Ocala Part 3

“I should have gone on the hike. Then I might know what all happened.”

“Biggest mosquitos I ever saw in Florida are what happened! As soon as the sun went down the humming horde was out. Neither bug repellent nor a smoky fire deterred them. This was the only low point, I think.
I'll try and work on a trip report later, right now I've got a very playful 14 month old to deal with!”

“treebait - How are those bites today? Were you able to sleep any with them?”

“I am really looking forward to this account.”

“grr..on the phone and typing...



looking forward to this hike ”

“Pictures!
We need pictures!”

“LMBO.”

“All those bites are itchy today. I've tried 3 products now and they all still itch. It doesn't help that Laurel sees all these red spots on my legs and pokes at them, lol! No chiggers though, for which I am very grateful.”

“I suggest that you don some pants, which may help keep both of you away from those bites.”

“Treebait and I arrived at Buckman lock about 9am Saturday. Tango and Trekker John were there already. Soon thereafter Coop pulled up.

John's foot was still hurting him so he opted out of the trip but was kind enough to drive us down to Lake Delancy so we could hike back to our cars.

At Lake Delancy I looked around again and sure enough there was an old hand water pump. The water tasted a little metallic but that couls be from resting in the pipe. I was a bit irratated by that as last time I was here I looked around for water and couldn't find the pump. When I asked the other campers they all said that there wasn't any water there. Ah well, now I know.

Coop and I headed South for a short bit to look for a possible campsite. We found a couple of maybes and headed back to the van to collect our packs and hike north.

That ladies had left without us. So we collected our packs and headed after them. We caught up quickly. We continued north through the driest section of the Ocala NF. There were great spots to camp everywhere but no water. The weather was perfect. Breezy and rain clouds would slide over us and drizzle lightly. Just enough to cool you off.

In the afternoon we reached Penner Ponds. The ponds are a complex of several small ponds with use trails around them. We could hear ATVs off in the distance tearing the hell out of the woods. We located a site for the night next to a good sized pond. We located a couple of other nice sites but all of them could be reached by the ATVs. We ate dinner and built a fire and hung out. The bugs were pretty bad as it was still warm for this time of year. We heared the ATVers untill about 3am.

The next morning we got up and headed towards Rodman dam. Along the way we spied a very nice site right on Rodman reservoir with an expansive view. Looks like we have a winner for a campsite in Feb. Water could be gotten from the reservoir or toted in from the pipe at Rodman boat ramp.

We too a break at Rodman boat ramp and watcvhed the cormorants fish. We also watched an Osprey pluck a good sized fish from the water. Coop saw a gator.

In another mile we hit Rodman Campground for more water and one of the campers informed us that they saw a bear that morning hanging around the campground.

In another mile we came out onto the Cross-Florida Barge Canal and follwed the embankment back to the cars. The embankment was wide and grassy with a nice breeze and a bit of shade. A very pleasant walk and a great place to sit and relax. Before too long we arrived back at our cars and partook of Coop's box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They were nice, gooey soft and warm. Anyone want a straw? mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

So we pretty much have itenerary down now and I'll write it up on the Trip page sometime this week and fire off an email.

~notice~
The digital is still truely and most sincerely dead so my shots were with a film camera. Soooooo it'll be awhile before anyone sees my shots.”

“Actually, the atvers all left soon after dark. That's when the big 4 by 4s came out! There were a couple of truckers camped somewhere on the other side of the pond. We could hear them talking and playind Johnny Cash until the wee hours.”

“If my hoof don't get better soon, I will have to opt for surgery. Just spoke with a doctor friend of mine and he says it may be a bone spur or foreign object on a nerve (glass maybe).
I wanted to make this hike so bad !
But, am glad to have made the Trekker Limo available !!! I wound up doing a short dayhike on the Oklawaha and it started pouring down rain there so I toodled on back to the ranch. Hope to see you guys in Feb !!!”

“Glad to hear from you, John! It was nice finally meeting you.”

“humanpackmule - Thanks for another great trip report.

Trekker John - Good luck getting back into shape. February will be here soon.”

“Thanks for your hard work on planning this one.



Where can I get a map? Is there a trail map? Or do I need to order the Quad maps? If so, which ones do I need?”

“I can send you a Florida Trail Association map.

Email me your snail addy and I'll send you one.”

“Done”

“Tree Bait... it was very nice to meet you too!!! And, as usual, always good to see HPM, Coop and Tango again also. Yep, February is just around the corner. Hope to catch all of you again then.”

“How did the foil packaged hamburger taste?
My Super Wal-Mart had about three kinds at $2.87 a package.”

“sounds like a great trip”

“It actually wasn't too bad. I bought the Mexican version and had a few spoonfulls on a pita for lunch and then had plenty to pour into my beef Ramen for dinner. It tasted much better when hot. I would compare the taste and texture to the beef in a taco bell taco or perhaps the chili on top of a hot dog. Overall I give it a thumbs up as another protein choice other than tuna, chicken and salmon. It opens up a lot more recipe possibilities without having t buy a dehydrator.”

“I just uploaded my pics!
ONF Recon Hike”

“Tango's shots

Nice pictures!”

“Thanks HPM (for the link and the compliment)!”

“ More pics. Sorry - no time for captions yet.

Thanks for the trip report HPM.”

“Thanks for sharing the pictures. It looks like an interesting area.”

“BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH"
2scoops
08:26:01 PM
11/02/03”

“Helpful Fact:

The ignore feature will eliminate a wide screen caused by a continuous string of characters.”

“Thanks for sharing the photos. HPM, your thoughts actually fit the images of Tango and Coop. 'cept for those ATVs.

Oh. That grasshopper was huge. Did you have to tackle it to get it to cooperate?”

“Great pics, and nice memories!!!!”

“Great Pictures and Trip Report. I'm looking foward to the Feb. trip!!!!”

“Captions have been added...”

“Nice pics all! Thanks for posting them. Can't wait to hike with y'all again this winter!

Hey HPM! What kind of pack is that in the pics? Looked interesting.

Tango is looking as cute as ever! How's your back doing?”

“Kelty Flight, 4500ci version.”

“Thank you Stove! My back was a little sore but it was a muscle soreness from not wearing a pack. I loaded up on naproxin before during and after the hike. (thanks for asking) I think this will be a great hike in Feb.

Thanks Tek. not bad for an S45.”

“Trip page is updated.
Email to follow”

“Treebait - you were trying to think of a particular Outkast song. Was it Hey Ya?

I don't know about the video (haven't seen it) but the song sure has an infectious groove.”

“Yep, that's the song. The video is very funny.”

“I know the song you're talking about now. Haven't seen the video yet.”

“Thinking out loud...

Tango - I have been looking through both of our sets of pics and can't help but notice how different our shot selection was. At times, it is almost as if we were on different trips. Now I will say that when you had your camera out I figured I didn't need to take a shot cuz we'd have yours (the millipede). I think somewhere along the way someone put it into my head to get a person in the shot - but that might work better at Disney rather than the outdoors - it looks like I was stalking you all.

It makes me realize more than ever that photography is an art. To this point - for the most part - all the pictures I have taken have been to record a moment - and that can be seen in my pictures. I kind of think of my shots as a visual trip report. We did this, we slept here, here's our gear, here we are doing this... Your shots tend to say - look at this cool site, look at this neat bug, here is a little lake, etc.

Simple equipment, different approaches driven by different personalities, and different life experiences that make me realize there is a lot of new experiementing with different photographic "voices" in an art that compliments my existing hobbies.

Having seen many of HPM's pics of other trips and remembering his shot selection - I think he strikes a middle ground somewhere between our two styles.”

“Coop, you will find that many photojournalists also compose differently. Some choose to show the devistation of war with horrid pics while others will show a child dancing in a meadow amid the rubble. I took Photo-101 many years ago and the instructor focused on facial tones and eye gleam. After all these years, I am still finding myself going in for the candid closeup. After 20 years in the Navy, I have amassed thousands of pics of old towns, doors, windows, meadows, farms, forts, fields, streams, rivers, bridges. And, I try to have a person in as many as I can to depict life and enjoyment in that scant sliver of time. I enjoy ALL the photos of ALL the members here!!! And, they are all different.
I guess what I am saying is..... the photos of vast yonders, mountains and valleys are awesome. But, to include a kid throwing a rock into a stream is very touching to many.
With you and HMP having little ones now, try to focus your photo efforts in their daily activities. Then, carry that mental note into the hike with you. Think of how you are documenting a moment, for that will be the way it will told at a later date. You are doing good! Keep up the good work!

Oh, and Tango.... does Phil have your new submission yet ??


and remember....
a photo will ALWAYS place YOU at the SCENE !!”

“A friend and I took numerous pictures in Hawaii, the Aluetian Island of Adak, and especially in Japan. He did comment on a difference in our pictures: "Yours' always seem to have people in them!"”

“I think I tend to take a documentary approach. My attempts at artistic photography usually leave me wanting. Maybe it's equipment, maybe it's me but I do much better with paint or pixel.”

“That is a very thoughtful observation Coop. I kind of (now that I think about it) feel the subject is the person or the vista not both, several exceptions, peak bagging for instance.

I also thought several times that either you or HPM were taking a pic so why should I?

The one thing I really notice is a difference between my pictures with the digital versus my Canon EOS 35mm. I feel more intimately involved with the EOS, so I take better pics with it I think. I find myself feeling more point and shoot with the digital. I wonder how I'll feel with the new Canon 300 or 10D?”

“Getting closer.

Any of you waaaaaay out of towners need anything?”

“Tell Mr Cmb to buy me my new backpack.”

“I'm considering this hike - reunion time!

Then again, there's not much room left for me and two dogs... er, 1 and 1/2 dogs.”

“I'll need a ride from an airport. I guess I'd probably better book a flight soon. I won't worry about maps, since there are so many of you familiar with the hike. Oh, and I'd pay someone back for gas to run my pocket rocket.”

“C'mon down Gojo and bring the kids!

Dhutch, just pick an airport. There are TTer's that can help you out at most of them.”

“I am ready for this one already.

Really looking forward to it.

I asked my brother in Ft Lauderdale if he wanted to come up and join us,,,no commitment, but one of my nieces might make it.”