RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

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(Journal entires are from the October 1-10, 2008 entry below up to the most recent entry)
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November 23-27, 2008

On the 23rd., we left Highland Hammocks State Park and stopped at Publix in Sebring, Fl. before heading to
Kissimmee Prairie State Park...good thing too, as the nearest grocery store is in Okeechobee which is a 70 mile
round trip from the park. Also, one must travel a wash-board gravel road for many miles at 10 mph, so the trip
would probably take a minimum of several hours.

This very remote park has two campgrounds, one with full hook-ups for family camping and one with no hook-ups
for Equestrian camping. There are 20 sites in the family area and 15 in the equestrian area. The family area offers
restrooms with hot showers and laundry. The equestrian area offers one paddock for each campsite, and, a
common fresh water station and modern pit toilet for all to share.

The Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, opened in 1998, encompasses about 54,000 of the most ecologically diverse land
representing a part of Florida's natural and cultural heritage that has all but disappeared. There are over 110 miles
of trails accessible by foot, bicycle, or on horseback and found along the trails are over 80 species of butterflies
and over 180 bird species.

Every morning we are greeted by American Crows that seem to include the campground on their rounds looking for
food. Also, we have enjoyed deer and scores of Wild Turkeys that wonder through our camp in the morning and
just before sundown. Our hikes have been interesting and, as advertised, we have observed many butterflies, and
birds such as Turkey and Black Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Crested Caracaras, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and
many species we have not identified yet.

As a bonus, the night skies here are amazing with zillions of visible stars and we have noticed many of the campers
using telescopes they have set up around the campground. So, if it's remote areas, birds, butterflies, or stars that
tweak your interest, you will not be disappointed in this park.

We plan on traveling to Vero Beach on Thanksgiving day. Rock on everyone!

November 21-22, 2008

Got an early start on the 21st. in order to stop at the Camping World store in Tampa. Turns out the Camping World
is part of a Lazy Days Camper and RV distributorship. WOW! The whole facility is humongous with new and used
units of all kinds and a repair facility. Most of the campers are new of course so Folly raised a lot of eyebrows as we
made our way along the about 1/2 mile drive to where the Camping World store was located within. Probably a real
step back in time for most, I would imagine.

We did our shopping and then traveled a few of miles on I4 and I75 before we got off on highway 60 toward
Brandon. Even though this road wasn't an interstate, it had 8 lanes of traffic. The road eventually got down to 4
lanes while we continued to Lake Wales where we got on highway 27 to Sebring. We really like this neck of the
woods in Florida! Kind of reminds us of Fort Lauderdale/Broward County area back in the 70's.

From Sebring, we drove to Highlands Hammock State Park, a park we visited about a year ago (Click on the Home
button above and then the December 2007 Archive link on the left side of the Home Page for our adventures and
pictures of this park). This park offers 138 full-facility sites and several primitive camping sites. Upon arrival, there
was only a few campers, but by 10 PM the place was packed. Church groups, scouts, and family groups brought
the place alive with a million kids and their activities. With all the lights strung all over the place by many of the
campers, it looks like Christmas.

The 22nd. was spent doing some serious resting and enjoying all the children and their families doin' their thing(s).
Also, we spent quite some time taking with Brian from the Melbourne, Fl area. He is a GC that, with the collapse of
the building trade, is just wandering about doing some exploring, camping and fishing. He had been through the
last building slowdown of the 80's and this time around had saved some money and paid off all his dept....while he
was busy in the trade. Pretty smart, eh? He has no worries and can have some fun for a while. Turns out he has
been in many parts of the country and has done a lot of sailing, Gulf and Ocean, over the years. He shared many
stories of his travels and we did the same with ours. Funny how many of the same places we all had been, but in
different years. Some places changed little and some had changed a lot....we found out.

Tomorrow, we head to Kissimmee Prairie State Park....an out in the wilderness park with only 20 sites. Hmmmm.

November 19-20, 2008

Given the unusually cool weather, we continued our migration to south Florida early on the 19th. We traveled
through Chiefland, Homosassa Springs, Brooksville, Dade City, Zephyrhills, and arrived at the Hillsborough River
State Park about 12:30 PM via highways 98 and 301. The weather is chilly but sunny and the, for the most part, 4-
lane roads are lightly traveled.

We have yet to travel on an interstate highway since we left North Carolina several weeks ago, as has been our
practice for over a year now. The back roads, so to speak, are so laid back and it's very enjoyable to travel through
many little towns....long forgotten to travelers due to the construction of the interstate system. Some of the towns
are in severe decline, with scores of vacant storefronts that can only give one an glimpse of what once was. Other
towns seem to be in a re-birth mode with lots of specialty stores and restored or being restored historic buildings
greeting you coming in and wishing you a "y'all come back now" going out. It's interesting how some towns
recovered and some didn't....trying to survive on the less traveled highways bringing limited tourist money with them.

We bought gas in Zephyrhills for $1.97 a gallon compared to about $3.17 a gallon this time a year ago. Even so, I
would venture a guess the oil companies are still making a good profit. With the price per barrel presently about
$53, we now look forward to $37 a barrel when gas hovered around $1.00 per gallon. I think the money the hurting
middle class are keeping in their wallets due to the drop in price of gasoline will be much better, over time, than any
kind of government incentive program.

Today, the 20th., I replaced badly leaking exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe gaskets on each side. Then it was on to
do some exploring of this park. There are several very nice trails, most of which follow the Hillsborough River. We
were surprised to find the greenish, crystal clear water similar to the waters found at the Manatee State Park we
visited yesterday. And, along the way we crossed a suspension bridge that had been built in the 1930's, during the
great depression. At both parks, were signs indicating floodwater levels in the past hundred years or so....quite
difficult to imagine, and obviously, these rivers can become raging torrents now and then. I figured both parks were
completely under water during these, once in a blue moon floods.

The campground has about 114 sites with electric and water, and the park offers a HUGE swimming pool,
restrooms/showers, store, restaurant, and laundry facilities. I don't think many will be swimming today
though....lol....BRRRrrrrrrr. We will head to Sebring, Fl. tomorrow. Rock on adventurers!

November 18, 2008

We were on our way in Folly at 10:00 AM figuring to skedaddle from the 23 degrees predicted low temperature
forecast for tonight in the panhandle area. We had an easy drive through Sopchoppy, Newport, Perry, Cross City,
Chiefland, and finally Manatee Springs State Park via highways 98 and 320. The highways were lightly traveled and
about 55 miles were 4-lane. Sweet! We just tool along at 50 to 55 without any hyper drivers anywhere. And, low
and behold...a Super Walmart pops up at Chiefland. WOW! Hadn't seen one since South Carolina and we needed
a few things for Folly that can't be found most anywhere else. However, Walmart can't help Folly with her just about
blown exhaust manifold gaskets that I replaced a couple of years ago. I plan on replacing them again when we lite
somewhere for a couple of weeks or more down the road.

Manatee State Park is home to one of Florida's largest freshwater springs and the springs provide a winter home
and an important refuge for the West Indian manatees. Artifacts found in the spring and adjacent areas suggest
that people have been living and raising families here for at least 9,000 years. The arrival of Spaniards during the
1500s brought and end to a series of cultures that lived in harmony with the earth for thousands of years. Between
35 and 150 million gallons of greenish, crystal clear water flow from this "first magnitude" spring every day from an
intricate underground cave system that has been surveyed by divers and found to cover many miles.

The campground itself has about 100 sites with about 75 suitable for RVs 15 to 40 feet in length. Each site has
electric and water hookups, and, three restroom/shower facilities are nearby.

We took a hike and were pleasantly surprised to see where divers enter the underground world of caves for
exploration. Nearby the dive location is where the spring water flows into an about a 1/4 mile "spring run" and finally
into the Suwannee River en route to the Gulf of Mexico that is about 5 miles away. We walked all the way to the
Suwannee and didn't see any Manatees, but did see several groups of deer numbering about 4 to 8 in each group,
a few water birds doing some fishing, and a few fish easily seen in the clear, spring water. Where the spring run
meets the Suwannee, a pier jetting into the river allows for a beautiful sight of the river in both directions and to
observe Manatees when present. We were amazed at the spectacle of hundreds of vultures sitting in trees and on
the sandy shoreline here. Turtles floated nearby and a loud splash or two signaled us that alligators frequent the
area as well....just like the many alligator-no swimming warning signs indicate. Hmmmmm. Anyone for a swim?

We will move on towards Tampa tomorrow as I guess we didn't get far enough to avoid the 27-28 degree temps
forecast for tonight in this area. Still better than 23, I suppose. We disconnected the water supply hose from Folly
and will let the faucets drip a bit, and, batten down the hatches for a cold winters night. Another Freedom
Adventure awaits us.

November 17, 2008

We got up early and set out on an about 5 mile hike from the St. George Island Campground to the East Slough,
over the highway to the beach, and followed the beach back to the campground. The trail terrain is mostly sandy
and level and winds through swampland, pine forest, and along a waterway that extends inland from the sound. We
found several shells on the beach including a good size Wren, a Florida Fighting Conch, and several sand-dollars.
Once back in Folly, we packed up, emptied the holding tanks, and headed out.

A SubWay along the way off the island offered Wi-Fi so we stopped for a sandwich and spent a couple of hours on
the net, reading e-mail and trying to update the RVFolly web site. The speed was too slow to upload all the pictures
we have, but we did manage to upload the first state park we stayed at along our trail since we left North Carolina
(see link above). Then, we headed on to the Ochlockonee River State Park, located about 30 miles south of
Tallahasee, and not too far from the Gulf via "scenic" highways 300, 98, and 319 that mostly ran along next to
coastal waters of the Gulf.

The roads were under construction almost the whole distance traveled today due to Hurricane Dennis that pretty
much destroyed everything in this area a while ago, I'm told. It's interesting to drive along the rugged, treed,
coastline of Florida in this area with only an occasional house or small condo. But, with a spec of land on the water
being advertised for $250K and up, it just didn't make sense. I suppose folks from Tallahassee are willing to pay
the price? Or maybe, used to be willing to pay the price, given the state of the economy?

Once we reached the state park, we checked in at the office and headed to our site only to find about 8 deer
standing in the way just milling around. While we worked on getting backed in to our site, the deer just stood
closely by watching, out of curiosity, I guess. The next surprise was a visit from a white squirrel. The host said there
are many in the area and that they are not albino. Never saw a white squirrel before. I noticed they had a stripe of
gray that runs from the head down to the tail. Hmmmm. A white with black stripe skunk maybe?

The park encompasses about 543 acres and the campground has about 30 campsites with electric, water, and
dump station nearby. A shell midden nearby, discovered in 1998, offers evidence of Native Americans that lived
here an estimated 1,500 years ago. Also, one can find cat-faced pines due to the turpentine industry during the
late 1800's. The park was purchased by the State of Florida in 1970.

I just came in from a look around....it's about 8:00 PM and totally dark. I have forgotten to mention up to now that
the starlit skies after dark since we arrived in the Florida Panhandle area are totally spectacular. So many stars,
that many areas of the sky look like "clouds" of light. How do we on Earth cruise along in space without hitting some
of them? We have enjoyed many shooting stars as well!

November 16, 2008

After a very strong overnight storm, we traveled to St. George Island Park on Saturday morning, November 15
through Apalachicola and Eastpoint, Florida via highways 30, 98, and 300. The highways are lightly traveled and
included spectacular views over two very long and, in places, high bridges. We arrived at the park gate to check in
and were told the campground was about 4 miles further down the road. Along the way, one can enjoy the views of
The Gulf of Mexico on one side and St. George Sound on the other. And, the whole unspoiled area has several
access points along the way for beach activities and fishing. The campground offers 60, RV or tent, full-hookup
camp sites with restrooms and hot showers nearby. The sound and beach are an easy walk and there are 2 and 5
mile round-trip hiking trails.

The island is estimated to have been in existence for about 5000 years. Evidence of shellfish harvests, fishing and
pottery making have been found in "remnant middens"....aka trash mounds. During the mid-1900's, the island pines
were "turpentined" and the island was used for "dune" training exercises by the US military during World War II.
Land for the park was purchased in 1963 and construction of the park was completed and opened to the public in
1980. One can explore nine miles of pristine beaches and dunes and/or the 1,962 acres of various ecosystems
along the east end of this long barrier island.

We set up camp about 1:00 PM and scouted around a bit. There is an interpretive activities trail that along the way
has a building that offers games, used books, and electricity for computers, etc. A bit further over the trail, we
came upon a majestic view of the sound.....at sunset....WOW! The wind out of the north was getting quite strong
now so we headed back to Folly. Over the last couple of days, we ran the AC from about 12:00 to 5:00 PM due to
mid-eighty temps and high humidity. Things have changed drastically with a low of 38 expected tonight and a high
of 68 expected tomorrow....with strong winds out of the north. Brrrrrrr!

Verizon phone service in the parks so far has been dismal, even with an antenna mounted on the roof of Folly.
However, I noticed I could get a data connection at the aforesaid building and will try to update our Freedom
Adventure Ride site from there. We noticed a Subway coming in advertising "Wi-Fi", so it is hoped we can upload
all the pix of our adventures since getting under way in the next day or two.

November 13-15, 2008

Headed out early on the 13th. from Wright Lake Camp and ended up at St. Joseph State Park on the St. Joseph
Peninsula located off the Florida coast on the Gulf of Mexico. We traveled highways 65, 98, and 30 through East
Point and Apalachicola, Fl., located on opposite sides of the Apalachicola River. We couldn't see much from the
about 7 mile bridge as mother nature was spitting rain and covering us with lots of fog.

The first inhabitants of the St. Joseph Bay area were most likely Native Americans as remains of shell tools and
pottery of these cultures have been found in the park. Spanish explorers were known to be in the area about 1500
but did not settle here until 1701. After a few years these settlers were thought to have abandoned the area and
returned to Pensacola, Fl. Then, settlers from Apalachicola, Fl. came here in the 1800s in hopes of building a
competitive seaport. The St. Joseph's Lighthouse was built on the peninsula in 1839 to serve the short lived town of
St. Joseph across the bay. After the town's population was decimated by yellow fever in 1841, the lighthouse was
dismantled.

The Stone family purchased much of the land surrounding the bay, including the peninsula, in 1868. They sold the
land to the U.S. Government in 1940 for military training. In 1967, the park was opened and dedicated to the Stone
family.

The park itself has two campgrounds, Gulf Breeze with 59 sites and Shady Pines with 60 sites. Gulf Breeze is more
open and has easier access for rigs 27 feet or longer. Each has water, electric, picnic table, fire pit, and plenty of
mosquitoes....especially at Shady Pines.

We chose Gulf Breeze. The noticed the mosquitoes here are of three sizes, large and slow, medium, and small very
fast little buggers. The sunny days keep them at bay, but with rain and or clouds, they come hunting in hoards. It is
no problem adjusting and planning for a pleasant time keeping their habits in mind.

We took several long walks along the beautiful, unspoiled beach....making note the similarities to the Outer Banks
of North Carolina we enjoyed for about 5 weeks last Spring. Now, we move on to another adventure on St. George
Island located about 50 miles East of our present location. See you there!

November 10-12, 2008

We reluctantly headed out Monday morning from River Junction Landing Campground, stopping first in Sneads,
Fla. to do laundry and pick up supplies and ice, before continuing south. At about 2:30 pm, we ended up at Wright
Lake Camp in the Apalachicola National Forest.

The drive from Sneads was beautiful over mostly a Scenic Byway along Florida highways 269, 270, 271,12, and 65.
Fall color and miles of forest is most of what we experienced, and, no traffic to speak of. Just mile after mile of one
spectacular sight after another, flat land and some very hilly country included. Wright Lake Park is operated by the
USDA Forest Service. So, with $10 a night including water be the advertised fee, we paid $5 instead due to my
Golden Passport. The 2 mile road off Highway 65 to Wright Lake is not paved and wash-board, but fine at 10 mph
or under. The twenty or so sites here include water hook-ups and are mostly grass with a picnic table, fire pit, and
grill. The view of the about 10 acre lake is good from several of the sites. Restrooms are OK with hot showers,
sometimes, and, have an electrical outlet for hair dryers ..... and computers....lol. Cell phone use here is very iffy,
come on Verizon, even with our anttenna strung 20 feet up in a tree, but several TV stations are available using
our amplified Winegard TV Antenna.

I think my 8D, coach battery needs to be "recondition charged" but I will need a camp with electric to accomplish
that task as the process can last 4 hours or more depending on battery condition. In any event, we should be able
to easily get 2 days of service from the coach battery without charging but presently we are only getting one.

We went on a hike in the area to find a very diverse countryside, with dense trees and foliage to huge open areas
of ferns. Hunting season is starting here, so we will not wander from the park or roads too much as we don't want to
be mistaken for some kind of sought after game....lol. Our plan is to stay here a few days and move on to the coast
after that to visit 2 state parks and 1 private park, with all parks situated on islands in the waters of the Gulf of
Mexico. SWEET! Aloha! Freedom Adventurers!

November 7-9, 2008

We needed a few things in town so we got in Folly and headed to Sneads, Fl. After taking care of necessities, we
headed back towards River Landing Junction Campground and stopped in at Eastbank Campground to poke
around a bit and decide whether we would stay there a few days or so. The camp is very nice with 75 RV and tent
sites with water and electric hookups. About 34 sites are very near or on the lake and the others not far from there.
However, being self-contained and used to seclusion, we opted to continue on at River Junction.

We have learned the man-made Army Corps of Engineers Lake Seminole has 37,500 acres of water, 376 miles of
shoreline, and over 22,000 acres of surrounding land. The three rivers involved in its creation are the
Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint River systems. The area around Lake Seminole is rich in history, having
been occupied by man for at least 10,000 years. Various Indian tribes occupied the area until around 1825 and the
Spanish and English left signs of their battles fought throughout the area. Steamboats once flourished to service
the abundant agriculture industry.

We spent a sunrise and sunset on the dock at the boat landing here at River Junction, not only enjoying the
spectacular sunrise and sunset, but also the abundance of wildlife. Waterfowl of every kind are everywhere and
when some of the flocks take to the air, it looks as if they number in the thousands. Fishing appears good for the
birds and humans due to all the activity going on. Even though, the lake is so huge that it still seems quite open
and serene.

Our plan is to stay on here until Monday, and then we will continue south toward the Florida Gulf shore line. We
know another freedom adventure awaits us there.

November 4-6, 2008

I talked with the ranger and some park volunteers at Three Rivers State Park about a couple of spots found only on
one map I had that indicated a campground on the other side of the lake and north a few miles, an area in Georgia.
Turns out, the campgrounds are run by the Army Corps of Engineers and there are two camps....one being
Eastbank Campground and the other River Junction Landing Campground. We were told Eastbank Campground
offers cement pads and water/electric hookups for $16 a night and River Junction Landing Campground at $6 a
night was for boondocking, but had water available if one needed to fill their tank. Of course, our Golden Access
Pass gives us a 50% discount off the advertised cost per night at either camp.

So, being the explorers we are, we headed back to Sneads, Fla. and on to Chattahoochee, Fla. where we picked
up groceries and ice in anticipation of boondocking. Well, about 5 miles north of Chattahoochee we came down a
hill to a most glorious surprise. The River Junction Landing Campground has 11 RV sites, partially gravel and
partially paved with new picnic tables, camp grill, and fire pit....all overlooking Lake Seminole from about 130 feet
high, according to our Magellan GPS unit. Also, there is a group camp area, three tent sites, a camp host, and a
bath with hot showers....WOW!

The host said that in years past this place was always busy this time of year but over the last two years, the camp
was seldom used. We picked our spot high and with a great lake view and sat back in awe of the place. How could
such a park be so seldom used? Anyway, just before dark, another RV rolled in and we all settled in for the night.

By morning, the other RV had already left so we had the place to ourselves. After breakfast and a few chores, we
set out on a hike to do some exploring. We keep seeing two adult and three young eagles patrolling the shoreline
and every once on a while a group of water birds start making a racket you wouldn't believe.....an eagle having its
way I suppose. The boat ramp and dock are easy access with plenty of paved parking for even the largest of
trailers. Continuing on, we traversed some very dense areas of woods reminding me a lot of the Black River Forest
in Northern Wisconsin.

With view and seclusion in our grasps, the winds came up a bit. Being parked under a huge oak tree, the sound(s)
of acorns hitting Folly were loud and alarming. Seemed like Folly was being peppered with machine gun fire. To our
relief, the winds die at night and the pelting subsides......sigh. Last night, about 12:30 PM I woke out of a sound
sleep to the sound of a screeching Bobcat, I think, probably chasing down some prey as whatever this was, was
moving very fast. After I got my heart back in my chest and was thinking about the sound that caused the hair on
my head to stand straight out, it brought to mind my great-grandpa of 23 and his bride of 16 leaving their homes
back east and staking out a claim in Northwest Wisconsin about 1850....miles from anyone or anywhere. Indian
skirmishes at the time in the area were still common. What brave and hearty souls our ancestors were. But, in their
time, they were truly free! Note: We will upload pix as soon as we find an Internet connection capable of handling
large amounts of data.

November 2-3, 2008

We scoped out the campground and took a few hikes in the area. Many of the campsites are right on the lake, but
are harder to get into and, as we found out later, are home to many mosquitoes. Upon arrival, we chose a lake view
site...far enough away from the waters edge to minimize the number of the pesky little buggers, thank goodness!
There is a boat ramp of sorts and a pier that folks use to view the lake and do a little fishing. We didn't see anyone
catch anything but one of the camp workers told us that, if one knows where to fish, bass fishing is quite good and
5 pounders are common.

We took a nature trail that followed the shore line for several miles. At one spot we came across a blind for
birdwatching but saw none. Continuing on, hickory nuts are found everywhere and I picked up some for tasting
later. Then, we came across an area where there were four different kinds of red headed woodpeckers zipping
around...from the large Pilliated (?), to Red Headed, to others that were quite small. Beyond this area we came
across another boat ramp and pier. Here, there was some kind of floating plants that had bunched up along the
pier due to the prevailing winds and were in bloom. Honey bees were working the flowers of these plants. I pulled a
Lilly Pad out of the water floating nearby under the pier to take a picture as it was about 18" across. A Heron was
working the shoreline as well and, suddenly, a Bald Eagle flew by overhead...way to quick to get a picture though.
A camp worker told us later there are two parent and two yearlings frequenting the area. The nesting pair had
moved in about a year ago.

Once back at Folly, I cracked open some hickory nuts and sampled the meat. They were very good and reminded
me of when I was quite small my grandmother would send me outside with a bowl of hickory nuts collected from her
yard to break open with a hammer. Then, we would pick out the meat and she would make cookies or small bread-
like treats from scratch and pop the shelled nuts in. Then, in the oven they went for what seemed an eternity. But
the wait for the hot cookies or bread treats was worth it. Yum!

November 1, 2008

We went on a hike exploring Little Ocmulgee State Park. The facilities are very good with something for children of all ages to do and
adults as well. A 2.3 mile trail offered a glimpse of the terrain and fauna in this neck of the woods....however we didn't come across
any wildlife that, due to many signs, obviously live in the area. A long pier gave us a good view of the lake and fall color. The
campsites are spaced to allow some privacy and the showers and restrooms are clean.

Then it was back in Folly and on toward Florida. We left the campground at about 10:30 AM and traveled through McRae, Rochella,
Ashburn, Sylvester, Camilla, Bainbridge, crossed into Florida and on to Chattahoochee, Sneads, and finally Florida's Three Rivers
State Park at about 3:30PM ... via state and county highways 280, 112, 97, 90, and 271.

Turns out Sylvester, GA is the peanut capital and home to Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Not surprising, lands devoted to peanut farming
were everywhere and full peanut wagons were all over the farms and lined up at the processing plants. It's harvest time in South
Georgia! Never saw so many peanuts in our lives!

We stopped in Camilla, GA where an old style Wal-mart stood next to a Winn-Dixie where we spent the better part of an hour picking
up necessities to last for a week or so. It was so strange going into the old, "small" Wal-mart....a real step back in time. Given all the
newer stores and super stores around today, we had totally forgotten about Sam Walton and the roots of his company years ago. The
set-up was quite simple with the entrance and exit doors very near each other, no greeter, and one had to go into the store and
around a blind corner to find a cart. We found most everything we needed except for toilet chemical and lead substitute for Folly. Made
sense though, as traveling off the beaten path on back roads isn't done by many campers these days, so why would they stock such
items. Winn-Dixie, of course, had everything we needed in groceries.

As we traveled in this area and further, we came across huge pecan plantations where pecan trees could be seen for miles in every
direction. At one plantation, we noticed several machines raking debris, from trimming or windy weather I suppose, into nice rows in
between the rows of the pecan trees. Then, the last, humongous machine would scoop up what was in the rows, grind it up, and spit
it out of a huge blower that spread the newly made mulch all over the place. Where pecan trees were not found, peanuts and cotton
were being grown and harvested. By the looks of things, this year must have been decent for the farmers in this area.

Upon arrival, the 682 acre, Three Rivers State Park was quite a surprise in many ways. The campground is rustic and natural in
appearance and has 31 sites with water and electric hook-ups and all the other amenities for RVs and tent campers alike for $13.38
a night. The park is on the edge of Lake Seminole a man made lake having been formed by flooding a vast river swamp when the Jim
Woodruff Dam Construction was completed in 1957 for the production of hydroelectricity. We think we may spend a few days here
before moving on. Freedom anyone?

October 11-31, 2008

Family matters, at least the latest responsibilities, are complete. As usual, known things always take longer than expected and
unforeseen difficulties have to be addressed. But alas, another chapter in our lives has been lived and our mission accomplished.
The family owes a ton of thanks to my nephew Jim for his help in necessary endeavors.

Recently, we got back in Folly and started our trek south for the winter. Hooray! Back on the freedom trail once again. Continuing with
the "use the back roads philosophy", we headed southwest for the Congaree National Forest located southeast of Columbia, SC.
However, once there, a "controlled burn" was taking place and camping was not allowed. In fact, the spot where we had camped for a
couple of days last year was surrounded by fire(s) and was being attended by a multitude of firefighters. It was about 4:30 PM and the
nearest SC State Park on our map was couple of hours away...so we continued on. Once there, the gates were closed as it was 6:15
PM and the park closes at 6:00 PM. Hmmmm. Aiken, SC was about 20 miles away, so we wandered around there and found a new
Super Walmart on Highway 1 a couple of miles southwest of the downtown area. By now it was 7:15 PM.

Since we had been up since 7:00 AM getting Folly packed and ready to go and finally got on the road about 11:15 AM, we were just
plain tuckered out. Once permission was granted to stay the night in Walmart's parking lot, we had a bite to eat and went to bed. The
overnight was unexpectedly delightful and quiet. After a good breakfast, we were back on the road about 9:00 AM refreshed, fed, and
happy.

Then it was on to the Little Ocmulgee State Park near McRae, GA. From Aiken, we traveled through Augusta, GA., and on through
Wrens, Louisville, Wadley, Bartow, Wrightsville, Dublin, and finally to MCRae by about 2:00 PM....mostly on highways 1, 4 and 319.
The weather was sunny and in the 60's most of the day. The roads were very good, traffic light, and the countryside beautiful.....falls
colors beginning to show their splendor.

Coming into the park, one first travels by an 18 hole golf course, then a clubhouse, and on to the visitor/registration center. In addition
to the campgrounds and golf course, there are two lodges, restaurant, swimming pool, 265 acre lake with a beach, dock, and boat
ramp. The campground offers 54 campsites with 78 channel cable TV, water, and electric. And, 12 campsites also include sewer
hookups. Hot showers, laundry facilities, and a waste disposal station are nearby. The full-hookup fee is $26 the first night and $23
the second.

Full-hookup is what we chose, as we wanted to flush out Folly's black and gray water tanks and to do that we needed the sewer
hook-up. I had to close Folly's fresh water drains and put the anode back in the water heater as the whole system had been drained
for the possibility of cold weather while we were in North Carolina. So, with that done, we hooked up the water supply and checked the
system for leaks. Everything works as advertised.....thank goodness! We settled in, sat back, and once again began to enjoy what the
RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride is all about. The Creator is found everywhere once one has the chance to "see"....and "seeing" is
truly freedom!

October 1-10, 2008

Still attending to family matters. However, we are taking a break and visiting with our daughter in Raleigh. She will earn her 4 year
degree this December....and then she's on to grad school at NC State University. Wow! Seems like yesterday we were flying home
with her in our arms from Oregon a month after she was born.

We left South Florida early July, 1986 with Sandra 5 months pregnant in a 1972 Winnebago. We went north to Wisconsin where we
visited some family and then headed west to Spokane, Washington. Then, we crossed into British Columbia, Canada and eventually
headed to Yukon via the Casiar Hwy....a gravel logging road at the time.....lol....with holes bigger than our RV and floating bridges to
cross rivers.....some with strong currents running. Yikes!

Once in Yukon, we hooked up with the ALCAN Highway and continued on into Alaska where we spent several weeks visiting Valdez,
Anchorage, the Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, the Arctic Circle, etc. Sandra was almost 8 months pregnant now and with the cold weather
looming, we made a dash back to Vancouver, BC and finally Oregon. Our daughter was born shortly after our arrival there at a birthing
center.

After traveling 15K miles and realizing we had over 3K more miles to return to our Florida home, we sold the RV and the now family of
three flew home instead. Gas at that time was about 75 to 95 cents a gallon in the US and about $3.50 an Imperial gallon in Canada.
We arrived back home in November, 1986.

Yes, just one of many fond memories over the years of living, experiencing, and growing in mind and spirit with our very special
daughter, now a lovely young woman.........and, yes, it seems like yesterday.