We woke up bright and early on New Year’s Day, ready to conquer another batch of state parks. This time we headed south towards the elbow of the state. Learning from our past travels, we knew not to have solid plans as they do tend to change throughout the day. Upon exiting our campsite we were warned that the rain was going to fall all day long. Throwing caution to the wind (and rain) we took off. We were ready to see what the day would bring, not giving one single thought about what that statement meant to our actual campsite!
Our first park was Wakulla Springs. Again, we arrived right when the park was opening so everything was still getting set up. This was a really cool park. There was an old lodge with a restaurant, a cute little swimming hole, nice picturesque picnic area, and there was even boat tours. We were too early for the boat tour and had many other parks to see but this is a park I will be coming back to for sure! Not only do I want to do the boat tour but I spotted a trail I would like to hike as well.
We stopped at Ochlockonee River and wandered around a bit. I was still so amazed by how low the water was. I really do think it’s so cool to see things that are usually under the water but I’m just concerned there may be a shift happening here. I never been to the top of the state so it could all be normal for that time of year.
After the river we went to Bald Point. WOW! What an outstanding park! On the beach we spotted all kinds of things washed up on the shore including parts of a coral reef. The beach was breathtaking and went on for miles and miles. There was a small inlet where people were fishing and a really cool walkway that went out into a marsh. This is when I discovered how big and important oysters are to the area. Even though we did not see any bald eagles I did find out they actually go there in the fall on their way to migrate south. I will have to make a point to return to the area to see the eagles and other animals that are down in the park during that season. This, by far, was the highlight of my day!
