Reading this is better than a poke in the eye.

We did flea across Florida as we threatened to do.  Between the three of us, we spent $2.75.  Prices were high, like you expect from a flea market, although some people were also running yard sales.  The ride itself was fun.  Remember how your parents used to say "Let's go for a ride!" and they might as well have been running your bath water?  Now we are them.

The Not-Pretentious Real Estate Professionals of Live Oak.

I needed a BP station.

Annie said "Like Tina Turner in concert!"

~~~~~
Lulu, Florida, some other day -

To the advertisers of "ghost towns":  If you tear down the old buildings, it's now called an empty place.

Okay, better than nothing.

Only two apparent graves, both from the 21st century.  

To blunt the keen edge of my disappointment, Annie suggested a picnic.  Yay!

Something-something-something-don't do it-blahblahblah.  Okay, we're good!

Deer.

Bare.

... and then I said, "I don't have to run faster than the bear ... "

That's what we weren't supposed to do?  More disappointment.

Osceola National Forest - We get lost, so you don't have to.™

Ocean Pond, Olustee, Florida.

Ocean Pond is in the Osceola National Forest

HOG PEN LANDING.  We took them at their word and docked here.

[This is the full brunt of Irene against northern central Florida.  I am not smug.]

When I was here in April, there were three vehicles boondocking here. None this day, but we looked at the pit toilets and understood. There is a $2/day fee, and besides space for larger rigs, there are smaller primitive lakeside tent sites. In case I wasn't clear, THE TOILETS ARE GROSS. Take your $2, drive 100 miles to Micanopy, and use the bathroom twice.


Before you leave, check out these dragonflies!  Annie got these pictures without a tranquilizer gun, but she's usually pretty calm anyway:

The campground on the north shore looks nice. $18 FHU, $12 water, and $8 primitive. Here's Annie (not included) and a date palm. There were ads posted wanting camphosts, if you like doing that. 30 hours/week (per couple? not sure) gets you a site, electricity, water, septic, propane reimbursement, laundry and wifi (coming soon). 


ETA:  Hitek Homeless suggested I link to the information here on FreeCampsites.

As long as we had come this far, why not wander around in a forest!  Er, maybe we should think ...  Right!  But, there are things we should consider ...  Let's go!

I saw this on the iPad:

What the ... ?  Let's go see it!

What kind of place is this?  And, why is Roxanne walking like that? 

Another manmade water feature had flora and fauna, and didn't look so much like a nuclear waste dump:













Things got ridiculous, though.





Okay, Brain, how do we get out of here now?

Same way we do every day, Pinky! Try to follow the map!

What happened to the road?

*shakes tiny fist at Olustee Battlefield State Park, an entirely separate entity from the Osceola National Forest that borders it and therefore will not allow free passage!*

And then, I emptied my clip into the sign and we drove away.FreeCampsites: Ocean Pond.