Saturday, December 14, 2013

Ocean Pond NFCG, FL - 12/14/13

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Saturday – December 14, 2013
Lake City, Florida
Oceola National Forest
Ocean Pond Campground

It was a beautiful sunny day here at the Ocean Pond campground on Friday. The temperature was in the mi-60’s. It was an excellent day for our daily 5-mile walk. We started out with a walk around the campground, then onto the entrance road to the campground that took us 1.5 miles to the main road (Florida State Road 250A) and then back to the campground.

Refreshed from or walk, I prepared a gourmet breakfast for the two of us, consisting of one egg on a sausage patty, topped with melted shredded cheese and smothered with grilled onion, celery, red & yellow peppers, garlic and chopped tomatoes and green chili’s. This homemade breakfast recipe has become one of our favorites that we now have two or three times a week. The chopped tomatoes and green chili mixture provides this dish with just enough heat to satisfy our desire for a spicy taste. I cook the eggs inside of three-inch diameter rings that are seated inside of the frying pan, so the eggs come out perfectly round every time. It also provides for a very nice presentation.

Saturday has brought in a warm front with the temperature forecast to reach 78 degrees. It has been overcast all day, with a few brief sprinkles lasting only a minute or so. We managed to get our 5-mile walk in this morning, despite the sprinkles of rain.

Ocean Pond is a very scenic and well-maintained campground. There are four restroom facilities with flush toilets. Two of the restroom facilities have hot showers and have a washer and dryer available for use by the campers for a $1.00 fee each.

Ocean Pond has a total of 67 campsites:

Campsites 1 through 19 have electric and water hookups. They are located on paved pads, within a circular open area, providing some degree of privacy between campsites. The daily fee for these sites is $18.00 ($12.00 for Golden Age Passholders).

Campsites 20 through 46 have only water hookups. They are located on paved pads, within a straight stretch of the campground road, providing an open campsite area surrounded by pine trees that offer a high degree of privacy between campsites. The daily fee for these sites is $12.00 ($6.00 for Golden Age Passholders).

Campsites 47 through 67 do not have any hookups. They are located on gravel pads, within a circular heavy wooded area, providing a high degree of privacy between campsites. The daily fee for these sites is $8.00 ($4.00 for Golden Age Passholders).

Adjacent to the campground is Ocean Pond Lake. It is a bowl shaped fresh-water lake stretching two miles wide and only 12 feet deep. This is a popular area for fishing, kayaking and canoeing. It looks like small fishing boats with trolling motors are allowed on the lake. There is a swimming beach located within the campground. Signs are posted warning that Alligators inhabit the lake.

Another enjoyable day spent at Ocean Pond.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

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