Lake Louisa State Park–Friday to Wednesday–January 18 to 23, 2013

This was our first visit to Lake Louisa State Park.  It is very different from other Florida State Parks we have visited.  Lots of wide open spaces and it is hilly!?!?!  The State Park covers 4500 acres and the campground is located between Dixie Lake and Hammond Lake, 3 miles from the entrance.
01 - Lake Louisa Campground Map  02 - Lake Louisa Drive to Campground
 
(click on any photo to enlarge)
 
There are 3 campground loops. The sites were nice but very few trees.  If you like a place that is real quiet and away from it all—you might enjoy this campground. 
 
 
We liked it and would come here again if we plan to be in the area.
 
 
Lake Louisa is the largest of all the lakes in the state park. 
 It is about 3 miles from the campground.
03 - Lake Louisa
 
We spent a couple days hiking and biking. 
 
Early Morning Sunrise over Dixie Lake.04b - Dixie Lake Sunrise
 
There are many hiking trails.  Most are designed for horseback riders. 
So they have a base of soft sand—not so great for walking. 
04 - Hiking horse trail
 
There were a few places where the trails were more natural.
05 - Natural Trail  06 - Natural Trail
 
 
On our arrival, we saw a Bald Eagle.  However, after that we never saw it again. It was surprising how little wildlife we saw in such a large park.  We did see Red Shoulder Hawks and Osprey quite often.  Of course, there are vultures and the evidence of Wild Boar everywhere:o((
08 - Osprey 07 - Red Shoulder Hawk 
 
 
We got our bikes out one calm morning.  The winds were really strong while we were here.  Combine the strong winds with the hills and that’s a little more than we were willing to take on.  When the winds are calm, this is a wonderful park to ride.  Lots of paved roads and beautiful scenery.  The hills are just enough to add a little challenge.  Another plus for bikers, is Lake Louisa SP is located near several rail to trails.  If we were here longer or come again, we will be checking them out!!
 
(click on any photo to enlarge)
 
09a - Bike Ride View
09 - Bike Ride View  09b - Bike Ride View 
 

One afternoon, we managed to get the tire covers made from the material we bought at Beasley Manufacturing.  The project was actually a lot simpler than I anticipated:o))  First we measured and then measured again!!!  Each cover needed to be 43” high.  However their width were different.  So first, Nancy cut 4 strips 43” high.  Then Nancy trimmed the width of each piece for each wheel. 
10a - Tire Project  10b - Tire Project
 
The best thing about this fabric is it doesn’t fray…so NO sewing!!! 
 
Once we had the four covers cut to the correct size, we just had to attach the suction cups.10c - Tire Project
We placed 3 across the top and 2 on each side.  We used an ice pick to poke a hole 1 1/4 inch from the top and side on each top corner.  Inserted the pin and then pressed the suction cup onto the pin.  After the two top corner suction cups were attached, we poked another hole halfway across the top and 1 1/4 inch down from the top edge to attach the third suction cup.  Once the top three were attached, we put the cover on the motorhome before we attached the two side suction cups.10d - Tire Project


In order to be sure the side suction cups were in the correct place, I stuck the cup where I wanted it on the motorhome and then used the ice pick to punch the hole in the correct spot. 
10e - Tire Project  10f - Tire Project
 
 
All the suction cups are in place!!
10g- Tire Project
 
 
Just one finishing touch….  paint the white caps BLACK!!
 
10h- Tire Project  10i - Tire Project
 
Start to finish, the entire project took less than two hours :o))
 
 
 
On our last day, we drove to Showcase of Citrus just down the street from the State Park.  Nancy has always wanted to pick an orange from a tree.  Well, she got to do just that.  We had a great couple hours picking citrus—Pink Grapefruit, Valencia Oranges, Red Naval Oranges, Spring Naval Oranges, Honey Tangerines, Meyer Lemons, Key Limes and Kumquats!!! 
11a - Citrus  11b - Citrus11c - Citrus  11d - Citrus
 
 
All in all we picked 1 1/4 bushels…  should be enough;o))
11e - Citrus
 
We’ve enjoyed our stay at Lake Louisa State Park,
but it is time to move on to our next adventure.
 
I think it could be a “Magical” one :o))

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the instructions on the wheel cover screens, I wonder if the suction cups would work on uneven surfaces?

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    1. The suction cups must be on a FLAT and CLEAN surface to work. That was the reason we placed the side suction cups on the motorhome first to be sure they were on a flat surface. We have some curved areas around the wheel well.

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  2. Great job on the tire covers! Looks classy even. You had a great time picking citrus too!Looking forward to your 'Magical' trip :)

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  3. Looks like a nice SP, going to add it to the list.

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  4. Thanks for the great info on Lake Louisa. I haven't picked oranges since I was a girl and my Aunt Carrie had trees in her yard in Ocala. I'd love to do it again. Sounds like another gathering is coming up. Enjoy.

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  5. I wondered how that type of tire cover worked. Looks good!

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  6. Glad that you made it to Showcase of Citrus. We loved that place as well as Lake Louisa! Yep -it's gonna be a magical time!

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  7. We are getting ready for some magic of our own...hope we can see you again.

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  8. Loved the tire cover project. I would have had to paint those white dots black too :)

    Have a wonderful, enchanting time!

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  9. Loved your technical post. Great job, the covers look great, especially now that you painted the suction cup caps black. It's all in the details.

    Have a great time at your next stop. Wish we were going there this year, but doctor appointments have gotten in the way for now. :c(

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  10. Nice job on the tire covers. They look sharp!

    Another magical adventure on the way. Looking forward to hearing about it!

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  11. Good oranges and the tire covers look good too. I like easy projects.
    Syl

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  12. Why the wheel covers??

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