Once we recovered from our first crazy drive out, nature called and we opted to head east to the edge of Biscayne Bay and the very small (and free) National Park located next to Homestead Bayfront Park. About eight miles east of SoCo, we passed the Homestead Miami Speedway- go NASCAR!!, several schools, gated communities and many nurseries.

Headed to a garden center or luxury estate?

Remains of old causeway at Convoy Point in Biscayne Nat’l Park

Everything is in two languages down here- too bad I only know le petit Francais!

Castellow Hammock Nature Trails was the perfect “short trail with info”  aka, Interpretive trail walk with a butterfly and hummingbird garden out front. Google maps took us close, but we had to engage our brains and go over one block to the entrance. With all the roads crisscrossing and who can tell SW 162^nd street from SE 126th street, each with names and probably another number, listening to Missy jr. rattle off directions like, “turn right on SW 344^th, NE 344^th, Getlost Drive” is almost comical if you weren’t panicked at trying to figure out where to turn while not getting rear-ended as you slow to 40mph! But enough of the driving dangers in one of the top ten high crime small cities in the country!! Sorry honey, I had no idea!

Who cares about getting lost when such beauty lines the roadside!

We found the trail

Bet the path went purposely under this- duck!

The Strangler Fig shown below is huge and it has covered nearly the entire tree it chose for its host. The word “fig” is deceptive as you think “small”, but the Strangler is determined to live and it grows around and up whichever tree it chooses. This pair had begun growing in the normal “up” mode but then the host tree fell and still the fig continued to grow up toward the sun.

A humongous Strangler Fig covers a fallen host tree

The 7ft deep hole was probably a tidal pool back when the sea covered much of south Florida. The Gumbo Limbo Tree is also known as the Tourist Tree because its red, peeling bark is like those who bake too long in the sun.

Solution hole dating back 150,000 years

Gumbo Limbo tree

Snuggled together at our site at Southern Comfort

We began our winter with a couple of woodsy KOA stays, a parking lot with shrubs RV resort (you can call yourself a resort if you offer a pool), two Florida state parks, a trailer park with mobile homes and RV sites in Sanibel, then coming to rest at Venture Out Resort on Cudjoe Key for 41 nights. We’ll spend two weeks (1/31- 2/14) here at Southern Comfort RV Resort which gets about 6 out of 10 stars from me. It’s more like an average regular private campground in Florida, with a budget friendly nightly cost far less than a resort in the Keys.

We like the state parks best and campgrounds with a similar vibe and access to biking and walking trails. SoCo is more campground and not so much resort with grass in lieu of concrete as at Venture Out. This sounds nice at first until you discover way more ants and whatever bit the top of my foot leaving it swollen, itchy and feeling like it had been stomped on. Sites are close and this makes for terrific people, camper, dog and cat watching.

Back to back, you are close to your neighbor

Dogs up to 40 lbs at maturity are allowed (but not enforced), no aggressive breeds and please clean up after. What I thought was our neighbor’s cat turned out to be one of four SoCo strays that hang around. So who’s cleaning up after the cats? No one, so watch where you step if you weren’t doing so already. Day one I went barefoot until Russ had to clean off his shoes, then switched from flip-flops to topsiders after getting bit.

One of the park cats enjoys a quick play with a sunshade

We’ve seen RVs come and go but the majority are here for the 3 or 4 winter months. Not overly friendly nor unfriendly, many with dogs, many smokers and a 60/40 mix of Class A motorhomes and 5^th wheels/travel trailers with a few tents and tiny campers tossed in. We spent a few days being amazed by the tiny camper that arrived the day after us. I was taking a rare sun basking when they pulled up, looked around and I figured that a pickup truck was parked where they needed to be. You are supposed to keep your and your visitor’s vehicles on your site, but many sites are vacant so they become overflow parking. The man approached me wondering if I knew who owned the truck but I could only suggest he check at the office. Sounded French Canadian.

Across the road a fifth wheel backs in

The Quebec couple purchased the van/camper in Alaska; they are hard-core living in a tiny space. We smiled when the top popped up and later a heating/AC unit became visible. Then an awning came out with legs secured with stakes. The gorgeous Harley is trailer towed along with several large containers of “stuff”.

The tiny van grows up!

The elevated pool is nice, the Tiki bar dark, the rec hall large with Wi-Fi available and a full bookcase along with games and puzzles to borrow or work on a table with a task lamp. Dumpsters fill up quickly even though the resort isn’t full. The laundry room is a busy place with inefficient dryers; loving my Splendide more each day.

Route 1 Dixie Highway is one block away and you take your life in your hands driving it during rush hours or weekends. Found Jersey Boardwalk Pizza 3 miles north on Rte 1, big mistake for our first drive out on a Saturday night! One of the many Walgreens around is a mile away with a RedBox and we spent 30 mins getting the movie and the pizza. Wrong lanes, wrong turns and this was using Google map on the iPhone. Most shopping plazas have side entrances only or the way in is so convoluted you can’t be sure if you are in the right place or not.

A Renegade with a Freightliner chassis and front-end diesel cab. Unusual being all white. Think we’ve seen ones before in color

The only safe place to bike is in the resort; no bike paths on our road or even close by and cars zoom when they can. A calendar of events shows regular shuffleboard and horseshoe events, cards and games many evenings, bingo and special breakfasts and dinners a few times monthly. An Ok place, good enough for a two-week stay; we look forward to our upcoming Everglades stay and four county and state park visits through March 23.