Today Chuck was honored with a plaque by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers in Citrus County, Florida to celebrate his having donated TEN gallons of blood, one pint at a time. As you can see by the picture, Chuck is pretty proud of his achievement and says he is looking forward to donating his next gallon. […]
Hoodsport, WA
We arrived today in Hoodsport, Washington, a beautiful little (really little) town in Washington State that sits on the Hood Canal, a 600 foot deep fjord that is home to the giant Pacific Octopus and renowned Hoodsport shrimp and some of the best oysters in the country. Wow. We didn’t know that until we got […]
25th Anniversary
How do you like our bike jerseys? I bought Cheryl her nice new “Wedding Gown” and my “Tux” for this special occasion – our 25th! We were married on the Queen Mary and just had to come back to celebrate our 25th there. What a great ship. I even took my Beautiful Bride to a […]
City of Rocks, NM
We are currently camping at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico. Still in New Mexico?! you say? Yep, that’s right. For some reason, we just can’t seem to get out of this state (well, except for a couple of weeks in extreme West Texas). There were a lot of things we wanted to […]
Florida’s Highest Waterfall
Today we visited Florida’s Highest Waterfall in Falling Waters State Park located near Chipley, FL in the northwestern panhandle of the state. Wait a minute – did I just say FLORIDA’S highest waterfall? Yes, I did. Who knew, right? The state of Florida is about as close to sea level as one can get without […]
Yes, I am running the Marine Corps Marathon!
No, I am not insane.
Yes, it is for a good cause!
No, I have never run a marathon before.
Yes, you can come watch me race!
No, you cannot throw things at me as I run past…
Hi! I am a Marine attempting her First Marathon in “The People’s Marathon”. I am running on behalf of Team Running Strong, and the funds I raise will be used to help American Indian Youth and their families to meet their immediate survival needs – FOOD, WATER, SHELTER – while implementing and supporting programs designed to create opportunities for self-sufficiency and self-esteem.
To learn more about this very worthy cause and to SUPPORT ME in my efforts, please visit my fundraising page at www.FirstGiving.com/CherylCharles. All funds collected go directly to Running Strong for American Indian Youth and did I mention is Tax Deductible?
We took Highway 50 all the way across Nevada today. We started in Moab, Utah, which is basically desert. Most of the rest of the drive across Utah and Nevada was mountainous but no inhabitants we could see except towns listed on the map (about four). West of Austin, NV (just at the edge of town) we saw a sign reading, “Highway 50 – The Loneliest Road in America.” So true! But I actually enjoyed it. Chuck said he thought the road was very long and boring.
A little further on we actually saw wild horses! Right after that I noticed a sign for the Pony Express Trail. Chuck wouldn’t stop to take a picture of the marker (men and their need to just drive, drive, drive!) but it was still neat to know we were following the actual trail. I just love this ‘Wild West’ stuff!
We were heading for Big Spring Creek Road where there was supposed to be free camping on the creek (according to Woodall’s Free Camping book). The campsite was supposed to be about 11 miles down a dirt road after turning off of Hwy 50. Once we got to the our turn, we decided not to continue. Chuck was afraid of possibly getting stuck with the Pop-Up. The road wasn’t very wide, and who knew if there was enough room for a turn-around at the end, or if the dirt road would be passable with the truck and camper.
Chiisai, Shadow, and me in front of a 'Shoe Tree'
It wasn’t long after we decided to continue west on 50 towards Fallon, NV that we came across a “Shoe Tree”. Neither of us has ever seen anything like it before. We were just driving along and noticed a car on the side of the road in what looked like a little pull-out area. This got our attention, as we hadn’t seen too many cars all day (it was, after all, a ‘lonely road’). Right behind the car was a tree that had stuff hanging off of it, but we couldn’t make out what in the world it was. Chiisai and Shadow were due for a little potty break anyway, so we pulled over to see what was in the tree. As we got closer we could see… shoes. Lots and lots of shoes all hanging from the branches. We can’t imagine why. This tree is a lonely thing in a clump of just a few other lonely trees on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere! Who comes all this way to just throw their shoes in a tree? We thought maybe it was a high school senior right-of-passage sort of thing, but it was at least another 50 miles to the nearest town (Fallon) so, who knows? It was interesting, none-the-less.
After the ‘Shoe Tree’ we continued to Fallon and past scenery that looked like a giant dried up lake bed. Seems to belong to Fallon Naval Air Station. It looked really weird – like snow with a green tint. People write their names and messages in it on the side of the road and it comes out black. What kind of military tests were done out here to cause that? We felt like we were in Area 51 instead of Nevada today!
We ended up getting to Reno after dark, so instead of finding a campground and setting up the camper just to take it down again tomorrow morning, we opted for a night at Motel 6. Tomorrow we continue on to Alturas, CA.
Chuck, Chiisai & Shadow at Falling Waters State Park
Today we visited Florida’s Highest Waterfall in Falling Waters State Park located near Chipley, FL in the northwestern panhandle of the state. Wait a minute – did I just say FLORIDA’S highest waterfall? Yes, I did. Who knew, right? The state of Florida is about as close to sea level as one can get without walking right in the ocean, so obviously, this is a must see road-side oddity. We also learned that this park is the location of Florida’s first attempt to find oil. Guess they weren’t too successful, or we wouldn’t have this beautiful park to visit today.
After a light breakfast outside our pop-up enjoying the fresh morning air, Chuck, Chiisai, Shadow and I took a little hike from the campground to the waterfall. It was an easy and enjoyable walk past huge trees and fern-covered sinkholes that line Sink Hole Trail.
Trailhead from campground
Chiisai & Shadow with huge toppled tree root along trail
The trail became a wooden staircase down to the viewing deck for the waterfall.
Overlook into Sinkhole
We really didn’t know what to expect when we reached the waterfall, but what we saw wasn’t exactly it.
'waterfall' top - trickling stream into sink
It turns out that in order to have a ‘waterfall’ in Florida, you really need to have a sinkhole first. Falling Waters Sink is a 100-foot deep, 20-foot wide cylindrical pit into which flows a small stream that drops 73 feet to the bottom of the sink. That 73 foot drop makes this the Highest Waterfall in Florida. The water’s final destination is unknown.
'waterfall' bottom - sinkhole
On our visit, the stream was barely trickling and not much water was falling into the sink below, so it didn’t look like much of a waterfall at all. I’m sure during or after a good rain, Florida’s highest waterfall must be an interesting sight, but not today.
Here is a video of what the waterfall looked like when we were here:
Here is a video of what the waterfall looks like when the stream is running strong:
After visiting the waterfall, we hiked back down to the park’s two-acre lake complete with a white sand beach. It was a great place to relax, cool off, and get our feet wet. The swimming area of the lake is sectioned off for safety, and has a sand bottom. There are picnic tables, benches, and restrooms under shade trees, which Chiisai, Shadow, and Chuck took full advantage of!
Falling Waters State Park lake
Fishing is allowed at the lake in designated areas with a Florida Freshwater Fishing License. The fish were biting while we were there and a few sunfish were caught and released.
Bluegill
This late in the season, there really weren’t many visitors and we basically had the lake all to ourselves. After resting and enjoying the scenery for a while, we all headed back to our campsite and took a few pictures of our neighbors.
Home Sweet Home - love the flower pot on the trailer tongue
Pop-up camper complete with Satellite Dish - Gotta have TV!
Roughing It
We really enjoyed our visit here. If you’re ever in the area, we recommend you visit Falling Waters State Park so you can tell everyone you know you’ve been to the Highest Waterfall in Florida. It certainly makes for a great conversation starter!
Getting There
Only a few miles south of I-10, Falling Waters State Park is located three miles south of Chipley off State Road 77. Turn left on State Park Road and follow it to the park entrance. From I-10, take the Chipley exit south on State Road 77 and follow signs to the park.
Camping
Campers can spend the night on one of the highest hills in Florida, situated in a pine forest 324 feet above sea level. There are twenty-four campsites equipped with water, electricity, picnic tables, and ground grills. Sites are generally level and heavily treed – good for shade but some sites can be challenging for larger rigs. The park states Maximum RV length = 40 ft.
Our pop-up - Tight Squeeze
Waterfall
The waterfall is fed by a series of seepage springs which are completely dependent on seasonal rains. Under drought conditions, there will be very little water flowing over the falls (guess that was the situation during our visit). If you are specifically interested in seeing the waterfall, contact the office prior to your visit to determine if the falls are flowing.
On October 26th, Cheryl will be running the Marine Corps Marathon for Team Running Strong - the ONLY charity running to raise money for American Indian Youth! We are turning MILES into MIRACLES! Will you help her? You can donate by clicking the picture below:
Join Escapees for LESS! NOW just half price through October 31st. Make sure to let them know you heard about it from members #SKP102846 and click the link above.
June 12th, 2008 
Cheryl 
