December 2009

President’s Ramblings

Well, we all appear to have made it through Halloween, though not sure if everyone has their dignity intact…

The Big Bend area of the Panhandle revealed many wonderful things to us.  We paddled over a half hour with a pod of 8 manatee on the Wakulla River, biked around St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla State Park, a bit of the Apalachicola National Forest, ate fried mullet with hush puppies, camped near or on the water at St. Joseph’s Peninsula and Panama City Beach, saw a bear, corn snake and pod of Dolphin at Bald Head state park and enjoyed the beauty of Ochlockonee River state park.  And on the way back, belatedly saw tons of migrating Monarch, Buckeye, Gulf  Fritillary and Long Tailed Skipper butterflies.  But don’t worry, there’s plenty more for future trips.

Remember we are now paperless, so if you know someone who is interested in us make sure they go to our website www.floridagreatoutdoors.org and click on the Yahoo logo to sign up to be on our email list.  See you in the great outdoors!

Dave

Upcoming Events

December 3-6 Thursday-Sunday  Art Basel/Miami Beach This international art show has clearly established itself as the most important in America.  It is a cultural event combining an art fair with an exciting program of special exhibitions and events.  Exhibition sites are located in the city's beautiful Art Deco District, within walking distance of the beach.  For the latest information visit www.ArtBasel.com  Manny will be coordinating us for daily events so contact him at manny@floridagreatoutdoors.org

 December 11-13 Koreshan State Park camping and paddling  (easy) This is a “crown-jewel“ of the state park system near Fort Meyers, about 2 ½ hours drive from Ft. Lauderdale.  A religious group practiced celibacy and therefore dwindled to extinction here.  At least they left a neat state park behind, with many of their turn-of-century (20^th) buildings, furnishings and tools still there and open for viewing. Paddle down to the Gulf of Mexico (rentals available) and see the Calusa Indian shell mound where they once had a building that held 2000 people; or see [Henry] Ford’s and Edison’s winter houses decked out for the holidays in Ft. Myers.  It’s a very pretty park at a special time of year.  Bring lights for your tent!  OR stay in a nearby motel.  Contact kayakgirls@yahoo.com to see if they still have a site, or reserve your own, and let them know you are coming.  This is one of our all-time favorites!

December 24-27 Everglades National Park camping, biking and paddling Tentative (easy) We have hiking, biking (fat tires on dirt roads or canal levees), paddling, campfires and good company all at our disposal. We will camp at the Long Pine Key campground (which is in the park, not in the Keys), which doesn’t get crowded until after the holiday. Very relaxing, a good way to avoid the holiday craziness.  But if you have social obligations, come for a few days before or after xmas.  Dave@floridagreatoutdoors.org Specific dates will be confirmed after mid-December, the campground has plenty of space until after the 25^th.  

January 17 Sunday Sandhill Cranes at Paynes Prairie, Gainesville Tentative (easy) It’s an incredible sight, perhaps 10,000 Sandhill Cranes (and last year 2 Whooping Cranes, out of only 100 in the wild) wintering in the prairie  and periodically rising up en masse to move to a different spot.  Last year we got lucky and saw the Bison and wild horses off in the distance as well.  You don’t have to be a birder to enjoy this.  If you’re coming from afar electric campsites are available in Paynes Prairie State Park along with other hiking trails. Dave@floridagreatoutdoors.org

January 23 Saturday THE Swamp Stomp (moderate to strenuous and C/O).  Join us for a fascinating hike in Big Cypress; another record crowd last year! It really is beautiful at this time of year, and the bugs are asleep (usually). Conditions vary from year to year -- much of the trail could be under water (almost dry last year).  The exact route will be decided on the day of the hike, but will most likely involve a shuttle to Loop Road and a through hike to the Oasis Visitor Center (or maybe vice versa for variety?).  Wear footwear you can afford to get verrry muddy (or get $5 sneakers at Payless and toss them at the end of the hike).  Bring lunch, sun protection and water; a small piece of plastic to sit on is also a good idea.  Meet at the Oasis Ranger Station on US 41/Tamiami Trail at 8:30 to see the video and arrange the car shuttle.  Dave may arrange car pooling, contact DaveF. 954 989 3314 or swampstomperus@gmail.com (be sure to use FLAGO or Swamp Stomp as your subject line or die as spam!)  For those coming from a distance, there is camping on the Tamiami Trail/US route 41 and it might be possible to house a few of you with local residents.  NOTE: C/O means clothing optional once the group gets away from the trailhead, not mandatory but be informed.

Past Trip Reports

The Word From The Bird

John "The Bird" Sterpe

 

This summer has been a special the for the Florida Great outdoors, many new friends were made, We want to give a big thank you to Dave B, AKA, Ranger Dave B. (he likes the name) Since he moved up to Gainesville in North Central Florida, he found a new inspiration and an opportunity  to seek out new friends with the interests of experiencing the beauty of the Real Florida, Dave has made great success in his ability to reach out to the Gay and Lesbian community.

 He took onto himself to make up flyers and showed up at some of the local events put on by other outdoorsy type groups, such as a 100 bears that tubed the Itch-tuck-nee river, and gay bike group the met up at Manatee Springs State park.

 

 Ranger Dave B. doing the Manatee swishy at Manatee Springs State Park,

Margie with smiles in the back ground

 It seems to me that the Torch of the Florida Great outdoors was re-lite in a big way when we all met up for a day trip on a drizzly rain day that cleared up on the Santa Fe River in North Central Florida, a day spent seeking out new springs , tributary's and vortex's, new friends were made on that day and then the journey began. Many thanks, and happy moments when some of us old timers of GO Showed up and welcomed the new folks.

 

Break time on the pristine banks of the Santa Fe River

   

 

Ranger Dave B. does the roll over in the Santa Fe River

 

The summer was hot and everyone was into the cool clear Springs of north Central Florida this year, we scouted out the Rainbow River, well that did it, the place was fantastic, we ended up paddling the river at least five more times, John the Byrd, AKA Sterpebird , started a water gun war with a three foot water gun, everyone seemed to buy one, and now this has become one of our new toys that is a must have for any paddle trip, and if you don't have one, be prepared for us silly boys.

The Rainbow River, fed by 700 springs

 

The torch really got fired up when Bill A. the master of this website and the trunk of the tree put the word out and said, hey you guys this year is the 20th Anniversary of the Great Outdoors, does anyone have an idea of what we should do?

 Well, that put us all in high gear, as we brainstormed to do something in central Florida reach, with a must have cold water spring, and that's how the outing at the Rock (Rock Springs) was formed.

 Many of the core group from days gone down to the past showed up, flying in from Panama (Bernardo) to California (Peter Rabbit the keeper of the flamingo)  funny thing was after twenty years, we all looked the same, even Larry K, had his same old long Stories, Bill A. wore the same glasses, Tom C. still looked like a school teacher, Dave L. still blow dry's his hair, Manuel still has all his wisdom,  we cooked up a hundred and fifty  meen Shish Kabobs, ( I,ll never do that again) but Larry sure was a great help, we camped, Kayaked, swam the Spring, some of us could,nt pass up a nude hike to the spring run, sneaking into the woods at night like the kid within us, just like old times, here the Great Outdoors, resurrected once again, alive at full swing, the love and brotherhood past around, the fire of the Great outdoors torch burned high this night, the love passing on up to generation to generation.

 And here, once again, new friends were made, community building at its best.

 

The Shish Kabob crew, Larry the cook, Dave L. the food inspector

 

 

Quality control, John S

 

 

Ray, Bernardo, Robert, Larry, John, at the Rock

 

It was not less than two days gone past when John S. and Larry K. said, hey, we need to do something again, before the cold weather arrives, to keep the GO burning flame high, we are on a roll and must not let this flame burn low, that's when we planned out the Chassahowitka River slam.

And a slam it was, So popular was this event, people started arriving from South Florida, two days ahead of schedule,  hey, it was two people, but peoples is peoples, camp was formed and more tenters and one Airstream arrived, The Real Florida we called it, just like the old times we would sit out and share good talk around an open campfire, Peter Rabbit even flew in from a distance across America, to join in the community building effort, welcoming the new guy Douglas, in which by the way turned out to be a very pleasant person, I have learned that most people in the Great outdoors has a gift, a talent ,a special way to reach out to others, to welcome people and to bring comfort, and here at the Chassahowitzka campground showed it once again.

Saturday we got our kayaks to the boat ramp , Robert showed up with the Gainesville gang for what we thought would be a easy day paddle, it started out easy with the tide going out and the wind blowing us down river, John S. even set his kayak sail up, and would you know it, that thing worked out pretty good, we scouted out a few springs and things got a little tough going up Potters creek, a very shallow spring run, being pulled out with the tide,  we slammed out way up Potters, this is where we separated the men from the real men.

 

yeee haaa

 

Rest stop on Potters Creek, Chassahowitzka River

The name, Chassahowitzka River slam came from when we paddled back, up strong wind, strong going out tide and guess what, the sail did,nt work at all into the wind, Peter keep on me with his Community building saying John, you need to get right up there in the front of the group and lead the way, that got me going, I put my body in supper high power formula gear and off I went to get up into the front of the group, Follow me, I would call out into the wind, this is the way, as a gust of wind echoed out into the far distance, (I do seem take these power roll plays into extreme you know, once and awhile, I guess, for that short time, I was the King, the Ayatollah, the Shaw of Chassahowitzka, a mighty man of the river, the captain of the sea, and then they followed me, boy, it felt kinda good to be a control freak for a few hours, I had power, real GO power.

I also learned from Peter,( the keeper of the flamingo) this group is not about the me, in me, this is about the we in WE, I,ll  tell you what folks of the Florida Great Outdoors, he hit the nail right on the head, the Florida Great outdoors  is truly all about community building at its finest and its the WE in us all are that is an example of it, and this is what will hold us together, strong like the tide. and binding like a cool Tropical hammock in a palm tree forest

In the slam

 

I had so much energy, the only one that could keep up was Manuel, that man is strong, not far behind him was Ranger Dave B, destination (The Crack) seemed the power slam up the Chassahowitzka tore the group in half, half the group went back to the boat ramp, those were the ones that thought it be best to paddle to the Gulf of Mexico in Hurricane force winds, lucky for them they had Me, and my short fame of GO power leading the way.

The rest of us, we paddled slammed our way up the final leg of the journey, to the Crack, the crack is a spring way on up a tributary out in them there woods, after passing a few hippies and a hit from there pot pipe, a toke I turned down, but they did get a decent peanut butter and jelly sandwich from me, its all about community building you know, we made it to the Crack for a cool down swim.

shallow walk to the Crack

 

The Crack

Semi-Impromptu Trips

We expect to have other trips scheduled on short notice.  You have to be in the Yahoo Group (see “Our Website/Yahoo Group” below) to find out about them, or stay in touch with one of the trip leaders.

Drag Races at Gainesville Raceway (cars, not costumes) on a Saturday night

Bike/Hike Payne’s Prairie

Mountain Biking

Great Outdoors Info

Our Website/Yahoo Group

Visit us at www.floridagreatoutdoors.org.  If you have suggestions or contributions for the site, send them to Bill at webmaster@floridagreatoutdoors.org

We also have a Yahoo Group that provides reminders about upcoming trips.  Subscribe by visiting: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flago/

Who Are We? This newsletter is a publication of Florida Great Outdoors Association, Inc. (Great Outdoors), and is e-mailed without cost to all members.

Great Outdoors is a not-for-profit organization operated entirely by volunteers. The activities sponsored by Great Outdoors are cooperative in nature; individuals participate at their own risk and with the understanding that trip leaders are not experts.  Great Outdoors organization, its individual volunteers and members take no responsibility and disclaim any liability for accident or injury associated with its activities.  Great Outdoors offers day and overnight trips and social activities for lesbians, gay men and their friends who enjoy camping, biking, walking, kayaking, canoeing and other non-competitive outdoor recreation.  Great Outdoors is a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Outdoors Organization (IGLOO) and welcomes members of affiliated groups.

The Organization

President Dave B. dave@floridagreatoutdoors.org

Treasurer Dave F. info@floridagreatoutdoors.org

Secretary Peter E. kiwipk@callsouth.net.nz

Webmaster Bill A. webmaster@floridagreatoutdoors.org

IGLOO Coordinator Paulie C.

Keeper of the Flamingo Peter A.