Ocklawahaboy's Riverboat Rally Event Cache

This cache has been archived.

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Hidden : Friday, October 26, 2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Riverboat, n. "Whatever floating object you choose to ply the river in"

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Riverboat, n. "Whatever floating object you choose to ply the river in"

Come one, come all to Ocklawahaboy's Riverboat Rally. This will be a loosely organized trip from Gore's Landing to Eureka, on the Ocklawaha River, with the event happening on the riverbank along the way.
Ocklawaha is a Native American word said to mean crooked water. The river has been a hub of human civilization and transportation for as long as humans have been in Florida. Given it's much-used past, it is amazing how beautiful and pristine this river still is. From the 1860's to the 1920's steamboats ruled the water.  They carried everything from cotton to mail and brought many a dignitary from Palatka to Silver Springs.  By the early 1920's the combinations of railroads and deisel engines had put the steamers out of business.  The modern highway system soon completely eliminated the need for river transportation and now the glass bottomed boats at Silver Springs and a few private sightseeing charters are all that remains of a once booming commercial boating industry.  Most of the images you will see on this page and the individual cache pages are scans from my collection of Ocklawaha and Silver Springs memorabilia.
The event gathering will be from 9:30 am to 11:00 am. I plan to have a light brunch of sorts available for everyone. Depending on the size of the crowd, I may ask for volunteers to bring food items. The event location has been picked based on expected water level at the time. We may have to tweak the spot a little bit if there is high water. I plan to make the run a couple of weeks early to check out conditions.
On the day of the event, I will leave Gore's Landing county park at approx 8:30am. The park requires a $5 entry fee and the takeout locations in Eureka are county parks that (at least for now) require no entry fee. The nature of this beast means you will be welcome to do the trip on your own, or with a group but you must be at GZ during the stated time to sign the log and log the event (and eat the food).
The river has a gentle current and there are numerous places to get out and enjoy lunch or whatever you might need to do.
This is approx. a 3.5 hour downstream paddle + whatever time you decide to spend hunting caches, fishing, birding or whatever else you may decide to do. Although this is a stand-alone event, the goal is to be finished in plenty of time for you to be back for the FFF Chili Cook-off, if you wish to attend.
We will organize to carpool and haul canoes/kayaks as best we can. If you do not own a riverboat, ask Google or Email me and I bet you can find some local outfitters to patronize if you wish.
This is an almost all weather event. High wind and lightning are the only two weather conditions that will make the river too dangerous to enjoy. If that becomes a reality, I will archive the event at least 12 hours before start time.
The river will still be there either way and you are free to use your best judgement and go out if you wish. As always, you are responsible for your own caching safety so err on the side of caution. This river contains poisonous snakes, stinging insects, poisonous plants and lots of water to drown in so you have been warned.
More specifics, river updates and cache details will follow as they are worked out.
Let Col. Hart punch your ticket and join us for Ocklawahaboy's Riverboat Rally!
We're making 50 of these trackable clay "geocoins" for the event.  Sorry, no unique icon though.

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