They were and then all of a sudden they were just the codes. I sent a report to the admin.Originally Posted by Floridahanger
They were and then all of a sudden they were just the codes. I sent a report to the admin.
RON
A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at? ~ Ronald Reagan
Visit my Youtube channel- Florida Wild
First off, may I say a big ol' "THANK YOU!" to everyone who helped make this hang a success. These sorts of things don't happen by accident, and it took a lot of work to have it come together as well as it did. Many thanks to everyone who planned and purchased and provided, who sweated over hot stoves, who made items to donate, who spent time serving food or washing dishes or watching the parking lot, who manned a broom or a mop, who stoked the fire, who had a kind word or an helping hand with a set up, and who helped make this hang as great as it was.
Every single one of you is indispensable, and this wonderful weekend wouldn't have been quite as nice without you!
~~~~~
My story starts (as so often in these cases) with me running a little behind as I tried to get out the door on Thursday. I'd intended upon mounting up and being on the road by ~9:00, but my usual Pre-Coffee haze delayed that by a bit (I've come to the conclusion that, if I pack up for a trip Before Coffee, I inevitably forget something important). I made it out the door by 9:45 and was heading steadily eastbound through the gathering day.
I passed out of town on Hawthorne Road, heading for the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. Soon enough, I turned away from traffic into the shaded rail trail (making for a chillier ride for a bit, until the gathering heat of the day offset the shade). It was an easy ride, taken at a moderate pace. I had all day to make it down to the hang--or so I thought.
After a few miles on the trail, I turned southbound onto CR 325 and into an area where awareness was going to be my best friend: the road was a 60 MPH zone, and there were no bike lanes. Constant vigilance against traffic jams (though unlikely; the road is a two-lane and very lightly traveled) was the strategy of survival. I was wearing my "eye-searing" yellow shirt and had my tail light going, but the assumption that someone is out to kill me is never a bad thing in traffic. However, I made it through the section of 325 without a bike lane, passing CR 326 on the way down towards US 301. I stopped in at the county park next to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlins State Park (MKR was the author of The Yearling...more on that later), where her house was restored to its 1930s state, for a quick off-bike break and snack.
Soon enough, I continued southbound towards US 301, turning southwest onto that major highway (and back into moderately scary traffic) after a few miles. I pedaled along, my person being blown about by the semi trailers' wash as they roared past at 60+ MPH. However, there were only a few miles of this to endure; I came to Old Jacksonville Road (the old 301A road bed) and turned southbound once again.
Traffic along Old Jacksonville Road was heavier than last year but not enough to be worrisome. I rode through horse country for a while, until the hamlet of Sparr hove into view. I stopped there, about halfway through my journey, to get some food at a Subway and rest my legs for a bit. Mounting back up, I noted the increasing cloudiness and humidity with a sinking sensation: the weather forecast had been calling for rain on Thursday for the last week, but I'd held out hope that I could at least get three-quarters of the way to Doe Lake before it opened up on me. This was not to be.
I rode through the small municipality of Anthony on my way down, being dodged by school buses, cars, and the occasional box truck as I pedaled on. I reached SR 326 in good time and turned east once more. As I did so, the sky began spitting at me. It wasn't full-fledged rain yet, but it seemed only a matter of time until it was.
Heading eastbound along 326, I rode through the remainder of Anthony and then into cow country and then between sections of a state forest (I honestly can't remember the name and it doesn't show on Google Maps) as I continued southeast into a gathering rain. I reached SR 40 slightly behind schedule, but I knew that--given the wind direction--I would be able to make up my time once I hit CR 314A.
The ride over the Ocklawaha River Bridge was as much "fun" as it ever is; the 70+ foot height and the traffic along there is always an experience when I've got ~15 extra lbs on a ~45 lb bike. Still, I managed without too much trouble and continued on along SR 40. I reached the Winn-Dixie at CR 314A in a cold rain, but still in time to make camp within my original estimate. Stopping there to purchase hot drinks, a snack, and some adult beverages for the hang, I spent several minutes stoking the fire before mounting back up on the bike. Several folks commented on how crazy I was to be out in ~50* rain with shorts on, but I stay fairly warm when moving on the bike.
Soon enough, I mounted up on the bike and headed south once more into the gathering storm. Chilled a bit, I continued to ride through what could be generously called a "bike lane": it was less than three feet wide and...mmm..."bumpy" is the kindest adjective I can apply. After less than a mile of that, I said to myself, "Screw it," and took the lane. With my lights going and my high-vis clothing, I wasn't too worried: traffic was fairly light through that section. Everyone gave me a good, wide berth, and I never felt threatened by vehicles.
Here, I made a mistake: due to the cold, exhaustion, and my own inattention during the planning phase (yes, all of this is my fault), I missed the turn before Meadors Quick King. Instead, I went all of the way to the stop sign. Had the stop sign there had more than one way to turn (straight ahead is a fence; to the right is a dirt road that obviously is either someone's driveway or an OHV trail), I'd've immediately known that I'd screwed up. Instead, I took the only obvious turn. That took me down SE 183 Ave. Rd. (by the way, why in the heck does anyone name anything "Avenue Road"? Makes no sense to me...), which led me out to SE 180th Ave. Rd. Thankfully, there was a stop sign when I hit SE 180th; it meant that I realized I'd gone the wrong way. I pulled out my cell and turned on my GPS to figure out where I was. Well, crap. I'd gone ~2 miles the wrong way.
Cursing under my breath, I turned around and headed back to Meadors. I stood in the shelter of their overhang for a moment, figuring out that I had to go back and to the left in order to reach the campsite. I was pedaling on, cursing under my breath as I went: I knew that I was going to be later than I'd intended due to my sidetrack and the time I'd wasted figuring out where I was, and that that meant that folks would be worried about me. Crud.
However, if there is one thing that biking is good for (aside from the normal health benefits), it's that it gives you enough time to work through anything that's bothering you. It's hard to stay mad when you're into a constant, soothing physical rhythm. I continued on through the cold rain, and the sign for FHV thrust into view ahead. Woohoo! I'd made it!
I made the left hand turn onto 127th St easily enough and saw a white Ford Bronco parked ahead on the side of the road. I assumed that it had to be someone there for the hang, though I didn't recognize the vehicle (though, with an estimated 200+ attendees, I didn't really expect to). Pulling alongside, I saw an older gentleman in the driver's seat and a younger lady--perhaps my age--sitting in the passenger one. He asked me if I was "...here for the gathering?", and I answered that I was without thinking about it. About thirty seconds of conversation later, I realized that he was talking about the Rainbow Gathering in the forest...and I soon managed to break things off and continue along my way. It was about then that I realized this weekend was going to be more..."interesting"...than previous Florida Hangs.
I pulled into camp at about 17:30, an half-hour later than I'd expected. Which was okay; no one had sent out a search party yet. I was greeted as warmly as ever, with everyone very glad that I'd made it in without major incident. After signing in, I went out into the woods to find a spot that would be difficult for anyone to hang right next to me: I knew that, after long days of being as social as I ever am, I would need a place where I could get at least a little time to myself.
Thursday night was chilly and wet, but I spent my time around the campfire with everyone nonetheless. The Mexican dishes that night were absolutely excellent and perfect to help ward off the damp chill that pervaded the camp. The roaring fire in the ring all night helped a lot, too. Exhausted from my ride but buoyant with the fellowship of my friends, I retired to my hammock around 1:30. I slept like the dead, despite the damp and cold.
I woke with the dawn, decided that it was still a little too wet to get out of bed if I didn't have to, and then recalled that I did: I had things to do that morning. After "coffee" and a little conversation, I discovered that my math skills aren't what they used to be; my apologies to everyone who got a weak cup of coffee that morning out of the second brewing. My fault, and I'll know better for next year.
Friday, I "led" (really, I just followed a trail that lilricky already knew) an hike around the lake, stopping to see the locals' dumping grounds (really? I mean, really?) and several small campsites that would be perfect for folks who want to spread out next year. I also got the lay of the land for my run on Sunday. The hike was very enjoyable, aside from the trash, and everyone who went was a good travelling companion.
Soon enough, we reached camp once more, and I retired to my hammock for a little nap. I woke around 16:00, and then headed back up to the fire ring to sit and enjoy companions' conversations once more. That night was a blur of conversation, guitar playing by Andy, wonderful food, and contentment with the universe. At about 1:00, a truck came rolling into camp at a brisk pace and turned around when the driver realized that there were actually people sleeping in the campground. Olddog immediately leaped up from the fire and ran over to flag the driver down; despite my headlamp, the driver roared out of camp at top speed. We didn't see him again, buuuut... It got cold that night, reaching down into the high 20s. I retired to my warm hammock and slept well around 3:30. However, I was woken at ~4:00 by a roaring engine fairly nearby (my guess was within a quarter mile), the sound of someone losing control and then a loud "CRUNCH!" followed by the sound of someone slumped over a car horn. I'm pretty sure our "companion" from earlier that evening found his level somewhere out on the dirt roads that crisscross the area.
Saturday was my day to go hike with lilricky once more. He headed us over to the Yearling Trail--the one in the area where the settlers were that inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlins' masterpiece (I said we'd get back to that)--and led a shortish (maybe 4-mile) hike down and through the area as he narrated its history. Thanks go to Grinder, Wafflebox, and Life Scout for shuttling us hikers!
Once we returned, I decided on another nap. I woke in time for the Gearage sale, and I nosed around a little bit at that but didn't see too much (at the time) that I needed. That night was the main feed, and everyone turned out in fine form for the fixin's. Dinner done, I went back outside to enjoy the fire by myself: the raffle was going on, but I hadn't entered. I retired at a reasonable hour that night (midnight-ish), but I slept too well.
I want to publicly apologize to richtorfla about Sunday morning's breakfast: I was supposed to help with that, and I slept straight through my alarms (both of 'em). Due in part to that, the mountain man breakfast was pushed back further than it should have been. I don't know how I'm going to make that up, but I'll try to find a way.
Sunday was a bittersweet day: many folks were packing up, and I said goodbye to too many friends. However, it was also a day where I got to see Black Wolf's new bridge set up for his thru, and I think that that's worth the price of admission to the whole hang. You've got a good thing going there, man.
Sunday at noon, I went for my run. No one else, it turned out, was too interested in that much exertion, but that was just fine. It meant that I could maintain my own pace, and I wound up cranking out my best 12+ miler of my life--I'm pretty happy with that.
Around 15:00 on Sunday, I ran my "basic bike touring" class, and it was a moderate success. There were a few things I forgot to cover (need to make up bullet point notes for next year), but the majority of the important stuff was done. I think I might have converted a couple of folks to trying it out next year.
Sunday night, I fell asleep in my chair a couple of times during the music session. Around 22:00, I decided to retire to my hammock (which I'd moved closer to the main area, since most folks had cleared out). Some time before I woke at 9:00, Life Scout decided to photo my ugly mug asleep...see above...
Needless to say, I slept well that night and woke refreshed. Monday was a day of lounging and a much quieter night around the fire with friends. Some of the humor involved was a little more...ribald...than I'd trust with a larger crowd, some of whom I might not know quite as well. But it was just right for the folks who were left: we spent the evening laughing, and laughing, and laughing.
Finally, I retired to my hammock at 1-ish, crashing out for the night, as I knew that I would have an early morning ride. I woke yesterday morning at ~7:00 and started making "coffee" with a stove that I'd gotten from the donation table. It works well, and I think that I might start bringing a kettle for those trips when my girlfriend and I do bike trips together: it'll fit just right on top of this stove.
I spent the morning packing up (and doing a short video on how I do that: it'll be ready to go over the next day or two, and I want to thank lilricky for taking the time to act as cameraman on that one) and saying my goodbyes. I'd wanted to be on the road by 9:00, but it was closer to 10:30 when I finally headed out (it's hard to say goodbye quickly with friends as good as these). Somewhere in there, my boss tried to call me into work for a morning shift because a coworker had called out. Being 67+ miles away, I had to tell him, "Sorry, but I couldn't even make an evening shift on time." Meh...
I headed northbound on 314A, retracing my route back home. Everything went well, despite the harsh sunlight on the ride, and I pedaled on in the mounting heat of the day. When I reached the hamlet of Sparr, I turned westbound and took CR 329 to US 441. I think that this might be my route from here on out; it cut ~2 miles off of my trip and offered better bike lanes through there.
Riding northbound along 441, I remembered why I liked that ride as much as I did. Horse farms, small communities based around antiquing, and many beautiful vistas from the tops of hills (yes, this is one of the few places in Florida where you can see more'n a quarter mile) make for a very pretty ride with a good bike lane.
I reached home in good time, beating dark by an hour or so. I immediately showered, unpacked, and went grocery shopping (from the bike, no less), as there was nothing left in the 'fridge'. I went out for a bite to eat with my girl, came back, and caught up on some of the things I missed while I was away.
This was a wonderful weekend with wonderful friends, and I wouldn't have traded it away for anything. Thank you to everyone who helped make it that way!
"Just prepare what you can and enjoy the rest."
--Floridahanger
Hotlips, here's a link that works.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...9&d=1421848763
Here's one of yours.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...hmentid=101070
And now it works! I had clicked "copy link location" for each of these. When I checked it in this post it worked. None of the truncated links had worked in other posts.
When I edit this post they get abbreviated and changed to links instead of text, so I can't show you a close comparison. The last string "&d=768932719" is omitted on the links that don't work. (Note: numbers in this example are made up.)
Last edited by WV; 01-21-2015 at 11:22.
Could it be sizing of the photos? What I'm seeing now of Hotlips photos they are more than full screen.
Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.
Hello to everyone I met! This was the first hang I have attended and I am thrilled that I was invited by Cakes and Girl Scout! I have a feeling the bar is set high now as this was an outstanding weekend. I met wonderful people who made me feel as though I had known them for a long time when in actuality I only had met them a few hours prior. The facility and setting were wonderful and I must say the hot showers were a real bonus. I can't say enough about all the people helping make this thing happen and how easy you all made it look! I got great information on my next hammock as I am trying to get ultralight for future hiking because after this I can not imagine sleeping on the hard ground again! I take home so many fond memories of paddling, hiking, good food, good conversation, hanging out (literally) with you guys, and some really great laughs! So God willing and if the creek don't rise I will see y'all next year!
What a great weekend! Thanks Gumbo and Timberr for the many days, months, of preparation each of you put into this event. The same compliment to, but not limited to, Lilricky, richtorFL Olddog, ItsAndy, and the many others who lent a helping hand for this event.
ItsAndy... Thanks sooo much for a great trip down Silver River. My family and I had a great time and really enjoyed your knowledge and sense of humor along the way. Special thanks for towing Bugbait that last 1.25 miles to the take out. She was pretty sore and didn't want to ask for help but she was very thankful for "cruise control" float there at the end. DQ rated the trip a "9" and she says it would have been a 10 had she not seen the alligators. She was very comfortable with you reasoning that nothing there would hurt her which put her at ease. So thank you again for a GREAT trip! We will be back for more!
Olddog... It was great seeing you again and finally getting a spoon. I really thought I was out of luck when we got back from kayaking. I will be showing my spoon off on all future trips.
RichtorFL ... always great catching up with you and helping out with the cooking duties. I really enjoy the cooking aspect and learning new things from you. Sorry I missed out on the turkey cooking, will have speed up the driving time next year.
Gumbo and Timberr... I can't express my thanks enough. It's the egg crate! Had you not left it intentionally on Goat Island with specific directions to bring it to the FL Hang, my girls may not have made such a push to attend. And the result? My wife spent her first really cold night (for her it was really cold) in a hammock and admitted that she slept warm. She was very surprised and now is expanding her temperature range for camping. For that I am very grateful... Thank You!!!! Thanks for all of your effort you put into this huge and successful "HANG".
Always good to continue seeing old friends and making new ones. Thanks to all the vendors for their contributions to raffle. Thank you to my 15 year old daughter who knew well enough to select the Hammock Gear Winter Incubator to add to our family collection of hammock gear.
Great time, great company, great food, one heck of an AWESOME EVENT!
“He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words”
- Bobby Bowden
A special kudos to Vanguard who started a demonstration on making cordage and spent 5 1/2 hours sitting on a hard bench making and assisting on an unknown number of survival bracelets.
Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.
As expected, I had a great time in the Sunshine State! Thanks to everyone who volunteered this weekend that made the event possible, and made the event run smoothly. You've got a fantastic group of people down there and I'm eager to come back and visit.
For those who I talked with, it was great meeting you. For those who took interest in my hammocks (and in my hammock stand), thank you. For those of you who jumped and fell and played on my slackline, I'm glad you didn't get hurt
! And, Congratulations to Leah (Maypop) for winning the Boone 20° hammock in the gear raffle.
Here are some pictures and some time lapses I took. I'm looking forward to the official FHV video!
1 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
2 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
3 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
4 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
5 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
6 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
7 https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...&storage=local
As a thank you for everyone's hospitality Im offering anyone who attended 20% off my insulated hammocks. PM me for a coupon code
-Alex
Sheltowee Hammocks Feature INTEGRATED UNDERQUILTS! Starting at $224
Step Out Of Your Sheltowee @ www.ShellHammocks.com
Alex, that timelapse is a very cool way to show the event. I just love the sunset in fast forward.
Also, I have 2 pics of you swimming in Doe Lake in January. I love a Florida Winter, Upper 20's/lower 30's at night and warm enough for a swim at day.
And a big Thank You for your time and patience with the kids for so many hours. You and Olddog can sure keep the kids attention.
Enjoy and have fun with your family,before they have fun without you
He started it!
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