Florida Winter Camping | Florida Panhandle | Ochlockonee River State Park

[@bcroft68bc]

My wife and I fish that river and Ochlockonee river state park is where we launch the boat. If you ever get the chance to run that river, run it to the west. The beauty of that river running west is totally breathtaking.

[@hitmanharleyk]

Pronounced O - Clock - O - Knee in Florida, in Georgia it is O - Clock - Knee. I'm from a little town near the river in Georgia. Ochlocknee is native for "land of crooked waters"

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you for sharing.

[@jillcarlson2076]

Ochlockonee State Park is wonderful!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I wish we could have stayed there, maybe next time.

[@lorenenoe4472]

White squirrel video at end so awesome, thanks folks! Be safe. 🚐

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are so welcome. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching.

[@larryvincent2098]

Thank you for another great video . Never ever seen a white squirrel until now . Be careful out there with this coved 19 !! You calm my soul by being yourselves , thank you ....

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you so much for the nice words. We appreciate you watching. Be safe and stay well.

[@jillcarlson2076]

My husband and I stayed 3 nights there and loved every minute! Sadly we didn’t see the albino squirrel but we will be back there this year! Happy trails you three! Be safe! 🥰🙏💕

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Hope you see the squirrels on your next visit, they are quite fascinating. Thanks for your comment.

[@nancyskean6425]

Thank you for taking us away from the world’s troubles, if just for a few minutes.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are so welcome. It is a stressful time but remember this to shall pass. Stay well.

[@rickbaker2330]

You two find the most peaceful and serene locations to relax and enjoy. You have no idea how many of us are envious! OK, at least I am.....

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

The peaceful and serene location are what attract us. We’ve been very lucky on this trip to have found so many great places.

[@sobodon]

Thumbs up!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks for or the thumbs up.

[@CanadaFree.6014]

Funny we were there last week and saw a few albino squirrels. My husband gave a peanut to one...big mistake! He kept coming back to our rig, stood up on his hind legs and begged for more!

[@CanadaFree.6014]

Btw, we both got tick bites there and ended up in urgent care to get preventive antibiotics.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We’ve heard those squirrels can be very pesty, but they sure are cute. So sorry about your tick bites, we didn’t see any on us or Maggie.

[@vanventure4985]

Wow! Really liked this video.. enjoyed the City Park, loved that... State Park was also nice.. My Maggie and I enjoy the state parks too. Great job on the accelerated setup, we liked that! (Pat & Maggie in Savannah)

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you so much for watching and the very nice comment. We appreciate you watching.

[@ftkinsella]

Good to see you guys again. It really helps us to be able to watch a nice video and relax as the world seems to be going crazy. Please stay safe and distanced from others for the time being. Cheers!!!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

These videos were filmed several weeks ago. So we are back home and doing some social distancing. Stay well and cheers to you.

[@TheSassySpoon]

This is great. We are planning on getting our Travato next year and spending some winter time in the Panhandle. Just a FYI about the white squirrel. We live in Brevard, NC. We are home to many white squirrels. They are not albinos and neither was the one you found. A true albino has a pink nose and pink eyes. Ours originally came from a circus train that crashed in Florida. The squirrels were rescued and brought up here and set loose. Now they are all over our mountains.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Many have told us the same thing about not being albinos. :-) But, you gave the most information and made us both smile and go hmmmm. :-). A crashed circus bus?????!!! Who knew? We have to go searching for those NC-non-albino-white squirrels. 😂👍

[@MEDIC7354]

@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle The white whitetail deer and white gray squirrels have piebaldism. LIke the bald eagle, they have mixed up coloration due to a genetic mutation.

[@janetfolkerts5827]

Florida in it's earlier years was the home of several tribes of Indians, thus many names of counties, cities and parks are native Indian names. Yes, they are hard to pronounce. So many RV'rs don't check with the Better Business Bureau's of towns enroute to see IF there are public campgrounds. Also civic organizations like Lions, Moose Lodges, Elk lodges, etc often have camping areas. I love the old metal roofs of homes in the South, and Florida is in the South..another odd thing people forget. Thank you for sharing the beautiful views of the water and sunset.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you for sharing the information on the Indian tribes and looking public campgrounds. We appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@TheOldCowboy1952]

Hey Owen & Lynn ya'll ain't far from us. I grew all around from here. I am glad ya'll are visiting and enjoying my neck of the woods. Beautiful country. Hurricane Michael hurt us bad.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

It is a beautiful place. As we traveled north we did see a lot of devastation from Michael. Thanks so much for watching.

[@debz8340]

Thanks again for my quiet moment this Sunday. Smiles from Ohio.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are very welcome and thank you for watching. We appreciate your smiles.

[@auroranite]

Enjoy the episode and beauty shared Thk. Imo It would be a better design on these vans if there was a hinge platform that came up to rear window height. It could be dropped down as a platform to load the bikes etc hanging off the back. Enjoy👍

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Great idea on the rear hinge. I think that would be great. We appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@sheilaqualls3148]

Beautiful still photos of the sunset! Great video as always! Hope you both & your family are healthy.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We are all safe here, we hope you are also. Thanks so much for watching. Stay healthy.

[@adamanderson3495]

Thank you for posting! I'm going camping in this state park soon! I'm also from the area and it's pronounced Oh-Clock-knee river LOL. Have a great adventure!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

For us that is a hard pronunciation 😂👍

[@trydl88621]

Y’all take such good pictures together. A very happy good looking couple. I enjoy your videos.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you for your kind words. We really appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@michaelmurdock3651]

One more year and I will be right behind you traveling in Florida. Maggie is enjoying the time of her life, “chasing squirrels”

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Maggie loved chasing the squirrels, it is one of her favorite things. Congratulations on one more year. Maybe we’ll see you on the road.

[@alexisjohannesen659]

Love y'alls vibes glad I stumbled on your video's and as a Florida Native the names are hard to say because they are all in the native languge of the tribes that live here in Florida. aka the Seminole tribe located all over Florida.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We always have problems with pronouncing names. We appreciate you watching.

[@WingsandWheelsAlaska]

Wonderful peaceful video! Cynthia always guilts me if I don’t turn around to see things also 😂. Think we are supposed to know that we were supposed to stop automatically sometimes. Stunning sunset pictures. You guys stay safe down there. Miss you Lynn and Maggie and big hugs from all of us to you.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are suppose to know when we want to stop whether or not we say anything. 😂. We hope you are staying well in Alaska. Miss you guys. Thanks for watching.

[@rondagoldsmith6404]

Love those water pictures. So peaceful

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you. We appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@RoadAbode]

Thanks for sharing your journey and the beautiful spots you visit. Enjoy both of your perspectives. 👍

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are so welcome and thank you watching.

[@kennethrohr7765]

Great video! You are always good at describing your surondings, very entertaining.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We appreciate you taking time to watch and comment.

[@jaynemiller8464]

Can you do a video of the tour of your van, any tidbits on where to put stuff and the stuff you can’t live without in your van.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Yes, we will do that. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@superdrs1960]

Well done, thanks for sharing !

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks so much for watching.

[@lustraveller717]

Gorgeous sites! They do seem so peaceful. Great pictures of the two of you and also of the sunset, so colorful. Enjoyed your video, thank you. Safe travels!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Both sites were very peaceful and we ending up wishes we could have stayed longer. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@chrisbsworld6634]

Great Video!!! Keep up the great work and all of you be safe out there on your travels.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you, we appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@discoveringlockenest8420]

Awesome! 🤙

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nickyanks7]

Loved this video, we were there the same time you were! We were in site 9, you can see our camper on the right as you walked through the campfire circle pathway, I guess we're famous now! Keep the videos coming, happy camping, stay safe on the road!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I wish we could have said hello. Maybe next time. Safe travels to you!

[@susanstrickland6774]

😊👍

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks for watching.

[@mikemanjo2458]

Wow! It’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing your journey! All the Native American names of places are complicated, but you guys did great! We’ve discussed the log cabin idea as well. Have a great day! (Jane)😊

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are correct with Native American names they are sometimes complicated, for us anyway. Thanks so much for watching.

[@galpalsal]

Great video Owen! It incorporates all of what you, Lynn, and Maggie do so well. First time I heard that song "Take me Back to the Jungle" and it was a great background choice. Beautiful sunsets, interesting wildlife, a little education, and lots of Love!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you so much for your kind words. We so appreciate you watching.

[@forreststinnett4123]

Looks like some great places to stay at safe travels.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We’ve been very lucky in finding great places to stay. Thanks so much for watching.

[@billsherer7629]

I watched in 2 session and forgot - did. You happen to find out why the areas called ‘Forgotten Coast”? It’s because early Florida tourism left these small towns off their maps 😀

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We did not know that… how sad, it’s so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[@janetrudolph3378]

Florida State Parks are closing for a while - let me know if you all need a driveway to camp in for a few days (Port St Lucie FL)

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you so much for the nice offer. We are back home now and plan to stay here awhile. We appreciate the nice comment.

[@debnelson5071]

Ahhhhh....so relaxing. I watched your video wearing earphones, since my girls are watching a movie, and I was amazed that I could hear birds chirping at your second site! That was certainly a lovely area! What's the step stool used for? Thank you both for the visit!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

The main thing we use the stool for is attaching the bikes to the rack at the top, but we also use it to clean the windshield among other things, it always comes in handy. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@goode31763]

O-clock-knee

[@katemuniz7196]

How does your clam fit in the Thule? Our clam is almost 6 ft tall....is the Thule that big? Great video.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Our clam is not 6 ft tall when it’s in the bag maybe 5. The Thule is probably 5 1/2 ft. It does work well for extra storage. Thanks for watching.

[@mikemanjo2458]

Lynn, did you take the still shots? They’re awesome. Love the pic of y’all together. Pet Maggie for us! Safe travels! (Jane O.)

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I think we both took the still shots. Glad you likes them. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@commshopctr]

By any chance, Did you encounter insects? Hard to hide from them in Florida. Enjoyed your journey... Safe Travels!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

The only place we had issues with insects was at the campground in Cedar Key, so we decided not to say there. But other than that we’ve been really lucky, we haven’t even used the screen room in a while. Thanks for watching.

[@vicdot2481]

Can you tell me the name of the camera you use for vlogging??? Picture and audio is great!!!!!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Well that's great to hear!!! ❤️👍. You might not believe it but in January we switched to using our iPhone 11 Pro's almost exclusively. Every now and then we use our DJI Osmo Pocket for time lapse clips but we almost always use the iPhone for that now too since it has dynamic speeds and sound. Our video tomorrow from Apalachicola is in 4K from the phones. Crazy what you can with the camera that's also your phone these days. Thanks for making us smile with you comment.

[@TheOldCowboy1952]

Owen, lol! It's pronounced Oak-lock-knee

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks for the correct pronunciation. I think we both pronounced it different everytime we said it hoping one of them would be correct. We appreciate you watching.

[@TheOldCowboy1952]

Hey Owen, how has the coronavirus effected how you travel and do things? Thanks!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

The social distancing hit at a time when we were already home so at the moment it hasn’t had any immediate impact. But I guess as far as planning goes it’s made us rethink any longer trips, especially the one this spring to Newfoundland. Recent border closures announced by Canada have us afraid that even though US citizens can cross today that that may change. So... we’re going to stay home for another few weeks and then take a look at how things are going then. It’s a scary time for sure and we hope you’re in a safe place and that you and your family stays safe and healthy.

[@marilynnarnold811]

Chinook's are hard to find. The prices have skyrocketed.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Talk about an older RV holding it’s value. Like Don said they’re built like tanks and they are hard to find. Other than the MPG we love them a lot too.

[@lisaandmandiontheroad8504]

We are supposed to head to st Pete in our roadtrek in two weeks but it looks like all the camp parks are closed? I still want to go but where do we park? How are things in fla? Let me know

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We are no longer in Florida. We decided to come home and hunker down until it’s safe to travel again. I’m not sure about places to park... things seem to be changing daily. Thanks for watching. Good luck and be safe.

[@Abeaness]

Is it typically that empty at that time of year or was it more of a result of the start of the pandemic last March?

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

The pandemic hadn’t started when we were there. I’m not sure if that was normal or not. Thanks for watching.

[@brettmasonmedia]

Don't know how you avoid traffic stops with your tag obscured like that. You have been lucky

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We have been lucky with that one. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, we will work on that.

[@davidgentile4576]

So what do you do all day there?

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

At which place? I guess pretty much what we would do at any other place. Take walks/hikes, look for things to do within the park like water activities, visit with neighbors, read, cook, clean, check out the surrounding area, and Owen works on Video’s a lot. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching.

[@sunshineviking9933]

We've stayed at Ochlockonee River SP a few times and found it to be a nice quiet place, unless the airboats are going through (loud!). The squirrels aren't really albinos. They're white, but many have grey and black in their fur. The black eyes give them away as non-albinos. Ochlockonee was the first place I ever saw them, but they also have small wild groups near Talahassee, Florida, and an area up in Georgia, and another in central Florida. I think I recall someone saying there was even a group up in the Carolinas somewhere. Ochlockonee was also the first place I ever saw a "Cow Killer Ant". They are really a wasp, but they are large and the sting is said to be unbelievably painful. Have fun and keep the vids coming!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We appreciate you correcting us with local knowledge. The ranger called them albino squirrels so I guess that’s why we started calling them that. But... you’re right... no blue eyes. Duh! Should have thought of that too. Thank you. That would be cool to see them in the other places. And we’re glad we didn’t see the Cow Killer Ants too. Thanks for being part of the journey. Stay safe!

[@kjlcycler]

No rust bike chains: www.kmcchain.com/en/series/ept

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You noticed how bad our bike chains look... 😂. They are very old bikes and having them on the back of the van is very hard on them. Thanks for the information, we will check it out.

[@Lracnolip]

Your plate was covered up from the ladder

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are correct we need to fix that. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[@byronbrasher8118]

Sounds like a bad plug wire touching metal or a carbon track forming in the cap

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

What? Our van?

[@patriciasmith3116]

I think that was Maggie breathing 😂

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We watched it tonight and both said the same thing. Every van talking shot has Maggie panting in it. 😂😂👍

[@davidbarron100]

Love your videos and your attitude,but please work on the audio. Can’t hear a lot of what you’re saying.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We will work on the audio, thanks for bringing that to our attention.