On Friday, April 12th, I headed out to do yet another walk at Princess Place. The park was chosen due to some chores that had to be completed before I took off. I was glad I went.

After the heavy rainstorm of Wednesday, I thought the woods might be soaked so I chose to start my walk on the Loop Road. The road surface is packed sand and doesn’t have puddles as it is constantly maintained by park staff who have a small grader.

Immediately when I climb out of my car and sniff the fresh air of the big trees, I can feel any tension in my body dissipate. Due to nearby ongoing road construction on Highway 1, there seems to be fewer daily visitors, but perhaps it was merely because it was a weekday. I didn’t care. Outside the loop trail and the main visitor areas I saw perhaps three people and a couple of dogs.

It is interesting (to me, at any rate) to observe the different rate it takes the various oak species to leaf out. Some of the deciduous ones leaved out two weeks ago, others are still lagging behind. Although the Live Oaks retain their leaves, they do shed out each spring, leaving the ground littered with crunchy brown leaves.

This or another nearby tree used to hold an eagle nest, but I guess it was knocked down during one of the hurricanes in the last 8 years. This is one of the largest meadows in the park.

Beyond the meadow, the Loop Road ducks back into shady woods. I kept an eye out but this kind of vegetation doesn’t have too much in the way of flowers, except oak flowers which aren’t very showy. The margins of the roadway are also carefully mowed. If people weren’t present, Florida would quickly transform into a jungle in certain areas.

I make up my route in this park as I am walking, depending on weather and surface conditions. I decided to add the Artesian Trail to the route. This is the former site of an Artesian well that probably originally provided fresh water for the estate, which used to grow oranges at one time. There is only one surviving orange tree that I’ve found still standing and it’s struggling.

I sat on a nice bench for a snack break (I had not eaten any breakfast!) and listened to the wind and birds. A large woodpecker was investigating local trees for tasty treats while I was eating mine.

Here is a portion of the Artesian Trail that travels in a loop between the Loop Road and the Moody Point Road.

When I reached the Moody Point Road, I decided to investigate the Legacy Trail, which is .6 mile trail that encircles Legacy Island. The last time I walked this trail I got extremely muddy, staining my socks (white ones!). Fortunately, the trail was drier this time with just a few patches of mud and tiny puddles, which was a miracle after the big storm we had the other day. Did you know that several small tornadoes touched down near St. Augustine and Bunnell? They didn’t do too much damage, but for a short time (2-3 hours) the winds were fierce and the rain intense. Southern thunderstorms are no joke.

Here you can see the Lodge from Legacy Island and the Pellicer Creek basin. The lodge is on the left side of the photo. It is built of local wood and coquina stone, so it blends into its surroundings.

Another view of the Lodge from near the canoe take-out.

A grouping of palms on the eastern end of the small island.

A sand oak in flower and leaving out.

Pellicer Creek from the Creekside Trail. Oh, yes, I added this little trail onto the day’s route, too.

It was a breezy, pleasant day in the mid-70’s while I was at the park and a refreshing walk. And I saw two deer grazing in the meadow, along with assorted birds and squirrels.

Then, I arrived home with plenty of time to prepare for Alex Collier’s webinar starting at 14:00 EDT.

That’s all for today, folks.

In Joy,

Eliza

COMMENTS ON