Daytona Speedway RV Park

#6 Daytona Speedway RV Park

When I left Georgia, the temperature was a mild 67º with overcast skies. When I arrived in Daytona Beach the temperature was 83º with sunny skies and billowy, cotton puffs of clouds. Needed heat on when going to bed one night and the AC on the next. That was only the first night; the rest of the week...heat needed.

Are you familiar with the idiom, "third time's a charm?" Worked for me today. On my third attempt to pull into a gas station to fill up, I was finally rewarded for the hassles; The first station's pumps would not take credit or debit cards at $4.79. The second had all pumps busy at $4.99. And finally, at my favorite, a BP station with my BP card the price went from $4.77 to $4.62. Something as simple as that makes for a pleasant trip.

Well, pleasant until I encountered the "Nightmare of I-95." As you know, I-95 begins in Houlton, Maine and terminates in Miami, Florida but continues as the Dixie Highway or US 1 which eventually reaches Key West. If there's an accident anywhere along its stretch and you're not near an exit, well, that's it, you're parked for the duration; and everyone who drives the route is sure to encounter one at some point. Today, a car on fire with injuries blocked all lanes and all traffic was forced to exit. That alone took about a half hour. When I passed back over the bridge and looked south, it was a nightmare. As far as the eye could see traffic was at a standstill.  Following back roads that ran parallel to I-95 for miles and miles, I finally reentered the Interstate to complete my trip losing an hour.

Site 133 toward the rear
of the campground.

Aerial View

 

The campground is crowded. RVs are cramped together with only the "premium" sites having a picnic table and a fire ring. Mine had neither which worked out fine because although the weather was conducive for a fire it was not for sitting out. This weekend is the "Rolex 24." If you're a NASCAR enthusiast, check out the link. "From sunrise to sunset and all through the night, witness as both man and machine are pushed to the limit in this twice-around-the-clock marathon, which has welcomed racing legends from across the motorsports universe since 1962. Celebrate the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA ON JANUARY 28 AND 29!" Now that should be interesting. " As close as I am to the Racetrack, I was not bothered by the noise.

There are 45 Cessna 127 Skyhawks housed
at Emery Riddle's Flight Department

The Daytona International Airport is but two miles east and site of the Emery Riddle Aeronautical University.. On weekday mornings, students take off in one-minute intervals on training flights and head west right over the campground.

Mya & Mark - February 2018

As mentioned in earlier blog posts, this is my sixth stop before settling down in Clermont, FL, for my two month stay. I'll be there for the entire months of February and March. Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores and Port Orange have wonderful memories for me going back almost fifteen years. Primary among them is visiting my long time friend, Mya, who lives in Port Orange. Formerly of Yorktown, she and her children, Zane and Zhani have been here for thirteen years. It's been over a year since I last saw her and Mark, so this week is just as special as all the rest. As none of us had lunch, the first order of business after setting up was to be picked and running over to Ford's Garage for a mid-afternoon bite to eat. And so it begins. Jack (neighbor), hang on to your knife and fork because most of this blog will be about dining with friends. The number of restaurants in this area and Florida in general is mind-boggling. As usual, I urge you to click on any of the links in RED to see themes, menus and what I've enjoyed (while I can). In most cases you're looking at the main meal of my two-meal day.

Yes, the theme is the classic Ford and memorabilia is everywhere.

"Ford's Signature Burger": Tillamook® Sharp Cheddar, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Chopped Romaine, Tomato, and Red Onion on a Brioche Bun.

I thought it a nice touch to "brand" the bun with their name.

For Friday night's dinner it was a trip to nearby Stonewood Grill and Tavern. Memories of enjoying Stonewood's petite filet mignon in Boca Raton and Port Orange returned.  

Petite 7-oz. Filet Mignon and Baked Potato with
an Argentinean Malbec, Padrillos.

Florida Orange Cake:
Decadent four layer cake with orange Bavarian
cream, shaved white chocolate and whipped cream
and a fresh orange twist garnish.

Terrific dinner made better with friends

Thanks to M&M, Saturday morning's breakfast was another treat...visiting one of my old go-to diners in Port Orange, Rossi's Diner. 

Five years ago they opened another in Port Orange, Rossi's Side Street Cafe. Here, the
Rossi's Diner sign met its demise with the recent hurricane and is no longer.
I was hoping to say hi to Bernadette Rossi but was told she took her first day off since the beginning of the year.

My go-to breakfast all done to perfection. My veggie for day?
I chose to have onions in the home fries. I know, wise choice.

And before I knew it, it was Pizza Night. On the shores of the Halifax River is Corleoni's Famous New York Pizza and Gyros Having had terrific pizza in my lifetime, I was eager to see how this compared.

Let it not be said that I don't eat salads.

Passed the test: Thin crust, not soggy; checked bottom, done to
perfection. Grande mozzarella cheese used, not too oily. Excellent.

Sunday's lunch was a new experience for me at Stoked Poke on Daytona Speedway Blvd.. Hawaiian inspired fresh food choices you choose to make up your bowl. This cuisine has been influenced by Japanese and other Asian cuisines. Originally it consisted of seasoned raw fish Hawaiian fisherman sliced (poke)  crosswise and eaten as snacks after completing the day's fishing. Check out the site to see what ingredients you can add to make your bowl. The menu includes a base, a protein, fresh toppings, crunchy toppings and a drizzle. 

My choices included: The base: white sticky rice; the protein: Polynesian grilled chicken; the toppings: sushi ginger and edamame, the crunch toppings: shaved almonds; the drizzle: mango teriyaki.

Mya's daughter, Zahni, traveled down from Jacksonville to visit and joined us for lunch. Another dining experience made more special by the company.

One day, a peek out my window surprised me with this visitor. The next day...

...its friends joined the party.

An impressive entrance
 summoned an angel to
 her wings and so I
 captured the moment.

Monday night was sushi night at Wild Ginger. I'm always ready for some sushi. Having long enjoyed the artistic and delicious presentations of Sakura Garden in Hastings, my all-time favorite sushi restaurant, the expectation bar was set quite high. My last sushi was lunch on January 3rd at Sakura just before my travels began. 

I enjoyed the Peacock Roll:
Shrimp tempura roll topped with crawfish salad, mango, and avocado,
eel sauce, mango sauce and fish egg. Fresh and delicious, it did not disappoint.

The 4-year old restaurant offers a wide selection of authentic Japanese, Chinese & Thai dishes such as Hibachi Steak, Chicken Katsu, Veggie Tofu Ramen, California Roll, Volcano Roll, Kung Pao Chicken, Pad Thai.

Then, in the blink of an eye, my week's visit comes to an end. My "Last Supper" (in Daytona) was at Carrabba's. Another first for me as I've never dined in a Carrabba's. At home, the nearest one is an hour and a half away in Smithtown. My go-to Italian is Cosimo's in Poughkeepsie, NY. Check out the website. My meal tonight was delicious.

A side Caesar salad

A new offering for Carrabba's: Grilled Vegetable Ravioli:
Filled with roasted red and yellow peppers, asparagus, portobello mushrooms, ricotta and parmesan cheese and tossed in a tomato cream-goat cheese sauce.

A perfect meal to end a perfect week. We had a lot of catching up to talk about and be it at the dinner table or back at my campsite, there was never a dull moment. So it is with a great big thank you to Mark and Mya that I share for giving up the time to be with me as well as the driving that brought us to terrific restaurants. As Mya says, "it's only once a year" and so we made the best of it and they provided me with lasting memories. Thank you.

Tomorrow, I pack it all up and head to Clermont, Florida, about 80 miles southwest that should take me 1¼ hours. There, I'll enjoy two months of Florida's warm sunshine, (maybe), and the company of thirteen friends...yes, thirteen. Hope to see you there. Take care, stay warm and stay safe.

The Swamp Park Tour

 

There are four entrances for the public to gain access to the Okefenokee Swamp including the Suwannee Sill Recreation Area in Fargo, Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Kingfisher Landing in Race Pond, and Suwannee Canal Recreation Area in Folkston, the roadway across from the campground. The Swamp Park in Waycross is a privately owned, non-profit park.

The Okefenokee Swamp Park located at the northern tip of the Swamp. I booked the 3-hour Swamp Experience: Train (11:00 am) - "Eye on Nature" talk (12:00 pm) and Boat tour (1:00 pm)

The Grounds  

Buildings spread out, grounds clean and well maintained.

Walkway over to train and boat launch.

Boat launch area

On the boardwalk around a small pond I searched for animals and found nothing...
until I looked straight down. 

This is one of four or five resident (captive) "animal ambassadors" in the park.

The Train Tour

The only railroad system allowed to operate within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge opened at the park in 1999, taking visitors on a 1.5-mile journey through the swamp.

Lady Suwannee must be the summertime attraction. The winter version below worked just as well. 

Right on schedule, the train pulled into the "station" for the 11 a.m. tour. This "engine" operated by Ann is not the one you see on the brochure/website. She's been doing it for about a year and a half. She mentioned she was "filling in" for the regular driver. Her passengers were a crowd of three. I was joined by Paul and Vicky visiting from Wisconsin. He was 42 years a high school biology teacher and looked too young for those numbers...unless he'd just retired. (Reality slap: I taught 37 but retired for 22 so that must be the difference)

I asked her if the person she's filling in for was a tall fella, bald with glasses? She said yes, that's Jim.

I responded by telling her I met him two days before on my boat ride in the Wildlife Refuge back in Folkston. We got talking and when I mentioned I was going to visit the Swamp Park he said he and his wife work there as camp workers and that he usually operates the train. His mother-in-law was visiting, so he took the time off. What are the chances?

Speaking of "What are the Chances," if you haven't already checked it out, the link, "What Are The Chances" on the right panel of this blog has my six-year collection of such coincidences, if you care to view them. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Some sights explained along our route. Wagon wheels from carts hauling cypress out of the Swamp

For almost 25 years beginning in 1910 the Okefenokee Swamp was logged for its very old cypress, red bay, and pine trees. President Franklin D. Roosevelt put a stop to it in 1937 when he protected the area from logging. Imagine the number of trees felled when it's been estimated that they totaled over 400 million board feet. 

Moonshine stills for white lightning, corn liquor and perhaps over 600 synonymous terms were another source of income for many in Swamp. This one spotted on the train ride. Another will be seen while on the boat ride. 

I know many of my readers are history lovers and have enjoyed my visits to settlements and villages left intact or re-created for tourists. For you I refer the Secret History of the Okefenokee by Richard Thorton, City Planner and Architect. It's extensive, detailed and good reading for the history buff.

I asked each of the tour guides in both locations about any legends or myths that are associated with the Swamp. I've camped in the Everglades to hear of the Skunk Ape and know about Sasquatch/Big Foot and Yeti. None were mentioned or known in either location.

A Seminole Chickee

A Timucuan Hut

Researching any of the indigenous Native Americans in the country, including the Timucuan, Creeks and Seminole, you once again read about the dark days of American history not found in our history books where those people were forced to move on from their ancestral homelands, killed or enslaved at the hands of government forces. What remains are their artifacts, oral history and way of life many of us would have appreciated, espoused and emulated.

A healthy stand of the Pitcher Plant to be seen again on the boat ride.

The story is the same. The tourist looks on in wonder and amazement. The imagination fills in the story of what it must have been like to create from scratch structures and utensils that, in concert with the environment, yielded an existence for survival. The Swamp (or our northern wilderness) provided everything from food to shelter.

A replica of the Wildes Cabin on Pioneer Island is now a memorial to Maximillian Wildes and those who died with him at the hands of Seminole warriors in the 1838 Wildes Massacre. The structure was dedicated in 1988, marking the 150th anniversary of the last Indian massacre in the state of Georgia.

In the nearby pen were two of the largest hogs I've ever seen. As this one slept peacefully with an occasional snort, all I could think of was bacon; lots and lots of bacon. "But seriously, folks..." As you know, there are very few parts of this creature that aren't prepared one way or another and part of the human diet. Even the hair is used in paint brushes. Read about it HERE. Pretty amazing.  While this one slept...

....this one kept busy foraging in dirt with a calloused snout larger than my fist. It wouldn't even look up for me to capture its pretty face.

A long time since I've seen a "one-holer"

The Nature Talk

At noon, after the train ride, Paul, Vicky and I walked over to the Nature Center and were greeted by Jen who said she had the best job in the world: seeing to the care and well being of the captive Animal Ambassadors of the Park. 

Here she points out the missing tail piece this two-year old resident lost after a not-so-nice encounter with one of its siblings. They heal quickly.

Once taken out of its plastic container, it squirmed wildly until she tucked the tail under her arm and got it nestled on her forearm. The warmth of her arm quieted it right down for the duration of her talk. 

Touching and feeling all her specimens was part of her presentation. Vicky was okay with them all (turtles, the little gator and the kingsnake).

We were reminded that, as "cute" as this youngster was, avoiding its razor sharp teeth was a must. As I touched I realized the value of its skin and why it is popular in making shoes and handbags.

The kingsnake. It is non venomous and valuable for eliminating pests in the environment. They eat other snakes, including venomous snakes. They have developed a hunting technique to avoid being bitten by clamping down on the jaws of the venomous prey, but even if bitten, they are immune to the venom. They also eat amphibians, turtle eggs, lizards, and small mammals, which they kill by constriction.

I did not get photos of two other resident species she spoke about so I'm borrowing their look-alikes from the web: a box turtle and a gopher tortoise. Though quite similar in appearance there are many differences between the two. Note the claws and muscular arms of the gopher tortoise. They burrow tunnels up to 30' in length. Follow the links if interested. (ha ha) 

Eastern Box Turtle

 Gopher Tortoise

 

The Boat Tour 

There are 120 miles of water trails in the Okefenokee Swamp that can be enjoyed by boaters and paddlers. The size of our Carolina Skiff kept us on the main channel during the 1.5 mile journey.

Tour guide today was Alan. Bright, energetic, totally into his job, the Swamp and sharing facts and stories all along the way. Most of the seventeen folks on this tour were from the Georgia area including a home-schooled group on a field trip. I was the only Yankee but assured them I wasn't a damn Yankee. (Comment below if you know the difference.) Got a laugh when the fella in front of me turned and said, "Well, bless your heart." (Comment below if you know the real meaning [to a southerner] of that southern phrase.)

Another moonshine still seen along the narrow waterway that easily accommodated our flat boat. During the Civil War, the United States government formed the Internal Revenue Service to collect taxes on “luxuries,” including alcohol and tobacco. Many moonshiners refused to pay the tax and continued operating their stills. In the 1870s, federal agencies started going after the moonshiners in North Georgia, and in 1920 Prohibition was enacted, which meant consuming alcohol was illegal.

The infamous cat-and-mouse moonshiner versus revenuer car chases through the North Georgia mountains reached is peak in the 1930s and ’40s, giving birth to a new type of industry, stock car racing, which would lead to the formation of NASCAR. Alan shared the fact the these moonshiners were ingenious in trying to avoid the 'revenuers' by building their stills on rafts. This way, they were never in the same spot for very long. Want to make your own moonshine at home? Here's a 40 second video on how to do it in 3 easy steps.

Once again, the Pitcher Plant

This mound is an alligator nest. Alan gave her a name and she's one of three females that "belong" to the apex alpha male, Obadiah who you'll meet soon. The American alligator lives about 50-60 years and are about 10-12 years old before reproducing. Females lay up to 20-60 eggs, 10% of which survive. Courtship begins in May, breeding and egg laying in June-July. 65 days later babies indicate their readiness to hatch by emitting high pitched squeaks from within their shell. Once hatched, sometimes with the help of mother, she will carry them to the water and will care for and protect them for up to two years. Here's video clip of an alligator's method of warning others.

The reflective properties of the undisturbed black water fascinated me.

At one point we docked and hiked into the Swamp to Skull Lake.

This 90' steel tower replaced the wooden 75' wooden tower in 1965.

Many animal skulls nailed to surrounding trees.
We were once alive
Like you are now.
But we complained
And hollered any how.
So love each day.
Don't pass it by
Sooner or later
You too will die!

Alan described in great detail witnessing Obediah maintaining his alpha status with other male competitors for the territory and the females within. "Not a pretty site." These confrontations will begin in March. By the time they emerge from their winter dormancy, they'll be hungry and aggressive. A fascinating story teller.

On our way back there was Obadiah basking in the warm sun. 

Huge. How long? How does one measure the length?

You ESTIMATE, key word, ESTIMATE the distance in inches from the bridge of the snout just ahead of the eyes to its tip. This is about the length in feet. Obadiah is about 13' long.

As I drove out of the park, my last glimpse of a great creature left me with renewed respect and admiration for an animal that's been around for 6 million years and lived among the dinosaurs.

If you've made it this far, I'll agree with you that I sorta got carried away with the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the seven wonders of Georgia.. Once you start digging for information, the tangents are endless, fascinating and worthy of sharing. That along with a love for writing, plenty of time on my hands and the eagerness to share make for long blog posts...some may find it worthwhile as well.

Until we meet again in Daytona, stay happy, healthy and safe.