The last couple of days on Cedar Key were surreal without all our NuCrew around. We spent some time over at the Low-Key Hideaway, as they hired Chris to tweak their WiFi network for better performance. We enjoyed getting to know some more of the locals around the Tiki Bar, as well as our new neighbors in the campground.
And we had one of the most magnificent sunsets yet. The water was so still, that it was like having a 2-for-1 happy hour special.
On Tuesday, we took our last walk into town for lunch – a ritual that we have come to most enjoy. We said good by to more friends we made in Cedar Key along the way. We said our good-byes to the office staff at Sunset Isles RV Park and picked up the last packages we had due to arrive.
It was difficult to do, but yesterday morning we fired up the 2-stroke and pulled out of Cedar Key. But not before another blog reader, unknown to us, stopped over to say hi. It feels like Cedar Key is a place we could just plop down long term and we’d have no shortage of nomadic rendezvouses cycling non-stop on our porch.
We drove about an hour south to Crystal River, where we stopped in for a visit to the county tax collector’s office to handle getting our Florida driver’s licenses and vehicle tags. A lengthy process we have been planning and gathering paperwork for since November. It went much smoother than anticipated, and even cheaper once they pulled up my driving record to find I already had a Florida tag I could transfer.
I’ll follow-up with a full post on why we’ve legally moved our domicile to Florida from South Dakota, the process, the costs and the benefits for us.
After becoming Floridians, we completed our drive into Spring Hill where we’ll be for the next 10 days visiting with Chris’ folks. After that, we’re hoping my dad is feeling up for some Central Florida adventuring with us before we eventually head back to Melbourne.
For now, we’re trying to adapt to being back in a place with stop lights and ample shopping.
We’ll leave you with some more sunset shots, and may be back to share a compilation of the best from our month in Cedar Key.
We’ve had some requests on Facebook to make these shots available for purchase – but not sure if it would be worth the effort and expense. But if you’re interested, let us know what formats might be appealing (prints, calendar, book, etc.) and we’ll give it some thought.
Beautiful sunset photos. Color is amazing. Water must have been real still to get mirror quality reflections.
Sunsets in Florida are unbelievable! Your photos are really beautiful. Looking forward to reading about where you go next.
My wife and I bought an RV and will be spending considerable time on the road shortly. Your blog has helped inspire us and convince us that our technology requirements, relatively young age, and pets do not exclude us from this lifestyle.Thanks.
Thank you Jeremy – appreciate hearing from you. Anyone who wants this lifestyle is not excluded. If you feel so inclined, recommend connecting with NuRVers.com to meet a bunch of other like minds.
Hi guys. Been following your blog for a while now. I’m currently in Fellsmere, Fl. Busy getting ready to “launch”, in may. I have a question that has to have run thru your minds recently concerning the lith-ion batteries installed in your bus. Has the recent Dreamliner fiasco caused you to question their use? My first thoughts were that it was an incorrect charging issue. I’d be interested in your take on this. I love the pics you post. Being inland I get to see just a pinch of sunrises and sunsets in this flat as a pool table ( most of it) place. Sending good thoughts out to you for your dad. Been there, done that for both my mom and my wife. I know it’s a cliche, but “it is what it is” kept me sane. Well, mostly. Hope to run across you “out there”. Regards, frank.
Hi Frank – thanks for making your first comment. Regarding the lithium batteries, no we have not changed our confidence in them. For one, we are not sure that what is in the Dreamliner is the same chemistry. And for second, our applications are very different. Our bank gets no where near the use that a plane full our peop,e would.
None of the media coverage of the Boeing Dreamliner issues have bothered to give much technical information on the batteries and what went wrong, but I went and did some digging on the Dreamliner batteries – and discovered that they are actually Lithium Cobalt cells, not LiFePO4 (LFP) like we are using.
Lithium Cobalt cells have a higher energy density than LiFePO4, but they lack the inherent safety and non-flamibility of LiFePO4 batteries.
From what I have been able to gather, the Dreamliner batteries were actually designed and specced and certified for use in 2008 – before LFP batteries were in substantial production. I imagine that if Boeing were doing the Dreamliner design today, they would very likely be considering an LFP design instead of Lithium Cobalt. But airliner design requires locking these sorts of decisions in WAY in advance, and once something is certified it is very difficult to change – even if something substantially better comes along.
That the Cobalt cells failed might just force Boeing into fast-tracking a new LFP design anyway. It looks like some of the assumptions they made in certification are now being called entirely into question, so there is a good chance that the entire Dreamliner fleet may remain grounded until a new battery design is worked out.
Your photos are stunning! But on a more practical note, I am looking forward to reading more about your Florida domicile experience as we are about to go through the same thing next month. We have had our mailing service with SBI there for close to two years now but will soon be establishing domicile. Hoping things go smoothly without too many snafus. A bit worried that you said it was a “lengthy” process. Hope you’ll be able to write up that post fairly soon!
We will get it written up soon. But don’t worry, if you already have mail coming in, it won’t be nearly as lengthy as moving a mailing address from another location. That was the lengthy part for us.
Oh, that’s good and makes me feel better! Thanks!
You guys are an inspiration to this geeky new RV’er out in Colorado–and the sunsets are inspiring, too! Thinking of you as you go toward family and caring for them. I will continue to follow, even if you post sporadically during this time. Best blessings!
Thank you Suzanne, I really appreciate the thoughts. And congrats on hitting the road!
The pictures are beautiful. Thanks for including them on your blog.
Thank you 🙂
Having seriously considered becoming a resident of SD once I start full-timing, am interested in your thought processes related to becoming Floridians.
Also, would be interested in a 2014 calendar with the CK sunsets – maybe use Shutterfly like my daughter does to prep hers? (She sends one to Mom, Dad & Aunts/Uncles w/ pics of the grandkids every year at Christmas – a gift that keeps on giving!) From what I understand, they’re reasonably priced.
RJ
Thanks RJ – you’re the second to recommend Shutterfly. Unfortunately, I didn’t see an easy option for ‘print on demand’ sales. Ideally we’d like to find something where we can create the products and at least earn a little something for supporting our efforts here. They do have a pro package, but it’s got a pretty hefty upfront fee to get started with. I’m playing around with Zazzle right now tho, which may be a good balance for us.
What an amazing sunset shot-love following your blog…have you ever checked out the Instagram site for selling your photos ? Honest, I don’t work for them,lol…I stumbled on it one day surfing the web and bookmarked it-http://instacanv.as/p/how-it-works
Hi Sandy.. and welcome! Thanks for the recommendation, I looked at the site you linked to. if we were using Instagram regularly, that might be an easy way to make some products. So far tho, we haven’t gotten hooked on it and their recent policy changes gave us a bit of a cringe.