Lake Kissimmee State Park

'Where Florida's heritage comes alive' - that's the motto of Lake Kissimmee State Park.  Situated in between Lake Rosalie and Lake Kissimmee, it's in an are known as the 'headwaters' to the Everglades.  There are over 13 miles of trails (you can walk them, or travel 6 miles of them on horseback), in terrain that changes from floodplain, marshland, flatwoods and shady hammocks.

We opted to walk the shortest trail - 2.6 miles near the marsh.  What a different perspective of Florida.  If all you're used to is theme parks, this is a major shift.  Quiet, peaceful, and beautiful - the kind of place where you naturally speak more softly, so as to be in harmony with nature.  We didn't see a lot of birds, but the beauty of the area more than made up for that.

 The marsh with Lake Kissimmee in the distance.  We could hear the shore birds, but couldn't see them.

 A typical sview. Scrub pines with Spanish moss.  There were all sorts of little nooks and crannies.  I half expected some southern belle or southern gentleman to come walking out (imagine Gone with the Wind and you get the idea).

 Some of the beautiful ferns.  What a contrast to the green palms.

 Different kind of ferns.

 Footprints in the sand -mine and ......

  Walter's.