Cold, wet weather has kept us inside for a week.  Finally, it turns more Florida-like so we head out to Rice Creek Conservation area for a trek along a section of the Florida Trail.  We make our way beneath towering palm trees and graceful live oaks winding among a thick understory of fan palms; cypress knees jut up through the trail. Air ferns, moss and lichen blanket nearly all surfaces around us.  Deeper into the conservation area we encounter bridges that criss-cross Rice Creek and allow us to move among blackwater pools.  The water surface perfectly reflects all around it.  What a wonderful example of a cypress swamp!   We are deep within it and blissfully, there are no bugs.  One good thing brought to us by the recent cold weather.

A bit further on the Florida Trail and we move onto higher ground, an oak hammock. The local trail club maintains this section and has built a fantastic camp site complete with a picnic table, pitcher pump and the Rice Creek Hilton.  Check it out.

We work our way out of what seems like perfect reptile country wondering why we haven’t seen a single alligator or snake.  Right on cue, a hawk with a big snake dangling from it’s talons glides through the treetops just ahead of us.  What a great unexpected ending to a fun walk.