Juniper Lake

This week I headed back to one of my favorite stomping grounds - Blackwater River State Park near Holt, FL. Every time I hike there, I find something new.

Walking around Juniper Lake, I wandered off the trail (luckily, my smartphone has a compass and GPS), and found the abandoned pilings from an old boardwalk. The path was lost through the underbrush, but the trail head was still visible, and much too tempting to not go exploring. I had to wonder why the boardwalk was taken down… I need to concoct a story about it.

I will admit, I was also hunting for alligators, but was only able to scare up a couple of little green and brown lizards, and a fat, muddy swamp turtle. Better luck next time…

You can click on any image to see a larger photo, or the series as a slideshow.

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

Submitted to Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City

Off the beaten path

I’ve mentioned before how much I love having a state park practically in my backyard. I can hike and kayak there, and with my annual pass, it’s some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

With Spring Break still in full swing, I’m staying close to home to avoid both the beach crowds and insane traffic. What I didn’t anticipate, and I should have, was that the park would also be inundated with extra people.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, even with the added foot traffic. I took Asta with me, and enjoyed having my little Chester along for the fun. We took a lap around one of the two park trails. One trail hugs the bayou shore and the other, the one we took, wends around what used to be a lake.

Preserve restorations on the lake have helped it revert back to the natural wetland-creek that it once was. We tracked an ibis for a while, and scared a troop of turtles sunning on a log. Unlike our other Lab, who contrary to her dog instincts hates water, Asta is going to be a swimmer. I may have to get her a life vest and take her canoeing this summer. That will make for some interesting photo opps.

You can click on any image to see a larger photo, or the series as a slideshow.

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

Submitted to Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City

Water logged

The recent deluge of rain made St. Andrew’s State Park in Panama City a bit water-logged, flooding the lower section of hiking trails along Gator Lake. I was still able to get in a good walk and snapped a few shots around the high water. The tiny island in the middle of the lake was, as usual, brimming with nesting heron and ibis (Ibix? Ibises!).

A small family of cormorants, a mother and five juveniles, were paddling around among the reeds, but my loud Sasquatch feet scared them off before I could snap a photo.

The Spring Breakers were out in force, so I avoided the beach. Traffic was nuts. Within an hour, I saw two out-of-towners pulled over for speeding (I know they were speeding because they passed my car like I was sitting still – karma has her own blue-light special), and two more accidents with multiple emergency vehicles. Hopefully, there were no serious injuries.

You can click on any image to see a larger photo, or the series as a slideshow.

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

Submitted to Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City

Last peaceful weekend

I did a little checking this weekend, a little Google recon, because it’s good to know things. When you live near a popular tourist destination, especially a summer favorite, it’s important to be prepared. Monday, the beginning of the first, full week of March, also marks the beginning of college Spring Break season.

From now until the middle of April, co-eds seeking sun, fun, love and libations, will flood our beaches in a constant stream of drunken debachery. This could be my last solitary photo hike until next fall. Alas…

My one consolation is that, despite the bright sun and clear skies, it’s actually cold. When I hit the sand on Saturday it was 34F with a 12mph wind. Yet, if past Spring Breaks are any indication, the chill won’t keep the revelers from hitting the beach, so I took advantage of the peace and quiet while I could.

You can click on any image to see a larger photo, or the series as a slideshow.

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

Submitted to Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City

*Photo venue: Henderson Beach State Park, Destin, FL

Devil’s in the details

During my weekly photo hikes, I’m often ambling along deserted trails that are in the middle of nowhere. Most people, even native Floridians, or at least those living in my region of the Sunshine State, have never heard of some of these nature preserves/state hiking trails/state forests and other some such places.

There are no accurate trail maps available to me, and my mobile GPS is only useful in giving me longitude and latitude coordinates should I have to send out an emergency beacon signal to Search and Rescue teams. I am totally at the mercy of these faded trail markers to find my way into the woods, and more importantly, to find my way back out.

Sometimes they aren’t posted in the most obvious places, so it’s crucial that I pay attention to details so I don’t get lost.

Submitted to WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. This week the theme was to “share a photo that means ‘lost in the details’ to you.”

*Photo venue: Pine Log State Forest, near Ebro, FL

Approaching the present

Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems – but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems incredible.”  ~ Salman Rushdie

Submitted to Skywatch Friday, Season 6: Episode 34

*Photo venue: Fort Barrancas, aboard Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL. Except for cropping, and resizing for publication, image is Straight out of Camera.

Ever onward

The wind in the reeds whistles a beguiling tune, tempting me ever onward into deep and dangerous currents. Naiads and river monsters tease and taunt in their attempts to draw me from the safety of my vessel. I keep to my course, struggling in the white rapids, navigating rocks and eddies, praying for the respite of calm waters and a sheltered harbor.

Submitted to Skywatch Friday, Season 6: Episode 33

*Photo venue: walking trails at Fort Pickens National Seashore, near Pensacola, FL