Tropic Breeze RV Resort - Port Richey, FL

It included I-4, locally known as the "suicide highway". 3+ hours 190 miles

I left Malabar around 10:45 am with the intention of getting to Port Richey by 2:00 pm. Nope. Wasn't gonna happen. Interstate 4 connects from I-275 in Tampa to I-95 in Daytona Beach and experienced 1.41 fatalities per mile over the past six years, a study found making the 132 mile highway one the top 10 listed most dangerous highways since 2010.

Wrong! The TWO right lanes were blocked.

A TWO HOUR crawl for over three miles as three lanes merged into one. No matter which lane I chose, it was the wrong one.

The huge crane has pulled the toppled truck off the side.

Here's a prayer that the driver got out in time.

I was supposed to meet Carlo at 3:30, head down to Tampa and meet Norma who took Amtrak over from Boca Raton. She was picked up at the station by their friends, Marilyn and Tom. Of course, she was late as well. Seems the train had to stop along the way and have the police escort a bunch of drunks off before moving on.  By 6:30, we were all at La Terrazza  in Ybor City, Tampa. Carlo and I walk the main street before meeting up with the others.

Lots of shops squeezed into the New Orleans style
buildings, many with wrought iron balconies

One stop was Nicahaban Cigars where Carlo picked up a couple of hand rolled cigars.

A cigar smoker's paradise

Then on to dinner.

This tiny restaurant is squeezed in among the others and not more than
20 ft wide but deep enough to hand 15-20 tables. Place was packed by
7:30 pm on a Thursday night.

Joined by Marilyn & Tom from New Port Richey, FL

All pastas on the menu are homemade. I opted for
Ravioli Aurora: homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli
sauteed in a tomato-cream sauce. 

For Friday's late breakfast, Marilyn and Tom joined us at Sorrento Little Italy where, once again, everything is made on premises daily. 

A rum baba for me. Also known as baba au rhum. It's a small yeast cake saturated in syrup made with hard liquor, usually rum, and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream (mine wasn't...I'm on a diet). 

Afterwards, a trip farther north to Hudson Beach and a walk along the shore looking out toward the Gulf.

At very low tide.

The temperature gradient and currents clearly marked
the channel.

This photo taken for friend, Tanya.
The same type of pontoon boat we went fishing in while I was in Malabar.

We didn't see this on the Indian River, however. This commotion, I believe was a school of mullet in very shallow water. Sorry, Tanya.

Tom, Marilyn, Carlo and Norma

Didn't stop in; just wanted proof I was there.

Friday night dinner was at Catches Water Front Grille and a nice change for me. Steven, the waiter, took very good care of us.

Our table by the window gave a nice picturesque view.

Carlo & Norma enjoyed it all.

...as did cousin Charlie

Fried (yes, fried in a very light batter) filet of Flounder with loaded baked potato and the medley of steamed veggies that were, for the first time ever, done to perfection.

I haven't forgotten about my stay here at Tropic Breeze. As you can imagine, it was just a place to "lay over" while I was taxied to all these wonderful locations, thanks to Carlo, the resident expert. What can I say about the place? Well, it's a mobile home trailer park with long term residents and has a few sites reserved for short term RVers. The close-by neighbors I met, Mike (from Troy, NY) and John (from Maine) are seasonal

Mike & John

residents who are here visiting from just after Thanksgiving to April. As with every conversation with the folks I meet, I enjoy hearing the amazing tales of the life stories from careers to health issues. Amazing as they are, I very frequently think of my own aches and pains and decide that I am in good health...considering. Mike, a retired trucker had an earlier career in stock car racing which he began in the mid-fifties. He was inducted into the NYS Stock Car Hall of Fame in 1997. Click on the link and look for Mike Ehring. John is still active in his career in providing security, sound systems, CCTV and all things related to providing Internet and WiFi services for the major Fairs, carnivals and short term venues in Maine; the Fryeburg Fair being one of the largest. Fascinating and impressive stuff.

A nice shower after sitting two hours on I-4 (temperature reading on the dash reached 118°) and a load of laundry were my two big accomplishments during the in-between breaks I had. I did get a knock on my door from Clarekyle (the name, he says, is of Pennsylvanian origin), also a retired trucker who wanted more info on Winnie. Wife, Mary, stopped by also but decided that for the three months they travel, Winnie was too small.

Clarekyle & Mary
Pennsylvania

My "Last Supper," Saturday night will take us to Stonewood Grille and Tavern down in Tampa. Stonewood has been my go-to restaurant in Florida whenever I visit. They're located in Port Orange, Wellington which is near Boca Raton, and now, I see, in Tampa. Check out the menu here. 

I had the boneless beef short ribs (no knife needed), drizzled with a
Cabernet demi-glace, served on a bed of butternut squash
ravioli in a sage chardonnay creme sauce.

And so ends another wonderful stop complete with great company, good food and sights and sounds that will remain with me forever (I think...you know how memory goes, right?) Actually, that why I'm writing these blogs. This is my eighth stop with ten more to go. My thanks to Carlo and Norma for providing me with the opportunities to experience the Port Richey and Tampa areas. Be sure to click on that left pointing arrow above and then click on the tab labeled, "MY VISITORS" to see the new additions.

I leave tomorrow morning and head for Clermont, FL, and Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley for a nine day stay. Three wonderful couples and great friends await me there and I can't wait to write the next blogs describing that next adventure. Hope you've enjoyed my visit as much as I have. See you in Clermont.