Saturday February 5th 2022

The weekend arrived and so did the less than ideal weather. Just about every weekend this year has had cold and rainy weather. It rained a little last night to usher in the change. This morning it was cloudy and Florida cold. Conditions never improved during the day. The temperature peaked south of the sixty degree mark. This evening a rain shower keeps popping up overhead. Rain is in the forecast overnight into tomorrow.

I had to add a few layers of clothing for today’s walks. The activity mix in the park changed with the weather as well. There were fewer paddlers and a lot more walkers today. It met many more hikers on the River Trail and the Swamp Trail today. There were still kayaks on the river, but they came in groups of two and four not ten to sixteen.

My morning walks this week have averaged about two hours in length. Today, my morning walk took about three and a half hours. The wildlife gets the blame (or credit). Although I didn’t get pictures to prove it, I saw a couple of creatures I’ve been looking for all week. On the Swamp Trail I finally saw a deer. She heard me coming and took off deeper into the woods, but I still managed to get a good look. At the river overlook on the Swamp trail a different creature added time to my hike. It was a game of can you spot the manatee.

When I arrived at the overlook I was informed there were three manatees in front of the overlook in the river, but the guy couldn’t point out the specific location. I took a seat on the bench and started watching. Eventually I saw one come up for air a hundred yards or more down river. I kept watching and there was more activity in the same area. So I can say I saw manatees in the Silver River. It just wasn’t a very good view. I’ve got another week to do better.