March 10, 2021 Most Recent Posts:
Magnolia Springs State Park The Estero River and Recommendations
Millen, GA Koreshan State Historic Site
UPDATE: I really have to thank you all for the wonderful comments on this post which clearly put some good vibrations for me out into the universe. Today after 4 weeks of being shut out on Reserve America I landed a site for 2 weeks at the end of February 2022 at Silver Springs State Park!! Now all I have to do is fill in that 4 week gap from the middle of January until the middle of February.
Since I did nothing different than any day before and I’m in a low signal area, I credit you with my good fortune. Thank you all so much for your good wishes and support. I am one happy camper today!! Not only because I got the site but I don’t have to do it again tomorrow morning. Now I only have to keep playing the vaccination finder game.
Note: All pictures are just for fun from the last few weeks and have nothing to do with this post.
I am currently in Georgia and have been having the experiences I talk about below during my stays in both Kissimmee Prairie and Silver River and to the present here in Georgia.
Before I post about Kissimmee Prairie Preserve I want to jump into the present to say that I’ve got a serious case of those Low Down No Count Reservation Blues. Worst case I’ve had in 10 years actually
Those of you who have wintered in Florida know that you have to make reservations 11 months in advance if you want to be in Florida State Parks. That’s what I’ve done for the past 10 years. But this year, starting with reservations for mid January of 2022, I have been totally and completely shut out every single day. What’s going on here?
At this point, I have no where to be from January 16 to February 10
(that’s 25 days at a minimum) and perhaps far beyond that. My signal is not strong at the moment but I’m not at all sure it’s my internet that is the problem. I was able to post the Estero River blog from here a few days ago which indicates a strong enough signal given the pictures and still I can not get a spot in any of the 5 parks I have tried. What’s going on here?
I heard a few years ago down in the keys that a group of people were there repeatedly at Bahia Honda and that they had some sort of scheme to get them all sites. Is it just that there are thousands more RVers since covid or is there something going on? Some trick others know and I don’t. Some inside programming advantage.
And that’s not my only Low Down No Count Reservation Blues. Not only can I not get reservations for next January or February but I can’t cancel the reservations I had with Recreation.gov for parks on my planned spring trip West which got cancelled when the National Pow Wow was cancelled and in favor of going somewhere I could stay for 6 weeks and try to get the vaccine.
On February 14, I got on line to cancel 4 reservations. 2 at Gulf Islands National Seashore in both Pensacola, FL and Ocean Springs, MS, one at Potters COE in Texas and one at Big Bend National Park. I found that if you cancel on line they charge a $20 cancellation fee but if you call in, it’s only $10. As those were not the only reservations I had to cancel, saving $40 was a big deal. So I called.
The nice woman took all the reservation numbers and said the credits, minus $10 each for the reservations would be credited back to my card. The next day I got an email confirming that one of them, the Potter’s COE, had been cancelled and sure enough, my credit card showed a credit.
A week later no other emails or credits for the other 3. So I called waited on line for over an hour and they said they were “pending”. A WEEK later, pending what? She didn’t know. She would “submit a ticket” and “they” would contact me. Another week passed no call, no email, no credit. I called again but tried at 8pm at night. No wait. Again I was told there was a glitch. At that point it was 3 weeks they’d had nearly $200 of my money and I was not happy. That’s still the case but what do I do? They are still going to contact me supposedly.
So my Low Down No Count Reservation Blues are in both making reservations and cancelling them.
There is nothing anyone can do about my Recreation.gov problem but if you know anything about this Florida State Parks thing, please let me know. I sure can’t come to Florida with reservations only for November, December and half of January.
And thanks for putting up with my ranty whining about it all.
Next time, back to this winter’s visit to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park where this turkey vulture was basking in the sunset on what I call the vulture tree across from the campsites.
Way more RVers. Maybe too many RVers. Possibly think of west instead of south, at least after FL. Reservations.gov has frequent glitches for many things. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering where west I could go that would be warm enough. I'm a water person and thought South Texas but it's so commercial and so unlike the natural areas of Florida. And then they had enough of a freeze to ruin people's pipes and tanks in their rigs so I dropped that thought.
DeleteWe don't think you would have any trouble down here in SE Texas. It's not commercial here at all...that freeze was extremely rare. Where we are reminds me a great deal of the state parks in Florida.
DeleteUnfortunately without joining thousand trails I can't really be where you are and the very south of Texas seems quite developed and oil riggy to me but I'd be happy for you to suggest some state parks where I would be as warm as Florida and have hiking and kayaking available.
DeleteThat doesn't exist, we have discovered. Warm and kayaking rivers are only perfect in Florida. The desert is wonderful, but can be really cold that time of year. And no kayaking. We don't even take our boats when we head south in the winter, unless we are crossing the country to Florida. And yes, Texas isn't that great either IMHO. We like Anahuac near Galveston, but no truly beautiful kayaking waters like you are used to in the magnificent Florida rivers. Truly the best kayaking anywhere. It seems you might have to let go of something to keep everything you want. Aka....struggles with reservations....water....or warm. I have no clue of a solution, Sherry, sorry to say. IS there any possibility that you could find and afford a Florida RV lot to purchase for your winter stays? Then you could maybe get shorter reservations for trips to other parts of Florida that you love. I think this might be the way of the future for many RVrs since things are getting tighter and tighter with so many on the road. Good luck with all this. Lots to digest in all these comments as well!
DeleteWow! That picture of the vulture is amazing! Who is the first bird in the post? I hope someone will be able to shed light on your troubles getting reservations. Seems like a huge crapshoot- xxxooo
ReplyDeleteHe's the Eastern Meadowlark. More about him in the next post. Definitely like rolling dice but in this case you get nothing every single time.
DeleteToo many people in the world! What a bummer. seems you have to make reservations earlier and earlier for anything these days. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind making them early although what difference would it make if it was 6 months rather than 11. Problem is I'm still not having any good luck. Up to nearly a month of trying every day.
DeleteI never had any success with Res.gov, it causes more trouble than it's worth to me. I also object to the fee they charge to make a reservation. I'd love to go back to the old days when you could make a reservation directly with the park you wanted to go do. Some times progress isn't.
ReplyDeleteHA Paul! You are always such a riot. Guess you meant no success with Recreation.gov and Reserve America. Don't know Res.gov personally. Don't you make your Disney Reservations WAY in advance. Yes me too with feeling lots of "progress" is not progress at all.
DeleteWe don't get charged a fee when we make reservations with Reservation.gov, only if we have to cancel. Wondering if that has changed recently?
DeleteNo that was what I was saying Jeannie. I had to cancel 4 reservations and on line it's a $20 fee and on the phone a $10 fee and it's been nearly a month since I cancelled and I've gotten none of my money back.
DeleteSherry, I have followed your blog for a long time but not commented. It saddens me that you are having so many challenges in this new solo traveling. As an outsider looking in, I can only suggest you give yourself a real “reset” in how you travel. Perhaps your daughter can help with this. It must worry her to see you struggle so. If you tell me to mind my own business, I get it but I hate to see a brave woman fighting harder than she needs to. Best wishes on your journey forward.
ReplyDeleteDon't really see what you mean by a reset Liz or fighting harder than I need to but I'm glad to see you commenting. Without that, I would never have known you were reading.
DeleteLiz, I understand completely what you are saying about a reset. I had to do that back when I was constantly having to deal with lost reservations, setbacks, and all the problems a solo traveler seems to have to deal with (especially a female solo). I eventually decided I didn't need all that crap, so I just changed my whole way of traveling, sometimes camping out in my tent in a campground, and sometimes staying in a small "mom and pop" motel. I was a lot happier and enjoyed traveling again - when you constantly feel taken advantage of, it is no longer any fun. But we all are different and have different tolerance levels, expectations, etc.
DeleteThanks for explaining it Gypsy though I'm still not sure how I could reset. I'm beyond tent camping that I once loved and though I've done hotels and motels I've never been that fond of them. So I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't RV.
DeleteThe key to motels (forget hotels) is to stay at the small "mom & pop" places. Get off the interstate and when you drive through little towns you will see what I mean. They are usually very welcoming and you often deal with the owners, who are interested in your stay being as perfect as possible. It might be worth a try sometime, and if you don't like it you haven't lost much. I got so tired of beating my head against the stone wall of RV parks and dealing with actual owners of a small motel (or RV park) is so much more enjoyable. In all honesty, I have never camped or RV'd in Florida, so it may be entirely different there. On second thought I did stay somewhere in or near St. Augustine years ago, and loved it. I even visited the Fountain of Youth there! That's probably why I look so much younger than I actually am!
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble making reservations for Florida parks. And it makes me not look forward to the day that we're going to start making reservations again. Sigh. I don't remember ever having that much trouble, except for parks in the Keys. I guess we need more state parks!
ReplyDeleteI don't think we ever had this trouble either until this past year and maybe last year. I've really noticed it since David died.
DeleteOh dear, sounds like the universe is ready for you to change up your winter plans and venture beyond the routine. Anything fun shouldn't be this much work. I agree come west, Galveston Island, etc. Might be some days are chillier, but you'll still have water and somewhere new to explore. Although with all the RVers now on the road you may have similar issues at state and federal parks. I didn't even try for our summer on the west coast with the exception of one week at Harris Beach SP in Oregon (very excited about that score!). Love the buzzard, so majestic!
ReplyDeleteI hate to accept that I may have to move to private parks. I just don't really like them. I want to be able to hike and kayak within the park if possible.
DeleteI'm so sorry you are still having problems. If it's not one thing it's another! I have heard that there are a lot more RVers out there due to Covid. I guess they feel safer in their own 'pod'.
ReplyDeleteYes Laurie you are exactly right. In the past year or so there have been nearly double the number of RVers than when David and I first started out.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a headache.
ReplyDeleteFrom what we've heard here, a lot of Canadians who would have normally gone south over the winter (including RVers) have stayed home this year because of the current situation. Not all, but a lot.
ReplyDeleteYes William I've heard that too which makes the problem of getting campground reservations all that more concerning. Or perhaps my trouble for winter of 2022 is that all the Canadians are coming back we're planning to.
DeleteHi, Sherry. Yes, COVID has really skewed the way people travel. If you look at all the cruise ships that have shut down, for example, Cozumel alone had up to 10 ships in port each day, some of them holding up to 6,000 passengers. No cruise ships have been operating. Add to that the fact that international travel has all but been off limits for a year, and some states have limited access to their State Parks, well, vacationers really have no place else to go.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Florida is taking a bigger hit because of all the snow birds that were not able to cross the border this year, so they are more aggressively booking for next season?
I have read more travel articles this year encouraging people to go RVing, and how "safe" it is to travel in your own RV than I have read in my past 8 years of full timing combined. The View/Navion forum has seen a high number of posts about lack of RV inventory, and rigs seem to be selling faster than people can get there. I have to hope when the skies and seas open up once again, things will settle down and we will get a bit of relief.
I agree, Locals are using what's closer to home as most are staying closer to home and not traveling much. Last summer we had a lot more people around here than I've seen for a long time most of them are not RVers but have trailers and things. I think this trend will continue until things get back to normal.
DeleteI think you are right on all counts Suzanne and I share your hope that it will settle down soon. At the moment, at least for me, it's very discouraging. But I'm happy to see you here in my comments. Thank you very much
DeleteBob, Thanks for the comment. Where are you that you have seen more folks in RVs near you? I think covid has made it possible for more people to work on the road so they are not necessarily staying close to home and thus Florida is becoming an impossible wintering spot for those of us who are full-time. Normal seems a long way away to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the west coast in California, a place called Guerneville on the Russian River near the ocean that is some what of a tourist town. Not just in RV's, but trailers and tents and just a lot of people in the area cruising around during the day too. Too many
DeleteClose to home might be in the next state too as compared to being on a ship or in some other country vacationing. I think it's going to take awhile to settle down.
Too many people make it bad for the locals.
Wish I could offer sage advice, Sherry, but all I can offer is sympathy. I am sorry you are having this difficulty. What a pain. I hope things will suddenly unexpectedly start working out and you will get the reservations you need. Hang in and keep the faith!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your sympathy Pam I really do appreciate it. I'm definitely trying to hang in there
DeleteAll of the new RVers out there are one reason we returned to camp hosting. But we enjoy it too. Love the bird photos.
ReplyDeleteCamp hosting positions are also becoming extremely hard to get. I'm glad you are able to
DeleteSherry, I'm sorry for your struggles. I read every post, and enjoy them all. I wish I had some secret reservation tricks, but I do not. Wishing you luck on the reservation and refund fronts. Jennifer, who hopes to be on the road in July.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Jennifer. It's really good to hear from you. I wish I could encourage you and getting on the road but with the reservation dilemmas traveling is not as easy as it once was. Do you have things set up for yourself for July?
ReplyDeleteIt took me over 2 years to get reservations with the Florida state parks. There are groups of people that press the button so to speak at midnight 11pm.
ReplyDeleteWith the dramatic increase in rv sales.
The only way I ever could do it was make a reservation at midnight by selecting the dates I wanted, everything I could fill in then push the reserve button at exactly midnight exactly 11 months in advance.
Also, many make reservations at multiple parks and sites for the full 14 days. Then after 18 days they can change the reservations to fit what they really need. They don't seem to care if the have to pay a penalty, its worth it to get what they want.
We tried for 2 years to get into rv parks in Jan and Feb. The only parks we could get in were in Central Florida. We found one park in Sebastián Florida, but for 925 per month I was parked back 70 feet from RR TRACKS,
We stayed at a nice place near Lake Okeechobee, but the constant smoke in the air from the burning of cane fields wasn't pleasant.
This January see if you can spend that time near Zephyrhills, thenresume your state parks. Yes signal does make a difference.
I will NEVER stay in Florida Jan and Feb again.
The reality is I know my days of just driving anywhere without reservations are over for a while.
Good Luck to you.
Thanks so much Dave for sharing your experience. They have changed the reservation thing now to eight in the morning. There is never anything available at midnight. I share your suspicion that there is something going on that only those in the know or eith connectiins are aware of. Where do you stay in January and February now? I I really hope you are right that we will be able to travel without reservations again but I fear that is a long way off if it ever actually happens. There are now so many more people on the road, RV sales are soaring and with covid people can work from anywhere
DeleteWe never made winter reervations more than 3 or 4 months in advanced... that all changed a few years ago and this year is the first time we ever made a reservation a full year in advance...
ReplyDeleteYes I remember those three or four months in advance times and wonder if we will ever see them again. The reservation thing sure takes the spontaneity out of traveling and even some of the fun since it is so aggravating to be shut out even when you are trying to plan a year in advance. You always seem to manage though so I should get some lessons from you
DeleteRV troubles and now reservation troubles. Those are the things I don't miss about RVing. Hope you can work it out.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your "just for fun" photos.
You hit it on the nail. Those are the things I don't like and they would be what takes me out of RVing. Neither was this bad when David was alive. But that was before the pandemic too. Thanks for your wishes that I can work this out. I appreciate your comment.
DeleteI'm glad to see the update! It sure does sound frustrating to be shut out day after day. I doubt you're alone in that struggle which means there are definitely a lot of folks on the road these days. I enjoyed the pictures and 'seeing' you virtually today. xoxo
ReplyDeletePerhaps your luck is turning around? I feel fortunate I have my winter reserved, but it’s crazy to have to plan almost a year out. Hope you get those cancelled reservations sorted out. Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteWe don’t stay in state parks here in Texas because we are using our membership to TT the fullest but there are good ones available. Lots of national birding centers and wildlife refuges in SW TX. No oil rigs here. Some great suggestions in previous replies. Hope things work out for you!
ReplyDeleteHappy to read this update! Good luck with the vaccine. Still waiting here in Va. too.
ReplyDelete