Good way to look at it. You are just escaping the heat. ha ha
We had a sunny day here so will be cold tonight.
We had a sunny day here so will be cold tonight.
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The "Dew Drop Inn" Chronicles
- Thread starter michaelo
- Start date
Mick'nSarah
Junior Ranger
We are still stuck in the fog, but the weather has been great in the 40s. Got out for a 6.8 mile walk today. The mist was getting a little thick by the time I got home, and it took a little bit to warm up, but it was great. Visited one of the State Parks that is in Portland and hiked a few of the trails I haven't been on before. I love seeing the trees through the fog and drippy lichens and ferns. It was a good day.
michaelo
Novice
Hi Jenn
Yes saw the dome/space ship house, houses on stilts and boardwalks over the dunes. We have mostly had yellow flags, so nice conditions for beach combing, just got back from a long walk. I am getting the hang of backing in, haven't seen a pull through site in a while. Thanks for posting the pictures, that is exactly St. Joe's, you captured it perfectly. We are still figuring out the posting of pictures part of the forum.
We're off to St Andrews State Park on the morrow,
Michael
Yes saw the dome/space ship house, houses on stilts and boardwalks over the dunes. We have mostly had yellow flags, so nice conditions for beach combing, just got back from a long walk. I am getting the hang of backing in, haven't seen a pull through site in a while. Thanks for posting the pictures, that is exactly St. Joe's, you captured it perfectly. We are still figuring out the posting of pictures part of the forum.
We're off to St Andrews State Park on the morrow,
Michael
1Door
Novice
Looking online at the St. Andrews reservation page it looks like you have the whole place to yourselves this week. When we were there in May 2013, there wasn't a site available, resembled a refugee camp, 1/2 mile of beach for 120+ campsites that had an average of 6 campers per site, no bicycle lanes, AND the general public had access to the "park" too!!! I'm sure you all are having a much nicer time!
michaelo
Novice
Yes Susan, that is the beauty of off season camping in a nutshell, practically a whole park to yourself. We had site #34 on the water, we watched deer, ospreys, pelicans, great blue herons, right from our site, I think there was more wildlife than people. We should have stayed another day, but we hit the road thinking we would drive through the tremendous rain storm that is sweeping through the area, well yeah we drove through it all right, all day long. We got to Fountainbleau SP in LA and it's still pouring down rain. We managed to back into our site and jump in Dewey, ahh nice n dry in here, By the by, plenty of sites here too. 4 states in a days drive, now it's time to explore the Big Easy for a stretch.
Michael
Michael
It sounds like a great time to be camping. Other than the rain that is. I hope it dries out by breakfast time. Not much fun cooking in the rain but you can always find a cafe. Keep us posted.
Heheh, yep, "Off Season Camping for Normal people" is mine and I suspect others "On Season Camping"....
It's the best if you "Prepare" for it... and the biggest reason I have for enjoying "Off Season..." is NO, repeat NOOOOOooooo "BKT"s...
The Best mann, The BEST... heheh
(Bugs, Kids, and Traffic" for the newer people)...
It's the best if you "Prepare" for it... and the biggest reason I have for enjoying "Off Season..." is NO, repeat NOOOOOooooo "BKT"s...
The Best mann, The BEST... heheh
(Bugs, Kids, and Traffic" for the newer people)...
michaelo
Novice
Yep, off season is the best, however no BKTs doesn't hold true down here in the south, there has been plenty of bugs, especially no see ums, nasty, my legs are covered in bright red splotches from there feeding habits. We have been using the Notthern Breeze but have set it back from the trailer so we can zip up the screens tight to keep the bugs at bay. When we're cooking we spray ourselves down with deep woods Cutter or Off which only lasts about 1/2 an hour, enough to prepare a meal, then into the NB. Have to duck in and out of the trailer quick to avoid letting the bugs in. Southern campers beware bugs are here.
We stayed only the one night at Fountainbleau SP, reminded me of a bus depot what with the big RVs coming and going. Our site (assigned) was a slab of ashfault with a electric hookup ( didn't use cuz it was pouring down rain when we arrived ) and zero privacy.
Made our way to St Bernard SP, nicer site, park is ok, but have to drive through some serious industrial blight to get here, but it's only a short drive to get into New Orleans. It's cooled right down but no rain in the forecast for over a week!
Michael
We stayed only the one night at Fountainbleau SP, reminded me of a bus depot what with the big RVs coming and going. Our site (assigned) was a slab of ashfault with a electric hookup ( didn't use cuz it was pouring down rain when we arrived ) and zero privacy.
Made our way to St Bernard SP, nicer site, park is ok, but have to drive through some serious industrial blight to get here, but it's only a short drive to get into New Orleans. It's cooled right down but no rain in the forecast for over a week!
Michael
Mick'nSarah
Junior Ranger
Boy, with all of the comments about bugs down south, I might reconsider a visit with the trailer. That just doesn't sound fun. Not sure how I would react to those bites either. I have been having allergic reactions to our Mosquitos and I can't imagine having to fight more off. Are there times if year that are better, or are the bugs always so prevalent and hungry? We get a break from them up here.
Yah, Sarah, agree.... It would be quick run through, touch the boarder and head on back to the PNW...
I've gone down to Roatan, Honduras several times and the "No-see-ums" are horrific down there. Even with 100% deet, you'll still miss a spot and Ka-boom.... and the bites stay with you for weeks... I won't go there anymore... just not fun/worth it... to me anyway... The beaches and campsite look wonderful but just not gonna do it... I'll buy the post cards....
I've gone down to Roatan, Honduras several times and the "No-see-ums" are horrific down there. Even with 100% deet, you'll still miss a spot and Ka-boom.... and the bites stay with you for weeks... I won't go there anymore... just not fun/worth it... to me anyway... The beaches and campsite look wonderful but just not gonna do it... I'll buy the post cards....
michaelo
Novice
That's the secret of the west coast and more so for the PNW, SHHHH! Remember it's a secret. Cool temps, low humidity and NO BUGS. When we moved to Seattle from Miami I was amazed that people were actually sitting on the grass in parks, house lawns etc. I was amazed, you don't sit on the grass in Florida, the fire ants would eat you alive. When we got to Tallehassee on this trip the temps were in the mid 80s and the humidity was up there, after 5 degree in Necedah it felt absolutely intoxicating. It is no wonder it's one of the fastest growing states in the union. But the flip side of that are the bugs, when we got to our camp site that night, I opened up the electrical box to get shore power, it was crawling with palmetto bugs, the huge cockroaches, about a dozen of em were in there! Later that night we mistakenly left the white light on in the galley, that attracted them like crazy, they were flying all over, yes they fly, definitely use the red light if you're camped in the jungles of Florida.
Michael
Michael
1Door
Novice
Alan here;
Our last trip to St. George Island State Park was bug-less, only small green tree frogs in the electric box. That trip was 3 weeks ago. Stephen Foster last week, also bug-less. As far as sitting on the grass, why ? when you can smoke it? Just kidding you know... Florida has great camping in late fall, winter, and early spring, but summer camping is a no no in my opinion.
Susan's turn.
We haven't experienced "bug problems" in the late fall thru early spring, however, we always camp "prepared". For example tiki torches with bug repellant oil. A 10 mile an hour breeze is always beneficial and we very rarely use the lights inside the cabin. We use a nite light in the cabin electric socket and it gives off a nice "warm glow".
Our last trip to St. George Island State Park was bug-less, only small green tree frogs in the electric box. That trip was 3 weeks ago. Stephen Foster last week, also bug-less. As far as sitting on the grass, why ? when you can smoke it? Just kidding you know... Florida has great camping in late fall, winter, and early spring, but summer camping is a no no in my opinion.
Susan's turn.
We haven't experienced "bug problems" in the late fall thru early spring, however, we always camp "prepared". For example tiki torches with bug repellant oil. A 10 mile an hour breeze is always beneficial and we very rarely use the lights inside the cabin. We use a nite light in the cabin electric socket and it gives off a nice "warm glow".
michaelo
Novice
Yes Susan and Alan, just to clarify, I have camped at St George Island many times in the past and don't remember the bugs, we were surprised to have them on this trip. But you are right you have to be prepared and have plans in place if they do show their nasty teeth.
There was great sport to be had camping in Florida's Everglades National Park. That is the place where they test bug spray, it can get as bad as 200 lites a minute down there in the summer time. We would be safely in our bug proof tent, almost like a big screen house with noseeum screens all the way round but with an effective rain fly because it almost always rains in the afternoon. We would observe the Europeans arrive with their Northern European backpacker tents with small windows and no noseeum type window screens. They would hop out of there rental cars to look around and immediately get covered in skeeters, they would then quickly spray themselves down with whatever pathetic bug spray they had with them, even the best stuff only lasts a few minutes (the locals use a 50/50 mix of Skin So Soft, an Avon product and water, that works better) They would quickly set up there tents and jump in with the windows open cuz it's close to 100 degrees out and the humidity is close to 100% percent as well. But the skeeter only proof netting on the windows would allow the noseeums in so they put up their windows, but then of course they then start to roast real quick because of the heat. So they would jump in their rental cars and drive around with the air on until well after dark thinking that it would cool down enough so they could sleep in the tent overnight except South Florida summer nights don't cool down that much so they'd sleep in the rental car all night with the air on, then in the morning they'd pack up their useless tent as fast as they could while getting chewed to bits by the insects. It was comical and you did feel for them. When we first started observing this we did try to warn folks but it was almost always fruitless because they knew better, they were experienced campers and had camped like this for years right. We would observe waves of these Europeans come through. I imagined that they had read glowing reviews of the park, the beautiful exotic birds, the alligators, a sea of saw grass, sabal palms and mahogany hammocks, but I guess no one warned them about the bugs. It is a beautiful place, it is like no other place I've been to and I highly recommend it, but be forewarned and be prepared before you go.
Michael
There was great sport to be had camping in Florida's Everglades National Park. That is the place where they test bug spray, it can get as bad as 200 lites a minute down there in the summer time. We would be safely in our bug proof tent, almost like a big screen house with noseeum screens all the way round but with an effective rain fly because it almost always rains in the afternoon. We would observe the Europeans arrive with their Northern European backpacker tents with small windows and no noseeum type window screens. They would hop out of there rental cars to look around and immediately get covered in skeeters, they would then quickly spray themselves down with whatever pathetic bug spray they had with them, even the best stuff only lasts a few minutes (the locals use a 50/50 mix of Skin So Soft, an Avon product and water, that works better) They would quickly set up there tents and jump in with the windows open cuz it's close to 100 degrees out and the humidity is close to 100% percent as well. But the skeeter only proof netting on the windows would allow the noseeums in so they put up their windows, but then of course they then start to roast real quick because of the heat. So they would jump in their rental cars and drive around with the air on until well after dark thinking that it would cool down enough so they could sleep in the tent overnight except South Florida summer nights don't cool down that much so they'd sleep in the rental car all night with the air on, then in the morning they'd pack up their useless tent as fast as they could while getting chewed to bits by the insects. It was comical and you did feel for them. When we first started observing this we did try to warn folks but it was almost always fruitless because they knew better, they were experienced campers and had camped like this for years right. We would observe waves of these Europeans come through. I imagined that they had read glowing reviews of the park, the beautiful exotic birds, the alligators, a sea of saw grass, sabal palms and mahogany hammocks, but I guess no one warned them about the bugs. It is a beautiful place, it is like no other place I've been to and I highly recommend it, but be forewarned and be prepared before you go.
Michael
You don't seeum??
But you sure do FeelUm.