Blessed are the Intrepid, Day 4:
Sunflowers & Swamps

Today would be day of driving, mostly. Its daylight hours started in North Carolina and ended in Georgia… in a cabin in a swamp. Which means tomorrow I’ll be in Florida! And maybe I’ll get some consistent sun? It seems everyday I’ve had erratic weather. Mostly because I spent these days in the mountains… within their tempestuousness. And I am bummed, once again, to report I am 2 for 2 with overcast stargazing fields. I chose tonight’s accommodations, the Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins, partly on this image from their website.

But I have two left on my itinerary. Yes, Okefenokee is where I lay my weary head tonight. Okefenokee means “land of the trembling Earth.” Some trivia for you. Did I mention the swamp thing? Yes, I also wanted to stay here because the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is like feet away. And I knew I’d have a long haul and wouldn’t be wanting to set up camp upon arrival. But all that is later. Let’s start with looking at the sunflowers I happened upon outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.

I ❤️ 🌻 (a lot)

This looks like a group of friends squeezing in to take a picture.

I am your sunflower overlord.

I have to stand on my tiptoes to capture the depth of this congregation of pretty ditties.

Gosh, they’re so people-y looking.

These ones are mad at me, giving me the cold shoulder

Veltree Vegan Soul Food in Charlotte, North Carolina has hot buzz and celebrity visits. But today, just me. It within a strip of mostly medically places with a standard brick facade. I found it to be slightly mysterious in this way, despite the whole “vegetarian take-out” sign.

You know I am on a vegan fried chicken mission, yeah? I have high hopes that standards will continue to be raised when it comes to vegan food. That speaks to the quality and not just the convenience and availability. I was a bit bummed to learn that Veltree’s chicken wings, the ones that have created such a buzz were those same super-processed vegan wings that are everywhere–the ones with the stick inside. I first had them about 15 years ago and was fascinated then… but now it just seems kind of lazy for an eatery to utilized a frozen food product in lieu of making something from scratch. The treatment of the wings has improved since the old days, yes. I tasted a nice mustardy flavor underneath their craggy breading. And it is not surprising that those are the best parts! Like Bad Gyal in Brooklyn, the coating–authentic batter and crunchy crag–is so very good, that my mind is blown thinking about how this treatment on a piece of tofu would send me over the moon.

Sweet potato and cornbread, yes please. There is no space to eat inside so I kicked it in my car.

There’s the science meat!

Down to Georgia, where they really like the sexy peach emoji. How weird that phones have turned adults into children. As if the adolescent phase could get any longer?

Finally, my red cabin in the swamp! I was excited to have a cozy wooden home for the evening. And this location in particular was appealing for more than just stargazing reasons. Legend has it that there was a race of Big Foot creatures that roamed the Okefenokee Swamp in 1829. This retelling details the account which also involves the beautiful wives of the Big Foot giants who warned lost hunters how savage their men were. Though that was a long time ago, I enjoy that kind of colorful history… and the associated increase in the weirdness factor. Weird is my normal.

But alas, no Big Foot sitings. Just a comfy porch in which to blog inside. And now I decided I must have a home with a screened in porch.

After some relaxing, I headed over to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge before closing time, hoping to see more than passing interstate today. And I saw a lot of these swampy skinny trees. The refuge is a bog in what once was the ocean floor. The freshwater swamp is rich was activity and life. And though I had to rush through their 7-mile Swamp Island Drive, I saw lots of neat things.

The low growing Saw Palmetto was everywhere. I remember this name from when I worked at Country Life Vitamins like decades ago. It was sold a sexy time vitamin for men! You see it helps a man hold on to his precious testosterone. So he can be a manly man.

In this pond would be a gator… maybe more than one. I got to keep my wits about me with these gators since I enjoy wandering into wilderness and taking pictures.

Can you spot him? He’s looking right actha.

He made a slow b-line to me. I get the feeling some humans have fed this guy. Or maybe I was the food?

Later Alligator.

Then this: a venomous Timber Rattlesnake. The lady at Pastimes helped me identify it. It was in the middle of the Swamp Drive road when I came upon it. It was really big, as you can see. But I got out to get just a itty bit closer. He was playing dead.

I didn’t get closer than this, but the zoom on my camera did! He was beast.

This is a killer snake. And this is Swamp Life. And I’d be within it just a little bit more… the White trash border of Florida is very close. I have just the terrible tattoos to make the crossing. Goodnight, Georgia.