March 26, 2013 TATE'S HELL!

Funky dining at 2 Als at the Beach!

Natural Spring Water

2 Als on the beach!  We were looking forward to eating at this restaurant only 1/2 mile from our resort.  With many recommendations, we decide to try their cheeseburger.  Oh my!  It was the cheeseburger that we have had in a very long time.  The crinkle fries were not from scratch.  But who cares?  This cheeseburger really made up for it.  It was a great lunch, funky retro beachy atmosphere and I can't wait to come back tomorrow and try their AYCE (all you can eat) pasta.

  

After lunch, we decide to check out the famous Tate's Hell State Park.  I really wasn't that excited to go there.  I mean, it's just a big old swamp with trees. We stopped to the rangers station to get maps and further information.  He gave  us some information and suggestions.  What a delight it was!  It would have been a shame for us to miss this unique and beautiful area.  Tate's Hell State Forest is 202,437 acres in Franklin County and portion of Liberty County.  Check out the legend story on their website on why it is called Tate's Hell. It's an interesting story. 

We entered the forest on the lower southern quarter by Eastpoint from hwy 98.   I highly suggest you get a map first before venturing into this forest.  Our first stop is the dwarf cypress boardwalk.  Very cool!  These cypress trees are over 150 years old and reach of maximum height of 15 feet.  It was a beautiful view on the top deck of the boardwalk.  A stork was nestled in the wetlands area between the cypress trees. It was a unique view and have never seen anything like it before.  

We continued on through the forest along the river stopping at a few of the vacant primitive campsites.  Breath-taking!  What else can I say about these gorgeous sites over looking this wide beautiful river.  It made me (kind of) wish we still had our old Coleman pop-up camper, duck tape and all.  At least, we could easily maneuver it into this site going over the one lane bridges and all. Although, I can imagine the bugs and mosquitoes having their way with us during the warmer months. Plus, the "no see 'ems" are aggressive enough this time of the year.  This is a perfect place for kayak and canoeing.