On our way to Sarasota, Florida, we found a gem in a very unlikely location. The location was Steinhatchee, Florida, and the gem was called Nature's Coast RV Resort.

I fully expected to do a blog entry on the long drive from Livingston, Texas, to Sarasota. There was such a comedy of unlikely events - including taking us over 5 hours to go the 15ish miles through Baton Rouge, LA, because of a very bad accident. No, you get a happy report, because we found a happy place...

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We had left Livingston the day before, and drove late into the night to a comfy rest stop thirty or so miles into Florida. After a very mediocre breakfast at a Cracker Barrel, we continued our journey east on I-10, through the beautiful countryside of Florida's panhandle.

Ang and I decided to continue our battle against the Interstate system by ducking off of I-10 at Tallahassee, Florida, and caught State 19 going south. The standard route is to go I-10 to I-75, and south. State 19 looked like a decent highway from our vantage point on Yahoo! Maps, so we tested it out. What a treat it was.

The highway was smooth and scenic, and with a few little towns to slow down to go through, it provided the perfect pace for us. I am not a speed demon, and enjoy the slowdown every once in a while. The little towns, the old service stations along the way, the lack of cars, the green countryside - all lent to a wonderful drive.

But, we were tired from the marathon drive and rest stop sleep-over, so Ang started looking for a place to stop for the evening. She went to our regular first stop - RV Park Reviews - and found a place close by. She called Nature's Coast RV Resort and made a reservation for later that afternoon.

We were amazed when we pulled in at what a little tropical paradise this place looked like! It was small, and very well kept, and out in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. The owner, Anthony, came out to greet us as we pulled in, and his wife Yvonne joined us soon afterwards. We hit it off immediately as we found out that we are all from the Bay Area! They were long time residents of Mountain View, CA, which is just up the road from San Jose.

We visited for quite a while, sharing stories of the road and their new life as campground owners. They gave us directions into town and gave us the names of a few places that would be good for dinner. We went out to Fiddler's Restaurant in the little fishing town close by, and were not disappointed.

I think we must have been very tired, or very comfortable, or maybe both, but we slept in until almost 11am!! I would like to think it was because of the two weeks of driving, and passing through all four timezones in a week. Whatever it was, it was refreshing.

We had a great morning (or the rest of it, at least), and visited with Anthony and Yvonne more. Yvonne was feeding the fish in the pond, so that provided much entertainment. Bass, catfish, turtles, and all kinds of beautiful plants and the warm weather made for a great morning. Malabar made a friend with one of the resort's cats.

We will definitely go back to Nature's Coast on the way back up through the state, but this time, we will stay for a while. We really enjoyed the little town, and the 15-space RV resort provided much quiet and a beautiful surrounding.

--kev