Sunday, January 19, 2003
No wonder we were cold—it must have dipped well below 32 degrees because our water was frozen in the morning. Nevertheless we persevered in heating water for hot cocoa/coffee, hot cereal, and toast. We built a warming fire and really used it to keep our hands supple while we were packing up the cold tent which was stiff and wet with condensation. Easier to pack than the old canvass cabin tents we started with (see stories of trips across the USA in the 1970s), but still a chore. We finished packing and took a very leisurely drive across the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee past Indiantown where Terry used to live to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. I called Terry from Indiantown just to see if he wanted a picture of his old house, but neither he nor I could remember how to get there so we forged on. On our drive we saw a plethora of wild birds including well-fed vultures, ibises wading in the drainage ditches, hawks watching for lunch opportunities, and bald eagles sitting majestically on telephone poles beside the road. The landscape varied from subdivisions to cattle and dairy farms interspersed with citrus groves, so it was an interesting drive.

We were so frustrated that we decided to give up on our old air mattress and buy a new one, so we stopped off at a Wal-Mart, of course, to see what they had. We settled on queen-sized folding framework with air mattress that looked more compact and comfortable than our cots. Unfortunately, at $50 it was a budget-breaker, but if it worked we thought it would be a long-term investment for our camping trips.

When we arrived at Jonathan Dickinson our campsite was not yet available, so we drove around the park before signing in and setting up camp. We set up our new framework and air mattress and decided to try it out by taking a nap. Fortunately, it worked just fine. The battery charger I bought a couple days back came in handy as the air pump we are using for the new air mattress requires 12 volt DC. After two days of primitive camping, we both felt the need for a shower and really enjoyed the basic amenities of modern sanitation. We kept the afternoon low-key by having dinner, playing with the fire, and writing on the computer—Monika had a blister on her toe and didn’t feel like walking. On the plus side, we again could spend the evening in the tent with the heater on and all our lights burning—a right cozy feeling.