Some pretty driving on the way to and from a couple of flea markets

January 30, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 1 Comment

A street tunnel from spreading oak trees and Spanish moss

The last couple of days we have set up at some different flea markets. One of the neat things about our time here in Florida is that we are seeing a lot of areas that are new to both of us. On our way to Stokes Market in Crystal River we drove down a street that looked like it was a tunnel comprised of huge wide spreading oak trees draped in flowing garlands of Spanish moss.

We also have seen some absolutely magnificent horse farms. For miles we passed one after another farm with signage indicating the race horse stable, equestrian training center, and even a polo club. Each had elaborate masonry flanking huge wrought iron double gates, many of which had the farm logo or name displayed in the gates.

Tree farms on both sides of the nice four lane highway

We also drove through some wide open cattle country. One pasture, obviously irrigated, must have had over 400 or so yearly steers and heifers. It was common to see large pastures with huge tree farms in between. We also saw several timber hauling trucks loaded with incredibly long fresh cut pine logs destined to be telephone poles somewhere.

All in all Sher and I have enjoyed the pretty scenery of central Florida. Some areas we have driven through have not been so pretty, but we just enjoy th real pretty ones.

This Walmart lot looked like an RV park

January 29, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

That’s our Four Winds on the right.

Ever pull into a Walmart parking lot for an overnight stay and it looks like a paved RV park? This happened to Sher and I tonight when we pulled into the Walmart at Chiefland, Florida. We had just been through the Chiefland Flea Market grounds and did not see a good place to park for the night. (We are either going to set up tomorrow for the weekend or just shop the market and maybe set up Saturday and Sunday.) So off to the Walmart we went.

There is also a nice diesel pusher behind the other coaches

We spotted the Walmart on Highway 19, aka North Young Blvd. and saw several RV’s already in the far side of the lot. I backed in a few spots away from a nice Itasca coach. As soon as we parked a sweet diesl pusher came in, followed by another nice C.

This rig is a monster from Ontario. Never seen anything like this before

There was also a high riding rig of some type with a pair of spare tires mounted on the front. It looked like some kind of military comand vehicle. I had to walk around it and noticed Ontario plates. What a rig! Maybe I’ll get a chance to talk to those folks in the morning.

All RVers should thank the Walmart managers who allow overnight parking in their lots. And remember, it is a simple overnight stop, not a camping spot. Don’t set out the chairs, run out the awning and fire up the grill. Don’t ruin it for others!

We had a ball at a Speed King Auction

January 26, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Speed King Auctions Evan Minck

Auctions are one of the things that we like to attend where ever we travel. We found a great auction house on the north side of Lakeland, Florida. We spent a little time at one of their auctions a couple of weeks ago, but we went back today to stay for the entire auction.

The auction started around 1:00 pm (after being open early to view the goods) on the outside. Tables were set up in rows, and wow what a variety of goods were sold. First the hundreds of items on the outside were sold, then the action moved inside. There the ‘more expensive’ items were sold. Small items like jewelry and coins were shown on a large TV monitor.

Evan Minck is the owner and auctioneer of Speed King Auctions. Evan calls a great auction. He is fair, honest, and straight forward in the way he manages the auctions he calls. No bid jumping here. If you are in the Lakeland area of Florida you should consider stoppping by Speed King Auctions. Check the auction house website for times and dates. You just might find something for your RV that you just can’t live without.

We did end up the successful bidder on some things at the auction and had a great time as well.

The Pilot truck stop at Haines City, Florida is RV friendly

January 25, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Our home spot for the night

We stopped at the Pilot truck stop in Haines City, Florida last night. This Pilot is great for RV travelors, and is truly RV friendly. It has a Denny’s for a meal, or of course the full range of hot and cold foods in the Pilot store.

This Pilot has two RV islands for fueling and an RV dump station. The dump station is not in the same island as the fueling pumps and is also about 15 feet past the pumps, which does require you to pump fuel and then reposition for the dump station, Not a big deal, but I have seen Pilot stations with the dump station(s) in the fuel islands.

The dump station at the end of the propane filling pad

The car lot worked for us for parking. With our 24 foot long Four Winds we usually find a spot near the outside edge, as you can see in the photo. Another bonus at this location was the strong “Cable WiFi” connection. Sher and I both were able to work online with no slowdowns. Sher tried the Pilot WiFi but (as is unfortunately usually the case) it was intermittent and slow.

Gas was $1.95 but we paid $1.92 with the Good Sam Club discount. This gas under two bucks is something we all can get used to!

This Pilot address is 35647 US Highway 27, Haines City, Florida, 33844. If you are in the area check it out.

Fresh Florida citrus

January 23, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

The produce stand by the side of the road.

We were kind of out in the middle of the state when we happened across a produce stand. We had been by enough orange groves over the past few days to make us realize how huge the orange industry really is. I’m sure we saw only a fraction of the orange trees that are in the state.

We ended up with two “baskets” of oranges: one was navel and the second was a red variety. Are they ever delicious! We got a box of freshly picked strawberries as well. Yummy!

The young lady who was running the stand asked us how we liked traveling in our RV. She and one of her girlfriends are considering traveling all over the east coast next year to look at different colleges. We had a nice chat sharing our full time RV lifestyle with her.

Sam’s Beach Bar in Hudson, Florida

January 23, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 3 Comments

Nice sidewalk, sand, but not next to the water.

Today Sher and I headed over to Hudson, Florida in hopes of going to an auction nearby. The auction was not what we expected, and we were glad we got there early as we did not waste any time there. That is when we headed on to Hudson. We had yet to see the Gulf since we have been in Florida this winter. We found a great little “beach” in a city park. Note the quotes around beach. The sand was there, however it stopped at the sidewalk before the water!

The bar at Sam’s Beach Bar

Right next to the sidewalk was a cute establishment named Sam’s Beach Bar. What the heck, let’s see what was on the menu. Things looked good, so we were seated out on the patio. The sun was out, the temperatrue was in the mid 70’s, and there was a very nice breeze.

Open air patio in the background at Sam’s

I ordered the 1/2 pound burger, topped with fixin’s including a great slab of cheddar cheese. It came with a good serving of seasoned fries. Sher had a side of fries and a large bowl of freshly made cole slaw. Tasty, tasty, tasty! We really enjoyed the meal. It was also fun sitting on the patio. We kept wondering how the place kept all the seagulls from attacking everyone’s food. There were tons of those birds, but they would not fly over the open patio at all.

Burger with all the fixin’s and seasoned fries: it doesn’t get any better!

Delicious freshly made cole slaw

Sam’s Beach Bar is worth your visit if you get to Hudson, Florida. (Hudson is north of Clearwater on Highway 19.) The parking was a city owned lot, pay your $2 and you are good ‘from dawn until dusk’ as the sign says. The view over the water was calm and peaceful, as was our meal at Sam’s.

First day of Flywheelers Show

January 14, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

She has a great seat to see the show.

Today is the official opening day of the January edition of the Florida Flywheelers Tractor show at Ft. Meade, Florida. The weather has been cloudy and breezy and cool this morning, with everyone waiting for the forecast sunshine this afternoon.

The crowds are stirring, with a moderate amount of traffic moving around the many many rows of vendors set up. Once again the variety of vehicular transportation being used is been fun to observe.

Another good way to get around.

Looking for that bargain!

Three wheeler

Sisters run Buddy’s Auction House

January 7, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Buddy’s Storefront

While in Clearwater, Florida, Sher and I found a listing for an auction the evening we were planning on being there. So off to Buddy’s Auction House we went.

We found a great little facility that was packed with items up for auction that evening. This establishment has an auction every Tuesday night. Two sisters run the business which is named after a rescue dog that goes to yard and estate sales with the owners.

Beth shared with me that she and her sister Ruth aquired the business in March of 2014 and their first auction was held on April 15th. Normally a full 70% of the items up for sale each week are owned by the sisters.They are constantly on the move buying at estate sales, yard sales and anywhere they can find good merchandise.

Sold!

When we first got to the business Beth was busy talking with folks who were previewing the items for that evening’s sale. She also told us some of the stories of folks she has interacted with in the business. Lots of people will put things in sales on a consignment basis. While I was talking to Beth a fellow came in wanting to put things in on consignment.

Beth shared that she and her sister used to have ‘normal’ jobs but loved antiques and the hunt for good antiques. When the opportunity came along to get their own business they boh jumped at the chance. Now these lively vibrant ladies are living their dream and enjoying what they do.

The auction stared at seven. We had spent the rest of the afternoon in the coach. About a half hour before seven we went in, got our bidder’s number and took one final look at the items up for sale. Ruth introduced me to their auctioneer, Vince Gepp, and the rest of the staff. We had a great time during the sale. Some items did prompt some lively bidding.

Ruth, Vince, Beth and the rest of the Buddy’s staff

And yes, I did end up with a few things that I thought I couldn’t live without. That is what happens we you keep bidding on an item until everyone else stops. Go visit the Buddy’s Auction House website to learn more, and see what is up for sale next Tuesday night. You will find a friendly, helpful staff, have a fun time and chances are good you’ll also go away with a treasure or two. Sher and I highly recommend Buddy’s. Tell Ruth and Beth we sent you!

Clearwater: A beautiful place

January 6, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

The boardwalk to the Sand Key Beach

We are in Clearwater,Florida today. We got here around 11 this morning. The strip down by the beach was packed with cars and pedestrians enjoying the nice weather. It is cloudy, but the temperature is very mild, and it is so much warmer than the midwest now we are really loving it!

We found a very nice public park with lots of beach frontage. Sand Key Park has lots of parking, although there were very few people there when we were. I guess Tuesdays are not the busiest times for beach visits.

Pretty widflower on the beach

In Florida now and love the warmth

January 5, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 1 Comment

Florida Welcome Center (I-75)

We got to Florida yesterday, missed the free OJ at the welcome center by a bit less than an hour. Too bad they closed at five instead of six. Oh well, we made it .at least. Sher and I are sure enjoying the warm weather. We even commented last night that we were hot. I opened windows on the coach and enjoyed a nice Florida breeze all night.

Today we went to Webster planning on going to an auction. Once we got to the area we were happy to see flea markets that were open .Normally flea markets are closed on Mondays in the mid west, so Monday opens were a surprise to us. Two of the three markets we found were huge and did have literally anything and everything for sale. We are tentatively planning on returning next Monday to set up at one of them.

It is off to the gulf tomorrow. We can’t wait to see the water and get a little beach time in!

One of the smaller Flea Markets at Webster, FL