We reserved 4 days at Boyds’s campground. After our ferry ride was cancelled, Leann and I decided to get the heck out of the keys and start heading North. Since we got up so early to catch the ferry we decided to spend the day in Key West and leave the next day. Boyd’s returned our money for the nights we didn’t use.
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is also a National Historic Monument since it houses the largest cache of Civil War armament in the world. White IbisThis is on Fort Zachary Taylor beach which is the farthest west you can go in the keys. It is a popular place.We did a nature hike by the fort and took turns getting our picture taken by/in this Banyan tree.
Back at Boyd’s we looked at campground options and booked 2 nights at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. We got an early start hoping to avoid east bound traffic, nope. They have a saying in the keys: if there are 2 cars behind you they are the problem. If there are 10 cars behind you, you are the problem. We got stuck behind some very slow drivers and there were a lot more than 10 cars behind them
Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida and has a surface area of 734 square milesOur camp site for 2 nights, lots of Owls and not many people. I was very glad to get out of the southern Florida chaos.The preserve protects the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie, an ecosystem shaped by cycles of flooding and fire.There was not much elevation change on our hikes. The park is known for clear blue skies and was designated Florida’s first dark sky park in 2016. There are designated astronomy sites in the park and special restrictions apply: you must be set up before sunset and white lights are not allowed. Only red lights are allowed to protect people’s night vision.Eastern MeadowlarkNo ideaGiant Snail shell.This is a statue of the Carolina Parakeet that is the only endemic parrot of North America. They were declared extinct in 1939. Below is a link to an interesting but sad story about the bird and what happened.
In the dry season alligators gather here, ranger said he counted up to 150 a few days before we arrived.Alligator ancestors lived 245 million years ago, same time as the dinosaurs.Red Shouldered Hawk
SILVER SPRINGS STATE PARK
Leann heard there wild monkeys in this park and once I heard that I knew where we were going.
The camp sites are hugeOn the trail in search of monkeys. Apparently the monkeys were released on an island in the 1930’s by a glass bottom boat operator. There was only one problem, he did not know they can swim.Trust me, the trail was not that hard.Rhesus macaque mom and babyThey were everywhere, we probably saw about 30 of them. This one looks very intelligent, Planet of the Apes?Wood ducksSammy, Sierra, Cody, Leann, Anita and Ed
STEPHEN FOSTER STATE PARK
Okefenokee is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Mary’s rivers and covers 353,981 acres. It is on the tentative list to become a World Heritage Site due to it’s diversity of plants and animals.More Barred Owls, we heard them calling at camp and saw them on a hike.There is a water route and you can boat to backcountry camp sites.Tiger Swallowtail
MAGNOLIA SPRINGS STATE PARK
It was going to rain at dinner so we went to an empty picnic shelter to cook and eat.We follow all park rules or at least one of the 2 above, you pick which one.
TABLE ROCK STATE PARK
Pinnacle Mountain FallsThere are lots of hiking options starting in the campground.Mountain Laurels were in full bloom.Table Rock, we visited here when Jenny was a babyThis is how I want our backyard to look.Sammy: Can we go home now?
On the way home we discussed where we would visit again and what was dead to us.
Visit again: Blackwater River, Kissimmee Prairie, Saint Marks
