Ellenton, FL April 29, 2012

Sunday, we drove into Bradenton to the Red Barn Flea Market off US 41.  It is a very large outdoor/indoor market.  We enjoyed the walking and looking,  but there was nothing we wanted to buy.  After we left, we picked up Charlie Dog from the unit and decided to see what was on US 301 north of us.  We saw a sign for the Little Manatee River State Park and decided to check it out.  We drove around the campground, picnic area, equestrian trails, and stopped at the canoe launch, which looked like a scene from Potemkin with steep steps leading down to the river.  It seemed it would be very difficult to transport a canoe down it, and I can't imagine why it was constructed like that.  We did come across two families already on the river, enjoying the old Florida feel of the park. We later headed home for more mundane things...like laundry and getting ready to head out in the morning.

Anna Marie Island

After our visit to Gamble Mansion, we decided to take a ride to Anna Marie Island across from the mainland on SR64.  We had been forewarned that there was going to be a huge celebration for Hernando Desoto Day, culminating late afternoon in a parade several miles long that would go through downtown Bradenton.  The traffic was extremely heavy in town and on the beach road.  We turned south and went into Cortez, one of the old fishing villages in Florida where we had stayed a few years ago, and had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the bay.  Thankfully, we were able to skirt most of the traffic heading back.  By the time we got to our RV site, it began raining.  Nice evening to curl up with a good book. Too bad it "rained on their parade!"

Gamble Mansion Ellenton FL

Friday morning, we packed up and drove south to Ellenton, about 30 miles from Ft DeSoto.  We had booked a 3 night stay at Ellenton Gardens, a travel resort that has mostly full time and seasonal residents, with a few sites for short term visitors.  The resort is nothing fancy, but nicely maintained, with a heated pool, large rec room, clean laundry facilities, full hook ups, including cable tv, and for $19 a night with our Passport America discount, you can't ask for much more.  We chose this park because it is close to Gamble Mansion, a historic site we wanted to see.

After the Second Seminole War, Major Robert Gamble acquired property along the Manatee River through the Armed Occupation Act which gave settlers 160 acres in exchange for a promise to live on the land for at least 5 years.  He ended up with 3450 acres in all.  Gamble began construction of the two story 10 room brick and tabby home in 1843, and completed it in 1849.  He established a sugar plantation there, but by 1856, the decline in the sugar market caused him to sell the house in 1859.  He moved to Tallahassee, and took all his furnishings with him.  The mansion eventually changed hands and later fell into disrepair until the United Daughters of the Confederacy bought the property in 1925 and deeded it to the State of Florida as a historic landmark.  The UDC designated the site The Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial in as much as Benjamin, the Confederate Secretary of State, holed up in the mansion for a few days (then under a different owner than Gamble) prior to his escape from the United States at the close of the Civil War.

This is the only antebellum mansion left in South Florida. The interior furnishings are donations from other homes of the same period. The inside does not have the fancy woodwork or frills that many other plantation homes did.  Gamble was a bachelor, a working farmer, and the production of sugar and molasses was his primary concern.  He had a 40,000 gallon cistern constructed next to the house to collect rain water.  The lime from the tabby helped purify the water, thus insuring none of the staff or guests would contract dysentery from contaminated well water. Today, there are 15 acres with picnic areas among the live oaks in addition to a museum in the Visitor Center.  

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Happy #26 anniversary to us!  We celebrated by going to the beach.  We decided to try the east beach on the bay side instead of the west one of the Gulf.  We had never been to the east one, and it turned out it was a lot easier to get to, having side walks instead of having to walk a distance from the parking lot over sand dunes.  The east beach also had a lot of picnic tables in the shade as well as a couple of large pavilion shelters. We practically had the whole beach to ourselves.  The water was still too cool for a dip,  but we enjoyed the sun, surf, and scenery, including the Skyway Bridge and sponges on the beach.

After visiting the fort, we walked the pier where several people were fishing, but no one was catching anything.  The pelicans and the dolphin in the water (in the last photo) were having more success, as were the lazy egrets who weren't too shy about feasting on the bait minnows one fellow had landed in his cast net.

Wednesday, April 25th, was still cool, so we went sightseeing to the fort in the park.  It was constructed for protection during the Spanish-American war, although thankfully, the troops stationed there never had to engage in any action.  The pilings of the buildings that had been there (supply house, barracks, and other housing) were uncovered by park workers and a self-guided trail wends through them.   There is a museum in the reconstructed Quartermaster'store that depicts the history of  Tampa, St Pete, Edgemont Key, Mullet Key, and Ft DeSoto.  From the top of the fortress is a beautiful panorama of the beach and surrounding area.

Day 1 of Trip to Jersey April 2012

On Tuesday, April 24th, 2012, we left Bonita for a month long journey on our way to Rachel and Nathan's wedding in Basking Ridge, NJ, on May 19th.  The plan was to stop at several beaches along the way.  The first one would be at Ft DeSoto Park near St Pete, FL.  We had to cancel the reservations we had there for last year, and needed to use them by the summer, so we thought that would be a good place to spend our 26th anniversary.

About an hour from home on I-75, another RVer was motioning to us.  At first we thought the lady was going gaga over Charlie Dog, as so many passing motorists do, but it turns out she was telling us we had a flat tire!  Bob pulled off the road, and sure enough, one of the  trailer tires on the passenger side had blown....again!  It must be something like a "rite of passage" or sacrifice to the road god. This was at least the 6th time we've had a tire blow, and the 3rd time on that particular axle.  Bob can't figure out what is going wrong. Before we headed out, he made sure the pressure in the tires was right and all were in good condition.  Luckily, we were able to get another tire in Sarasota, about a half hour up the road.  The mechanic there said the valve core of the tire was missing.  It might have vibrated out which caused the tire to blow.  Anyway, after $116, we were on the road again, hopeful that would be the worst of bad luck along the way.

The weather was unseasonably cool, but gorgeous after the rains of a few days ago.  We got to our campsite, set up, and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the peaceful outdoors, and later a campfire.