by Teri (KO4WFP)
It’s summer time break and I’m getting stir loopy. Earlier this yr, I scheduled an in a single day journey to Reed Bingham State Park. Nevertheless, given the chaos of my private life, it was essential to reschedule the journey. The earliest weekend accessible was Sunday, June 2nd. My son could be out of college for summer time break and using classes would transfer to weekdays.
Sunday rolled round and this POTA Babe was able to hit the highway once more. Out got here the tenting gear with a couple of tweaks. I ditched the DEET insect repellant changing it with a 20% picaridin spray and added a Thermacell unit. I bought a hitch system for Daisy in addition to a harness to exchange her collar. The North Face sleeping bag would keep residence and, instead, I’d use a Sea-to-Summit bag liner for the hotter evening temperatures.
With my gear loaded, Daisy and I hit the highway slightly after 8 AM. Earlier than arriving at Reed Bingham State Park, I deliberate an activation at Bullard Creek Wildlife Administration Space (US-3737). (Sure, I ought to simply grow to be the poster little one for wildlife administration areas as they’ve grow to be my favourite place to activate in Georgia!)
The drive by means of rural Georgia was a nice one.
We handed by means of cities acquainted to us (Pembroke, Claxton – the fruitcake capital of the world, and Reidsville) in addition to new locations like Daisy, Georgia. It was a nice journey and earlier than I knew it, there we had been, crossing the Altamaha River a stone’s throw from Bullard Creek Wildlife Administration Space (WMA).
Really, Apple Maps routed me to Bullard Creek itself and never the WMA. After slightly sleuthing, we had been headed within the right route and accessed the WMA by way of a again route. (I knew we had been in the precise place after I started seeing WMA boundary indicators!)
Bullard Creek WMA consists of over 17,000 acres in two tracts alongside the Altamaha River. One can hunt in addition to fish, view wildlife, and use the general public taking pictures vary. This WMA was amongst one of many nicer properties I visited to date.
Not far after getting into the WMA, I discovered a clearing off the principle highway and determined to arrange there. Current within the clearing had been pine timber with branches low sufficient to achieve with my arbor line. (I knew the WMAs permit wire antennas and figured Reed Bingham would as effectively so I left the Chelegance MC-750 at residence.)
After donning my blaze orange vest and hat, I had the Tufteln EFRW within the tree, the coax connected, and was settled to start.
Two issues occurred briefly order. (Keep in mind, ALWAYS count on the surprising with POTA.) I couldn’t entry the POTA website to identify myself as a result of variable cell service. My accomplice Glenn W4YES got here to the rescue and noticed me on 30 meters. I labored a couple of callers after which…the solar got here out. Actually.
We had departed Savannah underneath cloudy skies which remained throughout my drive south. Within the clearing the place I arrange, there was ZERO shade as I anticipated cloudy situations to persist.
As heat because it was, even together with her cooling coat, it was too scorching for Daisy to stay within the solar. And I had no want to roast both. So briefly order, we relocated to Kai, the one shade anyplace shut by.
As soon as settled, I moved to twenty meters and, with cell service working for the second, was capable of spot myself on 14.054. Twenty meters was the magic band because it yielded 9 QSOs in ten minutes. Given I had a sound activation and entry to the POTA website now, it was time to hunt for park-to-park QSOs.
Once more 20 meters got here by means of as a lot of the activators that morning had been on 20 meters. I labored Roy AA3RT at US-6432, Paul NA9M at US-10648, Gregory WB8IZM at US-6618, Jim WB0RLJ at US-4011, Charles AB9CA at US-2275, and Mark AA3K at US-6432.
At this level, there have been no extra activators I might hear so I returned to calling CQ. Twenty meters gave me yet another QSO, a SKCC op I hadn’t seen in awhile – Hank K1PUG in CT. It was practically time to name QRT however earlier than doing so, I moved to 17 meters and labored Peder SM2SUM and Brian K3ES.
Now that the on-air part of my go to to Bullard Creek WMA was profitable, it was time to discover! With map in hand, Kai, Daisy, and I set off after packing up the whole lot. My aim was to achieve the Altamaha River if doable.
We drove down roads of various composition – one gravel (I believe due to the run-off from rain evident by the sculpted dust alongside either side), one packed dust, and one other a parallel dust observe by means of the woods.
The view various from clear-cut areas to woods with a nice understory dotted with flowers.
Ultimately, we reached the river and located ourselves fairly a couple of ft above the swift-paced present. After a couple of moments watching the eddies within the muddy-looking water beneath, it was time to move to our subsequent vacation spot – Reed Bingham State Park.
We managed to seek out our approach out of this WMA and onto US 221 headed south. What would I discover at Reed Bingham and would the bands proceed to be sort to me? Keep tuned…
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