Fun Hike & Meet Up

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@billliveshere: It looks like Paynes Prairie to me. Of course a huge part of Central Florida looks like this!

As a UF grad, I was thinking the same thing.

 

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Oh yeah!!!! That's just what it is, Payne's Prairie. It does look really very familiar! And coincidences of coincidences,:O I was just there earlier this week myself and I believe it was Monday! It was a great day for hiking. It was cloudy so it wasn't really hot, with a nice breeze. The place is famous for wild horses (there were some near the visitor center) J.T., did you see the horses? And there are also bison, but none seen. I think Mondays are their day off! Those union rules, you know!

 

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Bison, in Florida?! I had no idea.

 

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Ayuh! Bison in Florida! I think Payne's Prairie is the only place I know of but they could be in other places as well! Did you know that Florida even had cowboys at one time? And there are plenty of cacti her as well, growing in some of the drier soils. So Florida has some reminders of the old west!

 

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Neat; now I want to visit there more than ever.

 

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Well Snow, all it takes is a return airline ticket, maybe a rental car and the courage to drive Florida highways! :O If you can drive in Florida you can drive anywhere! And we would be more than happy to show you around! I know Payne's Prairie is cool, as J.T. who had also been there near the time when I was there, can attest. And the nature center where I volunteer is also great and there are plenty of other wild places around as well!

 

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FL is one of only nine states I have yet to visit, so plan on it - eventually! I’m dying to the gulf coast, Miami, this prairie - all of it! Give me 1-2 years

 

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Good! You're on! And you will enjoy Payne's Prairie! Millions of years ago it was a lake when Florida was basically all covered by the sea. And what you see now is what's left after the lake dried up. There are more than 2,000 acres and is surrounded by deciduous woodlands. We tell the kids at the nature center that because Florida was covered by water in prehistoric times there were no dinosaurs in Florida. Kids still love to talk about dinosaurs! So you won't see any dinosaur fossils or fossilized footprints.

 

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Okay everyone who has been reading about the adventures at Payne's Prairie. The cat is really yowling and wants to be let out of the bag! The mystery guest along with Jaytee was someone I had breakfast and went food shopping with this morning, me!
It was nice of Jaytee to want to respect my privacy but it was such a fun time and there have been so many positive comments that I felt it was high time for full disclosure of the "partners in crime!"