Escape to GA, after a summer of “shelter in place” … Thanks to COVID-19 – Day 1 – Monday 9/14/20

We left Zephyrhills and took the “back way,” Eiland to Handcart. On Handcart Rd you pass what, less than a year ago, was just a big empty overgrown field, that we passed on our way to San Antonio or Sertoma Youth Ranch. Now it is, Watergrass a 997-acre, master-planned community. The stone entrance screams BIG BUCKS … not to mention the private, gated neighborhoods and the Wesley Chapel address. Homes is this community start in the $240s. What middle class working young family can afford that?

 

This way you stay on the west side and kind of skirt Dade City. Just before SR 52, it looks like we found the end of the “road to nowhere.” I am talking about that piece of road at the non-working light that comes off SR 54 just before Curley Road, where SR 54 makes that funny jog. We think at the intersection of Clinton Street and Prospect Road (FL 579A) there is construction that looks like a 4 lane road. I would bet dollars to donuts that is where Alternate 52 will come out.

 

Taking the back roads and enjoying our Two Lane Adventures, we went through Blanton, passing Sertoma Youth Ranch. On these roads, you never know what you will see. We saw a lady on a horse!

 

We also went through Spring Lake and passed by a spot that us, as well as Karen & Wayne enjoyed. It’s a local attraction, Boyett’s Grove. It is an institution in the Brooksville/Spring Lake area. Situated on a hilltop in the rolling countryside along Spring Lake Highway, the unique attraction began in the 1960s as a fruit stand where locals and Northerners could stop to pick up citrus fresh from the grove. But, it’s now soooooo much more than that. This roadside oddity is truly in a class of its own. When we visited, the gift shop with the old, dusty relics, stuffed animals and candies of yore, then pay to see the animals. But wait! You ticket includes a tour of taxidermy creatures, "3D art" and the dinosaur cave. Let me just say this place is A LOT bigger than it looks with many things to see. You get pretty up close to zebra, lemurs, horses, pigs, goats, rabbits, monkeys, alpaca, fish and birds just to name a few. This place is truly strange, but oddly satisfying. Not really where I'd go for ice cream, but go for the nostalgia and the amazement of just how much effort it must have taken to create this place! Truly one of a kind!

 

We headed into Brooksville on SR 50 / 98 and passed by Florida Cracker Kitchen. If we did not have the RV and tow car, we would have stopped. It’s a unique and animated eatery that offers an authentically southern adventure with a twist. Fresh smoked mullet dip and buttermilk pancakes, Okeechobee gumbo, fried catfish, and shrimp from the nearby waters of the Gulf. Their biscuits and bread are baked up fresh every morning. It’s what “Southern cooking” really means. They also have a tap room, where they are serving craft beer on draft from some of Florida’s most popular local craft breweries as well as hand-crafted cocktails and live music!

 

In Brookville, we go onto US 41 N, which we will stay on for the rest of the trip today. US 41 is paralleled by Interstate 75 for most of its run on the west coast of Florida. We pass through Floral City, but on US 41, we miss the historic downtown, but we do pass a place I will NEVER stop! Frog Holler Antique Store. I know there is the word Antique in the name …. But so is the word Frog …. Nope, I’m good!

Inverness is an old historic town, but we find the unique … Ziggy's Haven Bird Sanctuary. It’s a no kill parrot rescue. Since they were founding in 2003, they have made an impact. They have found placement for over 1000 parrots, 75 parrots are in their Lifetime of Care program and they have helped over 200 parrots remain in their homes through outreach programs. 

Dunnellon was platted as a railroad town in 1890 when trains provided a major source of transportation. In 1908 the Atlantic Coast Line railroad built the depot on South Williams Street. In its early days, the Atlantic Coast Line carried produce, timber from virgin long leaf pine forests, passengers and phosphate. 

For some passengers and cargo, the journey continued on steamers plying the St. Johns River. Youngsters crowded the station, waiting for a glimpse of caged animals roaring by on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus train. During World War II, the trains carried troops and military equipment. In 1991, the Greater Dunnellon Historical Society board of directors and membership approved a decision to purchase the depot from CSX Transportation Inc. The closing took place in 1992. In 2002 the historical society obtained a grant to restore the facility. The depot has been restored to its original splendor and has been updated to current standards.

 

US 41 follows a portion of the De Soto Trail. De Soto and an army of noblemen and commoners left Spain in April 1538, arrived in Cuba in June, and spent nearly a year gathering men and supplies before sailing to "La Florida" in May. In total, the expedition numbered around 1,000 people. They embarked from Havana on seven of the King's ships and two caravels of De Soto's with supplies for their planned four-year continental expedition. This included tons of heavy armor and weaponry equipment, including several hundred "dogs of war" to be used in hunting and controlling the indigenous peoples. They traveled with several hundred horses, and also carried more than 600 livestock animals, like nearly 300 pigs, which was their first introduction into North America. By late May 1539, Hernando de Soto landed somewhere along the central Gulf of Mexico coast of La Florida, near present day Tampa Bay, and began the expedition that would cost him his fortune and his life.

 

Archer is a small town we passed through. Before 1858, there was a settlement named Deer Hammock where Archer is today. Archer itself was surveyed and platted by the Florida Town Improvement Company (a subsidiary of the Florida Railroad Company). The surveyors named the town after General James T. Archer, Florida's first Secretary of State. The railroad track they were building connected Fernandina with Cedar Keys. It was in 1859 that the first trains stopped in Archer. In 1865, the famous Confederate "Treasure Train" unloaded the last of the Confederacy's booty at Cotton Wood plantation, just outside of Archer. The Great Depression took another toll on the area but Archer began to grow again in the 1960's as most of Florida started to grow with the incoming tide of retirees. A recent famous person who lived in Archer was Bo Diddley. After 1978, Bo Diddley spent most of his time off stage between Los Lunas, New Mexico and Florida, living out his last 13 years in Archer, dying there on June 2, 2008 after losing the fight to recover from a stroke and a heart attack.

 

We arrived at O’Leno State Park, for our first night on the road. We arrived in down pours, complements for Hurricane Sally. So, we got parked and just chilled for the night. In the morning, we are going to see the swinging bridge and the disappearing river. It is located on the Santa Fe River, a tributary of the Suwannee River.

 

O’Leno State Park has two campground loops for RVs. We stayed in the Magnolia Loop which is the one furthest from the entrance. The campsites at O’Leno State Park are similar to the ones you’ll find at many of the Florida State Parks. These sites were partially shaded and had enough foliage and space between them that they feel semi-private. They have recently erected barriers around the campsites to stop campers from affecting the growth of nature. Stay tuned to learn more about O'Lena State Park and our next leg of the adventure!