Making our Way Towards the Panhandle

This morning we woke up and decided to head into Chiefland, the nearby town, for breakfast at BBQ Billy's for breakfast.  Then we continued our 2 1/2 hour journey to Ochlockonee River State Park which is located about 30 minutes due south of Tallahassee.  As the name implies, the park flanks the Ochlockonee River just as it joins the Dead River.

Looking south down the Ochlockonee River towards the Gulf of Mexico

This park is equally tranquil as the one the night before.   It has similar flora but a couple of unique fauna.  One is the White Squirrel which we immediately spotted in the park.  The rangers point out that it is not an albino but it is a variant on the grey squirrel.  They usually have dark eyes and some have little patches of black on their foreheads.  They catch your eye as they dart around the pine trees.

A White Squirrel in Ochlockonee River State Park

The other unique species is the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.  It looks very similar to a particular woodpecker we see back on the Northern Neck.  This particular one used to range as far north as New Jersey but is now extinct between New Jersey and as far south as Maryland (for this reason Lance thinks it should be renamed the "confederate woodpecker").