View allAll Photos Tagged okefenokee
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mrk II
Lens: Tamron 28-300mm
Post Processing:
Lightroom 6/CC
onOne Perfect Effects: Dynamic Contrast-Natural, Angel Glow, Sunglow, Big Softy
Topaz Impressions: Chiarrusco I
In the right foreground (brownish area) you can see a recent 'blowup' which is a peat formation of rotting plant life that has blown to the surface by methane gas. These blowups form what is called Batteries, These Batteries can become quite large and reach a point where they contain many plants, even bushes and small trees. One of these can be seen to the right of the blowup, you can see the plants are taking hold. These Batteries are free floating and can be moved about by the wind. When they get quite large they can really clog the water trails and have to be moved. One of the jobs I had while volunteering, a job I relished as it got me out in the swamp!!!
On March 16-17, 2011; Jim and Judy took a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. We drove from Valdosta to Fargo and St. George on highway 94. In St. George we turned north on highway 121. We arrived at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge just south of Folkston. We ate lunch in the Okefenokee Adventures Cafe, toured the Visitor Center, and took a 90-minute boat tour in the canal dug around 1895 to 1900 to attempt to haul out cypress timber. The canal didn't work; so, a railroad came and were successful at hauling out timber. We left the refuge and drove north to Folkston and enjoyed visiting the Folkston Funnel, a high-tech shelter for observing, logging, photographing, and videoing north and south bound trains. Finally we drove further north to Waycross to spend the night at a Hampton Inn which had complimentary high-speed Internet that worked. We enjoyed a dinner of blackened fish at Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Waycross.
We spent Wednesday night in Waycross, GA and took a round-a-bout way home. We drove to Blackshear, GA and saw the old home where Jim's grandparents lived. Then we drove to Alma, GA where his first cousin had lived before he died as a teenager. Next we drove through Nicholls and Douglas, GA. We came back home through Pearson, Lakeland, and Hahira. We ate lunch-supper at Smok 'n Pig in Valdosta.
We first tried to go to the Okefenokee Swamp in 1985 but were told it was closed due to a drought. In 2004, we considered trying go there again on another vacation through the Southeast, but it had been another dry year. Finally, in 2018, we were able to go.
Okefenokee Swamp Park, Waycross, Georgia.
The next day it was still raining, and it rained all day. Normal people would have stayed indoors.
But no ... we drove up to Georgia, to the Okefenokee Swamp.
We first tried to go to the Okefenokee Swamp in 1985 but were told it was closed due to a drought. In 2004, we considered trying go there again on another vacation through the Southeast, but it had been another dry year. Finally, in 2018, we were able to go.
We first tried to go to the Okefenokee Swamp in 1985 but were told it was closed due to a drought. In 2004, we considered trying go there again on another vacation through the Southeast, but it had been another dry year. Finally, in 2018, we were able to go.
In the late 1800s, W.T. Chesser and his family settled a small island on the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. The Chesser’s were a rugged family, carving out a life in the often harsh conditions of the area.
Their history is typical of many area settlers; they ate what they could shoot, trap, catch and grow on the sandy soil.
Cash crops were primarily sugar cane, tobacco, and turpentine.
They lived simply, worked hard, and played hard, when possible.
W.T. Chesser came from the Tattnall and Liberty County area to settle on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. He settled the area currently known as Chesser Island, a 592 acre island filled with forests of longleaf pine, slash pine and pond pine in low areas, and an occasional oak hammock. The original homestead was south of the current buildings.
W.T. Chesser had six sons. Son Robert Allen Chesser married Lizzie and had 13 children.
Son Sam Chesser married Sara and had 9 children. Tom Chesser, the youngest son of Sam and Sara, built the current homestead in 1927, with his wife Iva.
The home is built of yellow pine and reportedly cost $200.00 to build. Originally, the building had four rooms and it featured an indoor kitchen. Bathroom facilities were outside, but a bathtub was located on the back porch. Two bedrooms were added as the family grew to seven children.
Outbuildings include a smokehouse, syrup shed, chicken coop, corncrib, and hog pen.
The yard retains its original character - it is free of all vegetation, as was the custom of the time to reduce fire danger and increase visibility of snakes.
For the little cash they needed, they grew corn, tobacco, or sugar cane; they also tapped pine trees for turpentine. Work and play often came together - hog butchering and syrup grinding were times when families got together to visit, work, and play.
Typical of families at the time, they told stories, attended church all day on Sunday, and played with toys made at home. The Chesser’s were fond of a distinctive type of music - four-note or sacred harp singing. Chesser descendants continue to sing these primitive, acapella, harmonies today.
Most of the Okefenokee Swamp became a national wildlife refuge in 1936; slowly the Chesser family located to other areas. Tom and Iva Chesser were the last family to leave the island, in 1958. Many members of the Chesser family remain in the local area. They are involved in the ongoing maintenance and interpretation of the Chesser Island Homestead; some are employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in various capacities.
Okefenokee Swamp
Waycross, Georgia
West Mims Wildfire at Okefenokee NWR. Photos taken during a strategic firing operation along GA 177 in The Pocket near Stephen C Foster SP. Photo Credit: Josh O'Connor - USFWS
Okefenokee Swamp Park, Waycross, Georgia.
The next day it was still raining, and it rained all day. Normal people would have stayed indoors.
But no ... we drove up to Georgia, to the Okefenokee Swamp.
The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre, peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia-Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and is the largest blackwater swamp in North America.
The swamp was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.
As a child, I heard so many tales about the Okefenokee Swamp ... people getting lost in it ... it was a place I had always wanted to visit.
The swamp is in a giant peat bog, which makes the fresh water a dark tea like color. The dark perfectly still water acted like a perfect mirror.
West Mims Wildfire at Okefenokee NWR. Photos taken during a strategic firing operation along GA 177 in The Pocket near Stephen C Foster SP. Photo Credit: Josh O'Connor - USFWS
The swamp was full of alligators. At times we would see 4 at a time. They usually were perfectly still with their eyes and snout sticking above the water. As we approached, they slowly sank away without a ripple. Sometimes we would see bubbles coming towards us. The water was so dark and reflective, they could be inches below the water and we wouldn't see them.
Helicopter dropping water on private lands to prevent fire from crossing GA Highway 177.
West Mims fire at Okefenokee NWR.
Video by Mark Davis, USFWS.
Outside the now defunct Okefenokee Swamp ride at Six Flags in Atlanta. Notice my cool Mork from Ork T-shirt. Na-Nu Na-Nu!
Okefenokee Swamp Park, Waycross, Georgia.
The next day it was still raining, and it rained all day. Normal people would have stayed indoors.
But no ... we drove up to Georgia, to the Okefenokee Swamp.
The entrance also included a little train ride around the swamp. Again ... just for the two of us.
West Mims Wildfire at Okefenokee NWR. Photos taken during a flight over the fire on 4/26/17 near Soldiers Island. Photo Credit: Josh O'Connor - USFWS
On March 16-17, 2011; Jim and Judy took a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. We drove from Valdosta to Fargo and St. George on highway 94. In St. George we turned north on highway 121. We arrived at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge just south of Folkston. We ate lunch in the Okefenokee Adventures Cafe, toured the Visitor Center, and took a 90-minute boat tour in the canal dug around 1895 to 1900 to attempt to haul out cypress timber. The canal didn't work; so, a railroad came and were successful at hauling out timber. We left the refuge and drove north to Folkston and enjoyed visiting the Folkston Funnel, a high-tech shelter for observing, logging, photographing, and videoing north and south bound trains. Finally we drove further north to Waycross to spend the night at a Hampton Inn which had complimentary high-speed Internet that worked. We enjoyed a dinner of blackened fish at Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Waycross.
We spent Wednesday night in Waycross, GA and took a round-a-bout way home. We drove to Blackshear, GA and saw the old home where Jim's grandparents lived. Then we drove to Alma, GA where his first cousin had lived before he died as a teenager. Next we drove through Nicholls and Douglas, GA. We came back home through Pearson, Lakeland, and Hahira. We ate lunch-supper at Smok 'n Pig in Valdosta.
On March 16-17, 2011; Jim and Judy took a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. We drove from Valdosta to Fargo and St. George on highway 94. In St. George we turned north on highway 121. We arrived at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge just south of Folkston. We ate lunch in the Okefenokee Adventures Cafe, toured the Visitor Center, and took a 90-minute boat tour in the canal dug around 1895 to 1900 to attempt to haul out cypress timber. The canal didn't work; so, a railroad came and were successful at hauling out timber. We left the refuge and drove north to Folkston and enjoyed visiting the Folkston Funnel, a high-tech shelter for observing, logging, photographing, and videoing north and south bound trains. Finally we drove further north to Waycross to spend the night at a Hampton Inn which had complimentary high-speed Internet that worked. We enjoyed a dinner of blackened fish at Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Waycross.
We spent Wednesday night in Waycross, GA and took a round-a-bout way home. We drove to Blackshear, GA and saw the old home where Jim's grandparents lived. Then we drove to Alma, GA where his first cousin had lived before he died as a teenager. Next we drove through Nicholls and Douglas, GA. We came back home through Pearson, Lakeland, and Hahira. We ate lunch-supper at Smok 'n Pig in Valdosta.