North to Alaska Via Key West Florida

We actually started our Alaskan trip on January 29. June and I both retired in January and wanted to spend a few months in warmer Florida. This is just an overview of where we have been in the last few months.

We spent our first few weeks at the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) campground at ORTONA SOUTH, FL

These photos are of the one of the locks that connect Lake Okeechobee to Ft Myers via a canal system. There are numerous canals and locks that connect Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic and the Gulf.

Next stop was just five miles down the road to The Glades RV Resort. Nice enough, but not a resort. We spent about 10 days here waiting to go to the Water's Edge RV Resort. Really didn't meet anyone while staying there. But overall a good experience.

The Glades is located on the same canal that Ortona South COE campground is on. They have their own marina and golf course.

We then moved over to a nice RV Resort on Lake Okeechobee called Water's Edge RV Resort. There are only 30 sites at this RV resort. We like that. Other places we have stayed had hundreds of sites, making it difficult to meet folks.

We really liked this place. Before we were parked, two couples came over to talk to us. They invited us to their 'happy hour'. That started a regular nightly event. Everyone we met there was super friendly. The people we met are planning to return here next winter. So we decided to get on the reservation standby list for next winter.

This photo of the campground was taken from the seawall of Lake Okeechobee. If you look closely at the right side of the palm trees you can see our motorhome. COE maintains this wall and all along the top of this wall is a bike/hiking trail. You can ride your bike or walk completely around Lake Okeechobee. All 200+ miles of it.

This was our site looking at the canal and Lake Okeechobee seawall.

When our reservation was over at Water's Edge we needed to find another campground that had FHUs. By chance there was a cancellation at the Coast Guard Station in Marathon Florida. Which turned out not so lucky. There are only four sites at the station. At one time there were six sites. This was our absolute worst RVing experience. If you are military I do not recommend staying here. Retirees are NOT welcome here. That's all I'll say. We left and headed to Sigsbee.

Then it was on to Sigsbee campground at Navy Air Station Key West. Sigsbee has over 500 sites for RVers. They have 93 Full Hookups (FHUs) sites with over 400 dry camping sites. This place is very popular with retired military so they have a rotation system setup. You will start with dry camping. You are put on a list for FHUs. Depending on how full they are your wait can be up to six weeks. Once you get a FHU site you will remain there for two weeks. Then it's back to dry camping and the wait starts over for getting a site with FHUs. Rates are good. Dry Camping is $13 a day and FHUs is $23 day.

Sigsbee has always said they have never turned anyone away. Well this winter was the exception. They did have to turn people away.

When we arrived at Sigsbee we were told it would be two weeks before getting a FHU site. Three days later we moved to a FHU site. We met a lot of great people there. Including two members of S*M*A*R*T. S*M*A*R*T is the veterans group that is doing the Alaskan Caravan we are going on this summer.

The boys (Shadow and Danny) riding with June on the way to Sigsbee.

Our last stop in Florida was at Bahia Honda Florida State Park.

For us this is the most beautiful of the Florida State Parks. We've always been lucky to get a site right on the Bahia Honda Channel. This time we are in site 15. The weather can be beautiful here. But we are in late April and it can be hot and humid here. This time we've encountered no-see-ums (gnats). They really like to attack June.

View from our site - 15

View from our site - 15

Site 15

Site 15

Looking out the front window of our motorhome.

Site 15

View from our site - 15

While at Bahia Honda we took a day trip into Key West to the most southern point in the US. If things work out sometime in August we'll be taking a picture of us at the Arctic Circle.

This will be our last post until after our stop at home. We'll hit the road to Alaska on May 5. With stops in Minneapolis MN, Veblen SD, Rapid City SD, Devil's Tower WY, Cody WY and Yellowstone National Park. Final stop will be in Great Falls MT where we meet up with the S*M*A*R*T Alaskan Northern Exposure Caravan.