Florida

Black Bear Wilderness Area – August 16, 2021

The Black Bear Wilderness Area’s approximately 1,600 acres in northwest Seminole County
features a variety of wetland habitats within the floodplain of the St Johns River. Wet Prairie,
Hydric Hammock and Cypress Swamps form a mosaic of habitat diversity which host wildlife
such as the White-tailed Deer, Swallow-tailed Kite and the Florida Black Bear. Its’ large size
and proximity to other public lands, make this site an important piece in a puzzle connecting
natural areas between the Wekiva/St. John’s basins and the Ocala National Forest.

TRAILS AND ACCESS: The trail system at Black Bear Wilderness Area is established on
historic levees and stays dry most of the year. This site is however, located within the
floodplain of the St. Johns River and may experience significant flooding during the rainy
season. From the parking area follow the blue blazes on an approximate 7.1 mile loop trail
along the St. Johns River. Several boardwalks provide passage over wet areas and if you’re
quiet you may be fortunate enough to observe species such as River Otter, American
Alligator and maybe even a Black Bear. This is a remote trail over rough, uneven terrain,
where emergency access is very limited.

For more info see https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/core/fileparse.php/34/urlt/2015-BBWA-Trail-Guide.pdf. The intro was somewhat correct – very muddy this time of the year and several boardwalks were under construction causing you to slog a little more. Didn’t see bear but had 5 wild pigs run along the trail which raised my blood pressure. Tough hike in feels like 100+ temperatures — will do it again in the fall.

August 21, 2021 2

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens – 5/2/2021

While spending a week at a timeshare in Doral FL we made a day trip to Vizcaya located between Miami and Coconut Grove. Named after one of the most captivating shorelines on the Spanish coast, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens captures jaw-dropping European extravagance in an enchanting American context. The home’s builder, James Deering, was a prolific industrialist (International Harvester) who explored uncharted territory in the creation of this ambitious home, planting his Renaissance-inspired estate at the heart of Miami’s tropical hardwood hammock. Although inspired by the earlier architectural style, the home was very innovative in it’s incorporation of the modern technology available at the time of it’s construction (1914), including everything from details on how the structure itself was built to the incorporation of modern touches such as a telephone switching system and a central vacuum system. Though he only wintered at Vizcaya from 1916 to 1925, upon James’s departure, the estate was left to his half-brother Charles. Deering’s adventurous spirit lives on to this day. The estate’s very emblem – “The Caravel” – commemorates a ship used during the “Age of Exploration.” As you begin your own exploration of this historic Miami icon, you’ll notice an image of the mythical voyager “Bel Vizcaya” at the entrance, marking the beginning of a most memorable journey ahead. ( https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/thing-to-do/attractions/vizcaya-museum-and-gardens/2025)

May 15, 2021 3

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive – 3/27/2021

The Lake Apopka North Shore is a true diamond in the rough. The restoration of former muck farms has transformed this area into a haven for wildlife and a jewel for the recreating public. The 20,000 acres that make up the Lake Apopka North Shore, were once part of the lake itself. However, these valuable wetlands were separated from the lake in 1941 by a large levee. This decreased the size of Lake Apopka from more than 50,000 acres, to just over 30,000 acres. Lake Apopka is the state’s fourth-largest lake and is fed by a natural spring, rainfall and storm water runoff.

Lake Apopka North Shore offers extraordinary bird-watching opportunities. It is one of the top three birding areas for the entire state (includes Everglades National Park and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge). The Lake Apopka North Shore is considered one of the most renowned birding destinations in Florida, with 369 different bird species recorded on the property. During the winter months, more than 150 species regularly use the property, from showy herons and egrets to numerous tiny warblers and flycatchers. Other wildlife routinely seen include numerous American alligators, bobcats, otters, bears, raccoons, armadillos and coyotes.

We took this trip in the afternoon not really knowing what we would see. The drive is a one-way, 11-mile drive meandering through the eastern portion of the property. It begins at Lust Road and ends on Jones Avenue in Orange County, Fla. The drive took about 3 hours because of the many stops we made along the way. The speed limit is 10 mph but with all of the wildlife we rarely exceeded that. Stopping is limited to designated pull-outs provided along the length of the drive but the rangers say you can stop anywhere along the drive if you pull over far enough to let traffic pass by.

My regrets – I didn’t bring my 150 – 600 mm lens just my 28 – 300. Going back soon with the right equipment.

March 29, 2021 2

Longleaf Pine Preserve – March 8, 2021

Longleaf Pine Preserve includes several natural communities, including mesic and wet flatwoods, cypress strands, cypress domes and scrub.

The preserve, which covers 12,005 acres, has two long marked trails and I did the red trail.

The red trail is a six-mile loop that begins and ends at the west entrance of the preserve. Along this trail, you may see mesic flatwoods, which are characterized by longleaf pine and slash pine and an understory dominated by saw palmetto and wiregrass. Cypress domes may be recognized throughout the site by the dome-like appearance of their pond cypress tree line. Cypress strands – elongated areas of cypress tree communities – also can be seen in the distance.

Portions of the trail are subject to flooding – some areas possibly more than two feet ( fortunately I was able to bushwhack around the deeper water). Although use of the trail when flooded may not be for everyone, traversing this natural site under wet conditions provides an opportunity to observe and experience the character of Florida’s vital wet habitats. (Ha Ha)

Wildlife along the trails may include sandhill crane, great blue heron, river otter, bobcat, coyote, fox, deer, black bear and alligator – didn’t see much but a fine walk in the woods and water. Beware the trail skirts private property and the owners are none to friendly.

March 26, 2021 4

Little Big Econ State Forest – February 12, 2021

The Little Big Econ State Forest is well-known for its beautiful trails. The forest is 10,279 acres preserved in a suburban area in the middle of the triangle formed by Orlando, Cocoa and Daytona Beach. The forest supports a variety of wildlife such as alligator, Sherman’s fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, gopher frog, bald eagle, sandhill crane, deer, turkey, gray squirrel, roseate spoonbill and wood stork.

You’ll find shady trails along the beautiful wild Econlockhatchee River, a major tributary of the St. Johns River and designated an Outstanding Florida Water. The Econ is a slow-moving tannic-colored river with some bluffs along its banks that add elevation changes to the riverside hike.There are lots of hiking options: There are 16.3 miles of trails, including an eight mile section of the Florida Trail and a straight trail called the Flagler Trail because it follows what was Henry Flagler’s historic railroad line.

We made the Kolokee Trail into a 5.2 mile loop, you need to consult the Kolokee Trail Brochure and use several other marked trails — the Flagler Trail, the White Trail and the Florida National Scenic Trail – to get you back to the trailhead.

Along the way, we admired the many large oak and cypress trees and used one of several benches to watch the river. We’re told it’s a good place for birding and wildlife viewing, but our only sighting was an alligator. Where does the unusual name come from?

The forest’s name comes from combining the names of the Little Econlockhatchee River and the larger Econlockhatchee River, which come together just south of the forest.

The Muskogee word Econlockhatchee translates literally to “earth-mound stream” and means the “river of many mounds.” Long ago, Native Americans named the river for the multitude of man-made earthen mounds along the waterway.

February 26, 2021 3

LAKE HARNEY WILDERNESS AREA – February 15-2021

The Lake Harney Wilderness Area (LHWA) is an approximately 300-acre property that is located along the St. Johns River at the northwest shore of Lake Harney. This site is home to an historic crossing of the Florida East Coast Railway, Native American shell middens, several bald eagle nests, oak hammocks and mixed hardwood swamps. This site also contains extensive floodplain marshes associated with Lake Harney which serve as important feeding grounds for wading birds and as a natural filter improving water quality.

February 24, 2021 2

Lake George Forest and Wildlife Management Area & Haw Creek Preserve – February 8, 2021

The 8,062-acre Lake George Forest and Wildlife Management Area is part of a 35,380-acre wildlife management area that provides more than 20 miles of contiguous habitat for many species of Florida’s wildlife along Lake George and the St. Johns River. The Lake George area has the second largest population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states.The trail along Lake George winds through hardwood hammock dominated by live oak, sweet bay, magnolia, and sabal palm with an understory of palmetto. Wildlife along the trails may include osprey, bald eagle, barred owl, pigmy rattlesnake, black bear, bobcat, river otter, fox, deer and turkey. Too bad the only wildlife I saw were a few crows.

Haw Creek Preserve is a beautiful peaceful place that is a hidden gem near Bunnell. It’s hidden back in the woods behind acres of cabbage farmland. The Haw Creek Preserve is right on the Haw Creek, where you can kayak and launch a boat. The hike is a bit on the shorter side. The whole thing is on a great boardwalk. The total distance round trip is a little less than 1.5 miles. Along the boardwalk there are turnoffs that take you over to the Haw Creek. From the turnoffs you have great views of the creek.

February 16, 2021 4

The Morse Museum & Polasek Museum – February 2, 2021

The 2nd started out as a rainy day so we skipped golf and headed to Winter Park Fl to do some inside activity. Rained while we were at the Morse but cleared so we decided to visit the Polasek of course after a great lunch in downtown.

The Morse Museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), including the artist and designer’s jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass lamps and windows; his chapel interior from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago; and art and architectural objects from his Long Island country estate, Laurelton Hall. The Museum’s holdings also include American art pottery, late 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings, graphics, and decorative art.

Albin Polasek (1879 – 1965) is heralded as one of America’s foremost sculptors of the twentieth century.

Celebrated in his own lifetime, Polasek created figurative works based upon the true structure of nature. His goal was to show the essential unity of form and the beauty of “movement,” the flow of one form into another. He felt that movement made the difference between a work exuding life and something inanimate. Polasek’s ability to capture the spirit of his subject provided inspiration to successors such as Richmond Barthe, Sylvia Shaw Judson and Ruth Sherwood..

Born in 1879 in Frenstat, Moravia (now Czech Republic), Albin Polasek apprenticed as a woodcarver in Vienna before immigrating to the United States in 1901 at the age of 22. After four years working as a woodcarver in the American Midwest, Polasek began his formal art training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Under the guidance of sculptor Charles Grafly, Polasek learned the traditional classical techniques of sculpting, while refining his own distinct style. As a student he first created Man Carving His Own Destiny (1907) and Eternal Moment (1909), two of his earliest well-known sculptures. In 1909, while still a student at the Pennsylvania Academy, Polasek became an American citizen.

February 16, 2021 2

Coastal Strand Trail – January 30, 2021

The Coastal Strand Trail is a sandy 2.5-mile hike which begins at Smith Creek Landing in Ormond by the Sea, FL.

The first portion of this leisure hike takes place in a shady maritime hammock. It occurs on old coastal dunes that have been stabilized long enough for the growth of a forest which can be found in interrupted patches along much of Florida’s coast. The vegetation is pruned and flattened by the salt spray, angling away from the ocean.

Reaching the powerlines, you will be traversing through sunny coastal strand and looping back. These coastal dunes are vegetated with a dense thicket of salt-tolerant shrubs. It is excellent cover for small mammals, rodents, reptiles and birds. You can even catch a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean from one of the high points on the trail.

Well-placed, interpretive signs are located along the hiking trail covering local resident species such as the gopher tortoise and Garberia, an increasingly rare plant that lives in dry, scrubby habitats.