Happy Memorial Day

We hope everyone is having a fun but safe Memorial Day and remembering our Veterans. This holiday has long been considered the start of the summer season. A lot of campgrounds up north don’t really open until then. Our little river camp was no exception. Although we expected a large group on Saturday and another one on Sunday we only got the one on Sunday. And let me tell you they were enough. We never realized that we had gotten use to only having a few people camping over night every so often until this weekend. The entire area around us seemed to have let out a sigh when the last of the kayakers went down the boardwalk to the river. Don’t get me wrong the Lakeland Florida Kayak Group was very nice but a little rowdy and there were so many of them. The two other couples that we had got sort of lost in all the activity from the big group. But everyone had a good time and they mostly cleaned up after themselves. For some reason we cannot get many people to read the “Recycle – Aluminum Cans Only” sign. I guess it’s because it looks like all the other trashcans inside a wooden barrel except for the little sign we have on front.

Since, these River Camps are FREE to camp for those coming in on kayaks and canoes we don’t have any additional source of income for these little areas within the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail area except for the State Funding. Most of the large groups will bring their own firewood and at this camp that is the only thing we sell. My mom and I set up a recycling can to help raise a little money for this camp while we are here. There is a recycling place in Mayo, Florida down the road and we thought we would turn all the cans in just before we leave for St. Joseph’s Peninsula State Park at the end of June.

That, plus the little bit we have collected for the firewood is suppose to help pay for an ice machine. Then the campground host can sell ice to the campers and maybe get some more improvements done. Eventually, it would be nice to have one of these FREE River Camps every 10 miles or so all the way down the Suwannee River. There is a long stretch between Branford, Florida and the town of Suwannee, Florida at the Gulf of Mexico with no FREE facilities. Just before Suwannee, Florida there is one more called Anderson Landing River Camp. It still needs some improvements too. So, if you are able you might want to contact the main office in White Springs, Florida and see what you, your family or your group could do to help keep these great River Camps going and Free for overnight campers. And eventually, we may even get more of them down in the Lower Suwannee River Area!

Till next time. Keep on Camping!