My Exquisite Florida

My buddy Judy celebrated her birthday last week. To celebrate, we made the short trip to Gainesville to camp at Payne’s Prairie.  We took back roads and avoided I-75, so we were already relaxing by the time we got to Payne’s Prairie State Park.

Florida is HOT in June!

First, let me just say that tent camping in Florida in June is only for the courageous.  It is hard to say which was more troublesome: mosquitoes or deerflies.  But I can promise that the heat was ridiculous.  It was hard to fall asleep even after a relaxing shower and staying hydrated was a challenge given that we were sweating our brains out.  BUT – if you must tent camp in June, Payne’s Prairie is a pleasant place to do so.

Our Campsite

Payne’s Prairie tent-only sites do not all have power and water. Check before reserving if that’s important to you.  Water is available at the bathhouse, of course, but water is heavy and you may not want to carry it. Our camping loop comprised three tent sites – 27, 28, and 29.  To get to site 27, you had to walk through 28, but our site, 29, offered superb privacy. We used water from site 27 since no one was camping there.

Surprisingly, there appear to be NO raccoons in this park! I don’t think I’ve ever tent camped in Florida without being awakened by rummaging raccoons. Our site provided a picnic table and a tall post with a hanging hook where a lantern could be hung. There is some road noise from I-75, but it was nearly inaudible over the cicadas and tree frogs.

The Visitor Center

The visitor center is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers and overlooks the prairie. You’ll have the opportunity to watch an overview movie that lasts about 20 minutes – we were eager to get on to the trail and did not watch the movie. We did, though, enjoy the other displays. From the large window, we could see bison in the distance!

Observation Tower and a Bit of Advice

From the visitor center, it is just a short walk to the three-level observation tower, and it is worth climbing to the top for a beautiful view of the prairie. My best advice for viewing the prairie is to give it time.  This is not a sight like the Grand Canyon or a coral reef – you can easily be deceived into thinking there is nothing to see.  But the longer you watch the prairie, the more there is to see, and you could overlook something wonderful by not giving this place time to unfold before your eyes.

Karst Geology and Alachua Sink

Up on the tower, you get a sense of how vast the prairie is, and how Florida’s karst geology informs its landscape. This prairie was formed as sinkholes merged. As often happens in Florida where water and plants are left to work together naturally, the plants form a filter to purify the water. The amount of life nourished by this system is unimaginable.  Bear, deer, smaller mammals, waterbirds of every kind, alligators and smaller reptiles, fish, plants. . .it’s all here.

At the end of the 19^th Century, Alachua Sink (the major drain of the Prairie) got blocked and the prairie was covered by a large lake.  During the two-decade blockage, ferryboats used the lake to travel from Gainesville to Micanopy (pronounced mih-ka-NOPE-ee) and fishermen were delighted. Imagine their disappointment in 1891 when the blockage disappeared, taking the lake with it!

Lake Wauberg

Part of the Lake Wauberg lakeshore is accessible from within the state park. There are lovely places to sit and enjoy the lake, a boat launch for boaters and kayakers, and you can even fish if you are properly licensed. The lakefront is a really nice place to sit in the late afternoon and enjoy something cold to drink and you cool off from the heat of the day.

Hiking

If you like hiking, there are trails for every skill level at Payne’s Prairie and in the immediate area. A large wall in the visitor center provides information about the length of each trail and what you may see on each one. I would have liked to see better trail information, especially since there was no guidance once actually on the trail. When we go back for more hiking, we will bring our own maps. We hiked more at Sweetwater Preserve than we did at Payne’s Prairie, mostly because Sweetwater was shaded.

When you hike at Payne’s Prairie, be prepared with plenty of sunscreen and water. We had been warned to bring insect repellent but did not find it necessary on Cones Dike Trail, which led us straight along the edge of the prairie. Plentiful waterbirds were in evidence, along with lizards, a doe and her fawn. . .but no buffalo or wild horses.

We have both decided that we’d love to come back to camp here again, but only during cooler weather. The primitive camping conditions (no water/power onsite) just made the heat a bit too much for us to bear. With a regular afternoon rainstorm, it might have been cool enough to stay in tents, but we got no rain while we were there. In the air-conditioned popup or an RV summer camping would be bearable on sites with power and water.

My camping style falls somewhere in between bare bones and glamping, but I do love to eat, and a great dinner is one place where I won’t cut corners.  Over a lifetime of camping, I’ve managed to whittle my kitchen down to a manageable size so it can be transported easily, whether I’m camping with my hubby in the pop up or camping on my own in my tent.

Full disclosure is necessary, though.  I prepare most of our meals at home, freeze them, and thaw and reheat at camp.  We usually have fresh salads (I chop the veggies at home). This cuts down on the equipment I need and the time I spend prepping at camp. I would much rather do my chopping and peeling in an air-conditioned kitchen!

1.            Pots and Pans

I have two pots and two skillets, in different sizes.  So far, I have not missed other sizes and containers in my camping life!  My skillets are stainless, not cast iron, and some people are surprised and even scandalized by this.  You do you: if you want cast iron, pack it!  I love my lightweight stainless and have not missed the cast iron since I gave it up years ago. I have a lid for the smaller of the two pots, but I think I will add one for the larger pot, too.

2.            Plates and Cutlery

I have a couple of large ceramic bowls, a few melamine plates, and real cutlery that I store in a rack that goes on the table. The rack includes steak knives, a small set of tongs, and a serving spoon and serving spatula. I have two coffee mugs because, honestly, what good is waking up in paradise if you can’t enjoy the sunrise with a great cup of coffee? I’ve also got two stemless wine goblets because, honestly, what good is winding down in paradise if you can’t enjoy the sunset with a nice sangria?

3.            Cooking Implements

Here, too, my kitchen is fairly stripped down. I have a good can opener, which I’m considering ditching now that many canned goods have pull tops.   I’ve got a stainless spatula and a big stainless cooking spoon. I don’t have a strainer. I don’t have fancy gadgets, but I do have a French press coffee pot for when I travel on my own.  When Steve and I camp together, we bring Mr. Coffee along. I also filter camp water, so we have 2 Brita pitchers. On my St. Augustine trip, I bought a stainless steel bowl for salads.

4.            Pantry Items

My kitchen box is large enough to hold some pantry items.  I store it in the shed, so humidity is an issue.  But I permanently store artificial sweetener, Brita filters, multiple lighters and some fire starter material (along with spark-makers so the fire will start even if all the lighters are empty!), some seasonings, tea bags, and packets of hot chocolate. I’ve got a 2 quart pitcher for iced tea and a stainless steel French press coffeepot. I might throw in a couple packages of ramen noodles as I pack for a specific trip, and of course, I add salt and pepper.

5.            Coleman Stove

Since I was a child, I’ve cooked on a Coleman stove, and I don’t think you can do better for most camping meals.  I did make the switch from white fuel to propane, and I find it heats very quickly and is very convenient. It starts every time and I think I own three of them.  Why? Because I can.

6.            Miscellaneous Items

I ALWAYS use a tablecloth when camping.  I’ve seen RVers put their waste hoses on picnic tables…ugh.  So I have multiple tablecloths. I use Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap for everything, so you’ll always find that in my camp kitchen. I’ve also got hot pads and trivets, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and a wipe container filled with grocery store bags that we use as trash bags. We produce little trash when we camp, and a single grocery store bag gets us through the entire day.

7.           Okay — NOT Kitchen Items but Still Gotta Have Them!

Hmm. I didn’t make it to ten. So I’ll share with you a few more things I love to bring along. We recently treated ourselves to two sets of solar camp lights.  They look like the Edison bulbs, and a single string is long enough to go around our 10X10 canopy.  I absolutely LOVE everything about these lights.  They are convenient, easy to set up, STURDY, and provide enough light to read by without keeping neighboring campers awake. In all honesty, we are usually asleep soon after dark, but we love these lights!

8.            Games.

We have SO MANY GAMES, but we always bring Itzi, Pairzi, and Tenzi when we camp. Cards, too.  And when I finally master Cribbage, we’ll add a Cribbage board to our must-haves. We get our games here.

9.            Small Vacuum Cleaner

Nope, I’m not kidding.  I cannot stand sand and dirt all over my tent or in the pop up, and I invested in a small vacuum that keeps my feet happy. It’s rechargeable and has a light so I can see the sand. I love it!

10.          Door mat/Ground Cover

To reduce the need for the vacuum, I also bring a door mat and ground cover.  These go, of course, right outside the tent or pop up. They don’t stop ALL the dirt, but they stop most of it.

There are things I want to add, like a handwashing sink and maybe an electric kettle for late night cups of tea. But for now, this kitchen set-up helps me stay organized and avoid single use plastics.  Other than the paper towels and wipes, it’s an environmentally friendly kitchen. I’m not a recycling nazi, but I do want to be responsible.

Now it’s your turn. What are your must-haves? What might make this a better set-up? 

When you make the turn from Highway 27 into Lake Louisa State Park, you may feel the weight of the city lifting from your shoulders. Within the Green Swamp Area of Critical Concern and along the northern boundary of the Lake Wales ridge, here you have access to nearly unlimited adventure! 20 miles of trails, a system of 10 lakes, and 4500 acres of rolling hills are home to eleven natural plant communities.

This diversity of habitat enables a wide variety of wildlife. You may see deer, bobcat, gopher tortoises, fox squirrels and many birds. On a recent visit hosted by the Lake Beautyberry Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, we saw many gopher tortoise burrows, tons of birds, and two brown watersnakes, one of which was getting ready to molt. What an adventure, right here in Lake County!