Wednesday: What are all those Little Sand Mounds??

The nearby town of Keystone Heights turned out to be clean and modern compared to many towns we have seen in Florida so far.  It is the hub of three smooth paved bicycle paths that Bill had to try.  They allow no motor vehicles on them so the trails were being used only by bicyclists and walkers.

 

Above is the bike trail to the southeast. On the path Bill saw his first Florida snake sunning himself on the pavement.  Unfortunately, he was camera-shy and slid into the grass to hide before Bill could stop and get his camera out for a photo.

Here is out campsite in the wilderness.  We love the quiet and the stars at night but there is no cable hookup and very little Verizon cell tower coverage.  (Note the TV antenna is up)  The daily temperatures have been near 70 but last night we had our first Florida Freeze and had to unhook the water from the RV.

 

Throughout this area we have been seeing thousands of these small sandy mounds.  At first we thought they may be created by termites or ants or some other insects.  Can you guess what builds them?  Can you say CREPUSCULAR?

See below for the answer.......

 

 

Try Pocket Gophers.  The park ranger told us he has lived here all his life and has never seen one alive in the wild.

 

 

 

Tuesday - We explore the Mike Roess State Park

This state park was one of the first built in the state of Florida.  It is so large that we have to drive three miles just to get back to the main road from our camp site.  There are very few visitors here during the week so we do not have another camper within 100 yards of our trailer.  The bathrooms are clean and the showers are hot so it is great to get away from the heavy traffic and noise we are finding throughout Florida. (and we have avoided the bigger towns so far).  We have found that the state parks fill up on the weekends down here but are quiet during mid-week. 

Here one can see in the background the original water tower that still stands from 1935.  It was built  in the initial phase of the Park construction for use by the CCC workers.

Here are a couple of the twenty or so cabins that are for rent in the park.  They have both A/C and a fireplace, and some will sleep up to eight people.

There are numerous lakes and swampy areas in the Park but the water levels seem to be very low.  The soil type is more sandy than Crawford County in Michigan.

 

Bill met this strange fellow near the picnic grounds but could not get much information out of him.

 

 

 

Monday- Into the Wild

We left Starke behind and headed farther down Highway 100 toward the town of Keystone Heights.  After only about twelve miles we then headed north about six miles for our first stay at a Florida State Park. 

 

Mike Roess Goldhead SP is very large with hundreds of acres, three campgrounds, and about twenty cabins to rent.  The soil here is very sandy.  The Park was build during the Great Depression with men from The CCC under the direction of the FDR Administration.  It took four years to build all the roads and buildings

The picnic tables and drinking fountains are like they were when first built.

We have a large quiet campsite and love the outdoor experience so far.

 

Sunday was Hot and Humid

The temperature in Northern Florida hit 80 again on Sunday with a tornado watch active for much of the afternoon.  Karen did laundry as Bill took another bike ride and did a few minor repairs on his bike and the trailer.  The people at this KOA campground have been friendly, polite, and helpful.

All the RV Parks appear to have rental cabins for visitors who need them.

This seems to be the universal sign in Florida for "Children Playing"

 

Upon further review - Bill decided this probably would not be a good neighborhood in which to buy a Florida home!

 

 

Saturday was Almost too Hot

On Saturday here in Starke, FL the temp rose to 81 degrees.  We thought maybe it was normal, but the TV News said it was a new record high for January 3rd down here.  Karen took a good walk into the shopping district and Bill took another bike trip to explore the area.

Here is what our KOA site looks like.

Bill found this warning and started looking carefully where he was riding.

 

One came out of the swamp but this is what he looked like after being worked over with Bill's dog-whacking stick!

The weather is hot and humid again on Sunday so we may run the A/C and prepare to watch the Lions this afternoon play the Dallas Cowboys.  Go Lions!!!

 

 

 

From Lake City to Starke, Florida

On Friday we moved to the southeast about 50 miles down Route 100 to a town called Starke.  The weather was going into the 70s so the KOA looked like a good stopping point for us.  It is close to town and has a small shopping mall right next door.

The Park has wide open sites and even has this weather station below to help out visitors.  It is very similar to an old Strohs beer sign that I have upstairs in my garage back home in Michigan.

 

New Years Day

We awoke to a cloudy and cool New Year ( upper 40s)  but it beat the 15 degrees we saw up at Frederic.  Another good bike ride showed us why we have been seeing so many semi-tractors in the area:  Target has this huge Redistribution facility near Lake City.

We have been seeing many of these spooky-looking trees that we think are Mossy Oaks.

After the bike ride, as you can see below, we had all the supplies we needed for a full day of good college football.  The chili was delicious.   Go Ohio State!