Saturday, February 11, 2023

Hiking at Lake Kissimmee State Park

January 21-February 2, 2023                                   Most Recent Posts
Lake Kissimmee State Park                                      Lake Kissimmee: Kayaking
Lake Wales Florida                                                     Lake Kissimmee State Park



I forgot in my last post about paddling, subconsciously intentional no doubt, to put a picture of the damn dam that makes Lake Kissimmee possible.

This is what you can see of it from the kayak put in. The orange is the water block for the dam.  Notice the park’s boats there on the right.  At the launch you can only go left down to Lake Rosalie.  You cannot go under the bridge.


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The other thing I forgot was the two videos I wanted to put in.  If you haven’t read the kayaking post you might want to first but for those who did,  The first short video is of my first attempt at kayaking on Lake Rosalie at the end of the canal.

And the second one is an even shorter seriously amateur video of the Anhinga playing his snake bird role and flying off.


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On the days when I was not paddling up and down the canal at Lake Kissimmee as I talked about in my previous post, I was hiking on their trails.  As you can see, they have a lot of trails from .25 miles to 6.7 miles.  In addition there are service roads and fire roads which are also on the hand map which is in black and white.  But they are not on this posted colored version.


The Green Trail was nearest the campground and I walked it multiple times.  Sometimes connecting to the blue trail and some service roads to create a different route.  At first it was a shaded walk among lovely large Live Oak Trees.


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Live Oak trees are so wonderful.  They can be from 40 to 60 feet tall with a 60 to 100 food spread and curving branches which in some cases will be lying on the ground.  They love this sandy soil.

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And in many cases they are covered with Spanish Moss.  Both the tree and the “moss” are native plants and the moss is not parasitic on the tree but it can potentially shade it from the sun and block photosynthesis.

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As I got closer to Lake Kissimmee on the trail, the habitat changed to open grasses and big sky.


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And eventually to muddy and marshy.  That little white spot between the trees at the end of the road is the view of the lake.

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Not much of a lake view and a wet and marshy shore line.  The arrow there indicates where the trail I was on goes next.  Doesn’t look like anyone has been able to walk there in some time.  High water.   At this point I backed up and started investigating how else I could get myself along this trail.


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It takes the shade of the Live Oaks and palmettos to create a habitat for these bright shelf mushrooms.

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I really love the shapes and structure of the Live Oaks.

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At the end of one of the hikes  on this north east side of the park, I found myself at the Observation Tower.  It is 3 stories, 35’ tall but you can no longer access the very top level.  Apparently it has been this way for some time.

When I arrived no one but the guy on the railing was there.  The close up of him is for you Pam since you like vultures.








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This is the view from the second tier with no zoom.  The railing is in the bottom corner of the picture.  You can barely see the view of the lake this was designed to showcase.

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I asked a park volunteer who came around while I was here why it was closed off and he something structural and it had been that way for a long time.  I looked from here and from underneath but didn’t see anything.  I think the difference to the view from one  more story would be striking.


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It would probably be a better version of this zoomed in shot I took from the 2nd level.

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This view of the structure from the other side shows how much higher the third tier is than the one I was limited to



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For some reason on several days after I got back from hiking, the deer were possibly looking for handouts that unscrupulous previous campers had given them. 

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It was fun having them so close though I’d prefer that they were a tad wilder.  I always worry that when humans feed animals and then those humans disappear in the winter that can cause serious problems.  But of course in Florida, the campers are in the parks year round.


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Don’t they just have the daintiest feet?

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I have deer just like this at the farm and sometimes in my yard in family groups but this group hardly batted an eye when I came up and waked right by them into the rig.  At the farm, if I open the door, they are nothing but white tail flags as they jump the fence and are long gone.

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They didn’t wander on until some time after I went inside.

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This is the yellow trail on north west side of the park.  It is named for Kristin Jacobs a state representative who before her death from cancer at age 60, spent much of career focused on environmental issues.  The trail is a biking trail but in all the times I hiked it I saw mostly hikers and only one or two bikers.

The habitat it goes through is quite different from that on the east side of the park.




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I was very shocked to see this on the side of the trail and wondered what predator here had left it.


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I saw deer on this trail nearly every time I hiked it.

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I recognized this destruction at the edge of the trail as the work of wild hogs.  Perhaps they are the predator.


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These palm tree trunks are the result of the park’s reliance on controlled burns to imitated the actions of nature.


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Even though I know this prickly pear cactus is native to Florida, it always surprises me that it is here and not in a desert.   I do love the various ways they grow.

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Like deer, this west side had a number of live armadillos.

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Looks like an armored animal.  Right down to his tail.  Amazing that he could be prey.

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This installation at a trail crossing the park road was wonderful.  I wish I’d asked at the ranger station how it came to be and who built it.  I had noticed it the couple of times I’d driven in and out but I got a good look when the trail I was on crossed the road where it was.

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Feb 1  black faced squirrel  Pretty sure he’s a Sherman’s Fox Squirrel.  He was great to watch.

I saw this guy a couple of times.  He’s a Sherman’s Fox Squirrel. He’s native to mid and northern Florida and South Georgia.  He’s a large squirrel with a fancy big bushy tail.

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He was great fun to watch with his black face, white ears and nose.

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I’m not sure what he has in his hands but he stood right up to eat it and didn’t mind me at all as long as I stood stock still.

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Lake Kissimmee has two campground loops in figure 8.  Each of them has a “pioneer-tent”.  Not sure if these are done by the same company that did the glamping thing I showed in my Alafia River post.  You’ll have to click this link to see the inside as no one was using one the day I saw it and it was closed up.  They call it carefree camping.  What do you think?  Would any of you do it?


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PXL_20230127_184334923As I mentioned in my first post on Lake Kissimmee State Park, it is WAY OUT THERE.  The internet and phone are iffy.  It is 3 miles from the ranger station to the campground and 15.5 more to the nearest town of Lake Wales.  Where I went only once for groceries and a special treat.

I met Shayne and Bev at a very popular local restaurant named Jay Bees.  Shayne used to live in this area and suggested we meet there as they were going to be in the area.


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One of Bev’s friends made her this great shirt.  The quote appears to be from Bev’s Bible.  Just in case I didn’t blow it up big enough for you to read it all, it says

YES,
I’m Always Cold
    ME 24:7
Book of Bev

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The portions here are large.  Enough to take home for sure except Shayne will help Bev out with hers.  Smile

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But no sharing the wonderful chocolate peanut butter pie.  So glad I thought to get this picture before I scarfed it all up.  Boy was it delicious!!!

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26 comments:

  1. I love those views from the observation tower - golden grasses and oak trees are two of my favorites!! Your deer are so lovely, not as silly as our big-eared mule deer here. Such a pretty, fluffy tail on that squirrel! How fun that you're still able to meet up with Bev and Shayne and share yummy treats. Her shirt is great :-))

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    1. Thanks for the great comment Jodee. I loved her shirt too

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  2. The armadillos are what draws my eye, because they're unlike what we see here.

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    1. Not sure if they're all over the Southern part of this country but they may be. I've certainly never seen them north of the deep South.

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  3. That setup that someone created at the trail crossing is great, I've never seen that particular one. Thanks for sharing!
    As always a pleasure and a treasure to meet up with you, such a privilege! Boy, I forgot about that pie, it really was great too...

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    1. I so wish I'd asked who did that setup. Bev gets the credit for remembering about the pie.

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  4. Such cute deer to keep you company. I remember the cactus in Florida, always thought it strange for it to grow there. Nice you met up with your friends again!

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    1. Thanks Laurie. Unfortunately I think I that's the last time our paths will cross in a while.

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  5. That was fun, Sherry, felt like I was there with you on this one for some reason. Yes, I would camp in that little tent, since Mo and I will never again drive the MoHo across the country to Florida. We know we will have to fly, rent a car, rent an air bnb with kayaks included, and maybe stay in a state park tent. Looks cool. Love the views of the prairie. Reminds me of Paynes Prairie farther north.

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    1. You write such great comment Sue. Thank you. It appears that this rent attempt thing is catching on since this is the 2nd time I've seen it in a state park this year. So perhaps you actually could do that. Be sure to let me know.

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  6. The luxury pioneer tent looks nice! So many deer(and armadillos)! The armadillos are like they are at our house...not really scared of anything. Nice views and beautiful oak trees! And..of course yummy food with great company 🙂

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    1. You have armadillos in Maryland or you mean the deer in Maryland? The yumeast was that pie.

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  7. That's the park where we got lost on the trail and had a very long walk. We spent a week in Las Vegas and it is back like before the Pandemic. Lots of people and the shows were full. We have a few more days in Coronado which is busy also. Thirty-eight degrees at sunup is mind-blowing for this area. The High was 68 and jackets were everywhere yesterday.

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    1. I cannot keep up with you Tom you are always somewhere else. Are you in California with those temperatures?

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  8. Great pictures of the squirrel. Love his bushy tail. You still seem to be enjoying the touring life.

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    1. I absolutely love this life Lynne and wish I would never get too old to do it

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  9. Thank you for the vulture picture and the ones of the armadillo- they are so cute! Live oaks are cool trees- there are a lot of them at the beach and they do have interesting shapes. The anhinga looked like a prehistoric animal when he was standing in the water and craning his neck forwards and back. My favorite picture is the one with the deer peering through the palm fronds (are those palms?) By the way, I would camp out in one of those little huts. Keep having fun! xxxooo

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    1. Come on down Pam and reserve a tent site and we'll do some hiking and kayaking.

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  10. That Shermans Fox Squirrel looks to me like he's wearing a cheap toupee. :cD

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    1. Paul you are so funny. You just make me laugh. A toupee. It never crossed my mind.

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  11. I know that wasn't your favorite campground, but the landscape of gorgeous live oaks and golden grasses is so pretty! That tent looks pretty sweet, too. Who knows, maybe if we're without an RV we'll end up in a tent, haha. (Probably not. Not with Magnolia, anyway.)

    About the deer...it makes me crazy when people feed deer or other wild critters. They become such a nuisance! Except for birds. I make an exception for birds, because except for gulls and pigeons and Canada geese, they generally do not become a nuisance. :-)

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  12. Gulls pigeons geese Starlings Brown headed cowbirds would all be on my nuisance list. I emphasized the good parts of this park and didn't expound on how covered with mosquito bites I got if I sat down for a minute outside and how far away from any amenities it was and how poor the Internet and phone worked. Trying to be more like you! 🙃

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  13. Those oaks are magnificent! Such contrast and diversity. I've never seen an armadillo. That squirrel is as unique as the Kaibab at the North Rim. So sad people feeding wildlife. If the food isn't bad enough for us, it's really terrible for them. Nice to catch up with friends when making a trip to town, especially with that lucious desert.

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    1. It is the diversity I love about the east coast and those oaks are really magnificent. Someday we have to meet up for a luscious dessert.

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  14. Hey Sherry! We have had our share of problems this trip also, first the tires, now the brakes and bearings. We have been in Lake City FL. waiting for parts for over a week now. Of course Lynnies Winnie is at the shop in pieces so we can't stay in her....We decided to go to the panhandle and rented an RV on VRBO. We enjoyed the beach and some different parks for a few days. Now we are back in Lake City, hoping tomorrow may be the day the parts come. If you are anywhere near us, give us a call!

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    1. Lynn I can't find your number in my contacts to call you or find your email can you contact me by either one?

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Your comments help me in more ways than you can know. Thanks in advance.