Jefferson National Forest

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Thursday December 22, 2011 · 8:30 AM PST

2011/12/22 · 08:30

Jefferson National Forest, administratively combined with Washington National Forest, lies within the states of Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Most of Jefferson National Forest lies within southwestern Virginia, near Roanoke, south of the Washington National Forest areas. The forests are comprised of land in the Appalachian Mountain chain and contain many miles of the Appalachian Trail, including the 8.8 mile (round trip) hike to McAfee Knob (which I'd rate a 3 of 5 for difficulty).

The forest is home to over 50 species of trees and 2,000 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants. While I can't confirm you will see them all on your McAfee Knob hike, I can say the variety and constantly evolving sections of the trail are quite pleasing. Going in late Fall, the ground was heavily covered in dead and dying leaves, and few if any flowers were still around. The lack of leaves, however, made it easy to peer through the forest and enjoy the gentle curves of the various Appalachian ridges further off in the distance.

godzakka for Park Avenue

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Thursday November 24, 2011 · 8:30 AM PST

2011/11/24 · 08:30

Cumberland Island National Seashore. It's probably not a place you're familiar with, unless of course you're truly a National Park Service connoisseur or from southern coastal Georgia or northern coastal Florida. In fact, Cumberland Island is probably one of the less traveled parks and for good reason: there's no bridge to the island. The only way to visit is by ferry, boat, or the mode I choose: kayaking.

godzakka

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Monday July 18, 2011 · 12:10 PM PDT

2011/07/18 · 12:10

Putting the Maher quote aside, what bothers me, and caused me to write this, was that I am frequently challenged by people who consider me to be unpatriotic just because I’m a liberal/progressive.

I work – and love my job and why I’m doing it – as hard as anyone else. I work with kids in hopes they become smarter and more enthusiastic – they are the future of our country and world. I have read the constitution and as much as I disagree with many interpretations out there, I still have to accept that my point of view is not the only one.

But I am challenged by people who work for money, not for pride and happiness. They are greedy and pay lip service and nothing more to the people I consider important – kids, service members, etc. I hate people who pose “what if’s…” just to get their point across, when they blatantly ignore the importantance of the situation in front of them.

So, after basically being quiet and doing my best to not get angry with people who would rather argue than understand, I chose to put my frustrations in words.

godzakka

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Sunday July 17, 2011 · 11:28 AM PDT

2011/07/17 · 11:28

State education officials have asked Duval County Public Schools to investigate test documents with "extremely unusual levels of erasures" at one school.
The Florida Department of Education recently sent the notification to 14 districts about results on the spring Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Duval and Flagler are the only districts in Northeast Florida to get the memo.

Full article here.

godzakka

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Thursday May 19, 2011 · 10:53 PM PDT

2011/05/19 · 22:53

For the second time in 13 years - the length of time I've been eligible to vote - my vote has counted towards electing the official I felt most directly shared my views. I'm talking about the Mayoral race in Jacksonville, FL, which today ended in Alvin Brown accepting the Mayor-elect title and becoming the first Democrat to hold office in almost two decades.

While most of my fellow Jacksonvillians - Jacksonvillites? Jacksonvillers? - don't realize this, Democrats have long dominated the Mayoral position in this fine city. In fact, before the current three-run Republican streak, Democrats held the Mayoral position since 1888, well over 100 years! More than that, they have by and far held the Mayoral position many more times than Republicans have.

But that's not the point of this diary.

godzakka

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Monday April 11, 2011 · 8:19 PM PDT

2011/04/11 · 20:19

I just came across this post on the front page, touting different polls and how Obama would fare in a contest in the Sunshine State - my state.

A little background: I am a solid Dem, sometimes showing conservative values for things like Capital Punishment, but when it comes to moving forward as a society, I am 100% Dem through and through. I am willing and able to change to my views in the face of logic and powerful arguments. I consider myself independent minded, but I almost always seem to vote Dem. In fact, the only time I've ever voted for someone other than a Democrat was during the recent Senate contest between Meek, Crist and douchebag... I mean, Rubio. I suppose you can guess who I voted for, even though it didn't pan out.

After reading this post, I felt discouraged for several reasons. First, no one ever calls me to ask if I approve or disapprove of our politicians. And yes, I would happily sit on the phone with a pollster to answer all their questions! Second, and more important to my rant/discussion/point, is that it doesn't seem like there's a pertinent followup question being asked: if you disapprove, who would you vote for if you could do 2008 over again? Or, perhaps, given a choice between Obama and any GOP candidate, who would you vote for today?

godzakka

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Wednesday April 06, 2011 · 7:14 PM PDT

2011/04/06 · 19:14

Today I learned that gays and lesbians only want to get married because of the tax breaks. You see, according to my friend in the know, that's the truth, and what I believe - that whole "love" thing - that's just a rosy story to fool people.

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Jefferson National Forest

Visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore

You Are Not an American

No Child Left Behind?

My Vote Counted

Why Don't They Ever Call Me?

Things I Learned Today