A Trip to the Woods

Our dear friend Sean’s family has property in O’Brien, Florida, up by Chiefland. 

We spent a weekend there about a year and a half ago, but since it is about a 3 hour drive, this time Kevin and I decided to go up for 4 days. The property is just that, a piece of land, no electric, no water. The property is also by the Suwannee, Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers and Fanning springs. So lots to do if so choose to leave the property.

Kevin and I left on Thursday around 8am and drove to the Walmart at Chiefland, where we brought grocery’s and filled up the cooler with ice. Then headed for the property, which was pretty easy to find in the daylight. Last time we arrived in the dark and wow what a trip finding the place, since you are on a dirt road with no lights. Sean and his 14 year old son Torin were due to join us on Friday around 6p for the rest of the weekend.

Once we figured out where we wanted to set up, tent city was in progress. We set up our sleeping quarters, storage shed, privy shed, kitchen and dining room. Next was getting the fire wood out, stacked and fire going.  After a much needed break, I got our supper together, Pork chops and a bag of frozen veg/potato mix…yum.  It was a pretty decent day, little over cast, but the night brought out the stars and what a beautiful night…if you stayed by the fire. OH MY was it COLD!!!  Not quite sure how cold during the night it got, but around 8 the next morning I check the thermostat in my car and it was 43 degrees…Brrrrr

After lots of hot coffee and nice breakfast, we head out for a day of site seeing. We wanted to find a good spot to where the four of us could go kayak on Saturday, but the rivers were high, around 20feet at the Suwannee and around 17 feet at Santa Fe and flowing extremely fast. We did not think it be wise to take Torin out on these rivers. So we decided to go to the Ichetucknee, since we heard so much about it. This is a state park and cost $5 per person to launch your boat, this might be an option. So we walked around and checked out the area, the river was beautiful, and the park was much smaller than I thought it would be, but nice.

We left and drove back the way we came since I needed to take picture of the miniature horses with their babies, which I stopped in the middle of the road to do…I still don’t get what Kevin was so worried about, there not that much traffic on that road…hazard lights…please. Then down the road a bit were the beautiful Mules we saw. I have never seen a mule before and these ones were absolutely gorgeous. All day, we saw lots of animals and babies; it was a very fruitful spring. We saw goats, horses, miniature horses, mules, burros, deer, wild hogs, chickens, wild turkey, white geese, pileated woodpeckers, cardinals and of course cows, even the French white Charolais cow.  At least we did not see any more coral snakes like we did last time we were there and the camel down the street was not there, although we heard him that morning.

We had a great day running around the country side and ended back up at the Walmart looking for a new loo since we kinda broke ours, but unable to find one we were able to work with what we had for the weekend. Then we saw a small carnival, they had camel rides…so guess the camel down the street had a gig for the weekend. On the way back we stopped at a bar-b-que place called Huckleberry’s Bar-B-Que, just a little dive, but the rib sandwich was delicious—a must if you are every up that way.

After lunch it was back to the property for a nap in my recliner in the beautiful weather with the sun hitting on me…felt so goodJ… and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. The guys showed up at about 630p and story of how they got a speeding ticket…bum. But not to let the ticket ruin the weekend, we quickly got them set up and we all were sitting down to a nice hot bowl of Chicken Barley Chili soup, then off to the camp fire to relax and enjoy another beautiful night. But again we had to stay by the fire since it got COLD again. It was so cold that during the night I was concern that my nose was going to get frost bite…I don’t remember my nose ever being so cold!!

I woke up Saturday around 730a and found Torin up and sitting around the fire ring wrapped in a blanket; he had been up for about 15 mins. and was freezing. (he had two sleeping bags and we are all still wondering how he got so cold).  So he and I quickly started a nice blazing campfire to get us warm. I put on coffee and hot chocolate…yum.

After breakfast the work started. See the last time we stayed we burned up all the firewood and left none for the next group…we bad. So time to replenish the wood; Kevin with chain saw in hand started cutting up logs with trees or large branches that were lying around. Sean and Torin had the pleasure of carrying these back to the campfire ring and neatly stacking the logs. Poor Torin, got a D and F on his report card, so they guys figure he needed a good work out and they gave him one. After cleaning up the camp and doing some homework, I felt the need to help out when Kevin decided to cut down a tree. All was going well until I was struggling a little to move a huge branch, I thought I had it under control, when my wonderful man asked Torin to help me, which was ok, but he had to stay “help her, after all she is old enough to be your grandmother”. Thanks honey, I really needed to be reminded about my age…remember pay back is hell!!!!

Work was completed and firewood all stacked ( looked like a small hill) , we had a short discussion and we decided to just hang out on the property. So out came the guns….boys need to have their fun!!  Kevin felt that I needed to shoot his gun, since I asked him on Thursday night what I had to do to shoot it if he was in trouble.  So with his gun in hand and a target to aim at…boom…not bang….boom, dang that gun is big and loud…way too much gun for me…I think it is a 44. Then I shot the 22 rifle and that was as much fun as this gal needed.  So I sat and watch the guys, mostly Torin. He is getting to be a pretty good aim. Once the target practice was over, off to my favorite recliner for a short read and longer nap…boy that sun felt good. Torin went out on an adventure and came back with fossils of sea urchins, interesting stuff.

Our trip was down to one more night of campfire, and what a beauty it was. We sat up later than normal and enjoyed each others company. Then once we were sleepy enough to brave the cold, we left the campfire and headed for bed. Sean and Torin heard a bobcat shortly after they went to bed, off in the distance. I had my earplugs in so I did not hear the scream. I got a chance to hear the bobcat the last time we were here and the bobcat was very close. They scream sounds like a woman screaming and make your hair stand up when you hear it. I sent Kevin to get his gun out of the Truck, when the 2^nd scream was heard the bobcat seemed much closer. Kevin flashed his headlights on his truck and that was the end of the bobcat.

Sometime during the night the rain started. It was not a heavy rain, and it would rain on and off during the night. The next morning we got the fire going, coffee in hand, sitting around enjoying the fire and the rain started again. We all moved inside the screened dinning room, then the rain would stop, as soon as we thought to move out by the fire again it would start back up, it stop long enough to get a nice breakfast together. Then the rain started and again and was pretty constant. The screen dinning room turned out not to be very waterproof, we were getting wet so we took off for the kitchen area. The kitchen area is two poles holding up a tarp with around 6 tie downs and the least expensive of all our equipment and the only thing that kept us dry…lol.

We got a break in the rain and we quickly took camp down. Everything would have to go home wet. Dang, I hate packing up with everything wet; now we have to put the tents up when we get home to let them dry…geez. Oh well you cannot dictate to mother-nature.

With everything packed up and double check to be sure nothing was left behind and all trash was up, it was time to give hugs and say goodbye to Sean and Torin and down the road we went. We got a far as Fanning springs, we both saw Huckleberry’s Bar-B-Que and we just had to pull in, once inside we called Sean, who was behind us in traffic and had him stop and have lunch with us…dang the food here is good!!!  Hugs and good-byes again and home we came. We had another wonderful successful trip. Charleston, SC is next…

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