Check out the F’s:
Florida, Field, Friday, Fluker’s, St. Francisville, Flowers, Ferns, Forest, Floor, Finery, Fun, Food, Follies, Fresh air, Friends
Friday May 25
12:00 noon – 2:00 PM Meet at Rick and Susan Webb’s House and Nursery 63279 Lowery Road Amite, LA 70422 (985-748-1122 Rick’s Cell). Look at woodies in nursery and walk the patches of ground left to recovery.
2:00 PM-6:30 PM Caravan and visit Sandy Hollow Wildlife Management Area. We’ll try
for three stops there: a sandhill habitat, a recovering Longleaf burned area, and, if time allows, a hike back to a woodland bluff. Participants should have a valid hunting license or fishing license or Louisiana wild stamp. Wild Louisiana stamps are available where ever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, including most Wal Marts. The cost is minimal and it supports habitat preservation.
7:00 PM – ? Back to the Webb’s for a Back-deck, Sun-down, Bar-B-Que, Throw-down and Slide Show. Bring a favorite dance CD if you care.
? – Bed down for the night. Webb’s property has plenty of camping area with available showers, three full hook-up RV spaces and sleeping for 8 inside the house with reservations. Amite offers two motels: Comfort Inn 1117 West Oak Street 985-748-5550 (new) and the (older, budget) Colonial Inn 11255 Highway 16 985-748-3202. Both are near the Amite exit off Interstate 55 at Louisiana 16.
Sat May 26
9 AM
Meet at Chipola at the intersections of La 38 and La 432 in St. Helena Parish for trip to Fluker’s Bluff. We will caravan from here to Fluker’s Bluff.
Bring a picnic lunch and be ready to dine in the woods.
2 pm Betty Miley’s
Directions from Fluker’s Bluff – Drive west on Hwy. 432 (which passes through Chipola, Felixville, Woodland) ~6 – 8 miles. Turn right (north) on 67, aka Plank Road. Travel about 3 miles. Turn left (west) on 422. Travel ~12 miles to Norwood.. Turn right (north) on 19. Drive 2 miles. Turn right (east) on Spec Garig Rd., which is near the top of a hill. There’s a small gray house on the corner. Travel 2 miles–road is rough and turns to gravel/dirt. Turn right after our mailbox (one of 3 mailboxes on one post). Follow the drive to our A-frame house, passing a large pink house. yes, pink. Park in front of the house. I’ll attach some signs or colored tape at turns.
We have electricity available for any tenters or campers if they park close enough to the house and shed. Cell phone service is usually nil for most people. Supper and potluck around ?? 6-ish?
Depending on the weather, we can have a hayride in the evening. We usually sit on folding chairs in the trailer instead of bales of hay. I’ll be ready to make bacon, eggs, biscuits, & hash browns in the morning. We don’t really have a big mosquito problem here. I may have to eat these words if it rains a lot. But I hope we will be able to sit outside by a fire and torchlight. I’m looking forward to it!
Sunday May 27:
Gather at 9:00 AM at Tracey & Dave’s house, Ouida Plantation, 6882 Ouida Irondale Rd., Weyanoke, LA; 14 miles northwest of St. Francisville. Check out the native plant & perennial gardens. Hike the ravines of the beech magnolia forest. Casual picnic lunch provided by Tracey & Dave. In the afternoon, those who want to can hike in the nearby Tunica WMA (Wild Louisiana stamp or hunting or fishing license required) or visit the falls at Clark Creek in Pond, MS, about 20 or 30 minutes from Tracey & Dave’s.
One large bedroom with private bath can sleep up to six people. If anyone wants to spend the night on Friday and/or Saturday, contact Tracey [email protected] or 225-655-4028).
Directions to Tracey & Dave’s:
From St. Francisville, travel north on US Hwy. 61.
Turn left on Hwy. 66 (a.k.a. the Angola Rd. or the Tunica Trace)
Travel 10 miles on Hwy. 66
Turn right on Ouida Irondale Rd., shortly after passing a green sign for the Weyanoke Post Office.
Travel 1 ˝ miles on Ouida Irondale.
Look on the right for a split rail fence, shortly after passing “Harmony House.”
Enter the gravel drive and take the left fork up to the house.