December at Riverside RV Resort

Sprinty has been enjoying four weeks off from gallivanting around. In fact, Sprinty only moved twice in December since arriving at Riverside RV Resort in Arcadia, FL - and only to drive it the dump station as Sprinty's sewer hose would not reach the sewer connection in his full hookup site.

After enjoying two weeks in Port Charlotte, Google Photos reminded us of what we were doing a year ago. We were making our way out to Quartzsite, AZ, and worried about freezing temperatures just about every night. This year, we are on the verge of running the air conditioner some nights.

While Sprinty has been basking in the resort life, Kris and Darrell have immersed themselves in various activities. Long walks in the RV park, riding bikes in the park (over three miles of roads without repeating any part), kayaking, bike riding in the area, and golf.

We both have been playing golf with the Riverside groups and on our own. On Saturday's, the Riverside group plays The Bluffs Golf Course north of Arcadia. Kris impressed the entire group by shooting a 75 on the first time out with the group. The next day, we played with the Couples Mixed Scramble, a nine-and-dine format. We have both been playing pretty well, although Kris has been buying more often than Darrell, especially with Kris shooting in the 70s every week at the Bluffs.

Ladies tee box at Kings Gate Golf Course:

One of the first excursions was the visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers with Deep Creek friends, Tom and Heidi who are wintering at Riverside. The museum was fascinating, as well as the story about how they came to build winter estates in Fort Myers. We enjoyed a picnic dinner on the grounds while we waited for sunset. We then toured the actual estates which were decorated for Christmas.

We went bike riding at Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area in Punta Gorda, FL with Tom and Heidi.

Back at the park, we enjoyed the "Party at the Pissah" where Paul Savoy entertained with music for hours.

Another bike ride was riding the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail, a Rail-to-Trail Route. We enjoyed lunch at the Waterside Grill restaurant at the turn around point.

Our first kayak paddle was with Tom, Heidi and some of their Riverside friends. We put in at Snook Haven, and paddled up the Myakka River. After the paddle, the group enjoyed lunch at the restaurant at Snook Haven.

Riverside puts on a movie night every Sunday evening. So far, we have enjoyed "On the Basis of Sex", inspired by the true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg; "Lion King", with its amazing life-like animation; and "Rocketman" about Elton John.

The first major Riverside event was Soup Night, where people brought a pot of soup and everyone got to sample a variety of soups. Over 100 different soups to choose from.

Our next bike ride was with the Chain Gang, a group of people wintering or living near Sarasota. Many Chain Gang riders are also Flying Scot sailors at Deep Creek Lake in the summer. The ride started at the Venice Train Depot, and rode the pathway through the Venetian Waterway Park and included lunch stop at the Old Salty Dog restaurant.

The Saturday Before Christmas Parade in Punta Gorda. A group of folks from Riverside, organized by Darrell & Brenda, descended into a vacant lot along a canal in Punta Gorda Isles to watch a parade of boats decorated with Christmas lights. While the rain kept many boats and spectators away, it was a fun time.

Our next kayaking venture was putting in at the RV park on the Peace River and paddling downstream.

On Christmas Eve, there was a celebration at the pavilion, where they did the story of the Jesse tree.

As is becoming a tradition, we got to golf on Christmas Day at a nearby municipal golf course. The golf course was closed, but they said we could walk it, which we prefer when we can. Last year, we played a small Par-3 municipal course near Salome, AZ on Christmas Day.

Also on Christmas Day, we joined most of the other folks in the park in a Christmas dinner at the Pavilion. The RV Resort provided the hams, and each table of about 25 people organized a pot luck. Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice campfire at Darrell and Brenda's site located by one of the lakes in the park.

Kayaking with Riverside Paddlers. Over 25 kayakers put in at the land side of Don Pedro Island State Park in Placida, FL, paddled across the inland waterway. Most of the group went through the mangrove tunnel, where we saw starfish and jelly fish. We continued on to the landing on the island, where we beached the kayaks and enjoyed a lunch at the pavilion and walking on the beach. On the way back, we saw dolphins about 30 yards away.

Santa Claus was able to find Sprinty, even in Florida, and surprised him with a DJI Mavic Mini drone.

Even Amazon and Ebay have found Sprinty many times, but Sprinty says the deets on that project are under wraps until the big reveal.