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FlowerFreak22
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Recent Entries to this Blog A Very Hard Decision.
Posted: 24 Nov 2010
Study Abroad Canada Trip
Posted: 23 Jan 2010
Caving in North Georgia.
Posted: 01 May 2009
Past Trip to Sapelo Island.
Posted: 29 Apr 2009

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Past Trip to Sapelo Island.

Category: Fun | Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:58 pm

Last year I went on this Ecology trip that went around Georgia to state parks to learn about the native flora and fauna and geology of the area. The first day we went to Arabia Mountain where we learned about succession. We learned that rain erodes the rock to form depressions where silt and sediment settle in and start to form soil. Plants then come in and erode the rock even further with their roots going in the cracks and splitting the rock. The plants also change the soil to something else by introducing bio-matter. The next place we went is Providence Canyon to camp overnight and learn about how it was formed. It started as a farm, but rain kept eroding the land. It got out of control and turned into a canyon. They tried to introduce Kudzu to stop the soil from being eroded, but it took over everything. The next day we headed to Broxton Rocks, a rare rock feature. They had some Longleaf Pines which they had to burn to keep alive because the trees need the fire to survive. The fire keeps the duff under the tree to a controllable level. The water that runs through that whole area is stained brown from the tannins in the roots of plants leaking out into the water kind of like what happens when you make tea. After this place it was but a short drive to Moody Forest. This was a preserved old growth Longleaf Pine forest. Again they would burn every now and then to keep the habitat running smoothly. They also had a Bald Cypress swamp which was really cool. We spent the night at a camp site near the Ocmulgee River. The next day we had a nice five hour drive to Sapelo Island, a nature reserve where you take a ferry to get there and need special permission to go to. There are residents, but they are the descendants of the slaves that were kept on the plantation there. This place was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It had these Bar-pits (borrow pits) where they borrowed the soil there and water filled them in and becomes this blue-aqua-green color. We got to see wild alligators and armadillos along with a very large renegade bull that roamed the island. The island was full of salt marshes, swamps, forests, and amazing beaches. We stayed in these dorms where the showers smelled like sulfur and felt like someone dribbling on you, but other then that they were nice. One day we went on a shrimp boat to troll for stuff in the bay. We caught stingrays, puffer fish, mackerel, squid, shrimp, crabs, etc. The captain of the ship collected all the shrimp and edible fish that we caught and cooked it for dinner for us in a low country boil fashion. This was the most amazing food I had and still have ever eaten. Everything was same day fresh and oh so good. That was our last night there. The next day we cleaned up everything and left for home. It was sad to leave; I could have stayed forever. I'm so excited to be able to go again this year. I only have two more weeks and Sapelo here I come. These are the highlights from last year's trip.




Top of Arabia Mountain ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Senecio ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Providence Canyon ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Top of Canyon ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






In the Canyon ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Broxton Rocks ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Broxton Rocks ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






A rare Orchid that only grows at Broxton and Cuba ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Moody Forest - Bald Cypress ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






A Crazy Water Oak ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






The Lighthouse ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )






Sunrise on Sapelo ( photo / image / picture from FlowerFreak22's Garden )



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Comments

 

daisybeans wrote on Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:31 am:


Wonderful Flower Freak. What a great trip. The shots from the canyon are pretty dramatic. The Rocks are beautiful too. I like seeing the nature that just exists, sans cultivation. You sure did a lot in how many days?




 

glendann wrote on Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:58 am:


FlowerFreak amazing photos.Its nice to be out in the wild and take all those fantastic pictures.




 

FlowerFreak22 wrote on Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:47 am:


It was about 7 or 8 days. The first two or three days were all the state parks and the rest were on the island. I can't wait to go back. I'll take more pics and put them on here.




smiles4sunshine54 wrote on Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:29 pm:


Thank you for letting me have a mini-vacation with you, just by hearing your stories and seeing pics!




 

gardengater wrote on Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:05 pm:


That was a breathtaking trip with all those views, Flower Freak. I love visiting other folk's vacations. Thanks.




 

Palm Tree wrote on Fri May 22, 2009 2:29 pm:


Oh my - I missed all these while helping my husband.
Fantastic photos. It must have been a gorgeous experience.
Definitely my kind of break.





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