Hillsborough River State Park

The first time we visited Hillsborough River we were astonished at the rare beauty we found. A large portion of the river that runs through the park has enough drop in elevation and rocks in it to produce rushing water and small rapids. There are long walking trails on both sides along the river with a wonderful Florida hammock surrounding it. You can hear the sound of rushing water as you approach the rapids, much like the creeks and rivers of the mountains. The water is clear and fish and alligators can be sighted easily. The campground is just as beautiful and there are sites which are with in a short walk of the river and a canoe launch. We stayed there for 4 days in April at site #25. The majority of the sites are large and have lots of trees and shade. The sites have easy to reach electric and water. The restrooms and showers were aging but clean(this park is one of the oldest in Florida). We took our canoe and were able to launch and use it with ease. A canoe ride on this river is a must. The water was clear with a bluish/green tint from the limestone content. We saw many birds, fish, alligators, and turtles. April is mating season for alligators so we were extra careful not to disturb them. This park also boasts a hugh shallow swimming pool open in the summer months to cool off. It's a great place to bring the kids. There are many picnic areas and pavilions. Fishing is allowed in several areas. There is however no swimming allowed in the river due to the alligators. With the exception of the squirrels (see the "Campsite Vandals" story) we had a wonderful time. The Happy Camper recommends this campground or just a visit to see this natural treasure. If you would like to see more pictures of this park visit the Parks website.

Grilled Tarragon Pork Chops

Here's an easy one!
Ingredients:
pork chops
potatoes
corn or vegetable of choice
salt and pepper to taste
tarragon
soy sauce
butter
olive oil
Marinate chops in soy sauce, olive oil(any vegetable oil will do but olive is best),tarragon and pepper (use a little salt if you don't have soy sauce) for up to one hour. Parboil cubed potatoes on camp stove for approx. 10 minutes or until just tender but not soft. We used left over corn from night before. Cut off cob and place in tin foil with salt, pepper and butter. When potatoes are done also put in foil with butter and season as desired. Grill all over camp fire or camp grill. Chops, depending on size, will take 20 to 30 minutes. If you don't have any of these ingredients, improvise. That's the fun of camping. You could substitute parsley, rosemary or thyme for tarragon or just use salt and pepper. We save the little packets from eating out like catsup, mustard or soy sauce and keep them with our camping stuff. Butter and foil are a must in the camping supplies. Butter adds so much flavor when other ingredients are scarce. You can hike it off later! We also do a lighter (olive oil instead of butter) version of this recipe on our BBQ at home. We try many of our meals at home first. The BBQ grill is a great place to experiment! Once again, remember to keep a GREEN site. Don't burn any plastics on the campfire.
The Happy Camper

Sebastian Inlet State Park

We visited Sebastian Inlet State Park in May of 2009. Our site was #9 along the back stretch along the wooded area between the campground and the ocean. We picked this site from aerial views because it appeared to have some shade. When we arrived we were offered open sites on the Indian River but after looking at them decided to stay where we were. Site 9 and several others on that stretch did have a considerable amount of shade. Later we were thankful we stayed where we were. The campground was clean and well maintained as well as the restrooms. The middle restroom did however have some septic problems and the washing machines were out of order. The campground proximity to the river and ocean was great. We took our bikes and rode to the beach often. The beach and river there are beautiful and were not very crowded, however we were not their on a weekend. My husband and a friend put their boat in at a ramp just down from the campground- very convenient! We enjoyed fishing, swimming, bicycling and nature watching. We saw lots of porpoises, manatees and many birds. We had a couple storms come from the mainland/river side. The campers on the river side got the worst of it. We did not have any trouble with animals or bugs except some fire ants at the site. The campground hosts and rangers were all very helpful. The Happy Camper recommends this campground especially to anyone who loves the ocean, beach, boating and fishing. For tent campers we would recommend choosing a site away from the river as they offer some protection from storms.

Campsite Vandals

It was our 25th wedding anniversary and we were spending it doing what we love best, camping of course. If you are relatively new to camping as we are you hear all the warnings and stories about animals looking for food whether it is bears, raccoons, birds or whatever: “Don’t feed the wildlife, hang your food from a tree, lock it in your car”. We have had raccoons crawl on our camper at night and in the morning seen their tracks everywhere, especially all over the truck where we stashed our food for the night. So we had some experience with these pesky critters.
So here we are at one of the most beautiful Florida state parks we have ever seen-Hillsborough River. We were trying out a new camper we had bought as an anniversary present to each other. We had a gorgeous camp site nestled in a hammock of live oaks, cabbage palms, Florida holly and magnolias just a few yards from the river. The weather was perfect. After setting up we noticed something. The squirrels were huge and practically surrounded us. There were dozens all around our site begging. They would come right up to the camper door and even come sniff your feet if you stood still long enough. We of course did not feed them and tried to ignore them. We had lots of plans: canoeing, hiking, fishing.
The next day we planned a hike after lunch. The weather was so nice I left the camper windows open to catch the breezes. We had a wonderful hike along the river. After which we headed back to start preparing our anniversary dinner. We approached the camper and my husband exclaimed “there is a squirrel in the camper!” I said “you’re kidding!” But as we looked in sure enough he was running circles all around the camper trying to get out. My husband went in to chase him out and I handing him the broom. What a scene; seeing him running around the camper chasing this squirrel with a broom. He finally got him to go out the front door and I went in to access the damage. He had eaten a hole through the window screen to get in. Our new camper was now christened. He tried unsuccessfully to get into a package of sweet rolls after which he gave up and settled for a bag of dinner rolls. The little bugger! The camper was a mess. We were NOT happy campers! But looking back the scene was hilarious.
Needless to say after that I learned my lesson. NO more food in the camper unless I was cooking. No more open windows when we left. They pestered us the entire trip looking in windows and begging for food. We knew these squirrels had done this before. The big male who broke in was relentless and kept trying to get in the camper. You could tell he was the alpha male by the way he chased the other squirrels away of and by the size of his family jewels. We called him little big nuts. Lesson learned-never underestimate the ability of animals to get to food.
We went to the store and bought some repellant which touted its ability to repel rodents, squirrels included. It did not work. They sniffed it and carried on about their begging and searching. If anyone knows of any sure fire way to repel squirrels, PLEASE let us know! Only humane and green suggestions please. We try our best to have a green campsite!
The Happy Camper- well most of the time

Camp Fire Pizza Recipe

Ever been out camping and had a craving for pizza? Well you can have it. Of course it takes some planning before you leave or a quick trip to the store. You will need dough. Some groceries have pre-made pizza dough like Publix which works well 0r pizza dough in the refrigerated section. A cast iron skillet is essential and really is essential for all campfire cooking. Coat the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil. After rolling the dough ( a plastic water bottle works in a pinch) spread on the bottom of the pan.
I used thinly sliced tomatoes rather than sauce as the base. Then add the toppings of your choice and cover. If you do not have a cover, tin foil works too. Place over campfire grate at least 6" over hot coals. This is not an exact science so check your crust often. Ours took about 45 minutes and it was great! Happy Camping.

Ingredients for this pie:

pizza dough

4 small tomatoes

2 cups mozzarella cheese

turkey pepperoni

thinly sliced onion

garlic powder

pinch of red pepper

fresh basil leaves