| Live Oak, Florida - Farm Trip |
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| Along the panhandle of Florida lies a small country town called Live Oak. It consists of large farms and open fields. And for a group of youths from West Gwinnett Christian Church, it consisted of non-stop fun. This is a photo of the 'farm' where our group stayed. After arriving, we set up our tents, bought groceries, and spent the week visiting various fresh water springs in the area. The following pictures will show you different springs that we visited. This photograph shows part of the farm. This is where our unforgetable nights of capture the flag were staged. We all brought home a lot of memories. |
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| This was probably my most favorite spring. The name of the location is "Royal Spring." Though it might not look like much, if you put on a snorkel and goggles, you can see that the spring opens up into a large abyss. Divers frequent the area. To the right of the photo is a group of rocks that form a ledge that is perfect for jumping. While I admit, the first time took some nerve, I quickly grew comfortable with running and jumping off of the cliff. As you can see, our group was pretty much the only people at this particular spring. One thing to remember - the water is very cold. Springs stay around 50 degrees year round. |
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| This is another photograph of "Royal Spring." It is a continuation of the photograph above. This spring had an ideal rope swing nailed into a tree that leaned over the spring. We all sit in amazement as Wesley Martin takes his plunge off of the rope. This truly was a perfect spot for swimming, snorkleing, or taking a much needed bath. I'm sure all us guys in the group can remember grabbing a bar of soap and lathering up right there in the water. Matt Hicks is climbing the tree while others wait their turn for the exciting moment above the water. |
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| Further down the country roads from "Royal Spring" lies a very beautiful area known as "Charles Spring." The springs run out and flow into the Suwanne River. This photo was taken from the spot at which the springs met the river. Appearing in the photograph from left to right: Ken, Ken Jr., James, Joe, Mike, and Matt. Though hard to see, the guys in the group colored their hair while in Live Oak. I can remember sitting out under the trees at the farm getting my blonde color put in place. Mike, the funniest result, had blue hair, which he promptly had shaved off upon his arrival back in Gwinnett County. |
| This is another photograph from Charles Spring. The springs flow towards the back of the picture and lead into the Suwanne River. Here we see Frances, Summer, and Nathan, among the people in our group. This was a very beautful area. The spring itself actually flows underneath the rocks that the people are standing on. I was actually able to swim underneath those rocks and reach the other side. If you climb towards the top of the hills to the right side of the photo, there is another rope swing that will take you far out over the river. We spent a great deal of time doing that. It was definitely a lot of fun and I want to go back. |