Wildflowers – Wandering Dawgs

Spring Flowers and the Suwannee River

March 22, 2018March 21, 2018Posted in Florida, Nature, RVing, State Parks, WildflowersTagged Spring Flowers, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, Suwanee River, Suwanee River State Park, White Springs, Withlacoochee River7 Comments

It’s been two years since our last visit to Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. During that stay we did a lot of exploring around the park, the town of White Springs, and nearby Big Shoals State Park. I posted about those adventures at Way Down upon the Suwannee River.

We returned to the park this February. The carillon tower is a focal point in the park and one of my favorite things about being there is hearing the the bells from the carillon chime on the quarter hour and hearing Stephen Foster’s music throughout the day. Unfortunately, the carillon wasn’t working this year.

: The carillon at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center

We didn’t visit the museum on this trip but there are interesting exhibits about Stephen Foster and his many songs.

: Stephen Foster Museum

Even though it was only February there were some beautiful spring blooms. Gotta love Florida!

Dogwoods blooming at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center

Spring came early

Azaleas blooming in White Springs

A splash of color blooming in February

One day we took a drive to Suwanee River State Park near Live Oak to check it out. High on the banks above the Suwanee River, we enjoyed a walk on an easy trail to the confluence of the Suwanee and Withlacoochee Rivers. Beside the trail were relics from riverboats that once traveled up and down the river.

Relic from old steamboat

We enjoyed wonderful views from an overlook at the confluence of the two rivers.

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(12) — Confluence of Suwanee and Withlacoochee Rivers

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(17) — Bridges over the Suwanee River

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(14) — Withlacoochee River

After our walk we sat on a wooden swing overlooking the Suwanee River enjoying a picnic lunch. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – North Carolina

June 20, 2017July 9, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, North Carolina, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, Waterfalls, WildflowersTagged America the Beautiful, Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cataloochee, Great Smoky Mountains, Outer Banks, Scenic drives18 Comments

State 30:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

North Carolina

North Carolina became the 12th state on November 21, 1789. The capital is Raleigh.

From the Great Smokey Mountains to the Outer Banks, there is a lot to explore in North Carolina. Waterfalls and beaches, hikes and scenic drives, mountains and racetracks, wildlife and wildflowers – these are just a few of the things that make North Carolina memorable.

Back before our RVing days we wandered around the Outer Banks seeing the lighthouses and beaches, visiting the Wright Brothers Monument where they took their first flight, and taking the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke. Another ferry took us from Ocracoke back to the mainland where we visited Bath where the pirate Blackbeard once lived.

Hatterras Light

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Wright Brothers Memorial

Ocracoke Island Ferry

Hatterras Beach

If you love waterfalls, you won’t be disappointed in North Carolina.

Waterfall along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Dry Falls

Tom Branch Falls

Juney Whank Falls

It doesn’t get any better than a campsite with a beautiful view. Our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville was perfect for hanging out after hiking or touring the fabulous Biltmore Estate.

20090807-3Campfire-Lodging-(5) — Blondie taking a break at our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

20090807-2Biltmore-Estate-(4) — Biltmore Estate in Asheville

20090806Sunset-(5) — Sunset at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

I felt as if I had gone back in time to Mayberry as we wandered around Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy.

Andy Griffith Statue in Mount Airy, NC

Wally’s Service Station in Mount Airy, NC

Andy and Opie on the water tower in Mount Airy, NC

Downtown Mount Airy, NC

We ended our tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the winner’s circle.

20100514Charlotte-Motor-Speedway-(32) — In the Winner’s Circle at Charlotte Motor Speedway

One of the hikes we made was on Whiteside Mountain in the Nantahala National Forest.

20070817Whiteside-Mountain-Nantahala-Natl-Forest-(22) — Whiteside Mountain in Nantahala National Forest

Whether it’s the leaves showing their fall colors or the flowers showing their brilliant blooms, the vibrant colors of the North Carolina mountains change with the seasons.

20071006Blue-Ridge-(8) — Fall Colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Tiger Lilys at Mabry Mill

Rhododendrons along the Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina Wildflower

Swallowtail and Wildflowers

Jewel Weed

Rhododendrons

We explored Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mingus Mill in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

Mabry Mill, the most photographed spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mingus Mill in Great Smokey Mountains National Park

And if it’s wildlife you’re looking for, try visiting in the fall where you might see the bugling elk in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Bull Elk Bugling in Cataloochee Valley

Bull Elk in Cataloochee Valley

Two young male elk lock antlers in Cataloochee Valley

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Nebraska

May 30, 2017May 27, 2017Posted in Nebraska, RVing, Wandering around America, WildflowersTagged Interstate Travel, sunflowers5 Comments

State 25:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Nebraska

Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867. The capital is Lincoln.

When I was a child, my family lived in Lincoln, Nebraska for a few years. We moved after I finished the first grade and all I remember is that I walked to school at the end of our street and that it snowed a lot in the winter.

Nebraska is one of the states many people drive through on their way somewhere else and we are among those who did just that. As we drove across the interstate in Nebraska we learned why it is one of the Great Plains states. There were fields of of corn and other crops as far as the eye could see. Road weary after almost two months on the road on our very first cross country RV trip, we stopped for a quick overnight stop at a campground next to the interstate.

As we drove along, fields of sunflowers added color to the green of the crops.

Spring at Callaway Gardens

April 17, 2017April 17, 2017Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Georgia, Nature, Tourist Attractions, WildflowersTagged azalea, Callaway Gardens, F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Flowering Dogwood, Pine Mountain, Spring17 Comments

Our latest wandering took us on a short trip that was full of excitement. Our first stop was F. D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia’s largest state park, in Pine Mountain. It was the perfect place for us to use as home base for exploring both Callaway Gardens and F.D.R.’s Little White House in Warm Springs.

After driving in the rain on the winding road through the park we arrived at the Visitor’s Center to check in just after a tornado warning had been lifted. Everything was fine in the campground and we set up camp just before another rain shower began.

“Connecting man and nature in a way that benefits both.” – Callaway Gardens Mission

With the sun shining the next morning we drove about 15 minutes from our campsite to Callaway Gardens. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Callaway Gardens opened in 1952. Today, there are many different gardens to explore, a lodge, golf course, swimming beach, and even a zip-line adventure.

Our tour of the gardens began with a stop at the Pioneer Log Cabin. From there we strolled along the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Trail with many Georgia native plants. The Flowering Dogwoods and many other wildflowers displayed their brilliant spring colors.

Flowering Dogwood on Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail at Callaway Gardens

Next we walked on the trails to the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center for a look at some tropical butterflies. Butterflies of all sizes, shapes and colors fed on the colorful blossoms and sailed by our heads as they flew from flower to flower.

Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens

We learned about some of Georgia’s birds of prey at the Discovery Center. As our guide gave a very informative presentation, two different species of owl and a red tailed hawk flew over our heads during the program.

Juniper the Great Horned Owl at Birds of Prey program

Willow the Barred Owl Birds of Prey demonstration at Callaway Gardens

Red Tailed Hawk Callaway Gardens Birds of Prey Show

We must have just missed the Azaleas at their peak because most of the Azaleas on the Overlook Azalea trail had finished blooming. The Flowering Dogwoods and other trees added color to the landscape.

20170404Callaway-Gardens-Azalea-Trail — Callaway Gardens Azalea Trail

20170404Callaway-Gardens-Flowering-Dogwood — Flowering Dogwoods were in bloom at Callaway Gardens

Eastern Redbud Callaway Gardens — Eastern Redbud at Callaway Gardens

Our visit to Callaway Gardens included only a few of the many gardens there. It is a wonderful family destination and bicycles are a popular way to get around the park. There are several restaurants to choose from or you can have a picnic in one of the picnic areas.

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Minnesota

April 4, 2017April 18, 2017Posted in Lighthouse, Minnesota, Wandering around America, WildflowersTagged Blue Mounds State Park, Green Giant Statue, Itasca, Mississippi River Headwaters, Spam Museum, Split Rock Lighthouse17 Comments

State 21:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Minnesota

Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The capital is St. Paul.

Our first visit to Minnesota can be described in one word – SNOW. It started snowing shortly after we left Wisconsin one morning in early April. As we traveled west on I-90 we crossed the Mississippi River into Minnesota with the wind blowing snow horizontally across the interstate. It was so bad we pulled off the interstate and spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express in Winona. I will be forever grateful to the kind employees who put us up in a downstairs room with our Labrador Retriever. There was a restaurant in the hotel and they even had an indoor pool so we were roughing it in style.

20070411Snow-(6) — Crossing the Mississipi River to Minnesota in a snow storm

20070411Snow-(7) — Snowing over the Mississippi River

20070411Snow-(14) — Terrifying icy road conditions in Minnesota – at times we couldn’t even see the road

Overnight Camping at a Holiday Inn Express

The next morning the hotel let us have a late check out so we could wait until the roads were safe enough for travel. Later that day we checked into Blue Mounds State Park and we were the only campers in the park. With snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing the water was turned off and the dump station wasn’t operating. It was a great adventure!

Camping in the snow at Blue Mounds State Park

The weather was much better on our other visits to Minnesota. During our stay at Temperance River State Park on the Minnesota North Shore we enjoyed wandering around Split Rock Lighthouse and on the huge boulders beside Lake Superior.