We wrapped up another stay at Navarre Beach, Florida, spending eight days soaking up the sun, sand, and everything in between. Well…maybe not quite as much sunshine as we had hoped!
The weather was definitely summer in Florida—hot, humid, and with rain showers most days. Even with the less-than-perfect weather, we still managed to spend four wonderful days relaxing on the beach. We also made our usual shopping trips to Costco and Walmart and took a drive over to Destin for a change of scenery.
This visit, however, felt a little different than our previous trips. We stayed at Emerald Beach Campground, and sadly, it doesn’t seem as well maintained as it was before the hurricanes several years ago. The beach area also needs some work. Looking back at photos from our earlier visits, it’s easy to see that the area just isn’t as pretty as it once was. I suspect those changes may be one reason the campground was only about half full. However, the campground manager told Ken that most of the campgrounds in the area have been unusually empty.
One thing we noticed on Navarre, beach that was completely new, was a group of college students pulling wagons loaded with popsicles, ice cream bars, and snorkel gear for sale. As they made their way down the beach, you could almost predict what would happen next. Kids came running to Mom and Dad asking for money before the wagon even reached them! It was fun to watch.
Another pleasant surprise was the lifeguards’ approach to beach safety. One lifeguard came directly to where we were sitting and talked with us about the current beach conditions, heat related illness, and jellyfish stings. He wasn’t just stopping by us because we were old—he was making his way to everyone in his section of the beach. It was reassuring to see that level of personal attention.
Not every beach memory was quite so pleasant! On our last beach day, I had just settled into my brand-new beach chair when I noticed that my flip-flop had broken. It must have been trudging through all that deep sugar white sand! Seriously…what are the chances? At the end of the day, I had no choice but to walk barefoot through the soft sand, over the boardwalk, and then limp across the blazing hot blacktop back to the Jeep. At least I now have the perfect excuse to buy a new pair of sandals…as if I really need more shoes!
Back at the campground, another source of entertainment unfolded all week. A palm tree trimming crew was working throughout the campground. Of course, we had a palm tree right next to the front door of our RV. Ken jokingly(not) told the trimmers and the campground manager that they could cut that tree only if they had a million dollars to pay for any damage to our RV! Thankfully, they agreed to wait until after we left before trimming it. Even so, every time we left the campground, we wondered if we’d come back to find palm fronds scattered across our roof. Thankfully, they kept their word.
On Sunday, August 3, we packed up and headed south toward Fort Myers.
Our first overnight stop was a simple, no-frills RV park(Sharrahs RV Park) in Lake City, Florida. Since we carry everything we need with us (and more), fancy amenities aren’t a requirement for an overnight stay, so it worked out just fine.
The next morning, though, we had a little excitement. Shortly after getting on the road, our tire pressure monitoring system suddenly showed the front left tire with only 34 pounds of pressure. That’s enough to make your heart skip a beat! We found a safe place to pull over, checked the tire, and discovered it was perfectly fine. As we continued driving, Ken finally figured out what had happened. Somehow, the monitoring system had gotten confused and was displaying the pressure from one of the Jeep’s tires instead of the RV’s. Mystery solved…sort of! Now we just have to figure out why it’s doing that.
Our second overnight stop was Southern Oaks RV Park in Summerfield, Florida, a campground we’ve enjoyed staying at several times over the years. One of Ken’s former work colleagues lives in the Del Webb community just across the road, so we spent the afternoon and evening catching up with them. It was wonderful to reconnect and enjoy a great visit together.
Two nights in Summerfield let us make another trip over to The Villages. Ken still dreams about living there someday! Will that dream ever come true? I have my doubts…but after all these years of traveling, I’ve learned never to say never.
For now, we’ll continue enjoying the journey one campground, one beach, and one adventure at a time. I can’t wait to see what Fort Myers has in store for us next!