Our Florida RV Adventure Didn't End the Way We Planned—And That’s Okay

After nearly a month on the road, we were forced to make some unforeseen adjustments to our carefully planned final stop in Florida.

Spending a day on Crystal River with longtime friend and Florida fishing legend Bernie Schultz reminded me that some of the best travel memories come from the people you share them with. | Kurt Mazurek

Coughing and sneezing overpowered the low, soothing buzz of our all-electric RV as we rolled into Crystal River. Both Julie and I had succumbed to a nasty cold somewhere along our route. Instead of exploring and manatee watching, we found ourselves slowing down, sleeping in and begrudgingly crossing a few activities off our “must-do” list.

Initially, I was disappointed.

Julie will tell you that I tend to pack trips with more plans than time. I always feel like I want to give each stop a fair chance to impress and I’d hate to leave anything out. Crystal River is a well-known Florida destination that’s loaded with outdoor activities, so the plan was to check it all out.

But as it turns out, slowing down was exactly what this stop, and honestly, maybe the entire trip, needed.

Series Note

This article is part of a 30-day, 1,600-mile road trip exploring some of Florida’s most iconic fishing and outdoor destinations. Along the way, my wife and I lived full-time in a 24-foot, all-electric RV. We knew the trip sounded amazing, but we wondered what effect an electric vehicle might have on our adventure.



Start the series here: Is My Fishing Lifestyle Ready for an All-Electric RV?

Why Crystal River?

As I said, Crystal River boasts a long list of outdoor attractions—maybe best known for its huge concentration of wild manatees and its crystal clear rivers. But on a personal note, I know it’s also an area that a good old fishing friend of mine frequents, and I looked forward to spending some time in his boat.

Veteran bass pro and Florida fishing legend Bernie Schultz and I first got to know each other years ago when I was marketing manager at Shimano and Bernie was part of our pro staff. We've stayed in touch over the years, and when I started planning this trip through Florida, I knew I wanted to reconnect.

And Crystal River felt like the perfect place to wrap up a month of Florida bass fishing.

Unlike the big, wide, shallow, flat lakes Florida is famous for, the river fisheries in this area are intimate and incredibly scenic. Specifically, we met in nearby Dunnellon and fished the Rainbow and Withlacoochee Rivers. True to the Crystal River area's name, the water is crystal-clear. Plus, there are miles of undeveloped shoreline with lush ground cover and ancient cypress trees draped in moss.

It’s easy to assume it has looked this way for decades, or even centuries. It feels like Old Florida.

A Day on the Water with Bernie Schultz

A fun perspective: What the rest of the bass see as their buddy heads into the boat. | Kurt Mazurek

I discovered long ago that you can learn more in one day on the water with the right angler than you can in weeks on your own. Bernie has spent decades chasing bass on these rivers. He’s the right angler.

As the photos show, we caught our share of bass that day. But I think what I appreciated even more was how every bend in the river, every confluence, and every backwater prompted another amazing story of the history of this sport. It really made me realize how lucky I am to get opportunities like that.

The topwater bite really took off late in our day fishing. | Kurt Mazurek

That day also became the perfect opportunity to test the OnWater AI-powered fishing app I'd been curious about. Rather than cram that story into this article, I gave it its own deep dive because it deserved one. If you’re interested in the specifics of what we caught and how we caught them that day, you’ll want to check this out. I Let AI Plan My Fishing Day—Then Tested It With a Bass Pro

This is an incredibly unique and beautiful place to fish. | Kurt Mazurek

Our Home Base

This is very clearly a newer KOA campground. I noticed on Google Earth that the image of this spot is still from before there was a campground here. | Kurt Mazurek

The Crystal River KOA was home for the week, and it turned out to be an excellent base camp.

The campground looked almost brand new, with clean facilities, spacious sites, beautiful pool, complimentary waffle bar one morning, very friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

The Crystal River KOA was clean, quiet and accommodating. The complimentary waffle bar was a welcome treat. | Kurt Mazurek

A couple small ponds on the property even gave me an excuse to hop on our Aventon e-bike, load it with rods and baits and go exploring. I didn’t manage to connect with any giants, but catching a few small bass within a couple hundred yards of our campsite was the best medicine for my low-motivation, congested head.

I loaded up the Aventon eBike and hit the ponds at our KOA. | Kurt Mazurek

The Places We'll Remember

Because we got sick, we were forced to simplify our plans, but that meant we ended up appreciating the things we did a little more.

The biscuits and gravy at The Biscuit Barn were so good we went back for round two the next morning.

Apparently, the Biscuit Barn in Crystal River attracts patrons with all kinds of cool vehicles. | Kurt Mazurek

The Crab Plant is a famous local spot right on the water. We weren’t feeling up to the energy of a crowd so we ordered hush puppies and steamed stone crab claws and enjoyed a feast back at the campground. So good!

Somehow I had never heard of Ellianos Coffee which apparently has a bunch of locations in the Southeast, including Crystal River. After one iced latte (breve with an extra shot) I found myself making two more visits before we left town. Hopefully they’ll start showing up back home in South Carolina soon.

Bernie recommended I check out Sodium Fishing Gear, which turned out to be one of the nicer independently owned tackle stores I've visited in years. It was exceptionally organized and well-stocked. If I had been feeling more on my game, that could have been a dangerous place for our budget.

Any fisherman in the Crystal River area should check out Sodium Fishing Gear. | Kurt Mazurek

By our last evening in Crystal River we were finally starting to feel human again, so we made dinner plans at a nice looking local place called Riverfront Social.

It ended up being one of our favorite meals of the trip.

We lucked out with an exceptionally great waiter named Kalen—friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It turned out he was also tending bar that evening. I asked about a cocktail I saw on the menu, the Twilight Old Fashioned, which Kalen proudly explained was his creation and kind of his signature drink.

Yes, please!

Meet Kalen, the best waiter/bartender in Crystal River. I strongly recommend the Twilight Old Fashioned. | Kurt Mazurek

If you’ll allow me to whiskey nerd out for a second: The Twilight Old Fashioned opened with the familiar sweet warmth of Woodford Reserve plus a bright orange citrus before giving way to honey and vanilla—exactly what you’d hope for in an Old Fashioned. But then, a good five seconds or so after I thought the experience was over, an unmistakable wave of baking spices and brown sugar brings it home.

Bravo, Kalen! I found myself thinking about that cocktail days later.

Living With an Electric RV

Sunrise over our home base in Crystal River, FL. | Kurt Mazurek

By our final week on the road, something interesting had happened. I stopped consciously thinking about the fact that I was driving an electric RV. Early in the trip, every long distance driving day came with its share of anxiety. Every destination began with the same questions.

Where will we charge?

How long will it take?

Will available range cause me to change plans?

But Crystal River had two perfectly suitable charging stations, one on each end of town. Charging had started to become no different than any other errand like picking up groceries or making an iced coffee run.

This was a scene that became fairly routine during our time in an all-electric RV. | Kurt Mazurek

What This Stop Taught Us

Crystal River is indeed scenic, quaint, relaxing and a perfect place to spend time. Honestly, I kept feeling like I was living in a vintage postcard of classic Old Florida. But the memories we took away from this stop weren’t because everything went according to plan.

We realized that sometimes the most enjoyable part of travel isn’t about doing more. In this case, less was definitely more. Simple things like a day on the water with an old friend, a quiet campground, good food, great coffee, a memorable cocktail, and a few unexpected bass close to camp, were absolutely perfect.

After a month of running non-stop, Crystal River gave us permission to slow down. And as it turned out, we needed that more than sightseeing and another packed itinerary.

Looking Back

The Grounded RV served us very well on our epic Florida fishing and outdoor road trip. | Kurt Mazurek

I must admit that when we left Charleston a month earlier, I had no idea whether an all-electric RV would complement a fishing and outdoor adventure or complicate it.

After more than 30 days and 1,600 miles behind us, with countless charging stops, unforgettable fishing and amazing experiences stretching from St. Augustine to Crystal River, I finally had my answer.

A great RV was never supposed to be the star of the story.

The places were.

The people were.

The fishing was.

The whir of the electric drivetrain had faded into the background until I took it for granted most of the time—and that's probably the highest compliment I can give it. The best equipment for an outdoor lifestyle disappears so you can focus on the experience. At some point along this epic journey, that's exactly what our Grounded G3 all-electric RV had done.

It was a joy to drive, easy to live in, and keeping it charged was much less challenging than anticipated.

The Grounded RV was the perfect backdrop for our adventure. | Kurt Mazurek

So I guess the last question is, would I take this all-electric RV on another long-distance fishing trip?

In a heartbeat.

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And in case you missed it, this article includes a video walk-through tour of the Grounded all-electric RV. Is My Fishing Lifestyle Ready for an All-Electric RV?

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Transparency Note: Although I have not been paid by any of the companies mentioned, some of the gear and opportunities reviewed in this article has been provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are entirely my own.