Saturday, October 10 – The weather has been beautiful here at Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, FL. Due to the late rains in this area, most of the hiking trails are underwater.
So, we decided to do the one-mile Kirby Storter Boardwalk hike….They call it a hike, we call it a walk.
Beginning of the walk.
Once we were about 100 yards into the walk, we entered the mature cypress strand without getting our feet wet.
The walk was lovely.
Paul does carvings out of Cypress knees, so this was a treat for him.
There are tons of epiphytic bromeliads growing in the trees.
Marsha wanted to see one in bloom, but we knew the blooming season had just ended. Lucky for us the Park Ranger was on the boardwalk. Marsha asked him if he has seen any in bloom…guess what…he said, “Yes, one.” He took us to the end of the boardwalk, and there it was. She was so happy.
Tiny little flowers on the lily pads.
We actually got to see a little bit of fall color.
We then took a short ride to Monument Lake which has only tent camping. The sites are on the outside of the loop with Monument Lake in the middle.
Thanks to Heyduke, we now no the name of the ducks. No wait…they aren’t ducks at all. John writes that they are common moorhens or common gallinules. What is a common moorhens or common gallinules, you ask…us too. It is a bird that lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. Thanks, John.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day.
The water was low when we were there and the "hiking" trails were wet. The ranger explained that hiking in that area is what they call swamp hiking. You will always get wet at least up to your ankles as you hike in and out of the low areas. Not our kind of hiking at all!!! We read another blog where the bloggers went on a real swamp hike where you go into waters up to your thighs...yuck!! You can even run into gators!! Nope! I'll stick to the mountains and rocks, thank you! Glad you found a place to get a little hiking:) I loved all the air fern. They are so beautiful and the blossoms are great! Neat that you found one:)
ReplyDeleteSome nice swam areas to explore, and go for a walk.
ReplyDeleteNo way would I walk or hike in that. It's the unknown creatures that would keep me from doing anything but the boardwalk.
ReplyDeleteHow do you run all day and write all night?
Cypress knees carvings are big in Louisiana. Did not know Paul does them. How cool is that!
ReplyDelete"Paul does carvings out of Cypress knees, so this was a treat for him."
ReplyDeleteIs there anything Paul doesn't do? :-)