Which trail will YOU take?

 

We drove over to the Pruitt Trailhead and parked at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

The gate is locked and only authorized personnel are allowed in but the road surface makes for an easy trail to hike. 

But look ahead! Do you see the storm in the distance? 

Let's turn to the right and get 'off the beaten path'!

Today was a beautiful day and we saw a few people riding horses. 

We asked this couple if the horses they were leading were in training but they said, "No, they just didn't want to get left behind." Everyone wanted to take a ride!

Another couple enjoying an afternoon ride.

The views were gorgeous as we walked.

And we saw lots of birds along the way.

Hermit Thrush

Robin

Flycatcher

This is the trail that beckons me. A tree lined trail that goes deeper into the woods.

But it's been a good day and the storm went away from us so we stayed dry.

And I took this photo from the side window, with hubby driving 55 mph down the highway.

Pretty spectacular to see so much beauty, even on the drive home.

We see horses just about every time we go anywhere here in North Central Florida. Do you see horses where you live?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Slow down, You might miss something!

 

Slow down? I don't think anyone has actually said that to me lately.

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Lizard on a log

Grasshopper in the pine needles

Hoverfly in the sky

They 'hover' and stay so still that if you can get your camera to focus on them, you can get a photo!

I walk at a pretty slow pace and I stop and look around at odd times.

Armadillo

It's amazing how many times I've stopped to get a drink of water and noticed something interesting in the forest.

Or if my battery gets low on my camera and I have to change it, that's a sure way to have wildlife saunter by.

One day we were hiking near Shangri-la and a bike rider stopped to say he had pulled out some crackers to have a snack and a bear poked his nose out from behind the tree. We asked him where and he pointed to a spot close by. And no....I don't think he stayed long enough to share his crackers with the bear.

Anyway, I thought I would find those photos of the small things we see when we are hiking that often get left out of a post.

Bear Scat (poop...not zoomed in!)

You may WISH I had left out more! hahaha!

 

Someone dropped their walking stick in the forest. I hope they came back to get it!

Happy Hiking! It's just a walk in the forest!

 A chance to get out in nature and enjoy the scenery...watch where you walk!

And enjoy your day!

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Bluebirds of Happiness

 Of all the birds I see here in North Central Florida and photograph, it seems like the bluebirds are the most popular.

Several of you have mentioned that the bluebird is your favorite bird.

And right now they are bright blue contrasted against the drab browns and grays of the trees.

There are a few berries on the vines right now too. 

Eastern Bluebird

They are a joy to watch and sometimes they are in among the flocks of Warblers and Goldfinches.

The Warblers are colorful too. (I know I should try to ID each one but that is a challenge for me, as you know! My hubby always teases that if I don't know which Warbler it is, I call it a Prothonotary Warbler. I've never actually seen one of those but it's wishful thinking!)

Peek a boo!!!

Lots of pretty birds if you have the patience to stand still and try to photograph them.

This one is a lemon yellow.

The Black and White Warbler goes up and down the tree and presents another challenge.

But what is life without challenges!

And these are the best kind!

Most of these were taken from the 49th Ave Trailhead. 

Enjoy your weekend. Look outside and see what birds are in your neighborhood!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

Walking through the Canal Diggings

 We save our hikes into the diggings for the winter months.

 You go deep into the canal diggings with the land rising on both sides, so very little air moves on the trail. In the summer months it's just too hot and buggy and poison ivy crisscrosses the trail. But in the winter months, it's perfect.

The tall pine trees create a thick bed of pine needles to walk on and the air is hushed. I started to say it was quiet but hushed is a better description. You don't hear any sounds unless an airplane flies overhead.

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

We walked in the diggings for over 2 hours and only saw one other person.

I want to share photos of the limestone boulders we saw.

It would be fun to play 'what do you see?'

This was a favorite!

There are so many interesting shapes and just think how few people ever get to see them.

Would you want to hike this trail at night?

Maybe when the moon is full?

It would probably be a little spooky!

But I love it and I think you would too!

Have you seen anything unusual this week?

Hike into the DEEP woods and GO WILD!

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Playful River Otters and friends!

 

We always hope for a special sighting when we go to Blue Run Park in Dunnellon.

There's a good chance we'll see lots of neat birds but it's fun to see something out of the ordinary.

Lately, it's been River Otters.

They are a challenge to photograph because the swim under water for a long distance and you never know where they'll 'pop up'!

But they are so cute and fun to see!

A few years ago we watched some Red-shouldered Hawks in a nest. The baby photos were some of my favorites. Old photos in the post HERE.

And we still see the pair near the nest.

We love seeing them all grown up and beautiful.

So perfectly groomed....not a 'hair' out of place.

Oh but this one is having a wild feather day! heehee!

We saw one medium sized Alligator swimming along.

And at the very end of the hike a special bird.

Cedar Waxwing

A beautiful day at the Park! When visitors come, we always take them to Blue Run Park. It's the perfect place to see wildlife and birds. 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.