Our 80-mile move to the south was almost entirely on Interstate 75. We arrived at our next campsite just outside of Ocala at the Shangri-La Trailhead Campground. It's another Florida state park and now our 51st visited campground out of the 55 Florida State Parks where you can camp overnight in an RV.
Originally we planned this stop just because we hadn't camped here before. Then a 20-year long friend reached out to us and asked if we were going to be near Ocala anytime soon and would we like to Meetup for lunch and then visit her vacation home on the Rainbow River? Without hestitation we answered YES to both.
We'll be seeing her tomorrow for lunch at Swampy's Bar & Grille in Dunnellon, located just 15-miles from the campground, then we'll tour her nearby home.
I'm hoping to share some horse photos before we leave here on Friday morning.
During her walk she noticed the "horse themed" wall on the side on the maintenance shed here at the equestrian campground. Nice touch Florida State Parks for thinking ahead and adding an unecessary detail to brighten an otherwise drab building.
As noontime rolled near we headed out to meet Sue for our lunch date. With Sue having all the local knowledge of the best places to eat in town, we deferred to her judgement when selecting where to eat.
Without hesitation her first choice was Swampy's Bar & Grille. Just like Sue's vacation home here in Dunnellon, the restaurant sits right on the banks of the Rainbow River. I estimate that 90% of the seating at Swampy's was outdoors along the river.
Swampy's describes itself as a Cajun restaurant so I chose a cajun dish from the menu, as did Tricia, but Sue ordered a simple American dish.
mixed cheese and Swampy's rémoulade sauce with a side of coleslaw.
and étouffée sauce, then served over mash potatoes.
and fried served with cocktail sauce and slaw with a side order of red beans and rice.
Within no time everyone's plate was completely cleared, so I'll assume they both enjoyed their meal as much as I did.
With lunch complete and the restaurant tables quickly filling up, we moved our "Party of Three" just down the road to what Sue described as their "vacation home on the river".
When we pulled up to the front of their "vacation home" this was not what I expected to see.
After our tour of Sue's home, and three hours of chatting out back on the deck, we had to call an end to our visit and take care of a few chores, like filling ROVER's gas tank, because tomorrow we're once again on the move.
It was great seeing Sue again for the first time in six years, and we have several similiar rendezvous with other friends in our near future.
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