Travelling Photographer

October / November 2021

A little behind in posting. The following are highlights of several hiking trips and wildlife refuges that we visited.

Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve

Not the first time here but always a pleasant walk along a boardwalk along the intercoastal in Flagler Beach. https://www.visitflagler.com/listing/betty-steflik-memorial-preserve/270242/

6 Mile Slough Preserve

3400 acres of wetlands near Ft Meyers that runs about 11 miles and only a third of a mile wide – with several boardwalk loops. http://www.sloughpreserve.org

Lafayette Reservoir

An easy 2.5+ mile path around the reservoir – a fun morning with the grand kids. http://www.ebmud.com/recreation/east-bay/lafayette-reservoir/

Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area

The tract includes 378 acres of wetlands along two creeks. The property provides a buffer where forests capture rainwater to recharge the aquifer and augment the flow of nearby Silver Springs. www.sjrwmd.com/lands/recreation/silver-springs/

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations. http://www.fws.gov/refuge/JN_Ding_Darling/

December 23, 2021 5

Harry P. Leu Gardens – August 28, 2021

The Harry P. Leu Gardens are semi-tropical and tropical gardens in Orlando, Florida. The gardens contain nearly 50 acres of landscaped grounds and lakes, with meandering trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. The address is 1920 North Forest Avenue Orlando, FL 32803. The Leu Gardens were started by Mr. and Mrs. Harry P. Leu, who in 1936 purchased Leu House and forty acres of land. The Leus traveled all over the world and brought back many exotic plants and many varieties (240) of camellias for their gardens. In 1961, the Leus deeded the house and the gardens to the city of Orlando. At the heart of the Gardens is Harry and Mary Jane Leu’s home, known as the Leu House Museum, which has been meticulously restored and is on the National Historical Register.

We were able to visit during the Gardens special exhibit called the Fairy Doors. This amazing exhibit has become a Central Florida tradition. This exhibit features twenty, one-of-a-kind, whimsical fairy doors which will inspire your child’s imaginative world of enchanted forests, secret gardens and the magic of fairies. Each door is created by a special fairy and all you must do is find these beautiful doors located throughout the 50-acre gardens.

October 7, 2021 2

Amelia Island Getaway August 24th to 26th, 2021

We had a couple of hotel room certificates that were expiring so we decided on a quick golf and dining getaway to Fernandina Beach Fl. Fernandina Beach is the northernmost city on Florida’s Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island. The area was first inhabited by the Timucuan Indian people. We played golf at Amelia National Golf & Country Club (a sister course to ours) and Amelia River Golf Club. Excellent dinners at Le Clos and Cucina South. Evening walks through downtown Fernandina enjoying the architecture and marina. A day trip to Fort Clinch located at the entrance to the Cumberland Sound and the St Mary’s River. The fort was started in 1794 and was modified and maned in the Civil War, Spanish American War and the Second World War. On our way back home, we stopped at Little Talbot Island SP to view the driftwood configurations lining the beach. We were able to do a short beach walk before the sky’s opened up – will definitely be back to compete our beach walk here and on Big Talbot Island SP.

September 4, 2021 6

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

Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP – Day 9 /10

On the home stretch — 7-hour drive to see Wyoming’s Devil’s tower. Devils Tower National Monument, a unique and striking geologic wonder steeped in Native American legend, is a modern-day national park and climbers’ challenge. The Tower is a solitary, stump-shaped granite formation that looms 1,267 feet above the tree-lined Belle Fourche River Valley, like a skyscraper in the country. Once hidden below the earth’s surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing the Tower.

Last stop of the day was a viewing of Mount Rushmore and its Evening Lighting Ceremony.

On our 10th day and last of site seeing we returned to Mount Rushmore to tour the grounds and watch its documentary movies. Finally, a quick stop at the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, then on to Denver for our flight home.

Hope you enjoyed our adventure.

August 14, 2021 2

Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP – Day 8

Today is our last day in Yellowstone and we spent the day exploring the northwest section of the park. Most of our time was spent walking the boardwalks of the upper and lower terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. A little disappointing in that there was much less water flowing through the springs than in our previous visits which made the area look a little barren and silted.

Completing our day we drove from Mammoth Hot Springs to the Tower -Roosevelt area and along the way we rode the unpaved Blacktail Plateau Drive (surprisingly our Camry handled it well). Along the way we viewed Undine Falls and hiked to Wraith Falls.

August 14, 2021 1

Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP – Day 7

We started the day driving the Firehole Canyon getting great views of the several cascades.

Started today’s hikes at the Fairy Falls Trail, a 3.6 mile hike to the 197 foot falls. For me the best part of the hike was an elevated view of the Grand Prismatic Spring. If you have been following my adventures for a while you might remember me gushing about the view. It was an off trail bushwhacking to get up high enough to see over the trees and on to the spring. Not any more – the park service has added a side trail to get to my spot. The spring is still spectacular.

Continuing along the trail trough pine forest and over some small boulders to get to the falls.

After the hike back to our car we headed to Biscuit Basin for our final hike of the day — Mystic Falls. This so called easy hike was so if you just hiked to the falls and back. We decided to do the falls loop trail which is 4 miles — our first mistake was to take the right fork which rises 700 feet in a half mile with many switchbacks to an overlook of the firehole river and in the distance Upper Geyser Basin. The downhill return to the falls and trailhead was much easier.

Closing out the hike we followed the basin boardwalk through several geysers.

August 13, 2021 1

Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP – Day 6

Heavy hiking day today — early morning start on the Brink of Lower Falls trail.

The Brink of Lower Falls Trail switchbacks steeply down a mostly forested section of the Grand Canyon to an observation platform perched at the top of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone. Here the mighty river thunderously plunges 308 feet into the heart of the canyon and hikers are afforded spectacular views down river into the vast, colorful canyon. The trail drops more than 300 feet in 0.4 miles.

South Rim Trail – the Trail runs from Chittenden Bridge to Point Sublime 3.8 miles each way. The trail provides views of the Yellowstone river and it Grand Canyon, Lower and Upper Falls and continuing vista all along the way. One side hike we were considering was Uncle Tom’s Trail which maybe the most unusual hike in the park ( I did it ten years ago – what a workout) It’s not really a trail but a series of mesh steps to a Lower Falls viewpoint a mere 328 steps to the bottom. On second thought I was glad that it was closed.

August 11, 2021 11

Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP – Day 5

Today we traverse several landscapes of Yellowstone – geysers, natural bridge and the beginnings of our visit to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone. We explored the basin taking two loop trails totaling about 2 1/4 miles passing the world’s tallest active geyser, colorful hot springs, and microscopic life in one of the most extreme environments on earth.

Rainbow Colors, hissing steam, and pungent odors combine to create an experience unique in Yellowstone. Porcelain Basin is open terrain with hundreds of densely packed geothermal features; in contrast, Back Basin is forested and its features are more scattered and isolated. Steamboat Geyser, is the world’s tallest active geyser. Its major eruptions shoot water more than 300 feet – not today.

Natural Bridge trail – Yellowstone Natural Bridge is a natural arch. The arch is at an elevation of 7,983 feet and can be reached by hiking a little more than a mile and a half. The arch is 51 feet tall and was created as water eroded through the surrounding ryholite rock. Not a challenge to climb for a 14 year old.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River begins at Upper Falls, cutting a 20-mile long, 1,000-foot deep gash across the park. We walked right up to the edge of the dramatic falls on Brink of the Upper Falls Trail and stare down the thundering 109-foot waterfall. A great view and along with it a rainbow.

North Rim Trail – You can get numerous memorable views of the canyon by hiking along North Rim Trail, which stretches 3.8 miles over a paved and unpaved path crossing the northwest wall of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Some sections of North Rim Trail parallel North Rim Drive, a road that allows visitors to drive right up to some of the north rim’s exceptional overlooks. Away from the road, North Rim Trail crosses pristine pine forests perched atop precarious canyon walls. The trail connects several named and noteworthy viewpoints while passing unnamed views that stop you in your tracks – for photos of course. We hike out and back for about 6 miles then drove to Inspiration Point for our final stop before heading back to West Yellowstone for the night.