Our latest stop was at Lake Toho RV Resort, just south of Orlando, Florida, because we heard our friends, the McKays, were coming down for a holiday. They were staying at a fancy Wyndham resort on Disney property (ooh la la), and we, being the thrifty adventurers that we are, found a spot nearby that didn’t require a second mortgage. Enter Lake Toho RV Resort, a charming little spot between Kissimmee and St. Cloud, right on the banks of Lake Tohopekaliga. Yes, that’s a mouthful, and no, we don’t know how to pronounce it either.

After setting up camp, we took the Chis out for a stroll to explore the park. That’s when we stumbled across what we can only describe as Florida’s unofficial mascot—a massive gator sunbathing across the pond from us. Now, being Canadian, our first instinct was to apologize for disturbing him. Turns out, he’s a local legend named Chewy. According to the residents, Chewy rarely crosses the pond, which was both comforting and mildly terrifying.

Of course, we made it our daily mission to check on Chewy. Was it curiosity? Self-preservation? Maybe both. He was always there, except for one day—the exact day the McKays came to visit. Typical, right? We told them about Chewy, but all they saw was an empty pond. Meanwhile, Chewy probably had a hot date with his sometime girlfriend, Gypsy. We didn’t see her either, but rumor has it she exists.

When the McKays came over, John the Rockstar Husband Laverty pulled out all the stops in the kitchen. He made carne asada, jambalaya, salad, and cheesecake. There was so much food we briefly considered opening a food truck. Unfortunately, Connor wasn’t feeling great, but Liam and Braden seemed to enjoy the feast. After dinner, we took them to see Chewy’s pond, where Braden spotted a bird he’d been searching for—a Spoonbill Something-or-Other (I’m not great with bird names, okay?).

The next day, we headed to the McKays’ resort for New Year’s Eve. Now, let me tell you, this place was fancy. We got a full tour of the property, grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignon on their communal BBQs, and indulged in shrimp skewers, mashed potatoes, carrots, and cowboy butter. The food was amazing, but the portions? Let’s just say John and Darin both graduated from the “Feed an Army” school of cooking.

They even offered to let us stay overnight, but you know… Chihuahuas. So, we said our goodbyes, promising to send more pictures of Chewy, who, of course, was back in his usual spot the very next day. Classic Chewy.

We didn’t do much sightseeing, except for two adventures. First, we needed fresh dog food (long story), which led us to a Walmart that just happened to have a Hobby World next door. I found crochet animal kits and was unreasonably excited about it. Second, we decided to do a swamp boat tour of Lake Toho. Our campground had two tour operators in the same parking lot: Wild Willy’s Gator Tours and Crazy Gators. After some investigative journalism (okay, we asked the staff), we learned that the park owner originally partnered with Wild Willy’s but then decided he wanted a piece of the action and started his own tour company. We opted for Crazy Gators because, honestly, they seemed like a friendlier bunch.

We boarded the boat with a family from Maryland who, fun fact, reminded us of Greg Wintringham (if you know, you know). James, the dad, owned a construction business, and his wife was a nurse. They brought their three daughters and one boyfriend along for the ride. We promised them that if they didn’t see a gator on the tour, we’d personally introduce them to Chewy afterward.

Our guide, Ken, was a local who’d grown up fishing on Lake Toho. He had a knack for spotting gators hiding in the tall grass and floating islands. Within minutes, we saw baby gators, which he guessed were about two years old. Then, one after another, Ken found adult gators. We lost count after a while because, well, Florida.

Back on shore, they had a baby gator for us to hold. Don’t worry, we had the ethics talk with them, and they assured us it was all above board. James and his family still wanted to see Chewy, so we walked them over to his pond. Sure enough, there he was, basking in all his prehistoric glory. They spent a good 10 minutes staring at him before heading off, thoroughly satisfied.

We loved Lake Toho so much that we asked if we could extend our stay. They said yes but asked us to take down our fence because, apparently, it wasn’t allowed. There were no signs or rules posted about fences, so it felt a bit arbitrary, but hey, their park, their rules. We stayed one extra day, but taking the fence down was a hassle. Chihuahuas have tiny bladders, and leashing them up for every bathroom break got old fast.

On our last morning, we woke up to a bald eagle perched on the post outside our site, happily chewing on a fish breakfast. I jokingly tried to offer Casey as a side dish, but he wasn’t having it. (Relax, folks, it’s a joke!)

As I write this, we’re off to Leesburg for a week of hot tubs and pickling (not simultaneously, but hey, never say never). Hope you’re all staying warm and enjoying the New Year!