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Stephen Foster Cultural Center State Park (diorama in the museum)

My little dragonfly friend...

Florida Trail scenery along the Suwanee River

Do you see the tiny alligator? So cute!

Although we've visited Okefenokee NWR in the past, we decided to return for a chance to bike the 8 mile loop. Eight miles of paved, flat terrain is a breeze, but we made sure to stop and see the sights along the way. My favorite thing was seeing a tiny alligator crossing the road! It was so cute, just about 1 1/2 feet long, marching along until he found a shady spot on the other side.

We spent the night camping at Stephen Foster Cultural Center State Park, in nothern Florida.

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The Florida Trail passed through the campground, so of course we hiked on it, along the Suwanee River. The scenery was the prettiest we've experienced on the Florida Trail so far. A highlight was the museum, of all things! They've created super intricate dioramas to depict the meaning behind some of Stephen Foster's songs, including "Oh, Susanna." They were beautiful, complete with moving parts...definitely worth a visit if you're ever in northern Florida!

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On Sunday, we drove to the western entrance of Okefenokee and spent about three hours canoeing among the cypress trees. We were astounded by the number of alligators that we saw (about 21, all in all). A man in a motor boat tried to run over an alligator that was crossing the channel, and the alligator got upset. How does an alligator express its anger, you may ask? By coming after US in our canoe, and creating a huge splash about two feet in front of our canoe. I was so freaked out that I could have flipped the canoe myself!

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Just as we pulled the canoe out of the water, the storm let loose. Deep gray clouds shot out bright streams of lightning, and the rain didn't let up for the 2.5 hour drive home. In fact, Mike estimates that the water was about a foot and a half deep at some points, ON the road! We were SO relieved to finally drive back into Brunswick, safe and sound.