TheLug 10 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 So here will be my non Fort Wilderness trip report.We went to Manatee Springs State Park near Gainesville FL.I think it was about 18 in-laws in total :bugeyes:, this was gonna be a great Memorial Day Drinking weekend! :beer: We got a late start because of my, well I will just leave that part out! :rant:Anywho we got there late… really late. Basically any later and the gates woulda been locked!So when we got in I was in a super hurry to get the camper setup before it got dark. :panic: :mh1: I have done it many time but that is one thing that I really hate. Setting up in the dark. I realized something very interesting as I was setting up and about to hook up my stinky slinky (sewer hose), there wasn’t a sewer hookup! Now this might not be a big deal to everyone else. But I have just never done that before. I guess i have become accustomed to certain luxuries at the fort! So now I would have to make sure that I didn’t fill the holding tanks up. This was gonna be a big stress.I sure as "crap" wasn’t about to hook up the truck and pull the camper to the dump at the front, half way through the stay. So I enacted my version of Marshal Law. No facilities unless emergent and in the middle of the night. :toiletreading: Other than that go to the semi comfortable stations. :dass: The fun started on the next day with 18 In Laws and over half of those were screaming rug rats :insanity: that love me and all my techno gadgets (iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Androids, computers, tablets of all varieties & Etc, Etc Etc.) Now you may be wondering why in fact would I a lowly camper without even a sewer hookup be doing with all this technology, in the middle of no where with NO cell signal?? Well that is what I do for a living. I am THE IT GUY! For Nemours Children’s Clinic. I am the unofficial “Mobile Device Administrator” And in short that make me unofficially on call! More on that later, this was lots of fun which involved police, GPS Tracking, $600, Wi-Fi mooching, and a trip to Taco Bell!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
polkadotsuitcase 12 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Wow, how lucky can I get? Just finish reading Dave's TR, and now a new one starts! Work, schmerk. I'm ready for more -- bring it on! Looks like you've got quite the cast of characters there.And I hear you on the sewer hook up. Whenever we go to the lake (more than half our camping trips), there's no full hookups. Boo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I'm waiting.... :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 :suspense: I'm in! Screaming rug rats, police and Taco Bell? This has gotta be good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 :siren: police?Oh this should be good........ :popo: :banana: :parrot: :rofl2: :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheLug 10 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Wow, how lucky can I get? Just finish reading Dave's TR, and now a new one starts! Work, schmerk. I'm ready for more -- bring it on! Looks like you've got quite the cast of characters there.And I hear you on the sewer hook up. Whenever we go to the lake (more than half our camping trips), there's no full hookups. Boo!Not sure about lucky this is gonna be my first try at a REAL Trip Report. Normally I just post my link to the Picasa Album and let you use your imagination!? But here's giving it the ole college try!I'm waiting.... :popcorn:I will try to keep updates coming ASAP!:suspense: I'm in! Screaming rug rats, police and Taco Bell? This has gotta be good!O yes very good! O and I forgot. I go crazy and have Multiple Kungaloosh extravaganzas on this trip! Multiple!:siren: police?Oh this should be good........ :popo: :banana: :parrot: :rofl2: :popcorn:O it was. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheLug 10 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 OK so the next morning started! It started out like any morning with 18 In-Laws you would expect! Screaming Kids yelling HURRY HURRRY!! Come see! Well I guess that my expectations were a little higher because it was just some darn deer! Neat but i guess I was expecting Gators, Snakes, broken legs, etc for this kinda excitement!!!Ok i think that is enough deer pictures. I have more! But later they come back and i get in trouble by Sally Law Woman for giving it some bread! O well! Only time she comes by and i get caught!!!I also decided that my NEW to ME truck decided some camera time! These are my FREE Cadillac Escalade Running boards!You can also see my new spray in bed liner! Love it! Line-X!We started to get breakfast ready and then go to the springs.The young man to the left in this picture ^ was staying with us in our camper. He is like us! Appreciates A/C and No bugs :)We then made our first trip to the spring!! It was nice!! I love spring water! It's cold! But i like it!The NO cellphone signal was starting to creep into play. My DG Dana's Step Daddy is / was in Hospice at this time and the hourly updates on his worsening condition could not flow like normal so stress levels were elevated and there were many trips to civilization just to check messages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I'm a little late to the party but glad I found this TR. This is my kind of excitement (being a city girl :rofl2:)Waiting for more :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Just Whipperwhirl 24 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Nice looking truck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Can't wait to read more!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hey Lug!I missed the start of your report.But I'm all caught up now (which didn't take long!)Great job so far!Looking forward to more.I've never been to these springs.Looks nice!TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheLug 10 Posted June 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I'm a little late to the party but glad I found this TR. This is my kind of excitement (being a city girl :rofl2:)Waiting for more :banana:Can't wait to read more!!!Here it comes!Nice looking truck!Thanks!!! I love it! It is my absolute favorite thing right now!Hey Lug!I missed the start of your report.But I'm all caught up now (which didn't take long!)Great job so far!Looking forward to more.I've never been to these springs.Looks nice!TCDGlad to see ya here! You missed the start and now everyone is waiting! At-least there wasn't a hippie hijack during the day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheLug 10 Posted June 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Ok so the rest of the day after the first spring experience was relaxing! I really enjoyed my A/C!! It was HOT!! The bugs were rampant! I am normally one who will sit outside and enjoy outdoors and family round the campfire quality time! But it was a little uncomfortable. But the deer decided to show back up!So the younger sober group decided we were smart and started joining us for a impromptu movie night in the camper. We watched "I am Number 4", & "Gnomeo and Juliet" It was a full house in the camper.The night ended with everyone asleep but me and I had to play wake up and go to your tent! Surprisingly i liked both the movies.Next morning DG's Uncle took the kids and the boat to the Suwanee boat ramp and let the kids play in the shallow water, & playground. We went to the Springs again while they did that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 That looks like a really nice cg. Oh & that truck is pretty sweet too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheLug 10 Posted June 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 So the next day we had some interesting stuff happen!So what you will see there is my stairs into the front of my camper. THEY ARE BROKE!!!!!!! :argh: :argh: I was nicely walking into the camper and boom there it goes! So i had to take a spare tent spike and bend it in place to make a temp fix. (It is still in the shop now getting that fixed and the missing "F" in Flagstaff on the front of our camper. It went byby! You can see it a few post up in one of the pictures I already posted.This is a cat riding a bike!!!So there really aren't many pictures in this part but it is a good story!So we started early with the blender!!! I mean we had to make a store run at Noon for refills! I made about 15 different varieties, and they were all drunken in more ways than one. So as i was consuming my unknown numbered frozen concoction my DG gets a text message, but she cant make a phone call because the signal is crummy. So i let her take my truck to the opening of the park to make the call to her Step Dad.So while she is gone with my truck i get a random email. it is our security team from work telling me that an iPhone of an employee in Delaware was lost somewhere. Well i need to grab some stuff and get online. Well i borrow a car and head to taco bell with a 16 y/o driving due to the frozen goodness in my system. When i get to Taco Bell (Free Wi-FI) i think well I’ll just sit in the parking lot. Yeah not so much. They had a setup that was confining to the interior of the structure. So I go inside. And i was going ot get a drink to provide some business. BUT IT FORGOT MY WALLETT!!! So i finally get online with ease now that there is a connection. After some GPS tracking and a couple phone calls i get the user who lost the phone on the line. Well he said he lost it in DE near our offices. I am tracking the device in Maryland!!! So I verify it is still online and the user initiate the contact with the sticky fingered bandit! I had it narrowed down to a neighborhood. I provided the info to the police. I sent some good messages to the phone letting them know that it was a Children's hospital device but they didn't care. So i wiped the phone and provided the location to local police! I was told they have charges pending but the phone was not recovered! I don't know the details.If you are interested here is a link to all the pictures to see ones that I didn't post.Picasa AlbumSo on the way home there was an interesting situation other than the cat riding the bike above.There are 7 RV's including me in this convoy it was good times!So that's all that i really have for now! All in all it was a fun trip and we had some interesting situations! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Enjoyed the report Lug! Manatee Springs has been on my to-do list for a couple of years now, just haven't made it there. Looks like everyone had a good time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Looks like a great trip! Those deer sure aren't scared, are they? And I noticed the missing F right away...lagstaff! :rofl2: I hope they nail the SOB with the stolen iPhone. What a loser. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Hey Lug!Great job!I love the Taco Bell story, especially the fact that you were a bit lit-up and freeloading on the wi-fi, but you were still able to do your job.Nice work! I guess you were getting paid at the time? Who else has a job like that!Thanks for taking the time to write the report and post photos. It looks like all the ankle-biters had a great time with Uncle Lug.TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Great report, thanks for sharing. :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for sharing. :dance: At races, I've found it a good thing to have bad cell service. It stops me from sending those "brillant" texts and facebook posts as the day grows long and the adult bevs accumulate. :rofl2: Anyone else know about that....cough cough..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anolefan 8 Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Nice shot, and great report. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
polkadotsuitcase 12 Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 What fun! Looks like such a fun time with everyone there -- makes me wish I had more family closer to us to do the big family thing. Thanks for bringing us along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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