Author: RHPhotoAdventures

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Places to Explore

Myakka State Park – Deep Hole

Deep Hole is a 141 foot deep sinkhole located just northwest of the upper Myakka Lake portion of the Myakka River. It’s easy to see the outline of Deep Hole during the dry season when the land around it is above water. During the wet season, it blends in with the Myakka River as the entire area is under water.

This is a protected area with visitors limited to just thirty per day. To visit, you need to be in line when the park opens at 8am. You’ll need to secure a permit to gain access and receive directions to the area.

When I visited, it was a hot day so the alligators weren’t as plentiful as they would be on a cool, sunny day. There were still well over fifty of them lining the shore, but sometimes there are many more than that.

Alligators at Deep Hole
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Places to Explore

Things to Do 2022

There is no shortage of things to do in our area if you’re looking to get outdoors and enjoy some spectacular Florida nature. I did a post about this back in 2019. https://rhphotoadventures.com/2019/03/06/what-is-there-to-do/ I’ve since discovered a lot of new resources to find places to explore.

The CREW Land and Water Trust https://crewtrust.org/ oversees and preserves land around the 60,000 acre Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. These areas are among some of my favorite, including Bird Rookery Swamp.

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Places to Explore

Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area

This area was purchased in 1914 by a lumberman from Pittsburg named Edward Babcock. In 1931, he leased the timber rights on his land, and eventually nearly all of the old growth pines were cut down for timber. The Commission of Game and Fresh Water Fish (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before it was called that), started to buy land for conservation and wildlife management. In 1941, they bought 19,200 acres of land from Edward’s son, Fred. Babcock Webb WMA is the oldest wildlife management area in Florida. Today, there are over 65,000 acres that make up the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. It was originally named after a commissioner at that time, Cecil M. Webb. It’s name was changed in 1995 to the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. We just call it Babcock Webb.

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Critter Talk

Common Wading Birds of SWFL

Wherever there’s water in Southwest Florida, you can probably count on there being some birds and an alligator or two. Here’s a quick little guide to the most common wading birds you’ll encounter in this area. Click on each photo for full-screen view.

Common Gallinule
Purple Gallinule
Glossy Ibis
White Ibis
Little Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron (juvenile)
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Anhinga (male)
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga (female)
Double-crested Cormorant
Limpkin
Tri-colored Heron
Roseate Spoonbill
Black-necked Stilt
Great Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Woodstork
Reddish Egret
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Trail Adventures

Backpacking for Beginners

On the Myakkka Hiking Trail

Have you been wanting to try backpacking, but have been a little intimidated by the idea? Hopefully this post will help boost your confidence. If you can walk a few miles and carry 20% of your bodyweight, you can backpack.

We’ll start with water. I’m not a proponent of plastic water bottles. Having said that, for a lightweight and perfectly sized bottle, I haven’t found a reusable bottle that can beat a one liter Smart Water bottle. An empty bottle without the neck band and label weighs a mere 1.32 ounces. An added bonus is that it perfectly fits the Sawyer Squeeze filtration system. (More on that later.)

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Places to Explore

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

How do you pronounce “slough?” It rhymes with flew, not cough or chow. English is weird. Anyway, welcome to one of my favorite local spots! I will say, I prefer this place in the summer on weekdays because in the winter and on weekends it gets crazy busy. Today was a federal holiday, and I think everybody and their sister decided it was a good day for a walk at Six Mile Cypress.

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Places to Explore

O’Leno State Park and River Rise

O’Leno was Florida’s eleventh state park, established in 1940. Like many of the original state parks, it was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This park is full of history and natural beauty. Some of the best hiking trails in Florida can be found here, particularly when combined with neighboring River Rise Preserve State Park’s trails.

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Places to Explore

Hontoon Island State Park

Hontoon Island is a sweet little 1,650 acre state park located on the St. John’s River, six miles west of Deland in Florida. We visited in mid-October and had the whole place practically to ourselves. We arrived on a late Sunday afternoon. There were several families enjoying the day use area, fishing and playing on the playground. By Monday morning, the place was pretty much deserted.

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Scavenger Hunts

Explore Your World

A walk in nature is the perfect antidote to feeling stressed, fatigued, and generally unhappy. Breathe in the fresh air, and take some time to find something cool and unusual. There’s always something interesting to see, you just have to look a little more closely sometimes. Scavenger hunts are a great way to train your brain to look deeper and seek out hidden nature treasures.

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Critter Talk

Wood Storks

Wood storks are a threatened species of bird that can be found hanging out in wetlands in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.  They are occasionally seen in all states along the Mississippi River and as far north as Ontario.  Mostly they stay in the Southeast though.