Adventures with Deadheader

[Corley5]

One of the sloughs or feeder creeks off the main river where we were looking for logs and watching out for red wasps and moccasins

A boat house on the Ocklawaha a couple miles downstream from Rodman Dam and the only structure on the river.  That's Harold ;)

Some of the hurricane damage along Little Lake George's shoreline

More damage.  These picture's don't show it very well but these are huge root masses from the uprooted trees.  I sure wouldn't have wanted to have been around when the storms went through.  There was lots of damage along the river and the pine scrub country I drove through was tore up in places also.

Fort Gates

Fort Gates Ferry.  I should have taken a close up of this interesting machine but didn't think about it until I was at the truck and the ferry was leaving.  This was the end of the day after Harold had dropped me off

Homey

Nice solid cypress

Some pecky cypress

Pecky log

Aonther pecky log

Sawing with Homey.  I even got to see Harold saw into Homey's stops and saw into the log loader with the chainsaw ;) 

Harold and Ed on a huge cypress crotch.  I thought I took some pics of some gators but I guess I was too busy holding on ;) ;D ;D ;D  I thought I'd lost this camera actually but found it in the center console of the truck right where I'd put.  Thanks for the super time fellas and if you're not in Costa Rica next year let's do it again 8) 8) 8)

[EZ]

Nice pictures, Thanks.
The wife and I were making plans for this summer to go down to FD place, but I am now on 7 days a week at the shop for the next 18 months. So must for my dream come true.  :(
EZ

[SwampDonkey]

Kewl adventure guys, looks like a good time.  8)  8)

[sigidi]

Corley,

thanks for the pics, great lookin spot.

I can't beleive ya diving in for logs when there's gators around - thanks for forgetting to take their pics as I can still think this place is peaceful and tranquil.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Sig, them Lizards won't hurtcha. We got 'em trained to chase the Tourists. As long as yer with us, yer good ta go. ;) ;) :D :D

  Good post, Greg. I may not be here, but, Ed should be. Guv'ner, too. :D :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Greg, next month starts breedin season. You can't imagine the roaring that takes place amongst them big Lizards.  Gets yer hair standin straight up, sometimes, speshully when they's hidin in the weeds bout 6 feet away. :D :D :D :D

[DanG]

I'll have to stay away.  If my hair stands straight up, I can't see. :D :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Don't know bout dat. Last time I checked, you could see right through it.

  Ed says, sometimes it's a good thing to not be able to see.  :D :D :D :D

[Quartlow]

I want to know how you find the logs,
Great pics Corley, looks like fun was had, and you learned how to saw log bunks in the bargain!!  :D :D

[Tom]

Harold sends Ed down to the bottom with a rope and a skid hook.  Ed feels around and finds a log and drops the skid hook over it.  If it bucks and tries to swim off when Harold pulls the rope, then it wasn't a log. :D

[Paul_H]

Good show Greg!
I've been looking forward to the pics since you said you were heading down there.Nice country.

[Ernie]

In NZ, adventure tourism is a growing market for the tour operators.  We have nothing to compare to your log gathering, you could make a fortune selling people the challenge of hooking logs for you.

Could never be the fun of milling but might be a nice source of extra revenue and a few laughs.

Ernie

[KiwiCharlie]

Hi Greg,
Looks like a lot of fun.  Neat pics.  Are moccasins snakes?  Red wasps dont sound too good either! 
Cheers
Charlie.

[Corley5]

Big lizard breeding season ???  That'd add a new twist to it ;) ;D  Would be neat to hear the racket from a boat in the middle of the river ;) ;D  Moccasins are indeed snakes and will hang in trees over the river and have been known to fall into boats passing underneath   The red wasps that I saw looked like they'd inflict a super nasty sting and it wouldn't take too many to just carry you off ;) 

[KiwiCharlie]

Hi Greg,
I thought they were - I must have taken some info in from a National Geo documentary!  Moccasins to me are shoes, and theyre not dangerous at all!!  ;) :D :D :D
I guess that when you grow up in a place that has these types of animals, its just the norm, and you act accordingly, but for me, coming from a country where there are almost no venimous animals, threads like this send a shiver down my spine.
smiley_deadheader alligator   
Cheers
Charlie.

[Ernie]

Hey KiwiCharlie

What venomous beasts do we have here, The only ones I know of are Helen Clark and her crew?

Ernie

[Corley5]

We've got one species of venemous snake where I come from and I've never seen one in almost 36 years.  I get nervous being in poison snake country too ;) 

[KiwiCharlie]

Hi Ernie,
:D :D  You may need to explain the Helen quip for the benefit of the others!  :D
The Katipo spider is the one that springs to mind.  Found only at the beach under driftwood, but mainly in the marram grass.
I found an Aussie redback on a pallet I unloaded from a container one time.  Dont think they have any foothold here though.
On the North Shore of Auckland, they have a spider called the whiteback I think.  Thats a nasty critter too.
On the whole though, NZ's a pretty good place to live, when it comes to nasties - as you know!  :D
Cheers
Charlie.

[tnlogger]

greg them are some real good looking pics 8) 8)  makes one want to go see the gaters .

[Ernie]

Charlie

I thought the whole world knew our Beloved prime minister Helen Clark.  She is never in the country and gives money away all over the world.

The only nasties we get here are the odd Katipo spider and a lot of white tail spiders.  But they won't kill you like an Aussie Brown snake of a Florida Moccasin.

Ernie

[leweee]

A question for the kiwi's;
    Are the two islands of New Zealand still snake free?

[Ianab]

Yes... 

Mostly thanks to the border patrol folks who will come down like a ton of bricks on anyone they catch trying to bring something like that in. Not to say we dont have out fair share of imported pests, but nothing too dangerous yet 

Ian

[KiwiCharlie]

Hi leweee,
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry spend a good deal of time inspecting/fumigating shipping containers that arrive here, as this is where they sometimes find snakes etc.  Being so far from the rest of the world, container movements into NZ are huge.
There is a massive amount of effort put into border patrol like this, as being that agriculture is such a large part of our exports, any nasties that could threaten that are a major hazard.  At the int airports, they have Beagles that sniff out fruit in peoples bags etc.  Instant $200 fine for having even 1 peice of fruit on you entering the country.  There are many verbal and written warnings prior to landing here etc, so people should know in time.
I dont know if NZ has the best climate for snakes as well, so that could help us.
Cheers
Charlie.

[Ernie]

Go ahead, Charlie, admit it, NZ has the best climate for anything.  Not too hot, not too cold, mostly not too wet and not too dry, at least here in Taranaki.  Snakes would thrive any imported animal thrives here, look at deer, rabbits, possums etc.. I'm just glad that no one imported foxes like they did in Aussie.

Ernie

[leweee]

Thanks Guys......when I was there in 77 inspections were a big deal at the airport.....more than any other country at that time. It obviously has worked. 8)