Days 3 & 4 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

We are spending three nights at Creekfire RV Resort, a low-country Cove Community in Savannah, GA. Our friends make it a point to stay here every chance they get. We were scheduled to stay here in 2022, but our travel plans changed and we have not gotten back here until now.

But, I need to back up. Years ago, Charlie and I worked for Carefree, a mobile home and RV community owner. They owned over 100 communities in the US and Canada. I always described Carefree as a company that was owned by five friends, three of those friends were Terry Harrell, Colleen Edwards, and Dave Napp. Carefree sold all its holdings to Sun Communities. The former owners had to “stay out of the RV park business” for a period of time. When that time was over, Cove Communities was founded. 

It was 2017 and the manufactured housing industry veterans Colleen Edwards and David Napp, with backing from Montgomery Street Partners created Cove. CO – Colleen and VE - Dave. Edwards and Napp, who previously founded Encore Communities and Carefree Communities, established the venture to acquire high-quality RV and manufactured home communities. Colleen and David founded the firm and served as active leaders, retiring in 2024, at which point Montgomery Street Partners recapitalized their equity interests. The pair brought over 23 years of experience in the industry, having previously acquired over 185 communities. Under their tenure, the company acquired over 250 RV and manufactured home sites across the US, Canada, and the UK. As of May 2026, the leadership of Cove Communities is James R. Goldman, who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in late 2024 following the retirement of founders Colleen Edwards and David Napp.

Okay, back to current times… Friday night, we enjoyed a few drinks and dinner at the Lakehouse, the on-site restaurant. Even though it was overcast, the setting was perfect and the night was too! 

I enjoyed the happy hour margaritas and Charlie had rum and Pepsi. We shared chicken fingers with fries. 

The only wildlife we saw was this beautiful Monarch butterfly!

Our first full day here was Saturday May 9^th; it was an overcast day. But, we were determined to get into the lazy river! 

We waited until later in the afternoon, hoping it would warm up! It did not! We got in and acclimated to the water temperature and enjoyed floating around. It was very full of kids and adults. The adults were floating around, just like us, but the kids were in and out of the water, jumping in the river, swimming against the flow and generally being unruly. We decided that we had enough and headed back to the RV. We cleaned up and went back to the Lakehouse. 

On Saturday night they have entertainment, tonight it was a piano man, Joe Jarka. A piano player, a singer and a human jukebox! He began his musical career in Syracuse, NY. In the early '90s when a desire for a move to a warmer climate brought him to Savannah, Georgia, the party band "Double Down" was born featuring Joe on keyboards and lead vocals. This band was a mainstay in the Savannah music scene for years. In 2000, Joe was hired to play at a brand new establishment as one of their featured "Dueling Piano Players". This was a fantastic opportunity and Joe has been honing his craft alongside some of the most talented and creative people in show business ever since! It was a great evening of music, Creekfire Shrimp, and liquid libations.

Sunday, Mother’s Day, started out overcast and drizzling. But as the day dawned, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared and the blue sky and the sunshine came out! 

During my walk, I enjoyed the lake and the marshy areas in the resort. After my walk, we enjoyed a quite morning at the RV.

We enjoyed watching the neighbors! Yes, they are escape artists! 

These cute little goats live next door to the resort! These two little ones found a spot to get under the fence! 

One of their friends tried, but he was too big! The goats acted like they did this all the time! We left to go to the lazy river, before they decided to go home!

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon at the lazy river. We went between 11am and 3pm. We picked this time, because check out is 11am and check in is 2pm. We figured that it might not too busy. We were right! Today was a much better day at the lazy river! It was still cool, when you first got in… but your body adjusted! We enjoyed floating around the river. We got out a few times to cool down, because the sun was hot! 

We enjoyed a few beers during our afternoon of relaxing in the lazy river. Charlie had a blonde ale from St Petersburg FL and I had a Peanut Butter & Jelly Cream Ale from No BS in Livonia NY. Delicious!

We are waiting for the sunset… we might actually be able to see one tonight! Nope, the clouds came in again!

Tomorrow we head to Santee State Park for two nights!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 2 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

We departed the Cary State Forest in Bryceville Florida on our way to Creekfire Resort in Savannah, Georgia. The first town we came to on US 301 was Callahan FL. Callahan is named for Daniel Callahan, who helped build a railroad there in 1854. Its major industries are timber and agriculture. It was home to one of the largest mulch manufacturing plants in the country. Now they are home to the only site in Florida permitted to handle papermill sludge and ash waste. Callahan is a town that is growing but has retained its small-town feel. The town is intersected by Florida A1A on the east, Florida 301 on the west, and U.S. 1 on the north and south ends of town – hence their town motto, Crossroads to the Future.

Just north of Callahan on US 301 is the AgriCycle Farm. This farm annually recycles hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of various industrial discard streams in order to supply millions of pounds of natural soil amendments, soil blends, and potting soil materials. They have the unique ability to recover, recondition, process, and ship a wide assortment of recovered residual streams in large volumes including papermill organic sludge, fly ash, precipitated carbonates, flume grit, wood yard waste, off-specification boiler fuel solids, stockpiled bark, shives, knots, butts, and other materials previously landfilled. 

The Florida Georgia State line is actually the St. Mary's River. It is a rambling stream of black-water that separates Florida & Georgia on the east coast. It starts in the Okefenokee Swamp and winds along a 130-mile path leading to the Atlantic Ocean & the Cumberland Sound. Total distance "as the crow flies" is about 40 miles.

Folkston Georgia is home to The Okefenokee Swamp. It is a shallow, 438,000-acre, peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. It is world renowned for its amphibian populations that are bio-indicators of global health. More than 600 plant species have been identified on refuge lands.

Jesup GA was named for Thomas Jesup, a general during the Second Seminole War. I love Drive-Ins! The Jesup Drive-In Movie Theatre is Georgia's oldest drive-in movie theater, was established in 1948 by Ward Riggins Sr. It operated as a single-screen venue until the early 1970s when Tim Cockfield acquired it. Following tornado damage to the original screen in the mid-1970s, a replacement was installed from the closed Swainsboro Drive-In, and the venue expanded to two screens. In 2011, Ralph and Jamie Hickox purchased and restored the theater, aiming to preserve its 1950s architectural features. The Jesup Drive-In has received state and local recognition for its community service including 2014 Wayne County Business of the year, Georgia Small business of the year in 2018 by the Georgia Downtown Association and 2025 Renaissance Award by the Georgia Cities foundation. The Theater was practically wiped out by Hurricane Helena in 2024 but was restored by the Hickox's and reopened in the spring of 2025.

Outside of Savannah is Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, it was established as a bamboo grove around 1890, then taken over by the US Department of Agriculture in 1919. The gardens are now managed by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. They are devoted to fostering research and education. Plants from all over the world can be found in their unique collections, including several trees and shrubs which are one-of-a-kind in the US. Their historic bamboo collection includes more than 70 species, and their internationally acclaimed camellia collection is one of the largest in the country, with 36 species blooming from October to March.

We arrived at Creekfire RV Resort, a Cove community. We are here for 3 nights. Our whole reason for stopping here was so Charlie could enjoy the lazy river. It was overcast this afternoon and a bit cool. Hopefully it will clear up and warm up tomorrow afternoon!

We enjoyed dinner at the Lakehouse on the property. We had great lakeside patio seats. We enjoyed a couple of drinks and a simple dinner. 

Praying we get a nice sunset to enjoy while we are here! 

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 1 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

We are normally the "take it slow in the morning kind of travelers", but today, it was all about getting north in Florida before the lovebugs woke up. For our northern friends, love bugs are a May and September, sometimes late April and late August pest. Twice a year, pesky, invasive lovebugs swarm Florida. They are my least favorite clingy pair that spend 12 hours having intercourse and at some point they splatter their gooey insides on car hoods and windshields, flying into people’s faces, and even clinging to your clothes, thus bringing a few inside with you, yuck! They traveled to the Gulf Coast and Florida, from Central America. I wish the border had been closed when they crossed! They thrive in Florida, because of our warm humid weather and our ample decaying plant matter.

All that being said, it was 6:15 am, yes, you read that right! I am normally up and walking at this hour, but not Charlie. So, it was dark for the first hour of our two-lane adventure. So, pictures are limited and my narration will have to do. We passed through Zephyrhills on US Route 301 N. Our community began as the town of Abbott on April 18, 1888 and consisted of 280 acres. A voting district was established in 1893 followed by a post office in 1896. In 1909, Captain Harold B. Jeffries, a Civil War Union veteran from Pennsylvania purchased 35,000 acres and created the Zephyrhills Colony Company. Zephyrhills was officially founded in March of 1910 and incorporated in 1914. In 1999, the City of Zephyrhills conducted a city-wide historic resources survey, finding over 400 historic resources. Who knew Zephyrhills is so rich in history?

In the 1870s there was a small town known as Fort Dade. In the 1880s, the railroad bypassed Fort Dade a few miles to the east; the whole town packed up and moved to be next to the railroad. In 1884, the town was incorporated as Dade City. We took the 301 Bypass and skirted along the south side of the town’s centerpiece, the historic Pasco County Courthouse. It was built in 1909 and has been restored a couple of times and it is on The National Register of Historic Places. A prisoner of war camp was located in Dade City during World War Two. The camp was for German soldiers who had been captured in North Africa as part of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korp. The camp operated from 1942 to 1946. It old camp site is now the location of Pyracantha Park Civic Center.

We passed through Bushnell on 301. I kept clicking pictures of the sun rising. Interesting fact about the next town we came to Sumterville. It was the original home to the first County seat and courthouse in Sumter County. However, the only thing that remains of that original building is the historical marker, located alongside US 301.

In Belleview, US 27 and US 441 joined us on Route 301. I never noticed that US 27 was on this route before, and we have traveled this route a great deal. We continued into Citra. Along US 301 is The First Baptist Church of Citra. In December of 1876, Florida was sparsely settled and Baptist were few and far between. It was originally built in 1880. The original church building consisted of one room with three windows on each side and seated about 100 people. By 1893 the membership had outgrown the original building so a new house of worship was erected which forms the main part of the present structure.

Citra is known as the home of the pineapple orange, originally it was called the hickory orange. The name Pineapple Orange was coined in 1883 for the orange with an aroma reminiscent of a pineapple. 

The “Orange Shop” signs boasted that it was inside the orange grove, sadly that is not the case anymore.

North of Citra, we started to see smoke from the wildfires in the area. 

It stayed with us for the remainder of our drive to Cary State Forest. We did take the 301 Bypass around Starke and the new 301 Bypass around Baldwin.

We have passed this State Forest many times... never knew that had camping!

Cary State Forest was established as Florida’s second State Forest in 1937. Cary is known for its scenic mature flatwoods, sandhill and basin marsh. Using sound forest management, the Florida Forest Service provides for multiple uses of the forest resources. The forest is managed for timber production, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and ecological restoration. 

Cary State Forest offers the public a variety of passive, resource-based recreational opportunities, including hiking, RV and primitive camping, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, environmental education and hunting.

There are six water and electric sites. They are spaced far apart around a loop and each RV site has a double side concrete pad. Our site was easy to back into, because it was on a curve.  

We are here for only one night. Our quest to leave early and beat the love bugs was a success, there were only a few dead pairs on the front cap of the RV! The screen we put on in front of the radiator helped too!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 20, 21, & 22 - Bluegrass Special - Heading Home

On Saturday 9/27 I enjoyed my final walk with Sheryl in St Augustine. We found a farmer's market setting up in the Amphitheater. We walked through at the end of our walk. It's probably a good thing that neither of us had any money! I was checking out the food and Sheryl was ogling over the metal art!

We came back to the rigs and sat out and enjoyed morning beverages and good friends company! Since Gary & Sheryl did not tow their car, they left first and we followed them into the parking lot, so we could hook up the car.

We headed out on 312 and eventually got on FL 207 towards Palatka. To get into Palatka, you must cross the St Johns River on the Memorial Bridge. Four life-like copper statues, commemorating the soldiers who served, stand at both ends of the Memorial Bridge. They are affectionately known as World War I Doughboy Statues. The statues guard the base of the bridge on both sides. They were erected on the site by nationally known artist E.M. Viguesney of Spencer, Indiana. The statues have been given national publicity and nearly one hundred other statues like them have been erected to date. The “Spirit of the American Doughboy” is the only statue in the world that has the endorsement of the American Legion as being 100 percent perfect. It never was; in fact (endorsed by the American Legion), Viquesney was forced by legal action in 1936 to cease such claims.

After Palatka, we turned onto US 19. We passed by the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch. It is the location where Evans Media Source has an annual Bluegrass Festival. It is always the same time when we are in Key West with Yankee RV Tours. Maybe someday we can attend.

Along this route, it is designated as The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway. It is a 123-mile National Scenic Byway in central Florida, named for the endangered Florida black bear populations that inhabit the route. It runs east-west along State Road 40 from Ormond Beach to Silver Springs and north-south along State Road 19 from Palatka to Umatilla, showcasing the state's natural beauty through the Ocala National Forest and other conservation lands. The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway is filled with long, undisturbed stretches of natural Florida and pine-scented air. See an array of wildlife in the Ocala National Forest, the centerpiece of the byway. Designated in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the forest is home to rare and endangered plants and animals found nowhere else. 

It is also home to huge springs that discharge incredible amounts of cool, crystalline water that feed clear streams lined with lush subtropical vegetation. Located west of the Ocala National Forest is the Silver Springs Park, one of the largest spring systems in the world. Catch a glimpse of the beautiful views given by the Ocklawaha, St. Johns, and Tomoka Rivers.

I love my "crossing signs." And a Bear crossing sign is perfect to see on the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway! A Bear Crossing Sign is essential for alerting drivers to areas where bears are known to cross roads, helping to prevent accidents and protect wildlife. Florida's biggest bear populations are around Apalachicola National Forest, Ocala National Forest and Big Cypress National Preserve, each with as many as 1,000 bears.

The Ocala National Forest boasts approximately 387,000 acres of varied terrain, from highlands to coastal lowlands. It’s also dotted with more than 600 swamps, lakes, rivers and springs. The forest is also home to a wide range of flora and fauna, including the state’s largest populations of Florida black bears and scrub jays. Alligators, white-tailed deer and numerous small animals—foxes, raccoons, river otters, skunks, squirrels, bats, gopher tortoises, armadillos and more—also live here among the wooded oak hammocks, palm trees and cypress-studded wetland prairies. In addition to being a popular spot for camping and on-the-water leisure, the Ocala National Forest has a few interesting claims to fame. The movie The Yearling was filmed at the Yearling Trail near the Juniper Prairie Wilderness and Juniper Springs. The US Navy does live impact training at its Pinecastle Bombing Range in the forest, and visitors can often see F/A-18 Hornet jet fighters and other aircraft flying low over the trees before dropping their bombs in the designated range a safe distance away. The ghost town of Kerr City—the second town in Marion County, platted in 1884—is also located in the forest, having been deserted after the freezes of 1894 and 1895.

In Umatilla, we passed a sign for the "FL Elks Youth Camp." The Florida Elks Youth Camp is a recreational, outdoor camp that is open to campers who are nine through thirteen years old to attend. What I like best is they are unplugged, with no electronics used at camp for any reason. Campers spend the days participating in large-group games outside and socializing with their peers. We have toured the camp a few times with our Elks lodge. It is a very cool place!

We went through Eustis and followed roads we have traveled many times. We turned onto US 27 and arrived at Encore Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort. Our home for a few nights!

Enjoyed late lunch and a beer at Suncreek Brewery in Clermont. Suncreek was Clermont's first craft brewery located in the historic downtown development district. Together with our three onsite restaurants and an open concept, it offers an immersive and fun atmosphere to imbibe, visit and dine." Suncreek opened on Sept. 18th 2018 but had five years of development before they were able to open. After several locations fell through, they were introduced to Downtown Clermont via the Clermont ‘Master Plan’. After meeting with City Officials and partnering with local developer Paul Fallman - they were off! But, like many 'overnight success stories', it took years to realize the dream of opening a real brewery.

Once the decision was made to try and open a 'real' brewery, they went all in! They were able to move into all-grain brewing and develop the base recipes that are in production and distribution today such as Sun Squishy IPA. While the owner Bill has been brewing since college, developing recipes like Save the Blonde, Sun Squishy IPA, Moonlight Chocolate Milk Stout, and End Run Pale Ale began as 10 gallon batches in a garage - where most breweries get their start. They finally gained enough confidence to share their beer with the public. Their very first beer fest was one of the biggest, the Orlando Beer Fest. It took four weekends of brewing to get enough beer ready.

Downtown Clermont is on the rise and Suncreek Brewing Company is proud to play a small part in the city's downtown revitalization. It's fair to say they're located on the "new" West Minneola Ave - on the Legacy Loop Trail just up from Lake Minneola and the future Triathlon Beach. The brand new facility which holds the brewery along with their partner restaurants Suncreek Cafe, Michael Ali's Coal Fired Pizza and Mac'd Out Clermont.

We drove around Clermont and found these boats moored without a dock. How do people get to them?

On Sunday 9/28 I enjoyed my walk with God. It is truly a refreshing walk every Sunday. After my walk, we spent time relaxing outside enjoying our breakfast and coffee. When the sun got too hot, then we retreated into the RV.

We passed by the Minneola Schoolhouse Library yesterday. I wanted to learn more about it today.  The Minneola Schoolhouse Library in Florida is in a historic building that served as Minneola's school from 1885 to 1915. Later it was a home to local residents before being acquired by the city in 2007. The city purchased it with the intent to convert it into a library. The city opened the library in 2009, making it the Lake County Library System's first new library in decades. The library features historical aspects of the former school, such as its original wooden exterior and floors, and serves as a cherished community resource. I wish it was open on the weekends to peek inside!

We decided to have lunch at the 2nd brewery in Clermont, the Clermont Brewing Company. They boost that they are "your place for Craft Beer, Cocktails, Artisanal Food, and Live Music." No live music on Sunday, but they do offer brunch!

You can see the on-site brewery from the elevated farmhouse inspired indoor dining room. Some families enjoyed the thin crust pizzas made with house made dough from the relaxed, covered front patio seating.

Couples enjoyed the varied selection of appetizers, gourmet salads, and excellent wines, for those who prefer grapes over hops, in the bright and vibrant beer garden!

Charlie loves pretzels with his beer. So, we had pretzel bites and a "Meat Monster" thin crust wood fired pizza. He enjoyed a hazy Evermont IPA and I had a watermelon ale. Truth be told... I had two beers today and Charlie only had one! That is a rare event!

We enjoyed a quiet night in the camper for our last night on the road for this trip.

On Monday 9/29, the rain messed up my walk for a bit, so I tried to get a bit of work done while I waited. That did not work out to well. So, I finished my walk and got ready to meet with the rally coordinator at this park. In January of 2026 we are having the Yankee RV Tours Annual Tour Presentations - Pre-Tour Orientation and Reunion here. Its a new place after many years at Southern Palms in Eustis.

Our drive home is short, just over 50-miles. See you on our next #TwoLaneAdventures