No, it was not on a supersonic jet! On this last Thursday, Feb 1st, we made the 3.5 hour trip westbound from Cocoa, Florida to the area just north of Tampa, Florida. The coast to coast drive was about 150 miles, leaving the JOY park at 9:30 am and making our goodbyes. We made just one rest stop arriving at the new campground at 1:00 pm and ready to eat lunch!
The drive was really not too bad and we timed the Thursday drive to avoid any rush hours. We took SR-528 west to Orlando where we picked up I-4 that travels southwest to Tampa. At Tampa, it was I-75 north just a few miles to SR-54 that led us into town. After many warnings about the I-4 traffic, we found it to be 3-4 very busy lanes in each direction, but I cruised at my normal slow speed in the right lane and all was well.
Our new campground in located in the town of New Port Richey, with a population of 16,000 people, an area of 40 square miles, and an elevation of a whopping 16 feet. This good sized town was incorporated in 1924 after being a suburb of Port Richey for several years.
The campground is called Orchid Lake RV Resort and is quite unlike any that we have stayed. The first hint at the friendliness of the other residents is the welcoming group that all arrived as I began to back the big 40 camper into our site. Normally, I do not want much extra “advice” at this point, but it proved very helpful from these folks who have been here awhile.
Similar to many of these 55 and over RV resorts in Florida, this one is a haven for retired snowbirds from the north. Most are staying the entire winter, but some for shorter periods like ourselves. I believe the longer stays create an opportunity to get to know your neighbors well that helps maintain the friendly environment.
There are about 500 units at this park of which about 75% are park models (or semi-permanent structures). The other 25% are RV’s that mostly arrive in the late fall and then leave sometime in the spring. The park is mostly full.
The real attraction of this park is the huge amount of activities. Some of them are planned daily events and others are special events that change each week. They have everything from a heated pool to ten shuffleboard courts, a pool/game hall, a library, workout room, and a large rec hall where they held a classic country concert on the first night we arrived.
Between park activities and some local sightseeing, it should be a very enjoyable way to spend the month of February. The weather has been in the upper sixties and low seventies and sunny, just about perfect.
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That’s a full schedule of things to do. Looks like you will have a very full month.
Take time to explore the area and learn a few new skills.
Robert