Well the wet season is finally here in Florida and has brought the oak forests to life. During my travels for work along the Kissimmee River I discovered a new area called Boney Marsh in Lorida, Florida that had some serious oak hammocks that had some great potential for some new images.
So we decided to start the long weekend hiking in the oak hammocks of the Florida trail with a Friday afternoon departure.
I think Lyla is trying to tell me that we need to get going
Ahggg!...I just had a flash forward to sixteen years from now when my Little Lyla drives off with her first car
OK...back to reality...whew!
Everybody in? Here we go! The boys are pretty excited that they get to join us on this one.
Alright, dinner on the road and off we go
Our original plans were to camp out over night in Boney Marsh and get up for sunrise and hike, but the weather was not cooperating...
So we decided that it would be best to stay at a friends place nearby and keep dry.
And its a good thing because it rained the entire afternoon and night.
Not sure if the weather is going to be good for photographs, but I have learned to take chances and hope for the best. There is nothing worse that sitting at home and looking outside at the sunrise wishing you would have not chickened out.
...And I am glad we did because it was looking to be a perfect morning!
6:00am! Lyla woke up on time asking for her typical bottle of milk so she could go back to sleep till her usual 7:30 wake up time, but this morning she was a little confused when I pulled her out of her crib at 6:00.
It's early, so I have to make sure to take care of my girls!
Bottle for Lyla...
coffee for Nicky...
And off we go!
Here we are,
One problem Lyla...
Where is your hiking backpack?
Oh boy...I knew we forgot something, good thing you have your hiking shoes on!
We still have a few minutes before the sun is all the way up so we headed south to look for some potential landscapes
Lyla and I were having trouble finding something to work with here...
so we decided to turn around and head back north while we still had time
But before we go, Lyla had to stop and check out these cool oak roots
And my photography can definitely wait if she wants to explore! I completely understand and it is so cool to see that she is just as interested as Nicky and I to explore details in nature.
Oh...much better here. Its going to be a great morning for shooting! These oaks are incredible and we have the perfect lighting to work with.
This one is going to make a perfect three panel mural piece!
We continued on along the edge of the oakline where it meets the Kissimmee River's floodplain. This situation sets up for perfect landscapes into the sunrise, because the open floodplain allows the sunrise to light up the oak trees and the spanish moss
Lyla needed a break from hiking...mommy was quick to help her out
Check out these huge elephant ear plants!
Makes me feel like I am back in the rain forests of Ecuador
I am gong to need to find a new vantage point
Lets move on. We still have at least another hour of good lighting and so much more to explore
But, Lyla says it is snack time, and when she is hungry...she is in charge!
All set with a nutri-grain bar, and off we go
What a perfect morning
About a mile in we stumbled on this incredible landscape on the edge of the floodplain that was absolutely breathtaking.
Nicky and Lyla and the boys enjoyed the sunrise, while I ran around like a maniac taking in all the shots I could get
To get the shot I spent some time on the ground...
in the trees...
back on the ground...
I had to get a shot of Nicky and Lyla in this scene
and back in the trees...
Lyla saw how excited I was and she wanted to join in the fun.
and she nailed it!
but she wasn't done yet!
These shots are definitely going to boost your portfolio Lyla!
Uh oh...Looks like all the hard work tired Lyla out
and that is alright with me because I just had the most incredible hour of shooting that I can remember in the last 15 years.
Since we didn't have a backpack, Nicky made a makeshift cradle for Lyla
and Lyla was diggin' it!
...almost forgot to get a family photo!
and on our way
we found the car again, so that's good
and Lyla got her second wind!
What an incredible morning! Once Lyla tired herself out we jumped in the car and headed back to the house for nap time
for all of us!
Well, we couldn't have asked for any more perfect weather. The sun was only out for 2 hours from 7 - 9am and then the clouds came back for the rest of the day as we were leaving.
So we headed out and back home to finish the long holiday weekend with friends.
If you ever get the opportunity to take a ride along the Martin County Highway it is worth it as the oaks reach out and tunnel the road for many miles.
Thanks for checking in on our adventures!
Next adventure...who knows where, but it will be soon!
Never stop exploring...
