A GREAT BIRTHDAY GIFT

Happy Birthday to me!  I have been staying at Port Saint Lucie RV Park, space #50, since 2/13.  It is a typical RV parking lot with campers packed in like sardines.   It isn’t the park, but the location.  Close to my Florida friends, and beaches.  I spent the summer of 2016 in Stuart, FL house sitting for my friends Michelle and Duane.  My first summer of retirement and freedom.  Stuart is only 10 miles south.

Reservations are required, if you want to winter in FL.  Snow birds come for 2 – 3 months in their mammoth RVs, and book months in advance.  Scout is the very smallest trailer in the park.  Our space lacks a picnic table and cable TV.  Picnic tables are the most frequent casualty of backing up an RV, I am told.

“Keep checking”, said Sandy in the office.  I was supposed to leave today, February 22, my 64th birthday.  I wanted to stay longer, but there was no space available.  

Sandy offered 3 additional days, but in space #55, about 100 feet away, 5 spaces down.  The move would require: packing-up, stowing stuff, hooking-up, pulling-out, backing-in, un-hooking, unpacking…100 yards down, 5 spaces away, for 3 additional days.  I was ready to make the move.

Best of all, I would give my neighbors another show of how I (a signle woman) can back-in my 20′ Airstream.  No simple task, but I am getting better each time I do it, solo.  Though there is always a guy around who wants to give me advice and assistance.  Mansplaining at it’s best, which I accept gratefully.

Happily, Sandy called me on the morning of my birthday.  Space #50 was now available until March 1.  The VERY BEST birthday gift, no move required.

Stuff happens, people who reserved months ago, possibly last winter, may not make it.  Their family tragedy, a death in the family, snow birds traveling south to escape the winter, but had to turn back.  My silver lining.

In this case, because I am staying another week, my future reservations need to pushed back.  It took me most of the morning to adjust my March and April reservations.

The rest of my birthday consisted of oysters, and a walk on the beach with my BFF Michelle.  Only  365 days until I become Medicare eligible.  Who would have thought I would be counting the days until I turn 65 years of age!  

More about Campgrounds:

All campgrounds are not created equal.   In addition to public county, state and national park campgrounds, there are private campgrounds like KOA, ENCORE, Thousand Trails, and others.  Private RV resorts are trailer parks under the guise of “RESORT”.  Many have full-time residents that use to travel in their RVs, but got too old or too tried, or both and parked the RV permanently.  Others have given up their RVs entirely, and have converted to a module home.  I have been amazed at how many handicapped or disabled people are living in RV parks.  People in wheelchairs, scooters, and some with oxygen tanks.   Sadly, I have met several couples with disabled adult children.  The economics of RVing may make sense?

County, state and national parks are truly campgrounds, but typically, stays are limited to 14 days.  In the private “resorts” discounts are offered for weekly, monthly or longer stays.  I admit to enjoying swimming pools, showers and laundry facilities.  Yes, I am living in an Airstream, but it doesn’t mean I am “roughing it”.  Let’s face it my friends, I don’t rough it.  I like hot water, electricity and even cable TV.  

I could have moved into a 55 and older community, but I wanted to travel.  RVers enjoy the community an RV Resort offers, pickle ball, shuffle board and swimming pool, etc.  

Friday night the French Canadians are making tacos!  $5 gets you 2 tacos.  Monday morning, they came around collecting the $5 and getting a head count for tacos.  I answered my door in my pajamas, but they didn’t seem to mind.  Many people walk their dogs in PJs, not me.

I have found the public campgrounds are much nicer when it comes to size of the lots, but the public amenities are hit and miss.  Florida state campgrounds I have stayed in have been wonderful.  Clean bathrooms and really nice size camping sites with picnic tables and sometimes fire pits.  A mix of private and public is my preference.  You won’t find me boondocking, camping on public lands out the the wilderness.  I have been there and done that in Alaska.    I prefer hot showers, swimming pools and laundry facilities, that is as rough as I want.

Happy Birthday to me.