You might think that time has not changed this wilderness much, but the reality is that the land is constantly changing with the whims of nature. Hurricanes, drought, and fire have all had their influence here, and yet nature does go on, as it has for hundreds of years.
Right now the water is low and looks more like a prairie, but it becomes a lake and fisherman’s haven when the rains come.
Hopkins Prairie is a pristine area where I will be returning many times. This was our campsite on a point of land facing west, overlooking the sometimes prairie, sometimes lake.
Another view with slanting evening rays.
We started our fire, grilled hamburgers and settled in to await the anticipated sunset.
Belle was anxious to roast a marshmallow.
Sunset over the prairie
Some sights from our evening walk:
We didn’t actually see the alligators, but we know they are there. You’ll know too if you listen to the night sounds.
I’m not sure what this structure is, but my guess is a bat house…anybody know?
Even the prairie has its phallic symbols…
It wasn’t really the sounds of silence, but rather the symphony of natural sounds that impressed me as darkness fell. The sounds were accentuated due to the absence of human sounds. If you look and listen carefully, you’ll see the fireflies and hear a variety of bird, insect, amphibian, and the unmistakable grunts of the alligator. Here are the sounds of the night:
This was my view out my bedroom window when I awoke:
And these were the songs of the morning I enjoyed with my morning coffee.
There were very few fellow campers, and all nice people. I met a local man who was fishing from his homemade wooden kayak. Wished I’d gotten a picture of it. There was another man from Flint Michigan who was taking a short vacation after being laid off from an auto industry job. A couple from Wisconsin is here for a month, staying at a different forest cg, but came to check out Hopkins Prairie at sunset. Two other men had a boat they planned to take up the Ocklawaha River today.
After a breakfast of fresh fruit, we headed out to the Yearling Trail. I’ll put that in another thread.
