Back to Tampa

Thursday - I took the non-toll route which followed I-75 south into Tampa. Definitely further, slower, and a lot more traffic. I think we’ll take the toll road back tomorrow. Bridget’s flight arrived in the late afternoon so we opted to stay in Tampa instead of driving back in the dark. Given how exhausted I am, it was the right decision. 

Friday - After the morning fog cleared, we headed back towards the RV. We stopped for breakfast in Tampa and, it was good but kind of pricy. Tourist prices. About an hour north, we stopped in Crystal River for coffee at the familiar spot, Cattle Dog Coffee Roasters. 

Sunday - Today’s forecast called for wind and rain and we got both. Not a lot but maybe ¼” to ½” or so. And winds gusts up to 35mph. So far, no water leaks. 

RV work

Wednesday - It warmed up to 72°F today so I applied Dicor to the roof where rain may have seeped through. And, I squirted urethane into the rubber windshield seal and adjusted the seal to overlap the glass. It only overlaps by about ⅛” and the cold temperatures may have caused the rubber to shrink (not sure) but we’ll see how well this holds up.

Since I only used about 15% of the urethane, I vacuum sealed to see if it’ll prevent it from drying out. Kind of expensive stuff. 

I ended up borrowing a step ladder from the park to work on the windshield. I left my extension ladder in the class C as I didn’t expect to need it on this trip. After these tasks, I relaxed in the hot tub again. Really nice…

Tampa and Back

Tuesday - Drove to the Tampa airport and back today. Bridget has a doctors appointment in San Antonio tomorrow. I took the toll road as it saves about half an hour each way. Plus, I want to make sure that the toll charge matches the vehicle. I moved the transponder to the Jeep from the RV. The faq claims that it should work fine. 

On the way back, I stopped at a coffee place for a short break. A couple of years ago when we were staying in Crystal River, this was almost a daily stop while out and about. 

It was a 290 mile round trip so it took most of the afternoon. After arriving at the park, I beelined to the hot tub to relax. 

Old Town, FL

Saturday - The Suwannee River next to the campground. They have rental boats and rent dock space. There is one more night of near freezing temperatures followed by more normal Florida-like temperatures. I moved the StarLink dish up to the roof this morning and it looks like it might be better. I joined two test sessions today it it worked good enough as long as I’m not leading the session. It’s fine for watching the Olympics or other streaming services. 

The sites are kind of small but it’s good enough. We will be gone for a bit in the middle of our stay. 

I checked out the Dicor on the roof as there was some leaking while we were at the Harvest Host. I found a couple of possibilities and use more Dicor once we get a warm afternoon. 

Sunday - According to the weather guessers, last night was supposed to be our last freeze, at least for a bit. We didn’t quite hit freezing but it did venture to the lower 30s (°F). It’s 11am and we are on our way to the upper 60s (°F) with some nice sunshine. 

Monday - Friends from Fairbanks came by to visit this afternoon. They RV with their Rivian electric truck and a Brinkley trailer. I hadn’t seen them for years. It was a wonderful visit. 

This evening, I met another Ural owner here at the park. He has a 2007 Ural in southern Illinois.