Day 165 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Sunday October 18th is day 165 for us and day 32 for Tim & Debbie. It was a very chilly 50 degrees at 8am this morning in Hazlehurst Georgia. The clear skies gave us a beautiful sunrise over the campers, but too cold to walk!

Today is the day Tim & Debbie head north and we head south. It has been such a blessing to work with these two and get to know them outside of work. These two are some of the finest people we know! Their pocketbook might not like us for turning them onto Bluegrass festivals and Lynette's inheritance may dwindle a bit! Bit, now they have something to plan their trips around! Still plenty of time to see the states and hear some great music! I captured, just the back corner of their rig, as they pulled out!

We both headed east to Baxley and just a bit beyond that. We stopped at Murphy USA for diesel. Just beyond that is the Appling County Courthouse. By the early 20th century, the county required a more grand and functional facility. The county hired architect H.L. Lewman and the Falls City Construction Company constructed the modern courthouse for $50,000. It is a historic Neoclassical Revival-style structure built between 1907 and 1908. It serves as the civic anchor for Baxley and the broader Appling County community. The Appling County Courthouse was formally added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980.

The Appling County Veterans monument is located in front of the county courthouse. In early 2000, volunteers started raising money for a Veterans memorial. They spent three years raising $70,000 for the monument to Appling County veterans. According to Bill Campbell, project organizer, "As we put some money in the bank, people saw it was really gonna happen and then they all jumped on board." Etched in stone are the names of those who gave their lives as well as those who returned home from service in World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom and in between.

Those that have followed me for a while, know I love murals. Here in Baxley, there is a "Welcome to Baxley" mural. It is prominently painted on a downtown commercial building wall, located on South Main Street. The postcard-style landmark serves as a vibrant gateway to the city, celebrating local roots, agricultural heritage, and historical landmarks. 

East of Baxley, we turned south onto GA 121, aka the Woodpecker Trail. The Woodpecker Trail is a scenic and historic route along state routes 25/121. The 620-mile route was once billed as "the shortest route to Florida's West Coast." It stretches from Charlotte, NC, to St. Petersburg, FL. Total mileage through Georgia is 204 miles, from Augusta to Folkston. The Woodpecker Trail has been named one of the 50 most scenic drives in America. Established in 1947 by the Woodpecker Route Association, the route was well traveled from the 1950s to 1970s. The probable origin of the name is the numerous woodpeckers that inhabit the pine forests along the route.

Our next "big" town was Blackshear, Georgia. It had a McDonald's for Charlie's breakfast and a Sugarfree Vanilla Iced Coffee for me. Originally, this area was Muscogee Creek land. The area was transformed in the mid-19th century by the expansion of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad infrastructure. Today, its rich past is marked by historic brick architecture, a deeply impactful Civil War footprint, and its legacy as an early powerhouse in the regional tobacco economy. The town was named in honor of General David Blackshear (1764–1837), an influential Georgia military figure and state senator. General Blackshear fought in the American Revolution and later commanded state militia forces during the War of 1812, famously authorizing a defensive chain of 11 forts and overseeing the construction of critical military roads throughout southern Georgia. This picture shows some of the historic brick architecture.

Yes, more murals! Here is a beautiful American flag at the intersection of Hwy Ave and Main Street. We had pulled over so Charlie could use our facilities. I snapped the picture and we had a young man stop to be sure that we were OK and did not need any assistance. It was so very nice of him.  

There is a "Bearville" mural at the corner of Main Street and South Central Avenue. This eye-catching piece was painted by local artist Lee Mobley. Completed in less than 12 hours, the vibrant installment celebrates local "Bear pride" and has become a landmark for visitors exploring the historic downtown district.It features a giant, muscular metallic blue and silver bear walking against a bold blue backdrop that reads "BLACKSHEAR Georgia."

We turned onto US Hwy 1, making our way to US 301. Route 1 in Georgia runs north-south for about 225 miles from the SC border to the FL border or vice-versa. Actually, we were still on GA 121, plus a few more routes joined us!

Entering the town of Folkston GA. This is our last town in GA, before we cross the border into FL. Folkston, Georgia, began as a rail stop called "The Station" in 1881 when the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway built a line through the area, and it was officially incorporated as a city on April 3, 1895. The town was named after Dr. William Brandon Folks, a prominent physician from nearby Waycross, Georgia.

Folkston is home to The Okefenokee Swamp. It is a shallow, 438,000-acre, peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. It is world renowned for its amphibian populations that are bio-indicators of global health. More than 600 plant species have been identified on refuge lands.

          

We crossed from Georgia back into Florida. I love the "free" state of Florida sign. Plus there is a more traditional Florida sign too. Along US 1 there was a historical marker for the Battle of Thomas Creek. It was the engagement that ended the Second Florida campaign. This battle involved the land forces of a two pronged continental attack with the goal of taking St. Augustine from the British. The British and their Native American allies laid a successful trap at Thomas Creek that forced the Continental Army to return to Georgia.

 

We took a "non-traditional" approach, for us, around Jacksonville. We took I-295 South for about 10-miles. I did see two cell towers that are "concealed" to look like trees. I have to say when these cell towers are around other trees, it does a good job of concealment. But, when they are standing alone, those fake branches do nothing to conceal what it really is... a cell tower!

We got off the Interstate in Orange Park and started traveling on US 17 S. It was the 44th Annual Orange Park Fall Festival at the Town Hall Park. WOW, there were people everywhere! The Town of Orange Park Fall Festival is Clay County’s oldest and largest Arts and Crafts Festival! The Fall Festival began in 1982 with roughly twelve craft booths and a couple guitar players. Forty-four years later, this two-day festival has over 200 artists & vendors and two stages packed with entertainment from regional and local artists!

We crossed the bridge over Doctors Lake. Doctors Lake is not actually a lake at all, it is a brackish, tidal inlet covering roughly 13 square miles that opens directly into the west bank of the St. Johns River. Its rich history stretches from early colonial agriculture to its evolution into a scenic retreat for prominent regional families. While the exact root of the name remains a mystery, the body of water has officially been called "Doctor's Lake" since at least 1776, appearing on British Revolutionary War maps. Before this, Spanish and early British surveyors typically recorded it simply as a laguna grande (great lagoon). It is widely hypothesized that the name stems from Dr. William Stork, a prominent 1764 British plantation agent who published early descriptive journals to encourage migration to East Florida.

In Green Cove Springs, I found another mural on the other side of the road as we were driving south. It is called the Fallen Heroes Memorial Mural located at the corner of North Orange Avenue and Palmer Street. The artists were Sophie Dentiste, Lynette Woodman, Lori Butler, Kim Hinkle, Alison McCauley, Andrea Sibilla, Kathy Plante, and Beth Hazlip. It is a large American flag mural featuring spreading wings and memorializing three local service members and first responders: Clay Fire Rescue Engineer and Paramedic Jeremy J. McKay, US Army Ranger SGT Bradley Crose, and Clay County Sheriff's Office Deputy Benjamin Zirbel.

In Palatka we transitioned onto FL 19. We came to a steep grade in the road. We were going over the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Us west coast Florida people say " a barge canal in Florida?" Yes, parks and park projects were built in the New Deal era by the Civilian Conservation Corps. New Deal funding for the canal ran out within three years. Local critics insisted that the canal would disrupt Florida’s aquifer and waterways. National opposition grew in response to claims that the project was a waste of taxpayer money and of limited value to people outside of Florida. But hope for the canal had yet to run out completely. During World War II, German submarines threatened Florida’s coasts and shipping lanes. During World War II, Congress modified the former sea-level canal project into a lock and dam shallow-draft canal along the same route as the original sea-level project. 

After the war, rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified. Canal boosters pointed to the project as an asset to national security and rehashed old arguments in its favor. Construction resumed in 1964, with President Lyndon B. Johnson presided at the groundbreaking in Palatka, Florida. However, the canal was ultimately not to be. There was a new surge of environmental awareness in the 1960s, and major opposition to the canal emerged. Heading a group called the Florida Defenders of the Environment, activist Marjorie Harris Carr appealed to President Richard Nixon and issued legal challenges to construction. Nixon stopped the project in 1971, ending a long-held but never-realized dream. Over the next decade continued legal battles ensued and the political momentum for the project waned. Congress eventually deauthorized the project in 1990. With the canal only about one-third complete, the land that had been secured for its path sat in limbo. So, what to do with the largest unfinished public works project in history? Turn it into a greenway and name it after the activist that halted the project, The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway.

We crossed over the Ocklawaha River is a 75-mile-long, south-to-north flowing river. It serves as the principal tributary to the St. Johns River and drains a massive 2,800 square-mile watershed that spans five counties. Celebrated as one of the most scenic and wild waterways in the state, its dark, tannin-stained waters snake through dense floodplain forests, hydric hammocks, and vital wildlife corridors. We drove for miles with the Ocala National Forest on both sides of the road. Finally arriving at Salt Springs Recreation Area, our campsite for the night. It is a US Forest campground, so we get our Senior Lifetime Pass half price. It is a level paved full hook up site for $35 a night!

We are all set up, Charlie has had an adult coke and I had some PB&J from No BS, in NY. It will be an early night for both of us!

Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures