Hillsborough River State Park
Poster couple for AARP. Saturday morning early arrival was a real treat. Very few people in the park and we had the trail and suspension bridge to ourselves. We are Happy Hikers!
8 AM. Saturday morning in early December 2016. On the road to Zephyrhillls or Thonotosassa Florida. Your choice. About an hour northeast of our condo in Dunedin. This park was built in the 1930's as part of CCC initiatives during the Great Depression. Four trails are available for hiking ranging from slightly over a mile to over 6 miles. A small Intrepretive Center provides historical artifacts and historical information about the park, times and Seminole Indian Wars. Carol and I strolled the Rapids Trail.
Early December, Into the heart of darkness we trekked, searching for Santa's demonic helper known as Krampus....okay, we are really seeking the river trail rapids.
View along the river rapids trail. Smudge or ghostly apparition? Nope. Reflected sunlight off the water.
Good Morning America! New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Sweden too. Suspension bridge swinging to the rhythm of our strides. Safe for the elderly?
Imagine severe swinging motion on the suspension bridge as you cross over the Hillsborough river. Now imagine hungry gators looking up at you from the river below. Great adventure, yes?
Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Florida Bill's alligator wrestling extravaganza. Florida Bill will wrestle seven Gators at a time with one hand tied behind his back....Pssst, Carol. Any paying customers today?
Reflections.
Submerged tree trunks.
We met a family from Pennsylvania in hot pusuit of a gator sighting. I showed them gator pictures from this blog (see Golf). Carol advised them to keep looking on the sunny side of the river. You gotta love helpful Floridians, right?
Carol, where is the trail?
Meandering boardwalk.
Tree shelter by Mother Nature.
The Rapids
One of the many sounds of the forest. We had a great day. We plan to return when Fort Foster is open and hike another trail. Happy Trails to you!