It was too hot by the time we got going to the swamp and we probably should have just not gone...but we went anyway. It turned out to be 97 degrees today. I hoped that the park would involve too much walking but it was all walking, nothing but trails and we went all the way around it.
Here is the start of the trial and really the most wonderful part. They have these boardwalks right across the swamp at the beginning.
They twist and turn all through it.
We went down to that little covered area first but saw no animals. The foliage is nice though, it looks like small elephant ears all over the swamp but they bloom.
This spider was in one corner of the covered area. Elizabeth (my son's wife) was not real fond of it but we see these black and yellow spiders all the time here.
Then we went on.
The trees with the hanging moss are really spectacular...when you see them in real life anyway.
We saw no otters, or beaver, or alligators like the park boasts about but we did see this big turtle and a couple of baby turtles and we saw a really long snake skin.
I was getting really hot by this time but that bench was in the sun and we had a lot farther to go.
By this time I was SO hot and dying to stop. We got to this covered viewing area and stopped for a little while trying to cool down some. We had been off the boardwalk for a while by now and just walking the trail.
This pond was surrounded by a fence. I am not sure what it was keeping in or out but we only saw the white birds in it. I think they are snowy egrets.
We then went through a very long trail through the woods where we really didn't see anything interesting. I was just glad to be in the shade and trying to get through and back to the car. We ran into one detour at nearly the end where the nice quick trail was "closed" and we had to take the longer one around which really wasn't appreciated at the time. We were all very glad to make it back to the car. I think it was still a nice trip but one I wouldn't want to take again until it is a lot cooler.
As you say, I imagine this walk would have been a lot nicer is the temperature had been cooler! I expect the wildlife that you didn't see was also trying to keep in the hade. It probably comes out mostly at night-time. That place is the equivalent of our Fleet Pond. We don't have any exciting animals like alligators, but we have a lot of birds.
ReplyDeleteWell, my "kids" were still fascinated with the turtles anyway. I kind of wanted to see an alligator though. I have never seen one in the "wild".
DeleteWe visited there I am sure its the same place when we were visiting the USA some years ago or it was some-were very similar, like you it was a hot day and no wildlife all hiding away, the best place we saw alligators is along a little road called the scenic route off the 41 it goes through Pinecrest, we drove very very slowly and saw loads of alligators, turtles, snakes and got a fantastic video of otters playing. Its not aimed at tourists just nature in the raw. It was down in Florida.
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