RV Living - Six Months and Counting: It was over six months ago we left Michigan as full time RVers in our home on wheels. We now have six months of RV travel and operating experience as well as expense data to reflect on. In a few words, we are loving it! Later in this post I will share some specific observations at the six month mark.
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| Miramar Beach/Destin |
Florida Panhandle-Destin: Continuing our time in the Florida panhandle, we might finally be getting used to being on central time (western part of panhandle is CST); but does it really matter since we are retired?
Anyway, Highway 98 is the main road through a string of cities that includes Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach and Destin. This is the area of the panhandle between Pensacola to the west and Panama City to the east.
It seems to be getting busier by the day as we are told spring break season begins here around March 1st. January and February are considered off-season, so rates start increasing in March. January and February can be cool here with average high temperatures in February in the mid 60's. People we talked to said January 2018 was unusually cold, but February has been a little above average. A lot of development and growth has taken place since we first visited here about 11 years ago and it shows no signs of letting up.
Despite the growth, this is another area that has done a pretty good job of preserving public access to the beach. Rightfully named the
"Emerald Coast", you can't beat the beach views with various shades of green and blue Gulf water that contrasts against the white sand. On a nice sunny day the colors are quite vivid.
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| Topsail Park Beach -Sunbrella |
To begin our time in this part of the panhandle we stayed at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park - Gregory E. Moore RV Resort in Santa Rosa Beach 10 miles east of Destin. I learned the "in park RV resort" was previously a private park but is now under State ownership. It's a little different from other State Park campgrounds since they offer full hook ups, including cable TV. It's a reasonable nightly fee compared to private parks, but there is the 14-day stay restriction. A large park, over 1,600 acres, with over three miles of the dune beach similar to other areas along the panhandle, two fresh water coastal dune lakes, and lots of recreation options. The beach is about a mile from the campground via a paved path for walking, biking or taking the park's tram than runs continuously throughout the day. We made good use of our bikes here.
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| Euchre - Jim, Deb, Marty & Nancy (missing) |
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| Topsail Campsite - Deb, Marty, Jim |
Friends and Family: We got a much needed dose of friends and family in February and early March. During our stay at Topsail we visited with good friends Marty and Nancy who were staying in the Destin area at the same time. Our visit included a trip to Pepitos Mexican Restaurant on National Magarita Day (Feb. 22nd), and a game or two of Euchre, of course, and lots of laughs. (Thanks to Nancy for the pictures!)
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| Lunch at McGuires Pub - Jim, Deb, Linda, Bernie |
Another perk for us in this area is my sister, Linda and husband Bernie live west of Destin in Navarre. We got to see them several times, including lunch at McGuires Irish Pub. Also enjoyed a visit with their two daughters (Nicole, Jennie and husband Bill) who were in town. Don't get to see my two nieces very often, so that was a treat.
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| The Surf Hut - Miramar Beach/Destin |
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| Jim & Karen - Miramar Beach |
To top it all off, we enjoyed a six day visit from Jim's sister Karen and husband Anderson, who are also great traveling buddies. Lots of fun trips over the years and they will be meeting us at the Grand Canyon in the Fall!
Leaving Topsail Park, we moved to Destin RV Resort across the street from the hotel they stayed in Miramar Beach/Destin. With beach access right across the road, we took advantage of the warm sunny days. Destin RV Resort is a private park with only 36 spaces and full hook ups. Even though the spaces are close together they did a good job with landscaping between the sites.
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| Mojito - Surf Hut |
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| Destin RV Resort |
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| Sunset afterglow - Boardwalk near Pompano Joe's |
"Scenic Highway 98" (or Gulf View Drive) splits off Highway 98 and runs along the Gulf with a range of condominium buildings, lots of vacation rentals, public beach access, restaurants, etc.
Popular restaurants in the area we visited are The Surf Hut, Pompano Joe's, and The Back Porch. Karen and I decided The Surf Hut makes a very good Mojito.
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| Miramar Beach/Destin across from Campground |
There is a paved path that runs beside Gulf View Drive for miles providing safe walking and bike riding with a nice view of the Gulf in most spots.
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| Low flying military planes from beach |
Henderson State Park in the heart of Destin is a large park on the beach that provides a great day use facility as well as a campground. It is common to hear (and maybe see) military airplanes flying over during the day from nearby Eglin Air Force Base. Two other bases in this area are Pensacola Naval Air Station and Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City.
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| National Museum of Naval Aviation - Pensacola |
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| Blue Angel - F18 |
The four of us took a trip to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola. The two hour drive proved to be a little farther than we first thought due to traffic and location (well west of Pensacola). Arriving at the wrong gate on the Base didn't help, but we were directed to the correct gate by gate security. Note: I believe the website has better directions to the correct gate as opposed to using the Apple maps directions like I did (caught me again).
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| Blue Angels Exhibit - Pensacola |
The Museum has a large array of naval aviation history and other exhibits. One of our favorites was the Blue Angels. Admission is free and you can explore on your own or join a guided tour. You can walk right up to most of the aircraft (no roped off barriers in most areas) and in some locations there are Navy veterans there is offer additional information.
RV Living - Six Months and Counting: Evaluating our first six months of full time RVing is overwhelmingly positive. We have learned a lot, but much more to learn and experience. Sometimes it still feels like vacation, but then regular household chores, maintenance, and occasional work help the balance. Seems like there is always something to do, so we stay as busy as we want and the days pass quickly (sometimes losing track of what day it is.....).
From a budget review, we determined that our expense estimate was a little low compared to what we actually spent, mostly on camping fees. Probably not too surprising since we found we like parks that offer a few amenities and staying in south Florida part of the winter was pricey. However, our
average per night is around $35 which is not too bad. This includes electric, water and either sewer connection or dump station access and sometimes cable TV. We haven't had to use the propane gas in the warmer climate, other than to cook with.
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| Destin RV Park |
A mix of State and private parks worked for us during this time. Sometimes you can take advantage of weekly or even monthly rates that brings the price per night down. (When we were in NC we stayed in a private park with full hookups for $500/month - around $17 per night.) We'll see if the rest of the year will bring our average per night down a little. We have been vigilant tracking our expenses on a spreadsheet so we can evaluate and plan accordingly. Our main variables are camping/park fees, gas, and repairs and maintenance; however camping fees and gas are somewhat within our control by choosing how much to travel and where to stay and can be adjusted as needed.
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| Destin RV Report |
We made a few improvements to the coach during this time including, a new sleep number mattress for our bed, the window defogging repair, and a steering dampener. We also purchased our e-bikes. I feel fortunate that Jim is able to do a lot of the regular maintenance and repairs when needed, including oil changes, battery maintenance, repairs to slide out locking mechanism, air conditioner motor fan, kitchen sink, etc. Just like any other home, there are things that come up and his ability to do regular maintenance and some repairs likely saves us hundreds of dollars. He's also the TV, satellite, and computer tech!
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| Tax returns to do! |
My venture into the remote tax and accounting work has been successful. I started out cautiously to test internet access, software, and feasibility of getting information to and from clients. Very happy with the results so far and I see that continuing.
Missing being around family and friends will always be part of the equation, but definitely helped by recent visits. Lots of phone calls, texts, and occasional FaceTime calls are part of our days now. Spending much of the summer in Michigan will also help with this balance.
For our last Florida stop for the winter, we will be heading south to Lakeland for some Detroit Tiger Spring Training games. By the end of March we will be back in North Carolina, then on to Maryland/DC, and finally to Michigan by mid-April. A trip to Maine is planned for May.
The National Parks Service updates "Bloom Watch" on their website estimating the timing for peak viewing. Due to a mild winter followed by a cold March, they had to revise their estimated date numerous times. At first we thought we were going to miss it completely, but as it turns out we hit the peak. With Kevin and Beth's help, we were able to maneuver the crowds and spent a nice afternoon enjoying the walk along the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial as well as other sites along the Mall. I understand there is another display of cherry trees at Arlington National Cemetery. 
Cathedral of St. Matthew: We attended Mass at the Cathedral located about seven blocks from the White House. Construction of this building began in the late 1800's and was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974. It was the site of the funeral Mass for John F. Kennedy in 1963. There is a commemoration of this in the floor in the front center aisle. 
Smithsonian Botanical Gardens located on the Mall near the Capital was our last stop for the day. The outdoor gardens were not fully in bloom yet, but the Conservatory provided an indoor walking tour of plants from around the world as well as an amazing Orchid display - over 5,000 specimens. Admission to all the Smithsonian Buildings is free of charge.
