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February 21, Saturday 9:30 AM, JACKSONVILLE ARBORETUM
AND GARDENS HIKE: Come
see this newly opened (November 2008) nature preserve in East Arlington.
Wear walking or hiking shoes, bring sunscreen, hat if you wear one, insect
repellent, and water and snacks. Depending on time and interest, we may do
an additional hike at Spanish Pond/Fort Caroline. For those interested
we’ll go to lunch afterwards. Cost: money for lunch. Meet at the
Arboretum, 1445 Millcoe Rd Jacksonville, FL
32225. Note the only way to reach the preserve is from
Monument Road (some online
direction services incorrectly show Millcoe Rd. connecting to Merrill/Ft.
Caroline Rd.). From 9A, exit east on Monument Road. Turn left on Millcoe
Road, when the road curves to the left, turn right into the Arboretum
parking lot. http://www.jacksonvillearboretum.org/ Leader: Marsha C.
744-6322
February 28, Saturday, 9:00 AM, PRESERVATION PARKS HIKE: We will hike
possibly two of the city’s preservation parks, Cedar Point and Betz Tiger
Point. Preservation Project Jacksonville began in 1999 with a mission to
manage growth, protect environmentally sensitive lands, improve water
quality, and provide public access to the City of Jacksonville's vast
natural areas. Click here for more information. Bring water, snacks, insect
repellant and wear comfortable shoes. We will meet at Hardees on Merrill Rd.
Take 9A North or Southside Blvd Connector North and exit at Merrill Rd.
Proceed East and Hardees is immediately on your left. Please park in the lot
behind Hardees. We can car pool for the drive to Cedar Point Drive. Leader:
Diane J. 821-6707
March 7, Saturday 8:00 AM, CANOE SILVER
RIVER: This will be
a DAY TRIP on the beautiful Silver
River. See monkeys, gators and
maybe some otters too if we’re lucky. We will paddle upriver to Silver
Springs. We can’t get out in that area, but it’s fun to paddle there and
see the springs and the people and listen to the music. Then it will be an
easy paddle back to the put-in. Plan on being gone all day. Bring your
lunch and we’ll “dine” on the riverbank.
8:00 AM is the time we’ll leave
McDonald’s on US 17 across from dog track. There is an outfitter there that
rents boats so let me know if you are renting. Those of us that have our
own, the outfitter will allow us to launch at his place and the cost to put
in is $3.00. If we go to Ray’s Wayside
Park the
entrance fee is $5. Leader: Earline V. 614.8629 e.veltman(at)comcast.net
March 14, Saturday, 8:00 am,
LAKE WOODRUFF WILDLIFE
REFUGE, DELEON SPRINGS, FL: Lake Woodruff is the home of the 2nd
largest nesting population of Swallow-tail kites and the largest population
of bald eagles outside of Alaska. More info at www.fws.gov/lakewoodruff.
Bring water, lunch, snacks, sunscreen and your camera. We may also go to a
restaurant before returning home if everyone is agreeable. Hiking and bird
watching is planned. Meet at the Publix on
Old Baymeadows Road that is at
the corner of Southside Blvd and Old Baymeadows. We will take I-95 South
from Southside Blvd. Park
away from the Publix store bordering Old Baymeadows road. Leader: Mary Jane
J. 651-2201.
March 21, Saturday, 8:30
AM,
ST. JOHNS RIVER CLEANUP AND CELEBRATION:
The City of
Jacksonville annually celebrates a clean up
activity on the
St. Johns River and its tributaries. This
year Sidetrackers will help to clean up Pottsburg Creek.
We will meet at All Wet Sports and put in at the boat ramp there.
All Wet Sports is offering prizes in several different categories:
most trash, biggest trash, etc. They will provide larger boats to pick up
what is collected. After the clean up we will go to
Metropolitan
Park for a free lunch
and a free t-shirt. This is a fun event and you will be amazed at the types
of trash that you will find. Food needed: water, snacks.
Equipment needed: canoe or kayak. You may be able to rent a boat at All Wet
Sports but call ahead to check: 646-9887
Directions: All Wet Sports is located at
8550 Beach Boulevard. This
is across the street from the intersection of
Grove Park Boulevard with
Beach Boulevard and west
of the Walmart on Beach. It is on the east bank of Pottsburg Creek.
Leader: Judy M. Phone: 398-2750(H) 630-1212 x 3897(W)
March 28, Saturday, JACKSONVILLE ZOO OUTING: The group will meet at
Hardees on Merrill Road at 9:30 AM to carpool or travel
solo to the Zoo located off Herscher Drive.
Spring should be bursting out all over with the fresh blossoms of the
season, and the animals enjoying the weather before the heat of summer. It
is a great place to walk, learn and visit with fellow Sidetrackers. Hope
you will join us as it benefits not only you but contributes to one of
Jacksonville's greatest treasures. The cost will be somewhere between $9.50
and $12.00. The Zoo also has nice and tasty facilities for lunch. If
interested, please sign up at the March club meeting or call Marta. Leader:
Marta W. 725-9521.
April 4, Saturday,
TREEHOUSE CAMPING, CAMP CHOWENWAW:
Camp
Chowenwaw, a jewel really, is just
a hop and skip away from
Jacksonville.
We (Sidetrackers) found it and grew to liking this former 70-year-old
Girl Scout camp. This is a 153 acre site in
Clay
County at the
mouth of Black Creek. Address for Mapquest:
1517 Ball Rd. Green Cove Springs, Fl. 32043.
Have you missed having a treehouse in the backyard as a child? Here
is your chance to be a kid again for one night.
I have booked
us in all 9 treehouses (4
bunk beds
per house) on Saturday, April the 4th, 2009.
This is the same camp that helped make the Halloween party so
special.
In
addition to overnight camping, this place has a lot to offer: public pool,
hiking trails, fishing pier and a beautiful natural spring
called Otter Springs. We plan on paddling on Black Creek and Peter’s creek
around the park. Canoe/kayak rentals are not available but we have lots of
members who have extras. When you don’t feel like going paddling with us on
Saturday there are still lots of things to do. Green Cove Springs also has a
Railroad Museum if you are interested.
This
camping trip is one of the most unique ones because we are going to spend a
night in a treehouse. If enough people sign up, this may be under
$10/person! Leaders: Heike and Gene 998-2312
April 17, 18 and 19, Friday - Sunday, TRIP TO ATLANTA/STONE MOUNTAIN:
Come join us for a couple of fun days in Atlanta. We will stay at my house
in Lawrenceville GA. Plan on either sleeping on the floor inside or on the
large deck outside, or bring a tent to pitch. Arrive on Friday either later
in the day or Friday evening. On Saturday we will breakfast at the house
and then hike around Stone Mountain and later either ride or walk up the
Mountain. There are numerous other activities at Stone Mountain that will
fill up your day....or hike all day. Saturday evening will be the laser
show with dinner on the lawn at Stone Mountain. Sunday we'll have breakfast
at the house, then hike before we visit the aquarium. Please purchase your
own aquarium tickets in advance at: http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/visitUs/tickets.aspx
($26 for adults) Sometimes on the weekend they do sell out so it is best to
get tickets in advance. There are different levels of tickets that include
other optional activities. It is a great way to spend the day and I have
been twice. The aquarium is open on Sunday from 10-5. To adequately see
all exhibits takes minimally 4-5 hours. The aquarium food is expensive and
they don't let you bring food into the building. Optionally, if anyone is
interested, some hikes close to Lawrenceville are available on Sunday.
Costs
for the trip: help out with gas for the driving; bring or buy your own
breakfast foods; $8.00 per carload into Stone Mountain; Dinner at Stone
Mountain (we can prepare sandwiches at the house before we leave and put in
coolers or my preference is to buy a bucket of chicken later in the day);
ticket to aquarium; any meals or food or miscellaneous purchases; Please
call leader at 404-307-1422 or email (jakstuff 'at' mindspring.com) to reserve
before April 10th. Limit 20 people due to space. I would like to arrange
carpools for the trip to Atlanta so please let me know if you are willing to
drive or not. If you can drive let me know the number of people you are
willing to take and the time you would like to leave on Sunday. (It is a
6-hour drive between Jacksonville and my house in Lawrenceville with minimal
stops.) Leader: Jennifer R. 404-307-1422
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2009 Monthly Meeting Schedule
MONTHLY MEETINGS are
always on the first non-holiday Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
at the Jacksonville Public Library, Southeast Regional Branch, at the Gate
Parkway exit off
J. Turner Butler Boulevard. Subscribers to our free YahooGroups email list
service
receive an automatic
reminder message in their email two days before the meeting.
WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, August 5, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, September 2, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, October 7, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2009 – 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2009 – 6:30 PM
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