Our first day was a 2-hour shake-down trip; no issues encountered! We arrived at the Miccosukee Casino on the edge of Miami and met up with several couples from Jolly Roger. With $30 free play, BOGO buffet (not very good but they had an awesome chicken salad), and free overnight RV parking, it worked out well and we came out ahead. The next morning, another couple hours to the Sebring area, where we had reserved two nights at
Highlands Hammock, Florida's oldest state Park.
We spent the first evening at Kathy and Stuart's just south of Sebring, enjoying a fantastic prime rib dinner (that girl can cook!) and a relaxing evening on the shore of Lake Josephine, where we also enjoyed the company of their resident Barred Owl. I also took home a few "souveniers", as in big spider bites all in a row down my back, nice. :-) We got a tour of the remodeling they did over the winter; Stuart is a pro and the place looks great. The house is in a beautiful waterfront setting surrounded by large oaks, and it will truly be a showcase when they finish remodeling. I know who I'm calling if I ever need remodeling. Come to think of it, the RV needs new flooring....
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| Barred Owl who gave us a little hoo hoo |
Our camping spot at the state park backed up to a short pinelands trail typical of Florida
pinelands , also known as pine rocklands or everglades flatwoods. It is a beautiful and unique ecosystem. The only critters encountered on my hike though the pinelands were a gopher tortoise and a bright green snake. However, Gary had a close encounter with something in the night; it was very dark, but whatever it was made quite a ruckous as it ran away through the brush.
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| Gopher Tortoise occupies upland habitat throughout Florida and is listed as threatened |
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| Entrance to the campground, lined by huge oak trees |
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| sunrise through the pines |
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| Trying to save the 1000-year oak from falling over completely |
On our second day after we got home from Gatorama, I hiked most of the nine short nature trails in the park, plus most of the 6-mile loop connecting the trails. It is an easy bike ride or short scenic drive (one-way loop). These are the biggest trees I've seen in a long time. I really missed big trees and tall shady woods.
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| Looks like a hobbit house..Frodo, are you there? |
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| A bit swampy with a wet trail in places |
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| I love ferns..one of my favorite plants whether in Florida or British Columbia! |
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