On to O’Leno State Park

Tuesday March 26 and Wednesday March 27, 2013
Site 28, O'Leno State Park
High Springs, Florida

 

Tuesday

We don’t have far to go in moving from south of Gainesville at Paynes Prairie to North West of Gainesville at O’Leno so I go out running and afterwards stop  ‘one last time’ at the Visitor Center viewing tower.  And look who is here to see me off.

We haven’t seen the buffalo after that first time but the horses have become pretty faithful.  This morning the colt is napping but s/he looks up just as I leave the platform and have put my camera away.

Bye Guys!   It’s been fabulous spending time with you.

 

 

After showering, breakfast and battening down the hatches we are out of the campsite just before the 1pm check out time.  The trip is just my size, 45 miles up I75, then 7 miles to and through the big town of High Springs on Rt 441 to a large, deep Site 28 at O’Leno state park home of the disappearing Santa Fe River.  But more about that later.

 

 

 

Wednesday

Today is the day to check out the park. 

O’Leno has a total of 61 campsites divided into two campgrounds.  Dogwood is near the entrance station and Magnolia near the picnic grounds, rental cabins and nature center all further into the park. 

 

I’ve chosen Magnolia since it is closer to the river and most of the trails but it is also the least secluded and potentially the least quiet.  But it’s nicely wooded and the sites are large.  Each campsite has water, electric, and in ground fire pit and a picnic table.  There is one bathroom in each loop.  And just FYI, they close it for an hour and a half every day from 11:30 to 1:00 for cleaning.   Heaven help you if you need it during that time.

 

We walk the short distance from the campground down to the center of the park on the river.  It’s a lovely setting and one of the first things we see is an explanation finally of why “O” Leno.

 

 

O’Leno is named after the town that once stood here.  No it’s not an Irish town.  It’s name was Keno and then Leno.  When it became a ghost town it was known as ‘old’ Leno.  Beats me why the park calls it O’Leno.
(O LEAN O)

 

The park is located along the banks of the Santa Fe River which is a tributary of the Suwannee.  The Santa Fe is a 75 mile slow moving dark brown river.  It is particularly unusual in that if you are kayaking along down stream, all of a sudden it picks up speed and disappears.  No more river, just a round sink.  The river goes underground and reemerges 3 miles away in River Rise State Preserve where it is again a slow but much wider river.   This is one of the two main things we have come here to see.   But that’s further down the river.

 

 

 

The not so scenic swimming area is a roped off section of the river up stream from the bridge.  Kayakers and canoeists can not paddle through it and down to the sink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The buildings put up by the CCC are located here.  The biggest is the mess hall right on the river.

 

O’Leno is another of the Florida State Parks created by the CCC in 1934.  All of their structures are still in use nearly 80 years later.  Mess hall is a terrific building inside and out.  The camp boys ate in here from the kitchen behind the left hand fire place and enjoyed meetings, lectures and entertainments presented from the stage in front of the fire place on the right.

 

 

 

 

The room is open and airy with shuttered windows, clear story windows and the doors opposite each other.  All are screened and create great ventilation.   Notice the carved totem poles as vertical supports.  I wonder if one of the boys was from the Pacific Northwest.  I don’t think there were any Native totem poles in Florida.  But I like them just the same.

 

 

The other CCC buildings, 16 cabins and a very interestingly designed building now being used as a museum,  are also here but we don’t check these out today.  We want to have time to hike the yellow trail down to the sink and to see the bridge.

 

 

But the most famous creation of the Civilian conservation Corps in O’Leno is the suspension bridge over the Santa Fe River.  It is the second of the things we most wanted to experience in the park.  The bridge still spans the river.  But our timing is terrible as it is under renovation, first time in 25 years, and won’t be open again for another 2 weeks.  I’m sure with all the people trying to swing it and kids being kids it needs repair but it’s a serious bummer planning error. I had no idea.  Kind of like the hours of Devil’s Millhopper.  I’m feeling a bit unprepared recently.

 

  

 

 

We have read that the park also features sinkholes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps and sandhills so we start off down the River Trail which not surprisingly follows the river to the sink.  The wild azaleas are in bloom and it is a really lovely hike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From its headwaters at Santa Fe Lake the river flows over 44 miles to this point, the Santa Fe River sink, where it disappears.  It reappears 3 miles away at the Santa Fe River rise and flows 35 more miles to reach the Suwannee River.  900 million gallons of water a day flow underground through this sink.   Because the river flows underground here a natural bridge is formed between the sink and the rise enabling Native Americans and early pioneers to cross the river.  And enabling us to walk down one side and back up the other.

Just imagine, here you are paddling down the river and oppps, no more river, just a big circle.

 

  

 

The local residents of the sink don’t seem to mind the duck weed at all.

 

 

 

 

 

When I looked closer I thought…. has he got his arms around his log holding on tight to keep from going round and round like the other things in the sink.  What do you think??

 

  

 

From the land bridge vantage point behind the river sink, I can zoom in and see up the river as it comes to the sink.

It is very interesting to watch the water hyacinth patches go around and around along with other debris that has reached this can go no further point.  

 

 

 

 

The River Walk  crosses the land bridge where some wooden bridges span sinkholes.  We find gorgeous bayou looking cypress swamps with knees.  Looks like a convention of gnomes doesn’t it?

 

  

 

We walk down the river on the opposite shore until we again reach the suspension bridge which we can’t use to cross back over.  We have to walk the trail in reverse.   But I don’t mind at all because it is a lovely hike.

 

 

 

 

When we return to the center of things we take a look at the Santa Fe River flood gauge.  David is standing at the green 2012 band which is slightly taller than he at 6’.   SIX feet of water above the banks which are at least 4’ deep at this moment and the river seems very “normal”.  I guess I am glad I wasn’t here last year.

The red band at about his nose is 1998.  And the one WAY at the top is 1934.  The CCC started working on creating the park in that year.  How in the world???

 

 

And of course no good hike is complete without a tree hug.  This park has some giant trees.  This one is right outside the CCC Mess Hall.  It’s so big I am off balance trying to get my arms stretched around it.

Last Days at Paynes Prairie

Sunday March 24 & Monday March 25, 2013
Site 7, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Micanopy, Florida

 

An irritating Sunday has its compensations

It’s time to do the laundry and Paynes Prairie is one of the state parks which does not have a laundromat so I put everything in the car and drive up the road to the outskirts of Gainesville.  My phone brings me to A One Best Laundry.  I should have been suspicious at the obvious name choice effort to be first in any list.  I get all my things walk in and have a bad feeling about the place.  This is a laundry/dry cleaner. The owner is folding laundry for someone.  He says come in come in as if to encourage me.  The machines are old, it’s messy and even dirty.  But I don’t want to drive all over Gainesville looking for another  laundry.  NEXT time use Yelp.  The washers and dryers have to be clean inside right?  $2.00 a load is on the high side.  But I put three loads in.  It’s about 1:00. 

AFTER I have put them in, the owner tells me that he’s closing at 2:00 so I can’t leave my laundry but I’ll have time to do it all.   I wasn’t planning to leave anyway.  BUT what I ultimately find is his dryers at $.25 for 6  minutes will not dry my clothing in the 30 minutes left to me before he shoves me out the door and I have to take partly wet laundry home.  I am not a happy camper and tell him so.  Had he told me of his time limits BEFORE I started the wash I would certainly have gone elsewhere.  

Actually I’m furious and after I get back to Winnona and put up the ladder drying rack and a clothes line, I spend an hour writing a scathing review and posting it everywhere I can think of.   I feel better.

 

 

Soon I feel even BETTER!

 

 

Going down to the 50’ viewing platform at the visitor center will certainly perk me up even more I think.  And boy does it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wild Spanish horses are here again and they are much closer. At first there are only two and then more join.   I can see they are beautiful horses, in the prime of health, sleek and toned.  Wild horses doing extremely well in their natural habitat.  The little colt is darling.   I take photographs of them from the top of the tower and then from the first floor where they are much closer.  I have totally forgotten the horrible laundry experience.  Here and now everything is fantastic!

 

 

 

 

Just look at that frisky baby.

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

This little boy, standing up on the railings on the first level looking at them as they move down the Prairie, seems mesmerized.   What great memories for us both.

 

 

Monday is our final day here and we have big plans.

 

Well we’ve run out of time again so today we want to do short visits to three other natural areas close to Paynes Prairie.

The visitor center rangers told us about a new reserve which just opened in February located directly across highway from the state park entrance.  He says there are a pair of resident Florida Sand Hill Cranes nesting and they have one chick and one egg. 

 

This morning we drive over Barr Hammock State Reserve.  This reserve, over 1000 acres of marsh and wet prairie, is owned and being preserved by Alachua County.  How wonderful that the county can have such a large park.  Again way to go Florida.  There is nothing even remotely like this in my hometown of Charlottesville Virginia.  In fact, they just put a road through their largest park.  But don’t get me started.

 

 

 

 

The reserve has a 6.5 mile loop trail that given what else we want to see on this last day is probably too long for us.  The crane nest is supposed to be about one mile up the right side of the loop so that’s the way we walk.

 

 

 

 

 

This is THE best trail sign I’ve seen yet warning you to stay on the path.

Look closely at what will happen to you if you don’t.  Handcuffs, Alligators will bite your butt, you’ll be drowning in “Deep Mud Like Pudding”.  What a hoot!

 

 

 

 

 

It’s an easy hike along a wide level trail.  The marsh is lovely.  We’re looking out for the sand hills. 

 

 

 

Just before 1 mile, David thinks he spots them way out at the far edge of the green grasses. 

 

Sure enough, he does but they are WAY far away.  Thus these pictures are very grainy.  Apparently it is no longer one chick and one egg.  They are both off the nest and feeding.  He sees two chicks.  If you look closely in the second picture, you can see one of the little golden fuzz balls next to the first crane.   BINGO!   We got em’!  

 

 

  

This looks like a trail I’d like to walk in its entirety but I also really want to see Devil’s Millhopper state park before we leave the area.   So we walk back to the car to drive into Gainesville.

 

But we get shut out at Devil’s Millhopper.

 

I am really excited to go to Devil’s Millhopper State Park.  It is billed as
a Geological State Park.  How many states have “Geological” state parks.  Maybe a lot do, I don’t actually know, but the description makes this sound terrific.

“In the midst of north Florida's sandy terrain and pine forests, a bowl-shaped cavity 120 feet deep leads down to a miniature rain forest. Small streams trickle down the steep slopes of the limestone sinkhole, disappearing through crevices in the ground. Lush vegetation thrives in the shade of the walls even in dry summers. A significant geological formation, Devil's Millhopper is a National Natural Landmark that has been visited by the curious since the early 1880s. Researchers have learned a great deal about Florida's natural history by studying fossil shark teeth, marine shells and the fossilized remains of extinct land animals found in the sink.  A one-half mile nature trail meanders along the top of the sinkhole, and a boardwalk system descends to the bottom of the Devil's Millhopper.”

Wouldn’t you be ready to go if you read that?  We decide not to go on the week-end so we aren’t following a herd of people descending to the bottom.  

So following our Crane score, we are feeling pretty lucky and anticipating another great adventure.  We find the park in a suburban setting.  We pull up to the gate and it’s closed.  On a Monday after noon.  The sign says:  Open 9-5 Wed through Sunday.  No Monday, no Tuesday   What?

I never even thought to check the hours.  Every state park we have been in has been open from 8 am to sunset 7 days a week.  Well I guess there is something different about a “Geological” Park.

The teasing photo is compliments of the Florida park service who set the hours.

Well that leaves more time for San Felasco Hammock State Reserve which is just down the road.  Right?

 

Not so much.

Once we get to San Felasco I wonder…….Maybe we didn’t miss as much at Devil’s Millhopper as I think. 

This preserve too has an enticing description:

  “This preserve has one of the few remaining mature forests in Florida. The limestone outcrops and extreme changes in elevation provide ideal conditions for many species of hardwood trees, including several champion trees. Bobcats, white-tailed deer, gray foxes, turkeys, and many species of songbirds make their homes in the 18 natural communities found in the preserve.  To ensure solitude and quiet for a true wilderness experience, the southern two-thirds of the park is designated for hiking only. The northern third of the park has horse trails, off-road cycling, and hiking.

 

Well OK then - Mature Forest=Big Trees.  Check. 
Extreme changes in elevation?  In Florida?  Got to see that. 
Solitude, quiet, true wilderness experience. 
You Bet.  Sounds GREAT!!

 

We drive just down the road from Millhopper and find the trailhead specified.  The trails at San Felasco begin on both sides of Millhopper Road.  We choose the more wooded area to see this ‘one of few remaining mature forests in Florida’. 

After hiking for 2.5 miles we think this is over rated.  We think the urban folks who largely use this park should drive on down to Paynes Prairie where there are, in our opinion, much nicer hardwood hammocks. 

 

 

It is a pretty trail but hardly “ensures solitude and quiet”.   I75 is far too close and the never out of earshot noise of the traffic ruins what should be a tranquil walk in the woods. 

When we finish the hike we agree - the trail wasn’t completely flat.  But there were no Extreme changes in elevation.  Although maybe for Floridians any change in elevation is extreme.  :-)

Put this one on the do not return to list.

 

Well we’re one for 3 today.  Sorry to end our stay here on that note but we’ve had a terrific time in total and it’s time to move on.  I would definitely return to Paynes Prairie especially earlier in the year to see what I understand are hundreds of wintering cranes.  What a site that would be.

Our time here is up and tomorrow we light out for the territory – namely O’Leno State Park in High Springs.  Any advice on things to see or do in the area?  Please let me know.

 

THE END