I’m not the only one who looks forward to the “snowbirds”, or whatever they like to be called, leaving the state.
It is now June, and they are gone. I suspect many leave in April, but surely by June they have gone back to their other homes. I can’t even imagine have two great homes to live in. Anyway…
This means that the traffic should be a lot better. Florida is still a very overcrowded place, but when all the northerners show up it’s horrible. And they keep coming. Everyone wants to move here, for some reason.
Camping spots may also be easier to grab – the nice ones that are never available. My niece just got this beautiful spot on the beachside area at Gamble Rogers. It was a cancellation and she snapped it up for the weekend! Unheard of!
We’ve stayed at Gamble Rogers campground a few times, but never on the beachside. With only 2 or 3 sites that have an actual ocean view, it’s tough to grab a spot like this one.
Now that summer is here, we do not have any camping trips planned. I’m hoping to get out on the boat and do some lounging in the water. We won’t camp again until September when we will visit Wekiwa Springs for a couple of days. It will be hot, and I hope to swim in the spring.
So there is less traffic, and camping spots are easier to book, but who wants to go out and about in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity? Camping in heat is manageable, but it’s the packing and unpacking that gets me.
By the Way, I am a Northerner
I was born in the Northeast and consider myself a northerner, but I am not the rich type who can live in two different homes during the year. Yes, you are rich if you have two homes. I know that more and more people have lots of money these days. It is why everything costs more. Too many people can afford to pay the high prices. (Here is a blog post about a happy “snowbird” and her stay on the Gulf Coast.)
Some northerners come down to Florida and stay in their second home for the winter. Some stay in a condo, some camp. Whatever they do, they are escaping the winter, and I can’t blame them. But all those people add a great number to the already overpopulated state. Land is becoming scarce, and expensive, because it is in demand. Florida’s ecology is in trouble. Roads keep getting widened, and more and more businesses move in to keep up with the demand of vehicles, fast food, and shopping they do when they are here. When they leave for summer, things get a little better, but it is temporary.
Although summer is horrible here, people still come for vacation. Kids are out of school and the beaches are crowded. In Fall it’s Biketoberfest, in Spring it’s Race Week, Bike Week, and Spring Break. Florida is simply a place I don’t want to be no matter what time of year it is.
But, while I wait to have the money to move, I enjoy camping. I also enjoy getting out on the boat, but we don’t do that nearly enough these days. Both activities take me to the old Florida feel, where nature abounds and people are scarce.
In August I will get a short trip back to New Hampshire for my youngest son’s wedding. I won’t have time to sit back and relax much, but just being in that northern environment will renew my soul.
Thanks for reading. Here are some other stories for you.
