Goats, chickens, kayaking and a couple of really cool locomotives.

After I left Tampa, I headed up to the panhandle and Tallahassee. I’d never been there and the weather was still promising to be warm and sunny. I didn’t want to have to set up my whole site up again, so I booked a Hipcamp. On a Goat Farm. In a converted chicken coop.

It was really quite cozy…with a full-size bed, electricity, an AC and heat and several windows. The woman who owned the farm was a real “earth mother” who knew every single one of her 60+ goats by name. There were also about a dozen cats roaming the property, a huge flock of chickens (including several roosters with very loud and proud “cock-a-doodle-dos”) and a giant white dog named Toby who acted as a sort of body guard whenever I left the Coop.

There was a very serviceable composting toilet and an…interesting shower made out of an old washtub. A little hard to get into, but plenty of hot water! She also had set up a kind of living room space with couches, a microwave, a coffee station and a fridge.

I unpacked and spent some time with with the goats. The next day was gorgeously sunny and I got myself down to one of the many landings and put my kayak in the waters of Lake Talquin.

I met a good ole boy from Tennessee, who told me several hair-raising stories about the alligators in the lake. I did not see any, but I did see plenty of turtles sunning themselves on rocks and branches. That turned out to be the sunniest day, so I was glad I took the opportunity to get the kayak out.

Another day, I drove into Tallahassee proper. There was an arts district called “Railroad Square” which looked interesting. Unfortunately, many of the shops had suffered losses due to the recent hurricane. However, there was some spectacular murals. And I had a delicious lunch of rice ind salmon in a scooped out pineapple.

Then I drove a little further because I wanted to see the “Luraville Locomotive.” This old girl was one of the first wood-burning engines and likely built between 1850-55. It hauled lumber and possibly passengers before sliding into the Suwanee River and spending almost 80 years submerged.

 Residents knew it was there, but nobody could really do much about the locomotive. It was later recovered from the Suwannee River in 1979 by a Luraville resident named James Lancaster who decided to take it upon himself to retrieve the locomotive from its spot.

The original records are long gone, so nobody knows the number of the engine, or even how it ended up in the river. But now it’s been spruced up and a “depot” was built for it in 1912. I imagine it must have some stories to tell!

Another day, I drove in the other direction, towards Blountstown. There I visited Locomotive 444 , built in 1911, which was part of the Marianna and Blountstown Railroad, and the last steam engine on that line. The B&M was a “short line” – only 29 miles long. It was nicknamed “the route of many bumps.” She was quite a sight…and is installed directly on the old track route. I stood for a few minutes, imagining the trains rumbling along the old rails.

I really enjoyed my time in Tallahassee…and was sorry to be leaving the sun and warmth. But it was time to head back up north. I intended to take my time, and had plans to connect with a number of old friends.

Well, she comes from Tallahassee
She got a hi-fi chassis
Maybe looks a little sassy
But to me, she’s real classy
Yeah, my Tallahassee lassie
Down in F-L-A