Horse Capital of the World

Ocala/Marion County Florida earned that title due to the fact that they have the largest number of horses and ponies than any other county in the United States; more than 35,000 Thoroughbreds alone!

So Barb scoured the internet looking for the perfect horse related event that we could go to while in the area. She found it in the Grandview Invitational; a draft horse hitch show where horses weighing up to 2,000 pounds are judged pulling wagons. So along with Dan and Jeanie we headed over to Ocala for the event!

Each team is judged on their physical condition, conformation and movement as a team; ideally with each step in unison with the other horses on the team. 

Belgians, Percherons and Clydesdales each compete in 3, 4 and 8 horse classes. 

Barb and I have been to a lot of horse shows in our days and this one ranked right near the top for talent and beauty. 

The nightmare that is our stay at this park continues with constant loud parties late into the night. We are not opposed to any of these things but this place takes it to a new level! Parents....don't bring your kids here unless you want them to learn new words as every other word spoken around the campfire is the F-Bomb. We were wondering why the owner and manager were not doing anything about the late night parties until last night when a class C with a toad came the wrong way down our dead end lane last night about 10:00pm and stopped about 10' from our bedroom window. Both the owner and manager came up to the newly arrivals tripping over themselves and in slurred speech introduced themselves and tried explain to them where they needed to park. In fact the first words out of the managers mouth were "Excuse my beer and cigarette"...…. Our time here cannot end quick enough!

Despite all this we are not letting it stop us from getting out and enjoying our time here. We have taken many a walk with the dogs. Daisy's favorite walk is to the park down the road where she gets to play on the equipment. 

We have also been out fishing a few more times both alone and with Dan and Jeanie but the cooler weather has really shut them down.  We also got together a couple more times with Mike and Liz. The beautiful thing about hanging out with locals is that you get to find out all the great bars and restaurants. Together we have hit The Loft, Kelly's Half Shell (get the fish and chips!) and Burkes of Ireland. We were joined by Mike's brother John and his wife who own several shrimp boats in the area. All four are great people and it was interesting hearing the ins and outs of the commercial shrimp fishery.

Saturday was a momentous occasion as we finally met a couple that we have been trying to meet up with for a couple of years. We almost met last year in Arizona but an illness prevented that meeting but 360+ days and 1,940 miles away we finally did meet fellow bloggers and fulltime RV legends Steve and Mona Liza.

Steve and Mona Liza were on their way north from Naples and were staying in the Crystal River area for a couple of days. We met at The Freezer, and over some great food and a couple of beers, compared stories and got to know each other better. It was a long time coming but worth the wait. From there we all headed over to Shelly's Seafood Market that came highly recommended as one of the best places to get fresh seafood in the area.  We treated ourselves to a nice Yellowfin Tuna steak while Mona Liza and Steve got a variety of tuna, grouper and tilapia. Fresh seafood acquired it was time to say our goodbyes and head in separate directions. We hope to meet up with them sometime in the future and share a hiking trail or perhaps enjoy a beverage at a brewery!

With less than a week left here in the area we have something planned almost everyday including a visit from Farmer Bob and DeAnne from the frozen tundra of North Dakota!!!!!