Day 1 of Traveling North via the Blue Ridge Parkway 2017

We let the fog come in and lift before we headed out this morning on the first day of our 2017 Two Lane Adventure. We departed Majestic Oaks RV Resort and headed north on 301. We left Zephyrhills and passed through Dade City, past the old orange packing plant and the Pioneer Museum.

We saw a sign “Peanut Hay for sale.” What the heck is peanut hay? Perennial peanut, is a high quality legume hay, equivalent to alfalfa. It was developed and tested at the University of Florida, for horse consumption. Perennial peanut is a legume forage with large, oval leaves and beautiful orange/yellow flowers. Perennial peanut, also call forage peanut, looks similar to the annual peanut plant but does not produce the peanuts that we love to munch on.

In Bushnell, we have passed by this oversized steer on a trailer in a car dealership lot. I have often wondered what the back story to this animal is. But today, just like every other time, we still don’t know the answer! It is just a big (literally) mystery!

We passed through Coleman, Wildwood and into Oxford. Outside of Oxford, on the way to Ocala, is Oxford Downs. When Oxford Downs held its first races in April 2014, they were run on a track carved out of an empty field on the edge of the Marion/Sumter county line off U.S. Highway 301. Now, just over three years later, a 11,000 square foot poker room and tiki-bar now overlook the same track. The poker room includes 23 tables and several large screen televisions simulcasting thoroughbred races from around the country. It looks awesome from outside, when we are not traveling in the RV towing a Jeep, we will have to stop.

Just before Ocala, 27; 441 and 301 follow the same route into Belleview. In Ocala 27 heads more west and 441 and 301 remain together. 441 N breaks off north of Ocala and heads a bit more north-east. It is known as an Old Florida Heritage Highway. Just south of Gainesville, The Old Florida Heritage Highway spans 48 miles of roads through tree canopies draped with Spanish Hanging Moss and where the pace of life is unhurried. The sights and sounds are authentic small town Florida. Discovering Florida's natural beauty and the rich history of the area are just a stone's throw away. I learned, "It is the mission of  Old Florida Heritage Highway to preserve and promote the corridor, while fostering community involvement and educating visitors on the outstanding nature and unique features of this corridor."

We found Orange Lake and learned that ninety-five percent of the community is located in Marion County while the remaining five percent is located in northern neighbor Alachua County and the entire lake is located in Alachua County. But, it is managed by the Marion County Water Management Board.

                

Outside of Micanopy, you see a striking marble statue of an angel and pets. It is at the Garden of Love Pet Memorial Park. This memorial park understands the bond between owners and their pets and they provide a service dedicated to assisting owners through the transition of saying good-bye to a cherished family member. It has been there for almost 40 years.

The historic town of Micanopy, pronounced mick-a-no-pee. Founded in 1821, Micanopy is believed to be the oldest inland town in Florida and is named for Chief Micanopy of the Seminole Nation. You can enjoy lunch at the Old Florida Café. Toys and comics from all eras make lunch fun and a shopping delight. Venture next onto Choloka Blvd., also known as Main Street, which is lined with vibrant shops ranging from stained glass to antique furniture. Pick up an ice cream cone and enjoy the wonderful small town charm unfold before you. A couple of blocks from downtown Micanopy is the Historical Society Museum. From Native American history to turpentine processing to what a general store looked like. The Museum delivers a glimpse into what life was like in rural Florida. One of the interesting parts of the museum is the circa 1930's Coca-Cola billboard painted on the side of the museum itself. Few of these signs still exist at their original locations which makes this such a unique attraction.

On 441, we got a different view of Paynes Prairie. I never knew they had campsites! We traveled through the eco-passage into the over 20,000-acre preserve. It is among the most significant natural and historic areas in Florida. Retrace the trails of noted artist and naturalist William Bartram, detailed in his description of this area which he called the "great Alachua Savannah." The Prairie is home to herds of wild Bison and Horses as well as a wintering ground for Sand Hill Cranes.

441 took us through Gainsville and the University of Florida campus. There were many unique sights here.

The University of Florida sign.

An old “Arby’s” neon sign.

A sleeping homeless man, with his Sombrero, in front of a sorority house.

Adam’s Rib Co Gator pick-up truck.

In the midst of north Florida's sandy terrain and pine forests, you can find a gem … Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park. It is a bowl-shaped cavity that is 120 feet deep and 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.

There are two Shrines in Florida for Our Lady of Le Leche. The original shrine in St Augustine and a second shrine in High Springs. It is called the Santa Fe Shrine of Our Lady of Le Leche and it is located at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church. Since the early 1600s, this devotion has been kept alive by countless people of faith who travel to the oldest Marian shrine in the United States to seek the Blessed Mother’s intercession for a safe delivery of their child, for the gift of fertility, for those seeking to strengthen their faith and for many other special intentions. The Santa Fe Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, grounded in the rich traditions of the shrine in St. Augustine, will provide people living in the western counties of the diocese and others traveling to Florida a place for pilgrimage and spiritual renewal.

We crossed the Santa Fe River. It is a more than 70-mile (121 km) river in northern Florida. This river has a unique characteristic, it completely disappears underground and then reappears 3 miles downstream. Actually, the river drops into a large sinkhole in O'Leno State Park and reappears in the adjacent River Rise Preserve State Park. A map of the watershed clearly shows the gap in the river where it flows underground.

The site of Lake City was a Seminole village named Alpata Telophka, meaning "Alligator Village". By 1830, a Euro-American town called Alligator was established, adjacent to the Seminole town. The city was incorporated and changed to its current name in 1859. The name was changed because the mayor's wife, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator, so Lake City was born!

The Florida Georgia line is very uneventful on Route 441.

We were going to take a detour into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and stay at the Stephen Foster State Park, but the current threat of the wildfires and the smoke in the area … we skipped it. 

The smoke was thick in many areas and the Incident Command was set up at a school in Fargo, GA. There were embers and ash in the air in Fargo. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has 353,981 acres of National Wilderness Area within the refuge boundaries. It conserves the unique qualities of the Okefenokee Swamp for all to enjoy.  The swamp is considered the headwaters of the Suwannee and St Mary’s Rivers.  Habitats provide for threatened and endangered species, such as woodpeckers, wood storks, indigo snakes, and a wide variety of other wildlife species.  It is world renowned for its amphibian populations.  More than 600 plant species have been identified in the refuge.

We camped our first night on the road at General Coffee State Park in Nicholls. It is one of southern Georgia’s best kept secrets. Along with 4 miles of hiking and 14 miles of equestrian trails, this park boasts a ton of agricultural history at its Heritage Farm. There are log cabins, a blacksmith shop, a corn crib, tobacco barn, cane mill. Barnyard animals and other exhibits. Seventeen Mile river meanders through a cypress swamp where you can find rare and endangered plants. The threatened indigo snake, gopher tortoises, pileated woodpeckers, armadillos, deer, fox and alligators make their homes in this wiregrass community within the park.