One type of water lily.
View from around the lookout tour.
Mirror Lake along the boat tour.
The view from the back of the boat.
An old community from the river.
Pitcher plants..they eat bugs but needed to eat more in my estimate.
Moonshine still.
The pesty yellow fly that was ruthless even with bug spray. It would attack the thick part of heels even! We learned to love dragonflies more as they eat the yellow flies!
Alligator nest from last year. It may be used again soon!
On the train ride, the conductor pointed out this snake...a cottonmouth coiled under a bush.
On the porch of a house rocking.
This snake popped out of a garden and slithered away. Some said it was poisonous. Others said it was not. I just wanted him or her to just get away from our path so we would not have to find out.
At the reptile show we had good seats of alligators, snakes, and turtles
Afterwards, we posed with a baby alligator.
Our guide on the boat tour demonstrated "poor mans' soap" A plant in the swamp would lather up and clean hands like soap, even enough to remove fish smells after fishing.
One happy gator!
This gator was probably 14 feet long. He was two fee wide. The biggest gator we have seen. A couple of days ago a guest to the park had a dog escape out the back of his car and this gator was going after it for lunch! Thankfully the staff contained the gator before the dog was eaten.
A blue dragon fly on the top of leaves.
Alligator nest!
Along the boat tour we were allowed to get out and climb to the top of a lookout tour. This is one view of the swamp from above.
The admission package we purchased at the O.Swamp included a boat ride, train ride and a reptile show. First we took the boat tour. Our guide steered us through the swamp pointing out plants, alligator habitat, and telling stories of the people who lived in the swamp. Not only did the Seminole Indians live there, but settlers who were working and some who were making moonshine also inhabited around the swamp. The train ride took us through another section of the swamp and we saw different species and had an opportunity to walk through an old cottage. Sabrina really enjoyed touching the snakes, alligators and turtles in the reptile show.
A few weeks ago we were in St. Augustine and did not have time to see the old historic part of the city, so we returned. It was super hot and we decided to only stay a bit so we would not get heat stroke.
An old Chinese throne in the Poncho Villa Hotel Lobby.
Flager College.
More of the campus.
More of the pretty campus.
A scaled replica of the Alhambra Palace ..we only saw from the street.
Front gate to the Flagler College.
This old building is currently a museum.
Escaping the heat of St. Augustine, we drove to the northern coast of Florida and found Ft. Clinch State Park.
We arrived thirty minutes before closing so we ran around snapping photos.
Made before the Civil War, this was a fort held by the Union.
The view over the ocean and St. Mary's River.
The arches reminded us of the style at Ft. Pulaski outside of Savannah.
The stairwell.
Soldier bunks.
Dining room with some dressed up soldiers.
Quartermaster Quarters.
The old flag had fewer stars.
Tool room.
The outhouse.
Water pump.
Along the outer wall was a security window. Sabrina fit well on the sill.
Entertainment.
Right after this shot the camera stopped working. This was a bummer because we went to the Catty Shack in Jacksonville. We arrived right before they fed the big lion, tigers, cougars and black panthers. Most of these were rescued animals who will live in the sanctuary for the rest of their lives. I believe the man said they fed between 500-600 pounds a week. The meat was chicken and steak from the store. They ate better than their keepers.
