Florida Afterimages

I am now in North Carolina, a few miles south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I moved north too soon - the trees are just budding now. So, I will spend about two weeks here before continuing.
Meanwhile, here are a few parting thoughts on my Florida explorations. I seemed to zigzag all over the place.



Each area brought something new to me. The Everglades had much less of the tree/shrub type vegetation than I expected. Big Cypress had more 'gators than I expected - WAY more!



Jonathan Dickinson was a very comfortable "home base" for me. Hillsborough River was visually delightful. Ocala National Forest was peaceful. Cape Canaveral showed me three launches, and I had been hoping to see one.

Finally, there is St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.


If you are a beach lover, this is a spectacular spot. The sand is very white and fine. It has been blown into some impressive dunes. The site is a narrow spit of land with the bay to the east and the Gulf to the west. In between, there are marshlands and forested areas. That is where the camping areas are.

While there, I saw a pair of Bald Eagles, but did not have my camera.

So, thank you, Florida, for a very nice State Park system, and for the relaxing time I spent there.

Though it was delightful, I must be going.

Afterimages

More about that sunrise...

I woke up early and looked out the window. What I saw had me jumping up, dressing and grabbing my camera.





I thought it was spectacular. Most of the sunsets were not very photogenic because a large commercial area was just to the west of the park. One night, however, the clouds were just right, allowing me to use a tree and hide the buildings somewhat.



By the way, you can see these pics full size by clicking on them. Most of the other pics I have posted are reduced in size. These are not, so the files are large. Please click on at least the third pic. It can't be appreciated at the smaller scale. The people in the light beam are early morning fishermen on the Jetty at Jetty Park, Cape Canaveral.

Bye for now.

Starting North

I haven't been posting much because there isn't much to tell. I have been sitting by the beach in Cape Canaveral, reading and relaxing. I am now back in Ocala National Forest, the first step northerly. Pics to come include a sunrise at Cape Canaveral (rare for me - I don't often get up that early) and perhaps a few critters.
Happy Easter, everyone!