We're back home, now

We left Silver Springs, FL Sunday morning and did what we don't care to do and NEVER WILL DO AGAIN, drove straight through home to Grand Blanc, MI. We only took two half hour nap stops at rest areas along the way but otherwise we were moving. We never traveled through the cotton field area in this time of year before and were amazed to see that they looked snow covered. We also were privileged to see "Fall Colors" on the trees in Georgia and they were beautiful. We were passed by a "Working Greyhound" and Sunshine smiled because she remembers how it was before she retired and joined our family. It was getting dark by the time we got to Atlanta but we were able to see the Olympic Flame once again. We were unable to see the views in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky because of the darkness but coming down the mountain from Kentucky into Cincinnati, we were treated to see the Cinci lights. When we left Florida, the temperatures were in the low 80s and when we got home, it was 29 - Shock to the system time. We will travel to Renee's house for Thanksgiving and then celebrate Christmas with the kids and grandkids here and then leave for Florida soon afterwords. We plan on arriving in Florida in time to see the light show at Silver Springs Park and celebrate New Years with our friends from the MOC, Helen and Bill Moll. They are the people who interested us in the park we are staying at in Silver Springs.

Tomorrow we cool off!

Tomorrow, we head back to Michigan from Florida. We are planning on driving straight through, leaving the Montana here on our lot in Silver Springs. It was 72 here today and our daughter, Richelle, called today to tell us to get ready for colder, winter weather back home. We are planning on staying in Michigan through Christmas and then  heading back to see the Silver Springs Holiday light presentation before New Years. We hear that the whole park is aglow during this month and we are fortunate that it lasts until December 31. Happy Thanksgiving to all - Jim and Carol

A beautiful day at Silver Springs Park

Today we spent a few hours at Silver Springs Park, a tropical, water wonderland. We knew it was an interesting area when we saw the Bear Crossing sign on the highway near our RV Park. There were colorful birds, turtles, crocs, gators and a host of other wonders of nature. We took a river cruise on a glass bottom boat and went deep into the "jungle." We saw several turtles lined up on a log just like they were in a beauty pageant. The gators are pretty dormant at this time of year but we saw two where one had its head on the back of another, sorta "gator love." We saw a Muntjac Deer, so small it looked like a medium sized dog. We have season passes so we will return many times during the winter but this was a great couple of hour start and gave us an idea of what we have to look forward to. We never tire of seeing the sun shine through the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, here as throughout the south. We return home for Thanksgiving to Christmas, leaving next Sunday.

Ocala and The Villages

Ocala is horse country. There are statues all over town honoring the horse. Last weekend, The Breeders Cup series featured many horses that were bred and trained right here. It was a Marion County Weekend of racing. Down in The villages, the flowers and flowering trees are looking beautiful. It seems quite unusual for us Michiganders to see such floral beauty in November.

Ocala and

This is not a bad looking area!

Yesterday, we started hearing a squeal from under the hood of the truck and discovered that the Serpentine Belt was bad. While replacing this, the mechanic discovered that the belt tensioner was frozen. Almost $200 later, we were good to go again. This was not planned for but we are OK now. The campground has two dog parks in it and Sunshine is in her glory. There are long, paved, clean streets for walking and even a Fitness Center on the property. Today our friends Bill and Helen Moll, from the MOC, took us to Silver Springs Amusement Park where we got our Annual Passes and a short intro to the park. This is where many of the original Tarzan movies were made. Many scenes from the old TV Show with Lloyd Bridges were shot here too. They have several boat tours with glass bottom boats and wild animal displays in natural settings. All included in the Annual Pass and so tomorrow we will try to return with camera in hand to see more of this wonderful place. They have regular concerts here, too, with name stars that we know. All we have to bring is our chairs. Saturday we will go to the Market of Marion, a flea market/vegatable market that seems like a real bargain. Looks like a very interesting winter coming up.

We're now at our Winter Home!

Today, we made our last move with the Montana for the season. We are now set up in Silver Springs, FL, at the Wilderness Town Park RV Park. Our lot is 40'X70' and landscaped beautifully. We have nice grass, trees, bushes and cement pad. The weather is beautiful, the park even has two dog parks and we are happy to be here. We even were greeted by the white bird walking in front of our truck. This is Florida so we do have Fire Ants. They even made a "Fire Ant Smiley Face" for us with one of their mounds. We do have the junk to put on their mounds to get rid of them. The view from our patio is of the edge of the Ocala National Forest and out of our back window is some great landscaping. We have friends from the Montana Owners' Club, Helen and Bill Moll, in the park. Now we will just lay back and see what the area has to behold!