Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
November 15, 2007
The sun came up and we departed Waldorf heading south on US1 which brought us to Okefenokee Swamp. Puddles of black water with alligators swimming around. We drove into the park where they offer tours but no one was about, nor was anything open. We drove on.
Folkston was a great stop. They have a Railfan stage where one can sit with other fans of railroad watching and wait for trains to pass, listen to dispatchers, and share train stories. The bathroom is clean and they even offer free wifi. We enjoyed breakfast, watched a passenger train chug past, listened to dispatchers talk of work along the tracks, used the restroom and wifi, and had a nice little visit.
We finally found the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. About two miles back a paved road lined with long-needled pine trees thinned with palm bushes growing under them, was the Visitor Center. The building was fairly new with great exhibits. One area put you under the swamp looking up at the rump of an alligator and the beak of an egret ready to snatch a fish. One of our favorite unique exhibits was a jukebox; the sounds of the swamp could be played. We listened to the Sandhill crane, alligator and sounds of the swamp at sunset. The orientation film had some of the best photography we have seen in orientation films. We felt like we were riding on the back of a turtle, bellowing with an alligator and boating through the swamp. Okefenokee Adventures offers boating tours and rentals. Unfortunately for them no one had told us to stop there first to line up a tour and we didn’t want to just hang out for an hour before they would go out. Seems that when the first people request a tour they wait an hour to see if anyone else shows up then goes. We had already spent our time in the VC so we headed for the Auto tour road instead. The Swamp Island Drive is a nine mile loop. We were glad we came this time of year; we missed the biting flies, mosquitoes, ticks and biting fire ants. Lots of evidence of prescribed burns and wildfires. Enjoyed the Chesser Island Homestead build back in 1927; next week they are having a sugar cane boiling day. Today there was no activity, no people, no animals. Then end of the road brings you to the Boardwalk and Observation tower. The mile walk winds through the dense swamp growth, open prairie and ponds ending at the fifty-foot tower. In the prairie we hear the Sandhill cranes before we looked up and saw three of the fly right overhead. All along the boardwalk we spotted anole lizards, like chameleons they change colors. Carnivorous plants such as the pitcher plants sit waiting for bugs. We did see an alligator…way out in the lake. There were half a dozen turkeys grazing. What do you call a group of turkey? The ones who emails us that answer gets a turkey feather.
Along route 94 we played tag with a train. In Fargo we watched the train guy get off the engine and manually switch the tracks upon which the train drove onto. We crossed the Swannee River and got on to US441. Will saw a wild hog run into the brush we turned off on SR6 and Kathy spotted a long tailed fox run into the brush. A logging stage area looked inviting, but there there were trucks there so we drove a short distance and found an off road parking area and set up camp. The winds came up and we decided to move inside. We had a nice dinner and watched The Hunt For Red October with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.
The sun came up and we departed Waldorf heading south on US1 which brought us to Okefenokee Swamp. Puddles of black water with alligators swimming around. We drove into the park where they offer tours but no one was about, nor was anything open. We drove on.Folkston was a great stop. They have a Railfan stage where one can sit with other fans of railroad watching and wait for trains to pass, listen to dispatchers, and share train stories. The bathroom is clean and they even offer free wifi. We enjoyed breakfast, watched a passenger train chug past, listened to dispatchers talk of work along the tracks, used the restroom and wifi, and had a nice little visit.
We finally found the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. About two miles back a paved road lined with long-needled pine trees thinned with palm bushes growing under them, was the Visitor Center. The building was fairly new with great exhibits. One area put you under the swamp looking up at the rump of an alligator and the beak of an egret ready to snatch a fish. One of our favorite unique exhibits was a jukebox; the sounds of the swamp could be played. We listened to the Sandhill crane, alligator and sounds of the swamp at sunset. The orientation film had some of the best photography we have seen in orientation films. We felt like we were riding on the back of a turtle, bellowing with an alligator and boating through the swamp. Okefenokee Adventures offers boating tours and rentals. Unfortunately for them no one had told us to stop there first to line up a tour and we didn’t want to just hang out for an hour before they would go out. Seems that when the first people request a tour they wait an hour to see if anyone else shows up then goes. We had already spent our time in the VC so we headed for the Auto tour road instead. The Swamp Island Drive is a nine mile loop. We were glad we came this time of year; we missed the biting flies, mosquitoes, ticks and biting fire ants. Lots of evidence of prescribed burns and wildfires. Enjoyed the Chesser Island Homestead build back in 1927; next week they are having a sugar cane boiling day. Today there was no activity, no people, no animals. Then end of the road brings you to the Boardwalk and Observation tower. The mile walk winds through the dense swamp growth, open prairie and ponds ending at the fifty-foot tower. In the prairie we hear the Sandhill cranes before we looked up and saw three of the fly right overhead. All along the boardwalk we spotted anole lizards, like chameleons they change colors. Carnivorous plants such as the pitcher plants sit waiting for bugs. We did see an alligator…way out in the lake. There were half a dozen turkeys grazing. What do you call a group of turkey? The ones who emails us that answer gets a turkey feather.
Along route 94 we played tag with a train. In Fargo we watched the train guy get off the engine and manually switch the tracks upon which the train drove onto. We crossed the Swannee River and got on to US441. Will saw a wild hog run into the brush we turned off on SR6 and Kathy spotted a long tailed fox run into the brush. A logging stage area looked inviting, but there there were trucks there so we drove a short distance and found an off road parking area and set up camp. The winds came up and we decided to move inside. We had a nice dinner and watched The Hunt For Red October with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.
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