Getting here

I jumped ahead in the last post and didn't detail our getting to Florida. It was an uneventful two day, 550 mile trip. The first day was 340 miles, half of it on highway 17 through the South Carolina low country. Just above the Georgia border, we joined the 70 mph mass migration on I-95.

We spent the night at the KOA in Starke Florida. There are many low or no cost alternatives for overnighting here in Starke but we opted for the pull thru site, cable TV, WiFi and full hookups at the well known Campground franchise. ($44)

The next day was an easy drive down rt. 301/27 to our destination campground near Orlando. The campground is part of a large corporation and they change managers here yearly it seems. As you might imagine, each new manager brings new ideas and implements changes to the operation of the campground.

Getting into the park was the first change we encountered this year. In previous years we they've picked a site from a large magnetic board in the shape of the campground. That idea was trashed, along with a manager, and was replaced by a free for all system where you entered the campground and drove around until you found an open site.

This year you drive your rig into the campground but are directed to the activity center where you must unhook your towed vehicle and you are then escorted by an employee on a golf cart. You tell him what area of the 867 site campground and he leads you to that section where you look for an open site.

I can't say I'm crazy about the new system, I felt pressured to pick a site quickly, but heck at least we still get a choice. We are camped in a nice site on the perimeter of the park.

It will be interesting to see how this new system works when the campground is really busy in January, February and March. On a brighter note, based on the December calendar of events, the campground entertainment is going to be a lot better than previous years. We got tickets today to an Elvis and Fats Domino Tribute show this Thursday!