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Summers420us Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2010 Posts: 759 Location: Amissville, Virginia
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:23 am Post subject: Virginia to Florida Keys trip |
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Howdy!
Family and I are taking the Westy to the keys in a couple weeks and we are putting our plans together now. We tend to drift a bit and we really have no formal plans currently.
We are looking for advice on good boondocking spots and good campgrounds between Virgina and the Keys. We really like to stay water front, and privacy is always fantastic. We don't mind paying for a place if it is worth it, but boondocking means having a few extra dollars for something else.
Especially looking for good places to overnight or visit while in the Keys. Would like to make reservations now and work our route around those reservations and destinations.
Would love to hear from you!
Cheers! |
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danfromsyr Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004 Posts: 15130 Location: Syracuse, NY
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:53 am Post subject: |
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I can't help with the boondocking, but a few places we really enjoyed on our trip. you'll still be in prime snowbird time and possibly spring breaks so options & availability may be very limited. especially in the keys, they really don't like transients
James Island county campground near Charleston, SC
Edisto Beach S.P in South Carolina
Fernandina beach S.P in Florida (atlantic)
Fort Desoto county park in St Petersburgh (gulf) _________________
Abscate wrote: |
These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
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dobryan Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006 Posts: 16476 Location: Brookeville, MD
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Wolfram Samba Member
Joined: June 23, 2005 Posts: 184 Location: Waiheke Island/On The Road USA
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:17 am Post subject: |
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Fort De Soto Park on the Gulf at Tampa/St Pete is one of the best campgrounds we have found in FL. A wee bit off the trail, but worth going to.
Geoff
McLean VA
88 Westy |
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pigryder Samba Member
Joined: January 17, 2012 Posts: 162 Location: south central PA
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:51 am Post subject: |
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the wife and I want to do the same trip but just a bit further north as a starter, I will be watching the thread.... thanks _________________ 1982 Westfalia L Diesel "Stink"
1982 Vanagon GL Diesel "Charlie"
1983 Rabbit GTI a 20 year love affair
1988 Cabriolet diesel |
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Summers420us Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2010 Posts: 759 Location: Amissville, Virginia
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:42 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, keep the suggestions coming! This is great!
PigRyder (got a few pigs myself) where will you be starting out from? |
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SteveVanB Samba Member
Joined: June 01, 2008 Posts: 1645 Location: This side of Daytona
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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Contact user "Rubbachicken" He can give you some pointers/stealh spots. Make reservations at Big Pine fishing lodge. We've been there a bunch of times. If you wander through Ormond Beach, give a call and bring a 6er
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&cp=10&...2957625782 _________________ 91 CARAT |
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Bcoe Samba Member
Joined: September 16, 2011 Posts: 82 Location: Sevierville,TN
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ebatles Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2011 Posts: 14 Location: St. Augustine
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:56 pm Post subject: Camping |
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Lots of great places to camp along the Florida coast! Fort clinch and little talbot island are gems near Jacksonville, Anastasia state park is right near me here in st Augustine. Gamble Rogers is right on the beach near Daytona. Sebastian inlt is supposed to be great as well. Good luck finding anything in the keys...this is the busy time of year! _________________ 1986 Vanagon Wolfsburg Weekender
St. Augustine, Florida |
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Summers420us Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2010 Posts: 759 Location: Amissville, Virginia
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:44 am Post subject: |
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Well wish me luck. Really hoping to get some snorkeling in... hope the water is not too cold. |
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MarkWard Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005 Posts: 17014 Location: Retired South Florida
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:41 am Post subject: |
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If you can't get into Bahia Honda, or John Pennekamp, we like Long Key State park the most. http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey Years ago, you could camp at the bridges, but they put a stop to that years ago. You can fish overnight though, so bring a couple of cheap rods and set them against the side of the Van. Van camping is low profile anyhow and if someone asks, you are fishing. For a last stop before your head down through Miami, this is a nice park as well. It is near Jupiter Florida. http://www.floridastateparks.org/jonathandickinson/default.cfm mark _________________ ☮️ |
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pigryder Samba Member
Joined: January 17, 2012 Posts: 162 Location: south central PA
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:43 am Post subject: |
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Summers420us wrote: |
Thanks, keep the suggestions coming! This is great!
PigRyder (got a few pigs myself) where will you be starting out from? |
we live close to harrisburg pa _________________ 1982 Westfalia L Diesel "Stink"
1982 Vanagon GL Diesel "Charlie"
1983 Rabbit GTI a 20 year love affair
1988 Cabriolet diesel |
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miketv Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2011 Posts: 19 Location: Homestead, FL
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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If you run into any vehicle trouble as you are working your way through south florida, I'm in Homestead- _________________ '85 Westy |
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pinetreeporsche Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2009 Posts: 752 Location: Falls Church, VA
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 9:36 am Post subject: |
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jI couldn't find a state-by-state, or a zip code /closest listing on the freecampsites list-- even after I registered. Am I missing something? |
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rubbachicken Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2004 Posts: 3058 Location: socal
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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pinetreeporsche wrote: |
I couldn't find a state-by-state, or a zip code /closest listing on the freecampsites list-- even after I registered. Am I missing something? |
i don't know about the website you were looking on, where are you looking on traveling through, and what kind of van do you have, how many people are you traveling with.
if you are in a tip top, you are golden, find quiet streets, you don't have to drive to far to find a VW in florida
that's what we used to do, find a street with a VW in it, and park near it, no one would think twice about the possibility of you sleeping in the van, it's like you are visiting VW folk
if you have a westy and need the top up, that's a whole different kettle of fish.
you will have a very hard time finding somewhere you can pop the top without attracting the federalizes, camping in walmart, is 99% a no go, because to the daytona race track, bike week etc, and people with HUGE rv's it's not allowed
we were told that some places the parking lots were so full of RV's customers couldn't find where to park.
it could be worth parking in bar parking lots, go inside the bar, have a few beers, then it's oops i can't drive someplace else now officer, you might get away with that, i would keep it as a last resort though _________________ lucy our westy
lucy's BIG adventure
meet 'burni'
markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.
619 201 0310 or 617 935 4182 |
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pinetreeporsche Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2009 Posts: 752 Location: Falls Church, VA
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:42 am Post subject: |
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rsxsr wrote: |
If you can't get into Bahia Honda, or John Pennekamp, we like Long Key State park the most. http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey Years ago, you could camp at the bridges, but they put a stop to that years ago. You can fish overnight though, so bring a couple of cheap rods and set them against the side of the Van. Van camping is low profile anyhow and if someone asks, you are fishing. For a last stop before your head down through Miami, this is a nice park as well. It is near Jupiter Florida. http://www.floridastateparks.org/jonathandickinson/default.cfm mark |
A little off-topic, but if you get south of Miami, en route to the Keys, DON'T fail to stop off at the Coral Castle, at 286th sty S Miami, right on old Rt 1-- and hardly a half mile west of the newer Fl Turnpike extension. (http://coralcastle.com/).
A must see: citing one guide website, Roadside America:"it was built by one man, Ed Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant who single-handedly and mysteriously excavated, carved, and erected over 2.2 million pounds of coral rock to build this place, even though he stood only five feet tall and weighed a mere 100 pounds. - Maybe it could be called the east coast cousin of the Watts Towers, also colossal and built by a single diminutive immigrant. |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4485 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:49 am Post subject: |
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pinetreeporsche wrote: |
rsxsr wrote: |
If you can't get into Bahia Honda, or John Pennekamp, we like Long Key State park the most. http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey Years ago, you could camp at the bridges, but they put a stop to that years ago. You can fish overnight though, so bring a couple of cheap rods and set them against the side of the Van. Van camping is low profile anyhow and if someone asks, you are fishing. For a last stop before your head down through Miami, this is a nice park as well. It is near Jupiter Florida. http://www.floridastateparks.org/jonathandickinson/default.cfm mark |
A little off-topic, but if you get south of Miami, en route to the Keys, DON'T fail to stop off at the Coral Castle, at 286th sty S Miami, right on old Rt 1-- and hardly a half mile west of the newer Fl Turnpike extension. (http://coralcastle.com/).
A must see: citing one guide website, Roadside America:"it was built by one man, Ed Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant who single-handedly and mysteriously excavated, carved, and erected over 2.2 million pounds of coral rock to build this place, even though he stood only five feet tall and weighed a mere 100 pounds. - Maybe it could be called the east coast cousin of the Watts Towers, also colossal and built by a single diminutive immigrant. |
Yep, it's tourist kitsch but an impressive display of one man's vision. Somewhere I have actual photographs of myself on one of the coral beds, taken on a spring break trip years ago. Interestingly, that was the same trip on which I saw in Everglades National Park the Swiss-tagged first-gen 4WD Mitsubishi Delica (with aftermarket highroof) van that inspired me to settle for a 2WD Vanagon Westy. _________________ '87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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