Winter Trip 2017--Callaway Gardens and The Little White House

Per Carol and Macel’s recommendation, we wanted to stop by Callaway Gardens, where the azaleas were at peak bloom (a month early), and Roosevelt’s “Little White House”, in nearby Warm Springs, GA. We hoped to do both and make it to the south side of Nashville to stay the night. It was a cooler day and partly sunny but we packed a picnic for lunch and, despite having to re-winterize the camper, got on the road before 9:30. When we arrived at Callaway Gardens we were surprised at the immensity of the resort and all there was to do there. We could have spent the day riding our bikes on the miles of paved trails, but had to limit ourselves to seeing the Azalea Bowl. Here is their description of the Bowl:

“This 40-acre garden is home to more than 3,000 native and hybrid azaleas, which explode into a colorful palette of pinks, reds, lavenders and whites each Spring. Additional plantings include 2,000 trees and shrubs that provide an array of foliage and blooms throughout the year. With wide walking paths that criss-cross the hillside gardens, the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl is a delightful spot for a leisurely stroll in any season.…The Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl is named in memory of brothers Fuller Earle Callaway Sr., and Ely Reeves Callaway Sr. Fuller Callaway was the father of Gardens founder Cason J. Callaway. Ely Callaway was the father of the late Ely Callaway Jr., founder of Callaway Golf. Ely Callaway Jr. funded the garden with a $3 million donation, and it opened in 1999.”

At the other end of Falls Creek Lake was the lovely chapel with its four seasons of stained glass windows. There were very few people around and we enjoyed walking the area very much. The many trees and rolling hills make the garden seem very natural and woods-like. We went to the Information Center to eat our picnic lunch and then had to drive on to our next destination.

The upper garden was more formal than the Azalea Bowl.

The pansies smelled delightful but the daffodils in this border hadn't bloomed yet.

The azaleas shone through the woods from an overlook as we descended the hill.

One of the falls tumbling down the hills toward the lake.

The Four Seasons in stained glass

Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel would be a lovely setting for a wedding!

There were all shades of  pink and red but so far no one has
developed yellow or blue azaleas.

Although the blooms didn't have much fragrance they were full of bees.

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This was our view for our picnic. Our only company was a
pair of hopeful Canada Geese. 

Roosevelt’s Little White House is a State Historic Site and it really impressed us with its simplicity. This was where he stayed when he visited the Therapeutic Complex he designed and founded to treat people suffering from Polio, as he did. There was a nice Museum with a film narrated by Walter Cronkite, the complex of three buildings, and our receipt got us in to see the nearby warm springs complex, which is no longer used. We enjoyed it very much and then made it to Nashville to stay the night. 

The small building on the right was servants quarters for the three local helpers who stayed
while Roosevelt was visiting. The small building on the left was a guest cottage. They were
as modest as the Little White House, seen below.

Butler's Pantry

Roosevelt was sitting in this chair when he had the stroke that killed him nearly immediately.

This repurposed kitchen chair on wheels was easy to get around the house.

This unfinished portrait wasn't completed after stroke. Years later the artist completed
an nearly identical portrait and donated it to the Roosevelt estate. It hangs near the unfinished one.

Roosevelt and an architect designed the three pools of the Therapeutic Institute.

The pool in the foreground was covered with glass. The one in the middle was for
play and there are many films of Roosevelt roughhousing with children in that pool.
There is a small trough in that pool where one can feel the water as it comes from the spring.
The far pool was for intensive therapy in the 88 degree waters, which were particularly
buoyant, but we never understood why since they were not mineral water.

Winter Trip 2017--Lakepoint State Resort and Campground

We made a late decision to go back to Eufaula, Alabama as our last stop “Down South”. We knew the campground from last year and were sure we could get in there without a reservation. Carol and Macel Ezell were still present in a rented cabin and we were happy to be able to check in with them. And it got us about 6 or 7 hours on our way north while keeping us in warm enough weather to make re-winterizing the trailer easy before returning to freezing temperatures. Though they had had above average temperatures just like Florida, they had cooler weather for our visit. It got down to mid-30s the first night, mid-40s the second and mid-50s the third. 

While we enjoyed near record high temps in the mid-80s in Florida, Michigan was having
unusually high temperatures too. Linda Nuttall and Aaron Kabodian both sent me pictures Feb. 23
of the crocuses in our front flower bed blooming. The heliotropes also began blooming in February,  

We got a nice lakeside campsite down at the end of the Clark loop so we had woods on one side and lake on one side. We were still getting set-up when Macel pulled into the campsite and told us that Carol had dinner ready for us so we could come over as soon as we were ready. Their weekend was pretty open and their daughter, Lynn, was flying in on Saturday afternoon and leaving first thing Sunday to drive their car home for them. We planned to kayak on Lake Eufaula Saturday morning, go to Ezells to watch the MSU men’s basketball game at 1:00, drive Carol and attend the Fish Fry with the Michigan Circle (the group of friends they had long camped with at the State Park but who this year moved en masse to a nearby RV park) while Macel picked up Lynn in Columbus, and return to their cabin after the Fish Fry to watch the MSU women’s basketball game at 5:30. 

Marv looks over Lake Eufaula as he enjoys his morning coffee.

A picture of our campsite from our kayak on the lake.

We paddled across the lake to an island where there were at least
four Great Blue Heron nests high in the trees. 

Close-up of a Great Blue Heron on her nest

A Great Egret on the far side of the island

The wind was very strong on the long reservoir/lake but it wasn't
the factor we feared it would be as we paddled our very light inflatable kayak.

It all worked out just perfectly except that both teams lost their games to Marilyn L and we were still so full from the afternoon Fish Fry that we had no interest in any dinner so Lynn and Macel went out without us. The five of us visited until we headed back to our chilly camper. 

Peggy was uncharacteristically up early on Sunday and took
some pictures. Here, two early fisherpeople ply the shallows at the point.

Mist rose eerily on the water

The sun barely shows through the trees.

Macel is such a patient and tolerant golf partner! 

Sunday morning we played golf with Macel and then the four of us (Lynn left by 9:00) went to the Sunday Dinner Buffet at the Park Lodge. For the second day we were too stuffed to want an evening meal! Marv and I said our good-byes to the Ezells and went back to begin packing up the camper. When things were under control we took a final bike ride. That brought our miles ridden on the trip to 75.5 miles! We did the dishes and packed a suitcase and hoped for an early getaway in the morning. 

Winter Trip 2017--Holder Mine Campground in the Citrus Tract of Withlicochee State Forest

Monday March 28 when we left Lithia Springs didn’t start out too well. As we did the dishes, our gray water tank overflowed into the bathtub where we keep our laundry. It took time to clean up that mess and we had to stop and do laundry on our way out of town, which we really hadn’t planned to do. Before we left the campground Marv had to caulk around one of the ceiling vents because it had leaked like crazy in the rain. It took time to dump the Blue Boy and the trailer, and we had to shop for groceries. So we didn’t get to Tillis Hill until after 3:00. There were only two camps set up there. But we were surprised to find out that they now require Reservations made at least two weeks ahead. We called a number at the registration kiosk and were told that the Ranger was on his way to the office and would call us back so we should just wait. About 15 minutes later the office called to say that the ranger still hadn’t arrived but they suggested we go to nearby Holder Mine Campground, where they don’t require reservations (they will as of April 15) and they were sure there would be room. Of around 20 large sites at Holder Mine only about 5 sites were full. We got a nice site near the bathroom and Marv backed in the camper so that it opened into the Oak Hammock with no people in sight. Tuesday we took a 4+ mile hike on the trails at the campground. Then we went into Inverness to use Wi-Fi and call Ken to wish him Happy Birthday (we had neither phone nor internet connection at the campground). It turned out to be a wonderful campground with much to do for the three days we stayed. 

No one in sight in front of our camper, just Live Oak Hammock

Peggy relaxing with her tablet

Dinner al fresco

Marv enjoying his morning coffee

There were miles and miles of trails and access roads beyond the campground so we mapped out our own hike of just over 4 miles and set out to explore.

We love the little "Muppet plants" of the first few years of Long Leaf Pines.
This shows three in a row of various ages, with the closest looking more like a
tuft of grass than the towering pine tree it would become.

Much of the sandy track we followed had clear and recent coyote tracks.

We thought these were tiny tracks until....

...we found these even smaller tracks!

Part of our trail was this shady two track road.

The second day we headed into Inverness and biked 10.5 miles on the Withlicochee State Bike Trail. On our return to Inverness we found Paige's to have their burgers and home made draft root beer. Deeee-lish!!

The Red Caboose says the name of the trail and bears witness
to its origins as a railroad grade.

Root Beer Barrel at Paige's

A large Gopher Tortoise was hanging around just outside her hole
but she ducked back inside before I could get a picture.

On our way back from Paige's we went to the restored Courthouse on the city square and toured their fine exhibits.

The Courthouse used four distinct architectural styles.

The designers made the unusual decision to place the Courthouse on the
diagonal of the town square rather than along the street sides.

The Courtroom was used in the Elvis Presley film "Follow That Dream".
When the building was renovated, the film was useful as a resource.

An archivist named Mary was looking up some documents but was happy too show us
around. The blue box behind her was marked "Elvis Presley" and she had just gone
through it to organize its contents. 

Still on our bikes we went to the long boardwalk at Cooter Pond. We didn't see any of the alligators the signs warned us of but we did see one Cooter Turtle.

It's a very long, well maintained boardwalk that wraps around two sides of the pond.

A fine specimen of  Cooter!

Our final day at Holder Mine was a bit cooler and cloudy with the threat of rain. We drove about half an hour north looking for a bike trail a couple we had seen on the Withlicochee Trail had told us about. We decided it must be at Rainbow Springs State Park and went there. But the state park turned out to be a redesigned Tourist Park from the thirties. At that time developers had taken pits and piles from phosphate mining and turned it into waterfalls and gardens, with a mini zoo, an air gondola, and swimming area in the spring that is the headwaters for the 7.5 mile long Rainbow River. It was abandoned in the seventies and left to go wild until a Rainbow Springs Restoration group hired a Landscape Architect to help renovate the falls and rejuvenate the gardens. It was a pleasant walk through the area but there is no bike trail there. Luckily, the Ranger could direct us to the trail we sought. 

The azaleas were very nice.

Rainbow Spring from an overlook.

One of the waterfalls built into the side of a slag pile.

Another waterfall. They were all named but we neglected to note individual names.

About ten miles away we found the Blue Run Bike Trail. It runs along the end of the Rainbow River and crosses over the Withlicochee River just beyond the confluence of the two rivers. It's not a very long trail but in some ways it was nicer than the part of the Withlicochee Trail we had done because it follows the rivers. We rode from one point to the trail head at one end and intended to go further the other direction but as we got back to the truck it began to rain in earnest so we settled for a 4.2 mile ride, put the bikes away and returned to the campground to begin packing up to leave the next day.

Marv's view over his handlebars.

Notice the lush growth on each side of the trail.

The Withlicochee River just below the confluence with the Rainbow River,
taken from the very nice bridge you see below. 

Winter 2017--Lithia Springs Part 3

Our last few days at Lithia were just wonderful. Thursday we did our “Annual” trip to Lakeland to meet Ross and Pat and watch the Tigers Spring Training exhibition game against the local college, Southern Florida. On Saturday we drove over an hour to Venice. We biked 10.5 miles on the Venice Waterway Trail and then rode into the historic downtown for lunch. A Farmers’ Market that would have been a great place to eat was just closing up but we went to the nearby Three Little Pigs Bar-B-Que and we both had a great salad of spring greens, candied walnuts, dried cranberries and goat cheese; Marv had his topped with a chicken breast. Afterwards we drove to Manasota Beach and sat in the sun for about an hour and a half. I went in the water twice and we watched a dolphin swimming south just outside the swimming zone. We ended the day by going to Sharon and Dan Rankin’s lovely house for an amazing bar-b-que. Sharon was a very helpful mom for me when I had her wonderful daughter, Katie, in kindergarten. We are friends on Facebook and when she saw that we were in Florida she invited us for dinner because Katie and her family, including her Mini-Me, Sophie, were in town. Sophie looks just like I remember Katie looking and is a kindergartner herself now. They had another couple come too and we had a really terrific time and delicious dinner. Sunday we drove over to Largo one more time to visit Louise and attended the Vesper Service with her and then stayed to watch MSU beat Wisconsin in basketball. By the time we got back to Lithia Springs Sunday evening there were about a dozen campsites open, and even more opened up on Monday, including ours, as we sadly left Lithia Springs to go further north to the Withlacoochee State Forest campgrounds. 

Joker Marchant Stadium, home of the Detroit Tigers Spring Training

Publix Field with the renovated and expanded Grandstand.
No more bleachers, much more shade, but no cheap seats, either.

Cabrera gets his first of two ground outs. He and the other "Stars' played
 three innings and batted twice before sitting out the rest of the game for the
true Rookies and wannabes to get their time in.

Big new scoreboard

Venice Waterway Trail

Manasota Beach

Peggy went in twice but Marv didn't go in at all.