Bob Deakin Short Stories

The Sunnyhill Restoration Area in Weirsdale, Florida is about as far as one can go into the wilderness for an off-road run within an hour of Orlando. This place is out there, and once at the site, it’s a long run into the property to pick up the trails. Adding to the seclusion, it’s one way in and one way out, with no sign of humanity anywhere to be found.

This is another one of the alluring properties under the auspices of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) – 4,400 acres of forest and wetlands alongside the Ocklawaha River flood plain at the southern end of the Ocala National Forest. The park is found off C.R. 42, about 10 miles west of S.R. 19 in Umatilla, northwest of Eustis.

In what has been a long summer of off-road running trails deep into the wild of Central Florida, the Sunny Hill Restoration Area is as deep as it has gotten thus far. In retrospect, visiting these trails in the cool weather months would have been a much better idea as the areas would have been drier, not so overgrown with vegetation and safer to travel without the threat of rain, lightening, bugs and reptiles. At least the photos are more colorful as well as the tales to tell.

Going for a run at the Sunnyhill Restoration proved much more of a challenge than expected upon entering the parking lot/trail-head. The maps of the trails are fairly simple as is the topography – flat with very wide, grass paths and plenty of visibility. Upon setting off for the run, it was a jaunt through heavy oak forest to a cross section of paths where it was necessary to choose between a safe-looking unpaved road or a more challenging grass path with no markings: The grass path it was.

A mile or so in an observation deck appeared in the middle of a wide stretch overlooking a lake and the surrounding wetlands. A mental note and check of the map confirmed the location, then it was follow the yellow grass road. Soon after it was apparent that summer is not the best time to be here as the road became increasingly wet with aggressive horse flies and angry birds circling overhead. After much hopping and leaping over water, the scenic tour began.

It was a stunning display of wildlife thereafter, with gators splashing in a canal, water moccasins slithering about and lots of butterflies and birds of all colors and types. The pine forest of the Ocala National Forest appeared and it was long, wide grass trail from there on. More checking with the map confirmed that it would be about three miles in to the edge of the forest, a mile or so in the other direction to see the Ocklawaha River then a different trail back to the parking lot.

The plan was being followed, with all sorts of wildlife peeking out of the bush and water along the way, when it started to get a little cloudy. Once at the National Forest it was back toward the parking lot, and that was going to be about eight miles of running and walking when it was all done. On the way back the clouds quickly grew thick, the thunder started rumbling and it was decided to take a path west to another observation deck located near the river on the west side of the property.

Once near where that observation deck was supposed to be it turns out that the deck was actually on the other side of the river, some 100-feet across and no way to get there. Just then, the lightening started with reckless abandon and as a sitting duck, there was no choice but to hop into the brush alongside a ditch as the lightening was so close and so loud. More disturbing than the lightening was the rustling in the ditch. Plenty of snakes and gators were seen along the way and preparations were made to bolt if necessary. Faced with the choice of lightening bolts and reptiles, it would be back into the open to take the odds of the lightening.

After a few minutes the lightening moved a bit further away and it was out of the ditch for an urgent run back toward the parking lot, which was still three miles away. The pace was accelerated but it was time to ditch it again because of the bolts, suddenly feeling like the only person in the world. Eventually it was time to get up and start running again and finally the wet path originally crossed at the outset of the journey appeared, now filled with mud. This time there was no concern for the mud as the shoes were already soaked, sprinting through it like it wasn’t there. The observation deck was getting closer and closer but it was so exhausting, the urge was to stop and walk a bit, but the lightening kept the legs moving.

Eventually the observation deck was reached, a dash up two flights of stairs and a collapse from exhaustion at the top of the deck and a wait for the storm to pass. It suddenly felt safe and never had such a relaxing break occurred after a run.

After about an hour wait for the storm to pass and the legs and lungs to recover, it was down the stairs and back onto the trail back to the parking lot – about a mile and a half away. The run quickly turned into a walk, glad to not have been the victim of a lightening strike, a reptile attack miles into the wilderness or a heart attack from the run.

All in all, the Sunnyhill Restoration Area is a wonder, spectacularly preserved by the SJRWMD as a wetlands and wildlife preserve, and a treasure for Central Florida. Just a couple of tips: explore it on a mountain bike or a horse, or go in December.

Sunnyhill Restoration Area Slide Show

Copyright 2010

Tags: bob deakin, florida, ocala national forest, ocklawaha river, sunnyhill restoration area, weirsdale