For our first Winter on the road, we chose Fort Myers, FL. Our long-time dream of being ‘snowbirds’ was coming true. Instead of snow for the next 5 months we got to enjoy palm trees, sunshine and outdoor adventures. We stayed at Seminole Campground in North Fort Myers. We weren’t sure we would fit into our site, but once we did it truly became home for us. We were covered in Live Oaks, which is rare for a FL campground, it is usually a parking lot of RV sites with some small palm trees providing no shade. And while our sites were right on top of each other, we were so fortunate to have great neighbors and they truly became our family over these months. We explored many preserves, our favorites being Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers and JN Ding Darling National Wildlife on Sanibel Island. We enjoyed many a craft beer and good food. We got to see MN family and friends with trips to St. Petersburg, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Key Largo. We hit up the largest RV show in Tampa. It wouldn’t be a Karpen stop without a trip to the nearest Zoo in Naples. We enjoyed the ocean front with a catamaran ride and a visit to Lovers Key. There was also no shortage of Nick’s amazing culinary skills being put to work. He learned how to make ginger beer, tried his hat at sous vide prime rib, bought a smoker and made a batch of his fabulous pulled pork for us all to enjoy. We really made friends after that. lol. Despite a venture to the bath house due to strong storms and a towing of the truck due to a broken starter, I would say we truly enjoyed our first Winter in FL and feel so blessed for our experiences and friendships made in Fort Myers.
