Still Gravity

Nowadays we keep one solar panel on the roof plus a portable set  of 350W combined with a power station. Note that this photo still shows the old roof panels. It was taken in Colorado - License our images  here .          We don't need much electricity because we don't have many things to power. We run under the mantra of  KISS , less stuff, less things that can fail.  All our 12 volts equipment - without counting the fridge - draws 56 watts if everything is on - with the lamps and all the fans running at maximum. Adding ~60 watts of the fridge, we can round our total draw to around 120 watts at maximum.  The Bluetti EB-240 packs batteries, charge controller, and inverter in a unit under 50 pounds. In a perfect world, it holds 2400 Wh - but worlds are never perfect. The power inverter can run up to 1000 watts AC - our Magic Bullet draws around 300 watts, so we got smoothies to beat the heat. We charge th

The best and the longest of the paved trails in Florida. We rode sections twice. Once from the Silver Lake Campground - photos here - going through the Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee Forest, and the second time from the South Citrus Springs trailhead by the northern end of the trail.   This biking trail is 46 miles long - 74 km. The path travels through three counties - Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco - following the Withlacoochee River. Also goes through some small cities, among them the picturesque Floral City . The Withlacoochee State Trail is another of those repurposed railroad lines made possible by the Florida Rails to Trails Program - a very good idea. The original railroad was built in the 1880s by Henry Plant and was known as the Plant System’s West Coast Route. Memories of those times survive in the old markers along the modern trail.  There are many trailheads to access the Withlacoochee State Trail. Some are parks and most are free. One of them is Fort Cooper State Par

Flying caracara in the Kissimmee Prairie, Florida - License our images  here .  The bird surprised us while hiking the Military Trail close to the  Kissimmee River. It was on the ground hidden by the grass and abruptly flew away. Only gave time for one photo.  Caracaras are birds of prey related to falcons but with some differences. They are scavengers and don't fly as fast as their cousins. The crested caracara or Mexican eagle is the one that lives in Florida.  We were camping in the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park .

All is golden before the darkest nights - License our images  here .         Where do you get the darkest nigh in the state of Florida?  In the Kissimmee Prairie, a place far away from the lights of towns and cities. Even the lights of the state park where we camped are tinted red to avoid spoiling the stargazers. They also have a few campsites in the prairie named astronomy pads. Lights are forbidden there - the campground is covered by the trees of a hammock, not a good place to see the stars.  The sunset also brings wildlife close to the campground.  Every night we got noisy coyotes roaming the prairie. We took a short walk through the Military Trail under the full moon. Impressive views. It felt like walking in an African prairie, but without lions.  We also hiked a section of the Florida Trail and took on the 15-mile Military Trail to the Kissimmee River. A  lonely wild pig  crossed our path in this trail, and we photo

Scarlet kingsnake with its "red touches black". The scarlet kingsnake looks like the dangerous coral snake. Same color palette, different color pattern. The look is deceiving because the scarlet is not venomous. Another case of  batesian mimicry . The animal is saying, "get away and leave me alone or... " Just a colorful bluff.  To identify the coral from the scarlet, memorize the old saying: If red touches yellow, kill a fellow = coral snake = venomous. If red touches black - like in our picture -, venom lacks = scarlet kingsnake = nonvenomous. For extra safety, leave all snakes alone. There was a case of mistaken identity in Alabama and a coral bit someone - read  this article . The Navajo says,