From St. George Island we continued along Florida's Scenic Hwy 98. We visited historic Apalachicola on the banks of the Apalachicola River, and continued east to Ochlockonee River State Park, then on for a few days in St. Marks, the easternmost point on the Forgotten coast. Each area is different, and all are uncrowded Natural Wonders.
While in St. Marks, each morning we got up before daybreak to drive the 7 mile Lighthouse Road inside the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. It is a bird watcher's paradise. Besides a variety of birds, we saw a huge cottonmouth lying across the road. We stopped to take pictures (from the safety of the car). We thought it had been run over, but then again it could just be warming up on the asphalt so we stayed in the car. On the return trip about an hour later, the snake was still there in the same position, still with it's mouth wide open. We took more pictures still not sure if it was dead or not. We did another hour hike in the area and returned once more to check on the snake but it was GONE! At one point I had suggested Dick get out and pick it up and I'd take some pictures. This was one time I was thankful he didn't listen to me.
While hiking I saw out of the corner of my eye what I thought was another snake but it was only a stick. I had jumped and grabbed Dick's arm. He said, "Don't hang on so tight because if something jumps out of the bushes it's every man for hisself!"
We've met lots of friendly people in these tiny Florida towns. One morning we stopped to buy some Tupelo honey and Mayhaw jelly from an oldtimer on the side of the road and listened to him tell of his childhood when he and his "mama" would collect Mayhaw berries while "daddy" was fishin'. "Mama wore an apron with big pockets to collect the berries, and then we'd go home and make mayhaw jelly and serve it with hush puppies and fried fish and maybe some butter beans or skunk cabbage fried in bacon grease." Some of these people have such a southern drawl that I "cain't" always understand what they're sayin'. We were talking to a local sawmill man and he was explaining about "lauder" the heartwood of the pine tree that's full of turpentine. I asked him to spell lauder. He said L-I-G-H-T-E-R. This has happened to me a couple of other times on this trip. I think I'll just keep my mouth shut and act like I know what they're saying.
I just have to mention that we passed through the little town of Sopchoppy. It's the worm gruntin' capital of the world. I remember seeing this on DIRTY JOBS. Viewer discretion is advised. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKNv6ZrC5mg
In my last blog I mentioned Dick was getting into wildlife photography. He's really loving it. Here is a YouTube of some of his pictures. Click on widescreen to make them larger.
FACTS:
1. The Red cockaded Woodpecker is endangered but we saw a few around the Ochlockonee River. This woodpecker nests in cavities they create in living pine trees and naturally protect themselves from rat snakes by pecking around the cavity and causing sap to flow. When a snake climbs the tree gets sap stuck under its scales and, more often than not, will fall out of the tree before being able to eat the red-cockaded woodpeckers.
2. The white squirrel found at the Ochlockonee River State Park is a Leucistic Eastern Gray Squirrel.
3. Info about Worm Gruntin' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm_charming
4. St. Mark's NWR is one of two winter homes for Whooping Cranes who were led here over 1,113 miles from Wisconsin by ultralights. http://www.operationmigration.org/BNsNov09.pdf
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