As I hit the water around 3, it was getting really hot, but about 30 minutes into the paddle, one of our summer thunderstorms hit and it poured for the next 2 hours. I paddled through it, figuring it was the best way to stay warm and was happy, because as it ended, the light started getting good and the humidity in the air really helped the mood of my images.

I ended up shooting a lot of back-lit images, one of my favorite ways to really showcase textures and light. They can be tougher to manage, but if you can expose as much for the shadows as possible or blend multiple exposures, it really helps.

I saw several Pileated Woodpeckers and their large nest cavities in dead cypress. We used to see them a lot more in Miami, but not in recent years.

One thing that worked out for me was going upstrem(mostly west) as the sun was setting. This is another reason for a lot of back-lit images. I did try to turn around and see the scenes I had passed in different light, but was usually more anxious to see what was around the next bend(usually gators dipping under the pitch black water).

About 4 or 5 miles upstream I found a nice sandbar island to set-up camp. One problem besides the low ground, was most of the shoreline has cypress knees jutting out everywhere. A hammock would work great, but I did not have a rainfly or insect shield for my hammock, so I stuck to the tent.

After setting up camp, I paddled around some more, as the light was really getting good.

As I said earlier, with the high water, the creek overflowed in areas that created “backwater bays” or rooms where the current was pretty much non-existant. This next image was one of those areas.

I fell asleep to an incredible amount of frogs calling and the barred owls were also out in force, probably hunting those frogs. Hopefully, my little Iphone recording will play for you. Frogs on Fisheating Creek

I woke up and paddled back, again with nice back-lighting, but was tired and the creative juices weren’t flowing as much I guess.

If you get the chance, I definitely recommend visiting Fisheating Creek,  a great escape from the city.

]]> http://www.paulmarcellini.com/blog/2010/06/fisheating-creek/feed/ 11 http://www.paulmarcellini.com/blog/2010/02/loxahatchee-riverjonathan-dickinson-state-park/ http://www.paulmarcellini.com/blog/2010/02/loxahatchee-riverjonathan-dickinson-state-park/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:29:04 +0000 Paul http://www.paulmarcellini.com/blog/?p=533 This past weekend I went up to Jonathan Dickinson State Park and kayaked the Loxahatchee River. It is Florida’s first “Wild and Scenic” river. It is is confusing at first, but the best part of the river is not really accessible from Jonathan Dickinson State Park. If you don’t have your own canoe/kayak and decide to rent one, they won’t even let you up to the good cypress lined parts. For this you need to put in at Riverbend County Park. It is off Indiantown Rd and is open from sunrise to sunset.

If you put in at Riverbend, the first 5 or so miles is a twisted cypress lined tanic river. The water is stained by all the fallen leaves, and when the light hits the shallows, it glows orange. The river was full of wildlife, I saw many limpkins and other birds, wild hogs, turtles and gators.  It is also lined with several species of ferns, the most impressive being the leather fern, which had fronds over 6 feet tall.

At about the 5 mile mark, you will hit Trapper Nelson’s. He was known as the “Tarzan of the Loxahatchee” and had built a much visited zoo, until his mysterious death by shotgun in 1968. After this, the river opens up and you can see the transition from cypress to mangrove, with pines and sabal palms mixed in.  I don’t consider it as scenic but there are several active Osprey nests that keep it interesting.

I didn’t spend as much time in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, but did wander around for one sunset. I actually had pretty bad weather, but did manage this, showing the pine flatwoods, home to the endangered Gopher Tortoise.

Boca Chita Lighthouse is a beautiful lighthouse made form the local limestone, and using a 10-stop neutral density filter, was able to lengthen the exposure to about 100 seconds. With the last of the directional light hitting the lighthouse, this gave it a nice glow but allowed the clouds and palms to show a lot of movement in the image. I wanted to get something a bit different and think I succeeded. Enjoy!

Mangrove Magic

Boca Chita After Hours

The scrub was the habitat I enjoyed the most. Scrub is Florida’s desert. It does have cactus(I only found it once the hard way) and several other spiny plants. It is also full of scrub oak, rosemary and palmetto. There is a grasshopper and moth whose lives revolve solely around rosemary. The scrub does receive up to 50 inches of rain a year but due to the sandy soil, is quite dry. Many plants overcome this with extensive root systems and small or narrow leaves to combat water loss. The scrub is important because the sandy soils allow rainwater to drain and replenish the aquifer.

The habitat is visually overwhelming. There are so many textures squeezed in everywhere, it is hard to find order in it. I focused on a lot of intimate scenes, something a bit new for me. I did my best but definitely want to try more with a return trip.

I also had some new shoes to try, instead of the usual barefoot. These bad boys were going to protect my feet from the feisty crayfish. They worked pretty well.

Anyways, we were headed for an area called the “Cathedral”, full of rare orchids, ferns, bromeliads, and other epiphytes. It is really a forest growing on a forest, with so much life all around you. It is a visual overload and truly is “The Amazon of the Everglades”. Enjoy the views.

The big reason for the excursion, Huperzia dichotoma, "The rarest plant in North America"

Roseate Spoonbill

Sabal Palms and Skyway Bridge

Great Egret and Flounder

Dune Sunrise

Sea Oats and Fishermen

Tricolor Heron

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