The club recently visited the Big Lagoon State Park in the panhandle of Florida. The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. There's some photos in this album of the trip. Unfortunately, the weather for this trip was very wet; we probably had better than four inches of rain. I had to evacuate my tent the first night and move into Danny's travel trailer. Foster, Mimi and Larry, and Bart and Jennifer stayed dry in their tents despite the many hours of rain. Jean and Glen, Danny's sister and brother-in-law, stayed safe and dry in their travel trailer along with their daughters, Kaykay and Sunshine, and Danny's daughters, Chelsea and Emily. There were some periods of dry weather that allowed for exploring of the park. We tried out the observation tower, boardwalks, playground, and the Big Lagoon. Foster deserves kudos for finding this nice park.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, Florida
The club recently visited the Big Lagoon State Park in the panhandle of Florida. The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. There's some photos in this album of the trip. Unfortunately, the weather for this trip was very wet; we probably had better than four inches of rain. I had to evacuate my tent the first night and move into Danny's travel trailer. Foster, Mimi and Larry, and Bart and Jennifer stayed dry in their tents despite the many hours of rain. Jean and Glen, Danny's sister and brother-in-law, stayed safe and dry in their travel trailer along with their daughters, Kaykay and Sunshine, and Danny's daughters, Chelsea and Emily. There were some periods of dry weather that allowed for exploring of the park. We tried out the observation tower, boardwalks, playground, and the Big Lagoon. Foster deserves kudos for finding this nice park.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Mitchell Ridge Trail - Clear!
On Saturday, February 7, four members of the SWHC plus four guest volunteers from Tuscumbia met for a day of maintenance along trail 210 in the Sipsey Wilderness, the Mitchell Ridge Trail. Present were Gary, Johnnie, Mimi, Larry, Eric and his three young sons, Ben, Kirtland, and Mason.
The recent wintry weather had not wreaked any serious havoc. Six large trees - three pines, two oaks, and a poplar - were blocking the path though not all required use of the crosscut saw to dispatch them. Most of the day's activity consisted of removing the numerous small limbs and branches that had fallen or blown across the way.
We began shortly after 8 AM and had the entire trail cleared by 3 PM. We worked from north to south. En route, we flushed a few early grasshoppers and even spotted a Mourning Cloak butterfly. The plants were still in their dormancy, not being fooled by the springlike temperatures.
Saddly, I must report as we were driving in at the start of the day, we saw that vandals had knocked over the trailhead display case at the Gum Pond Trailhead and set it on fire. Fortunately, the blaze was spotted and reported by two hog hunters before it could spread too far. By the time we arrived, Forest Service firefighters were on their way to extinguish the flames. Anyone having any information concerning this incident should contact the Forest Service at (205) 489-5111.
The recent wintry weather had not wreaked any serious havoc. Six large trees - three pines, two oaks, and a poplar - were blocking the path though not all required use of the crosscut saw to dispatch them. Most of the day's activity consisted of removing the numerous small limbs and branches that had fallen or blown across the way.
We began shortly after 8 AM and had the entire trail cleared by 3 PM. We worked from north to south. En route, we flushed a few early grasshoppers and even spotted a Mourning Cloak butterfly. The plants were still in their dormancy, not being fooled by the springlike temperatures.
Saddly, I must report as we were driving in at the start of the day, we saw that vandals had knocked over the trailhead display case at the Gum Pond Trailhead and set it on fire. Fortunately, the blaze was spotted and reported by two hog hunters before it could spread too far. By the time we arrived, Forest Service firefighters were on their way to extinguish the flames. Anyone having any information concerning this incident should contact the Forest Service at (205) 489-5111.
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