Different places we've been and a pictorial of them
Well the trailer on the left is what we started out with when we took a notion to get a trailer. It is called "Apache Ramada" which is the largest one they made. It had hard sides and all the conveniences except toilet (which was a ... pardon the expression ... "bummer!" This was in 1974 when I was doing a movie and had the time for some travel. We used it every opportunity we had to "get away from it all." At the same time we met some interesting people as campers as a rule are really a very special breed. The fact that we had to crank the top up and down each tme we stopped and that it had no toilet facilities made it too inconvenient while travelling. It wasn't too long until we decided to go "big time" and get the rig you see on the right. A beautiful 33 foot Master Coach Trailer with every conceivable convenience! I always drove Chryseler New Yorker in those days anyway so it was no problem pulling this monster. It weighed 6,000 pounds empty but was equipped with airplane brakes, four wheels which made it so you could drive at any speed (within reason of course) without even knowing it was behind you! That is except when there were high winds so in that case we simply parked it until the weather was calmer. Both these places show us while parked in Florida where I was trying to get a picture of a rattlesnake about to strike me. (Picture to follow.)
It took a lot of patience and time looking for this rascal and when I found him he wasn't the friendliest southerner I'd met for sure. He was a true "grandaddy" Eastern Diamond Back Rattler as he was about seven feet long. I took this one with one of my cameras using print film and a normal 55mm lens. I refuse to use telephoto for these little challenges! Anybody can do that. I wanted "more action" from him so I switched to another camera with slides and a faster film. I stupidly crawled on my belly toward him ... snapping away, forgetting that I had to "back out" on my belly after finishing. This of course was after I had agitated him the most. I have to confess that not all the slides were in good focus :-) I have been fascinated with and have studied poisonous snakes all my life and know pretty well when a rattler is going to strike when he's approached slowly. They are truly "gentlemen", really as they always give you fair warning to stay away by increasing the loudness of their rattle. Unless you step on one or surprise them they will ineviteably give fair warning before striking. I just have to get that gadget that scans slides as the most interesting ones are on slides. Anyway, I thought I'd introduce you to "one of my friends" here. There he is just beside that tree and starting to give me a piece of his mind too.
We often booked a site at Fort Desoto Park which is run by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department and is a stretch of land that sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa Bay. The picture on your right is a typical sunset from our campsite. I think you'd have to go a long way to find a more magnificent setting, don't you? Fort Desoto, like most every other place now is being filled with condos and commercialism unfortunately so we have no urge whatsoever to go back there. Nice memories though as we lived in Florida for some time years ago. Nowadays in my opinion, it's a mess and a commercial "rip-off!" The picture on the left is one of Joyce there in those "better days." Oh sure, when you live in sub-tropical climate you have to learn to adapt to an entirely different "set of rules." You never walk through long grass without stamping your feet to warn the rattlers away. You never reach into a flower bed without doing the same and on it goes. You learn these things and learn them fast. I want to thank Larry Haskell, well known Lawyer of Shelburne for sending me an e-mail and correcting me on this point about poisonous snakes there. I had it that there were 32 species of poisonous ones when in reality there are only seven. Thanks Larry.I since looked it up and according to Compton's there are 40 species of snake in Florida including the rattlers, moccasins and coral snakes which are deadly. That's all it says in that write-up anyway. I told you I was getting kind of old and am certainly capable of getting some things wrong ... not many though:-) There are also sting rays, sharks, alligators AND salt water crocodiles which are found in the southern part of Florida. Do their brochures tell the tourists about this in their brochures? Hell no ... that might scare those almighty Canadian dollars away! They don't warn you about those nasty scorpians and sand creeper vines that are along the beaches and stick you with a most painful barb not unlike a porcupine quill that causes no end of pain and aggravation. But Florida is nice though
The scene on the left is the beach at Clearwater, Florida. It is on the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the better public beaches to be found on the west coast of Florida. I couldn't help but put the picture on the right in here as it is the world's largest Rhododendron Garden. It is located at the Tennessee/North Carolina border and covers 600 acres! Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in eastern America is seen in the background. As a matter of fact it would be a good idea for anyone to take the "Blue Ridge" Highway through that country. It is awe-inspiring to say the least, especially in summer and fall.
The picture on the left was taken at Wilmington, North Carolina where they were "parking" the old World War Two Battleship "U. S. S. North Carolina" to be used as a display Museum. It had served throughout the world plus many battles against the Japanese Empire. We had the pleasure of being aboard it and saw the immensity of these old battleships of their day. It carried a crew of over 4,000 men. Today they would almost be considered "dwarfs" compared to the size of one now. Even the nuclear submarines of today have reached sizes similar to this grand old lady! I drop this in here for your viewing pleasure, realizing that my "continuity" is not really the best but what the hell I do call my Web Site "Pot Pourri" don't I?
Well the trailer on the left is what we started out with when we took a notion to get a trailer. It is called "Apache Ramada" which is the largest one they made. It had hard sides and all the conveniences except toilet (which was a ... pardon the expression ... "bummer!" This was in 1974 when I was doing a movie and had the time for some travel. We used it every opportunity we had to "get away from it all." At the same time we met some interesting people as campers as a rule are really a very special breed. The fact that we had to crank the top up and down each tme we stopped and that it had no toilet facilities made it too inconvenient while travelling. It wasn't too long until we decided to go "big time" and get the rig you see on the right. A beautiful 33 foot Master Coach Trailer with every conceivable convenience! I always drove Chryseler New Yorker in those days anyway so it was no problem pulling this monster. It weighed 6,000 pounds empty but was equipped with airplane brakes, four wheels which made it so you could drive at any speed (within reason of course) without even knowing it was behind you! That is except when there were high winds so in that case we simply parked it until the weather was calmer. Both these places show us while parked in Florida where I was trying to get a picture of a rattlesnake about to strike me. (Picture to follow.)
It took a lot of patience and time looking for this rascal and when I found him he wasn't the friendliest southerner I'd met for sure. He was a true "grandaddy" Eastern Diamond Back Rattler as he was about seven feet long. I took this one with one of my cameras using print film and a normal 55mm lens. I refuse to use telephoto for these little challenges! Anybody can do that. I wanted "more action" from him so I switched to another camera with slides and a faster film. I stupidly crawled on my belly toward him ... snapping away, forgetting that I had to "back out" on my belly after finishing. This of course was after I had agitated him the most. I have to confess that not all the slides were in good focus :-) I have been fascinated with and have studied poisonous snakes all my life and know pretty well when a rattler is going to strike when he's approached slowly. They are truly "gentlemen", really as they always give you fair warning to stay away by increasing the loudness of their rattle. Unless you step on one or surprise them they will ineviteably give fair warning before striking. I just have to get that gadget that scans slides as the most interesting ones are on slides. Anyway, I thought I'd introduce you to "one of my friends" here. There he is just beside that tree and starting to give me a piece of his mind too.
We often booked a site at Fort Desoto Park which is run by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department and is a stretch of land that sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa Bay. The picture on your right is a typical sunset from our campsite. I think you'd have to go a long way to find a more magnificent setting, don't you? Fort Desoto, like most every other place now is being filled with condos and commercialism unfortunately so we have no urge whatsoever to go back there. Nice memories though as we lived in Florida for some time years ago. Nowadays in my opinion, it's a mess and a commercial "rip-off!" The picture on the left is one of Joyce there in those "better days." Oh sure, when you live in sub-tropical climate you have to learn to adapt to an entirely different "set of rules." You never walk through long grass without stamping your feet to warn the rattlers away. You never reach into a flower bed without doing the same and on it goes. You learn these things and learn them fast. I want to thank Larry Haskell, well known Lawyer of Shelburne for sending me an e-mail and correcting me on this point about poisonous snakes there. I had it that there were 32 species of poisonous ones when in reality there are only seven. Thanks Larry. I since looked it up and according to Compton's there are 40 species of snake in Florida including the rattlers, moccasins and coral snakes which are deadly. That's all it says in that write-up anyway. I told you I was getting kind of old and am certainly capable of getting some things wrong ... not many though:-) There are also sting rays, sharks, alligators AND salt water crocodiles which are found in the southern part of Florida. Do their brochures tell the tourists about this in their brochures? Hell no ... that might scare those almighty Canadian dollars away! They don't warn you about those nasty scorpians and sand creeper vines that are along the beaches and stick you with a most painful barb not unlike a porcupine quill that causes no end of pain and aggravation. But Florida is nice though
The scene on the left is the beach at Clearwater, Florida. It is on the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the better public beaches to be found on the west coast of Florida. I couldn't help but put the picture on the right in here as it is the world's largest Rhododendron Garden. It is located at the Tennessee/North Carolina border and covers 600 acres! Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in eastern America is seen in the background. As a matter of fact it would be a good idea for anyone to take the "Blue Ridge" Highway through that country. It is awe-inspiring to say the least, especially in summer and fall.
The picture on the left was taken at Wilmington, North Carolina where they were "parking" the old World War Two Battleship "U. S. S. North Carolina" to be used as a display Museum. It had served throughout the world plus many battles against the Japanese Empire. We had the pleasure of being aboard it and saw the immensity of these old battleships of their day. It carried a crew of over 4,000 men. Today they would almost be considered "dwarfs" compared to the size of one now. Even the nuclear submarines of today have reached sizes similar to this grand old lady! I drop this in here for your viewing pleasure, realizing that my "continuity" is not really the best but what the hell I do call my Web Site "Pot Pourri" don't I?