by the suwannee & withlacoochee...

 partly cloudy. most of the 4 days, 3 nights.

some rain, but not 'til the evening. hot & humid.

weather that makes you sweat just stepping outside...

but we hiked the trails anyway!

milo was the smart one...she kicked back in the camper...staying cool. :)

  

this is NOT a short & to the point posting.

i hope you make it to the end...

the Suwannee River State Park in Live Oak, Florida

is on the location of a booming mill town named Columbus, back in the 1800's. 

one of the first mill towns in florida, located where the Suwannee and Withlacoochee

rivers meet.  when the pine became depleted, the sawmill was

purchased by florida's 12th Governor, George Drew. the town of Columbus,

including the sawmill, packed up and moved across the river...to Ellaville.

old sawmill parts

The Suwannee originates within the Okefenokee Swamp in SE Georgia and

travels nearly 230 miles where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

'Suwannee' is an Indian (possibly Apalachee Creek Indians) word meaning

'black water' or 'dark & muddy in the sun'.    

'Withlacoochee' means 'little great water'.

there are numerous trails in the park. we hiked them all.

one trail leads to a small cemetery...headstones dating late 1800's to early 1900's.

some of the trails interconnect and follow the Suwannee for a while...

cypress knees along the shore

limestone outcroppings...

 limestone rock lies beneath the surface throughout much of florida. 

these rocks were formed over 20 million years ago when sea levels were much higher. 

limestone contains many fossils of ancient sea animals, clams, urchins and

microscopic organisms.

walking along the shoreline...reflections of the sky on the water...

turtles...'cooters'...basking in the sun...

plants and a lizard...on the sandy shore...

high above the water...jutting out over the edge is 'Balance Rock'...

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.  

~Henry David Thoreau

we hiked the few connecting trails that wind through the woods...
Turkey Oaks, Long Leaf Pines, Southern Red Cedar & Sweet Gum trees...
wildflowers...butterflies, lizards, spiders...and of course, lichen...mushrooms...

Five-lined skink

skink scat

Phaon Crescent

damaged tree with lightning strike running straight down the trunk

Golden Silk Orb Weaver

a battered Hackberry butterfly landed on sam's back...

obviously needing to hitch a ride...to rest those weary wings...
(what was left of them!)    :(

she hiked with us for a long time...then flew onto sam's hand...

...this is turning into...a BOOK...maybe i should split it into 2 posts...

nah...let's keep going...we don't have too much farther to go...

on the handrail of one of the little wooden bridges...

hmmm...i thought this might be a bat...but i'm told it's probably a squirrel.
does anyone know for sure? know anyone who would know?

reaching the old Ellaville bridge...foot traffic only...

looking down into the shallow water...TURTLES!

a cooter

young cooters

a soft shell turtle

OK!!!!!  time to head back to the campground...

 

deer print

 where milo awaits...

Dotted Horsemint

"wake up milo!!"

"Huh?"

time to go out...

and stretch...

and watch the squirrels play!

wow. we're back home. tired?

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; 

they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.  

~John Shirley

i mentioned in the post before the one milo did last time...
that i was going to show the 'possum bones i dug up...
but then we went camping...

so, next time...bones & other cool stuff...

have a safe journey...enjoy the ride...
laura