November 2020

Making our way south, we spent a night near the Florida border at Walkabout Campground in Woodbine, Georgia. I’m pretty sure that Walkabout is the only Aussie-themed campground east of the Mississippi. Turns out that the owners actually moved from Australia in 2011, so the theme is genuine. Their friendly attitude and sparkling clean facilities were welcome indeed after a long day of driving. After our one night stopover, we drove on and entered the Sunshine State.

Staying in smaller state parks, usually a bit off the beaten track, we have the opportunity to experience the area and nature differently than the average tourist. We have tromped along miles of nature trails, always thinking that we will cross paths with alligators, but we have only seen a couple in all our time out here, and those were from a distance in a controlled environment.

Florida may be the flattest state, but it’s not totally flat. At Falling Waters State Park near Chipley, FL, we hiked into the woods to see Florida’s highest waterfall. Well, at 73 feet in height, it’s petite compared to some of the others we’ve visited. What people really write home about are the sinkholes.

There are twelve giant sinkholes in this area. Millions of years of dripping and streaming water have carved these holes into the porous limestone. This waterfall tumbles into one of these that’s 100 feet deep. The sides of the hole are lined with ferns, mosses and other tiny plants. Water that enters these sinkholes helps to recharge Florida’s drinking water supply. Mosses are often referred to as the plant world’s amphibians, bridging the gap between water plants and dry land plants.

The forests are dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). Tall, massive and straight, these native trees were favored lumber for building. Years of clear cutting and overuse have put longleaf pines on the endangered list.

We have seen a number of reforestation projects underway at state parks and national forests. Controlled burns are used to keep competing undergrowth under control, and young trees are being added to increase the tree population.

At Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, near Niceville, FL, we hiked trails that threaded through the woods along the Choctowhatchee Bay. This area was once a WWII gunnery and bombing practice range. It has been transformed into a state park with camping and day use for the community. They have great facilities and amenities. (I love it places with laundromats)

Maintaining natural areas requires an ongoing effort. While on a hike, we saw teams of rangers and interns working to unclog a pond intake area and remove downed trees. Much of the Florida Panhandle coast is still cleaning up from recent hurricanes.

We also saw wildflowers in bloom, ferns, and native holly sporting red berries.

We spent a few days at Ochlockonee River State Park. This was a sleeper and a really pretty park. It is small and quiet – only 30 campsites – and nestled in the junction of the Dead River and the Ochlockonee.

We walked long trails through the pine flatwoods and admired sunsets over the river.

The resin from pines in this area was used in the production of turpentine. You can still see the remnants of this on scar-faced trees. From middens – piles of shell, animal bones and artifacts left by inhabitants- archaeologists say that Indians lived along this river 1,500 years ago.

Next, we moved closer to the coast, and stayed at Wright Lake in the Apalachicola National Forest.

The lake and forest are beautiful, but I made the mistake of not checking distances; it was 30 miles from any retail shopping. When I asked the campground hosts about this, they said they tried to make a shopping run to Walmart once a month. Oh, dear. With our limited refrigeration, we need to shop about twice a week for fresh veggies.

The campground itself was small and quiet until a large group of extended family descended for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, along with their portable generators, and lots of energetic kids.

Determined to make the best of it, we did a bit of hiking. We also took a day trip to Apalachicola where we did some shopping and had a great lunch.

On a tip from the campground hosts, we decided to pack a picnic and make the drive out to St George Island for our Thanksgiving celebration.

What a great tip and fantastic day! Dr. Julian G. Bruce State Park is at the eastern end of St. George Island. St. George Island is a barrier island, between Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, reached by a long bridge from Eastpoint. For day-trippers like us, there are several large picnic pavilions right next to the beach drive.

Each pavilion has picnic tables, charcoal grills, and close access to a bath house. We had champagne, grilled scallops and side dishes, and then took a walk on the beach. It was a sunny, 83 degree day with blue skies and puffy white clouds – a perfect place to be happy together and thankful for so much goodness in our lives.

So, we decided that Wright Lake wasn’t right for us, at least not this time. We forfeited the balance of our reservation and headed on down the road to another park. Good move.

Big Lagoon State Park is near the Intercoastal Waterway, not far from Perdido Key and Orange Beach.

The park is recovering from Hurricane Sally damage (unfortunate name for a hurricane…). We hiked and took a day trip out Perdido Key to Orange Beach.

The Panhandle has been hit by hurricanes repeatedly in the past few years. The 2020 season seemed relentless. We saw lots of blue tarps on roofs, closed restaurants and businesses, and high rises with construction workers scrambling to make repairs. All this in a year that’s already had big challenges.

Our plans to stay at Fort Pickens Campground at the Gulf Island National Seashore were delayed by storm damage to the road leading to the park. We’ve received word that the park is reopening on December 5th. So that’s our next stop. Santa Rosa Island, here we come!