#Okefenokee NWR

[brucestambaughsblog]

April Fools!

Imagine my surprise when I opened this tightly secured trash bin in Okefenokee National Wildlife Reserve. I certainly didn’t expect a greeter, especially a dead one. This poor mouse had somehow found its way into the steel container, but couldn’t get back out. It got wedged in the latch to the lid, and that was that. I’ver never been a big fan of April Fools jokes, but I simply couldn’t resist…

[dreamketchers]

We stayed at Stephen C Foster State Park inside of the Okefenokee NWR Campground. It dipped below freezing one night, but it was in the low 60s in the daytime. I sprained my ankle the first day there so on the last day we layered up in camp and rented a johnboat to explore the swamp. It wasn't as peaceful as kayaking but stayed warmer and gave my ankle a break. We had fair ATT and Verizon phone signal. Data was weak even with our WeBoost. We could only get 3G. . . #stephencfoster#statepark #campground #okefenokee #swamp #nwr #landscapes #reflections #spanishmoss #optoutside #getoudoors #rvlifestyle #homeiswhereyouparkit #boatride (at Okefenokee Swamp) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrYBRounzEw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jfbn76thaji0

[spellucci]

Canoeing Suwannee Canal

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Suwannee Canal in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge of south Georgia (the state, not the island) is what remains of an unprofitable late 1800s effort to log cypress trees in the "swamp." It provides boats easy access to the prairie areas of the NWR. Our plan today is to take a canoe trip among the water trails along and around the canal.

We enjoy breakfast and a last placid walk at Laura S. Walker State Park. The place is crawling with Class B campers, similar to ours. Last night Tim visited with some neighbors in a Sprinter to which they had done significant modifications, giving us lots of ideas about what to do with our new rig. It even came up in conversation that they had seen Glenn and Jeanne's Earthcruiser; they were surprised we knew them.

We strike camp and headed south to Okefenokee Adventures in the NWR. We lunch in the shade, put our cell phones in ziplock bags, trade boots for water shoes, and head into the visitors center to rent a canoe.

The trail is the same as Tim's sister and Jeanne had taken last February in the company of a knowledgeable guide. Jeanne is tour guide on our trip, giving Tim the salient points of history, flora and fauna, but without the authentic Southern accent.

There really is very little dry land in, well, the wetlands. The long grasses that grow there are often growing on floating mats of vegetation, effectively floating islands.

Many of the cypress trees that Jeanne remembers as having shaded the canal are now devoid of not only Spanish Moss, but leaves and small limbs due to a wildfire last May. Dozens of turkey vultures roost in these bare trees and wheel in the sky above them.

The bare trees give way to Spanish Moss covered cypress trees providing welcome shade as we glide down the canal. We reach a trail junction and head out into the prairie, which in this section is lily pad covered shallow water. The air and water here is known for its cleanliness. The water is brown due to tannin but is purified enough by the bladderwort and other aquatic plants that it is safe to drink without treatment.

We reach our turnaround time and start a fruitless search for Saracenia Okefenokee--a pitcher plant unique to this area--as we paddle back. Along the way we encounter an alligator sunning itself on the bank of the canal, a heron posing for the cameras of a passing tour boat, and a small, round grey bird which refuses to identify itself.

Tim fiercely demands speed from his crew in order to be on time for our 4:00 p.m. rental return, calling out orders for every dip of the paddle to be a J-stroke in order to produce maximum power. Mutiny is imminent when Tim says he is going to light a cigar and sit back while the crew paddles, but he doesn't and we make it back on time.

We say goodbye to the wilderness and reenter civilization in the form of an interstate that will take us to Sanford and the RV dealer. Conversation turns to planning the equipment and mods we want to make to our new camper. We pull into the Sanford Cracker Barrel full of plans and ideas, hopeful that the soreness from paddling will let us sleep.

[brucestambaughsblog]

Reflections at the alligator pond.

My wife and I were social distancing before we knew there was such a thing.

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., I made an all-day social distancing trip to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It was a mere hour’s drive from our winter hideout on Amelia Island, Florida.

I invited my lovely wife to accompany me. Having already visited there briefly with friends, Neva declined. Her aversion to snakes and reptiles made that an easy decision. However, I wanted to explore the place more thoroughly.

I didn’t mind going solo at all. We each believe that doing our own thing has contributed to the longevity and quality of our marriage. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.

You might know the refuge by its more colloquial name, Okefenokee Swamp. That is what the locals call it. Take a tour, however, and you will quickly learn that Okefenokee isn’t a swamp at all.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Native Americans gave the sprawling area the name centuries ago. In English, Okefenokee means “land of the trembling earth.” The moniker fits. In the less disturbed marshy areas, the land beneath reverberates with each step you take.

Okefenokee has been a national wildlife refuge since 1937. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1974.

Much more than a shallow blackwater swamp, the 403,000 acres that comprise Okefenokee are a beautiful blend of hammock forests, creeks, wetland prairies, and cypress groves. Altogether, they serve as the headwaters for both the Suwannee River and the St. Mary’s River, which marks the Florida/Georgia boundary.

My heart jumped when I saw this woodpecker land on the trunk of this longleaf pine. It was a yellow-bellied sapsucker.

I arrived mid-morning under hazy, smoky skies in early February. My main objective was to find the elusive and rare red-cockaded woodpecker. Okefenokee is one of the last remaining sanctuaries for the endangered bird.

I drove down the eerily lovely Swamp Island Drive in search of the woodpecker. I had never seen one, and after spending the morning trying, I still haven’t. I did see plenty of nest holes high up in the longleaf pine trunks.

I wasn’t disappointed. Just being among all the beauty and the sounds and earthy fragrances of nature was sufficient.

Hundreds of sandhill cranes cackled unseen in the wetlands beyond the pines that surrounded a small pond. An alligator laid like a fallen log on the pond’s far lip. A brown-headed nuthatch foraged on a tree trunk only four feet from me.

Bigger alligators rested roadside along shallow ditches. I found it surprising how much the vegetation changed at the slightest rise or dip in elevation. The scenery was stunning despite the gray overcast sky and smoke from a nearby forest fire.

On the Suwannee Canal.

Red-shouldered Hawk.

The snake.

The tour boat.

The wetland prairie.

Sunning.

Spanish moss.

Hazy sky.

Only a few feet from the boardwalk trail, alligators absorbed whatever warmth the day offered. Neva would not have approved. By the time I reached the observation tower, the sandhill cranes had quieted and were out of sight.

I learned much more about Okefenokee on the afternoon boat tour. Our guide explained that the deepest water was only four feet. The vast geologic basin was filled with peat, which is why it quivered when stepped upon.

Our small flat-bottom boat cruised between stands of cypress graciously draped with Spanish moss, which isn’t a moss at all. Huge alligators lounged along the way, while a highly venomous water moccasin soaked in the filtered sunshine. Red-shouldered hawks screeched from high perches on old snags.

As I headed back to our condo, I savored the day that had buoyed me. For Neva and me, that style of social distancing helps enrich both our individuality and our affinity.

A cypress grove along the Suwannee Canal.

© Bruce Stambaugh 2020 Social distancing before it was required My wife and I were social distancing before we knew there was such a thing. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., I made an all-day social distancing trip to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

[dreamketchers]

Alligators, birds and deer in the Okefenokee NWR. It is slightly flooded, but you can still find alligators. . . #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #okefenokee #WildlifeRefuge #Stevencfoster #statepark #Georgia #rvlife #swamp #alligator (at Stephen C. Foster State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrWSZZOnujK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v6du9d4g0zu0