Georgia – Page 17 – Wandering Dawgs

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

April 5, 2016February 24, 2018Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Georgia, National Wildlife Refuge, Nature, RVing, State Parks, WildlifeTagged Alligators, Egret, Fargo, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Okefenokee Swamp, Stephen C. Foster State Park, White Tail Deer, wild turkey22 Comments

Big gator beside the canal next to the road

On St. Patrick’s Day we left Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in White Springs, Florida and drove about 50 miles to another park named after the famous composer. At the end of the road 17 miles from the nearest highway, Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Georgia is located in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge .

This is one of our favorite Georgia state parks and one we have returned to over and over through the years. There is just something I love about being surrounded by nature miles away from civilization.

The Okefenokee Swamp is one of North America’s most unspoiled natural wilderness areas. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge web page, “the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has 353,981 acres of National Wilderness Area within the refuge boundaries. In addition, the refuge is a Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR Convention – 1971) because it is one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems.”

Indians who once lived in the area called it Okefenokee which roughly translated means “Land of Trembling Water.” The headwaters of the Suwanee River is located in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Going out in a boat is a great way to see the swamp but there is also plenty to see from land. All the photos in this post were taken as we walked around the campground, marina and on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail which starts at the marina. One section of the trail is a boardwalk through the swamp. This huge gator was sunning on a log beside the boardwalk.

The only man made waterway in the park is this canal which leads to the open water of the Okefenokee Swamp.

The canal runs beside the road and alligators are frequently seen sunning themselves on the bank or chilling in the water.

One of the other campers told me about baby alligators beside the road so off we went in search of baby gators.

Baby gator in the canal beside the road. Do you see the one in the water?

Besides alligators, many other animals make their home in the Okefenokee.

Coming up in my next post – a ranger guided boat tour into the Okefenokee.

Okefenokee Landscape

April 1, 2016November 7, 2017Posted in Georgia, Nature, PhotographyTagged cypress trees, Landscape, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Okefenokee Swamp, Weekly Photo Challenge15 Comments

Our last stop of our late winter RV trip to Florida and Georgia was Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Fargo, Georgia.

More of the Okenefokee Swamp coming up in my next post.

This is my contribution to the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. For more Landscape photography go to WordPress Photo Challenge: Landscape

Sunsets, Geocaching, and Exploring around Eastbank Campground

March 4, 2016November 14, 2018Posted in COE Park, Georgia, RVing, Sunset, WildlifeTagged Alligator, Chattahoochee, geocaching, Jim Woodruff Dam, Lake Seminole, snowbirding18 Comments

Our latest RV journey took us past many pecan orchards in south Georgia before we arrived at our first destination, Eastbank Campground on the banks of Lake Seminole. Although located in Georgia, the closest town is Chattahoochee, Florida. From our campsite we were treated to a beautiful sunset our first night.

Sunset over Lake Seminole at Eastbank Campground

The campsites are large and many are waterfront. It was a great place to wind down from the hustle and bustle of being at home.

Foggy morning on Lake Seminole at Eastbank

We tried geocaching in nearby Chattahoochee, Florida. Our first two attempts were a bust but we enjoyed looking around the train car at the Heritage Park.

We ended the day watching another beautiful sunset.

Another beautiful sunset over Lake Seminole

Our second geocaching excursion took us to part of the Chattachoochee Nature Trail along the Apalachicola River.

No amount of looking over, under, and around the boardwalk helped us find the geocache but I found something better. A baby alligator was sunning himself beside the boardwalk.

Palmettos beside the boardwalk on the nature trail

We were determined to find the geocache at the train car so we returned there and Henry found it!

Later we drove to the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam to take a look. The dam and locks were constructed for navigation, hydro- power and recreation purposes on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River systems.