February 2021 - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Winter in Florida, Two Weeks Early in 2021

Winter in Florida

Winter in Florida, what could be better? Early last year, I booked five weeks at three of our favorite Florida State Parks. At the time, we did not have to consider a pandemic or a puppy in our plans. However, because of the pandemic and the puppy, we completely cancelled two weeks at Topsail and the first week at Tomoka State Park. Our puppy was very new to us and we did not think such a long trip was a good idea.

We had a one-night stopover at Eastbank COE, just over the Florida state line and four stops at Florida campgrounds. The campgrounds were predictable because each stop was at a campground we have previously visited and loved.

Tomoka State Park

Our longest stop was eight nights at Tomoka State Park and a couple of friends were there with us for several days. We loved seeing them, but it was bitter cold and windy for most of their stay. The pandemic made it a problem for inside visiting, so we did not get to socialize in a normal manner. However, it was wonderful to see them.

The gorgeous natural canopy at Tomoka protected us from the high winds and our awning was a great space to escape the rain.

Because of the weather, puppy, and pandemic, we spent a lot of time walking through the campground. Fortunately, it is a beautiful place with live oak trees and Spanish Moss. The beauty of it made the challenges somewhat easier.

Our puppy loved seeing all the people and their dogs. It was a great opportunity for socialization for her.

We did have a few days with warmer weather, but rain was a frequent visitor. This was very different from our visit last year to Tomoka.

Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch is an awesome park, but our site was not the best. Just dirt with no gravel. It had been raining and there were muddy areas. The dirt proved to be a challenge, but we did have some good weather during our four-night stay.

There is a fabulous beach in the park. It was so peaceful and satisfying to walk on it with the gentle sea breeze blowing.

There were nesting birds on a section of the beach. I have never seen so many congregated at a single spot. Evidently, this is a normal occurrence because there was a sign asking that they not be disturbed.

The photo below is a path that leads to a lookout over marshland with a lighthouse in the distance. It was a nice little walk through some lovely vegetation.

Our only real sightseeing we did outside out of the campgrounds was a visit to Kingsley Plantation. It is Florida’s oldest standing plantation. An audio tour could be accessed via a smartphone for loads of details about life on the plantation and circumstances experienced by its inhabitants. The plantation is part of the National Park Service.

Coastline RV

Sadly, I did not get very many photos at Coastline RV. That is a shame because it is a wonderful campground. Check out our previous post, Camping in Relative Luxury if you would like to see lots of photos showing how nice it is.

We met our friends there for a couple of days on our way home. They were there for a month, but we were only there a couple of nights. It was great seeing them and the weather was not bad during this stop.

Winter in Florida Food

We had most meals in our camper, but did get to enjoy some local cuisine. At Tomoka, we had takeout from Hulls Seafood and Alfie’s Restaurant. Both were excellent. We also had carry out pizza with our friends while they were at Tomoka. The pizza was good and the company was great.

While at Fort Clinch, we had a wonderful outdoor lunch at The Sandollar. On the way to our campground, we picked up a delicious lunch at Fancy Sushi.

Lastly, when visiting our friends at Coastline, we had two nice meals at restaurants with outside seating . That was really special, food I didn’t cook and conversation with good friends. There has not been much of that in the last year. That drink below was mine—a margarita with strawberries and jalapeño peppers. It was awesome!

This was not one of our best trips because of the challenges of COVID-19, bad weather, and new puppy accommodations. Even so, it was better than staying at home and we made some progress at camping with a pet. Looking forward to getting out again soon!

Happy camping!

New Puppy and Her First Camping Trip

New Puppy

We took a camping trip with a brand new puppy after traveling for four years without any pet and after having no dog for decades. We have a precious goldendoodle, Sophie, who was three months old when we begin our two-week trip. This major change will certainly have a big impact on how we experience camping.

Sophie is such a smart girl. She is progressing well on potty training and has learned basic commands such as sit, down, stay, and leave it. But, she can be quite a handful. Biting and nipping, standard puppy behavior, is a challenge every day. So, it will be interesting how she adapts to a camping environment.

Paraphernalia and Limited Space

Our T@B 400 is a wonderful camper, but space is definitely limited. We chose a doodle predicted to top out between 35-45 pounds. She will not require a lot of room in the camper, but when you add all her stuff, it will have an impact.

Undoubtedly, the biggest use of space is her crate. We have an interim crate that is smaller than what she would need if fully grown, but it certainly takes up our dining space.

We also brought a variety of items including toys, bully sticks, a brush and comb, harnesses and leashes. I packed those in a covered box. Lastly, we needed food for the two weeks and her bowls. Whew, camping has become much more complicated!

Riding in the Car

Sophie has previously taken a couple of short trips (45 minutes one way), so we believed she would be okay riding in the car. However, we didn’t know how she would do on a much longer trip. I am delighted to say that she was a real trooper. Mostly, she slept in her crate. We made frequent stops to stretch her legs and for potty breaks. She was such a good girl in the car!

Puppy and First Night Camping

Out trip consisted of three different campgrounds with a one night stopover at a Corps of Engineers campground. This would let us know how she would adapt to new surroundings and sleeping in the camper.

Puppy in camper — Sophie’s First Night in the Camper

She slept wonderfully well in our camper, just like at home. I think she was a bit tired from the long drive, but she was a good little camper.

Three Campgrounds

We stayed at three campgrounds, Tomoka State Park for eight nights, Fort Clinch State Park for four, and Coastline for two. The awning and rug helped with the sandy site at Tomoka and the dirt site at Fort Clinch.

Hanging out on the rug at Tomoka State Park

I wish I could say that she stayed on the rug most of the time and played, but she did not. She discovered digging! So it was sand at Tomoka and dirt at Fort Clinch and it made quite the mess!

She was so sweet to have as a campsite buddy though. The potty training continued to go well and she was mostly a nice companion.

However, she would not leave sticks and Spanish Moss alone. We were constantly taking them away from her.

Campground Environments

It rained a lot at Fort Clinch and because the sites were dirt only, we had a horrible, muddy mess.

We have dealt with wet campsites before, but kept our trekking in and out to a minimum. But, that was not an option with a puppy who had to go out often.

Our last campsite was a dream for puppy camping though. Coastline RV was all bricks, concrete, and gravel.

Walking with Sophie

Sometimes, it was easy to walk Sophie. She would stay close and not pull. I began working with her to heel. At times, she did an amazing job. At other times, she became a crazy puppy. She would bite on her leash, jump upon us, and nip at our hand and clothes. It was like a switch was flipped. That part was not fun!

One thing she really loved about walking was encountering other dogs and people. She loved them and tried to go see everyone near her. That tail would be wagging like crazy! It was a joy to see all that puppy happy.

First Visit to a Restaurant

We had a very delicious lunch at Sandollar, a restaurant with outside seating on the water. It is a very dog-friendly establishment. Our server was very responsive to Sophie and gave her a big bowl of water. You can’t really tell by the picture below, but Sophie was really good. She just didn’t want to pose for a picture.

Puppy’s first restaurant visit — First Restaurant Visit

Puppy Camping Conclusion

So, our new puppy is a great little traveler. The issues we had with her, such as the biting and not behaving on the leash are issues we had at home as well. I hope she will outgrow those tendencies with proper training. The downside is that our small camper is much tighter with the three of us. We may have to get a bigger camper at some point in the future.

Lastly, if you would like to see more of our posts, check out our page, Retirement and teardrop camping!

Happy Camping from the three of us!

Mushrooms and Pasta, Fancy Camping Food

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the vegetable for this weeks’s Good Friends Good Food cooking group. My husband and I are on a two-week camping trip, so my dish was prepared in our small teardrop camper. The only real concession was that I used my Instant Pot for its sauté function because I didn’t have a large skillet.

This is a very simple recipe for Portabella Mushrooms and Pasta that is easy to make and more delicious than you would expect. The recipe was obtained many years ago from a friend. This version has goat cheese, but the original was for feta. However, both work well in the dish.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 c. Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Garlic Cloves
6 oz (2 large) Portabella Mushrooms, sliced
1 jar Roasted Red Pepper, cut into slices
8 oz. Fettuccine or Spaghetti, cooked
6 oz. Goat or Feta Cheese

Directions

Bring 3/4 c. broth, garlic, and butter in a large skillet. Next, add mushrooms and cook on high heat until tender and liquid is reduced by half.

Add red pepper to mushroom mixture and heat through. Next, add pasta and remaining broth and toss until coated.

Lastly, serve with cheese evenly placed over top.

Mushrooms and Pasta cooked in Instant Pot

This Version

This was my first time to serve this dish with goat cheese. We were shopping for ingredients in a small, gourmet market that did not have feta cheese, so I substituted the goat. It was delicious! Though there is no meat in this dish, my husband, a serious carnivore, loved it. It was also quite fancy camping food.

I always use Barilla Protein Plus for all my pasta dishes. It tastes much like regular pasta, but has more protein and fiber. I especially like it for a vegetarian dish such as this.