Gatorama and Arbuckle creek

Oct. 28   Paddling a bombing range: Arbuckle Creek

 I spent the night at Fisheating Creek campground which included a late afternoon visit to Gatorama to see both alligators and native Floridian crocodiles swim together in harmony.Then there is the exception of Goliath, the 16 foot behemoth that lives in a pen by himself away from the other residents of the pond. Goliath, a native of Florida, has killed at least 10 of his brothers and sisters at Gatorama with the skulls lining the outside of his pen to prove it! I first visited Gatorama last year on my way back from Miami and loved it. Alligators, Nile Crocs, Pacific crocs, Cuban crocs, Florida panthers, and peacocks all live here. Many nuisance gators are relocated here where they live, mostly in harmony, and all enjoy a raw chicken dinner during the feeding show. I even watched our show's host open up a pen and climb on the back of Big Daddy, a 13 foot and rotund alligator, and ride him to the water so he would participate in the feeding. Wow! After an hour and a half visit to Gatorama which is a mile South of the campground, I toured the campground and made an early dinner of biscuits and bacon which I bought at the camp store on the recommendation of the girls working there. It was good, although the biscuits were burned on the outside and doughy on the inside. I had no neighbors until sundown, which comprised of three families and active kids. It was good to see kids enjoying the outdoors and families together. I tried to sleep, but the hard ground took its toll on my back and hips. I need a small mattress or a tent hammock. Best part of the campground was the showers!

GIRTH

A man eating "salty"

Big Daddy

Goliath...the undisputed champ of Gatorama

tale of the tape

 The next morning I made the picturesque drive to Avon Park to find the boat ramp to Arbuckle Creek. Leaving Palmdale, I had to laugh. That poor town has nothing, except a very nice campground and creek to paddle. Its only restaurant called the "cracker barrel" burnt down. I travelled North to Lake Placid where there were hills and lakes. I drove through a very nice artsy fartsy section in Sebring. This was lake country.I found CR 64, an extension of SR 64 and found Arbuckle Road which led to a bumpy dirt road. There were cattle ranches here and it was nice to see some big bulls but even nicer to finally see the boat ramp where I arrived at 11 am. There was even a big white, creepy looking van parked there. I discovered Arbuckle Creek while researching new places to paddle and it was highly recommended as was Fisheating Creek. Contrary to my wife's opinion, each waterway has its on personality and that "thing" which makes it unique. Here, I paddled near a bombing range. Arbuckle Creek gets its remoteness from MacDill Air Force Base which borders it. Paddling its dark, tannin stained waters while hearing bombs go off has to be experienced. The creek runs 23 miles from Lake Arbuckle, South to Lake Istokpoga (dangerous waters).

ramp and dock at Arbuckle Road

notice wound on his front leg.

 I pushed off down the canal from the very nice boat ramp which has a new looking dock as well, and started my paddle upstream against a lively current. I paddled about 2.5 miles upriver and felt energized. The creek is about 30 feet wide and bordered by very heavy cypress and hardwood hammock forest. I heard loud explosions deep into the forest as well as other strange and loud noises. Signs are posted along the creek and if you didn't know any better, you might be very concerned by the noises.Other than the occassional explosion, the creek is very peaceful and tranquil. Very dark and mysterious looking as well. The water appeared high and it was- over 4 feet. Overall this year has been a wet one and water levels everywhere have been higher than normal. After and hour and a half or so, I came out of the dark canopy towards the sun. Coming around a bend, I spied a ten foot gator sunning near cattails with two large and bloody wounds on his back. As I fumbled with the camera and my paddle,it exploded off the bank and into the water. I paddled just around another bend and saw another very large gator with a wound on its front leg. Could this have been the culprit? I saw another alligator off to my right peering at me from the water.No gators and now I found a gator pit full of large bull alligators competing for territory. On the banks, I noticed some houses that apparently were part of the air force base; there were grills by the banks along with picnic tables all but covered with overgrown grass. These gators may have enjoyed some BBQ or some airmen. Either way, I paddled under the CR 64 bridge that leads to the base and into Lake Arbuckle.

entering Lake Arbuckle

windy conditions on Lake Arbuckle

 The lake was very windy and I struggled to paddle out into it. It looked vast and the waves created by the wind crashed over the bow and sprayed me with cool water. After a few minutes struggling to paddle against it, I gave up and drifted back towards the bridge. The trip back was uneventful.I did see some very interesting looking cypress trees; the roots created some haunting images.The dark water was beautiful as the sun hit it in shallow places leaving a dep red, orange color. I fiddled with my GPS and it struggled to get a reading under the dense canopy.Finally after 15 minutes or so, it had a signal and I  was less than a mile from my starting point.I did not see anyone else on this five mile paddle, except for two biker guys that were hanging out at the boat ramp.They admired my kayak and I commented on their motorcycles. Three different middle aged men discovering freedom in different ways.

Warning: get out here and be bombed!

Pepe the frog?

Arbuckle creek was accessed from CR 64 in Avon Park.Look closely for Arbuckle Road for the turn to the boat ramp. It is a very nice ramp and NO FEES! You can not land at the air force base even though it looks like a nice place to stop. No places to get out on this section, unless you're feeling lucky.