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| the moon & starry jupiter. 10.11.2011 6:46am |
last week while sam stopped for gas on his way home from work...
he overheard a couple of people talking about Suwannee Lake,
just outside Live Oak, FL. it sounded pretty cool, sam said...
with lots of cypress trees, live & dead , standing in the middle of the lake.
(cypress trees are swamp plants. they have a root system
that projects roots...or knees...out of the water to breathe.)
we never heard of Suwannee Lake.
the river, yeah...we've been all over that...but never heard of the lake.
so, what do ya do when you want to find something?!
yep, we googled it, jotted the directions and decided to head there early sunday.
not far. only about an hour drive.
we couldn't find it.
we saw the boat ramp signs...2 of them...followed the arrows...
but no park. no lake.
finally, after about 45 minutes of riding back and forth down these country roads,
we stopped and asked a 'local'. well, he spoke spanish. he didn't understand english.
so i gestured...and spoke slowly & clearly...like that would make a difference.
he understood! but his directions were in spanish. we didn't have a translator handy.
gracias dude! and we took off, smiling...nodding our thanks...
and hoping to find the lake!
drove the same roads AGAIN. nothing. stopped at a light,
we asked the guy in the truck next to us. yay! he told us how to get there!
we had driven right past the street earlier...oh, probably 8 times.
but the sign was down due to road construction.
Suwannee Lake is 63 acres of man made lake.
it was once a low lying swampy area with a creek running through it.
the creek was dammed by the state to create
a 'stocked' public fishing area. there's a boat ramp and 2 long wooden fishing piers
that extend out over the lake. the water is very shallow over most of the lake...
and it's filled with logs...dead trees...from when the lake was flooded.
we saw an otter (no picture though...quick little critter!), LOTS of dragonflies
and turtles. actually it's a turtle paradise...all those logs for sunbathing!
we didn't see one alligator...which was a disappointment.
BUT it was very cool!! relaxing. spectacular scenery.
a little mysterious. and deserted...just how we like it. quiet. just nature sounds.
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| a lone cypress tree with spanish moss hanging |
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| one of the piers with trees growing up through it. canopied by cypress. |
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| two dragonflies!! |
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| dead cypress trees standing tall in the middle of the lake |
we spotted this 'sign' under water. could only decipher some of it
until we got the pic's onto the computer...
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| OLD AGE & TREACHERY Will Overcome YOUTH & SKILL |
WEEEeeeeeeeeee....
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| "turtle to control tower"..."i'm coming in for a landing!" |
you can see by these roots...just how LOW the water level is!!
the water is usually HIGH above the roots!
the water is usually HIGH above the roots!
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| the massive roots of the cypress trees. |
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| swamp sunflowers |
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| looking through a spider web... |
hmmm...a swamp flower...
(added 10.18) thanks to grammie g/Grammie's Rambling
...we now know this is a Water Hyacinth! :)
that's it! headin' home.
next time we'll come prepared to paddle around the lake!
oOo
before i go...wanted to give you an update on mr. bOnes.
he's resting...riding...hanging out & dangling from my rear view mirror!
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| mr bOnes with a VFW poppy |
oOo
have a safe journey. enjoy the ride.
laura
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| the foggy moon. 10.12.2011 10:39pm |
Weekends are a bit like rainbows;
they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.
~John Shirley
