Still Gravity

The Olustee Monument in the historic battlefield - License our images  here . The Battle of Olustee is also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond. This was the only major Civil War battle fought in Florida. It happened in 1864, one year before the end of the war. The Confederate army won. There is a monument and a trail across the battlefield. Nature is beautiful here.  We found this place while camping in Osceola National Forest .  The trail goes around the old battlefield. 

Driving near the sunset on a dirt road of Osceola National Forest, Florida - License our images  here .       Days of free forest camping in West Tower, East Tower, and Cobb campgrounds. All are primitive camps. The name of this forest comes from a Seminole Chief. There is a paint of Osceola made by George Catlin .  The main campground and only with electricity in Osceola National Forest - Ocean Pond - was closed. We also checked Hog Pen Landing at the shores of Ocean Pond but didn't like it. It was crowded, muddy, and too humid. We ended in the more remote West Tower campground.  Our campsite in the West Tower.  We found only one bad thing with this campground: there is a dog kernel nearby. A lot of barking at night. Mornings were foggy here. Enjoy this view from the camper window. 

Stop at the Walasi-Yi Interpretive Center in northern Georgia  - License our images  here . This building was right by our camping place in Vogel State Park . It's on the eastern side of Blood Mountain. The Appalachian Trail goes through the stone building. Restaurant, art space, store, outfitter, hostel... what a journey through the times for the old structure rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.  For us, there were clouds all around and no views. Humid and cold was the Neels Gap.

View from one of the overlooks of the Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway - License our images  here .  One of the scenic roads over the mountains of northern Georgia. It crosses the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and has some great overlooks. This road is a loop. We started our drive northwest of the City of Helen . Since 1989, it's designed as a National Forest Scenic Byway.  (We were camping at Vogel State Park .)

Some of our photos of the German inspired architecture of Helen, Georgia - License our images  here . If you guessed, you got it right: this is the picturesque City of Helen. The Bavarian Alpine look of this small town - population 600 - brings a horde of tourists year around.  This town is now a far cry from the modest lumber village of old times. The city building codes obligate everybody to build in the style of the Alps since 1969. All feels German here. Good place to go if one can't visit the originals. We replenish our camping supplies at Betty’s Country Store. Nice market with a traditional flavor.   (We were camping at Vogel State Park .)

Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park, Georgia - License our images  here . This is one of the oldest state parks of this state. It's at the shadow of Blood Mountain, the highest summit crossed by the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.  The ominous name comes from old tales of a battle between Creeks and Cherokees. There are some talks of an Indian treasure hidden up there - who wants to be looking for treasures in a place called "Bloody Mountain".  The campground of the state park is in a beautiful setting. Two creeks run through it on a sloped terrain. Our campsite faced Wolf Creek. The bridge over Wolf Creek.  The one-mile-long trail around Lake Trahlyta was the right place for relaxing walks before sunset. There is a waterfall at the farther end - the spill over of the lake. 

The beauty of Lake Rabun in the fall - License our images  here . This is one of the lakes on the path of the Tallulah River through Northern Georgia. We camped in a recreation area of Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - these are two forests combined.  The road access from the east is dangerous for big vehicles. It's narrow, winding, and with many blind curves. We had a couple of close calls with incoming vehicles travelling too fast. C worried about crashing the right mirror against stone fences on the hilly sides of the road - it reminded some routes of the Swiss Alps. The campground was good. The host had a great check-in station at the entrance - the table in the next montage.  Check-in station, our campsite, and Lake Rabun before and after the storm.  The "beach"...

Our woodpecker was too busy with its hole to pay attention to us.  We met the bird on a tree of the small forest that surrounds Our Lady de la Leche Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida - by the spot where the Spaniard conquerors landed in 1565. We had many previous encounters with this bird in Florida trails, but this one resulted in the best photos.  Pileated Woodpeckers are the biggest in North America - third in size in the world. They live mostly in the east. "Pileated" means "capped" in Latin. The bird makes holes in trees to get ants.   A woodpecker's drilling  Echoes To the mountain clouds."           Dakotsu Iida

The main attraction is the bold summit of Table Rock Mountain -  License our images here .         Probably the most beautiful state park in South Carolina - IMHO. An error in Google Maps caused a big detour to reach Table Rock. A ranger told us that this is very common.  We got a good campsite in the higher area of the campground. It was sloped, but we compensated with the recovery tracks.  Our campsite in Table Rock state park.  We took a peek of the nearby Palmetto Trail, but it was too late for a hike. The chilly night got us cooking. No campfire today, just food and bed. Next day, we did a relaxed hike in the Carrick Creek Loop.  There are nice and cold creeks in these mountains.  This trail follow

The Georgian sunset at Fort McAllister - License our images  here .         Fall camping in Savage Island, the campground of  Fort McAllister. This place is surrounded by rivers, marshes, deer, armadillos and, of course, lush vegetation.  Mosquitoes and no-see-um are the lords of the sunsets, but the cold nights of the fall throw them away. The wildness of Savage Island.  The focal point of the park is the Confederate fort. It defended Savannah from Union forces during the Civil War, together with Fort James Jackson and Fort Pulaski. But Fort McAllister saw most of the action. General Sherman witnessed the Union attack from the other side of the river. A walk through the perimeter: Cannons and palisades.  Check this short video from our stay. 

Nowadays we keep one solar panel on the roof plus a portable set  of 350W combined with a power station. Note that this photo still shows the old roof panels. It was taken in Colorado - License our images  here .          We don't need much electricity because we don't have many things to power. We run under the mantra of  KISS , less stuff, less things that can fail.  All our 12 volts equipment - without counting the fridge - draws 56 watts if everything is on - with the lamps and all the fans running at maximum. Adding ~60 watts of the fridge, we can round our total draw to around 120 watts at maximum.  The Bluetti EB-240 packs batteries, charge controller, and inverter in a unit under 50 pounds. In a perfect world, it holds 2400 Wh - but worlds are never perfect. The power inverter can run up to 1000 watts AC - our Magic Bullet draws around 300 watts, so we got smoothies to beat the heat. We charge th

The best and the longest of the paved trails in Florida. We rode sections twice. Once from the Silver Lake Campground - photos here - going through the Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee Forest, and the second time from the South Citrus Springs trailhead by the northern end of the trail.   This biking trail is 46 miles long - 74 km. The path travels through three counties - Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco - following the Withlacoochee River. Also goes through some small cities, among them the picturesque Floral City . The Withlacoochee State Trail is another of those repurposed railroad lines made possible by the Florida Rails to Trails Program - a very good idea. The original railroad was built in the 1880s by Henry Plant and was known as the Plant System’s West Coast Route. Memories of those times survive in the old markers along the modern trail.  There are many trailheads to access the Withlacoochee State Trail. Some are parks and most are free. One of them is Fort Cooper State Par

Flying caracara in the Kissimmee Prairie, Florida - License our images  here .  The bird surprised us while hiking the Military Trail close to the  Kissimmee River. It was on the ground hidden by the grass and abruptly flew away. Only gave time for one photo.  Caracaras are birds of prey related to falcons but with some differences. They are scavengers and don't fly as fast as their cousins. The crested caracara or Mexican eagle is the one that lives in Florida.  We were camping in the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park .

All is golden before the darkest nights - License our images  here .         Where do you get the darkest nigh in the state of Florida?  In the Kissimmee Prairie, a place far away from the lights of towns and cities. Even the lights of the state park where we camped are tinted red to avoid spoiling the stargazers. They also have a few campsites in the prairie named astronomy pads. Lights are forbidden there - the campground is covered by the trees of a hammock, not a good place to see the stars.  The sunset also brings wildlife close to the campground.  Every night we got noisy coyotes roaming the prairie. We took a short walk through the Military Trail under the full moon. Impressive views. It felt like walking in an African prairie, but without lions.  We also hiked a section of the Florida Trail and took on the 15-mile Military Trail to the Kissimmee River. A  lonely wild pig  crossed our path in this trail, and we photo

Scarlet kingsnake with its "red touches black". The scarlet kingsnake looks like the dangerous coral snake. Same color palette, different color pattern. The look is deceiving because the scarlet is not venomous. Another case of  batesian mimicry . The animal is saying, "get away and leave me alone or... " Just a colorful bluff.  To identify the coral from the scarlet, memorize the old saying: If red touches yellow, kill a fellow = coral snake = venomous. If red touches black - like in our picture -, venom lacks = scarlet kingsnake = nonvenomous. For extra safety, leave all snakes alone. There was a case of mistaken identity in Alabama and a coral bit someone - read  this article . The Navajo says, 

The Old Tamiami Trail at the entrance of Shark Valley, Florida - License our images  here . This is a historical image because soon the Old Tamiami Trail will be no more. The old road built by James Franklin Jaudon in the 1920s is being removed to help with the water flow of the Everglades to the south. Six miles of the roadbed will be eliminated. This is an important restoration project for South Florida. 

The beauty of the wetlands of Big Cypress, Florida -  License our images here . These are the places we know in Big Cypress, a national preserve located between Miami and Naples. Check the photos at the end of the main text.  Visitor Centers There are two visitor centers in the preserve, and both are in the Tamiami Trail. The Headquarters of the preserve is at the west visitor center which is the closest to Naples ( map ). The Oasis Visitor Center on the east is the closest to Miami ( map ). These are the places to stop for information, guidance, and permits.  Camping There are two camps by the Tamiami Trail, the only road the connects east and west Florida in this area. One is named Midway ( map ), the other Monument Lake ( map ).  Midway is the only one with electric hookups. 26 RV sites and 10 for tents circle a lake. There is potable water and a dump station. Beware of the alligators in the lake. Monument Lake