Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Last Updated: July 6, 2026
Land O’Lakes is a peaceful community in Pasco County, located just north of Tampa and within easy reach of Clearwater and St. Petersburg. We made it our home base for several weeks while our Newmar Dutch Star received its annual Freightliner service at the factory service center in Tampa — about an hour’s drive away. After the sun-drenched Keys and the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs, it felt wonderful to settle into a quieter rhythm for a while.
Last Updated: July 6, 2026
From Everglades City we drove a few hours north along congested city streets to reach Tarpon Springs on Florida’s Gulf Coast — a town unlike any other in Florida. While most of the state’s tourist towns lean on beaches and theme parks, Tarpon Springs leans on something far more distinctive: a thriving Greek-American community, a working sponge industry, and a waterfront that feels more like a Greek island village than the American South. It is one of the most culturally interesting stops on Florida’s west coast, and paired with the nearby towns of Dunedin and Clearwater, it made for a memorable few days.
Last Updated: July 4, 2026
From Grassy Key it was a few hours’ drive northwest to Everglades City, where we set up at Everglades Isle Motorcoach Resort for the next stretch of our winter travels. Everglades City turned out to be an ideal base for exploring Big Cypress National Preserve — one of the largest national preserves in the United States and one of the most remarkable wildlife habitats in North America. We had visited the area once before and stayed on Chokoloskee Island, but that trip was cut short when we were evacuated due to flooding from storm surge. This time, we wanted higher ground — and the wildlife did not disappoint.
Last Updated: July 4, 2026
Grassy Key is one of approximately 1,700 islands that make up the Florida Keys. Located in the Middle Keys just northeast of Marathon, it sits at roughly mile marker 58 on the Overseas Highway — far enough from Key Largo to feel genuinely remote, close enough to Marathon to have access to restaurants, groceries, and activities. In the past we stayed at Big Pine Key, which is southwest of Marathon, but at the time we made our reservations, they were still rebuilding the RV park there from Hurricane Irma. Grassy Key turned out to be a wonderful alternative — a peaceful, waterfront retreat that we ended up staying at for two full weeks.
Last Updated: July 4, 2026
Key Largo was about a 3-hour drive south from Jupiter, Florida. The Florida Keys offer something unlike anywhere else in the continental United States — an island chain stretching 120 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, connected by 42 bridges along the Overseas Highway. We were looking forward to being in the Florida Keys again, even though they can be warm and humid in December. For us, the wildlife and scenery more than made up for the weather.
Last Updated: July 4, 2026
Jupiter, Florida was a wonderful location to spend a week and visit my brother Jeff. Three years earlier, when we first bought our motorhome, we had stayed at the Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach — it was a memorable experience, and while we would have loved to hear the lions again, we wanted something a little quieter this time around. We found it, and then some.
