I had the summer off this year. “Off” is a generous word. Here is what I did with it, how my first campout of the season went, and the two podcasts that came out of it.
Short version of the campout: two nights booked, zero slept. I am still telling you to go.
What I did with my summer off
Getting ready to camp
In July, at 1:33 in the morning, I saved a screenshot of a teal 2002 Chevy Express van on a lot in Daytona Beach. I could not buy that van. But it lit a match.
Here is the truth about sleeping in an SUV at my age. You cannot sit up. You cannot stand. And a trip to the bathroom at three in the morning means unlocking the door and stepping out into a dark campsite alone. A van, or any small rig I can stand up in, fixes that. For a woman traveling alone, that is not luxury. It is safety, and it is dignity.
So I spent the summer on a stakeout. I learned the market, built a buyer’s checklist, and opened a rig fund. In September I started walking dealer lots around Ocala. One Class C looked like the one until I saw it in person: engine trouble, a steering problem, and no working air conditioning. Scratched. I am still looking, and I am also pricing rentals and small trailers my Ford Escape can pull. The goal is to get out there, not to own the perfect rig.
Meanwhile, I kept packing the Escape for practice. A pop-up tent, cameras, a tracking tripod I had not tried yet, and more cables than any one woman needs. You will hear how well that went.
New guides and the shop
In August I published Free Site, Real Work, my guide to what Florida state parks workamping actually asks of your body, your time, and your bank account. It draws on twelve host and resident volunteer assignments I worked between 2013 and 2020, plus real position descriptions and the agencies’ own manuals. Inside: a physical demand rating for every kind of post, what the trade is worth per hour, 36 state park sites that host workampers and have no campground, and fillable worksheets. Everything in it was verified as of August 2, 2026.
If you are ready to apply, Workamping in Florida State Parks: The 2026 Starter Kit walks you through it.
Over at WildHer Finds, the shop added tote bags, a mug, a tee, a fanny pack, and stickers this summer. The Florida manatee design is out, and a gopher tortoise is next. After that comes a second collection I am calling Second Act, opening with an elephant: a roaming, matriarchal animal that fits women who travel on their own terms. Buying from WildHer Finds is the first way I ask people to support the rig fund, because you get something you can use, too.
My first campout of the season: Silver Springs State Park
I booked site 43 in loop FK1 for two midweek nights, Tuesday, September 15 through Thursday the 17th. Packing the car took two hours, and I still did not think I had everything.
I arrived a little after three, after the office had closed. No problem. I got a map and a parking placard with a gate code, so I could come and go as needed. The park roads are narrow and winding, so take them slow. The loop itself is new since my last visit: gravel pull-through sites, brand new pedestals, picnic tables, fire rings, and grills.
Night one: the storm I did not wait for
Storms were forecast before dark. I was under tall pines, and if you are from Florida, you know pines attract lightning. I do not feel comfortable sleeping in my car in a storm. So I chickened out and took a room at the Holiday Inn Express just outside the park gates.
When I came back the next morning, I saw no damage. It may not have rained there at all.
Day two: heat, a bathhouse, and a boat
The forecast for day two was over 100 degrees. I sat in the shade at my site, recorded my walk-through for the podcast, and admitted to myself that I would not be sleeping in a closed car in that heat either.
Site 43 has water, 30 and 50 amp power, and a sewer hookup, which not every site in the loop has. It also sits about 50 to 100 feet from the bathhouse. If you want to be close, ask for site 42 or 43.
The bathhouse is the star. The showers are private rooms behind a door, with good hot water and a heater for winter mornings. The toilets are in a separate area. There is a washer and dryer, a drink machine, and a little stand of books to swap.
Then I did something I have wanted to do my entire life. I rode the glass-bottom boats on the Silver River. I chose the 90-minute tour, an hour and a half on the water in the sun, looking straight down through the glass into the springs.
One detail surprised me. The park sent a welcome email before my stay, a message when my site was ready, and steady reminders about my boat tour. I had not seen that from a Florida park before.
That night I tried a second hotel, the Best Western in Ocala. I got a good night’s sleep, which is better than I would have done at the campground in that heat.
What it cost
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Campsite, two nights with full hookups (Florida resident senior rate, fees, and taxes) | $49.07 |
| Holiday Inn Express, night one | $115.46 |
| Best Western Ocala, night two | $83.36 |
| Total for beds | $247.89 |
Park entry was covered by my Florida State Parks annual pass. The boat tour was extra.
The campsite was a bargain. Leaving it is what got expensive. If you are on a fixed income, build a weather fund into every Florida trip: storm money and heat money.
The verdict
Yes, with conditions. Come in the cooler months, or bring a way to stay cool. Come midweek if you can. Before you book, check the heat index along with the rain forecast. I am going back when I have a rig I can sleep in, and I will report on the after-dark side then.
The full report, with the drive, the site, the money, and the solo safety read, is Episode 1 of my new podcast.
Two new podcasts
Solo Sojourn Trail
Florida campgrounds and workamping, reported honestly. Solo Sojourn Trail is for women who camp and travel Florida’s public lands on their own. I visit state parks, state forests, and county campgrounds one at a time and tell you where to go, what it costs, and whether it is worth it. Every episode ends with a plain verdict, even when the answer is no.
Start with the short trailhead episode, where I tell you who I am and how the show works. Then Episode 1 takes you to Silver Springs. Next stop: Indian Lake State Forest.
Visit the Solo Sojourn Trail page or watch on YouTube.
Solo Sojourn: Voices from the Road
Real stories from women on the road alone. Voices from the Road is the companion show: one woman per episode, 10 to 15 minutes, recorded on Zoom. Camera optional. Your first name, or a made-up one, is fine. Guests must be 18 or older, and we never put your current location or next stop on tape.
Every guest gets the same closing question: What does the road give you that home does not?
Read about the show and the consent form, then book your interview on Zoom. You can also watch on YouTube.
Come along
- Listen to the trailhead episode and Episode 1 of Solo Sojourn Trail.
- Have you camped, traveled, or worked the road alone? Book a Voices from the Road interview.
- Have you been a camp host or resident volunteer at Silver Springs? Get in touch. I want to hear what the job asked of you.
- Help put me in a rig I can sleep in by shopping WildHer Finds.
See you down the trail.
Jolene
