February 11

Yes, I didn't put in a blog yesterday, but I really wanted to.  We had company from 6p until 2am.  I thought it would be very rude to say, "excuse me while I blog!"  You get the point.  But, it was a great evening that I was thankful for.  Amber and Stephen had fixed Spinach/Sausage Manicotti for dinner and brought it over.  Amber also made a banana cake and mint chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  YUM! 

We had such a wonderful time playing Ticket To Ride.  We played 4 times.  Then, we played 3 rounds of Skipbo.  Amber and I were flustered during this game because Stephen and Clif whopped our pants, but we had a good time none-the-less.

Now onto today.  Clif and I had planned to hike Seminole Forest, getting an early start.  Well, we did hike that area, but we didn't get as early start as we had hoped.  I didn't roll out of bed until 9am!  The great news is that we were able to get in a 10 and a half mile hike.  My feet are sore and blistered, but I had lots of fun and have many pictures to share.  The first 5 miles were my favorite, the last 5 I didn't like at all.  Clif enjoyed the entire hike.  He liked the end because of the vast viewing area.  That's what I didn't like.  It was daunting.  I am one of those hikers who likes to be oblivious to how far I've walked.




           
     The hike began on the Florida Trail just north of SR 46.  A mile in was a shelter camp for those who hike the FT across the state.

           
     We hiked the Wekiva River Basin Loop which took us through numerous ecosystems.

           
                                  The pine forest ahead.

            

                                  Through the pine forest we go.

          

                     Let's go check this out.  Maybe it'll be a nice place to have lunch.
              We've hiked about 4.5 miles.  Time for a much needed break.

           

                  Yes, it is.  And, I'm enjoying munching on carrots just picked fresh this
            morning from our garden.  What a relief to get out of my shoes and into
            something a bit more comfortable.  Once we started back on the hike, I
            changed into a second pair I had brought along to give my feet a break.
            I'm glad I did because it made the next 5 miles a bit more comfortable.

            

                   Yikes, we just hiked across this vast land.  Clif loved the view.  I was
             overwhelmed.  We just came from the tree line waaaayyyy in the distance
             on the left.  The only intriguing thing was seeing bobcat tracks in the sand.
             Unbeknownst to me, we are about to hike back to the tree line far off in the
             distance on the right!

              

                   After a short 1/2 mile gradual u-turn, we are heading back through the vast
             land on the opposite side of the field as we head our way back.  In otherwords,
             we followed the tree lined perimeter around the entire vast palmetto and
              gallberry field speckled with pine trees!  YUCK.

             
                     Get me out of my shoes and back into the flipflops!!  We are back to the
              beginning of the loop.  One mile left, and we are at the parking lot!  Yeah!!

                 Start to finish only took us about 5 hours, and that included 2 stops to rest.
                What a beautiful day to refresh the soul.  It was only 65 degrees today.
                     Thank you Lord for a great day to enjoy Your magnificent creation. :)