Sebastian Inlet State Park 1/16 to 1/30

 Week One. Weather was chilly and rained quite a bit. 

The view from our campsite. Sebastian Inlet connecting the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Fishing pier where the inlet meets the ocean. 

The beach and some of the many birds we see on our daily walks.

Pelicans chasing after the dolphins to catch fish.

One of the many dolphins we see every day in the inlet.

Pelicans chasing a fishing boat hoping to mooch fish or bait.

Just a few of the kites we saw at the Cocoa Beach Kite festival on Saturday afternoon. Hooked up with great friends from Buffalo for the day.

Fellsmere Frog Leg festival.  We were told it was classic old Florida. It was really just a carnival where they were serving frog legs and gator bites. We couldn't bring ourselves to try the frog legs. We did try the gator bites. They tasted like rubbery chicken nuggets. Not fans !!

Lake Manatee State Park - 1/10 to 1/15

Our last state park on the gulf coast for a while. Once again it did not disappoint. 

 

Every morning this cardinal was in the trees outside our window and would fly into the windows over and over.. He must have seen his reflection.

A short drive from the campground. It was a cold, damp, windy day ... but still a beautiful drive. 

Took a bike ride thru this nature preserve. The view from the tower was amazing.

Cute little museum in Cortez. All about the local fishing village and it's history.

Another cold, damp, rainy day so we went wine tasting. Live music on the patio. 

Hillsboro River State Park - 1/7 to 1/10

 Another beautiful state park. The landscape and the hikes were not what you would expect in Florida. 

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - Gainesville, FL 1/3 to 1/7

 

 

Our first look at the prairie. Gainesville in the background.

Wild horses on the prairie. The horses are said to be direct descendants of spanish horses brought here in the early 16th century.  There are also Bison here that were reintroduced to the area in 1985,  Unfortunately we did not see any of the Bison.

Spanish moss hanging from the trees. 

Our hike out to the marsh. More spanish moss.

Cranes everywhere.

An alligator parking lot. There were hundreds of them all basking in the sun.

A crane catching his dinner. It was swallowed whole. Fun to watch !

Our walk back ... more spanish moss. It made for a beautiful, spooky walk.