Well, today I went for a long walk in one of my favorite local areas, Princess Place Preserve. The weather forecast is for a lengthy stretch of sunny but slightly chilly Florida winter weather. It was glorious. No bugs. No sweating, although I did remove one of my layers. I didn’t need my gloves or fuzzy hat. There were some muddy spots but nothing I couldn’t tiptoe around. And few people were about. Living in a household full of five women and a young child (on the weekends and evenings) I totally crave some nature and quiet. There was just the wind through the trees, the sunshine beating down on my head, and a delicious spicy scent in the air as I crunched through dry fallen leaves.

To begin with as I exited my car, I encountered two equestrians and their mounts. One of the horses was a Draft-Connemara mix and the other a pure-bred Connemara. The latter is a native Irish pony, sturdy and round, perfect for a smaller statured rider. The Draft-Connemara was taller, with strongly boned legs and an pleasant kind demeanor. I often watch horse-related content on YouTube and have seen more draft mixed with other breeds to gain better leg, docile temperament and sturdy build for better riding horses. The draft is typically a cold-blood. I admired the horses as they continued up the path near my car. Equestrians are allowed in the park, along with bicyclists and walkers. Vehicles must remain on the coquina roads and parking areas. It is a lovely place to walk, camp, and picnic.

Today I chose to make a long loop starting at the western trailhead of the old Hominy Branch Trail, which is, unfortunately out of commission right now. I started up/down the roadside part of Hominy Branch which is combined with a portion of the Equestrian Trail. At the start, I was paralleling the main access road to the park, traipsing through the grassy meadows fringed with saw palmettos and shaded by huge live oaks. Then the trail dives into a bit of forest bordering on a huge marsh that includes the upper reaches of Stiles Creek.

The Creekside Trail starts near the new access road to the rental cottages. It can be a little obscure if you’re not aware, but I’ve been there several times now.

Last Thursday, I took a walk first to the Graham Swamp Trail off of Old Kings Road, just south of Palm Coast Parkway. I was walking there due to some recent rains and potentially damp/muddy trails. This time I was successful in finishing the entire 4 mile RT as the boardwalk was relatively dry. It can get greasy and slippery when damp especially in the shade.

After the four mile walk, I drove over to the Matanzas River (Intracoastal Waterway) to hang out on one of the benches and admire the passing boat traffic. There were some hungry birds hanging out at the fishing pier hoping for a treat.

Besides these hikes, I’ve been going out on long neighborhood walks, usually at least a couple of miles. I get stronger everyday.

I hope you enjoyed this *news interruption* as much as I did taking these hikes. I’m also getting the hang of downloading these photos and copying them into the post. I’ve noticed my camera doesn’t keep the photos in very good order. I’m not very technically savvy although I can blunder my way through it after a while. Still learning.

In Joy,

Eliza

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