Woodstock, St Petersburg, Fort De Soto

Found a fabulous Harvest Host heading out toward our next destination to St Petersburg, and guess what they were having a Woodstock Revival right there at the Winery, and it was pavilion covered and they weren’t so loud, and they played the music of the era, at this afternoon event. 

Luckily with a fan blowing from our backs and it was very comfortable sipping and listening.  The RV parking was a short walk and we had decided to get hookups making the afternoon air conditioned napping time especially pleasant as the humidity was taking hold in this more agricultural area.  The venue was lovely and we will make sure to look for their other music genre related events in the future, probably not it in the summer.

Headed out and met Ed and Annie for breakfast at Charlene Coyote Grill that was in the middle of the Road Runner Travel Resort and RV park. Really nice setting, and better yet seeing family to boot all while eating delicious breakfast comfort food. 

More family time, as we headed to St Petersburg to visit cousins Nance’, Alan and Ryan. More good beer for John as we dined at the Three Daughters Brewery.  

Fort DeSoto, a narrow spit bordering the Atlantic and Tampa Bay, was our next destination. Into mangrove jungles with Vinny,  with exotic white birds scavenging through our site.  Another 14 mile bike trip on the best ever paved paths and so strange to have yellow beaver tail cactus in this land of humidity but I guess the sandy soil is the common link.  

A nice walk on the beach to relieve the bike-butt syndrome that was developing by mile 9.  Back to camp and shower and salad was in order.  This was the first night we slept with both screens on and doors wide open.  No alligators or birds or lizards snuck under the netting and we had a good sleep and scored another night at the campground in the pet friendly area.  

A lazy day for me to get caught up on my writing and Great Smokey Mountain planning. It was the first time we got out the stand up paddle board.   I think I will name her, JoJo, after my best paddle boy who pumped her up which is always quite an exhausting undertaking, especially those last few pounds.

We had found the perfect sandy launch site on our bike ride the day before so the plan went smoothly on  this Monday(I had to look on my watch for the day of the week).  It came back like riding a bike even though I had only learned to paddle last summer. 

I didn’t come across any alligators as I paddled along the shore of the For deSoto overlooking the first expansive Tampa Bay Bridge.