Wekiva Springs

We have finally had a reprieve from the upper 80's weather.  It's been a bit too warm for January in Florida.  Sure the northern tourists probably appreciate it, but when you get hot most of the year, you welcome the cool downs.  Today was in the low 70's.  Perfect for hiking.  Clif and I ventured out to tackle the north loop within Wekiva Springs State Park in Longwood.  In the winter you have to be selective as to where you hike because of various hunting seasons.  Being Wekiva Springs is a state park, we opted for this location.

             

We started at the parking area just north of Sand Lake (by the number 24).  We followed the white trail blaze (white circles), visiting 3 back country campsites along the way.  It was a long, but enjoyable hike, a 10 mile loop.  It was amazing how many ecosystems there were in just this short distance.

 

I always enjoy hiking through the canopies, so when we got to the trailhead to follow the loop around I was excited to see the shade.  It was short lived.

 

 

About 1000 feet we were out in the open.  As you can see we are not lacking in the Florida sunshine.

 

 

First stop was the Big Buck Campsite.  Great location, not too far from Rock Springs Run.  You can either hike in from where we parked, or canoe from Rock Springs State Park.

 

 

Plenty of room, and shady too.  It's about 1.7 miles by foot from parking area.

 

 

We thought we might see canoers on the river, but it was quiet.

 

 

Off to the next stop...Cozy Camp.

 

 

The hike was like being in a jungle.  We hiked through the flood area of the river.  At times it was muddy, but lots of fun.

 

 

Camp Cozy wasn't as cozy as Big Buck. 

But it was noon, and this is where we decided to have lunch.

 

 

It was a little bit longer jaunt down to the rivers edge.

 We had to be careful because of lots of gnarly roots.

 

 

The view wasn't as nice as at  Big Buck either.

So onward around the loop so we could head back to the truck.

 

 

 

Crossing one of the bridges, I spied this petrified bug.  It actually had a leaf growing out of it.

 

 

Next, we ended up going through a cypress swamp.

 

 

Shortly thereafter, back into the hardwoods of a pine forest.

 

 

Spied a nice deep sinkhole.  The tree across the bottom is probably a good 30 feet across.  No, we didn't opt to hike down to cross it.  That would mean we'd have to hike back out.  By this point in our journey, we had already hiked 7.1 miles and had nearly 3 to go.

 

 

Big Fork Camp was the last campsite on our way out.  It is only about a 1/2 mile from the parking area.  It is an esquestrian campsite. 

 

 

 

But for us, it was a good stopping point to view our map, and replenish our nutrients.  Food is more enjoyable to consume when you are out and about.

What a wonderful day to spend with a loved one.

 

  

January 13, 2013

Today was a gorgeous day in Central Florida.  Clif and I ventured out to Baldwin Park for a 5K walk in preparation for a 5K I will be doing in February.  I have been jogging on the treadmill, and the best time so far is 43 minutes (and I am totally exhausted).  In case you can't tell, I am not a runner, nor do I like to run.  That being said, the treadmill is not going to be the same as jogging on the streets.  I came to that realization when I was jogging in between muscle toning exercises at bootcamp yesterday morning.  By the time I jogged around a very small retention pond, I was winded!  I had to jog around that thing 4 times!  Needless to say, I am stiff today.  But, training must go on.  So I decided I could at least walk.  We did 3.61 miles in an hour.  I didn't think that was too bad considering the pain I was feeling from yesterday's workout.  I wish I would have taken the camera because the scenery on the lake was beautiful.  Sailboats, kayakers, and paddle boarders were scattered about the lake, and the lakeshore looked like a crowded beach.

This evening, a bright light caught my eye out the front window.  At first, I thought perhaps the woods were on fire, but upon closer look, it was a firey sunset, just aglow with a variety of orange hues.  Absolutely stunning. 



This is snapped using the regular setting.  It wasn't quite as bright as it really was, so I decided to try the vivid setting.



This was too bright, but I think you can get the idea of what beauty I was able to see.

Harvest Time

Looking out the kitchen window this noon, I realized I needed to harvest parts of the garden before the vegetables went to flower.  The neighbors were excited to get a head of broccoli that was the equivalent of three when purchased in the grocery store.  God has been a good provider for our winter crop, especially being we have not spent much time tending to it.



Not only was I able to share with the neighbors, but I used three of the heads to make a broccoli salad which I took to a pot-luck Epiphany party for dinner.  The guests raved about the flavor of the broccoli, and wanted to know where I acquired such perfect floweretts.  Imagine their shock when they learned it came right from my backyard!  If you want to see the garden, look at an earlier post from Thanksgiving.  These vegetables are yielded from those plants.  We still have several more plants to harvest in the upcoming weeks.  Most people don't realize with a bit of careful planning, you can have your own abundant garden from the privacy of your own backyard.  Does it save money, maybe, but knowing where the food comes from, and the chemicals that aren't used makes it much healthier to eat. :)

New Year's Day

Most people have celebrations on New Year's Day.  Clif and I just tend to be low key.  We decided to venture out to Hal Scott Park and Preserve near Wedgefield.  Only this time, we took our bikes instead of our hiking sticks.  I'm glad we did because the last time we went out there, we hiked around 7 miles and my feet had blisters.  This time, we covered 10 miles in 2 hours, and were able to see a lot more.  The biggest difference this year is that most of the undergrowth has recovered from the controlled burn they had last year.  It was nice to see the green palmettos verses charred remains.  We didn't see any wildllife, only evidence of wild boar and a few horseback riders racing along the trails.  That looked like fun!



Hiking and biking in Florida doesn't compare to the scenery in the mountains.  But it is still nice to get out and enjoy the natural setting.  It was a gorgeous day.  The high was 76.



We decided to bike to one of the many primitive campgrounds.  We decided this would be a nice place to camp with our group of friends.  If we bike in the gear, it is only 15 minutes from the parking area.



I tried to bring up the well water, but it didn't work.  It must need to be primed.  I don't think I'd want to use it anyway.  Too much rust.