We had wanted to get back to this historic Cuban section of Tampa since a quick visit about ten years ago. Plus we had the benefit of having some family along with us. A beautiful warm day to have lunch and visit.
Historic Ybor City & Family
Brooksville, FL and Friends Meeting
We had planned to meet our fellow RVer friends, the Roseberry’s, at a location about midway between our winter locations. They stay near Orlando and we are on the Gulf Coast. The close to halfway point was the town of Brooksville, Florida. And the restaurant was a very popular and quaint place called the Florida Cracker Kitchen.
Homosassa, Florida
The town of Homosassa Florida is just over an hour north of our winter location in New Port Richey (NPR). I had heard of this gulf coastal town from another RVer that we met at a couple of different places over the years. I wanted to check out the area plus visit the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, a state park wildlife preserve.
Tampa RV Show
We attended this massive show on the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa this year after hearing about it and seeing their ads. It is supposed to be the second largest in the US, next to the one in Hershey, Pa. The purpose was just to look around at the new RVs and see what has changed from when we bought ours in April 2017. What functionality and cosmetic changes have crept in over the last six years?
Sunset Cruise – New Port Richey
There is always a plethora of activities here at Orchid Lake RV and in the vicinity of New Port Richey (NPR). One of the occasional activities is a small cruise out of NPR on a 31 person boat. It is run by Captain Anthony Aristides Andrianos, a resident here at our RV park. This cruise was a two hour sunset cruise out into the Gulf and along the coast.
Family Get Together & Dunedin, Florida
The small town of Dunedin is one of our favorite local places to visit and have lunch. Many sites, many restaurants, and eight breweries in a 36,000 people population city. It is also known for its beaches, pine forests, and ospreys of Honeymoon Island. We also drove south to Parrish, FL to spend a couple of days with Pat’s brothers and wives.
Happy New Year! – Arrived at Winter Home
We are now at our RV park for the winter (since 12/7) in the city of New Port Richey, Florida. It is located a few miles north of Tampa along the gulf coast. Our plans are to stay here for about four months before returning back to Virginia. The time will go by quickly so Pat and I sat down and came up with a decent list of 22 quick road trips/excursions to keep us busy. Happy New Year!
Winter Route Plan
We have determined our route south this winter to Florida. No big loop to Louisiana like we planned last year. Just almost a straight south shot with a few stops along the way. Speaking of winter, the first day of fall has just passed by and the leaves have already started to drop. Our leave by date of December 1st is usually the end of the leaf raking. Today’s photos are unrelated to today’s post, but from last month’s festivals in the area.
Cedar Key Florida
On my last post, we had left our winter RV park near Tampa and had begun the leisurely trip back to the Virginia mountains. We planned to stop for a few days at Cedar Key Florida and Brunswick, Georgia to explore some favorites. A few more fresh seafood opportunities and enjoying the great weather. And on the second day at Cedar Key a major thunderstorm warning came out just before our trip into town for lunch…
Back On the Road Again
Our Florida winter location at New Port Richey was beginning to get hot. Really hot. I’m talking upper 80’s with humidity. I do enjoy the warm weather and being outside most of the time, but it is a sign that it was time to move on northward. And back to our place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. But, before getting back we wanted to sneak in some exploring on the way. We are back on the road again!