Another simply beautiful day in Florida... wow... we must be running short... I don't know.
We decided this morning to take a motorcycle drive while everyone up north was firing up the snow blowers! Lots of snow going on up in Ontario! We thought about taking a drive down to a small Town near here called Frost Proof. We wanted to check out some hiking trails.
We stopped for a few minutes in Lake Wales. There was all kinds of things going on, so we had to check it out. Turns out it was their annual Mardi Gras Celebration!
Judy was checking out one of the booths in the downtown area, that was all closed to traffic.
Ya, check out that beautiful blue Florida Sky this afternoon.
They had Mardi Gras Masks for sale here... Judy and I were dumb founded this afternoon, as people were lined up on the side of the roads waiting for the parade to start. I went over and asked some people when the Parade started, and was told it was at 3:00 p.m. So, these people sat waiting in the hot sun for over 3 HOURS for the Parade to start! Wow... no us!
We drove south of Frost Proof, and found a small conservation area with a .25 mile trail that we walked. The one we were looking for turned out to be one we already did!
Just a bit of Spanish Moss above... don't drop your cigarette here! It would just be one big flash!
We found another neat conservation area at Fort Meade. This is on the Peace River, and we need to bring the kayaks here one day soon! Had a nice 150 klm. ride today in simply beautiful weather! Loved it!
Been kind of busy the last few days, and missed blogging about what we did yesterday. We were up early and drove out to the Circle B Ranch, as the people in our Park got together and were able to fill a tram ride with people for the guided tour! Didn't want to miss it! I have blogged about this 1,267 acre preserve before. It is owned by the people of Polk County, and is open to everyone 24/7 for free! They flooded the lands in one section, and it has turned out to be one of the best water bird areas in the U.S. There are also 4,000 alligators in the local Lake Hancock! NO SWIMMING HERE!
As a good Virgo, I got us here real early to load the tram. It is done by all volunteers who are excellent!
Here are some of the best birding shots I could come up with from the tram....
YIKES... where did this guy come from... he was nice and calm!
Above is an idea of the wildlife you see on a 1 1/2 hour tour! What a spot to visit! You have to come!
That black cat above was not in the Florida Swamp... it was in Gwenn's kitchen. This is a skype shot from a call this morning... Gwenny playing with the tupperware and the cat decided to join in on the fun! What a great call we had!
Till tomorrow...
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Must be one heck of great parade.
ReplyDeleteLove the bird photos...gorgeous.
Florida sure looks great, and oh, another spoonbill! I'll be there in two weeks, so I am hoping the weather holds up.
ReplyDeleteCan't get pictures to load today. I'm going to have to come back and check it out later. Sounds like a great time but I don't think I'd wait 3 hours for a parade.
ReplyDeleteNice motorcycle ride and an equally nice picture essay of birds. You could be called the 'birdman of blogland' if you keep that up.
ReplyDeleteAnother great day in the sun.
ReplyDeleteWe found that for the many Mardi Gras parades here in Louisiana people head out at 6:30 in the morning for an 11 o'clock parade. Not for us either.
We can watch them on TV if we wish.
Great pics of all those birds. Did you know that a gator can run faster than you can? I'm just sayin...
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