We had a beautiful sunny day today, but way on the cool side. We rode bikes to the vistor center this morning and learned a lot about the park. This is one of the oldest parks in Florida. A lot of the development here was done by the Civilian Conservation Corp, the same group that developed a lot of the state parks in Michigan. There are many miles of hiking and biking trails, two campgrounds, and about five rental cabins tucked away in the woods. From there we rode to the "Canopy Walk" which is an elevated bridge that spans eighty five feet through the tree tops.At the end of the walkway is a tower that is 75 feet high and offers views in all directions above the trees. This canopy walk is used to study the health of the forest and is one of only a few in the world.
After lunch we took a walk by the river and saw some HUGE alligators. After talking to a ranger earlier in the day I was hoping to see one since the ranger told us that they come out in the afternoons to sun themselves. I was really amazed at the size of these beasts as they were six to nine feet long and quite big around.
At the end of the day the campground hosts sponsored a community campfire and we went over and talked with quite a few fellow campers to hear where they were from and listen to their experiences from their travels. A lot of laughs were shared by all and we had a great time. Nice to socialize with others and listen to their stories.
Enjoy the pictures as you sing happy birthday to Thomas....
Nancy on the nature trail
It's a jungle out there!
This is the canopy walk. A bridge suspended in the treetops, built by students from Peru
Life in the treetops
A view from the tower down to the canopy walk in the trees. (Click on the picture to enlarge it)
A view from the tower, 75 feet in the air.
Some more canopy information
Click on these pictures to zoom in on the alligators. Those are turkey vultures behind the gators. Look closely and you will see a fourth one in the water.
Here is another of the big boys. Anyone want to wrestle?
Good night and God Bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment