Hike Day!

Although it's only been a month since we went on a hike at Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park, Wayne thinks that's been too long. So, we were happy to find an open spot on our calendar. It was a wonderfully beautiful day to go explore the next county natural area - Lake Okeechobee Connector. 

This tiny natural area doesn't have a lot of amenities, really just a small parking lot with a informational kiosk, and an old, dilapidated horse corral. However, it is also the place where the Ocean-to-Lake hike begins, a spur from the Florida Trail going around Lake Okeechobee. 

So, we left the natural area proper and hiked along the orange-blazed trail for about 3 miles until we reached the DuPuis border, where we had previously hiked a different portion of the Ocean-to-Lake Trail. 

The first section was quite delightful, walking through a typical Florida forest, but then we were out of the shade and following dirt roads between fields of corn and sugar cane.

It was quite obvious this was a work day. As we walked around various fields, we saw people busy fertilizing, harvesting, hauling and clearing. We're grateful to have moved on to a different stage of life!

The end! And the next hike is already on the calendar for the end of the month!! Hopefully that won't feel too far away for my intrepid explorer.