Gentle Trails journal

​We made it through Monday, everyone! While the week is just beginning, I’m already on high alert for a very special reason. We are expecting a brand-new grandson any day now! When that call comes, I’m heading straight home to Okeechobee to look after my first grandson—my favorite little hiking buddy and explorer.

​There’s something so special about seeing the world through a child’s eyes, especially when you’re surrounded by the wide-open spaces of Florida’s heartland.

​Spotlighting a Local Treasure: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

​If you find yourself down our way, you absolutely have to check out Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. It’s one of my favorite spots for a hike, and it’s a must-visit for anyone who loves the “real” Florida.

​Why you’ll love it:

• ​The Trails: There are miles of multi-use trails that take you through the breathtaking dry prairie. It’s perfect for a long hike or a quiet walk with a little explorer.
• ​The Views: It is vast, open, and incredibly peaceful. It’s one of the few places where you can truly see the horizon.
• ​Camping: If you want to stay longer, they have fantastic camping facilities.
• ​Dark Skies: Fun fact—it’s a recognized “International Dark Sky Park,” meaning the stargazing there is some of the best in the entire state!

​Whether you’re looking for a rugged hike or just a place to breathe in the fresh air, the Prairie is a beautiful place to recharge.

​Wishing you all a wonderful, productive week. Wish us luck with the new arrival!

Good morning, wonderful people.
I hope your work week is kind to your mind and gentle on your body, and that you remember to look for the beauty in the smallest things. A ray of sun on the dashboard, steam curling off your coffee, a bird cutting across a gray sky — all of it counts.Somewhere between clocking in and clocking out, let your thoughts wander a little. Daydream about pine needles under your boots, fog hugging the river, or the way the wind sounds in the trees when the world finally goes quiet. Even if you are stuck indoors, your mind can still take that walk, still sit beside that water, still feel the peace of being held by nature.May this week bring you tiny moments that feel like fresh air — a good conversation, a quiet drive, a glimpse of the sky through a break in the clouds. Let those little things be enough to renew you until you can get back out there and wander for real.

There’s something about getting out into nature that resets everything — your thoughts, your energy, and your outlook for the week ahead. Today, I spent some time on the Caravelle Ranch WMA Hiking Trail, a quiet stretch of Florida wilderness that reminds you what peace really feels like.The air was crisp, the trees whispered in the wind, and the sound of birds and rustling leaves felt like Mother Earth herself was speaking. Taking time like this to slow down, breathe deeply, and just be reminds me how important it is to reconnect with the natural world. It renews your soul and recharges you for the challenges waiting in the week ahead.I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and found a chance to step outside — even if only for a few minutes. Sometimes, the best therapy is just listening to the world turn under the open sky.

Miss yote was not ready to leave, she is like mom really, but it started to rain the cold front is moving in.

Headed out early this morning from Green Cove Springs, coffee at the marina still warm, chasing a ’82 VW Vanagon in Ocala for my hiking and waterway adventures. Ninety minutes up the back roads, I pulled up to this air-cooled beauty—rust-free Florida body, manual trans shifting smooth, . Loved it for quick camps by Juniper Springs or St. Johns floats, room for packs, kayak, and poetry scribbles without the van-life flash.Why It Tempted Me? ,Felt that boxy connection to ’80s road poetry—350-mile range potential after fuel tank and line fixes (5/16″ hose kits we eyed). Simple, unique soul spoke my reflective style, ditching bougie solar bars for raw nature bonds. But brakes soft, fuel system brittle—more wrenching than my current bandwidth allows.Keeping It Real everyone’s chasing decked-out vans; I crave basics: bunk, cooler spot, trailhead shuttle that hums with the environment, not Instagram. Vanagon nailed personality—quirky, unpretentious—but needs align better. Short bus peeked too, massive but less nimble.The Hunt Continues its out there: unique rig for waterway hikes, family overnights, no frills. Ocala forest views fueled the fire—back to Marketplace, local ads. Patience turns epic into trail. Nature waits for no van, but the right one’s calling.

Fog clings to Green Cove Springs like a stubborn ghost this Sunday, swallowing the St. Johns River whole. An hour east (or west?), an old VW van waits—pop-top ready for camping epics, belly-deep in space for kayaks, wakeboards, bait buckets. Talked to the seller last night; it’s the one for marina mornings turned Ocala overnights. But this pea-soup haze? My soul screams “wait for sunrise,” while adventure yips “keys, now!”Boat deck coffee in hand, I weigh it. Roads turn lethal in this: zero visibility means brake-light roulette, slick blacktop betrayals. Sunrise chases fog here—by 8 AM, gold rays will part the gray, safe for the haul. The van’s not fleeing; it’ll grin wider in daylight, me poking tires, flipping the pop-top, dreaming Black Creek bivouacs.Patience wins today.

Curiosity peaked at the Lower Santa Fe River boat ramp— ; borrow the husband’s rig or rope in friend Christy with hers to haul the kayak and stand-up board for that dream paddle.Gear Haul and Launch Plan load up the water sports gear securely in the bed, launch at the ramp for a gentle downstream float past bluffs and springs, with Yote riding shotgun or aboard. Aim for 5-8 miles to prime campsites, tying off amid cypress for overnight vibes.Camping Float Essential reserve primitive riverbank sites ahead, pack so chow, dry bags, and bug dope—Christy’s company means shared laughs floating Florida’s tannic beauty.[user-information:1] Sunrise departures beat the heat for this east-to-lower Santa Fe overnighter.