The final day of training was only a half-day, I decided to head home via hwy 98. I stopped off in Bayport and had a great grouper sandwich as a very late lunch, took some decent photos of a nice wetland using an orange filter as an experiment, and headed on up to the Chassahowiska NWR. It was completely empty, so I walked one of their short trails, the 'Wild Turkey Trace.' It was a nice scrub environment, and I felt completely isolated except for the occasional shotgun blast in the distance. I didn't see a single soul until I was leaving the park. I also didn't see much wildlife, but saw plenty of deer tracks and perhaps bear tracks.
From the NWR, I went to the Yulee Sugar Mill ruins and took some interesting photos there, mostly of the giant cogs and of a nearby inlet/bayou/whatever leading up to a bar.
Then on to Homasassa Springs, where I saw manatees, egrets, bald eagles, and a great variety of other wildlife being rehabilitated.
Next came Rainbow Springs, once a resort-type attraction, now a very well maintained state park. It was easily one of the prettiest state parks I've ever seen, with three waterfalls, swimming, and hiking.
By then it began to get dark, so I hit the highway up to Perdido Key, planning to visit the other panhandle locations the next day.
Posted by ward at February 6, 2003 04:41 PM