Ocean Pond - Thanksgiving

Aerial View of Ocean Pond Area

It's been a warm week in Northern Florida, the highs have been in the mid-70's and lows about 60's.

I got here ahead of my plan late Wednesday (11/15) since there was rain forecast up in SC & GA. 

In past years it was difficult to get a campsite here during Thanksgiving week, but I don't know if the pandemic in 2020 & 2021 changed campers plans because this park was closed at that time. 

There were lots of sites available with Electric & Water when I arrived, but the entire park filled up last weekend. However by Monday 11/20 the park again had lots of available sites and did not fill until Wednesday afternoon. 

The lake doesn't offer much for me to want to take down my kayak and paddle, since although the area is scenic there are motorboats with fisherman that zip around the lake and it is no fun if it is windy. So in all the years we have been coming here I never attempted to paddle. I did find that the no traffic forest roads were ideal to bike on, but be sure to wear something bright during hunting season.

View from Hog Pen to my campsite

 

View from Olustee Beach to my campsite

I took my second bike ride, a 14 mi ride on the sandy forest roads, around the lake and stopped at Hog Pen Campground and had lunch at Olustee Beach along the way. 

A cold front came in on Monday night and we had had a little rain on Tuesday while I waited for a FedEx envelope to arrive from my bank. It never came, and even with calls and promises to deliver, it never arrived on Wednesday either. 

It turned very cool on Thanksgiving Day morning, about 48^o. But it was supposed to warm back to 60^o  with sunny skies. I decided to take another 13 mi bike ride, this time to the northwest of the lake. About 2/3 was on paved roads but I never saw even one car. No one else even takes their bike out of the campground.

Missing Peggy's Turkey Dinner
 on Thanksgiving 8 years ago

I decided I would stay here for 3 more nights and drive over to Lake City to buy some groceries and then spend Sunday night at a Walmart. Then on Monday, I can get an early start to drive to the nearby Ichetucknee Springs River take-out. It's easy to paddle for 3 miles upstream to the spring source and then drift back.