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Manatee in the Suwannee River

Mon, 11/9/09 Manatee Springs SP, Chiefland, FL: Cloudy all day today. Had a fire all morning and sat around reading and relaxing. Then walked over to the spring which was totally deserted. Would have been a great day to snorkel—the water didn’t even feel that cold. But we were already committed to a hike so that’s what we did. It was so humid that it wasn’t long before we were sweating pretty good. At the end of our hike we walked out the boardwalk through the huge cypress trees to the Suwannee River and there was actually a lone manatee just off the boardwalk. A little guy. Back to our site and took a refreshing shower.

Suwannee River

Sun, 11/8/09 Manatee Springs SP, Chiefland, FL: A little cloudy this morning and was partly cloudy and breezy most of the day. We relaxed most of the morning and then headed to Chiefland to have a late lunch and call my brother. We have no cell signal here at all. My brother called to warn us of a tropical storm/hurricane which was going to affect the panhandle. Thankfully, we left there yesterday. Looks like we may get a bunch of rain starting in a day or so. Back to the park and relaxed and enjoyed the books we’re currently reading. Weather permitting, we plan on hiking one of the trails in here tomorrow. Either that or get the courage to don our wet suits and snorkel the spring.

Brown Water Snake

Sat, 11/7/09 Ochlockonee Rvr SP, Sopchopee, FL, to Manatee Sprgs SP, Chiefland, FL: Left Ochlockonee River SP at 11:00 heading east on 98 through a really remote area. Not much between Sopchoppy and Perry. Stopped in Perry to have a late breakfast. Continued on Alt. 27 to Chiefland. Arrived at the park by 2:30 and set up by 3:00. 80 degrees. Walked down to the spring and saw a huge snake in the spring. Glad I wasn’t in there snorkeling. Walked down the boardwalk to the Suwannee River. No manatees this evening. We’re in a new site this year—site 87. We like it. We’re here for 4 nights. Should be a lot warmer.

The dunes on Bald Point

Monarchs on their annual migration. This bush was loaded with them.

Mike walking up from the beach

Ochlockonee River SP, Sopchopee, FL: A beautiful, sunny morning this morning. Drove into Sopchopee to pick up a few things and then drove down to Lighthouse Point on the Gulf. No lighthouse but a pretty drive with lots of beach homes. Stopped at a seafood restaurant right on the Gulf for lunch, but it didn't open until 4:30, so we ended up at a barbecue restaurant a little further down the road. They had Brunswick stew on the menu, so we both got a bowl of that. I grew very fond of Brunswick stew when I lived in Atlanta. It's hard to find on the menu outside of Georgia. Back to our pretty site tucked into a grove of live oaks and then walked the Ochlockonee River trail which meandered through pines, palmetto, live oaks, and bald cypress along the river. And we actually saw one of the white squirrels that live in this park--a rare color variant of the Eastern gray squirrel. Wish I'd had my camera with me. He was white with a black diamond marking on his head and a luxuriant tail. Very different. We also saw about 9 deer along the trail. This park is in the middle of the St. Mark's wildlife refuge and is indeed in the middle of nowhere which makes it really peaceful and quiet. This part of the Gulf is also home to the Gulf Sturgeon which can grow to 9 feet and weigh 300 lbs. They are protected, so if you catch one you have to release it.

Japanese Gardens

San Francisco--1982

Deer Run RV Park, Troy, AL, to Ochlockonee River SP, Sopchopee, FL: Left Deer Run this morning at 8:30 and arrived at Camping World in Dothan, AL, at 9:50 to get the antenna checked out. While waiting for service, we looked at some fifth-wheels and motor homes. They have a huge indoor showroom. Got the antenna fixed and were out of there by 12:00 and headed out again south on Rt. 231 after stopping an hour or so for lunch. We headed east on Rt. 10 for about 60 miles and then south on Rt. 319. This park is out in the middle of nowhere--only about 5 miles from the Gulf. A very pretty park from what we've seen so far. Saw about 5 deer on the way in. We'll be checking it out tomorrow and the hiking trails as well. We're right on the Ochlockonee River and very close to the Gulf.

Japanese Gardens

San Francisco--1982

Wed, 11/4/09:

Lake Lurleen SP, Tuscaloosa, AL, to Deer Run RV Park, Troy, AL: After stopping at the dump station, we left Lake Lurleen at about 9:30. Followed 82 east this time with Mike driving. Rt. 82 out of Tuscaloosa is a four-lane, limited-access highway. Wanted to stop for breakfast, but there weren't a plethora of eating establishments along the way--at least not where we could pull in easily with the fifth-wheel in tow. So after a couple of hours we exited at a travel center with a Wendy's, fueled up, ate, and switch drivers. I started driving and we continued east on Rt. 82, which after a couple of miles turned into a two-lane road. Outside of Montgomery we headed south on Rt. 65 and then south on Rt. 231. Finally got through the outskirts of Montgomery and Rt. 231 turned into a four-lane, limited-access highway again, traveling through rolling hills of large horse and cattle ranches. Troy is about 50 miles south of Montgomery. We pulled in to Deer Run at about 2:00. Deer Run is a really nice commercial RV park. Only here for one night. Not even unhooking. Have to stop in Dothan, AL, tomorrow morning to get the TV antenna fixed (hopefully).

Our Site

Tue, 11/3/09:

Lake Lurleen SP, Tuscaloosa, AL: Another beautiful day. We were going to check out Tuscaloosa today, but it's so pretty here we decided to just relax right here. Mike got a fire going in the morning and we sat around enjoying the view of the lake and the warmth. The lake was like glass. Later in the afternoon we walked around one of the other loops and back and then just relaxed by the fire. The combination of a little breeze and the angle of the sun created these little pinpoints of light reflecting off the water. So pretty. Heard the mouse this morning at about 3:00 a.m. Mike taped up an area where we think they could get in. Hopefully he's already gone. If not, there's only one way out of here. Tomorrow we leave for Troy, AL, for one night.