Tag: #fallingwatersstatepark

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Okefenokee

You, Lord, are the only God. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and all the stars of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:6

We outran Hurricane Zeta by heading east.  Our first stop was at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley, Florida.  Falling Waters boasts Florida’s highest waterfall surrounded by tall trees and fern covered sinkholes. 

The waterfall went into a sinkhole.
Interesting tree fungus in the woods by the waterfall

As we hiked to the waterfall, we spied an unfamiliar animal.  We later learned it was a fox squirrel.  Larger than our Midwest squirrels, its bright white nose and ears were a stark contrast to its black furred face.  At our approach, he quickly skittered off into the woods but not before we snapped a few photos.  

These photos aren’t great, but they were the best we captured of the fox squirrel.

From Falling Waters, we went to Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights, Florida.

The sandy path between our campsite and the bathroom. On our first night, a long black snake slithered across the path in front of us. From then on, we treaded carefully at night!

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park is about 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  We rode to the seashore for lunch and meandered our way north on the A1A coastal highway. 

Riding the A1A

Two national parks were on our route.  Unfortunately, Fort Matanzas National Monument south of St. Augustine was closed due to Covid.  Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine was open and we briefly walked around the exterior. 

The Atlantic Ocean

On our honeymoon over 32 years ago, we drove to Florida.  In addition to visiting Walt Disney World, Epcot, Cape Canaveral, and an alligator farm, we drove along the coast to Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. In St. Augustine, we drank from the Fountain of Youth.  After all these years, we thought it was time for a ‘booster sip’ so we headed to the attraction. 

Ponce de Leon visited this area in 1513 on his quest for new lands and healing waters.

Sadly we arrived at closing time so we didn’t get our second shot.  However, we did get wet.  As we rode back to camp, rain set in.  We have rain gear, but of course, it was back at camp.  Oh well.  We arrived home safe but soggy.

Our next stop was Okefenokee Pastimes in Folkston, GA, located just outside the main entrance of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America, covering 438,000 acres or approximately 700 square miles. 

Chesser Island Boardwalk winds into the swamp. Because of alligators, dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk. But people are? Hmm….

While the surface waters of the swamp are shiny black, the water actually looks like tea, tinted brown by decaying vegetation and peat. 

The black water along the boardwalk.
Ghostly trees in the swamp

We took a fantastic boat tour of the swamp.  Although our guide was fairly young, he was from a multi-generation swamp dwelling family.  He impressed us with his love for his native land and his vast knowledge of the swamp, the creatures who live there, and the people who made it their home. 

In the late 1800’s the Chesser family settled this homestead on Chesser Island near the swamp. In addition to operating a sawmill, the family gardened and raised crops, primarily tobacco and sugar cane. They also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens.
This pigmy rattlesnake was coiled under the fence by the homestead. He didn’t seem bothered by anyone tromping past him.
One of two gators we saw in the swamp.

As the days have gotten shorter and the nights are longer, we notice that we don’t meet as many of our fellow campers as we did in the summer months.  People tend to hole up in their RV’s during the long dark evenings and we are guilty of that too. We have met some great camp hosts who take pride in keeping their facilities in good order and sparkling clean.  We try to let them know how much we appreciate their efforts.  Their hard work makes our Chasing Sonshine much more enjoyable!  

Lesson Learned:  Every geographic area has beauty and something interesting to explore.  

A lily pad covered lake in the swamp.
On the surface, this swamp prairie doesn’t look much different than a Kansas prairie. Step foot in it and you’ll immediately know the difference!
A swamp song from Cy’s childhood