Still Gravity

Break from a long drive - License our images  here . The rules change from state to state and even from rest area to rest area. This is the status nowadays but check because changes are constant.  Overnight is possible in California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, Ohio and Pennsylvania (only in the Turnpike).  Need to check the rules for each rest area  in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Park and rest with time limits - 2 to 4 hours - in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Don't allow:  Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

The cozy camper trailer of our neighbor in Silver Lake campground, Florida - License our images  here .   The solution is Amazon Hub Locker. Easy and convenient. Some points about the system.  Packages must weigh less than 10 pounds.  Size must be smaller than 16 x 12 x 14 inches. Amazon will alert you when the package is in the locker and will send you a code to open it.  Need to pick up in three days. You can do returns through a locker (Amazon will send you a code).  The official info in these links.  How to collect a package in an Amazon Hub Locker . Find an Amazon Hub Locker .  How the system works . Good option for the road traveler. 

This is the NOLS system to check an injured person.  A - Airways check. B - Breathing check. C - Circulation check. D - Disability check. E - Expose injuries check. Remember "ABCDE" and carry a first aid kit. 

Entrance to the mountain bike trails in Santos, Ocala  - License our images  here .   Our son came to ride the Epic 50 - again. And we came as the support team - again. If I remember well, this is his third time participating in what is probably the most popular bike ride of Florida.  We rode our bikes in the previous visit on the paved trail up to the Ross Prairie campground by Highway 200 - a 30 miles roundtrip. This time chose to do something different: we went hiking.  Early morning in the Florida Trail. This forest is beautiful, especially under the softer lights of the morning. An orchestra of singing birds followed us and, closer to the ground, an army of squirrels - we didn't see any wild turkey this time.  The colorful medal after the ride.  Once again, our son completed the fifty grueling miles. They meant close to five hours of pedaling, liters of sweat, and cramped legs. But one always feels good after completing a challenge. We are sure he will come again in 2024. 

Rising moon on the campground - License our images  here . Not the first time, nor will be the last one. Sometimes we cross path with loud fellow campers. The couple began to argue at 2 a.m. Profanities came out of their tent. Rude wake up for the sleepy campground. A few minutes later, their voices muffled but the damage was done. The moon was the witness. 

Sandy trail by the Wild Loop of Highland Hammock State Park - License our images  here .  A Great Horned Owl visited our camp in the WILD LOOP of Highland Hammock State Park, Florida. No, no one, there were two, and a third one further away - let's call that one, "the intruder". The couple of owls tried to sing away the intruder. The territorial fight escalated into a back-and-forth concert that lasted for an hour. Again, and again, the Great Horned Owls call of "Who's awake? Me, too." -  Click here  to listen a duet. Of course, we remained awake.  A short time later, the howl of a coyote nearby. Nothing for you here, I thought. Go away and hunt somewhere else. Night is still young. And then, the full moon made all blue.  Next morning, we found the trail of a wild party printed on the sand.   Footprints of wildlife everywhere.  They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.             Edward Lear, "The

The magic lightning of this Florida forest - License our images  here . We found a social media hiker in Highland Hammocks State Park. She crossed us on the trails four or five times. Always with a phone on her left hand and the right swapping across with a frenetic movement. Nonstop social media frenzy or obsessive illness?  The answer doesn't matter because both end in the same spot: she missed the park . The lady traded trails, forests, and the ancient oak by faraway ghosts of ones and zeroes. What a pity! The remains of the oldest oak.  

Crossing path with a python in Shark Valley - License our images  here .   Burmese pythons are expanding their range throughout Florida.  This map shows that they have reached Georgia in the area by the Okefenokee Swamp. One of the largest snakes in the world, they are mainly nocturnal. They are also good swimmers and can stay underwater for up to half an hour. Their breeding season is in early spring.  The phyton can fast for over a year if needed. They ambush their preys with a sit-and-wait strategy and, if large enough, can be a danger to humans.  What to do if attacked?  Don't hike alone.  Keep your eyes open in the bushes.  Carry a blade.  Don't let the snake wrap you up - they are constrictors! Phytons bite. Control the head.  They don't like alcohol or mouthwash on their face - not sure how to deploy this under attack. Fight for your life!  We found a dead python on a trail. We've crossed them three times in the wild. All encounters were in South Florida. So far

The Fern Garden Trail in Highland Hammock State Park - License our images  here . Hike through elder plants that have adorned the planet for 200 to 300 million years. Silent witnesses of dinosaurs' times, when the planet was warmer and humid.  Ferns surrounding the boardwalk.  The reproductive system of ferns is older than flowers and seeds. It's based on spores and needs moisture to work. The leaves of ferns are called fronds.   What a fresh walk - because it's the Florida winter.

Hiking by a prescribed fire area in Highland Hammock State Park, Florida - License our images  here .   Fires to shape the wilderness are old stuff in North America. Indians used them in the South and later it became a method to manage forests and wild areas.  The technique is accepted today, but foresters and agencies opposed these burns in the past. Ideas change with the pass of time. Huge cycles of death and rebirth. Fire is bright and fire is clean. Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 Prescribed fire at DuPuis Wildlife Management Area, Florida.  

The sunsets of the primitive Wild Loop of Highland Hammock State Park - License our images  here .         By the trees there is peace. The shallow peace of the wild. Behind the camper, a beautiful prairie lit every day by the reds of sunset. Cloudless skies and a mild Florida winter working in tandem. A symphony of blues.  This place is better than the main campground of this park.  Check our night visitors to this camping spot  here .