Ochlockonee River State Park: A Quick Fall Trip

I can't believe November is here, knocking at the door!

And I can't believe how busy and all the quick trips that we have accomplished...

One of the latest? Fall break and a camping and kayaking and resting  all rolled up into one neatly packaged trip. Fewer hiccups in this camping trip than the one in June. Yay!



This time, it was a two car trip. The Man driving me and one kayak in the van. Will following with our Tin Can and the Kayak.  I wasn't quick enough to click some of the more intersting sites on the road, but a gas station stop did let me check out this very PINK car. I just don't think I could ride around in a Barbie Doll pink car, even when I absolutely adored Barbies ...



Ochlockonee River State Park was a new site for us. We have headed North for years now, but for this trip we headed South. South of Tallahasee to check this campground out. 

We set up the tin the can and started unloading. This time, we tried something new - without a screen on the the front window, it makes a great portal for placing one of the kayaks (I do believe both would fit).

In reading about the area, I learned that just a bit futher south , is a site called Bald Pointe State Park. In the fall that  area finds itself the stopping ground for Bald Eagles and Butterflies. While we did not make it to that park, I did find butterflies in abundance where we were stopped.

But this park too, had its drawing points, nicely sitting between two rivers, salt water rivers, which rose and fell with the tide (the Gulf of Mexico but a  few mile away),

it is also home to white squirrels. They are not albino squirrels, but truly white squirrels

So I found myself watching right off the bat for these pale rodents.

SQUIRREL.....

and he was spotted!

I love the "short" twisted trees. Twist created by wind and natures elements.

Yellows...

... Purples and

SQUIRREL!!

He had an itch!

Kayaking: Wind plus Kayaks = Quite a workout.

SQUIRREL!!

I suppose that is all for now... I do have more to share, but I will save that for another day!

In the meantime . . .

SQUIRREL!!!

Guess he wanted a bath...notice the soap ;)

Smiles!

Shhh/...Wordless Wednesday,Off For Fishing

Have You Seen This?

Washington could not lie...

I was just thinking the other day, “why can’t I blog anymore?? Where have the words gone??” Then life hands me a moment.


Words about honesty….


The Man is participating in his second season of Cross Country. He has complained less about aches and pains  this year and has seemed more eager to get to practice.

On a personal note here: working in an office again and his cross country practice is a bit tiresome. No coming home and just settling in in the evening. I know, blah, blah, blah, me and at least half the other moms of America. {{wink wink}}.


I have noticed this year, more practices running later than normal. More corporal punishment because of folks cheating ( cutting off some of the turns on the course). More talking when the coach has asked for silence of voices and for ears to hear.


Saturday, I followed the bus to an invitational in Bainbridge, GA. I like this course. It winds through a Christmas tree farm that is home to a few peacocks and a pumpkin patch. And a few hills on the road that the runners are not fond of.

After The Man finished running, instead of riding the bus home, he drove me back home.


Last night at church, The Man heard from a friend, who is also on the school team, that there had been discussion of cutting on the practice track again Friday. This time The Man had been named as the culprit. The Man was quite undone when he came home from church, worrying about this. Worring about being kicked off the team.

I asked, “did you cut on Friday?” He said no. He said no without any of the tell tale signs of a story. No sheepish grin, no antsy behavior (which intensifies with him when a story is being told). So yes, I believed him.

This afternoon, we are at home and I asked if he had a chance to speak to the coach. He said he had and the coach said that he could stay on the team, and would need to run Thursday at the next meet, but could not wear his uniform.

I was confused, why the punishment? So I asked again about cutting on the practice run. He said he didn't, but the coach also asked him if he had EVER cut in practice.  He told him he had cut before. So, while team members in the past, who have cut, have been punished at practice, with everyone, the coach is tired and implemented a new punishment. The Man will not run as a team member for the next two races at least.

Two different times that The Man  was on a fence, what decision to make.

The first: Tired and sore; to cut or not.
He chose wrong. He did not do right.
No one saw, and if he had been caught, the punishment at that time would have been extra laps.

The second: A direct question about a past decision; to lie or not lie.
He chose the right. He told the truth.
His punishment is more severe at this time. His punishment won't be bundled in with any other team members that chose wrong. His punishment will be one he will have to answer to again: "why are you out of uniform?"

While I am disappointed in his first decision, I am proud of his second decision, even if my heart hurts a little for him.

The post title?

I am different from Washington; I have a higher, grander standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie, but I won't. ~Mark Twain

The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable. --Jim Davis

 

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. --George Orwell

I hope The Man will always, in the future, choose the revolutionary act ...

Devil's Falls - Cheaha State Park

So far on the trip we had encountered the steepest roads in our airstream expereince, conquered leveling the camper, experienced a mini flood inside the camper, endured the heat of a hike that ended in a pitiful waterfall.

So now, time for just fun.

But wait, not quite yet. Between day two and day three there was an abrupt awakening during the night. I had been bit. On my stomach. I laid there for several minutes thinking that that was not it. But as the burning continued my mind wandered back to earlier in the day - BLACK WIDOW.

I got up and went back to the bathroom mirror and took a look. Yes, I was bit. I woke up Will. For two reasons: 1) in case the spider was still alive and well in the bed; 2) in case it was a black widow at least he would know and if I started acting weird or foaming at the mouth (I don't think that is actually a symptom) he would know what was going on.

We studied the sheets, no spider. But we pulled them off and shook them out anyway. By the time all the comotion was over and we were settling back in to try to go to sleep, enough time had lapsed, that we felt comfortable that it was not a Black Widow bite (it did take nearly two weeks to heal).

So day 3 meant another hike.  This time to another set of falls. 

Let me say, the day dawned beautiful! The ride to the entrance of the trail was amazing.  The entrance to the trail (after the trash that rude people left laying),refreshing.

Francie hurried to the rocks and hopped around before stepping into the water. We were still pleasantly surprised.

This is the beginning of this section of the trail to the falls. Isn't it lush?!?

It seemed this path was mostly up hill. Most of the way shady, but then it opened up into a dry, rocky section with a nice, steep fall to the right.

And then:

We could hear voices and laughter..

The falls, with a swimming hole, with locals enjoying.

When you arrived at the rocks to the left in the above picture, and turned to look away

from the pool below, this is what you saw:

Crystal clear

 Cool water

 Beautiful trees

As we walked around taking it all in, we were approached by one of the local swimmers.

He asked, "y'all bin hawkin?"

Loogy was the first thing that came to mind.

And being a southern lady (cough), I don't do loogies!

But I did not say that, believing I had heard him wrong,

so I ever so politely said, "I'm sorry, what did you say"

again, "y'all bin hawkin?!?"

I gave him a puzzled look and he repeated himself again, but pointed, this time,

to the trail we had arrived on.

"ohhhhh, hiking! Yes, you could say that"

(In a really we are out of shape 1.5 in and 1.5 out might be the death of us sorta hiking)

We left the congested area went up above that fall you see above.

Funny how with a little more "hawking" and the sound of water, all the noise of

others can be drowned out. We found ourselves in the most serene, peaceful setting.

Sometimes, tough beginnings, or those wrenches, or hurdles, whatever one chooses to call them, lend way to a more pleasant time. I am glad that we did not let the heat, or bugs, or spiders, or.... stop us in our tracks.

We were refreshed at that spot, the name so suitable for the time leading up to that moment - Devil's falls. All the "devilish" details fell away . . .

http://youtu.be/HrQMsGjrwiA

 

Smiles!

Eighteen

Eighteen years. Wow – what a journey. So glad to be on it. . .

Is it wrong to think of your child’s birthday as your birthday too?

I am thinking it is appropriate. I have not felt it this strongly before – but this 18^th celebration of life has struck that cord.

A beautiful melody is being played. A sentimental tune ending in an upbeat strumming of what is to come.

Eighteen

Society and tradition have deemed it a passage to the next phase of life. While that is skewed in today’s setting, some rites of passage remain. Some new responsibilities present themselves. New opportunities.

I suppose you could say, when looking back, each year a been a new opportunity for me too. Each year I have grown because of him. I have learned, loved, yelled, pondered. But each experience has not only had an impact on who he is and who he will become, but God has used him to continue to make me who I am, molding me, chiseling away parts that were not suppose to be there or were too rough. Building up muscle where I was too soft. Seeing a bigger picture. Experiencing frustrations, disappointments, confusion and most of all joy and a love beyond human understanding.

So happy birthday to Demolition D (and happy birthday to me too...)

Cheaha State Park - Day 2

What I thought would be posted in a matter of a few days turned into weeks. A quick trip that sure has taken awhile to post about!  The first post is here...

This was our first camping trip with the Land Yacht where we had running water and electricity. The other trips we have taken were affectionately called “boondocking.” We took our own water, went when the temps were comfortable and ran the rig off the battery it houses.

Luckily as we emerged from our air conditioned pod, the morning was much more comfortable than the previous evening. We enjoyed a slow beginning. A late breakfast. A few friendly fellow campers short stop/visits. As Will was grilling, one passerby stopped to talk. As he was talking he noticed something on the grill. We had a visitor: A black widow spider. SPLAT!

We loaded up furry and headed to one of the hiking trails that would take us to one of several waterfalls.

Turns out humans are not the only ones that can get out of shape. Francie did great on her first hiking trip. Well, once she quit trying to drag us along. And then once we got past practically dragging her once she was tired...

We had prepared ourselves for a chance of no water falling. We were not sure if this part of Alabama had been in the same type of drought conditions home was.

You know, a mile and a half on a trail sure does not feel the same as a mile and half in the neighborhood...

A mile and half in we found the falls.And the water was running low.

Hot and a little disappointed at the lack of a beautiful, cold, clean pool of water, we hopped around on the rocks some.

Found one snake (harmless) and one artifact.

And found out that, if hot enough, our bath hating water hating dog, can appreciate it. She stepped into an area with water and laid down right in the middle of it.

Next up:  Devil's Falls

Smiles!