Alachua County Florida: Hogtown Creek Greenway (Gainesville)

Hogtown Creek Greenway - December 2013

It is amazing how many parks exist in Alachua County.  One delightful surprise was the Hogtown Creek Greenway which runs through the center of Gainesville, FL.  Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with Gainesville, the original name of the town was Hogtown and these days the city takes advantage of this fact with multiple advertising opportunities.

This is part of the Conservation Trust Foundation Greenways Program which addresses the need to enhance and protect greenways and wildlife corridors for wildlife habitat protection, biological diversity, water quality, and light recreational use.

As one hiker related "The original settlement of Hogtown was a Seminole village, recorded as having 14 inhabitants in 1824. By 1830, homesteading settlers moved in, surrounding the trading post. During the Second Seminole War, a small fort was built to protect the settlement. By 1854, the population center shifted four miles west to Gainesville, designated the county seat. As you walk through these woods on the broad Hogtown Creek Greenway, imagine the horses and wagons of settlers following this shady route. It’s a dense glade of river bluff forest that in no way resembles the Gainesville you see along University Avenue or 34th Street. Needle palms rustle in the breeze beneath grand old live oaks and tall slash pines."  Which is an excellent summary of the parks and park system of Gainesville.

Alachua County Florida - River Rise Preserve State Park

Alachua County is the home to many wonderful parks both State Parks and County Parks.  We have camped at O'Leno State Park several times but never hiked River Rise Preserve State Park, it was time for a visit.

Fall Colors at River Rise State Park

March 2013 found us at O'Leno State Park for the Suwanee Banjo Camp and we stayed an extra day to explore the park on bicycle.  Now, we passed a few signs for River Rise but were uncertain of the actual location.  After a bit of searching we found River Rise this December.

Billy at the Banjo Camp

Marg in the campground at O'Leno State Park

A bit of information from the park web site: The Santa Fe River goes underground in O'Leno State Park and reemerges over three miles away in River Rise State Park as a circular pool before resuming its journey to the Suwannee River. Surrounded by quiet woods and huge trees, anglers can spend a relaxing afternoon fishing on the river. Hiking and wildlife viewing are also favorite pastimes for park visitors.

View across River Rise SP

We never found the pool but did discover beautiful hiking trails for a cool December afternoon.

Alachua County Florida - San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park

Early December 2014 - San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park

From Anastasia State Park (St. Augustine) we headed west to Alachua County with a full itinerary.  Our first stop was Alachua for a trailer repair that the wonder worker Bill could not handle.  

Bill the Repair Man

The repair was easily completed by JD Sanders as promised in price and time frame.  The previous year we visited JD Sanders as we traveled through the area to the Florida Folk Festival, being aware of reliable work and previous repairs to the trailer it was a no-brainer.  Also, the shop is about 45 miles from our home in Citra so why not.  While in the area we camped, yes in our truck, at Travelers Campground which is pleasant, clean, and convenient to I-75.



We spent three days in the area which gave us time to explore San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park.  Friends had regaled me with stories of wonderful hikes so it was time to see if their tall tales were true.  Yes they are!  

There are several sections of the preserve which require a drive between the areas.  Two areas are hiking, one for bicycling, most accept horses, all accept pets on a leash.

The first day was cold so we hiked the southern parts of the preserve with a stop at Starbucks for coffee between different trail heads.  This was Slippery (the cat's) first trail outing and she did quite well.  She was also training us to walk with her on a lead... a cat walks you, you do not walk a cat.

Being warmer the second day we opted to bicycle the northern part of the preserve.  There are multiple off-road trails which offer a reasonable challenge for this gentle off-road rider... meaning I don't like difficult courses especially on my quasi-road bike.

Be certain to spend some time in this beautiful park next time you are in the Alachua and Gainesville area.

Next up... River Rise State Preserve

Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine FL... September 1 to December 1

For me it was a homecoming as I am a St. Augustine native, for Bill it was yet another visit to the oldest city and the opportunity to experience the playground of my youth.  In either case it was a delightful experience... but what is not to like about St. Augustine and the beach?

Sunrise at the beach

We arrived the August 31st to begin our volunteer jobs at Anastasia State Park.  This was our first resident volunteer job for a Florida State Park and we were looking forward to a two month stay in one of Florida's beautiful parks.  The park is over 1600 acres with a pristine beach, a tidal marsh (Salt Run), hammocks, nature paths, palms, scrub, and oaks.

The marsh in the fall

Dunes at Anastasia

And what did we do for three months other than fish, canoe, bicycle, 

St. Augustine Farmer's Market

play music,

Family

and visit friends and family? 

 Volunteer of course.  
- September and November we cleaned two camping loops and the associated bath house.  
On duty days we checked the bathhouse each morning and gave it a quick once-over for the campers.  Later in the morning, on each vacated campsite we cleaned the fire pit and table, collected trash, checked hookups and shrubs, and fluffed the soil to remove evidence of occupancy.  Our aim was "leave no trace".
- October we joined a crew to rebuild a bathhouse.  The park has four bathhouses and each year a different facility gets a face lift.  This year it was time to tackle the oldest bathhouse which is a bit more of a challenge.  First we removed the screens, sinks, some doors, some fixtures, repaired damaged tiles, and scrubbed tiles and grout.  At the same time the walls, inside and out, were prepped for painting.  Then we painted.  Lastly shower doors were rehung, new shower heads and fixtures were installed, sinks were replaced, outer doors were installed, new shower curtains hung, and new landscape installed.  What a transformation!  Yes, it was a successful face lift.

Was volunteering fun?  Yes, why else do it?  And we performed jobs that freed the rangers to attend to other tasks in the park.  So, volunteering is a win-win situation.

Heading back to Florida... most of August 2013

Yes, I have been away for several months and will try to catch you up with the adventures.  Most of August was spent in a slow trip from Virginia to St. Augustine Florida.  Being flexible has benefits so when days of heavy rain were predicted for the mountains we opted for a more easternly tour.  

Now, we were fortunate enough to spend several days to a week in many locations.

Lake Reidsville, NC - August 22, 2013
This is a city park south of Reidsville with campsites directly on a 750 acre lake (see below).  As with most parks there were racoon and deer along with various birds and other small animals.  One highlight was a disc-course which we found beautiful and fascinating to walk.  This inspired us to purchase discs for future play.

Next stop...Cheraw State Park near Cheraw SC
  which was a delightful stop with excellent examples of the Civilian Conservation Corp work, a huge lake to paddle, tons of hiking trails, beaches for swimming, a golf course (we did not play), and proximity to town.

The river

Lake Boardwalk

CCC Cabins

Marge's Diner in Cheraw SC

Lake Cheraw, a beautiful canoe spot

We concluded the return with several days in Brunswick GA to tour the Golden Isles: Brunswick, St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island.  Photos are forth coming.

Let me say that Brunswick is a beautiful old Georgia town with an active downtown area, many interesting buildings from the 1800's through today, and southern hospitality.

St. Simon's Island is a modern island with excellent bicycle routes, busy shops, artistic communities, fine food, and scenic landscape.

Jekyll Island retains it's 1900th century past through the locally managed area which is part of the Georgia State Park system.  Take a tour through the historic district to learn how the 'other half' lived from 1880-1930.