Florida Trip Part 7: No Oranges For You |
| Gordon White | Thursday, 18 February, 2010 | |||||||||
 Our last report had us enjoying a meal and WIFI at Panera Bread Company in Homestead. After dinner, we returned to the Miccosukee Indian Casino at the corners of 997 and 41. Once again, the casino was a comfortable and free place to boondock for the night. The next morning we headed straight for Conibear RV Center. We had never been to Conibear and looked forward to finally publishing an article on the de facto truck camper hub of Florida. Yes, We Have No Oranges The five hour drive took us north and west across the center of Florida and just south of Lake Okeechobee. Along the way we counted 1,044,988 oranges still the on orange trees. Okay, so we didn’t actually count the oranges, but we sure saw at least a million. We also passed a few trucks so full of oranges that they were almost scary to be near. We’re talking serious oranges, and lots of them. Angela grew up near an apple farm and was very interested in picking her own orange or two just has she has picked so many apples back home. We thought for sure we would see a “pick your own” orange farm along the way but one never presented itself. When we finally stopped for diesel, Angela asked the attendants for a local orange picking opportunity. Keep in mind that we are at a gas station that is surrounded by at least a 100,000 orange trees. The attendants looked at each other like we just asked where the sky was and insisted that if we wanted to pick an orange we should just pull over and pick one, anywhere we pleased. Now we may be pirates, but we found the suggested drive by citrus heist most unappealing. We got into our fruitless truck camper and drove past grove after grove. What does someone have to do to pick an orange in Florida?
The Most Orange Smell Ever A few miles later I spotted a billboard for the Florida’s Natural Orange Juice Factory visitor’s center in Lake Wales. Surely they would have an orange Angela could pick. With a new spring in our diesel step, we drove into Lake Wales. I have never smelled the smell of oranges like the smell of oranges in Lake Wales. And we were about a quarter mile outside the orange juice plant. The poor folks who work there must smell like oranges for the rest of their lives. It’s really incredible. Anyway, the visitor’s center was more like a small store with a orange themed foods, orange knick knacks, and a theater that was closed due to a big company meeting they were hosting. And while they had plenty of pretty orange trees surrounding the parking lot, they also had a sign that stated, “Don’t Pick the Oranges”.  Conibear and FriendsContinuing on our citrus free tour of Florida, we finally arrived at Conibear RV around 2:00 pm. You can read all about our experience at Conibear RV here: Link. After leaving Conibear RV, we drove about an hour to see some close family friends of Angela’s in Ocala, Gene and Pat. That night they took us to what has to be the most authentic Floridian meal I’ve ever had. We’re talking fried alligator bites, conch fritters, hush puppies, creole soup, cat fish, and blackened Mahi Mahi. The restaurant was literally in the middle of nowhere and absolutely worth the drive. Based on the crowds we saw there, Stumpknockers in Dunnellon, Florida is a long time local favorite. Highly recommended for the adventurous or anyone who likes southern seafood. Delicious! Despite Gene and Pat’s invitations to stay in their house, we slept two nights in our camper with Harley. While we were there, we did laundry, indulged in a shower or two, and generally relaxed with our friends. We also snuck a few hours of work in. When it was time to leave, Angela did a tight three-point turn around in the driveway and we headed to Blue Spring State Park. This would be our last real campground until we got home. It’s not that we enjoy campgrounds, but from here on out it would essentially be a cold dash home, winterizing on the way.
Blue Spring State Park Blue Spring State Park is a few hours east of Ocala in Orange City, Florida. During the winter, the park is a protected refuge for West Indian Manatees. Near the water there are dozens of signs that basically say, “No swimming” and, “If you so much as think about getting near a manatee you’ll be in big trouble mister”. We got the message. If you’ve never seen manatee before, think of combining a dolphin with a cow and you’re at least half way there. They’re quite rotund, relatively slow moving, and have very little physical features other than two rounded flippers, a large rounded tail fin, and a face that almost looks like it belongs on a big dog, minus the ears. They are delightful to watch as they swim gently, rolling and playing as they go.
If you visit Blue Spring State Park, there’s a lot more than just meandering manatees. I was really struck by the size and number of shark-like Tarpon and long nosed Alligator Gar fish. The water is so clear that you can really see these fish as they swim just a few feet from the various lookouts. You can also see plenty of fish eating birds including Anhingas and Cormorants as they dive and indulge on the local fresh seafood cuisine. After our rainy time at Blue Spring State Park, we drove six hours north to the Super Walmart in Waltersboro, South Carolina. From there it was another six hours to our next stop, A&M Services. As we drove up the eastern seaboard, it was disheartening to see the letter “N” on the truck compass. It was even more disheartening to watch the temperatures decline on the truck thermometer. Before we would arrive home, we would watch that temperature gauge drop a full fifty degrees since the “good ole days” in Key West. The snowbirds have it right. |
