Wesley Chapel, FL - Part I

We had a good trip from Naples on Wednesday with three coaches all in a row. The route was about as simple as it could get: get onto I-75 at Exit 111 and get off at Exit 279. The Quail Run RV Park is on Old Pasco Road next to nothing at all. The campground is comfortable with good roads and full hookups. Clearly, we are in the middle of nowhere.

Dinner Wednesday night was an adventure. We drove miles to civilization only to drive into major road construction. Barrels lined every lane for several miles, and the lanes zigzagged in multiple directions. Sobriety was a must!

Lakeland and the home park of the Detroit Tigers baseball team was our Thursday destination. We picked up our 'will call' tickets and were soon seated in the left field bleachers. We saw a great game: 18 hits, 12 runs, 3 errors, a 400+ foot home run, three triples and no winner. After ten innings, the game ended: Detroit Tigers 6; Atlanta Braves 6. We had a great time in a blazing sun baked ballpark.

Friday's trip was a much farther journey to Orlando. Don has been our lead driver since we left Naples. We transitioned from three coaches to two SUVs. He selected a scenic route to Orlando that took us forever. Our destination was Universal Studio Park. We saw a lot of back roads and some of the poorer areas in Florida. We also visited some small towns that are seldom seen and will likely pass from our memories.

Universal Studio Park was a disappointment. The cost-benefit ratio was way out of whack. The 'shows' were average at best; some were not worth seeing. Late in the afternoon, as we looked for a restaurant, the rain began. Three garbage bags covered the ladies heads while we walked to the garage. Once on the road, the rains increased. We stopped along I-4 for dinner. It rained all the way back to Wesley Chapel.

Today, Saturday, we spent the day at Tarpon Springs. What a neat water front town where sponges and shrimp are the economic mainstays. Tourism must also be up with these industries as economic drivers. This is a Greek town going back to the 1800s when 500 hundred Greeks settled in the town. We ate at a great Greek restaurant and took a trolley ride around town and a boat cruise down the river into the Gulf of Mexico. It was a wonderful day.

We have two more days in Wesley Chapel, and we will write about that later.