Florida to New York to see Family and Friends

We started out our two lane adventure by heading north on Route 301. We are planning on taking 301 and 601 for most of this portion of our adventure. We have been seeing these pretty purple flowers along the road side for a few weeks now, as we head out of town I spotted these taller ones!

Today I learned about the history around the area we live. If you are a history buff, the Dade Battlefield Historical Site is the perfect stop for you. It is the site of the Dade Massacre. After Christmas in 1835, around 110 cold, tired soldiers marched north, headed to Ft. King, near present-day Ocala. Because of the cold, most of them had their muskets and ammunition buttoned beneath their heavy overcoats. They had been marching for five days and their commander, Major Francis Dade, had promised three days off to properly celebrate Christmas upon their arrival at Ft. King. The march had been quiet so far and there was no sign of the Seminoles. It is believed that Major Dade, ordered the scouts covering his flank back to the main column in order to move faster.

Along a half-mile stretch of trail that cut through pines, palmettos and tall grass, 180 Seminole warriors lay in ambush, an act of war for which the tribal leaders had been preparing for more than a year. Chief Micanopy fired the first shot, reportedly bringing down Major Dade himself, after that, the other Seminoles to begin firing. Within moments, half the American soldiers had fallen. The survivors regrouped and, under the command of Captain George Gardiner, drove the Seminoles back temporarily and managed to construct a makeshift battlement of logs. By the end of the day, however, only 2 Americans survived and the Second Seminole War had begun. The Dade Battlefield Historic State Park commemorates this battle and honors the participants on both sides. Every January features a reenactment of the battle, which is historically accurate and exquisitely detailed.

A good portion of our travel today was through Sumter County. Did you know the Sumter County seat has been located in more than 4 towns? Sumter County was officially created by the legislature in 1853 and Adamsville was originally designated the county seat. In 1858, the center of county government moved to Sumterville.  In 1868, the legislature again moved the county seat, this time to Leesburg.  In the late 1870’s, Leesburg became part of the newly created Lake County and Sumter County was directed to vote on a new county seat.  In October of 1881, the citizens voted for Sumterville to become the county seat once again.  After two years of legal wrangling, the legislature recognized the election and work began on a new courthouse. Less than 20 years later, in January of 1909, fire destroyed the Sumterville courthouse and virtually all the records stored within.  Again the legislature ordered an election, and again political in-fighting delayed the process.  Finally, in 1912 and by a margin of only 12 votes, the citizens chose Bushnell over Wildwood as the new county seat. There is a historical marker commemorating the old Sumterville courthouse. It is collocated with the Sumterville Community Center and Historical Site. 

Every time we drive the two lanes in Florida and southern Gerogia, we amazed by the grandeur of beautiful, draping Spanish moss decorating the huge live oak trees. While the hanging moss has a mysterious appeal for people not used to seeing such natural beauty, Spanish moss-draped live oak trees thrive in the southeastern United States. It is also native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America and the West Indies as well as being naturalized in Australia and in the French Polynesia.

There is a charming and somewhat spooky appearance of the silver-gray strands, hanging like natural Halloween decorations. It creates images of old plantations, bayous and the swamps, like seen in movies. When it sways in the wind at night, this tangled ‘tree hair,’ as the Native Americans called it, is both eerie and intriguing. French explorers dubbed it ‘Spanish Beard’ as an insult, so the Spanish then named this moss ‘French Hair.’ This plant, is not even a true moss. It’s a distant member of the pineapple family and grows until it looks like it’s dripping from large trees. It can grow over 25 feet long. It grows wherever the climate is warm enough and has a relatively high average humidity. It has been introduced to similar locations around the world, including Hawaii and Australia. It propagates both by seed and by fragments that blow on the wind and stick to tree limbs, or are carried by birds as nesting material.

Where US 301 and US 441 run together in Ocala, the roadway is designated the Rosa Parks Memorial Highway.  US 301 and 441 were selected to honor parks because it is a national highway. It is hoped that other communities along US 301, those north and south of Alachua and Marion counties, will move to dedicate the road to Parks and keep the designation going around the state and nation.

The Purple Things We See … I saw a purple motorcycle, a purple car getting gas, a purple cargo van for sale, a purple fence and I found a Purple Rooster in front of Ceremonial Fireworks in northern Florida. He is an oversized fiberglass rooster. Here you go lovers of purple! Sorry, none of the other pictures turned out!

Crossing the FL/GA line, I was driving! I did my turn today! For everyone that is wondering, I highly recommend taking the driver confidence course at Lazy Days in Seffner, FL. I drove from Starke until after we crossed the FL/GA line.

We now have more than enough navigators for this trip … we have the GPS, myself, the map and we have our Geek-E Bird, Baby. She wanted to ride in the front, so Charlie stuck her on the dash and she just sat there and enjoyed the view all day! Naturally she tried to tell me where to turn!

Driving along 301 in Georgia , we found a 301 Trail Stop sign. What does that mean? Elected officials and members of the Georgia Grown coalition, brought the Georgia Grown Highway 301 Trail to fruition. There are 55 trail stops being promoted as tourist destinations along the 8-county route. The trail, which runs from Charlton County on the Florida line north through Brantley, Wayne, Long, Tattnall, Evans, Bulloch and Screven counties on the South Carolina border, they feature agri-tourism venues, local restaurants, art galleries and unique shops. We won’t be able to stop at all 55 … but might catch a few!

We traveled along the Upper Santilla River for several miles today. There were many fishing access points and a few boat launches running alongside of 301. The Satilla River is considered to be one of the most scenic and natural rivers in south Georgia.  Originating in Ben Hill County, the river takes a free flowing and winding course for 260 miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Mossy Oaks RV & Campground is our overnight spot. It is a gem in the rough, just outside Jesup Georgia! It is about 5 miles off 301, near the intersection of 341. They have about 30 sites; the majority of them are pull through. The roads are dirt and gravel, but the sites are shaded and spacious. All have a picnic table and fire ring.

 

There is a wide nature trail and a beautiful fishing pond. I watched many fish jump, but I could not get them to cooperate for a picture! But the reflections on the pond are amazing! It is a Passport America park and our cost was $15.00. The owner met us in the driveway, took us right to our site and even completed our registration at his “mobile office.”