We seem to finally be at the point where we stay mostly caught up on this blog; this is two months in a row in which the end of month report is only a week after the last day. With our lengthy stay in Key West just started, we anticipate being up to day for at least the rest of the winter.
The Distance: 791 miles, which is pretty substantial considering we stayed in one state! But bouncing around Florida from the southern Gulf Coast to Central Florida and then all the way down to Key West tends to put some mileage on the odometer. We finished 2016 with an interesting 9,999 miles, barely missing 10K.
The Places: We ran a jagged upside down “U” (Ohm? Omega?) across the state, starting with our last couple of days at Periwinkle RV Campground on Sanibel Island. We backtracked south to Club Naples RV Resort to attend two more markets in Naples, then headed up the coast to drop Serenity off at Campbell RV in Sarasota for repairs to the electrical system while we stayed with Gloria and Bill in Venice. Then it was a night in Oscar Scherer State Park before moving north and inland for a full week stay at one of our favorites, Trimble County Park near Mount Dora. Unable to extend in Trimble, we moved a few miles down the road to Kelly Park near Rock Springs Run for five days before celebrating Christmas week in Wekiva Falls RV Resort with my dad and step mom. Then we bolted south, stopping for a night below Miami before continuing on to Sigsbee RV Campground on the Key West Naval Air Station.
We had full hook ups for 12 days, electric/water connections for 13, dry camped for 4 (ending a four month streak of no dry camping,) and stayed with relatives for 2. and stayed in relatives houses for 8. We were in private campgrounds for 12 days, public parks for 13 (12 county, 1 state), military facilities for 3, a parking lot for 1, and with the aforementioned relatives for 2.
The Budget: We squeaked under our monthly budget by 1/2 a percent! With the large number of unusual expenses that came due for us in December (medical bills, Serenity’s repair bill, our annual mail forwarding service renewal, etc) combined with Christmas shopping and higher than average campground fees, we were only able to get under budget because of our robust farmers market schedule. And while only five of the seven events at which we sold were successful, it was enough to keep us on track, and resulted in us being almost exactly on budget for the year as well.
The Drama: Nothing really substantial, other than a loosening right front windshield seal that will need some proper attention beyond the temporary tape solution if we want to keep the water out.
The Improvements: Our 12 volt and 50 amp shore power problems were fixed by Campbell RV, who also rewound our awning spring, charged up our AC, and unstuck our water filter housing. We anticipate another round of (hopefully) minor repairs once we leave Key West in March. Oh yeah, we have a buyer for The Big Kahuna, and have received a deposit. I hope to report on a successful transaction in the coming days.
Next post we will sum up our 2016 RV adventures, with bests and worsts in several categories, and of course, more stats.
All of our monthly reports, as well as our first full year report, 2015 in Review, are linked below.
2016 Reports:
Shell On Wheels 
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Hi: I enjoyed reading your adventures with Big Kahuna and Loki. I also have a Geo Tracker towing behind my RV. The Owner’s Manual recommends that every 200 miles the engine on the Geo should be started and run for a minute at medium speed to circulate the oil in the transmission. Have you ever had to do this procedure while traveling with your Geo in tow?
Thanks for your feedback!–Paul
We usually limit our travel distance to 250 miles in one shot, so I have not really worried about that extra 50 miles. On those uncommon travel days where we push over 300, I try to remember to start and run the Tracker during a gas or meal break, but have not been particularly good about it. So far, the only transmission problem we have had is an ongoing very slow fluid leak.