Soooo, how do I keep myself grounded during these “interesting” times in which we are living? I walk… miles, preferably among tall trees. Today, I went out and did a nice loop walk around Princess Place Preserve, which is a Flagler County Park. The PPP used to be a large estate located north of present-day Palm Coast and next to Pellicer Creek.

Today, I parked the Kia near the canoe put-in. If you’re a canoe or kayak enthusiast, you might consider visiting the area. Just bring GPS so you don’t get lost in the wandering channels of Pellicer Creek, which also connects up to the nearby Intracoastal Waterway.

We were blessed with gorgeous early winter Florida weather, blue bird skies without a cloud. Tomorrow we’re supposed to have another rain storm migrate across the peninsula from the Gulf of Mexico. It has been more rainy than usual this year — but the weather seems to be going bonkers elsewhere… and I’ll take a sunny day in the mid-60’s (18C) any time.

Florida has a lot of springs. The photo above is one of those springs. It would appear this was a fresh water source for the old estate at one time. The other water, creeks and inlets is brackish, connected to the Matanzas River which empties into the Atlantis just to the north at the St. Johns County boundary.

One of the numerous craggy old oak trees, Southern live oaks, that live in the park. Some of the park is, well, like a park… with groomed grass under these huge spreading trees.

An especially thick curtain of Spanish moss cascading down from a spreading oak. This is a classic look for the low-country spreading from parts of Florida northward to at least the Carolinas.

Well, there is the park looking like a park. Tall Sabal palms, lanky 100 foot Longleaf Pines, sprawling live oaks… little underbrush in these groomed areas, makes it pleasant to walk beneath the canopy.

Above is the only bit of handicap trail in the park, a 3/4 mile loop with a concrete surface, suitable for a wheelchair or stroller.

The loop trail soon grants the walker views of Pellicer Creek and its confluence with Styles Creek. Across the wide blue waters, you can see Fayer Dykes State Park, where camping is allowed. There is limited camping at Princess Place, too. Permission required. The camps are not suitable for large trailers, except in the group area, there is enough turn around space for truck and horse trailers.

I was finally able to negotiate the bit of trail that parallels Styles Creek. The other two or three times I attempted the hike, I met with deep squishy mud puddles. I love this view of the covered bridge. Sometimes otters can be seen playing/fishing in this creek. 

Here I am starting the final lap of my long loop, heading along the pond on the equestrian trail.

I’ve come across two native hollies in this region, Yaupon and American holly. Both have red berries. American holly has spiky leaves. Yaupon has stiff branching and typically grows on the edge of thick scrub where it can benefit from the sunlight.

Tall pines, sprawling oaks, thin grassy trails, Saw palmetto… this is a portion of the equestrian trail that makes a 6.6 mile loop through the park. I haven’t yet walked the entire trail since arriving back in the area, but am working up to it.

I seem to be fascinated with the curly branching habit of the great oaks. The tree appears to be dancing with delicate ribbons of moss floating around it.

And for my naturalist’s notes: I saw Grey Blue Herons lifting up when I disturbed them, a dark furry weasel scurrying into the brush, the calls of robins, finches, a Kingfisher, and osprey. No otters or pelicans today.

Here I am nearly back to where I parked the car. I estimate I did at least three miles perhaps more. My pace is a lot faster than when I started these walks over three months ago.

One more view of Pellicer Creek, midway through today’s hike. Since some of the trails are out of commission right now, I tend to splice several trails together and also walk on a portion of the loop road to create these long walks. It is very satisfying.

All of the roads in this park including the access road from Old Kings Road are sand. They get groomed during the week by a small grader.

I hope this little photo journal gave everyone a brief respite from the news cycle. 

Eliza

Camera: Nikon Coolpix L830

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