Got to Ochlockonee State Park yesterday 1/29 late, after dark and the gate was locked! Who knew they locked the gates to State Parks with campgrounds. We went back to the nearest town where I met a guy wearing hunter camouflage pacing back and forth beside his truck, which had two large dog boxes in the bed. He knew the park closed its gate at sundown and the campers inside were given a code to come and go. He told me one Walker dog was in the dog box in the truck but he lost the other two and was waiting for a friend to come help him find them. Seems Walker dogs are coon hounds converted to chase/hunt deer. I showed Sammy to him at which point he said “Breed a bird dog to a Walker dog, It’d make a cracker jack deer dog”. He explained the smarts of a bird dog together with the night hunting ability of a Walker dog is known to be a first rate combo for deer. I think he was propositioning Sammy. No word yet on those offspring with the brains of a Walker dog and the night hunting drive of a bird dog.
We found an emergency number on the parks website, got the code and found our spot.
Today, Sunday, we struck out on the Red-cockaded woodpecker and the Bachman’s sparrow but success on the American Flamingo, a bright coral pink bird unmistakable even at 300 yards. Will try again tomorrow AM then on to Indian River SP in Georgia.
Roses 1.0 Van Life 