• : Bubbling Crude

  Adventure From-the-Road

  

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  Exploring Florida in the off-season.

  If you ever want to see hidden places of tranquility, taking a week in January after Christmas can lead one to an adventure. Make memories come alive, of how it used to be. The places still exist with pristine beauty, from untouched beaches that reflect how beautiful it was before the condos and businesses moved in, taking forever to take that look away.

  Thanks to the National Park Service and the States for keeping the hidden, unfounded hotspots to explore. The beaches in Destin, Florida, are the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen. The National Seashores give us pristine beauty. The Gold Coast is a treasure that stays hidden from us here in Central Florida.

  A surprise awaits you in Marina, Florida, Jackson County, as you cross time zones and kick your clocks back one hour to central time. In a way, it is a snafu on us when we realize we have one more hour of vacation left.

  Seeing Florida in the off-season is something we all can not enjoy, so make an effort not to miss our National beauty here in the south if the opportunity crosses your path.

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  Ocean Pond

  Drive just a few miles north to the Osceola National Forest for a look at the Florida we once knew. a quite serene, undisturbed, pristine piece of Florida that one must visit. Stunning beauty.

  A Florida hidden gem

  A few days ago, we decided to visit the RV Caverns Park and see the limestone caves in Florida. They were interesting and very beautiful. A few pictures from the deep part of the caves where water ran in these caves when Florida was rising from the ice age, carving out the beautiful natural formation, and the rest was left up to nature’s limestone, iron, and calcium deposit forming the stalagmites and mites that are the attraction of the visit, here are a few pictures from the visit.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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  A visit to Fort Pickens

  Next came a two-night visit to Fort Pickens, a fort established in 1837 for the purpose of protecting the lower part of the region that was exposed to where enemy ships could sail in and attack. An awesome amount of firepower here, used to fend off unwelcome ships. These giant cannons can hurl a cannonball over three miles. The guns use a Rodman barreling to make the cannonball spin, giving it stability. 

  The remaining part of the fort is visible only through the bricks and ironworks; the fortification left a hard mark to make go away, with all the ammo and ordnance that were once present still causing concern for digging or metal detecting. 

  Now, having toured the fort, a haunting vision of how they made this fort with brick red bricks, tens of thousands of red bricks, the arches are incredible to see the weight supported on the rounded roof holding up the earth. Over the years, the mineral deposits of iron, calcium, and limestone have left their footprints on the brick’s working. A sight I was not expecting, a few guns, and all that is left over is cement with a brick fort. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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  A sample of RV photos from our journeys at camps this past year in 2025: early in the spring, we headed Northwest to Oregon via the old ‘trail’. Guts, Gas, and Gusto, we made it back. On first glance, I can not tell where many of these were taken. We have traveled so many miles and been across the USA twice last year. Many of these still need Geo-tagging.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Road pictures are my favourites. Sometimes, looking out the front window of the RV to lay the Camera on the center line and snapping away until I’m done. Life on the road for us is the most rewarding pleasure ever. Living life day by day, hour by hour, in the time of our lives where nothing else matters. Each of these pictures tells a story of our travels. Some of these, I can’t remember where we were. Others, the mountains give it away.

  Where life is good, and the journeys never end

  Road pictures from our front window.

  April brings us a new 2026 excursion,

  

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  : Bubbling Crude

Following Tetonic’s

Looking over the map of the faults, the cruise we are taking follows the San Andreas fault up through Alaska. It is directly on top of the fault. There’s always activity near and under the ‘rim of fire’. With lots of hope, we will be able to see and visit the NW coast before it breaks off into the Pacific Ocean.

_{by Larry Hartridge}

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The internet is full of self-helpers. Go AWAY

I have never seen so many experts talking about things that get our attention, like clickbait. What is this without any knowledge of a person’s life? These so-called experts in their forties are telling us to just do this and do that to solve our every hurt or discomfort. These ‘experts’ on relationships have watched too much Dr. Phil.

Each of these people needs to shut up and not tell others how well they have lived or how long their struggles have endured. The amount of stress you have suffered over something that can be fixed or remedied with this one or two knee reactions comments… There you are fixed! Now subscribe so I can fill your head full of more of my opinions.

Having the mentality to just reach out, take someone’s advice, and apply a rule of thumb to your life doesn’t always work. Be careful of listening to bystanders posing as experts on how to live.