. More importantly, you can stand upright.
My reasoning was if I were to do state parks this year, I would want a little more comfortable camping experience, especially since I wouldn’t be back packing into a campsite. The Kingdom 8, to quote someone, is “YUGE”.
My dry run was in the front yard was on a windy day. It took over 2 hours and I was exhausted to the point that when I finished, I went to bed at 4:30 pm. Not a good omen.
Today, I got the tent up in under an hour and feel confident it will only take he about 30 minutes from now on. This is luxury camping. I have a living room, kitchen and garage as well as a bedroom and bathroom!
I checked in much later with the ranger/host and met a couple of campers. Dinner was prepared inside because of the slight chance of rain turning into a deluge.
I had a pork chop sautéed in butter and rosemary and cabbage sautéed with baby Bella mushrooms and garlic. To toast the occasion, I had a Chloe Chardonnay from Sonoma. Life is tough.
As you can see, I really do have all the comforts of home. I don’t even have to get up and hike to the bathrooms in the middle of the night. The toilet has a chemical compound that solidifies any liquid waste and deodorizes any smell. It comes with its own disposable bag.
Tomoorow, I plan to hike the Torreya Challenge, a 6.5 mile hike in the steepest terrain in Florida. I suspect I will be walking up and down hills the whole way.
Fred, That is one large tent! Looks great. I was wondering how long it takes you to take down and pack up. Looking forward to seeing you.
It packs pretty easily, but does take a little time.