Author: osakisboy

DAY #119

It’s a milestone day, I actually did something today. Spent some time driving around and checking out the State Forest. I drove down roads that were laid down fifty to sixty years ago, and then left, long forgotten.

Lets see what a glimpse of the Picayune State Forest looks like;

I was trying to see if I could use the original street layout to get through the Picayune Strand State Forest, and into the adjacent Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, and finally the Big Cypress National Preserve. Gave it a good effort but in the end, stopped by water.

Made it back to the starting point, and I still wanted to see the State and National Preserve. I googled in my destination, and dutifully followed instructions. According to google, we were going to be taking a much more pedestrian route to the Preserve’s.

There’s not a lot of roads in the area that go through, so I ended up taking kind of a long route to get to the destination. Starting out from the Golden Gate Estates, the single family homes faded into tomato farms, pasture land, and even an orange grove or two. All along this first stretch of road I felt like I was ‘riding on the fence’. Development on one side, and agricultural on the other. As I drove past a couple of fields growing tomatoes, there were two tractors going down the rows, spraying what I deduced to be some kind of herbicide, or pesticide, or hell, maybe both. It didn’t give me a good feeling seeing that. Further east, the fields yielded to scrub land, and with a big sigh, we were back in the wild.

Along the way went through a number of areas with signs proclaiming panther crossings. Along with the signs, there were 10′ high chain link fence running unbroken along both sides of road. Not sure how its connected with panthers. I’ll need to further look into that. The road brought me to the State Preserve, thought about taking the ‘Scenic Route’ that runs through it and seeing if I could get back into the Picayune. It’s an eleven mile route, and if the beginning was any indication, it’s a really bumpy & slow ride. Time was running against me, so I had to put doing this back up on the bulletin board for a later date.

Also, didn’t get time to go into the Big Cypress National Preserve, I wanted to get back before dark. I took U.S. 41 back and found it to be a enticing drive with some ‘wow’ views. Enjoyed seeing the large swaths of grass marshes surrounded by water, and all of it framed by stands of pines and palms. It felt to me like I was seeing the beginning of the everglades.

U.S. 41, is two lanes and busy, and it seemed all the good photo shots were on the wrong side of the truck, and on the side where I could have gotten some photos, the sun washed everything out. Taking photos on the go can be a great way of getting pictures, it can also be one of the most frustrating. Today was frustrating.

I came back going through the southern suburbs of Naples. The closer I got to Naples proper, the more man’s imprint could be seen. The ‘Deed Restricted’ communities, The Golf & Country Club estates, The “American Dream” theme park feel, but surprisingly, not a lot of commercial development (yet). I just don’t appreciate it. I see it as an assault on the environment, with no concern to what damage it may be causing.

Sunny sky’s, high of 80, and the opportunity to make some great memory’s yea, it was another good day.

DAY #118

Another, sit around the campfire and do nothing day.

The highlight of the day (other than being in a really nice place), was taking a shower and having everything work out OK. I did make a grocery run to a different Publix. this one was about a ten minute shorter drive.

A plastic door stop under the trailer door had come loose, and after setting it down, surprise, surprise, I could not find it. I looked everywhere, inside the trailer, outside the trailer, with no luck. Man, it drives me crazy when you drop something, or set something down, and it disappears like it’s fallen into a black hole, never to be seen again. It did send me down a couple notches on the irrational response meter, but I was able to fight the demons and eventually mellow out. Some time later, and after I’d let go of the anger, I did a little more thinking and backtracking and viola, I found it. Now I just need to take away from this the lesson; if you start to get frustrated, walk away and come back to it after those frustrations have subsided.

One thing I’m realizing. If you don’t go anywhere or do anything, you don’t get any photos (wow, that’s brilliant).

DAY #117

Weather wise, this was the nicest Valentines day in a long time. It was like Nature asking me to be its Valentines (does that sound weird?), how could I say no?

Finishing up my fourth day in the forest, and man oh man, I haven’t even been to the beach yet. The only place I’ve gone is Golden Gate, and that was only to get groceries, etc.

No specific reasons why. I’ve just found the campground in the Picayune State Forest, a real comfortable place to hang out. When you cross over I-75 (Alligator Alley) heading south, the view is phenomenal (at least for me). There’s only God’s creations all the way to the horizon. It’s such a departure from the world on the other side of the bridge. It lulls you into not wanting to leave. it’s sure working on me.

Add in the weather, which other than the one day, has been exceptional. The trailer is set up with potable water, the generator is working, so there’s electricity, and the toilet & water pump are operational. Mix in TV shows like Judge Judy, Peoples Court, Gun smoke, Rifleman, etc, and its been easy to drift away until you realize it’s 5:00 pm. Still, I do feel a bit guilty about being so unproductive.

Signing off, from the chaise lounge outside the trailer, on this splendid late afternoon.

DAY #116

Wow, how fast things can change. Yesterday was hot and humid, and today was cold (relatively speaking) and raining. The one day it would be cool to sleep in late and here I was, awake at 9:30 am (early for me).

Since I was already awake, I got up and went online, doing some research/shopping for a mattress topper. The mattress that came with the trailer isn’t holding up that well (not uncommon), and it’s beginning to lose some of its fullness. I’d been reading that a lot of people with RV’s use them, and that they really improve comfort.

It’s a good thing retail isn’t dead yet,. I’m not sure if I ordered on Amazon, would they ship it to a campground where I’d be staying?

Found a topper that was in stock at a Target store on the edge of Naples which was closest to the campground. I went there, found the topper (actually had it in stock) and left. a hopeful boy dreaming of a comfortable nights rest.

Then it was on to do some laundry. It just wouldn’t be right to have a new topper and not have clean sheets, plus I had some other stuff to wash. As I was waiting for the clothes to wash/dry, I went back online looking for a device to clean the trailer toilet, and a RV hose for water. I was able to find both at a Ace Hardware store just down the road from the laundromat, how cool was that? After finishing up at the laundry, off I went and purchased the stuff at Ace.

I needed the device to clean the black water tank because this morning I finally used the toilet in the trailer. Nature was calling, real loud, and I didn’t know where the porta-potty was located in the campground (I do now). It worked out quite well, although I am a bit sad that my black tank is no longer a virgin.

Another bit of good news is there was no leaking around the vent in the bathroom. Had about an inch of rain today. I am so thankful.

There’s sure a lot of traffic on the roads around here. Made it back to the campground and settled in for the night. I’m looking forward to see how the mattress topper works out.

DAY #115

Today was a hot and humid day. Well it may not have been perfect weather-wise, I’ll take it over cold any day of the week and twice on Sundays. It was so hot and humid (how hot and humid was it?), that it just sucked the energy right out of me. As a result, today ended up being a do-nothing day.

I did go into Golden Gate (suburb east of Naples) to get some groceries at the local ‘Publix’, and to check out the area on the trip there and back. Getting into Naples and the Gulf is about forty five minutes away from the campground, I didn’t think I was that far away. Just to get to the ‘Publix’ grocery store from the campground, was a 30 minute trip.

One thing I’m noticing out here; while development is coming and coming fast, it looks to be mainly single family homes on multi-acre lots, and (so far), very little commercial activity, like no strip malls or fast food joints. Another thing missing, are ‘Deeded Communities,’ although they’re alive and well, starting about ten miles closer to Naples.

Everything looks to be new, like it was built yesterday new. As much as I hate seeing the area developed at all, I would rather see it developed like it is, single family homes on multi-acres lots, keeping some semblance of habitat for the non human creatures also wanting to live there, rather than having it turned into another cookie cutter model of some marketers vision of what Florida should look like.

One interesting story to leave you with.

I was stopped at an intersection (Collier Blvd), when I noticed to my left, a Toyota Prius going through the intersection (Green Blvd) at a really slow speed and farther over in the lane than it should have been. It was crossing with a green light, so Collier Blvd traffic was stopped (thankfully), and we just watched it roll on by. As I’m saying to myself, why are they going so slow? I saw or rather, didn’t see, was anyone in the drivers seat. There was a used car lot on the corner and it looked like it was one of their cars. after going through the intersection, it went up a curb and came to a stop, resting up against the traffic signal pole. The light turned green, and off everyone went.

DAY #114

I’m thinking I’ll sleep pretty good tonight. Awake until 4:00 am, and then a fitful sleep until 9:45 a. m. when the alarm went off. Man, I don’t know what it was, but when I got up, I felt a year older,

This trip had me filling the fresh water tank for the first time. the next stop doesn’t have any potable water (or electric), and I wanted to have some water available. After getting everything else ready to go, I filled the tank with 35 gallons. It turned out to be a pretty easy task to do. I remained a little concerned if/how the extra weight (300 lbs) would effect the ride. It turned out to be a non-issue…yes!

The drive was another short one. This time, around an hour and forty-five minutes. The agricultural nature of the area around Fisheating Creek intensified as I went south, especially around Immokalee. It was the first time I noticed migrant housing. It consisted of simple, painted (tan), block homes, and faded, shabby mobile homes, all grouped together in rows. Certainly not anywhere as bad as it was at one time, but it still looked rather bleak.

Driving further on, I entered the infamous Golden Gates Estates. From my understanding, this area, along with the land where the State Forest is was part of a large scale land scandal/scam back in the 1960s. The area was going to be the largest subdivision in the country, and had plans for 500,000 people. Streets were laid out and paved, canals were dug so people would have water access, as well as a way to drain the wetland, What (in part) brought about the the downfall of the development was, during rainy season, the land would become submerged and/or water soaked, making it inhabitable. I was surprised at the amount of new homes and new home construction as I drove down the road, This part of the estates looks like it might be the next place to be in Naples. Makes sense; You’re not that far from Naples and the Gulf, and the lots look to be 1 1/4 to 5 acres. I’m thinking building costs are cheaper out here.

I’m going to check the area out more during the stay here.

Once you cross over the freeway (I-75), also known as “Alligator Alley,” the pavement ends, and up ahead it looks like a ghost town. There looked to be roads that went nowhere. Another area I’ll want to check out.

Took a right turn and followed the road for about a mile. Off to my right, the campground came into sight. I pulled in, scoped out where to set up, and then began backing the trailer into place. As I was doing that, a women came up and introduced herself, she was the camp host and informed me that I could park the trailer over there (pointing to a spot 250′ away), or stay where I was, it was all good.

Since I was just about backed in, I thought this is cool. Finished setting the trailer in place, and getting it ready for use, including taking my lounge chair out of the truck. I grabbed a soda and sat down in the lounge chair.

Looking around, I noticed that the trailers seemed like they’d been here (or somewhere) for awhile. Noticed too, that a couple other spots had people in tents, and vans, looking like they’d also been here awhile. It gave off a bit of an aura of ‘transient camp’ or ‘crash pad’. I’m not overly concerned about safety, I’m just not hip to the trailer park crowd in general (I know, judgmental). It starting to look to me that those who stay at State Forests to camp, and those staying at State Parks, are two very different breeds.

It started to rain, need to get the windows in the truck up.

Welcome to Picayune Strand State Forest.

DAY #113

Last full day at Fisheating Creek Campground, and I could easily have stayed longer. While the campground didn’t stand out (good or bad), it was a nice base from which to explore the area, plus being comfortable enough to just hang out and do nothing. I liked that everything worked and that it was quiet, even when the campground was full. It was a bit of a drive to get anywhere, but that’s one of the quirky things that for me, made for a memorable experience.

Overall, I enjoyed the area. It’s different than other areas visited so far in the ‘Sunshine State’. Gone were the beaches, replaced by sugar cane fields. Gone were the forests, replaced by groves of oranges. Gone were the meandering & scenic rivers, replaced by razor straight man-made canals. Gone were the waters of the gulf, replaced by the waters of Lake Okeechobee. Gone were the retirees living in new & improved communities, replaced by migrant workers living in dirty, dingy mobile homes.

I’ve really been spoiled by having had water, electric, and sewer at this campground, something that I’m really, really, going to miss at the next couple of sites.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to spend time in this area. I would come back.

DAY #112

Turned the hot water heater on last night, and finally tried the shower. The campground has lots of people camping in tents and my thinking was; with all these people in tents not having showers, they’re going to use the one at the campground. That means waiting before getting a shower and/or no hot water when you do. It was what tipped my decision to FINALLY try the shower in the trailer.

Yippee, the hot water heater came on, and the shower worked fine. There was decent pressure, and provided had all the hot water I needed. Didn’t notice any leaking other than what I caused by not putting the curtain inside the tub. It’s a small space, but with practice, I think it will work out just fine.

Around 4:30 pm, I decided to drive up to Lake Placid and do laundry. I’m not sure what the situation will be at the next stop so…. Lake Placid is a 25 minute drive and offered (at least by google reviews) the best place to do laundry.

It was a little hole in the wall, located in sleepy, downtown Lake Placid
The laundromat was dingy and borderline dirty, and the machines were playing past their prime, still it had a interesting character to it and it turned out to be an interesting experience. Joining me in laundry were 6-7 individuals who appeared to be migrant workers. There’s a lot of orange groves around the area and its harvest time. Looking at those guys, I thought about the long, long hours of doing the back breaking job they do, and compared them to my lazy ass. Man they leave me in the dust. I’d like to see anyone critical of people coming into this country to do migrant farm work, do the work they do for even one day. I think if they did, they would come away with a much different opinion.

After the laundry, stopped at the local Publix, Ya know, I really like that grocery chain. From there, it was back to the campground.

Ya know, it’s the little things that make the memory of this journey for me. Today, I had the small town, funky little laundromat, hanging with the orange pickers experience. Nothing wow about it, but it’s a memory that will stay with me.

DAY #111

Today was hang around the trailer and start preparing for leaving next Monday day. The time here has gone by too fast. Fisheating Creek campground has been a really comfortable place to hang out, and there’s still so much to see. I’m not ready to leave yet.

At the next site, I again will have no water or electricity. I wanted to make sure I had full propane tanks for the refrigerator (when generator isn’t running), and the hot water heater. One of the tanks on the trailer was empty, so I changed it out with a full tank and while rummaging around the truck bed, decided to pull out the generator and check/add oil to it. I think the generators going to get a pretty good workout the next couple of weeks, need to make sure it’s good to go as well.

Later, I went into La Belle, FL to the local Tractor Supply Co. and had the two empty tanks (have two extra) filled. The person working the counter didn’t know how to ring up the propane, and ended up charging me about $15.00 less than I should have paid. I know I should have said something but there were others in line, she was really slow, and hey, it benefited me so I let it go. Now the tanks on the trailer are full as are the two spares, I’m ready for the woods once again.

Forgot about this. Yesterday as I was driving along a canal bordering a sugar cane field, came across this kid.

I was wowed by this citing, and as I continued down the road, I saw another 6-7 gators of various sizes hanging out on the canal banks, now that was cool.

DAY #110

Had planned on getting up at 7:00 am and checking out one of the trails at the campground, but as usual, I woke up, turned off the alarm, and went back to sleep, still too damn lazy to get up and get underway.

It’s OK, I wasn’t bummed, I’ve been getting a little hung up lately on having to be doing something all day, everyday, and if I don’t, I’ve somehow failed in purpose. I need to remember that just being on this journey is purpose enough, and if I take some time off and do nothing, it’s cool.

There was still a fair amount of daylight left so, I decided to hop in the truck and check out the rest of Lake Okeechobee. I drove from the west side of the lake to the north and finally east back to where I had ended up yesterday.

So c’mon, get in, buckle up, roll down your window, and sit back and relax, as we cruise Lake Okeechobee. Its a beautiful day.

The closer to the lake, the more palm trees I was seeing. I like the palms, they make me feel warm, almost tropical.

I do find myself wanting the photos to be of better quality (I think I’m my own worst critic). It’s hard to set the shot up, when you’re steering with one hand, and holding the camera with the other, all the while going down the road 55-65 mph.

Found a spot on the north side of the lake where I could get some photos of Okeechobee.

This is what the dike looks like at the top, as it runs around the lake.

Continued driving around the edge of the lake. I knew I was close, when I could see the dike rising up from the ground. An observation that crossed my mind while rolling down the road, it looks like all the white collar retirees settle near the Gulf & Atlantic, and the blue collar folks end up here near the lake. Lots of modest senior trailer courts, along with lots of single width mobile homes period. The area has not been gentrified, thats for sure.

Went over a bridge that took you across a large canal, and OMG, it provided such a fantastic view of the lake. I couldn’t do a, get the camera, take a shot, and keep your fingers crossed shot. I turned around, of course it took what seemed like an eternity to find a spot to turn around (or so it seemed), and headed back to the bridge. I pulled over to the shoulder at the highest point, and put the 4 ways on, got out and took a couple of photos. It really helped that the road was pretty quiet. As I was taking my last photos, a semi crossed over and wow, could I feel the bridge vibrating.

Got a couple more shots of the lake after getting off the bridge and onto the dike,

The western and northern part of the lake is in an area of mostly grazing land for cattle. I heard that Florida is ranked #8 in beef production, and based on all the cattle I’ve seen, I believe it. When you get on the eastern and southern side, that changes. You’ll still see some cattle, but now you’re more apt to see sugar cane and sweet corn.

One thing I’ve noticing after spending some time around the lake, is the change in demographics. This is a working class part of the state. It’s heavily agricultural, with the crops grown being very labor intensive, Those labor needs are being met by migrant workers, the vast majority, Hispanic.

Gone is the new, crisp, and clean Florida, of retiree community’s and tourist attractions, and in its place, the dingy, gritty, dusty Florida of migrants, transients, and people living in poverty.

Lots of pictures this day. First time driving around a lake, and a big one at that and never seeing it. Not a big fan of the dike, but I guess I can understand why it exists.

It was an enjoyable day. I got to see a different side of Florida. Yes it was different and maybe at times not as pretty, but I liked it.

it was a good day in the sunshine state.