A Perfect Florida Day

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness”

                                                                                                          -John Muir

 

Today was one of those perfect Florida days. Hot, humid, and simple.

My girlfriend and I made the short trip to Brooker Creek Preserve this morning. After days of rain the skies were blue and the warm sun and its UV rays were inviting. As we arrived at the preserve the temperature felt fairly mild but the air was heavy with humidity. Driving in on the entrance road to Brooker Creek is always an adventure. It is quite common to run across wildlife and I would advise visitors to the preserve to be cautious. Gopher tortoises munching on grass and herbacious plants are common. Occasionally a snake or a deer will cross your path. Today we encountered no such animals entering the park.

In the parking lot we discussed our plans for the day. We decided to do a loop trail. We started out near the visitor center. Walking on the boardwalk we encountered a few birders. They were admiring a red shouldered hawk who was perched on top of a snag. The bottomland hardwood forest on both sides of the boardwalk reminded us of the importance of hydrology in Florida’s landscape. Signs along the boardwalk informed us of the presence of apple snails and the occassional bear. With the exception of a few standing pools, water levels are still relatively low, but the wet season is still a work in progress. Recent rains though have saturated these dark earthy soils. 

On the trail we encounter a few other hikers. One old man reminds me of an old Muir-like character. Most of the other hikers are out with their dogs. As for wildlife the pickings were fairly slim today. Flora was plentiful and a number of wild flowers were making their presence known with their showy flowers, boldly displaying shades of pink, purple, and yellow. Today was a good flower hunting day. 

As we made our way back to the truck the sun was still blazing in the sky. The rain would come later in the day, but for the time being it was nice feeling the sun for a change. Leaving the park we did manage to encounter a gopher tortoise hanging out in front of his burrow. He seemed content taking in the sun. 

After grilling out in the rain and eating some great food we decided to ride on the Pinellas Trail.  Burning off some calories from lunch was beneficial but the underlying goal was to take in some unfamiliar  trail scenery.  Today we were riding along a new stretch from Seminole in the southerly direction of St. Pete. We managed to see some playful dolphins as we passed over a bridge. The dolphins seemed to be having a feeding frenzy in the shallow water, the mullets were jumping for survival, a few simply jumping for the fun of it. In addition to the wildlife the sights and smells of a Florida summer afternoon were all too evident. The smell of a man cutting his grass reminded me of my youth growing up in DeBary. I always seem to associate summer with the smell of fresh cut grass after a summer rain shower. Kids splashing around in backyards, while their parents grilled and drank beers seemed to be a common practice on this Memorial Day. 

All in all it was a perfect Florida day.