DeLeon Springs

With a cold front on the move, we thought it'd be a great day to revisit Deleon Springs being its been a year and a half.  I really had my heart set on seeing some wildlife.  My thought was if it's cold and windy, not many people will be on the trail, the wind hopefully will carry the human scent away from the wildlife so they wouldn't know we were there, and animals might be out and about because of it being so cold (for Florida).



We started with a big breakfast at the Sugar Mill.  We got there just as they opened so we were seated immediately.  The waitress said, "because you both have on jackets, would you mind sitting by the window?  There is a draft, and it will be cool until the griddle heats up."  We didn't mind.




We filled the griddle with pancakes after I was done cooking my eggs. 



My tummy is satisfied and full.  Now I am ready for a 5 mile hike.



Clif decided to use his new camera to get some shots of the park.  I hid trying to dodge the wind coming off the lake.  You can see the white caps heading toward the waterfall.



Okay, Clif, you caught me hiding. :)



A nice shot taken across the spring just before we head out toward the trail.  Of course, no one was swimming, it was 44 degrees outside, not to mention the wind chill factor!



Let's go find some wildlife.  The trail was much more overgrown from the last time we were here.  There were lots of downed trees, limbs, and overgrown brush hiding the trail in many places.



A spider is not exactly what I had in mind for wildlife viewing.



Nothing was in the wetlands.



 Nothing was in the clearings.



More overgrown paths.



A small turtle about the size of a mini football.  Not exactly what I had in mind for wildlife either.



Oh well.  At least it was beautiful day for a hike.  Perhaps another time we'll be lucky.  Patience, persistence, perseverance: one of these days while we're hiking, Clif will have his camera, and he'll get some great shots of the wildlife we're seeking: bears, deer, fox, bobcat, and raccoons.