Ocala National Forest, FL

Sunday was our July trail ride with the Orlando Jeep Club. This morning we met at the Kangaroo gas station in Altoona, FL. This is about an hour and fifteen minutes north of our home. We had packed all the gear the night before so all we had to do was roll out of bed earlier than normal, groggily finish a cup of coffee, and get the dog fed and walked.

We got there a few minutes ahead of the meeting time so that we could get some gas and get parked. Jeeps just kept coming and pretty soon we were parked two deep along the north side of the parking lot. When it was all said and done we had well over forty jeeps for the ride.

Before driver meetings we have a vehicle inspection to ensure that everyone has the required gear. Each vehicle must have a CB radio, fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, a tow strap, and front and rear tow points for being recovered in the event of getting stuck or breaking down. That is the minimum. Most carry more, such as tools, special recovery gear, air sources for filling tires, and over-sized jacks.

The inspections took a good while since there were so many jeeps. While the inspections were underway raffle tickets were being sold. Once each quarter we have a pretty nice raffle during the monthly ride. High-end stuff is usually raffled off, so a bunch of tickets get sold.

At the end of the driver meeting everyone’s attention was focused on the trail director as he announced the winners of two Extreme Hi-Lift jacks. Many of you are not acquainted with these, but they are heavy-duty jacks for lifting the tall jeeps when changing a tire. They have many other uses, which makes them pretty popular, but can be dangerous to use. You have to be careful when using them. Anyway, one of today’s winners is a first time new member! How lucky can you get?

We broke up into two groups to ride different parts of the forest. Our group was about thirty minutes into the ride when we had to negotiate some fallen logs. Since the group was so big this took a little while. As we stopped to let the stragglers catch up I heard a loud PSSST!

The jeep two vehicles behind us had a tire sidewall give out, most likely from being damaged by one of the logs. Guess who it was?

Yep, the lady with the brand new jack! Her husband got to put it to use right away. He got to try out his new compressor rig for airing up tires, too, but in this case it was for powering an air wrench. It turned out that since he had not prefilled the air tank it was taking too long to get enough air to be of use, so a CO2 tank was brought over to speed things up. 

Pretty quick we had the spare mounted and the group started to head out. “Not so fast”, we heard from the rear. Turns out our unlucky driver was double hexed. He had run that compressor from the battery without the engine running, and the battery was now dead. A quick jump and we were ready to get under way. 

All the jeeps met up at Blue Sink, a terrific swimming hole way in the outback of the National Forest.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading home. It was a good day. One of the things I really like about these rides is that I get a chance to learn a great deal about jeeps and off-roading. So far, thankfully, I am learning by assisting others out of predicaments rather than having my own breakdowns. Life is good!

Lake Meadow Naturals, Ocoee, FL

This being retired is great! Having time during the week to visit around the local area has uncovered yet another little gem. In this case the small farm of Lake Meadows Naturals. Hidden away just north of Ocoee, FL, the farm has a small retail store that features fresh farm goods such as eggs (chicken, duck & quail), honey, cheese and a selection of meats.

Chickens for eggs and, well, chicken

The eggs can’t get much fresher since you can go gather your own if you wish. A knowledgeable employee accompanies you to be sure you do not unnecessarily disturb the ladies at work. It is a great experience for kids.

 

Bees for honey

Barbara makes friends wherever she goes

I recommend stopping by. You can check them out at www.lakemeadownaturals.com.

Downtown Winter Garden, FL

Just a quick note to say that we had a very pleasant afternoon walking the main drag of a local town, Winter Garden. Several years ago Orange County developed old railroad rightaway into the West Orange Trail. It runs right through the center of Plant Street and has provided a good bit of visitor traffic, especially on weekends. Winter Garden recognized the potential this provides and upgraded Plant Street in this area to have a landscaped park and gazebo in the center of the road. The road itself was paved with bricks and this now presents a nice walking destination as well as attractive biking venue. Storefronts along this stretch have been upgraded and now there are several restaurants, about four ice cream parlors, two bike shops, and an eclectic assortment of other businesses.

We stuck to ice cream (hey, it was hot!)   and a visit to the railroad museum. The museum is free and has quite a collection of railroad memorabilia and items specific to the railroad history in Central Florida. In particular is a video showing footage shot from the train that passed through Winter Garden and a great deal of pre-Disney Central Florida.

It was a fun diversion. Who says you have to travel long distances to find interesting new places?

Holopaw, FL

Twenty-one jeeps showed up for our June Wednesday trail ride. Our riding area today was the Suburban Estates are near Holopaw, FL. Do you recall back in the day when Ed McMahan of Jonny Carson fame was caught up in a Florida land swindle operation? You know, worthless swampland, no utilities? Well, the place still exists and still had no utilities. There are many residents, though, and as our guest resident proclaimed it is “like the wild west”. The homesteads are not much more than shacks, with the better among them consisting of old trailers. Entry is through a locked gate and even the county sheriff cannot gain entry since it is all “private property”. When issues arise, and the often do, the sheriff or ambulance must wait at the gate for the calling resident to come and let him in. At that they go no further than the open field as you first enter the gate since most of the “roads” are not much more than trails. When Bob, our host, caught a young thief they trussed him up like a pig and carried him several miles out to the gate on the back of an ATV. He got banged up pretty bad bouncing around back there, but no one cared much.  He will likely not be back. Since most of the resident’s arsenals would make most any SWAT team jealous I have no clue why he tried anything in the first place. Bob lead the ride to ensure that we stayed out of the real dangerous areas. Not dangerous terrain. Dangerous humans.

As I have mentioned in the past, Barbara and I prefer drier rides, but we got more experience in dealing with mud and water. We followed as the lead jeep drove up what turned out to be a dead end canal. We were stuck for a bit as we tried an eight-point turn around in the narrow canal, but finally managed to get moving again under our own power. Water at times was up to the door sill.

Returning from dead end canal

Bob’s weekend hideaway consisted of two fifth-wheel travel trailers side by side under a pole barn. There was a patio area between the trailers and we sought shelter there when the rains came during our lunch break. Thanks Bob, for the chance to stay dry.

After lunch we watched other members blast through mud holes. I still fail to see the attraction of this. It just results in broken jeeps and a hell of a clean up job.

We had the GoPro video camera along for the first time. I think we are starting to figure out how to use it. Getting the videos here to share is another story, but I will when I figure it out.

Lake Griffin State Park, FL

Located within about fifty crow miles from our house, this park is home to one of the state's largest live oak trees. A short trail near the park entrance takes visitors to the mammoth oak tree.

A canal connects the park to Lake Griffin, the eighth largest lake in Florida, where visitors can enjoy boating and canoeing, as well as fishing. Anglers will find plenty of largemouth bass, bluegill, speckled perch, and catfish and it is fishing that has brought us here.

The park sponsors a youth fishing derby each year. Enrollment is free and each child gets a free fishing pole and tackle box full of neat stuff. There was instruction on casting and a chance to practice catching land fish before dropping their hot dog baited hook into the canal. The Friends of Lake Griffin SP provided a hotdog lunch with soda, chips, and cookies that was complimentary for the kids and only a buck for geezers.

Barbara and I arrived mid-afternoon Friday to try to get set up before the afternoon storms set in. While I got things ready in camp she drove back to Cleremont to pick up her grandniece Jocelyn. 

By the time they got back the weather had turned wet so we hunkered down inside. After dinner Barbara helped Jocelyn get her homework out of the way, and eventually turned in early to be rested for the early morning fishing.

Saturday turned out to be cloudy with some occasional light rain, but better than was forecast. The week had been very stormy and a lot of people cancelled from the derby, but there was still a decent crowd. Jocelyn did catch a small bluegill at the outset, but things turned quiet quickly. Entertainment was then limited to trying to get her hook out of the tree on the opposite bank.

After lunch we did some hiking, and thankfully there were not too many other dogs in the park so Nia was able to go along. 

Barbara found her second geocache. She finds this almost as much fun as shelling on the beach! 

The ladies also rented a canoe and paddled out to the Dead River, but did not make it all the way to Lake Griffin itself. They were happy to see a lot of great birds as well as an alligator that had its eye on Jocelyn.

Sunday was more fishing, hiking, and fishing again. We grilled hotdogs for lunch and had more of the home made blueberry pie Barbara baked last night using fresh berries she picked Friday morning. After lunch there was time to do, well, nothing.

The weather today is magnificent, and the temperature is just right. No need for air conditioning. Hey, we are camping, but there is no need to be miserable. Sure we have air conditioning!

Richloam Wilderness Management Area, FL

Ten jeeps showed up for our May Wednesday trail ride. Our riding area today was the Richloam Wilderness Management Area near Webster, FL.

A good bit of the ride was through dry terrain. At one point we were slowed by a tree that had recently fallen across the road. After considering cutting it and moving part of it aside we elected to drive over it to the side where it was on more level ground.

Richloam is noted to be a wet ride area through the rainy summer months, and since it had been raining a good bit this week we found plenty of mud and water crossings. 

Barbara and I prefer drier rides, but getting some experience in dealing with mud was valuable. Still, getting the stuff off quickly is important before it sets up like concrete under the jeep’s structure.

We managed to get through without getting stuck.

Others were not so lucky and had to be winched/pulled out of the muck.

 After the fun comes the cleanup. Dust is easier to remove!

 

Lake Wales, FL

Ah, wedded bliss! At least that is how I feel; Barbara’s mileage may vary. This is our 8^th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by driving to Lake Wales, FL to have lunch at Chalet Suzanne and walk the Bok Tower Gardens.

Chalet Suzanne Inn has been around since the 1920’s and is currently operated by third generation owners. Looking at the photos on the wall and in the scrapbooks as you enter it has been a must stop for decades for politicians and celebrities. There is a grass strip on the property and is a popular fly-in destination. During the Gemini and Apollo space programs the astronauts would fly over from the cape to eat. The restaurant even canned soup for the moon missions. It is now available at the restaurant as “Moon Soup”.

The interior of the restaurant certainly shows its heritage as it expanded in starts over the years. The bar is a quaint dark enclave, and the “round room” were we dined with a view of the lake had a dark paneled ceiling so low that I could not stand up straight.

After lunch we drove over to Bok Tower and enjoyed walking through the gardens while listening to the three o’clock carillon concert. If you are visiting central Florida this might be worth a stop. Built in the 1920’s by a Bethlehem Steel industry executive, the gardens and carillon offer a stark contrast to the central Florida citrus country. They occupy the highest point of land on the Florida peninsula and the foliage has matured to provide considerable shade and protection for the sun’s heat.

Barbara has caught on to the geocaching trend and found her first cache while we were walking the grounds.