6 May - Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Visit at Lynn and Shirley Alexander House

 

This morning we got up and following breakfast we headed up Rt 41 to the Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.  Our neighbors here in the campground recommended this place as it is  not far from here, parking is plentiful and the beach access is easy.  Having to do it over again we would have taken I-75 to avoid the stop-and-go traffic with the lights and all.  Anyway Rt 41 provided a different look and before long we had arrived at the park.  

There is normally a $6.00 admission fee to the park but the young man at the gate said he was waiving the fee for us today.  I don't know if it was the military ID, the firefighter plates or what but safe to say it was not my good looks!

We made our way to #3 of 5 beach access/parking areas and found plenty of parking spots available and plenty of room to maneuver the big ol' brown truck.  Once parked we headed through the trees to the beach area and an absolutely amazing view.

The sounds of the surf and the actions of the waves are mesmerizing.  The beautiful warm, blue water.  The sand between your toes.  It is easy to see how people become so attracted to beach life.  A place to recharge the body's internal batteries.  An opportunity to purge the mind a bit and maybe cleanse the sole a bit.  We are thankful to have the opportunity to visit these places and take in their beauty!  Here is a little sample!

We had a leisurely stroll up and down the beach and Doreen found a plethora of sea shells by the sea shore!  

She was happy with her haul, so we headed for the truck and back towards the campground.

Lunchtime had passed us by while we were strolling on the beach, so we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant called Garibaldi's not far from the campground.  We enjoyed a nice lunch and Doreen bought a couple items from their bakery.  

Back at the campground Doreen did some laundry while I took one of our propane tanks to the office to be filled.  We always try to take Liberty for some walks after being cooped up inside the RV while we are out touring, but with this hot, humid weather she would rather hibernate and do her walking in the evening.

After dinner we had been invited to drive over to Lynn & Shirley Alexander's house to see them before we depart.  They live just a few miles from the campground.  We are so thankful we were able to connect with the Alexander's while we are here.  Over the years I have seen Lynn many times at different military events but it is so nice just to be able to sit down and talk with him and his wife.  As I mentioned before, Lynn was the second Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Air National Guard and served in that position from 1977 to 1983.  Lynn and Shirley both hailed from West Virginia.

One of Lynn's retirement hobbies is building model airplanes, specifically those flown by the Air National Guard.  He even paints them and affixes markings to match the states where they were assigned.  

Lynn and Shirley escorted us outside to a patio area where their back yard border's a pond. Lynn fed some of the tilapia fish which came right over and begged for food.  

We sat there for a while and talked before it started to get dark and the bugs started to take control, then we decided the head indoors.  Just as we started inside, a juvenile alligator that frequents the area showed up wanted to see what was going on!  Lynn grabbed his spot light and we grabbed our phone!

In addition to the tilapia they also have a gar in the pond and it also decided to check out the excitement near the alligator!  Lynn lit him up long enough for us to snap a picture!

Shirley hooked us up with some delicious cake and we shared stories about our military experiences but it was getting late so we needed to head back.  It was so great connecting up with Lynn and Shirley and we are very thankful for their friendship and for them to invite us into their home.  

Tomorrow we will do our normal "day before we leave" tasks.  I also want to wash the truck and we plan to do a little shopping in town before Saturday when we head on down "Alligator Alley" to our next stop, Miami.  Also tomorrow there is supposed to be a motorcycle group camping here this weekend so they warned us it might be a little loud.  We are not concerned.  This group has been coming here for over 40 years apparently. Cool!