Let's drive out to the Gulf Coast!

 We're discovering the 'real' Florida so we won't see seashells on white sandy beaches!

Great Blue Heron flying overhead

But we might see some fisherman trying to catch something on a hot summer day.

Then again, we might not see anyone! haha!

Did I mention it was HOT!

This was my jeep in the parking lot all by it's lonesome! 

John and I stopped at Felburn Park first and walked on a shady part of the trail to see the beauty of the water ponded up on the canal.

It's one of my favorite spots in Florida but not for a hike in June! We are already in the mid 90s every day with high humidity. 

We had our choice of parking places there too! 

Then we drove down over 4 miles of a dusty white road looking out the window at the canal.

It was so hot, the birds were in hiding.

This is a stretch of the Withlacoochee Bay Trail that ends up at a point on the Gulf.

Happy Birthday John!!!

We were happy looking out at the overlooks. It was windy and surprisingly cool there.

I love exploring the backroads of Florida at any time of the year. But our picnic lunch was eaten inside the Jeep with the AC running! Yes, I know....we are wimps!

A horse on the drive over looks like it has 3 eyes! 

Have you packed a picnic this summer? 

It's TIME! And it tastes even better out on a nature trail!

Happy Independence Day America! 

Thanks again for visiting me and leaving such heartfelt comments. 

Blogger buddies are the BEST! 

Love, Diane 🌴

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE!

Halpata Tastanaki Preserve and the traveling Tortoise

 

I set off to drive to the preserve in search of birds. 

Isn't the back leg kicked out cute? I think he was traveling faster than me! 

I told myself, I would just walk around and look.

But walking around turned into a nice long...hot hike!

And I did see a beautiful Red tailed Hawk.

His tail really glowed in the sun!

But the sighting of the day was this cute and very clean Gopher Tortoise.

This looks like a regular road but the gate is locked so you rarely see a work vehicle on the road.

But on this particular day, I looked up ahead and saw this tortoise on a mission.

You really need to stand still and let them pass so that they can get on their regular trail that leads to their burrow. If they feel threatened, they will get off and go through the weeds but that is not their easy path to their home.

So I stood still in the hot sun and took photos. 

And there he goes!

It's funny how the sun doesn't bother you as much when you are watching something interesting.

Now the road is overgrown with grass and that makes a soft surface to walk on.

The views out on the preserve are stunning.

And the wildflowers are abundant.

I love this morning glory.

And at the trailhead, I was joined by another Jeep!

Jeep parking only! Haha!

Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

Have a beautiful weekend! 

Take a drive even it you can't hike!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE. 

Halpata Tastanaki Preserve and the Amazing Sights

 

It has been WAY too hot to hike anywhere and Halpata Tastanaki Preserve doesn't have much shade at the beginning of the Pruitt trailhead so my visits have been few and far between this summer.

It's such a great place to go because you can always see some amazing sights!

The Sandhill Cranes were right where I parked.

I took the photos before I even got out of the Jeep.

And these horses were at the trailhead too, finishing up a ride.

I think this is a blackbird, maybe a Red Winged Blackbird.

But it was hard to tell with the patchy color on it's wings.

Let me know what you think about the ID. Thanks!

The preserve had some beautiful Pickerelweed down in the wet areas.

A wide sandy trail.

And I've seen a lot of birds chase Hawks but I don't remember seeing a Pileated woodpecker chase one. Maybe there's a nest of young woodpeckers nearby.

Thanks again for the wonderful comments on my Woodpeckers last week. I felt so encouraged reading such sweet comments. Being encouraged by blog friends is one of the joys of blogging, isn't it?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE. 

Hiking to Josef's Table

 

Are you ready to hike? Cap, hiking stick, backpack with water (and emergency items), camera, comfortable clothing, hiking shoes and phone?

OK, let's park at the trailhead and take off down this trail.

The first bird sighting was this flock of wild turkeys!

Now we'll turn onto the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway for a short distance on the paved trail.

We'll turn onto a horse trail and then onto the Florida Trail down...down...down...into the diggings.

There are a lot of really good articles (and books) written about the canal diggings but my sweet hubby helped me with some of the pertinent information.

"When I talk about the "canal diggings" I'm referring to a canal that was proposed in 1935 as a 30-foot deep, 150-foot bottom width, Ship Canal for commercial traffic to have a shortcut from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico across Florida from Jacksonville to Yankeetown.

Concerns about salt water intrusion into the fresh water aquifer caused proponents to adjust the canal to a 12-foot depth thus allowing only barge traffic and the name changed to the Cross Florida Barge Canal.

After many starts and stops, construction resumed in 1964 only to be stopped for good in 1971 due to efforts led by environmental activist, Marjorie Harris Carr.

About one third of the canal did get completed, some at each terminus, but the remainder includes long stretches of earth having been dug out and piled up along the sides. Over the ensuing decades the forest has reclaimed this ground.

Today, the 110-mile long, 70,000 acre Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (renamed in 1998) is a state park that provides over 300 miles of hiking and biking trails on the remnants of the Cross Florida Barge Canal."

Above written by sweet hubby

Now we are in the diggings!

Be alert! 

Doesn't this old root look like a serpent?

And what if you come across your knight in shining armor?

It could happen if you are paying attention!

At first I thought it was an Army man but he has a shield and a spear! 

And there are some amazing rock formations down in the diggings too.

You can hear and see woodpeckers in the forest.

Yellow bellied Sapsucker

Red bellied Woodpecker peeking out from behind a pine tree.

Finally we reach Josef's table. It's up ahead!

It's a little longer hike than I normally make but the weather was fine and I felt good. 

I love it deep in the woods. The pine needles under the trees soften the trail and it is a quiet you can't find anywhere else!

We did it! Thanks for coming with me today. 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE 

and Nature Friday HERE!

Happy Thanksgiving and camping out!

We are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather to take some camping trips.

But hopefully I can blog a little and visit everyone along the way!

I am sharing photos of the second half of the 'half a hike' I posted a couple of weeks ago.

This hike was along the Florida Trails from the Pruitt Trailhead.

It's a trail I hadn't taken in a long time.

But the weather is nicer now so I'm taking advantage of the cooler temps to get out more.

Summer Tanager

Flycatcher

A mosaic of another one that posed for me.

Hawk perched high in a tree

Wooly worm

Has anyone else every heard that you can count the stripes on the Wooly worm to see how bad the winter will be? I never can remember if more stripes means a harder winter or the other way around! lol

There's finally some water in the horse pond so it's been especially pretty lately!

I stopped on the dirt road to get the horse farm pics.

Grab your sunglasses before you get out! 

I hope you are all having a blessed Thanksgiving week!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !