Exploring Florida - Highlands Hammock State Park

Last month Nick and I took a trip to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid and had been wanting to visit again since I moved back to Florida.  It was pretty easy to convince Nick to go since there was a chance of seeing alligators.  We did eventually see one along with some wild pigs, and a baby racoon.

Our first animal encounter would be a group of small wild pigs.  Later we would see some much larger ones but I was unable to get a picture of them.

There was another path where one could bypass these stepping stones across the swamp but that just wouldn't have been any fun.

Next we encountered this quite large gator who was trying to soak up a little sun.  He was some distance from us and obscured by plant life.  We almost missed him.

Our last animal sighting of the day.  This was back near the gator and we were trying to see if we could get a different perspective.  We had ventured up near the water off the beaten path when we caught this little guy climbing on a tree.  We also caught another sighting of the gator but the view wasn't good enough for a picture.

Adventures In Nature At Circle B Bar Reserve

Had a great short hike at the Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland today with Nick.  He was, of course, hoping to see an alligator.  We didn't but we did see plenty of other creatures including a variety of birds, a squirrel, and some playful otters which were too difficult to photograph.

Well hello, Mr. Squirrel!

Nick searches in the marsh for alligators.

Lots of birds in the trees and in the sky.

A showoff near the lakeshore.

Finally Nick got his gator.  Too bad it was fake.

The Senator Cypress Tree - Longwood, Florida

So sad to see today that The Senator, a 3500 year old Cypress Tree, caught fire and burnt down.  After trying to locate the tree (and park it was located in) for some time, I finally tracked it down and visited there last year.  These are the pictures from that visit.  Check out the article on the fire from the Associated Press here.

Traveling Around The Seven Seas (Lagoon)

A recent night of frivolities at the Magic Kingdom Resorts.

I'm having a grand time at the Grand Floridian!

A moment with Mickey at the Contemporary.

 

Nick checks the tiki for a sinus infection...

then strikes a pose.

 I figure if I share my secrets the tiki won't tell anyone.

Lost in the jungles of deepest, darkest Polynesian Resort.

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers (even when they have no odor).