A few days after Christmas I hit the road again, intending to head for the warm beaches of Florida, specifically to Amelia Island, that I had enjoyed so much before.  It was good to be back on the road again, and even with the heavy holiday traffic, the excellent roads around Atlanta got me through quickly and easily.  As you’ll see in the picture below, there are seven lanes in each direction, and although it was busy, we were ticking along nicely at 70 mph, no problems.

As I got into southern Georgia, however, a strong front came through and made driving difficult for a while, with visibility very limited.  I saw two bad accidents with tractor trailers, including roll-overs and jack-knifing.  At a couple of points I had to hole up in parking lots and businesses with other soggy and bewildered travelers while the storm passed.  But no harm done, I was on no particular schedule, and got through in the end.

Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea about staying on Amelia Island for New Year’s Eve, and the campsite there was completely booked out.  I looked nearby, but nothing.  I looked a bit farther afield and finally found a spot where I could get a site for the holiday weekend.  The Okefenokee Swamp (aka National Wildlife Refuge, but really… it’s a swamp).  Pronounced “oh-kee-fen-oh-kee.”  How… um… unusual!

But really, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found there.  The landscape on the drive in seemed to have been designed by Dr Seuss, with strange puffy trees arranged in semi-regular layers.

And the campsite was small and private, with nice big sites under the shade of tall trees, and with good facilities, so I settled in, quite happy with my compromise.

I walked the trails in the park/swamp and saw a lot of wildlife, including turtles and many birds.

And these lovely little deer seemed to be everywhere I went.

The trails through the wettest parts of the swamp were often on boardwalks weaving very peacefully through the trees.

Until this one seemed to end a bit early.. Yes, the trail does continue in the actual swamp, but I wasn’t really game to try it.

And part of the reason is because of these guys — the swamp is home to many large alligators!  This one came toward me with open mouth and hissing as I walked slowly down the dock toward it.  I backed away… quickly.  She’s about 6 feet long, and I was told that she’s got young with her that she’s protecting, so was a bit touchy.  A bit pointy and hissy too…

With boats for rent and trails to hike, there’s actually plenty to do in the Okefenokee Swamp, and the people there were very friendly.  On New Year’s Eve we all put Christmas lights on our sites and vehicles, and the place looked like a fairyland.  A fairyland with alligators, but still…

Happy New Year everyone!