Shorewoods Photography-Boarding Group 2 Travel Blog

We relished our days spent in the Florida countryside, including visits to some local nature areas and taking in the sights.

Our first visit was to Fanning Springs State Park. This quiet area is on the Suwannee River, with turquoise blue springs and meandering boardwalks through the forest and above the swamp, safe from alligators.

The water from the springs is 72^o, and the walkway takes you past ancient oaks dotted along the way. The history of the springs are humbling. Aboriginal sites were present in the park dating back 14,000 years. Native Americans fished and harvested animals and plants. Now the park hosts many activities including swimming, boating, camping and fishing.

The swamp and springs offer the opportunity to capture some new types of landscapes.

The details of some of the enormous trees tells of how even larger they were at one time. The size of the tree trunks reminded me of the redwoods in Oregon.

Visiting the springs was a lovely introduction to some of the Florida landscape. We had no idea there was such a variety of natural areas in Florida. Our next visit was to Payne’s Prairie, complete with wild horses, wild bison, and our first sighting of alligators.

We walked along several of the trails, capturing glimpses of egret, eagles, and scenic moss laden trees. Deer scampered from the trail ahead of us, disappearing into the brush. The alligators across a small pond, while small, were intimidating non the less.

Our walk through the forest brought us to many scenic turns in the path. Views of the prairie changed as we made our way through the park.

Our time spent in these natural areas has made us more excited for our birding workshop to begin, as we will be visiting many refuges and parks, and making photos of birds and wildlife. We love experiencing new places in the wild of nature.